Late night.
The drone hovered silently above Xia Ma Town, while the fully armed squad members lurked in the woods outside the residential area, closely watching every move of the townspeople through images relayed to their smart goggles by the drone.
Heat signature analysis was 90% complete, and all targets active in the middle of the night were marked.
To conserve power, high-power electromagnetic interference was not turned on, but in this world where the electromagnetic environment was almost blank, electromagnetic control didn't seem that important.
Chen Jian held He's QSW06, while He Shuo had already occupied the high ground on the north side of the town, and set up his silencer-equipped 26 sniper rifle, quietly waiting for Chen Jian's orders.
His expression was still tinged with doubt, but when he noticed the heat sources gathering in his vision, his puzzlement quickly turned to surprise.
"The targets are assembling, continuing east along the eastern path."
"Captain, just as you said, they seem to be up to something."
Hearing his words, Chen Jian subconsciously nodded slightly, then responded:
"This Xia Ma Town must have a secret."
"If they can bring out 40 bullets, they can certainly bring out 400, which is a very basic judgment."
"Such a large amount of equipment is impossible not to attract attention."
"The Holy Blood doesn't rely on hot weapons, and adhering to trade rules is understandable, but what about the others?"
"The Mechanical God Sect, the so-called passing Hunters, merchants with some strength... they cannot be fools."
"If these people, like us, believe this small town is profitable, how could they allow this mere hundred-person town to exist in this world? Just for one supply delivery?"
"This is the apocalypse, not the modern society that still has rules and laws."
"The existence of Xia Ma Town itself is already quite incredible, and even more incredible is that they can still do business."
"There is only one explanation that makes sense."
"Those who coveted them have already been eliminated."
"There must be something we don't know about the people here... No matter what, we must find out that ace!"
"Understood."
"Understood."
The other squad members replied one by one, and Chen Jian continued to monitor the movement of heat signals. After a moment, he gave the order:
"The targets have left the residential area, the view is clear, tracking conditions are favorable."
"Lei Jie, Shen Yue, traverse through the woods from the north and south sides, tracking in the direction of the targets' advance."
"He Shuo, move to the second sniper position, keep a clear line of fire, ready for fire support at any time."
"Received."
Once the order was given, everyone immediately moved into action.
Chen Jian set the drone to automatic tracking mode, then silently got up, bypassing the sentries still on guard in the town's vision, and crossed the entire town with an incredible precision route, following right behind the Xia Ma Town residents advancing along the path.
His speed was not particularly fast, but compared to the residents who without any lighting equipment, his actions seemed effortless.
All the way eastward, the tracked residents seemed completely unaware they had a tail behind them, only focusing on traversing the rugged path.
The curiosity in Chen Jian's heart grew heavier, as he could clearly see the expressions of those residents ahead through the thermal fusion night vision.
Was it... a kind of fanatical excitement?
What exactly were they excited about?
Chen Jian's hand was already on the trigger, prepared for any sudden situation.
But fortunately, no mutation occurred.
After several changes in tracking formation, the squad of four successfully followed behind the residents, up the mountain along the path.
At the highest point, those residents also stopped on a clearing, less than 10 meters away from where Chen Jian had previously marked the Bai Zhangyuan Reservoir.
Cautiously changing position, Chen Jian hid behind a boulder by the reservoir, only observing through the drone's perspective, without making any exposure.
At this time, the other members also took their places, and just as all four were puzzled by the residents' intentions, those Xia Ma Town residents, who had been silent throughout, finally began to speak.
"... Do we really need to kill them all? There are four Holy Bloods there!"
"No problem, no one will know it was us. This place is far from Han Shui City, the news won't get through!"
"That's not what I meant. I mean, those Holy Bloods just killed the monster in Chuansha City, they're strong!"
"If they survive, we will..."
"They can't survive! No one can survive!"
"But is it worth it? We've been at peace for a long time....."
"It's totally worth it! Didn't you see the weapons those people had on them? They're exactly like the ones we saw in the paintings!"
"Those are treasures from before the cataclysm. As long as we send those treasures to the Mechanical God Sect, we can leave this place!"
"We'll never have to toil for the Mechanical God Sect again, do you understand?"
"I understand, but..."
"No buts! Do as I say!"
...
The argument gradually subsided, and Chen Jian took a deep breath, preparing for battle.
Clearly, what these people wanted was the equipment on their squad.
The bait had been taken by them.
They were about to reveal their last ace, exposing their greatest secret.
But what was that secret, really?
Chen Jian made a "keep waiting" gesture on his smart goggles, then leaned out of his cover, aiming his gun at the closest villager.
He wasn't inclined to kill indiscriminately, but if forced to act, he wouldn't hesitate.
After waiting for a moment, those residents lined up and walked toward the lakeside.
What were they doing now?
A sacrifice?
Was there a monster in this reservoir??
Chen Jian's mind was full of questions, wanting to shoot to interrupt, but unwilling to miss the answer right in front of him.
Information is always the most important, and sometimes you have to take certain risks to obtain it.
After a moment, the residents reached the reservoir shore.
They gathered in groups of several, lifting the boulders on the shore.
"Boom----"
Water splashed, and the boulder sank into the water.
Moments later, the calm water surface began to ripple.
Looking down from the drone's perspective, a massive shadow gradually surfaced.
"We have a situation."
Chen Jian said in a low voice:
"There is a monster underwater, and they're trying to awaken it. We need to stop them."
"Lei Jie, Shen Yue, take advantageous positions on the flanks."
"He Shuo, be ready for cover fire at any time."
"These people are problematic, leave one alive!"
"Understood!"
The others responded quickly, Chen Jian quietly stood up, about to raise his gun and fire, but at that moment, the environment monitoring module on his goggles suddenly began to alert.
"Low oxygen! High carbon dioxide!"
"Low oxygen! High carbon dioxide!"
Chen Jian's gaze focused.
He understood what these people intended to do.
Under this reservoir, it's all carbon dioxide!
After being stirred by the creature in the water, this carbon dioxide was surfacing.
Before long, the heavier-than-air gases would pour into the low-lying Xia Ma Town like a waterfall.
The people still in the town would unknowingly perish.
----Except for their own people.
Case solved.
It's not that steel bullets are corrosion-resistant and not easy to rust; it's that this town has been in a near-oxygen-free environment for a long time!
Chen Jian took a deep breath and ordered:
"Fire at will!"