Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!-Chapter 578 - 296: Bloody Dawn

Wanzhou City’s morning is filled with the scent of blood.

But this time, the bloodshed wasn’t mingled with much smoke.

Just as Yu Qian said, not many people died.

The corpses on the ground amounted to merely several dozen.

Most of them lay neatly on the ground, their hands still bound with ropes.

They might have tried to struggle, but all resistance seemed futile before the seasoned and heavily armed Volunteer Company warriors.

Staring at the blood flowing on the ground, Yu Qian fell into prolonged silence.

Just moments ago, he had personally participated in the execution.

At this moment, the barrel of the 191 rifle still carried some residual heat, and as he reached out to touch it, that warmth seemed to bring a hint of solace to this cold morning.

He silently removed the magazine and took out loose bullets from the ammo pouch at his waist, reloading them one by one.

A slight clicking sound echoed, reminiscent of the ticking of a countdown.

The time was 7:50 AM.

A thousand miles away, the offensive against Jinling City should have already commenced, right?

Would the stench of blood there be even stronger than here?

The people there, the Church Protection Army... would their resistance be even more resolute?

Yu Qian neither knew nor wanted to know.

He reattached the magazine, pulled the bolt back, and locked the safety according to his habit.

During previous training, the regimental commander had said that unless in emergencies, firearms should not be chambered, and one should not rely on the safety feature for protection.

Because it could cause springs to wear out quickly, leading to jams in fierce battles that might bring more deadly dangers.

----But he felt the commander wasn’t entirely right.

Spring aging and jamming are rare events, yet on the wasteland, ubiquitous dangers are probable events.

Rather than worrying about rare events, it’s better to maximize one’s safety in the "short term."

He had once shared his thoughts with the commander, and the latter’s response was simple.

"Follow your own habits, after all, you are a company captain now, some discretionary power is granted."

Discretionary power.

This term had always been quite unfamiliar to Yu Qian, but it seemed that the commander consistently upheld such "freedom."

Limited freedom, and the power to make decisions autonomously within the rules.

Just like the order they issued last night.

Not far away, warriors carrying corpses wore masks and gloves; their movements were quite rough.

Yu Qian couldn’t help but furrow his brow and shouted:

"Be gentle!"

"If the blood splashes on you, there might be germs!"

"Understood, company captain!"

The soldiers looked up and responded, Yu Qian shook his head and turned to leave.

Behind him, the Volunteer Company warriors, now in formation, were performing their essential daily morning exercise, although due to their current combat missions, the drill was simpler.

It was merely an 800-meter jog while maintaining formation.

Compared to their training at Base 011, compared to their training in Mountain City, such exercise intensity was almost trivial, merely a form of "wake-up protocol."

"One, two, three, four!"

"One two three four!"

The resounding slogans echoed in Wanzhou City, seemingly dispersing some of the suffocating gloom enveloping the city.

Yu Qian walked straight past the formation, heading towards the mess squad preparing breakfast.

The aroma of food drifted from large pots, Yu Qian asked the mess soldier:

"What’s for today?"

"Report to the company captain, it’s rice porridge with wild boar jerky! Added some green vegetable leaves!"

"Following the regiment commander’s requirement to maintain daily vitamin intake!"

"But we have very few greens, so added some wild herbs!"

"Okay."

Yu Qian nodded.

"Serve me a bowl."

He took out a canteen from his backpack and placed it on the large table before the pot, the mess soldier dexterously served the meat porridge, but Yu Qian didn’t sit down to eat.

He covered the canteen and walked towards the wounded camp.

On his way, countless hungry eyes locked onto him.

His gaze swept over them, and those eyes shrank back timidly.

Only one child crawling on the ground, slowly and persistently moved towards him.

The child reached out, trying to grasp the canteen filled with meat porridge.

Yu Qian looked down at him, then squatted, placing the canteen on the ground.

Opening the lid, the fragrance instantly dispersed.

The child devoured the hot meat porridge, and in his carelessness, flipped the porridge onto the ground.

So he began to kneel and lick the ground.

Yu Qian’s eyes showed a hint of pity, but he still made no move.

He only silently picked up the canteen, turned it over, shook it twice, and discarded the remaining residue.

Then, he turned and walked away.

Footsteps sounded behind him, and the owners of the prying eyes rushed forward, scrambling for the meat porridge on the ground.

Yu Qian returned to the mess squad, placed the canteen down, and said:

"Another bowl."

This time, when he returned, those prying figures gathered around him.

They no longer hid but also didn’t approach.

Yu Qian similarly didn’t "hand over" the meat porridge in his hand.

He walked forward resolutely.

To the side, the temporary command post had already relocated from around the Mechanical God Church.

The warriors used a precious barrel of gasoline, along with ample damp firewood, to ignite the church.

Thick smoke billowed upward, and soon the flames soared.

The church filled with filth and sin was swallowed by the fire, and a gear-like emblem fell from above with a loud "bang."

The time was 8:10 AM.

The assault on Jinling City should have concluded.

Was the Mechanical Holy Temple there also burned down?

No. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Considering the commanders’ characters, such a good building would certainly not go to waste.

Perhaps it would be remodeled into a "community activity center" or something similar.

Just as they did in Han Shui City.

Yu Qian stared at the burning church for a while, losing himself in thought, spilling some meat porridge.

The heat woke him up, so he continued walking forward.

The wounded camp was right ahead.

Yet the moaning inside had reduced significantly.

Many had died through the night.

And those who survived had their suffering greatly alleviated.

Yu Qian lifted the curtain at the entrance of the wounded camp.

Two medics were amputating a wounded soldier’s leg.

Their movements were, of course, not skilled, perhaps even considered... random.

But they had no other options.

They could only listen to Fu Xi’s guidance over the radio while attempting to slice away the soldier’s shattered calf bit by bit with not-so-sharp daggers, after being hit by a large-caliber musket bullet.

The wounded soldier lay motionless on the bed.

This was the result of excessive anesthesia.

Will he survive?

Who knows.

But without removing the leg, he definitely wouldn’t survive.

Yu Qian approached a bunk made of stones and planks, and set down the meat porridge.

"Eat."

He then said:

"Jinling City is gone ---- No, the Mechanical God Sect in Jinling City is gone."

"I’ve bought you half an hour’s time."

"Now, it’s time to make a decision."

Across from him, Guo Xu looked grave.

After a long silence, he spoke:

"If I say I still want to see more..."

"Would your commanders grant me this chance?"