Chapter 32: Remaining Undiscovered

Half an hour later, the four-man squad returned to their quarters in silence.

Looking at the mortar resting on the table, Chen Jian was filled with mixed emotions. It was a PBP201, a squad-level fire support weapon. The first time he had seen such a device was back in 2022. The 201 mortars of that era lacked integrated sights, but they already featured a composite carrying handle with an embedded miniature quadrant and level.

Chen Jian’s three deepest impressions of this equipment were its lightness, its speed, and its accuracy. In extreme scenarios, the mortar could be carried by a single soldier, who could then perform a simplified solo fire mission after a 10-kilometer forced march without even using a baseplate, firing a full basic load of ammunition in 30 seconds with an error margin of less than 10 meters within a one-kilometer range.

To be honest, that was terrifying precision. With the addition of a baseplate, an electro-optical integrated sight, and satellite-guided rounds, the weapon could maintain a 5-meter error margin even at its maximum range of 3.5 kilometers. Considering that the blast radius of the shells alone reached 20 meters, it was essentially capable of hitting whatever the operator pointed at.

Of course, the two units Chen Jian had in his possession were nowhere near that capable. The electro-optical sights were long broken; the built-in laser rangefinder, ballistic computer, and holographic diffraction sight were all non-functional. To achieve precision fire now, one would have to rely on firing tables and the most traditional aiming methods. This was an impossible task for the natives of this post-apocalyptic era, let alone those brain-dead Terror-Fiends. When Chen Jian had seen them earlier, they were carrying the mortars by the handle like crude firelocks, pulling the trigger to launch shells blindly. It would be a miracle if they hit anything that way. To say they were squandering a masterpiece was an understatement; in truth, Chen Jian had felt an urge to shove their heads into the barrel just to show them exactly where the shells would fly.

"You poor things, being handled by these yellow-skinned half-orcs..." Chen Jian reached out and stroked the cold barrel, his soul seemingly resonating with the bygone era.

Beside him, Lei Jie was equally enamored with the weapons in his hands, especially the two extended-range high-explosive rounds, which he seemed ready to tie to his belt.

"At least they aren't guided rounds. Who knows if those would even work!"
"Extended-range rounds are better. The simpler the gear, the more reliable it is!"
"Give it a rest. If we ever find guided rounds, you'll be the first to complain about the inaccuracy of these extended-range ones."

Chen Jian saw right through Lei Jie’s nature. Like most of the squad, he was the type to treat old gear like a sweetheart when there was nothing else, only to discard it the moment something new appeared. He talked a big game now, but if they found a 120mm mortar or a 125mm howitzer later, it was doubtful he would even remember these 201 mortars existed.

Still, these two mortars effectively solved the squad's lack of long-range fire projection. With these in hand, monsters of the caliber they had seen in Hanshui City could likely be neutralized in one or two shots. It made sense; since the sleeve-arrow missiles he had found earlier were already equipped with CL-20 explosives, these extended-range rounds were undoubtedly packed with CL-20 as well, rather than traditional TNT. An overhead strike with this payload could potentially punch through a light tank, let alone carbon-based organisms without armor.

The only pity was the scarcity of shells, leaving little room for error. He would have to scour the market tomorrow to see if he could find compatible ammunition. Weapon trading here was frequent and varied; he might just get lucky.

With that thought, Chen Jian set the mortar down and ordered Lei Jie to pack the gear away and relieve Shen Yue for the next watch, while the others were to rest and recover their strength for the following day’s tasks.

Just as he was heading toward his bed and before he could even take off his boots, a knock sounded at the door. Chen Jian instinctively grabbed the Type 191 rifle resting nearby, while the others quickly took up defensive positions in the blind angles on either side of the door, ready to repel an attack.

A second later, Xu Lie’s voice came from outside. "God... Chen Jian, Chen Jian! Are you there?"

Chen Jian walked slowly to the door, pressed himself against the wall on the left, and replied, "I'm here. What is it?"
"Let me in first!"

Through the window, Lei Jie confirmed it was indeed Xu Lie, with no one following him. Chen Jian eased his guard slightly, kept his rifle ready, and opened the door. Xu Lie hurried inside, shut the door behind him, and asked impatiently, "Did you guys just kill that group of Terror-Fiend leaders?"

Chen Jian didn't hide it, nodding in reply. "A casual task—any problems?"
"No problems," Xu Lie breathed a sigh of relief. "I guessed it was you. You don't understand—after the leaders were killed, the rest of that pack of Terror-Fiends went insane. Usually, they just put up a token effort, but with the leaders gone, they had no restraint and kept charging the city in waves. The city guards were caught off guard and three were wounded. The City Defense Department sent a squad of Iron-Clad Gunners from the Church of the Machine to scout, and that's when they discovered the leaders had been wiped out. The Council Hall is holding a meeting right now to discuss who did it. I think you should come with me now and take credit for it. What do you think?"

"Why would I want to take credit?" Chen Jian asked, puzzled.
"To collect the bounty! If you don't step forward, the people from the Church of the Machine are going to pocket the money."
"There's a bounty for killing Terror-Fiends?" Chen Jian was skeptical.

It was reasonable for a city of 5,000 people with two major factions to have a council and defense agency for administrative purposes, but linking everything to bounties seemed absurd. Seeing the look of doubt on Chen Jian’s face, Xu Lie quickly explained, "There's only a bounty for killing the leaders. It’s not much, just a few dozen grams of gold. But the point isn't the bounty—it’s that I think you could use this opportunity to start building influence in the city."

"You will be exposed sooner or later. Your power far exceeds the average level here; you can't keep hiding forever. It’s better to step forward voluntarily than to be discovered passively..."

Xu Lie’s logic was sound, but Chen Jian still shook his head. He knew this wasn't the right time. When should one hide, and when should one reveal their strength? You only reveal yourself when you have the power to deter potential enemies and keep them from acting rashly. Clearly, his squad, currently lacking in ammunition and weaponry, did not have that capability. The best strategy remained to keep a low profile.

"No," Chen Jian said firmly. "And let this matter end with us. Do not let a third party know. Otherwise, our cooperation cannot continue."

Seeing Chen Jian’s resolve, Xu Lie stopped pressing and said solemnly, "Don't worry, we are in the same boat. The incident at Xiamazhen is our covenant. Speaking of that, the miners who were left behind will eventually report the situation to the Church of the Machine. Conflict is inevitable, and I hope you are... prepared."

"Understood," Chen Jian replied briefly.

Xu Lie turned and left. After he was gone, Chen Jian took a deep breath. "We need to improve our combat capabilities as soon as possible. The situation in Hanshui City is more complex than I anticipated, and the motives of the Holy-Blood followers may not be pure. We might be noticed sooner than we think."

"Then what do we do?" Shen Yue asked. "If we can't stay here, should we move to the wilderness?"
"No, we still need to rely on the trading market and resource supplies here," Chen Jian said, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. You fight your fight, I’ll fight mine. Just stay focused on our own goals. If the administrators here are well-intentioned, then there’s no problem. But if they are malicious... then don’t blame me. I don't care if they are the Church of the Machine, the Holy-Blood, or anyone else. If pushed to the edge, I'll take them down too!"