Wasteland: My items are infinitely upgraded.

Chapter 148: Terrifying Pollution at the Bottom, the Negative Eighth Floor Military Factory
The dense fog on the negative seventh floor was thick and sticky. To be precise, it could not be considered fog, but rather a black mass of deformed bacteria floating and condensing in the air.

The mucus under everyone's feet was also very thick. From the fourth to the sixth floor below ground level, the bacterial mucus deposited and proliferated on the floor was only a thin layer and very slippery.

Now that I have stepped into the seventh floor below ground, the fluid accumulated on the soles of my feet is almost covering my insteps.

These alone were not enough to make everyone tremble with fear, but on both sides of the road and at their feet, the bodies and corpses piled up layer by layer, leaving only an empty shell.

It looks extremely uncomfortable.

Everyone present had seen blood. Some had killed dozens if not hundreds of people. They were already accustomed to scenes of blood and flesh.

But the scene before him was even more chilling than the pieces of dead body and flesh, and it sent a chill down his spine.

Because there are just too many of them.

And the way he died was too strange.

There were no signs of fire, but only an empty shell remained.

Just like when Lin Feng discovered the third-level blood contamination source in the restricted area of ​​the negative fourth floor, the dormant warehouse was full of people kneeling on the ground. Upon closer inspection, there was only an empty shell left.

They were once vibrant lives, but like everyone else, they have now become empty shells shaped like sculptures, like the remains of fallen volcanic ash, forever frozen in the moment when the disaster struck.

The struggling movements on the body and the terrified expression on the face are still lifelike under the direct light.

The whispers in my head gradually turned into screams and cries of pain, as if the radiation from that horrific catastrophe had come from somewhere.

It's happening right in front of everyone's eyes!

From time to time, there are wriggling granulations parasitic on the surface of the empty shell, swaying up and down like blooming flowers, preying on bacterial clusters in the air.

With the pile of fossilized corpses...

The scene before my eyes was indescribably weird.

After Lin Feng and the main force of the Salvation Army went to the ground, they looked at the frozen disaster scene and felt as if a stone was blocking their chest, making it hard to breathe.

Something serious must have happened that year, leading to a disaster that swept across the lower three layers and killed tens of thousands of humans.

For example, the tragic death of a third-level king.

As a result, the lower three layers are filled with the most concentrated genetic radiation, and are completely shrouded in pollution. Ordinary humans and even late-stage enhanced humans cannot withstand this intensity of radiation for even a few seconds.

The flesh and blood cells in their bodies will be distorted by this radiation energy in an instant.

After replication, the chromosomes in the cell nucleus will present the genetic arrangement information carried by the radiation, allowing the new cells that proliferate and divide to assimilate into abnormal cells.

This change is like the whole body being penetrated by high-energy radiation particles, except that the physical particle bombardment will break up the proteins that make up the chromosomes, leading to cell death. The individual will experience systemic ulcers and organ failure.

Genetic radiation will distort genetic information and present characteristics of assimilation, which is obviously more terrifying.

During the assimilation process, every cell in the body will be out of the control of the nerves under the radiation, and even the brain will divide uncontrollably.

You can even clearly sense that one half of your body is eating the other half.

The distorted cells devour normal cells and then proliferate into more and more thoroughly assimilated versions of their own kind.

Of course, this situation will only occur during a slow infection process. A drastic catastrophe like the one before us will not give the infected a chance to slowly decay.

The radiation will drain the biomass in the body in an instant, causing ordinary cells to transform into evolved deformed cells and become contaminated life source. This part of the evolved flesh will then separate from the body, move close to the source of pollution, and be used by it.

In the end, all that was left were shells made of dirt and waste, like burnt charcoal that would break at the slightest touch.

Thus, we see a sea of ​​people before us, countless empty shells shaped like statues.

Even though thousands of years have passed, the genetic radiation here has not decreased much.

Faced with such strong radiation pollution, even if everyone is wearing sealed armor, the interference energy released from the pollution source can still penetrate the protective clothing and enter everyone's brain or body.

Affects everyone's mind and flesh.

Not to mention the late-stage enhanced humans, even the early-stage first-stage evolvers who come here will produce various pollutions due to the distortion of radiation energy.

The first thing to be affected is spiritual pollution.

People with weak wills, under the dual effects of pollution and the strange images before their eyes, will see all kinds of illusions and hallucinations, become delirious and crazy.

There are currently seventeen people in the team. Except for the leader Bai Ye who is leading the way, and Lin Feng who is at the end, the remaining fifteen are all late-stage first-level evolvers.

Only with such strength can the evolved cells in the body withstand the strong radiation pollution in the bottom three layers.

But you can't stay like that for long, because people's ability to endure is limited. Once the threshold of extreme resistance is exceeded, they will lose control and become mentally ill lunatics.

So Bai Ye walked quickly, and at the same time tried hard to release his spatial ability to resist the invasion of nearby radiation pollution.

The only advantage of the negative seventh floor, which is filled with third-level pollution sources, is that it does not have a large number of low-level deformers hidden like the upper floors.

The radiation energy emitted here is so strong that ordinary first-order aberrations, or even early second-order aberrations, cannot set foot in it.

Strong radiation pollution will cause the distorted cells in their bodies to undergo metamorphosis, which is equivalent to forcibly starting the level evolution, refining and concentrating the low-level distorted cells in the body into third-level distorted cells.

Then only a new, empty shell remained.

Correspondingly, if one can withstand the forced transformation of genetic radiation, after absorbing the pollution sources everywhere, one can complete the level upgrade.

This is why the two special hunters who died here before, as well as the early second-level one-star hunter, unfortunately became corrupted, and their strength increased rapidly.

Especially the one-star hunter wearing power armor, who relied on his strong vitality to withstand the radiation. Not only did his level rise to the late second stage, but if he had not died tragically under Lin Feng's armor-piercing cannon, he would have most likely transformed into a new third-stage distortion king.

Therefore, the hatching nests on the bottom three levels are either unharmed or are nurturing terrifying third-order beings, so that the ruins can truly live up to its name of a restricted area.

At this moment, Lin Feng, who was under the protective shield, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Although the radiation intensity on the negative seventh floor increased suddenly, it only had a slight impact on the second-level evolvers and was not fatal. Obviously, the last group of hunters who entered it were attacked by third-level mutants and lost more than half of their men.

Then the main force of the Salvation Army will most likely face the same situation.

At that time, he will have to test the lethality of the armor-piercing cannon and whether the super weapon synthesized by the organization can successfully kill the third-level distortion king.

Of course, the most important thing is the arsenal and the equipment in the military factory.

At the beginning, Lin Feng agreed to escort the Salvation Army and transport a batch of weapons production equipment. The team's mission was to collect the Wasteland Wolf Source Crystal, but he never said that he was not interested in weapons and equipment.

If given the chance, he wouldn't mind bringing back some small artillery and production lines in addition to assisting the Salvation Army as the basis for the team's future development.

It is not enough to rely solely on pure life essence. One must also buy and sell some legal weapons and ammunition to obtain a long-term and stable source of income.

Moreover, with the upgraded system in hand, industrial-related industries are more suitable for Linfeng layout than the breeding industry, and can effectively solve the problems of wear and tear and failure.

The upgraded industrial production lines will restore the current declining human civilization with unparalleled production efficiency.

By then, Lin Feng can easily establish a first-class force by relying on cheap industrial products, especially vehicles for transportation, and weapons that provide security.

Thinking of this, Lin Feng immediately quickened his pace and caught up with the Salvation Army team in front.

Because it has been explored by predecessors, the probability of physical attacks from mutants is actually extremely low, apart from enduring radiation pollution.

Everyone was holding their energy and rushing forward.

Soon they arrived at a large warehouse.

Lin Feng turned on the searchlight and saw a lot of weapons and equipment in the half-open sliding iron door of the warehouse.

Even the green-painted jeeps parked there were rusted by the humid environment. Thousands of years of erosion had rusted any large, exposed equipment, unless it was a rifle or bullet wrapped in oil paper and sealed in a weapons box.

With the help of the searchlight, Lin Feng also saw several 120mm mortars and 155mm howitzers, which had been destroyed by the previous explorers, and even the chassis had rusted into slag...

Lin Feng sighed with regret.

It would be great if we could keep these heavy firepower in our own hands, and directly upgrade them into super cannons that can hit whatever they are pointed at, providing long-range fire coverage beyond visual range.

By then, even the mid-stage second-level patriarch-level rock hornbeest can be easily killed to obtain the second-level life essence and a large amount of second-level evolution meat.

Lin Feng took a quick look and found that most of the well-preserved weapons and ammunition had been taken away. The rest were either rusted into pieces or too large to be transported by elevator.

There is no value in continuing to explore.

Then he followed the Salvation Army team and started heading towards the eighth floor below the ruins, which was where the military factory was located.

Before the last group of hunters, no team had ever been able to explore so deeply after entering the restricted area of ​​the ruins, and most of them were active in the upper six layers.

Very few people are qualified to enter the lower three levels.

After all, the main dangers in the ruins are concentrated in the deformed mother nest. If you rashly enter this place without the guidance of a second-level strongman, the death rate will rise sharply.

But the risk and reward are proportional.

As an unknown place rarely visited by people, a large number of priceless treasures are buried in the lower three layers.

For example, the arsenal and military factory were built as key areas even when this shelter was first constructed. Otherwise, they would not have been placed in the critical lower three floors.

The upper floors are all residential areas, and the lower you go, the more important it is.

When everyone reached the stairs to the negative eighth floor, an even stronger spiritual pollution suddenly hit them.

It's like rubbing and cleaning your brain with steel wool.

The faces of many Salvation Army members inside their breathing masks were either pale or hideous, and all kinds of tragic illusions had emerged in their minds.

Veins swollen on their foreheads and bloodshot in their eyes, they were trying hard to resist the spiritual storm here.

Seeing this, Bai Ye ordered some of the level 17 and level 18 team members to stay on the negative seventh floor, while the remaining five subordinates at level 19, the upper limit of the first order, followed her and Lin Feng into the last floor of this trip.

The arsenal is located below the armory.

A large production base for weapons and equipment.

Obviously, the third-level king of mankind back then also had great ambitions and aspirations.

It’s a pity that they didn’t encounter the right opportunity. The desperate Wolf King and other human forces took advantage of the situation and robbed them, becoming the nourishment for their survival.

At this moment, Bai Ye and the other seven people walked up the slime-covered stairs, entered the negative eighth floor, and came to the bottom of the armory, where there were piles of equipment.

This floor is actually much cleaner. Although the air is stuffy, it is not as sticky and humid as on the seventh floor.

Under the light, Lin Feng saw familiar machine tools arranged in an orderly manner in the workshop, wrapped in layers of transparent packaging film, making them airtight.

Some small manual machine tools used to be available in school laboratories, and the first thing students in the mechanical repair major took in their practical classes was to make a hammer for themselves.

In fact, under modern industrial conditions, it is very simple to make a gun with less accurate accuracy. An ordinary skilled worker can make it by hand according to the drawings.

The next thing is ammunition. As long as there are enough raw materials, the production line can continue to produce in batches, and the machines will not stop working 24 hours a day. It is no big deal for a line to produce tens of thousands of rounds a day.

However, that was in the context of modern industry. In today's wasteland, except for a few large forces, most small, medium or wandering forces have basically no ability to manufacture weapons on their own.

They rely entirely on trading with higher-ups or guilds to replenish their weapons and ammunition, and for this they have to pay a higher price and endure invisible exploitation.

For example, the rifle bullets sold by the guild are only five for one point, and a random magazine costs six points, which is equivalent to one kilogram of level nine enhanced jerky.

The actual production cost may not even be one-third of the selling price, which is a huge profit.

As for weapons, the prices of pistols and rifles are naturally even more expensive.

It is for this reason that the news of the appearance of the arsenal and military factory in the Taishan ruins has attracted so many forces, who are eager to make a fortune.

It’s a pity that more people cut the meat than eat it.

As soon as he entered the negative eighth floor, Lin Feng saw that under the light of several people's searchlights, there were not only sealed machine tools, but also many oval fleshy buds seven or eight meters in size.

They are exactly deformed eggs.

When entering the negative fifth floor before, an unformed deformed egg was found at the entrance. Bai Ye ordered it to be burned into ashes with a flamethrower.

Right now, they are densely distributed in the corridors and equipment rooms on the negative eighth floor. In the space less than a hundred meters in front of everyone, more than a dozen deformed eggs have grown.

There should be some on the negative seventh floor as well, but the number is far less dense, and they are not distributed on the main roads.

Everyone stopped at the stairs, hesitating to move forward.

Bai Ye looked at the fleshy tubes growing and spreading on the ground in front of him, like a neural network. They connected these deformed eggs and supplied them with a constant supply of nutrients.

Once it is damaged, it is likely to trigger a mature deformed egg, giving birth to a third-level deformed king to guard the hatching nest.

Because there is no information about the hunter team, everyone can only move forward carefully.

While avoiding the fleshy blood vessels on the ground, look for equipment that can be moved out.

The first is machine tools.

Small manual machine tools weighing one or two tons are also very useful. Compared with modern CNC machine tools weighing more than ten or hundreds of tons, they are more suitable for the low technical level of the wasteland.

Although it is not possible to perform high-precision processing and the production efficiency is very low, it is convenient. Once the milling cutter turns, the processing can be completed by rubbing it by hand.

Before going to the fields this time, Ma Li, a mechanic in the team, specifically instructed Bai Ye to get at least two small machine tools so that they could produce two simple rifles a day, which would effectively meet the Salvation Army's own weapons needs.

As for the ammunition issue, the casting template is actually more important than the assembly line. The standard size of the bullet is difficult to control. As for filling the granular gunpowder and inserting the bullet, it can be directly assembled manually.

If the bullet is of the wrong size and not airtight, it will not only result in reduced accuracy and power, but also pose a risk of barrel explosion.

Therefore, this mission requires at least two small machine tools, as well as a stamping machine for bullet casings and warheads.

But when Bai Ye looked up, he found that the bullet production area was not nearby, but in an unknown place farther away.

This means that one must go deep into the negative eighth floor to find the corresponding bullet stamping machine.

Bai Ye frowned slightly. This was no small challenge.

The five subordinates around him who were at level 19 had their conditions significantly deteriorated after entering the negative eighth floor, and they were no longer able to concentrate on making subtle manipulations.

The only one who can help him is Lin Feng.

At this moment, the man behind him was looking at a medium-sized CNC machine tool not far away.

Bai Ye then whispered:

"Captain Lin, you seem to be interested in these as well?"

　Take a break at the end of the month.

　　This chapter mainly involves knowledge blind spots, so I dare not write it blindly. I watched a lot of videos on military production and roughly understood the manufacturing process.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)