Chapter 190: 190, Mountain collapse

These combatants of the Qing clan each sprinted to their appointed stations, their armored vehicles bristling with heavy machine guns; when Qing Zhen calmly ordered fire, the guns roared like thunder, tongues of flame spitting, and countless bullets interwove into a visible net, unleashing a terrifying metallic storm upon the test subjects.

A rain of brass casings fell from the tops of the armored cars, and within half a minute the ground around them turned a sickly yellow, a road carpeted with spent shells.

The once‑unfazed test subjects, when swept by this metallic tempest, found their sturdy frames pierced outright, their bodies hurled by the bullets’ sheer impact, and before they could even touch the earth they were shredded into a puddle of flesh by the returning hail of fire.

Where countless houses once stood, the onslaught reduced rows of walls to powder, annihilated as if by a relentless, crushing force.

The towers that collapsed under the barrage fell like mountains toppling.

Some test subjects had hidden behind the buildings, yet they could not have imagined that the torrent of bullets would rend the very structures themselves.

Ren Xiaosu ceased his flight, staring dumbfounded at the brutal, blood‑soaked tableau, realizing perhaps why humanity once thought it could command the world—its great civilization had forged weapons that even ghosts and gods would dread.

The roaring armored cars were true feral beasts, and each bullet transformed in an instant into a sea of lethal arrows, a power as dreadful as a tsunami.

These were the Qing corporation’s exclusive heavy machine guns, each barrel a massive iron case, nicknamed “Mountain‑Toppler” for its ability to shatter peaks.

At that moment Ren saw metal tubes protruding from the vehicle’s interior, the car’s built‑in condensers cooling the overheated gun and barrel.

Qing Zhen stood in the center of the road, watching the test subjects retreat, inch by inch, from humanity’s fiery weapons; the once‑fearless beings finally trembled.

Suddenly everyone noticed a solitary, upright test subject perched on a distant rooftop, its cold gaze fixed upon them, while Qing Zhen met its stare without flinching.

Luo Lan smiled at Ren and said, “See? Half of these are my old troops from the Eleventh Bastion—impressive, isn’t it?”

Ren said nothing, for Qing Zhen had already reclaimed the units Luo Lan had lost in the earthquake; the two brothers must still be in contact, otherwise Luo Lan would not have grown so brazen upon seeing the ginkgo insignia.

The test subjects began to withdraw, and Qing Zhen’s voice cut coldly, “Do not pursue.”

All understood that in a static defense their heavy guns were unrivaled, but a chase into close‑quarters combat would expose the Qing clan’s meager numbers.

Moreover, this bastion belonged to the Li clan; the Qing had no need to clear the test subjects for Li, let the latter fret over them alone.

The Qing corporation once controlled twenty‑one bastions, but after the Jing‑Shan quake only nineteen remained.

Now the Qing hoped other conglomerates would also lose a few bastions, restoring a sense of fairness.

When the test subjects fled deeper into the city, Luo Lan flopped to the ground and demanded, “Quick, bring me some water.”

A handful of soldiers hauled clean water barrels from the armored cars and handed cups to Luo’s comrades, who looked like refugees.

Qing Zhen chuckled, “I told you to withdraw early, yet you coveted Li’s research and suffered for it—worthless.”

“You don’t know,” Luo gulped, “Li’s scientists have cracked neuron‑linking tech; soon they won’t need to upload programs onto nanobots—human brains will be the carriers. That technology is vital. Imagine nanobots capable of complex tasks—how terrifying.”

Qing Zhen smiled, “Many important technologies exist, but this is not what we need. Possessing it without a breakthrough in nanobots leaves us with nothing to apply it to.”

“Could we sell it to other corporations?” Luo blurted, pointing at Yang Xiaoqin, “See, the Yangs want it too; we might as well sell it to them.”

Qing Zhen shifted his gaze to Ren and Yang, saying to Ren, “You once saved my brother; I promised I owed you a favor.”

“This favor’s already been repaid,” Luo hurried, “I settled it for you!”

Ren protested, “You just saved several of our soldiers this time.”

Luo retorted, “That was Xu Xianchu’s doing, what does it have to do with you?”

Ren fell silent, “…”

He suddenly found himself unable to reply, when Luo gasped, “Huh, where’s Xu Xianchu? His shadow was just here a moment ago.”

Yang Xiaoqin replied calmly, “He fled, fearing your capture.”

Ren echoed, “Yes, he’s gone.”

Qing Zhen announced to those nearby, “From today we cease the manhunt for Xu Xianchu; the Qing corporation settles its score with him.” He then turned to Yang and asked, “Why do the marauders target me?”

“You built that nuclear test site yourself—don’t you recognize it?” Yang replied coldly.

Ren wanted to interject, “Miss, there are too many of them now; let’s not argue further…”

But Qing Zhen laughed, “Even my own council didn’t know about that base, yet you discovered it first—so I must die for it?”

Yang stared serenely, “You seek to master forces beyond humanity’s grasp; the world has perished for such hubris. You are playing with fire.”

Qing Zhen shook his head, “Is the fault the nuclear itself? No, it’s humanity’s error. You haven’t seen the blue glow of a reactor—so beautiful, a gift of the world.”

“Humans should never try to wield power that can annihilate them,” Yang insisted.

“Should we then forgo it entirely?” Qing asked earnestly, “If we had nuclear power plants, how much energy loss could we avoid?”

At that moment Qing summoned a lighting device, “Behold our tritium lamp; if all goes well it will shine unaided for twenty years—that is the power of the atom.”

“But if nuclear energy is used for war again?” Yang asked calmly.

Qing smiled, “It can also end wars. In truth, you and I cannot persuade each other. Today we stand as comrades against the test subjects, yet I will always welcome the marauders’ arrival; none of us need hold back.”

He snatched a hard drive from Tang Zhou and tossed it to Yang, “This is what the Yangs desire. Imagine nanotech now limited to medicine—pair it with neuron‑linking and weaponize it. Wouldn’t the Yangs seek this not for peace, but for war?”

……

Thanks to Elbow‑Star, lonel · Dog for becoming the new sovereign of this book.

After a short break there will be an extra chapter; I’ll have a bite to eat first.