Chapter 335: Entrance

Chapter 335: Entrance

Doppler radar??

Upon hearing Fuxi's assessment, Chen Jian couldn't help but furrow his brow.

He had imagined many possibilities, yet never expected this contraption to be linked to radar.

"What do you mean? Is this a reconnaissance device?"

Chen Jian asked.

"It doesn't seem like a reconnaissance device."

Even Fuxi's voice in the headset carried a hint of hesitation.

"It resembles some sort of control apparatus, likely just a component of a larger control system."

"Commander, given your information that 'the mountain city harbors a multitude of similar devices,' I can preliminarily infer that this is one piece of equipment serving a massive control system."

"But the purpose and function of the control system remain unknown."

"It could be an option aimed at achieving full urban intelligence."

"Yet I cannot render a definitive judgment on the specific scheme."

"Understood."

With Fuxi's words hanging in the air, Chen Jian exhaled a long breath.

Mountain City.

The city was growing ever more intricate.

The first layer of secrets hidden beneath the mountains had been uncovered, but when Chen Jian tried to probe its core, he found the city to be like an onion—peel after peel.

Below.

Only by successfully descending into the city's underground can one truly pierce these thick shells and reach the very heart of the mystery.

At that thought, Chen Jian turned to Ji Xing and asked:

"Do you remember that scent?"

"I remember."

Ji Xing nodded gravely and handed the cloth strip he held to Chen Jian.

"Lin Yu wasn't badly wounded—at least when he left that strip, his injuries were not severe."

"We must explore downward. With such a commotion, if they haven't spotted us yet, it's likely that the squad he leads has already entered the underground of the mountain city."

"That's what I think as well."

Chen Jian turned his gaze toward the park below and, after a moment of contemplation, said:

"From the clues we have, Lin Yu must have entered the park in search of food after his supplies ran out."

"They hunted several deer and took the meat."

"However, the park lies on the edge of the restoration zone, surrounded by numerous unmanned machines damaged by electromagnetic pulses."

"It is unlikely they entered the park while the city was still repairing the damaged area, which means they probably reached the park only after the second nuclear blast."

"No more than twenty‑four hours have passed."

"After securing food, they would inevitably need a brief respite."

"That allows us to conclude that, at least eighteen hours ago, they were most probably still alive."

"And eighteen hours ago was the window when we conducted the first aerial reconnaissance and supply drop."

"Our dropped supplies bore conspicuous smoke markers and were equipped with buzzers."

"If they were alive, they would have inevitably noticed the airdropped provisions."

"Yet they gave no reaction."

"There is only one possibility."

"They are in a place where none of these signals can be seen."

"Below ground."

"Centered on the park, how many underground entrances exist within a one‑kilometre radius?"

Chen Jian's words hung in the air, and Ji Xing immediately opened his PDA.

"We cannot pinpoint the exact locations of the underground entrances at this time."

"However, analysis of the density of unmanned machine wreckage on the map indicates three potential entry points nearby."

"They are the cliff‑side tunnel, the subway station entrance, and the underground civil‑defense works beneath the building ahead."

"Which shall we start with?"

"The cliff‑side tunnel."

Chen Jian answered decisively:

"That site harbors the most wrecked unmanned machines; it should be the main conduit."

"Prepare for combat."

"Zhang Chao and Liu Hao, hold position on standby; everyone else, follow me."

"Understood!"

At Chen Jian's command, everyone sprang into action at once.

Guo Xu nodded toward the two who remained, then hurried to the three men—Chen Jian and his companions—who were sorting their gear.

"Where are we heading?"

He asked.

"You haven't realized it yet, have you? The city's surface is nothing but a façade."

"Or, even if it's not a façade, it's merely a disposable 'redundant facility.'"

"To uncover the truth of Mountain City, we must go downwards."

"Downwards? Even further down?"

"Yes."

Chen Jian replied simply.

Guo Xu's brows knit tightly.

To him, even the act of 'entering the mountain city' felt like a desecration.

And now Chen Jian intended to descend even further.

Indeed, after entering the city, he could plainly feel that it lacked the 'divinity' he had once imagined.

One could even say it was merely a relatively recent relic.

Yet when he heard Chen Jian speak of a 'subterranean world,' a spark of hope rose within him.

Perhaps that is the true location of the so‑called “holy ground.”

Perhaps, as long as one does not step forward of one’s own accord, the faith in the holy ground will not shatter.

He refuses to take that step.

Yet he knows that his presence here is precisely to take that step.

Only by shattering the idol completely can faith be reborn.

Guo Xu drew a deep breath and then asked:

“Do we go straight in?”

“Would that be too dangerous?”

“No.”

Chen Jian shook his head.

“First we explore with unmanned equipment.”

“We must first set up a signal relay station, then send a drone into the tunnel to build a three‑dimensional map, completing the first reconnaissance.”

“The process may rouse any enemies lurking inside, so we must be ready to withdraw at a moment’s notice.”

“Hand me the explosives over there.”

Guo Xu followed Chen Jian’s pointing finger, hauled a crate of explosives, and placed it before Chen Jian.

“What are the explosives for?”

He asked.

“To seal the passage.”

“There are three underground passages near us; at present the exits all seem structurally weak.”

“If an uncontrollable risk arises, we can blow the passage shut, buying us time to retreat.”

“I have marked the demolition points on the map.”

“Once the operation begins, lay the charges according to my orders.”

“Understood!”

Guo Xu nodded gravely, took the charges that Chen Jian had already split and fitted with detonators.

“When you set them, insert the detonator into the charge’s socket first, then stow them safely.”

“Li Shi, take a heavy machine gun and load your spare ammunition on your back.”

“Move out!”

“Copy that!”

At that moment, Ji Xing and Li Shi, already equipped, sprang to their feet.

Zhang Chao and Liu Hao, following Chen Jian’s command, aimed the heavy gun and the sniper grenade launcher at the tunnel mouth less than five hundred meters away.

Should anything go wrong, they would be the strongest fire support for Chen Jian’s team.

The four of them descended the building, and when they passed two entrances, Ji Xing and Guo Xu each set up demolition devices as Chen Jian instructed.

Then the quartet pressed onward, marching toward the tunnel’s mouth.

“The surrounding area is clear.”

Liu Hao’s voice crackled over the radio. Compared with Zhang Chao and Guo Xu, he seemed to adapt more quickly to the tactics of the Huaxia troops.

“I have locked onto the tunnel ahead.”

“This thermal imager only sees a few dozen meters inside the entrance.”

“Beyond that depth, my position is invisible.”

“Understood.”

Chen Jian replied tersely:

“That will suffice.”

“Disengage the safety, activate the fire‑control system, and be ready to lay down suppressive fire at any moment.”

“Roger, roger.”

Liu Hao’s voice was steady, which eased Chen Jian’s tension a little.

At this point the squad was less than two hundred meters from the tunnel; Chen Jian raised his hand, signalling a slower pace, then unfolded a weapon rack and aimed toward the tunnel.

“Fall in behind me in a single file line.”

The order was given; the four, who had been spread laterally, contracted quickly, with Chen Jian at the lead, advancing slowly.

“That smell is growing stronger.”

“It’s unmistakably rising from below.”

“Strangely, the same odor drifts from the direction of the park as well.”

Ji Xing whispered, Chen Jian gave a slight nod, then asked:

“Do we detect Lin Yu’s crew’s blood‑scent?”

“There’s a strong scent coming from the tunnel direction.”

“Strong?”

A foreboding feeling flickered in Chen Jian’s mind, and at that instant he noticed a large patch of dried blood spreading at the tunnel’s entrance.

Instinctively he quickened his step; upon reaching the bloodstain, he issued another command:

“Li Shi, Guo Xu, power up the thermal‑fusion night vision, establish a fire point, and watch the tunnel interior.”

“Ji Xing, come take a look!”

“Copy.”

Ji Xing moved forward, and after scanning the area she frowned slightly and said:

“These two blood pools are not from the same person.”

“But there’s no strange odor in the blood itself.”

“The pool nearer the mouth belongs to the owner of the cloth strip we have, the farther pool belongs to another holy‑blooded one.”

“He must already be dead.”

“The blood carries the scent of brain matter.”

“But his body—”

“The situation is grim.”

Ji Xing did not finish her sentence, yet Chen Jian understood her meaning.

The situation was indeed grim.

From the evidence on site, Lin Yu’s squad had at least two members ambushed here, and one of them had already perished.

What about the corpse of that dead man?

Given the urgent situation they face, even if anyone survived, there would be absolutely no time to move the body or to handle it properly.

Thus there is only one answer.

They have been annihilated, and the underground dwellers of the mountain city have already come to the surface to clear the bodies.

What does that mean?

It means the mountain city has not lost its capacity to strike back.

They merely lay low underground after the two nuclear blasts out of caution, but that does not mean they lack the ability to return to the surface and launch an attack!

"Set the explosive charge."

"Li Shi, advance fifteen meters into the tunnel and lay the mines."

"Launch the drone, enter the tunnel, establish a signal relay."

"Understood!"

"Copy that."

When Chen Jian issued the order, the squad's atmosphere tightened instantly.

A small drone buzzed to life, soaring toward the depths of the tunnel.

Li Shi followed the drone, planting three infrared‑triggered mines at the spot Chen Jian had marked.

Having finished, he fell back to Chen Jian's side, then dropped to the ground, unfolded the tripod for his 301 heavy machine gun, and aimed into the tunnel's abyss.

A thick fog cloaked everyone's sight, yet through the thermal‑fusion night‑vision scope nothing could hide.

Chen Jian routed the drone's feed to his smart visor, staring intently at the captured images.

What he saw was a rather ordinary passage—so ordinary he wondered if he had come to the wrong place.

No lights, no cameras, no cellular base stations, and no environmental support systems typical of underground works.

It was simply a barren, naked tunnel.

The drone descended further, and as it passed the third curved bend the signal began to waver.

"Establish a relay."

Chen Jian issued the command again.

"Drone two, commence entry."

"Roger."

Nearby, Ji Xing swiftly piloted his drone aloft, gliding unimpeded.

After passing the first drone, two drones formed a signal relay, and Drone Two pressed deeper inside.

The three‑dimensional model grew clearer; Chen Jian recognized it as a spiraling downward tunnel.

He had no idea how deep it went, only hoping its depth would not exceed the relay's range.

—

And, just as he had hoped, after crossing two more curved bends, Drone Two reached the tunnel's innermost chamber.

Without doubt, this was the true entrance!

A massive, heavy, sealed isolation door stood there, silently guarding the deepest secret of the city.

Chen Jian seized control of the drone, guiding it to circle the cavernous hall captured by the tunnel's camera.

The 3‑D model solidified, and through the drone's eye Chen Jian clearly saw vast pools of blood staining the floor.

"A fierce battle took place here," he said gravely.

Chen Jian spoke in a low voice:

"All splattered blood, impact stains, and the walls bear bullet marks."

"Someone fought a gunfight here."

"That's odd."

"Lin Yu's squad is not proficient with firearms; how could such an intense shootout have erupted?"

"Even if a gunfight occurred, within such a cramped space it could not have been that ferocious."

"No one can outrun a bullet; if the clash happened in this hall, it should have ended in an instant."

"But this is not the case."

"There are over a hundred bullet holes, and the firefight lasted a long time."

"What on earth happened here?"

Chen Jian's voice lowered, and at that moment, Ji Xing beside him suddenly changed expression.

"Flank!"

Instinctively, Chen Jian swung the drone to look to the side.

In an instant, a dark silhouette flickered past.

The next second, the signal was lost!

"Someone!"

"Fall back fifty meters, re‑establish a firing point, prepare to meet the enemy!"

"Drone one, retreat!"

"That thing moves fast!"

"Capture it as fully as possible!"

"Copy!"

The four of them sprang up and sprinted backward.

At that moment, the figure that had destroyed the drone thundered through the tunnel, its massive footsteps echoing as it closed in on Drone One.

It moved faster than the drone could fly!

Chen Jian's heart hammered wildly; when Drone One was finally caught up to, he finally saw the shape of the dark figure.

It was a human.

A person clad in a fully sealed helmet and flexible armor!

Not just one!

At least ten!

They brandished weapons whose function Chen Jian could not discern, already about to clear the final bend.

There was no time.

Chen Jian barked decisively:

"Suppress with heavy machine gun!"

“Thermal‑pressured rockets! Give me two rounds!”

(End of chapter)