Steel feet crushed the snow. The steel surface of two T-3 power armors reflected the piercing sunlight.
Immediately following the power armors were twenty "knights" in kinetic skeletons, as well as one hundred "citizens" in carbon nano bulletproof vests. Everyone held a Reaper rifle and marched in a scattered square formation.
At the end of the line was a Tiger. The fearsome electromagnetic pulse cannon attached to the back of the pickup truck cast a menacing vibe under the cold winter light.
He gazed into the distance. The streets along the highway were dead silent. There were no signs of mutants at all.
The dumb zombies had their feet trapped in snow as they lingered in front of the destroyed stores. The drool coming out of their mouths were frozen into icicles. There would be occasional zombies walking into the middle of the road, but a gunshot from a soldier would easily put them down.Winter was safe in Wanghai City, although winter was about to pass.
Jiang Chen wore a power armor and led the march. As he walked, he recollected the conversation he had with Sun Jiao.
...
"It's deception."
"Deception?" Jiang Chen was puzzled.
"When the fallout shelter opened, the leader organized us to establish temporary tents on the surface and ordered the technicians to sample for air quality, soil quality, as well as sent out a scout team to examine the area surrounding the fallout shelter. If the surface were suitable for living, we would end the asylum plan ahead of schedule and start rebuilding on the ruins. If the situation were terrible, once we collected enough nuclear fusion cores, we would return to the fallout shelter and wait for the situation to become better."
"It was the third day since the fallout shelter opened. A hobo, poorly covered, came to the camp on the surface. I remembered everyone was happy because there were still survivors on the surface."From him, we learned a lot of useful information. For example, the World Alliance Organization was dissolved, the space colonization ships were sent into space... Although the news was depressing, it didn't make people despair."
"Gradually, he gained our trust. One day, he suddenly said to us, the nuclear fusion core we were collecting could be exchanged for food at the survival camps nearby."
"It was happy news for the fallout shelter. Since the fallout shelter could easily produce food as long as there was enough energy."
"The leader gave him five bags of rice and ordered two PAC soldiers to follow him.
"But no one expected that when he returned, a group of bandits with rifles followed him. The two PAC soldiers were gone, but the blue security force uniforms were worn by two bandits."
"The entire camp was in dismay, and no one was prepared. The leader led the security force and hastily fire back, but whether it was the number of people or firepower, we were at a disadvantage. A fire began to spread in the camp. It seemed to be caused by the ignition bottles thrown by the bandits."
"At that time, my family and I lost each other. I ran far away, ran out of the camp, ran out of that street..."
Sun Jiao didn't continue.
She already told him the story before. She was afraid to go home as she mindlessly wandered among the shambles until she met a female warrior who said she was part of PLA, and then she wandered alone...
Deception?
But he thought the real reason why the fallout shelter collapsed was due to the modesty of human nature by the people who never experienced hardship.
As Jiang Chen continued to recall, he could slowly make out the outline of the square.
The electric barriers had scattered across the street. Fallout shelter 027 was written on the concrete ground. The menacing human bones along with the concrete debris were piled on the road as it was barely visible under the snow.
In the middle of the square was a transport elevator connected to the underground space. On top of the elevator, a figure stood.
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes as he stopped moving. He lifted his hand to signal for the rest of the team to stop.
PAC uniform, ponytail swaying along with the wind. From afar, Jiang Chen could only see these things.
The person seemed to have noticed Jiang Chen and began to walk in his direction in firm strides.
Cheng Weiguo who stood beside Jiang Chen was also equipped with a power armor. Seeing the person walk over, he lifted the gun in his hand.
The person's footstep paused for a second, but didn't stop moving forward.
Jiang Chen put his hand on Cheng Weiguo's gun as he shook his head.
Cheng Weiguo understood as he put down his weapon.
It was a woman. But her bold face held a hint of masculinity. Her ponytail swayed in the wind. As she closed her apathetic looking eyes, she exuded a vibe similar to Xia Shiyu.
The only difference was, from her, Jiang Chen couldn't see any emotion of fear.
Jiang Chen dubiously grinned. He didn't know where she found the confidence to come alone.
Unless she was like officer Shi Yongtian and had no idea about the condition on the surface?
At about two meters away from Jiang Chen, the woman stopped.
"Colonel, Han Junhua."
"Jiang Chen, although you probably know already." His voice diffused from the metallic armor as a damped sounding echo lingered.
It was a basic friendly gesture to open the helmet of the power armor when in conversation, but Jiang Chen didn't as he was not there to make friends.
"Yes."
"You are standing here waiting for me?"
"Yes."
"Then you must know my intention of coming here." Jiang Chen glanced at Han Junhua below him as he laughed.
"Yes."
"Do you only know how to say yes?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but comment.
"Is that the Type 50 electromagnetic pulse cannon?" Scanning the truck behind Jiang Chen, Han Junhua abruptly asked an irrelevant question.
Although Jiang Chen didn't know why she would ask that, it was nothing worth hiding, so he nodded his head honestly.
"That's right."
"A three-axle truck with a load of 40 tons to carry the 50 type electromagnetic cannon, sacrificing armor to increase firepower."
"That's right, what do you think? Do you think you can win?" Jiang Chen asked nonchalantly.
Han Junhua shook her head.
Even if she knew her odds of winning, she still did not look fearful. Her calm expression made Jiang Chen unable to see through her.
"Your technological capability is all over the place. While you inherited some of the pre-war technology in some fields, you don't have a research system at all, am I right?" Han Junhua directly pointed out the weakness of the Fishbone base.
"Is that a problem?" Jiang Chen said lightly.
"We possess advanced technology and a comprehensive research system, the things you are currently lacking," Han Junhua said.
"So we are here," Jiang Chen didn't retort Han Junhua's words as he said harshly.
"We can do a trade," Han Junhua said.
"Trade is built on the two parties being equal in force." Jiang Chen laughed.
"No, precisely speaking, it is built in the case where both parties have concerns." Han Junhua shook her head.
"Do you think I have concerns?" Jiang Chen asked.
Han Junhua didn't say anything, she only reached into her pocket and took out a pistol.
The pistol alone would not pose any threat to Jiang Chen in the power armor, but the soldiers behind him still raised their weapons and pointed their rifles at her. If she dared to point the gun at their leader, they would press the trigger and shred her to pieces.
Jiang Chen didn't say anything, nor did he stop the soldiers' action. He only narrowed his eyes and gazed into her eyes.
In her eyes, he didn't see any wavering.
She raised the gun and pointed it at her own head.
Everyone was stunned, including Jiang Chen.
"Before I left the fallout shelter, as the leader of the fallout shelter, I used my authority to execute a final order to the fallout shelter terminal."
"After 24 hours, if the fallout shelter cannot detect my life signal, the doors will be locked shut and will be locked for another 50 years.
"At the same time, the door between the resident's area and the functional area will be temporarily locked. The main control system will use the ventilation system to inject excessive gas to execute 925 residents."
Jiang Chen's pupils contracted as he stared at the crazy woman in disbelief.
Han Junhua didn't react to Jiang Chen's disbelief as she continued speaking. As if she was just reading a passage from a prayer, her calm tone had no emotional fluctuations at all.
"The bodies of 925 residents will enter the organic converter to be converted into organics, water, and energy."
"With the most minimum requirement to maintain life activity, the fallout shelter will take the remaining 828 people to fifty years later. If you are willing to wait, see you in fifty years."
"You are mad."
Jiang Chen locked his sight on Han Junhua's eyes, and he attempted to see any fear of death from her pupils.
But other than the apathy to life, he didn't see anything else.
"This is the worst choice." Han Junhua opened the safety.
"Even if you surrender to me, I won't do anything to you. You will live a great life. You don't have to make this choice!"
He was telling the truth, he didn't torture anyone. Even the slaves in the Fishbone base lived with dignity.
"But no one can ensure this point. One minute later, I will press the trigger." Han Junhua closed her eyes.
The atmosphere between them was frozen.
The silence lasted for half a minute.
In the last few seconds, his helmet finally opened.
Jiang Chen let out a sigh and looked at Han Junhua.
"...Okay, let's talk about the trade."
