Chapter 382

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

The West River Water Fortress's equipment is now quite good; Mo Shaoqiu and Mordor can obtain standard equipment from different countries, and Zhu Guangliang can help acquire some weapons through official or unofficial channels. For the West Continent, which has only one Inspection Company, one Native Company, and one Armored Company, they can freely choose their equipment.

It is precisely under these circumstances that the Native Company can execute missions independently by squad. Thirty people carrying more than twelve heavy machine guns, more than three Milan Anti-Tank Missiles, and more than one machine cannon—this basic firepower can withstand the impact of one Heavy Infantry Battalion, just like during the West River Defense War. They are also equipped with three to five armored vehicles, usually two four-wheel-drive Jeeps, one or more riot vehicles, and Samsons.

However, even with such equipment, Li Yizhuang dared not be the slightest bit negligent. Not only did he constantly observe the outside himself, he also ordered the soldiers not to rest and to focus entirely on their surroundings. The Temple Knights of Ma La are no pushovers. The one area where the Native Company is weaker than the Inspection Company is their average Body Technique Level, so they must keep their eyes wide open at all times to guard against enemy ambushes.

If they encountered Temple Knights without good equipment, thirty people wouldn't be enough for even one round of the enemy's slicing. Even West Continent forces keep their radars running day and night, holding binoculars and night vision devices. Barbed wire was strung line after line, and there are always places in Neicheng where entry and exit are forbidden.

The soldiers also understood the situation. After nearly a year of training, their quality had improved considerably; they were no longer ordinary farmers.

Mu Tianhua drove a Humvee, leading the way.

He was one of the soldiers who learned to drive the fastest. To become a Sergeant, one had to learn to drive—this was a hard condition for promotion. The West River Water Fortress provided unlimited learning opportunities, and one could drive armored vehicles as much as one wanted without fear of breaking them. Even so, many soldiers still couldn't learn, just like in the early days of China's liberation; learning to drive was extremely difficult, especially simple repairs, which almost made these people who hadn't even finished Elementary Court want to seek death—not understanding mechanical principles meant they could only rote memorize, and wanting to memorize but not being able to read the notes was quite a headache.

Precisely for this reason, being able to drive independently made Mu Tianhua extremely proud, and he even voluntarily applied to be the lead vehicle, meaning the vanguard reconnaissance vehicle of the whole squad.

In broad daylight he drove with the headlights on, his eyes fixed dead ahead, occasionally shouting: "Fire reconnaissance."

Then the turret atop the vehicle would unleash a long burst of continuous fire.

The Native Company's Humvees were equipped with heavy machine guns; only the squad leaders' vehicles had machine cannons.

The rear vehicles also occasionally conducted supplementary fire reconnaissance, not necessarily targeting people, but also ferocious beasts skilled at hiding. For example, giant dire wolves like velociraptors would appear in groups of a dozen or more, with extreme patience, often curled up hiding in thickets; once they entered an ambush circle, casualties were easily caused. Without a Combat Skill Level expert holding the line, ordinary Ma La squads wouldn't dare venture deep into the jungle.

Several dozen bullets shot out, and the soldier on the turret unfortunately clicked his tongue, saying: "Another dozen or so copper coins."

"Don't feel bad; if you've got the guts, you come get them next time." The soldier below holding an automatic rifle laughed.

"If it were before, I really would have come to get them; what's one little life?"

Mu Tianhua rolled down half the window, spat, and said: "Don't look down on just 50 kilometers; without a vehicle, you try walking? You can't make it in two days, and can't get back in four—will the dire wolves on the road let you go?"

"Pah, a year ago, there were twenty copper coins on the road; did you pick them up?"

Everyone laughed.

The city-state economy was a self-sufficient economic model; lacking clothes but not food, everyone could be a hunter, but only goods from east and west couldn't be sold at a price. Under these circumstances, twenty copper coins was a huge income.

After the laughter, all five gripped their steel rifles tightly. Being a soldier was the most promising job in the West River Water Fortress, and also the best way for them to change their lives; the guns in their hands were the greatest guarantee for their future.

The lead vehicle fell silent, and for a long time no fire reconnaissance was conducted. Li Yizhuang behind suddenly cursed over the walkie-talkie: "Are you all fucking lazy? If you don't want to live, don't drag your brothers down—get your guns firing."

"Yes." Mu Tianhua roared and quickly waved his hand.

Just as the machine gun on the rotating turret opened fire, four figures darted out from below.

They were precisely Ma La people from the Iron Workshop.

They had been scared half to death by the fire reconnaissance; just now a long burst of gunfire had come too close, and one kid couldn't help but run out, while the others had no choice but to follow.

The heavy machine gun unconsciously tracked them, bullet after bullet biting into flesh, instantly cutting one person into three sections, not even a scream escaping, the large pack on his back also shattered, metal ingots scattering across the ground, some even knocked flying.

The second-to-last person let out a huge roar, unwillingly turning back to pick up the metal ingots, but was also turned into fragments by the machine gunner without hesitation.

The remaining two swiftly dove into the Dense Forest, steel rain splashing before and behind them; their bodies tilting and changing posture, like dragonflies dodging rain, bullets were blocked by trees, but the splintering wood and clods of earth kept striking them, forcing them to howl incessantly to mask their fear.

Automatic rifles centered on the M16 also made "crack crack crack" sounds, ensuring the heavy machine gun wasn't so lonely between long bursts.

The 12.7mm large-caliber heavy machine gun was originally created to deal with the terrifying tanks of World War I, and later used against low-flying aircraft; within less than 300 meters, its power was ten times that of an M16 carbine, capable of shooting through a tree thick enough to embrace.

At most twenty seconds, another person was injured and fell to the ground, and the danger suddenly vanished.

"Cease fire!" Li Yizhuang shouted twice in a row, then raised the vehicle's loudspeaker, ate a piece of konjac, and shouted: "People outside, listen; walk out slowly, we guarantee your lives' safety, otherwise we will use the machine cannon to eliminate you."

Repeating it once, Li Yizhuang personally replaced the gunner on the turret.

He worried about really blowing someone to pieces.

These four people were all carrying metal ingots on their backs. And judging from the reflections on the ground, the purity of these metal ingots was very high.

Li Yizhuang was thus exceptionally excited.

"My Lord" Chen Yi ordered that suitable mining deposits be found within one month, and only then would Yu Weichao dispatch all the Native Squads out.

However, half the time had passed, and they still had no clue. In the West Continent, refining metal was a mysterious and sacred matter; only a very few knew its secrets. Not to mention the villagers outside Ma La, even the Manor Lords and Nobles said they didn't know. However, it was certain that Ma La produced copper, iron, and small amounts of platinum and gold; now they mainly needed to find the address of the deposits.

Thinking he could solve this problem, Li Yizhuang couldn't help but move his finger away from the trigger; he worried that being too excited would cause a mistake.

"Come out." He shouted again.

After a long while, crying suddenly came from the jungle: "You swear."

"I swear."

"You must save Anduo." The voice inside was nearly mad, chilling to the bone.

"I'll do my best to save him."

"No, you must save him." The person inside had already begun wailing.

Li Yizhuang scratched his chin with a headache and said: "You come out, and we'll save him. What's your name?"

The person inside continued crying and shouting: "Naba, my name is Naba, I'm not coming out, you're lying."

Li Yizhuang helplessly shouted: "We're not lying."

"You're lying."

"Not lying."

"You're lying."

After five rounds of back and forth, Li Yizhuang gave up and shouted: "Naba, if you don't come out again, once his blood drains dry, he can't be saved."

"Your hospital, isn't it said that anyone can be saved? You're lying to me; you're not Jiangning People."

Li Yizhuang felt like he was coaxing a child, and had to answer: "We are."

"Send him to the hospital, you swear." The hospital he referred to was the one Sima Lue opened after coming to the West Continent; now there was only Sima Lue as the attending physician, two of his students, and three barefoot doctors.

Even so, a combination of one good doctor and five quacks is something West Continent people can hardly imagine.

Jin Douna thought of ways to carry out several rounds of publicity, and the surrounding countryside naturally praised the hospital to the skies, forcing it to restrict entry. This was also due to the Jiangning people's consistent good reputation. On the other hand, West Continent people are relatively more Westernized and do not reject things like dissection and surgery, which saved Sima Lue a lot of trouble.

Now, seeing his comrade's wound so horrifying, Naba of the Iron Workshop could only pin his hopes on the Jiangning people's hospital. After all, the temple's priests cannot cure such an illness. Since the hospital appeared, the High Priest has shown up a few times and cured a few serious cases, but such good fortune is a matter of chance, not something to be sought; normally when there is nothing going on, the High Priest would not bother treating ordinary people.

A man of the Iron Workshop who specializes in smelting metal, though quite well-off among ordinary residents, has a status that is truly far, far removed from the High Priest's.

Naba carried his comrade, dropped two bundles of metal ingots, and emerged from the dense forest.

"Squad One, enter and search." Li Yizhuang raised the machine cannon and gave a decisive order.

Entering the dense forest to search is extremely dangerous work, but right now, metal ingots are more important.

Naba had only walked to the front of the armored vehicle before he was pinned to the ground by soldiers swarming out. His comrade's belly had a large hole torn in it, half his intestines spilled out, and his face was ashen like gold paper.

"So many metal ingots."

"There's platinum and copper, and a small amount of tin ingots."

Exclamations rose from inside; identifying metals was something they had learned before setting out, and the soldiers were also very interested. On the West Continent, metal is weapons, metal is money, and it is the main reason people conduct transactions — when food is plentiful, weapons or ironware are the biggest trade.

Li Yizhuang worried something might happen and hurriedly ordered: "Squad leaders tally what was picked up, no one is allowed to leave the jungle cover range. I repeat, no one is allowed to leave the jungle cover range."

The jungle cover range is a specific term; depending on road conditions, it is between 300 and 500 meters, the best cover range that machine cannons and heavy machine guns can provide; any farther is dangerous.

Under the armored vehicle, Naba wailed: "Save Tie Jiu, please, you swore an oath."

Li Yizhuang did not dismount, but ordered the medic to help bandage, then yielded the gun position back to the original gunner, and himself nervously picked up the walkie-talkie, demanding to speak with West River Headquarters.

The medic was also a Martial Arts Hall student, Wang Zhi of the nineteenth class, who majored in obstetrics and gynecology at Jiangning Medical College; after graduation he naturally could not find a job, and relying on his family's demolition opportunity, he entered the Martial Arts Hall, trained to Body Technique Level Two but could not advance further no matter what, so he could only come "Overseas" to get two years of "student" treatment.

He carried the chest, head dizzy and heavy, arrived under the armored vehicle, took a rough look at the wound twice, and felt disgusted enough to vomit.

A 12.7mm bullet grazed Tie Jiu's abdomen from the side; fortunately it did not hit internal organs, but it flipped the entire belly open, sparse fat and blood water like a bowl of maoxuewang, steaming hot alongside the intestines presented before Wang Zhi.

"Stuff his intestines back in." Wang Zhi spoke in a daze, then took out hemostatic powder, without even looking, twisted it open and poured it all out, then performed emergency suturing.

Such a wound, if it were an Earthling, would not need treatment — almost certainly death. But swapped for a physically robust West Continent person, Wang Zhi felt there was still a glimmer of hope. At least after closing the abdomen, the blood water decreased considerably.

"We need to get back to the water fortress fast, he won't last long." Wang Zhi slapped the armored vehicle's outer shell.

"Squad One returns and we move out." Li Yizhuang was also busy using the radio to report the situation.

West River side quickly responded, Yu Weichao personally ordered: "Retreat immediately to a safe location, try to collect their personal effects."

"Understood." Li Yizhuang puffed out his chest and raised his head, exceptionally excited.

Inside the water fortress, Yu Weichao was equally happily spinning in circles.

Metal is a precious commodity on the West Continent; a large quantity of metal ingots means there is a high possibility it originates from some mineral deposit nearby, which is the news West River Water Fortress most hopes to obtain. It is also currently the most valuable intelligence.

Squad One used ten minutes to run back to the armored vehicle, discarding at least 100 kilograms of stuff.

"You guys can carry it too." Li Yizhuang chuckled, asking Naba: "Check if you left anything else behind?"

"No." Naba did not even raise his head, just held his Tie Jiu brother.

Li Yizhuang hmphed twice in displeasure, waved his hand and ordered the whole army to return.

Mu Tianhua was still the vanguard soldier, happily stomping the accelerator.

The soldiers behind laughed: "Look at you grinning till your front teeth show, put them away."

"What do you know, when we set out the platoon leader said, finding a mine merits a citation."

Everyone perked up at this, sat up and asked: "What citation?"

"Seems it's called the Army Collective Merit Medal, can be embroidered on the cuff." Mu Tianhua deliberately flicked his cuff; he has a "West River Defense War" medal, even buying things is cheaper than others, the only one in the platoon.

The benefits of medals are too many; the earlier and more impressive the medal, the more valuable.

Nowadays, many soldiers treat medals like noble titles, but most people definitely don't have them. Now hearing there's a chance to get one, they're simply restless with anticipation.

……(Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to cast recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)