Chapter 15: Abnormal Radiation

Chen Jian’s intense reaction to the weapon that was thrown out stemmed from his profound familiarity with it. Not just him—almost simultaneously, every member of the four-man squad locked their gaze onto the object that had landed with a thud.

Before Chen Jian could speak, Shen Yue eagerly rushed forward, pulling the item from the pile of shattered bones. After wiping off the dust with a few quick swipes, he exclaimed, “Damn, it’s really a QN-202, a sleeve dart!”

“There are at least six rounds inside—just don’t know what condition they’re in…”

As he spoke, Shen Yue unzipped his backpack. But to everyone’s surprise, as soon as he pulled with some force, the already decayed backpack crumbled completely.

Chen Jian frowned immediately. If the outside was this rotten, how could the contents be any better?

Sure enough, as Shen Yue took out the six miniature missiles one by one, it was clear to all present that the situation was far from optimistic.

The missile casings showed obvious signs of weathering and rust. Fortunately, the backpack itself was a relatively sealed storage container, which prevented the missiles from turning to complete dust.

“Can they be repaired?” Chen Jian stepped forward and asked.

Leijie, who had been watching Shen Yue’s movements, shook his head. “It’s hard to say. Judging by their preserved state, the casings are still intact, and the overall seal seems fine.”

“But whether the explosives inside have absorbed moisture or if the electronic components still work—that’s another matter.”

“Regardless, we can take them back and give it a try.”

“The principle behind these is simple—the core parts are just an infrared sensor chip and a flight control chip.”

“If the chips aren’t damaged, there’s a good chance they’ll still work.”

“But I’m curious… where did these come from?”

“How would I know,” Chen Jian replied, shaking his head as he signaled for Shen Yue to pack them up first.

At that moment, Xu Lie, who had been rummaging nearby, noticed their actions and approached with curiosity. “Found something?”

Chen Jian didn’t hide it and pointed to the sleeve dart missiles on the ground. “This.”

Xu Lie looked down and was stunned. “What do you want these for?”

“Do you know what they’re for?” Chen Jian retorted.

“Of course I do. Some kind of special ammunition.”

“There used to be a time when these were everywhere in the weapons market of Jinling City.”

“But the problem is, hardly anyone knows how to use them properly. Even when fired from the barrels found alongside, their trajectories deviate oddly.”

“Those from the Mechanical Cult say it’s because they haven’t figured out how to pacify the machine spirits yet.”

“But I always thought maybe these are just cheap consumables.”

“Maybe their intended use is to fly chaotically after being launched and blanket the enemy with dense fire?”

“But if that were the case, their power is insufficient—less potent than the large-caliber cannons made by the Mechanical Cult.”

“So, maybe they’re what you’d call a ‘chicken rib’?”

‘Chicken rib’?

Chen Jian couldn’t help but smile inwardly at that phrase.

You call this a chicken rib?

Weighing only 20 kilograms in combat, each missile a mere 1.2 kilograms, with a range of 2,000 meters and a 150-gram TNT charge. In his original era, some military zealots obsessed with inadequate firepower even replaced the traditional TNT with CL-20, claiming a single shot could send an M2 machine gun flying.

And you say this is a chicken rib?

It’s only a chicken rib because you don’t know how to use it!

It wasn’t designed for trivial tasks. Its true purpose was to target enemies from extreme distances, relying on thermal imaging guidance to deliver explosives directly into the target’s core, blowing teeth and bones apart together!

Chen Jian shook his head, ignoring Xu Lie, and ordered, “Search around for a launcher.”

“Understood.”

The three nodded immediately, while Xu Lie offered a well-meaning warning, “You’re not seriously going to take this back, are you? It’s useless. You couldn’t even sell it in the market.”

“You’d be better off looking for batteries—that’s the real treasure.”

“Batteries are indeed valuable, but this thing isn’t bad either.”

Chen Jian didn’t argue this time. Instead, he asked, “Is there any power generation equipment in Jinling City?”

“Of course, but nearly all are monopolized by the Mechanical Cult. And even if you want to use electricity, you need batteries first—otherwise, where would you store the electricity you generate?”

“Very logical!” Chen Jian gave a thumbs-up, impressed by Xu Lie’s reasoning.

“Have you ever thought about building your own generator?”

“That’s one of the Mechanical Cult’s biggest secrets. Do you think they’d just reveal such technology?”

Good grief—a generator has become one of the greatest secrets.

What level of technological collapse has this world reached?

But then again, this aligned perfectly with Chen Jian’s understanding of the post-apocalyptic era.

Knowledge closely tied to survival and daily life is preserved generation after generation, while more advanced knowledge gradually fades away.

Everyone knows how to change batteries; most know how to connect wires to terminals.

But how to build a generator, how to draw circuit diagrams, how to repair sophisticated electronics—no one knows anymore.

No wonder Xu Lie’s concept of “electricity” left Chen Jian somewhat puzzled; most likely, he regarded electricity as something akin to water or fuel.

Chen Jian clicked his tongue twice and turned to Leijie. “Look around for motors, magnets, anything like that.”

“If our equipment needs charging, we’ll have to make do ourselves.”

“Understood,” Leijie nodded.

“Leave it to me.”

“Don’t worry. Wherever there are people, materials to build a generator can always be found.”

“That settles it.”

Chen Jian patted Leijie on the shoulder with confidence, about to say more when suddenly, Shen Yue, who had blended into the surroundings while searching around, shouted abruptly.

“Captain! Come see this!”

Chen Jian hurried behind Shen Yue, looking in the direction he pointed.

There lay a tightly locked metal box. Judging by the slime on its surface, it seemed to have been recently caressed by the mother organism.

Other than that, nothing else appeared unusual.

“What’s wrong? Can’t open it?”

Chen Jian looked at Shen Yue, puzzled. Shen Yue tapped his smart goggles, reminding, “Check the readings.”

Chen Jian furrowed his brow, glancing at the environmental data displayed on the goggles.

A number fluctuated continuously between white and yellow.

30 CPM.

40 CPM.

60 CPM.

80 CPM.

This was the local ionizing radiation level.

The background radiation in this area was roughly around 30 CPM. If it doubled, the system would issue a yellow warning.

Clearly, the system was alerting to this small metal box.

In an instant, Chen Jian felt as if struck by lightning.

1102—launch silo—abnormal radiation value...

Could it be that inside this box was...

A nuclear warhead?