Chapter 447: Fort Two-Eight-Five
Chapter 447: Fort Two-Eight-Five
The squad soldiers present looked at each other in bewilderment. Forty-eight hours ago? That was two days ago. Who was the one who greeted these three before that?
Chen Chuan instructed the squad medic behind him, "Wake everyone up, and then thoroughly inspect this place again."
The medic saluted and ran towards the barracks with his gun on his back.
Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque arrived at the scene promptly. Yuan Qiuyuan examined the three corpses, let out a whistle, and asked, "Captain, is this an aberration of your Second Self?"
"It's too early to tell," Chen Chuan replied.
Chen Chuan didn't rush to a conclusion because he hadn't sensed any signs of virtualization from his Second Self, which could mean either a different reason or a non-severe abnormal situation.
Once the personnel were awakened, they thoroughly inspected the rest station again, confirming that there were no other people besides the three corpses.
However, after learning the situation, everyone carefully recalled and realized that none of them had any physical contact with these three individuals.
After some contemplation, Chen Chuan said to Yuan Qiuyuan, "Executor Yuan, you will stand guard here tonight."
Yuan Qiuyuan didn't hesitate and said, "Captain, you should rest too."
Chen Chuan addressed the team, "We are here to investigate the unknown, and we will likely encounter more such situations. You need to be mentally prepared.
I and the two Executors will do our best to handle each matter. Everyone, those on duty, stay vigilant, and those off-duty, this is a challenging mission, and we must be prepared for the unexpected.
"Yes, sir!" The team members saluted solemnly and then returned to their duties or rest.
The night passed without any further incidents for those on guard duty. The next morning, the team decided not to linger at the rest station but to set off as a whole.
As the convoy left the rest station, Chen Chuan instructed the driver after about ten minutes, "Turn back."
The driver complied without question and immediately turned the vehicle around.
The other off-road vehicles also received the instruction through the Interdimensional Connector and, although unaware of the situation, they understood the importance of following orders and did the same.
Upon their return to the rest station, they were startled to see the door, which they had carefully closed before leaving, open again. A voice came from the loudspeaker inside, requesting confirmation of their identities.
Everyone was taken aback.
Yuan Qiuyuan turned and asked, "Captain?"
Chen Chuan spoke into the Interdimensional Connector, "Follow the standard procedure." Then he said to Qin Qingque, "Executor Qin, you go with them."
"Yes, Captain!" Qin Qingque promptly exited the vehicle and approached the rest station with two teammates.
The process went as expected. After exchanging signals and waiting for a while, the rest station's door opened, and the three soldiers, who were supposedly dead, came out. They meticulously checked the documents, appearing no different from the day before.
However, everyone was chilled by the eerie sight, as they had clearly seen these soldiers die the day before.
Chen Chuan stepped out of the vehicle and examined his Second Self, but there were still no signs of virtualization. He approached the three soldiers, who saluted him respectfully, their expressions and demeanor no different from normal people.
At that moment, Chen Chuan reached out and touched their foreheads. The soldiers were momentarily stunned, then collapsed straight down.
After a while, white substances emerged from their ears, wriggling as they crawled out.
Yuan Qiuyuan stepped on one of the substances, causing it to curl up. He examined it closely and exclaimed, "Activated Brain Tissue?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
Yuan Qiuyuan looked at the three soldiers on the ground in bewilderment, "But they are ordinary people."
Generally, only Metamorphosis Organization fighters needed to worry about brain tissue activation. Ordinary people rarely faced such situations; otherwise, the main force at the Outposts would have been composed of these ordinary soldiers.
Chen Chuan explained, "They are ordinary people, but these activated brain tissues might not be theirs."
Yuan Qiuyuan was taken aback but quickly made a connection, glancing into the distance, and whispered, "Captain, is it from the Fort?"
Fort Two-Eight-Five was known to have several fighters.
Chen Chuan affirmed, "Most likely."
When a fighter's brain tissue activates, they sometimes use their original body. But if that body is compromised, they might seek another body, devour its brain to acquire memories, and transform into a new person.
This is why Outposts are vigilant about activation; it's hard to discern if someone has been affected.
Recalling the information, Chen Chuan realized that Fort Two-Eight-Five had a Tier Three Fighter on defense and three Tier Two Fighters. These three activated brain tissues were likely from those three Tier Two Fighters.
"Captain, a signal has been transmitted from Fort Two-Eight-Five."
A communications officer brought over a telegram.
Chen Chuan took a look, and it was still filled with unintelligible gibberish. He handed it to Qin Qingque, who carefully examined it and said, "Captain, there's no content."
Yuan Qiuyuan asked, "Could this be a telegram sent from this place?"
Chen Chuan said, "We'll know once we see it. No need to delay here. Let's quickly pack up and report the situation to the outpost. We're leaving right now."
After the order was given, a member immediately came forward and placed the bodies of the three soldiers into body bags, storing them in the freezer. The convoy then set off again.
Fort Two-Eight-Five is an expansion outpost, and these places are usually located in key terrain. Their function is to provide cover for the rear.
Meanwhile, the rear can calmly organize the designated territory. This method has its advantages and disadvantages. Initially, with the support of airships for transportation and combat, many difficulties can be overcome. But once the situation stabilizes, without the support of airships, it becomes relatively more challenging.
If a critical location like this encounters issues, some tasks cannot be carried out smoothly. Therefore, it is crucial to figure out what's going on.
This time, the convoy proceeded at full speed and arrived at Fort Two-Eight-Five before five in the afternoon. However, there was no one guarding the outside, and after cautiously entering, they found the place deserted.
Not only were there no people inside, but even the personnel dispatched later were nowhere to be seen.
Vehicles were neatly arranged in the open space and garage inside the outpost. All weapons were properly placed in the armory, and the indoor items were tidily organized. There were no signs of any attacks or ambushes.
This outpost was built according to standard specifications and could accommodate a hundred-person team. So, when they entered, the place felt unusually quiet, and their footsteps echoed clearly, causing a slight unease among most of the team members.
Chen Chuan instructed, "Send a report to the outpost, informing them that we have reached Fort Two-Eight-Five, and share the intelligence from here with them. Also, ask them to pay attention to whether there will be any telegrams sent from here tonight."
The communications officer immediately followed the order and began sending the report.
Chen Chuan added, "It's more than an hour until complete darkness. Each group, take half an hour to inspect and tidy up your respective areas. Remember, every group member must maintain constant communication at all times, whether entering or exiting."
"Yes!"
Following Chen Chuan's instructions, the team members immediately divided into groups of three and dispersed.
Chen Chuan turned to Yuan Qiuyuan and Qin Qingque, "You two, check the protective gear and some of the defensive structures outside the fortress. Pay attention to the active index and the biofield, and don't solely rely on the numbers on the interdimensional connector."
Yuan and Qin both understood and acknowledged.
Chen Chuan asked the two to keep an eye on the team members while he headed to the commander's office in the outpost.
Here, he should be able to find some action logs, which are mandatory records in the outpost. Perhaps he could find some useful clues from them.
The office, like the other places, had its items neatly arranged. He easily found the logs and flipped through them. He discovered that up until December 10th, the day before the mysterious message was transmitted, everything was normal. Patrols, duties, organization, reports, and so on, with no unusual discoveries. It seemed that the anomaly was sudden, and everyone was caught off guard.
However, when flipping through the personal memo of the outpost's commander, he found that several pages had been torn out. After searching for a while, he discovered the torn pages in the wastebasket.
He managed to piece them together and saw that they were covered in chaotic lines, with some indiscernible words. Looking at this, he could almost picture a person driven mad, muttering to themselves as they wrote these down.
He stared at the paper for a moment, deep in thought. At this moment, the interdimensional connector sounded, and Qin Qingque's voice came through:
"Captain, I've checked, and none of the walls have cracks or holes. I broke open a section and checked the protective gear and materials in the insulation layer, which are sufficient for a hundred-person team according to standard quantities."
Yuan Qiuyuan also reported, "Captain, I've checked outside, and there are no signs of climbing or attacks, and no converging zone creatures approaching.
The vegetation outside has been cleared, although it's grown back these past few days. But it's still at least two or three miles away from the outpost. The trenches and barbed wire, dug according to the tactical manual, also show no signs of damage."
Chen Chuan said, "I understand. Since there's no issue outside, let's head back."
He exited the office and looked at the fortress below. With no external problems, the issue must be internal. It was still daytime, so there was no cause for concern. But in less than an hour, night would fall, and things might be different then.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
