Chapter 58: Within Arm’s Reach
‘Beep beep beep beep… beep beep beep beep…’
A monotonous electronic tone suddenly rang out at a rapid pace, emanating from a device on each Security Team member’s forearm.
The device, the size of a pinky finger and shaped like a vacuum tube, flashed a red light in sync with the sound. Though small, its volume was significant.
The Security Team’s standard gear was more advanced than that of the Standing Army or civilians, and their Contamination Alarm was no exception.
Unlike standard alarms, it detected a wider, more precise range of pollution levels, issuing yellow, orange, or red alerts based on severity.
A red, highest-level alert meant a gas mask alone couldn’t protect against the pollution’s harm. After silencing the alarms, team members lowered their backpacks to change gear. A square, dark green cloth-like item was retrieved.
With no complex steps, they unfastened the single strap, held a corner, and let it unfurl. In a blink, the square cloth became a thick, dark green rubberized coat. The white words ‘Pollution Isolation’ on the back declared its purpose.
In under a minute, the team donned these isolation suits, inserting their identification codes into transparent chest pockets for recognition.
With this airtight layer, they temporarily qualified to move through the high-pollution zone, though vision and mobility were restricted, demanding greater team coordination.
Resuming their march, Luo Shi glanced at Han Nianling beside him. Her identifier wasn’t a code but the Research Institute’s ‘conical flask.’
Luo Shi sighed softly. Her seemingly unauthorized action was tacitly permitted, wasn’t it? The custom identifier and perfectly fitted suit were hard to dismiss as unplanned.
As he considered speaking, Han Nianling preempted him.
“Even in Sector 01A, this pollution level is excessive, far above the average observed last month, even the peak. The Research Institute and observation posts’ databases have no record of such an event. You find it unusual too, don’t you?”
“Uh… yeah.” Her words were directed at him, but as a soldier, he didn’t know how to respond to such a technical question, nodding stiffly.
Fortunately, she didn’t press further, seemingly aware his knowledge couldn’t match her expertise.
But she pivoted to a question he could answer.
“Captain Luo… do you believe in gods?”
“Gods?”
The leap from ‘pollution levels’ to ‘gods’ caught him off guard. Was she asking his personal opinion?
After brief thought, he answered earnestly: “I don’t think so. Those groups are mostly money-grubbing cults. Is Researcher Han interested in religion?”
“Is that so? You don’t believe?” Her tone lightened, tinged with disappointment. “Seems Captain Luo has a strong dislike for religion.”
“Hmph!” Luo Shi snorted, not hiding his disdain. “They’re harmful. Preaching doctrines to enslave people, fleecing them, assaulting minors, and the crazier ones promote killing or offer live sacrifices to monsters… If I met one, I’d shoot them without hesitation.”
His disgust was justified. Cults were common in this wasteland, often small but deeply toxic, sharing the traits he described.
In this world, humans were vulnerable survivors. A simple spiritual anchor was a vital motivator, especially for those outside base governments, where the need was stark.
Opportunists exploited this, staging ‘miracles’ to link themselves to gods, claiming to be divine spokespersons. Despite obvious flaws, followers believed fervently.
It wasn’t just folly—they desperately wanted a divine savior in this cruel world.
Wishful thinking to escape reality.
“What if… it’s not a god crafted by cults?”
Han Nianling asked abruptly.
“Not crafted by cults?”
The question baffled Luo Shi. Was she referring to non-cult religious gods?
As he pondered, the reconnaissance team’s voice crackled through his earpiece, delivering urgent news.
“This is the First Recon Group, J1. I see the crater! Inside… the Witch is fighting a… digging-like monster!”
“A digger? What are you talking about?!” The Security Team’s captain snapped, irritated. Vague reports were a grave error in critical operations, especially with a researcher and a peer present.
“I can’t be sure. If it’s a digger… it’s too big!” The voice was choppy.
A digger? Too big?
Diggers were polluted, mutated moles, typically smaller than unmutated adult house cats. Like Headhunter Wild Dogs, they were common, living in groups of about a hundred, favoring roots and small insects.
“Describe its appearance!”
Han Nianling cut in, her voice urgent and anxious.
The recon member replied without delay: “No fur, grayish-white skin, heavily wrinkled, massive, about four meters long…”
“A mutated variant,” Han Nianling interrupted, confirming its identity. “Due to limited data, it’s not in the official database. I’ve shared its known info on your portable displays. Review it quickly…”
The sparse data and red A-grade rating shifted the mood. High-tier monsters alongside the Witch weren’t surprising, but a digger variant was unexpected.
Both the Witch and high-tier monsters were targets, but the digger variant’s priority might surpass the Witch’s.
Its combat strength wasn’t exceptional, but its ability to dig tunnels and move swiftly underground posed a massive threat to any base government.
Han Nianling’s data, though limited, clarified its danger: it could bypass city walls, emerge anywhere to threaten residents, or destroy wall foundations, collapsing defenses. Several fallen bases bore its shadow.
The thirty kilometers from Chu Sheng City to JD Ruined City weren’t far, and Chu Sheng was the closest human base. If it targeted the city, the situation would be dire.
“Everyone, move faster!”
Even the Witch hadn’t sparked such urgency. The other Security Team captain shouted orders, and the team’s pace surged from a jog to a sprint.
Luo Shi glanced worriedly at Han Nianling, but his concern was unnecessary. She kept pace effortlessly, seeming at ease.
Just a researcher… Did they undergo the same intense physical training as soldiers?