Chapter 311: Source

Chapter 311 Source

Two hours later.

Base 011.

After a smooth landing, Lei Jie could barely contain his eagerness, ordering everyone to unload the cargo.

At the same time, the battle report transmitted by Fuxi brought him the latest news on the Mechanical Cult's situation.

“What’s happening??”

“Zhang Tao is dead?!”

Shock etched across Lei Jie's face, yet an even stranger feeling lingered.

He’s dead?

How could he possibly be dead?!

Just days ago, this man seemed to be plotting a scheme against the Huaxia army, and now, within a few days, he is gone?

Did he fall on the battlefield, in the rear‑guard fight that covered the retreating main force?

Lei Jie could not fathom what this man had been doing.

His own seasoned logic could no longer render Zhang Tao’s actions comprehensible; perhaps the only sliver of a plausible explanation left was a single thing.

Faith.

What a joke?

Has the Mechanical Cult’s belief truly taken root to such a depth?

Upon hearing his doubt, Fuxi answered at once:

“The information is accurate.”

“According to the battle report sent from Jinling City, Zhang Tao handed the Saint’s Seal to the archbishop he had chosen.”

“Then he stayed at the gorge of Jianxi Town with a royal guard detachment of thirty‑four, where they blocked the stray monsters.”

“At first, the ambush proceeded fairly smoothly.”

“They slew several level‑four beasts, slowing the monsters’ pursuit.”

“That bought the shattered troops of the Holy Army a chance to withdraw, preserving the remaining elite defenders of Jinling City.”

“But when a level‑two monster dubbed ‘North Kun’ entered the fray, the small blocking unit was annihilated in an instant.”

“Zhang Tao has been confirmed dead in the fight—he gathered and detonated a massive cache of explosives, dealing a heavy blow to the level‑two monster.”

“Of course, he perished in the explosion as well.”

“.A brave way to die, I suppose.”

In that instant, Lei Jie felt a sudden forgiveness toward Zhang Tao.

Regardless of whatever thoughts he once harbored about the Huaxia army, whether he had tried to break free of his own side’s control, or how foolish and sluggish his measures against the beast tide had been, when he fell on the battlefield all of that dissolved into smoke.

In Huaxia tradition, the act of ‘martyrdom for the nation’ can atone for many sins.

Though Zhang Tao may not yet qualify as a martyr, at least he chose a respectable end for himself.

He died on the road after the rear‑guard.

He was still a man of steel.

With that thought, Lei Jie exhaled a long breath.

Then he asked:

“Has the information been passed to the squad leader? What does he suggest?”

“Is the archbishop who will succeed Zhang Tao reliable? Does he have the capacity to organize Jinling’s defense?”

“At present, it appears so.”

Fuxi’s voice came through the headset.

“That archbishop was personally promoted by Zhang Tao; he once served as Zhang Tao’s aide in the Imperial Guard regiment.”

“In both military acumen and managerial ability, he passes the test.”

“I have already notified Commander Chen Jian.”

“But he is currently conducting operations on the southeastern front and has not replied yet.”

“Understood, we’ll set him aside for now.”

Lei Jie replied decisively, then continued:

“I need to run diagnostics on three items here.”

“The signal‑emitter device, this corpse, and the flexible armor on the corpse.”

“Does the base have suitable testing equipment?”

“Hand the corpse and the device directly to the ant‑swarm robots; I’ll oversee the disassembly.”

“Affirmative.”

Lei Jie immediately summoned Jiang Yu to haul all the cargo to the main corridor of Base 011, where a few ant‑swarm robots stood ready.

Upon arrival, the cargo was swiftly moved deeper into Base 011.

“What should I do?”

Lei Jie asked again.

“Wait.”

“Give me twenty minutes; I’ll try to produce a preliminary conclusion.”

“Alright.” Lei Jie flopped onto the ground, feeling a fatigue that could only be described as utterly spent.

After dozens of relentless combat hours, his mind had been riding a perpetual high.

Adrenaline had poured nonstop for twenty‑four hours, draining every ounce of his body’s potential.

Now, with the sudden halt, he felt like a desiccated corpse, completely drained of moisture.

Even the slightest movement—let alone a new mission—seemed beyond his exhausted strength.

A fierce wave of vertigo crashed over him, threatening to topple him onto the floor.

Jiang Yu, standing nearby, seemed at a loss, her voice trembling as she called for a medic; at that moment, Lei Jie, shaking, fished a bottle of sugar water from his pack and gulped it down in a few swallows.

“Just a bout of hypoglycemia, no need to make a fuss.”

Lei Jie drew a few ragged breaths, and the dizziness gradually ebbed.

At the same time, Fuxi’s voice crackled through the headset.

“Autopsy results confirm this organism does not belong to the ‘narrow’ definition of humanity.”

“Its organs have undergone massive mutation, its skeletal structure is altered, and its brain tissue shows severe aberrations—likely the product of artificial intervention to accommodate a brain‑machine interface.”

The Holy Blooded?

Rei Jie snapped upright.

And then, Fuxi's report came again.

“Soft armor material analysis complete.”

“The armor is composed of multiple layers of different materials, all of which are recorded in the database.”

“In other words, these materials themselves did not exceed the limits of pre‑cataclysm human material science.”

“However, the way the materials are combined has changed.”

“It can be concluded that this is an upgraded version of the M77 flexible armor.”

“Understood, as expected.”

Rei Jie nodded slowly, then pressed on:

“What about that launcher? What’s the situation?”

“It’s still being disassembled; this piece of equipment is rather complicated.”

Fuxi’s voice carried a hint of anthropomorphic doubt.

“The device consists of two parts: besides the upper basic radio‑transmission module, the interior is partitioned into a sturdy sealed compartment, seemingly the main processor of the apparatus.”

“I am trying to dismantle it without causing damage, but first I must create a vacuum and a cleaner electromagnetic environment.”

“So…”

Rei Jie furrowed his brow.

“Why is it so troublesome?”

“The device appears to be a quantum communication module, an upgraded quantum communication module.”

When the words fell, Rei Jie sprang to his feet.

Quantum communication.

The Holy Blooded.

Equipment that hails from before the cataclysm, yet has been refined.

In that instant, he realized that every clue converged at a single point.

There could be no mistake.

All of these things must have originated from Mountain City.

Monsters and beast tides may not have emerged from Mountain City, but they are undeniably controlled by it.

That place is the source of everything!

Rei Jie drew a deep breath.

Then he spoke his orders:

“Prepare the missiles, get them ready for launch.”

“Notify the captain and inform him of the current situation.”

“We’ll have to fire that nuclear missile, no matter what!”

(End of Chapter)