Chapter 484 - 28: The Island Landing Plan
Late at night, the lights on the second floor of the factory remained on.
Chen Zhou stood quietly in the storage room, gazing at the items on the wooden shelf—
They were rewards delivered on May 1st and thereafter.
Among them were five sets of unmarked multifunctional combat uniforms.
Although these uniforms had no identifiable markings, their design unmistakably hinted at their origin, exuding a strong United States flavor.
All five uniforms featured reversible camouflage; the front was green digital camouflage suitable for jungles, while the reverse was brown camouflage for deserts, adaptable to different combat environments.
The material was made of durable nylon textile, and Chen Zhou speculated that these specially designed uniforms might have infrared concealing features, although such designs were entirely useless in this era.
The combat uniforms also came with waterproof and sun-proof windproof capes, waterproof military boots, and green berets with steel helmet covers.
The helmet covers were equipped with detachable camouflage covers for mosquito and sun protection.
Next to the combat uniforms were two American Hunting Recurve Bows.
These two bows arrived in pieces and had now been assembled by Chen Zhou into complete Longbows, colored black and red, made primarily of wood and metal, with some modern composite materials mixed in.
Compared to the competition-focused Recurve Bows, the American Hunting Recurve Bow had simpler accessories, only featuring an arrow rest and fur shock absorbers, without the complex parts like sights, stabilizers, and clickers.
Despite this, aided by the arrow rest, the shooting speed and accuracy of the American Hunting Recurve Bow far surpassed traditional bows, combining the adaptability of traditional archery with the competitive edge of modern archery.
These two bows were identical, adjustable with draw weights ranging from a minimum of 20 pounds to a maximum of 60 pounds.
Along with the bows came quivers and 30 arrows with a diameter of 6.5mm and genuine feather fletching, originally fitted with competition arrowheads that had limited lethality, now replaced by Chen Zhou with willow leaf arrowheads.
However, the willow leaf arrowheads included in the second-anniversary gift amounted to only 20, with the remaining 10 arrows fitted with homemade heads by Chen Zhou, which lacked balance compared to the willow leaf arrowheads but were equally lethal.
The American Hunting Recurve Bows were placed on the wooden shelf, and turning his gaze to the other side, he could see several other pieces of equipment—
Four active infrared Night Vision Goggles.
These Night Vision Goggles were of an older design, probably around the 1940s to 1950s level, with clear imaging and simple craftsmanship, but they had a fatal weakness: the infrared light from the infrared searchlights could be detected by enemy infrared devices.
Moreover, compared to the later passive thermal imagers, these active infrared Night Vision Goggles lacked the ability to see through rain or fog, making them only suitable for use in the dry season; if worn during the rainy season, visibility would be quite limited even with them on.
A small box containing exactly 40 multifunctional Military Sabers, along with two bayonets.
The surface of all the sabers and bayonets was coated with a light-absorbing layer, making them invisible when drawn in the dark, a true deadly serpent or scorpion.
These items were received on May 1st, 16th, and 31st, and also on June 30th.
When Chen Zhou received this equipment, a daring plan suddenly formed in his mind.
He planned to select three courageous, physically strong, loyal, and intelligent Native Tribe members, set off around 4 PM, head straight to the Archipelago, take advantage of the night when the natives rested to capture a batch of indigenous captives, then hide in a secluded area of the Archipelago, and return at dawn.
...
After setting the general strategy, Chen Zhou began to prepare.
To navigate the sea in the dim light, compasses and a navigator familiar with the maritime environment were indispensable.
Chen Zhou collected numerous direction-finding tools from the Captain’s cabin and the first officer’s room; he also had some modern portable compasses that could be useful.
As for someone familiar with the route to the Archipelago, he had already chosen his target long ago.
...
Nearly eight months ago, shortly after capturing the natives, Chen Zhou subtly probed to learn about the experiences of the individual natives.
Initially, Zebra seemed the most suitable candidate in his mind.
This individual held a relatively high status within the Native Tribe, had excellent physical condition, and as a "little leader," had led the natives on journeys between the islands, thus being familiar with the maritime environment.
At that time, Chen Zhou also thought Zebra was honest and trustworthy.
Later, after gradually uncovering the true nature hidden behind this person’s simple appearance, Chen Zhou decisively abandoned Zebra.
During the capture of native prisoners, too many secrets were directly or indirectly exposed, and some matters could not be disclosed to Zebra, such as the Chen Family rifle, the secrets of bullets and gunpowder, and most importantly, his true purpose.
If "God" was not omnipotent and needed human assistance, then "God" was no longer worthy of awe.
...
Besides Zebra, there was another native whom Chen Zhou had long chosen.
That man’s name was Kosu, a relatively small and unattractive individual within the Native Tribe, even as a captive, he did not enjoy the "homeland" treatment and was often alienated.
Chen Zhou noticed this unique situation and let Saturday and Sunday engage frequently with Kosu, showing him goodwill.
Soon, Kosu was cultivated into a "spy," tasked with mingling among all natives and reporting on everyone’s movements.
In the early stages of capturing the natives, when they were all housed in four-person rooms, most of the information that Chen Zhou acquired came from Kosu.
However, later when they were divided into two-person rooms and eventually into single rooms, Kosu’s role in supervising the natives became negligible.