Chapter 635 - 16: Excavation
"Crackle... crackle... crackle..."
Ionizing particles pass through the Geiger counter tube, briefly releasing electric pulses in the rare gases affected by the radiation, stimulating the integrated circuit with an electrical signal, amplified by speakers to emit an eerie sound.
Each low hum signifies invisible ionizing radiation hovering nearby, an unseen bullet capable of shattering DNA chains.
In front of the dilapidated factory walls, all 40 people, including Ivan and Chen Zhou, had donned heavy electromagnetic radiation shielding suits.
Before getting off the vehicle, they all took iodine tablets to prevent any possible radioactive iodine exposure incident.
...
The area potentially contaminated by nuclear radiation is unlike the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield; here, the reaper is invisible, and even completing the task successfully may lead to cancer years later, dying in pain.
If it weren’t for Ivan offering an irresistible price, even mercenaries working with their heads on the line wouldn’t accept this job.
Encased in fully covered lead-lined protective suits, peering out through the helmet, the world became a narrow strip.
Most natural sounds in the forest were muffled, leaving only the heavy sound of one’s own breathing.
Vladimirovich involuntarily tightened his grip on the OTs-14 assault rifle in his hand.
This assault rifle, also known as "Lightning," optimized for urban combat, is equipped by Russian Interior Ministry special forces, bearing 9x39 mm subsonic specialized rounds with a high rate of fire and strong penetration.
Despite battling on the field for many years, this is Vladimirovich’s first time acquiring such top-notch equipment; unfortunately, the enemies he faces this time are far more challenging than those dealt with previously.
Before wearing the protective suit, he specially consulted the "intellectuals" in his legion, and the answer he received was quite disappointing—
Even the heavy Type III protective suit can’t fully resist gamma rays from nuclear radiation; if he is indeed exposed during the mission, it basically spells a death sentence.
However, against weaker or secondary radiation, the lead suit can still offer some protection, forcing him to move in this cumbersome combat outfit.
...
Radiation affected the sensitivity of communication devices, leaving white noise in the headphones.
After connecting with all team members to confirm communication status, the somewhat regretting Vladimirovich waved his hand, discarding poor feelings, leading his legion through the breach in the outer wall.
Vladimirovich paved the way upfront.
Alexander’s legion was at the rear, while Ivan, Chen Zhou, and the loyal core of the Ivan Clan were wrapped in the center of the team.
Drones continued to hover amid factory ruins as the team slowly advanced.
The ground, unthawed from snow, was all white, leaving no trace of biological visitation, not even the entrance to the underground mentioned by Ivan.
Chen Zhou cautiously examined the surroundings.
While translating files on the isolated island, he had reviewed the photograph countless times, never imagining he would personally arrive at the location depicted one day.
Such is the unpredictability of life.
...
The cold between late winter and early spring masked most signs of life, with dilapidated factory buildings stretching far.
Ivan and Chen Zhou were the only ones dressed in lightweight protective suits, his unkempt dry hair pressed under the helmet onto his cheeks, leaving only a pair of increasingly sunken eyes exposed.
Walking alongside Chen Zhou, he pointed to the dilapidated structures on both sides, explaining their surface-level uses as factory disguises.
On the surface, this factory contributes to metallurgy, but in reality, it’s used to produce key nuclear industry materials.
The alpha separation membrane for uranium enrichment and the more advanced delta separation membrane are produced here; these membranes are the "heart" components of atomic bombs, emblematic of the Cold War armament race.
Additionally, the factory also manufactures carbonyl nickel powder and tests the performance of separation membrane components, marking it as an essential building even without considering the underground transformation base.
Due to once manufacturing atomic bomb components, it retains uranium-235 for testing, without arousing external suspicion.
No one would imagine that the radiation materials on the surface merely conceal even more astonishing experiments below, with atomic bombs merely acting as camouflage for the 10003 unit.
...
Advancing while listening to Ivan’s explanation, Chen Zhou’s peripheral vision noticed the drone gently descending.
Two gunshots sounded at the front of the team, but the group remained calm, seemingly not encountering beast attacks or other sudden incidents.
After Ivan’s trusted member inquired through the communication channel, they learned Vladimirovich’s subordinates had located the base entrance, having fired to probe the snow’s thickness.
Now Vladimirovich confirmed a hollow beneath the snow, with his team actively shoveling snow away, expecting to deploy ladders soon and delve into the transformation base’s underground first layer.
Due to wearing protective suits, Vladimirovich’s team did not excavate the passage efficiently.
Furthermore, nights here still fell below freezing; snow thawed by daylight refroze, forming ice layers through cycles, making deeper digging increasingly laborious.
If it weren’t for the allure of a million dollars, Vladimirovich would surely have used straightforward demolition to blast open the passage.
However, the method of approach is now entirely up to Ivan, and no matter how laborious, they must dig down bit by bit.
...
While waiting for the passage to be dug open, Chen Zhou casually picked up two bricks from the nearby snowdrifts —
The bricks here are frozen by melted snow, and except for a freak like him, no ordinary person could easily break and lift these frozen bricks.
The bricks used for constructing factories are larger than the common red bricks used in northern residences, and despite being exposed for years, they haven’t weathered and crumbled. Their surface possesses a ceramic texture, indicating their hardness.
As he intended to estimate the factory’s construction date based on the brick markings, Chen Zhou suddenly noticed distinct bite marks on the brick’s edges, reminiscent of rodent gnawing.
He immediately recalled Ivan mentioning the long-haired rats, and promptly handed the brick to Ivan, signalling him to notice the bite marks.
Fully aware of the dangers involved in this mission, Ivan immediately realized upon seeing the bite marks that the rat swarm might have expanded its territory to the surface, only being absent due to the harsh winter cold.
A warning from Ivan’s trusted aide just echoed through the communication channel —
"Danger, prepare for combat!"
Before the words faded, scattered shots of "dadadada" echoed from Vladimirovich’s army at the front lines.
...
Being experienced mercenaries, the habit of using firearms is deeply ingrained in the soldiers’ muscle memory.
The few people digging through the ice and snow quickly reacted when they saw the gigantic rats emerge from underground, swinging their entrenching tools to halt the advance of the rat swarm while reporting anomalies via the communication channel and simultaneously retreating.
Their comrades, who have braved life and death with them, immediately took up arms, blocked the narrow entrance, and targeted each burly rat emerging from it.
The rats’ brown fur could withstand the cold and insect bites but was no match for the 9x39mm bullets, which easily pierced through them, leaving large holes or tearing them in half.
The gunfire lasted for about ten seconds, with the bodies of the rats that tried to escape already clogging up the entrance.
Seeing no more abnormalities, Vladimirovich ordered a temporary cease-fire to conserve ammo.
However, the mercenaries responsible for digging the ice did not resume their task, leaving the armed mercenaries to guard the entrance.
With the situation unclear, Vladimirovich was reluctant to let his soldiers take further risks, so he requested Ivan on the communication channel to use TNT to blast open the entrance, but Ivan refused —
This is the only exposed entrance to the modified base, and no one knows where the other entrances are located.
If they accidentally blast this entrance shut, they’d have to face a robust nuclear defense, making it uncertain whether they can enter the base and complete the mission.
Upon receiving this response, Vladimirovich was a bit irritated but quickly composed himself before the employer.
He selected a few members from the army to clear the rat corpses, while remaining members kept vigilant with their rifles or continued digging through the ice and snow. No matter what dangers might lie ahead, they had to handle them independently.
...
The rat remains lay scattered on the ice and snow not far from the collapsed chimney. Chen Zhou curiously snapped off a branch and walked aside, prodding the bullet-shattered carcasses, and asked Ivan with interest.
"I have a question for you. Last time you ran into them, did you hear them make any sound?"
The question caught Ivan off guard for a moment. He pondered briefly before answering.
"I don’t think so."
"I see, so is ’Aphasiac’ meant literally, as in ’mute’?"
With difficulty, Chen Zhou discerned organs from the rat remains, recalling knowledge he had learned over the past two years. He found no differences between the giant rats and ordinary ones apart from their size and fur.
"Aphasiac, is it a scientific gene modification, or magic-like sacrificial ability that grants extraordinary power?"
Chen Zhou quietly guessed.
However, he didn’t share his speculation with Ivan, as everything currently shrouded in fog according to the accessible information.
If there truly were powers beyond human comprehension, it would instead cause unnecessary panic, dissolve morale, and hinder exploration.
...
The rat swarm at the entrance seemed to only number in the dozens, and all were killed swiftly, allowing the mercenary’s excavation to proceed smoothly.
The hardness of the ice and snow greatly hindered the digging progress, and Vladimirovich subtly implied to his subordinates to conserve energy and avoid rushing to enlarge the entrance.
Thus, after digging for an entire morning, the entrance finally widened enough to accommodate five or six people simultaneously.
Anyone could see Vladimirovich was deliberately stalling to earn more reward, yet no one dared to openly question it.
After all, even Ivan, the financier, hadn’t voiced an objection, so who would risk offending Vladimirovich by being the first to speak up?