Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!-Chapter 570 - 291: True Mountain City People

Ji Xing nodded at the words, lifting his foot to kick the gun over to the woman’s feet.

Then, the three of them raised their guns and retreated.

If this group of refugees showed any abnormal behavior, the four guns, including the drone, could shred them to pieces in an instant.

The distance between the two parties gradually widened.

Chen Jian spoke again:

"Keep moving forward and that’s the Mountain City, which falls under our jurisdiction."

"Don’t go any further, turn back!"

"The Huaxia Army doesn’t welcome you!"

As soon as the words fell, the woman, with blood still trickling down her neck, suddenly widened her eyes.

She looked at Chen Jian in shock, stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"You... aren’t Mountain City People??"

Chen Jian was taken aback.

"Mountain City People?"

"Mountain City is ours, but we aren’t Mountain City People."

"We are the Huaxia Army."

As those words fell, the woman suddenly sat down on the ground.

She seemed to have lost all her strength, looking at Chen Jian in bewilderment, and after a long silence, suddenly asked incoherently:

"Mountain City..."

"Is no longer there?"

"Mountain City is still there."

Chen Jian shrugged.

"But the people inside..... are long gone."

Once he said that, the woman closed her eyes in pain.

Chen Jian looked at her in confusion and asked:

"Exactly who are you?"

The woman took a deep breath.

"We are Mountain City People."

"The real Mountain City People!"

...

Half an hour later, Chen Jian had the dozen or so refugees get into the truck that came to pick them up and returned to the core area of Mountain City.

The woman remained silent throughout the journey, but upon seeing the lights emanating from the enormous buildings, she couldn’t help but exhale in amazement.

Chen Jian vaguely sensed that her "amazement" was unlike any of the other refugees he had encountered.

It was as if.....

A child who had only read about big cities in books suddenly found themselves in the most bustling metropolis.

She was acutely aware of the existence of these things.

She even understood how these things were built.

She had just never seen them.

That was all.

With the keyword "real Mountain City People" she mentioned, Chen Jian grew increasingly suspicious of their identity.

However, when he posed this question to the woman, she refused to say anything no matter what.

Only when Chen Jian brought up the "out-of-nowhere gunshot" did the woman turn back and insistently say, with a steady and earnest tone, that it was just an accident.

According to her, it was a "misfire."

The reason for the misfire was that the one shooting had seen something familiar and got overly emotional.

The man who had awoken from his coma confirmed her story, but like her, was unwilling to divulge any additional information.

They seemed to adhere to a "code of silence" that they valued more than their lives.

Chen Jian had no choice but to stop questioning them and silently led the group of refugees back to the temporary command center.

When they saw the prosperity surrounding the command center, the woman finally seemed convinced of Chen Jian’s identity.

For the first time, she took the initiative to speak, saying a "thank you" to Chen Jian.

It was a good start.

But Chen Jian felt no urgency.

"No need to thank me, we’re keeping you because we might need your help."

"Go on, she will arrange a place for you to stay."

"You can take a shower, have a meal, rest for an hour first."

"We’ll meet back here in an hour."

"I have many questions to ask you---- I guess you have things to ask me too."

"I hope the conversation between us will be a candid one."

"Okay."

The woman nodded and turned to follow Ji Xing away.

Chen Jian sat outside the combat command, his mind filled with countless questions.

Are they really Mountain City People?

Meaning, are they the descendants of those who "built" Mountain City?

Then why did they leave Mountain City? Where have they been living until now?

If they left Mountain City, why would they suddenly want to... return?

Are they looking for something, or is there something they need to do?

None of these questions had answers, even the decoded information from Fu Xi didn’t provide a single hint.

But fortunately, the woman didn’t keep Chen Jian waiting for long.

Just half an hour later, she returned with the "man who fired the gun" to Chen Jian’s side.

"Please, sit down."

Chen Jian gestured to the chair in front of him and said:

"You can ask first, then I’ll ask."

The man, now composed and calm, took the lead after a brief silence and spoke:

"Let’s introduce ourselves first."

"I am Xie Cheng, and this is my wife, Su Mu."

"Xie Cheng, Su Mu, hello."

Chen Jian nodded slightly.

"Your names are quite unique in this world."

"Indeed."

Xie Cheng exhaled lightly, then spoke:

"After all, we’re a bit different from others in this world---- but I want to discuss that topic later."

"Can I first ask you, who exactly are you?"

"I’ve already mentioned that."

Chen Jian spread his hands, answering:

"We are the Huaxia Army, a unit dedicated to restoring human civilization."

"I know that."

Xie Cheng first nodded, then spoke again:

"Every large faction in this world claims to aim at restoring civilization---- at least, that’s how they present themselves."

"But clearly, you’re different."

"You extensively use industrial equipment and can skillfully operate all kinds of weapons."

"You have drones, armored vehicles, and... mechanical exoskeletons."

"You’re obviously different from others, and what I want to ask is... where exactly did you come from?"

"Did you... come from Mountain City?"

"No."

Chen Jian shook his head.

"We came from Chuansha."

"Chuansha??"

Xie Cheng widened his eyes in astonishment.

"How could that place possibly.... never mind."

After a slight pause, he seemed to talk to himself:

"Maybe it’s a memory implantation issue.... do you know about the Nuwa Plan?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jian sat up straight with alertness.

He did not answer but countered:

"You know about the Nuwa Plan??"

"Of course, we do."

Xie Cheng looked into Chen Jian’s eyes, speaking clearly:

"Don’t play riddles."

"I’ll ask you one question, if you answer it, no matter what you ask me later, I will tell you everything I know."

"The question is simple."

"Are you..... human?"

A wry smile appeared on Chen Jian’s face.

He relaxed, responding humorously:

"I can probably guess your concerns."

"But I can clearly tell you, we are not the so-called ’Suiren’."

"The Nuwa Plan has been destroyed, and Lingxi Artificial Intelligence has also been destroyed."

"The entire Mountain City—whether virtual or real—has been destroyed."

"Now, this city is a new city."

"It belongs to the Huaxia Army, it belongs to everyone on the wasteland."

Upon hearing this, Xie Cheng was dumbfounded.

His facial muscles trembled slightly, and his body instantly tensed.

"How did you..... manage that?"

"That’s none of your concern."

Chen Jian replied:

"We have our ways."

"Now, I’ve answered your question, so it should be my turn to ask you, right?"

"You may."

Xie Cheng replied decisively, pausing for a moment before, without waiting for Chen Jian to speak, preemptively said:

"We are the first and last batch of original inhabitants of Mountain City."

"We are the result of a split."

"We fled Mountain City after the Nuwa Plan was initiated, and since then, we’ve been hiding in..... a secluded place."

"If you’ve destroyed Mountain City’s virtual space, then you probably know the background of this plan."

"So, I don’t need to elaborate too much."

"You should understand why we had to leave, and should be able to..."

"Hold on."

Chen Jian interrupted Xie Cheng.

Then, he looked straight into Xie Cheng’s eyes and said:

"Three questions."

"First, who passed your knowledge down?"

"Second, why did you leave? What exactly was the point of disagreement?"

"Third, how have you... survived until now??"