Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 172 Don't Ask About the Past

"Comrade! My platoon should have thirty-one men, but only twenty-eight are present. Three men are currently on duty at their posts. Report complete. Please give further instructions!"

"Comrades, you've worked hard!" Su Xun returned the greeting to everyone and then stepped forward to shake Chen Ming's hand.

"Long time no see, Comrade Chen Ming. Is your injury fully healed? I remember when you arrived in Xinfu, your leg would occasionally hurt, right?"

Chen Ming was completely stunned, never expecting that Su Xun's first question would be this. He opened his mouth, paused for two seconds, and then said, "Commander-in-Chief, rest assured, it's completely healed!"

"That's good. I've looked into the details. Has anything unusual happened during this time?"

"Unless there are special circumstances, none of the mutated dogs have left the mine!"

"I understand." Su Xun nodded and said, "Okay, you stay at the outpost with your platoon and don't make any rash moves. We'll go into the mine to check the situation."

"Yes!"

Chen Ming's answer was straightforward, and Su Xun didn't say anything more. He saluted the soldiers in the platoon again, then turned and walked out of the sentry post, followed by the group of people who had come with Su Xun.

After the group had gone, the soldiers in the stronghold immediately began to discuss it.

"It really is the commander-in-chief! You were right!"

"Isn't there supposed to be a big meeting soon? Why is the commander-in-chief here in person? Didn't the division say they'd stop mining if they couldn't take the mine? Is a mine that important?"

Chen Ming coughed and said, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Squad leaders, take your soldiers back!"

The order was given, but this time someone didn't carry it out immediately. It was one of his squad leaders, who asked anxiously, "The commander-in-chief said they would go on their own. Why did you agree so readily? What if they encounter danger inside?"

Chen Ming rolled his eyes: "What can I do if I don't agree? Send you guys over to accompany him? You'll only cause trouble for the commander-in-chief!"

"Those are the guards next to the commander-in-chief. Don't you know what a guard platoon is? Any one of them could take on thirty of you!"

"Why not thirty-one? Because I'm not stupid, I'm not going to get beaten up with you guys. Enough talk, hurry up and take it back!"

Meanwhile, the commotion at the outpost was left behind by Su Xun and the others.

The distance to the mine was not far, and everyone was at least a third-level superhuman. Their speed was not much slower than that of a vehicle, and they were more agile, so they did not take a vehicle.

"Current vehicle armor is already difficult to provide better protection for superhumans, and it will restrict their movement and dodging to a certain extent. Therefore, before new armor is developed, I would suggest that superhumans disengage from vehicles during engagements."

As they walked, Su Xun shared some practical experience with Jiang Yi beside him.

When they came to this mine, she asked to come along. Su Xun thought about it and didn't refuse. Jiang Yi was indeed talented in this area, but she had been in the rear for a long time and had little combat experience, not to mention the occasional need to use her extraordinary strength.

He personally led the team this time. The target wasn't particularly dangerous, and the team members he brought were all elite Tier 3 guards. Letting her participate in actual combat wasn't a bad thing.

At this moment, Jiang Yi changed out of the little suit that she had worn almost every year and put on a loose yet well-fitting 21st training uniform. Her hair was still neatly tied up, and she held a newly produced jet rifle in her hand.

This type of weapon is derived from the "Broken Wave" tank destroyer, which shone brightly in the Battle of Haizhou. After numerous experiments, the research institute ultimately concluded that miniaturization would not be feasible with current technology, as direct power from spiritual energy crystals would be impossible; excessive energy would cause the core lens to melt. They ultimately chose to have superhumans activate the weapon with their own spiritual energy. This would place additional pressure on superhumans, and the power would be relatively smaller, but it would provide ordinary superhumans without special abilities with a fairly powerful close-to-mid-range attack method, without the need to carry ammunition.

After all, the principle of spiritual energy jets is basically the same as that of gale. This is an attack method that can effectively kill sixth-tier individuals. Although low-tier superhumans may not even be able to touch the edge of sixth-tier when they use it, that's another matter.

However, this also means that only second-tier transcendents can use it, and only third-tier transcendents can unleash its full power. Moreover, due to production limitations, only the most elite troops in each legion are equipped with it.

For the soldiers of the Corps, possessing such weapons has become an honor and a symbol of recognition.

Jiang Yi used it quite skillfully. Having worked in the safe zone for a long time, Su Xun would occasionally forget how calm and collected she was when she casually pulled out a pistol from her bag during the attack in Fog City.

Clearly, she also had many legendary experiences in her past that were unknown to outsiders, but Su Xun rarely inquired about them.

"Don't dwell on the past," has become a common practice among most survivors since the Great Cataclysm.

As they approached the mine, everyone fell silent.

This was originally an open-pit mine, with a huge pit surrounded by winding dirt steps leading down, like a large bowl that had been dug out of the ground by humans. On the pit wall, there was a deep crack.

The area around the rift was riddled with craters and caves dug by mutated beasts. Intelligence indicated that the rift had not been there for very long, extending deep into the mine, and that the group of mutated dogs were now entrenched there, using this naturally formed shelter to avoid artillery fire.

The fourth-tier leader among them possesses an affinity for earth elements, and can even hear the sound of cannons firing from a distance, thus avoiding the approaching shells.

Ordinary troops don't have many good options against these mutated beasts that are extremely skilled at digging and generally quite strong. A direct assault might solve the problem, but it would also result in excessive losses, making it a losing proposition.

However, Su Xun felt no pressure. They made their way to the cave entrance but did not see any mutated beasts emerge. It seemed that they had sensed the power of the newcomers and chose to lie in wait deep inside the cave.

The crack wasn't very large, about a hundred meters long and over twenty meters wide, extending diagonally downwards along the mine wall. The inside was dark, with occasional glimpses of mottled silver light visible on the walls—the glow of minerals naturally imbued with spiritual energy.

In the eyes of many extraordinary individuals, this silent and empty fissure was releasing spiritual energy outwards like a volcanic eruption, and this spiritual energy was quite pure. As soon as one stood here, one could immediately feel comfortable all over.

Su Xun was even certain that if he broke through to the fifth rank here, he wouldn't need to fall into a deep sleep at all. He could draw conclusions about many things just by standing at the entrance of the cave.

However, they couldn't just come here for a quick look and then leave. Seeing that there was still no movement inside the cave, Su Xun stepped forward and spoke in a deep voice.

"Surrender or die!"

The sound was not loud, but it was as if it were real, as if it had poured into the cave.

Su Xun's usual policies toward mutated beasts were generally friendly, but if any individual dared to stand in the way of the legion, he would not hesitate to use ruthless methods.

No one can break the friendship between humans and mutated beasts, not even the mutated beasts themselves.

From the depths of the dark cave came a low growl, followed by a series of barks. They had already revealed their attitude and were destined for certain death.

(End of this chapter)