Armor-piercing bullets don't believe in carbon-based monsters

Chapter 278 The Second Base

6 hours later, 011 base.

Facing the bodies of the fallen Guards Brigade soldiers, Jin Zhong remained silent.

He still held the prayer incense burner in his hand, but it was never lit.

It was not until the adjutant beside him reminded him that he seemed to come back to his senses from his thoughts and finally raised his head.

Then, he put away the incense burner and said to his adjutant:

"Let's bury him."

"Contact Jinling City and notify the family of the sacrificed brother."

"Tell them that the journey is long and it is difficult to transport the bodies. I have decided to bury the brothers in Jinling New City."

"Also, notify all family members and ask them to rush to Jinling New City as soon as possible to attend the funeral."

"I mean, everything."

"Everyone?"

The adjutant looked at Jin Zhong with a little surprise. He obviously guessed the deeper meaning behind the other party's decision.

To be fair, after doing such a big thing, he also thought that it would be impossible for this team to return to Jinling City.

But breaking with the Mechanicus at this point seems a bit too arbitrary.

Is there really no chance of turning things around?
Does that mean that even the most basic negotiation or communication is no longer necessary?

After hesitating for a moment, the adjutant asked again:
"Perhaps you could return to Jinling City in person and pass on the news to the families of your brothers?"

"We need to give an explanation to the families of the victims - in a more formal way."

"Do not."

Jin Zhong shook his head slowly.

"I won't go back, and I can't go back."

"why?"

The adjutant asked doubtfully:

"Hasn't the Jinling City Holy Temple already stated that they will not pursue this incident?"

"Although we launched the attack on the Skitarii without orders, they made the mistake first. This was at best an irregular trial."

"No need to say more."

Jin Zhong interrupted the adjutant and said:

"Since we chose this path, there is no turning back."

"We still believe in the Holy Trinity, but the Mechanicus has nothing to do with us anymore."

"Now, the only thing I can do is to bring all the brothers' relatives to Jinling New City."

"Here, the Huaxia Army will protect them, and we will protect them too."

“We don’t lose anything.”

"On the contrary, we will gain more."

"Okay, let's do it."

"Yes."

Jin Zhong spoke firmly, and the adjutant did not try to persuade him any further.

He turned and conveyed Jin Zhong's order to the soldiers of the Guards Brigade - with a tone of hesitation, tentativeness, and even pleading.

But, to his surprise, the expected resistance did not appear.

Everyone accepted the decision calmly and lined up to tell the adjutant what to say when communicating with their families.

"My wife is very cautious. She may not come, but if I tell her, 'I have carved a wooden figure for her,' she will definitely believe it - this is the secret signal I give her."

"My family has nothing to say, just remember to tell them to bring enough food."

"Yes, don't bring anything valuable except gold. Things that are valuable in Jinling City are not valuable here."

"I don't have any family, but I left something very important in Jinling City. Never mind, it's not that important. I have nothing to explain."

The adjutant listened attentively to everyone's requests and wrote them down one by one in his notebook.

On the other side, Jin Zhong had already walked away and headed towards the direction where Chen Jian was.

"Master Captain."

Jin Zhongcai had just opened his mouth when Chen Jian raised his hand to interrupt him.

"If you have decided to stay here, then you must first learn to remove the word 'sir' after the captain."

".Yes, Captain."

Jin Zhong took a deep breath and then said:
"Thank you for your generous assistance. If it weren't for the Chinese Army, the monster would definitely continue to migrate to other human towns."

"The damage it caused will be incalculable. The Chinese Army saved many people, there is no doubt about that."

"We would also like to thank you for your assistance in our trial."

"The sinners have been punished. This way, the believers who died in Liangxi City can at least rest in peace."

After he finished speaking, Chen Jian looked at Jin Zhong with a scrutinizing look and asked:
"So you still hold on to your faith in the Mechanicus?"

"Do not."

Jin Zhong shook his head and replied:

"Not the faith in the Adeptus Mechanicus, but the faith in the Most Holy Trinity."

"These setbacks and tribulations are not enough to wipe out my faith, but perhaps I have come to understand that faith in God does not need a spokesperson on earth."

"Well, well, you have entered the next stage of your faith."

Chen Jian nodded with satisfaction.

To be honest, it is a pity that I was not able to completely erase Jin Zhong’s faith.

But at least, he has evolved to a higher and more rational level.

In any case, for him at this moment, faith is no longer the basis for guiding his actions.

Faith has become something more empty.

Maybe something like, some kind of spiritual support?

Chen Jian didn't plan to act hastily. He was willing to give Jin Zhong and his team some time.

"So, what are you going to do next?"

"I will stay in Jinling New City and help you fight against the monsters."

Jin Zhong said without hesitation:
"If there is any battle that requires us, we will participate without hesitation."

"We are not afraid of danger or sacrifice."

"We are willing to pay the price for our beliefs and for the survival of mankind."

“It’s a good idea, but it’s not necessary.”

Chen Jian waved his hand and then said:
"The speed of the beast tide's development has far exceeded our expectations. It is no longer appropriate to ask you to fight guerrilla warfare like before."

"Next, you will stay in the base for training."

"The soldiers of the Templar Guards are more familiar with machinery and artillery fire, and your thinking is also up to standard - although it is a different form of improvement."

"You know the defense line outside the base, right? I need your people to cooperate with the Chinese army to operate those dozens of artillery pieces."

"clear."

Jin Zhong nodded heavily.

“This is what we are good at, and we will do it well.”

"But what about the other monsters around?"

"Many cities are facing the threat of beast tides. We cannot stand by and watch them die."

"It's okay, we'll find a way."

Chen Jian exhaled lightly, and then said:
"The second aircraft has been completed and is even more powerful than our prototype."

"It will undertake the support mission - or, in other words, the bombing mission - of all the surrounding towns."

"We can't guarantee that everyone will survive the beast tide, but I believe that there will always be more people who survive than those who die."

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Inside Jinling City.

He Shuo sat opposite Zhang Tao, who had a guilty and sad look on his face. He said:
"The tragedy in Liangxi City this time is something none of us want to see."

"In fact, after receiving the news, I immediately sent the Holy Army to Liangxi for support."

"But it is undeniable that we moved too slowly."

"The tragedy had already happened before we even arrived."

"I must take responsibility for this matter, and I am willing to make compensation for it."

"It's meaningless for you to talk to me about compensation." He Shuo interrupted Zhang Tao and said:

"If you want to make compensation, you should go and talk to the innocent souls who died at the hands of monsters."

"They had a chance to escape - although the monster was terrifying, its hunting and chasing abilities were not top-notch."

"It was the Skitarii's fear of death that killed them."

"This can't even be called a natural disaster. It should be said that it is a man-made disaster that should never have happened."

"I know."

Zhang Tao nodded slowly, then said:
"That's my problem."

"I have reflected on this. If I had not been eager to reorganize the Templar Guard Brigade and reform the Mechanicus, this incident would probably not have happened."

"The excessive pursuit of centralization has led to an inevitable vacuum period."

"This is a lesson for us that I overestimated the faith of believers."

After he finished speaking, He Shuo didn't know what to say for a moment.

In fact, what Zhang Tao said should have been his lines.

According to the original plan, during this meeting, even if Zhang Tao did not try his best to defend himself, he should have talked about other things and tried to avoid the core issue.

But unexpectedly, he stabbed himself as soon as he came up.

It was still a very accurate and ruthless blow.

This made He Shuo a little confused.

After a moment of silence, he asked:
"So you do know what the problem is."

"But, finding the problem is only the first step. What's next? What are you going to do?"

"The power vacuum will not disappear naturally. If the Mechanicus continues to neglect the management of other peripheral cities, such tragedies will increase."

"The beast tide is right in front of us, aren't you going to react?"

"of course not."

Zhang Tao quickly denied it.

He took a document from the bishop beside him and pushed it in front of He Shuo.

“This is our subsequent adjustment plan.”

"It is too late to use more gentle methods to stabilize the situation and strengthen the organizational capabilities of the Mechanicus."

"I plan to use the power of the City Defense Department to declare a state of emergency in all cities in all areas controlled by the Cult."

"The Skitarii will be given full power and full responsibility."

"Only in this way can we respond as quickly as possible to any emergency."

After Zhang Tao finished speaking, He Shuo frowned.

"You mean, you want to completely eliminate the management power of the Holy Blood Basilica and the local city defense forces?"

"That's all I can do."

Zhang Tao spoke in a low voice, and after a pause he said:

“Please believe me, this is not a power grab.”

"In fact, the Basilica of the Holy Blood has basically been separated from the power core of each city."

"When we take over their power at this time, we are actually taking over the responsibility they gave up."

"Only by eliminating all interference from other people's responsibilities can I truly unite those crusaders and bishops."

"The reward and punishment measures I formulated can then be implemented smoothly and accurately."

“Very convincing.”

He Shuo nodded slowly.

"I agree with your proposal."

"That's good!"

Zhang Tao let out a long sigh and then said:
"In fact, I am very worried that there will be unnecessary misunderstandings between the two sides on this matter."

"After all, to be honest, there are indeed some irreconcilable conflicts between us for the time being."

"We believe in the Holy Trinity and we govern the world with religious law, but you do not believe in God."

"Such contradictions will lead to natural differences in how we look at some things."

"But the good thing is that we still have a common goal."

“That is, to keep the human race going.”

"Based on this common goal, all differences can be put aside, right?"

"Correct."

He Shuo stood up and said:
"In that case, today's discussion can end."

"Go ahead and carry out your plan."

"No matter what you want to do, remember, we don't want to see the tragedy of Liangxi City happen again."

"clear."

Zhang Tao also stood up, and before He Shuo turned around, he said anxiously:
"One more thing."

"Jinling New City is likely to become the core of the beast tide's attack, and the defensive pressure there will be enormous."

"I was wondering if you needed any assistance?"

"In addition to Jin Zhong's team, we can send a new team to Jinling New City to slightly reduce the defensive pressure of the Huaxia Army."

“Maybe this is a drop in the bucket, but we can also do our part.”

"Then come on."

He Shao answered briefly and then turned and left.

Zhang Tao behind him bowed to him, and He Shao walked out with Zeng Yi without looking back.

Only after leaving the temple did he whisper:
"We may have to leave Jinling City."

"I don't know what Zhang Tao is planning, but I can sense that he has some bad intentions towards us."

"Captain, do you think he intends to send an insider to Base 011?"

Zeng Yi asked with a frown.

"uncertain."

He Shuo shook his head slowly.

"He probably wouldn't use such a crude method. Maybe the support he sent was really just support."

"But he did make me feel threatened."

“But it does them no good.”

Zeng Yi asked doubtfully:

"They need us to fight against the beast tide. If we are gone, who else can block the beast tide's attack for them?"

"Fuxi."

He Shao replied.

"The focus is Fuxi."

"For the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Machine Soul is what they are always pursuing."

"And the machine soul is bound to electricity, and Zhang Tao happens to be a 'saint' who values electricity."

"It is very likely that they have already obtained information about Fuxi, and perhaps found the corresponding knowledge from their long records."

"What if he thinks that our strength is only due to Fuxi?"

"Then he has every reason to covet the machine soul that we control."

Having said that, He Shuo let out a long breath.

"No matter what, we must warn the base."

"After obtaining their consent, we evacuated as soon as possible."

"Back to 011?"

Zeng Yi asked.

He Shuo shook his head.

"Do not."

"We must ensure that our forces are dispersed to avoid the risk of being caught in one fell swoop."

"We are not going back to 011. We are going to open up a second base."

"Go to Hanshui!"

(End of this chapter)