From Robinson Crusoe

"Crack... crack... crack..."

Ionized particles pass through the Geiger tube, and the rare gas affected by the radiation briefly releases electrical pulses. The electrical signals stimulate the integrated circuit, which is then amplified to emit a chilling sound.

Each of its low hums signifies the presence of invisible ionizing radiation nearby—an invisible bullet capable of shattering DNA strands.

In front of the crumbling walls of the factory, 40 people, including Ivan and Chen Zhou, all wore heavy electromagnetic radiation shielding suits.

Before getting off the vehicle, they all took iodine tablets to prevent possible exposure to radioactive iodine.

……

The areas potentially contaminated by nuclear radiation are different from the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. Death is invisible here, and even if the mission is successfully completed, one may still suffer from cancer and die painfully several years later.

If Ivan hadn't offered such an irresistible price, even mercenaries who risked their lives wouldn't have taken the job.

Completely encased in a full-coverage protective suit with embedded lead plates, the world appeared as a narrow strip when looking out through the helmet.

Most of the natural sounds in the forest were blocked out, and all that could be heard was the sound of my own heavy breathing.

Vladimirovich unconsciously tightened his grip on the OTs-14 assault rifle.

This assault rifle, also known as "Lightning," is specifically optimized for urban warfare and is mass-produced and equipped by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs' special forces. It is armed with 9x39mm subsonic special ammunition and has an extremely high rate of fire and strong penetration power.

Having fought on the battlefield for many years, this was the first time Vladimirovich had ever obtained such high-quality goods. Unfortunately, the enemy he faced this time was far more difficult to deal with than the line-fillers he had killed before.

Before putting on the protective suit, he specifically consulted the "intellectuals" in the military corps, and the answer he received was very disappointing—

Even the heavy Type III protective suit he was wearing could not completely protect him from the gamma rays produced by nuclear radiation. If he were to be affected by nuclear radiation during a mission, he would basically be sentenced to death.

However, the lead apron was still effective against weaker or secondary rays, so he had to wear this cumbersome combat suit.

……

Radiation affected the sensitivity of communication equipment, and there was always a hissing noise in the headphones.

After contacting all his teammates and confirming that communication was normal, Vladimirovich, who was already somewhat regretful, waved his hand, put aside his bad mood, and led his troops to file in through the gap in the outer wall.

Vladimirovich led the way.

Alexander's army was positioned at the rear, while Ivan, Chen Zhou, and loyal members of Ivan's family were encircled at the center of the entire force.

The drones continued to fly among the factory ruins as the team slowly advanced.

The ground, still covered in snow, was entirely white, with no trace of any living creatures. Even the underground entrance that Ivan had mentioned was buried.

Chen Zhou cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

While translating documents on the isolated island, he had looked at that photo countless times, never imagining that one day he would actually visit the place in the photo himself.

This is the essence of the saying "life is unpredictable".

……

The cold of late winter and early spring obscured most traces of life, and all that could be seen were dilapidated factory buildings.

Ivan and Chen Zhou were the only two among them wearing light protective suits. His messy, dry hair was pressed against his cheeks by his helmet, revealing only his increasingly sunken eyes.

Walking alongside Chen Zhou, he pointed to the dilapidated buildings on both sides and explained to Chen Zhou the purpose of the factory's ground-level camouflage.

On the surface, this factory is used for metallurgy, but in reality, it is used to produce key materials for the nuclear industry.

Both the Type A separation membrane used for uranium enrichment and the more advanced Type D separation membrane are produced in this factory. The separation membrane is the "heart" component of the atomic bomb and can be seen as a microcosm of the arms race during the Cold War.

In addition, the factory also produces carbonyl nickel powder and conducts performance tests on separation membrane elements. Even disregarding the underground renovation site, it is a building worth paying attention to.

Because the factory had manufactured atomic bomb components, it retained uranium-235, a material used for testing, which prevented outsiders from becoming suspicious.

Who would have thought that the radioactive materials on the Earth's surface were merely a cover for even more shocking experiments underground, and that even weapons like the atomic bomb could only serve as a disguise for Unit 10003?

……

As Chen Zhou moved forward while listening to Ivan's explanation, he could see out of the corner of his eye that the drone had begun to descend slowly.

Two gunshots rang out from the front of the column, but the column as a whole did not fall into disarray, and it did not seem to have been attacked by wild animals or some other unexpected event.

Ivan's confidant learned through the communications channel that Vladimirovich's men had found the entrance to the base and had fired shots to test the thickness of the snow.

Vladimirovich has now determined that there is a cavity at the bottom of the snow, and his men are digging with entrenching tools. It is expected that they will be able to lower a long ladder and enter the basement to modify the first basement level in no time.

Because they were wearing protective suits, Vladimirovich's men were not very efficient at digging tunnels.

Moreover, the temperature here remains below zero at night. The snow melts during the day under the sun, and then freezes again at night, repeatedly forming an ice layer, making it increasingly difficult to dig deeper.

Without the lure of $100 million, Vladimir Vladimirovich would have undoubtedly used a simple and brutal method of blasting open the tunnel. However, the method now rests entirely with Ivan; even if it's difficult, they have to dig it out little by little.

……

While waiting for the tunnel to be dug open, Chen Zhou casually picked up two bricks from the snow beside him.

The bricks here were frozen solid by the melting snow, and apart from a freak like him, no ordinary person could easily break the frozen bricks and pick them up.

The bricks used to build the factory were larger than the red bricks commonly used in northern houses. Despite being exposed to the elements for many years, they did not weather or crumble, and their surfaces had a ceramic-like texture, demonstrating their hardness.

Chen Zhou had intended to determine when the factory was built from the number on the brick, but he suddenly noticed two distinct tooth marks on the edge of the brick, like marks left by a rodent.

He immediately thought of the hairy rat Ivan had mentioned, and promptly handed the brick to Ivan, gesturing for him to notice the bite marks on it.

Knowing how dangerous this operation was, Ivan immediately realized upon seeing the teeth marks that the rat swarm on the third basement level might have expanded its range to the surface, but had not yet appeared in front of everyone due to the severe winter cold.

A notification from Ivan's confidant just came through the communication channel—

"Danger is imminent. Prepare for battle!"

Before the words were even finished, the sound of bursts of gunfire came from the Vladimirovich Legion at the forefront.

……

As seasoned mercenaries, the habit of using firearms is deeply ingrained in the muscles of the soldiers.

The moment the group digging through the ice and snow saw the giant rat leap out of the ground, they immediately reacted. They swung their entrenching tools to stop the rat swarm from advancing, reported the anomaly on the communication channel, and retreated in unison.

Their comrades, who had risked their lives with them, immediately stepped forward with guns, blocked the narrow entrance to the hole, and called out the names of the hairy giant rats that poured out one by one.

The giant rat's brown fur can protect it from the cold and insect bites, but it is as fragile as paper when faced with a 9x39mm bullet, which can easily pierce a large hole in it or tear it in two.

The gunshots lasted for about ten seconds, and the giant rat carcass that was trying to crawl out had already blocked the entrance.

Seeing no abnormalities, and in order to conserve ammunition, Vladimirovich ordered a temporary halt to firing.

However, the mercenaries responsible for digging through the ice and snow did not continue their mission, leaving only armed mercenaries to guard the cave entrance.

The situation was unclear, and Vladimirovich was unwilling to send his soldiers into further danger. He requested permission from Ivan over the communications channel to use TNT to blast open the entrance, but Ivan refused.

There is only one exposed entrance to the renovation site; the location of the other entrances is unknown.

If they were to blow up this entrance, they would be left with only heavy nuclear defenses, and whether they could even enter the base would be uncertain, making it impossible to complete their mission.

Vladimirovich was somewhat annoyed by this answer, but he calmed down in front of his employer.

A few people were selected from the corps to clean up the giant rat's carcass, while the rest were either armed and on guard or digging through the ice and snow. Whatever dangers lay ahead, they had to deal with them on their own.

……

The giant rat's remains lay on the snow not far from the collapsed chimney. Chen Zhou broke off a branch with interest, walked to the side, and fiddled with the bullet-shattered pieces of the corpse, asking Ivan questions with great interest.

"I have a question for you. When you encountered them last time, did you hear them making any noise?"

Ivan was taken aback by the question, and he thought for a moment before answering.

"Maybe not."

"Really? So, 'aphasia' means exactly what it sounds like? A mute?"

After barely managing to identify the organs from the giant rat's carcass, Chen Zhou recalled the knowledge he had acquired over the past two years, but ultimately found no other differences between the giant rat and ordinary rats, except for its size and fur.

"Aphasia—is it a result of scientific genetic modification, or a kind of magical sacrifice, where the ability to speak is used to gain extraordinary power...?"

A guess quietly formed in Chen Zhou's mind.

However, he did not share his speculations with Ivan, since, based on the information available so far, everything was still shrouded in mystery.

If there truly is magic beyond human comprehension, it would only cause unnecessary panic, leading to demoralization and making further exploration difficult.

……

The swarm of rats gathered at the entrance of the hole appeared to be only a few dozen. After they were all killed, the mercenaries' digging went smoothly.

The hardness of the ice and snow greatly hindered the excavation progress, and Vladimirovich subtly and overtly instructed his subordinates to conserve their energy and not rush to open the tunnel entrance.

So they dug for a whole morning before the entrance was wide enough for five or six people to enter and exit at the same time.

Everyone could see that Vladimirovich was deliberately stalling for time to earn more money, but no one said it outright.

After all, even Ivan, the financial backer, didn't protest, so who would risk offending Vladimirovich by being the first to speak out? (End of Chapter)