Chapter 32: Keeping It Hidden

Chapter 32: Not Exposed

Half an hour later, the four‑person squad slipped back to their quarters without a sound.

Gazing at the mortar laid out on the table, Chen Jian felt a surge of emotion.

PBP201, a company‑level fire support asset.

He first saw this piece in 2022; back then the 201 mortar lacked an integrated sight, but it already had a composite carry handle with a built‑in miniature clinometer and bubble level.

Chen Jian’s three strongest impressions of the weapon were its lightness, its speed, and finally its accuracy.

In extreme conditions the mortar could even be carried by a single soldier; after a 10‑kilometer dash he could fire it without a tripod, expending a basic load of shells in thirty seconds, with an error of no more than ten meters within a kilometer.

Frankly, that is already a terrifying degree of precision.

And when fitted with a tripod, an electro‑optical integrated sight, and satellite‑guided ammunition, the gun could hold to a five‑meter error even at its 3.5‑kilometer maximum range.

Bear in mind, the shells’ lethal radius reaches twenty meters.

In other words, it can practically point‑and‑shoot.

—

Of course, Chen Jian could not achieve that with the two mortars he now had in hand.

The electro‑optic sight had long been damaged; its built‑in laser rangefinder, ballistic computer, and holographic diffractive sight were unusable, so precise shooting relied solely on firing tables and the old‑school method of aiming.

For the natives of this post‑apocalyptic age, that was nearly an impossible task—let alone the dim‑witted horrors.

When Chen Jian saw them, they were lugging the mortar by its carry handle like a musket, pulling the trigger to lob a shell.

If that could actually hit anything, it would be nothing short of a miracle.

To say they were wasting materiel lightly was an understatement; Chen Jian wished he could stuff their heads into the barrel and fire them, just to see where such a shot would land.

Following this lot of yellow‑skinned half‑beasts, you’ve also been dealt a raw deal.

Chen Jian reached out and stroked the cold barrel, his soul seemingly resonating with the bygone era.

Beside him, Lei Jie felt the same affection for the gun, especially those two extended‑range high‑explosive rounds; he wished he could sling a rope around his waist and carry them constantly.

“.Thank goodness they’re not guided rounds; who knows if we could even fire guided ammo!”

“Extended‑range shells are good; this thing is reliable precisely because it’s simple.”

“Forget it; if we ever find guided rounds you’ll just complain that the extended‑range shells aren’t accurate enough.”

Chen Jian had long since read Lei Jie’s temperament; like most of the squad, he called anything novel “Mrs. Niu” when he had it, and “little sweetie” when he didn’t.

He sounded pleasant now, but what if they later stumbled onto a 120‑mm mortar? Or a 125‑mm howitzer?

By then he’d be lucky to remember these two 201 mortars at all!

That said, the two mortars did indeed solve the squad’s shortage of long‑range firepower.

With these two tubes in hand, a well‑aimed shot would likely take care of the sort of monster lurking in Chuansha City with just one or two rounds.

Nonsense, given that the sleeve‑arrow missiles he’d previously found had already been loaded with CL‑20, these two extended‑range shells must also contain CL‑20 rather than ordinary TNT.

With that payload, a plunging attack could very well blast through a light tank, let alone any unarmored carbon‑based lifeform.

The only drawback is the scarcity of ammunition, which leaves little margin for error.

Tomorrow he’ll still need to hit the market, browse around, and see if any matching shells are available.

Weapon trade here is brisk and varied; perhaps he’ll turn something up.

Having reached this point, Chen Jian set down his mortar, ordered Lei Jie to gather everything, had him relieve Shen Yue on the next watch, and told the others to rest and recover for tomorrow’s work.

But just as he was about to head toward the bunk, still with his shoes on, the door to their quarters was suddenly knocked.

Instinctively Chen Jian grabbed the 191 lying nearby, while the others swiftly took up dangerous angles on either side of the door, assuming a defensive posture against an attack.

The very next second, Xu Lie’s voice came from outside the door.

“God Chen Jian, Chen Jian! Are you in there?”

Chen Jian stepped slowly to the door, planted himself against the left jamb, and replied:

“I’m here. What’s up?”

“Let me come in and we’ll talk!”

At that moment, Lei Jie, watching through the window, confirmed that the visitor was Xu Lie alone, with no one else behind him.

Chen Jian then eased his vigilance, rifle in one hand, and opened the door with the other.

Xu Lie darted inside, shut the door behind him, and blurted out:

“Did you just go and take out that pack of horrors’ leader?”

Chen Jian didn’t hide anything, nodding as he answered:

“It was just a matter of convenience—any problem?”

“No problem.”

Xu Lie let out a breath and replied:

“I guessed it had to be you!”

“You don’t know—once the leader died, that whole horde went berserk.” “Normally they’d just skirmish a bit, but with their chief gone they had no restraint, wave after wave surging into the city.”

“The city guards were caught off‑guard and three of them were wounded.”

“The City Defense Command sent a squad of the Machine God Sect’s iron‑clad riflemen to scout, only to find that the horde’s leaders had all been killed.”

“Now the council chamber is in session, debating who did this.”

“I think you should come with me now and own up to it—what do you say?”

“Why should I own up to it?”

Chen Jian asked, bewildered.

“For the bounty, of course!”

“If you don’t claim it, the Machine God Sect will just pocket the money.”

“You get a bounty for killing horrors?”

Chen Jian found himself doubtful.

“By rights, a settlement of nearly five thousand with two major factions mixed in ought to have a council and a defense organ—basic governance, really.”

“But tying everything to a bounty? That’s just absurd.”

Seeing Chen Jian’s skeptical look, Xu Lie hurried to explain:

“Only the slaying of a horror’s leader earns a reward—not much, just a few dozen grams of gold.”

“But the point isn’t the bounty; I think you can use this to start building influence in the city.”

“After all, you’ll have to show yourselves sooner or later—your power far exceeds the local average; you can’t stay hidden forever.”

“Better to step forward now than be discovered later against your will.”

Xu Lie’s words made perfect sense, yet Chen Jian still shook his head.

He knew that the moment was not yet ripe.

When ought one to conceal, and when to expose?

Only when one possesses the power to deter potential foes, keeping them from rash action, is it time to reveal oneself.

It was obvious that the under‑armed squad lacked that capability.

Thus the best strategy lay in lying low, nurturing one's strength.

Thus Chen Jian shook his head firmly and said:

“Not going.”

“Besides, this matter concerns only us now; do not let a third party learn of it.”

“Otherwise, our cooperation could not continue.”

Seeing Chen Jian's resolve, Xu Lie ceased pressing and spoke solemnly:

“Rest easy; we are in the same boat, and the affairs of Xia Ma Town are our pact.”

“Speaking of that, the miners who stayed behind will sooner or later report the situation to the Machine God Sect, and conflict will surely erupt; I hope you too will be ready.”

“Understood.”

Chen Jian nodded, giving a brief reply.

Xu Lie turned and departed; after he left, Chen Jian drew a deep breath and said:

“We must swiftly enhance our combat capability.”

“The situation in Han Shui City is more complicated than I imagined; the Holy Blooded’s aims may not be simple.”

“Perhaps we will soon attract notice.”

“What then?”

Shen Yue followed up, asking:

“If we cannot stay here, should we move to the wilderness?”

“No, we still need to rely on this town’s trade market and supply lines.”

Chen Jian shook his head and then said:

“It’s fine; you do yours, I do mine—just focus on our own tasks.”

“If the administrators here are well‑intentioned, there will be no problem.”

“If they are hostile, then don’t blame me.”

“Whether they are Machine God Sect, Holy Blooded, or anyone else—”

“Pressed hard, even they can be eliminated!”

(End of Chapter)