124: Chapter 124 A Bizarre Scene

Before long, Chu Ge and the others arrived at their destination.

Along the way, Chu Ge looked out at the barren Gobi Desert, the sculptures formed by years of wind erosion, and the endless desolation in the distance; these unique geological features of the Northwest made him sigh with emotion.

Nature truly is a master craftsman; all sorts of diverse and wondrous sights eventually converge to form this beautiful planet, Blue Star.

As for himself, he estimated he hadn't even walked across one percent of this planet's land, yet now he was single-mindedly thinking about exploring other planets. Perhaps this was humanity's desire for exploration and thirst for knowledge.

Everything on Earth is right there, you can go wherever you want, but those things in outer space are somewhat out of reach.

The jeeps lined up and stopped one by one. Captain Gong and his men, along with the base's guards, got out of the vehicles and stood guard around the experimental site, armed with live ammunition and scanning their surroundings vigilantly.

Li Gang and his team walked over carrying specialized cases, followed by colleagues from the Research Institute holding various testing equipment.

"Xiao Wang, you guys go ahead and set up the monitoring equipment and experimental props first."

"Yes, Team Leader."

Li Gang's team members entered the field with their instruments and equipment and got busy nearby. Chu Ge didn't intervene; he just looked around. He remembered that the laser range of the Laser Grenade was 30 meters, so he first had to ensure the surroundings were safe.

The test site must have received notice in advance; except for the patrolling guards visible on the periphery, the entire weapon testing ground was empty.

Li Gang opened the combination safe, which contained five Laser Grenades neatly arranged. At first glance, these Laser Grenades didn't seem any different from ordinary grenades, having an army-green apple shape.

However, judging solely by appearance, the biggest difference from modern grenades was a somewhat retro feel.

Division Commander Wang frowned; the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he held back, too embarrassed to complain about the grenade's design.

Li Gang checked them one by one, and after confirming there were no issues, he nodded to Chu Ge.

Chu Ge caught Division Commander Wang's expression and chuckled inwardly. He had been the same way at first; this was before even seeing the rough surface of the Laser Grenade. When Chu Ge first saw what the Laser Grenade looked like, he had given System Big Brother quite a bit of grief.

Chu Ge worried that once Division Commander Wang saw its ugly appearance in a moment, he might just turn around and leave.

About 10 minutes later, Li Gang's team members returned one after another; the site layout was complete.

"Division Commander Wang, please call one of your soldiers over to help throw the grenades. Just throw them like ordinary grenades."

Li Gang said to Division Commander Wang Yi. Division Commander Wang didn't hesitate and turned to call over a strong, sturdy soldier.

"Alright, for safety's sake, let's follow the standard grenade training procedure. Everyone, get into the trench."

Li Gang turned and shouted to those around him. Upon hearing this, Division Commander Wang and the others obediently entered the trench shelter. This trench was very long, not a simple foxhole, so it was more than enough for Chu Ge and the others to fit inside.

Li Gang was teaching the soldier how to use it. The throwing procedure for the Laser Grenade wasn't complicated, and the soldier learned it instantly. Li Gang then turned to look at Chu Ge.

"Academician Chu, how many meters should we throw the first one?"

"About 50 meters. Let's not expose everyone to its laser range yet; safety first in everything."

Chu Ge said after considering for a moment.

"Alright."

Li Gang turned to ask the soldier beside him, and after receiving an affirmative, he had his team prepare for the test.

"First Laser Grenade, test distance approximately 50 meters, begin."

The soldier took a few steps back and threw it with a powerful swing of his arm. The Laser Grenade soared into the distance under everyone's gaze. Chu Ge and the others stared at the monitoring equipment. In the test field, there was first a flash of light, and then the grenade, floating in mid-air, suddenly shot out green laser beams in all directions.

The laser beams shot into the sky were one thing, but the ones shot toward the ground instantly kicked up clouds of dust, making the laser pillars appear even clearer within the haze.

Five seconds later, the first grenade completed its mission and went quiet.

Chu Ge recalled the process; the laser beams were fine. However, he had overlooked one point earlier: this thing was silent when it triggered. This was a pleasant surprise.

A silent grenade seemed to lack a bit of atmosphere, but whatever, as long as it could kill the enemy. Chu Ge didn't think about it further and instead turned to look at Division Commander Wang beside him.

"Division Commander Wang, are you surprised?"

"Uh, 'terrified' is more like it. What is this thing? It's a bit scary with laser beams all over the sky. By the way, how's the damage from those laser beams?"

"Taking someone out is no problem, even if they're hiding behind a wall!"

"Really? Let's go take a look. I don't know about the ones in the air, but the power of the ground laser beams should be visible."

Division Commander Wang couldn't help himself; he climbed out of the trench and sprinted toward the test field.

Chu Ge and the others followed closely behind.

Everyone arrived at the Laser Grenade. The ground was covered in dense, small pits, many of which were still smoking. Division Commander Wang tried to touch the grenade.

"Don't touch it, it's probably still hot."

Chu Ge spoke up just in time, and Division Commander Wang pulled his hand back upon hearing this.

Li Gang and his team were using measuring tools to measure the depth of the pits and recording the data.

"Academician Chu, with this density, if it hit a person, wouldn't they be turned into a honeycomb?"

"Yeah, does it feel a bit cruel?"

"Ha, throw one into a crowd of enemies at a critical moment, and those who don't die will be scared shitless by this thing."

"Makes sense. Why show any mercy to the enemy?"

"Exactly!"

Chu Ge and Division Commander Wang looked at each other and laughed softly.

Once Li Gang and his team finished collecting the test data, the group returned to the trench to continue the experiment. The second grenade tested its second function: Interruption Mode.

The distance was still 50 meters. After the thrower tossed the grenade, Chu Ge and the others poked their heads out.

Watching the monitor wasn't satisfying enough, so they simply looked directly at the grenade. Based on the data Li Gang and his team just tested, the Laser Grenade was exactly as specified by System Big Brother.

This also put Chu Ge and the others at ease.

A few seconds later, the floating grenade shot out laser beams in a longitudinal cross-section, the bright green light being exceptionally dazzling.

Division Commander Wang and the guards were all stunned, staring unblinkingly at the grenade as if they were enjoying a laser show.

Twenty seconds later, the grenade finished its task and fell to the ground. Li Gang and his team went over to continue testing data. Division Commander Wang turned around and leaned against the trench wall.

"Academician Chu, just like you said, this Laser Grenade is quite interesting."

"Right? Haha."

...

The third grenade tested its Ally Protection function. Li Gang and his team didn't dare let the soldiers take risks directly; they first installed sensors on several mannequins and placed them within the laser radius of the Laser Grenade.

The fourth one still used props; this time, many obstacles of various materials were placed sequentially within the laser radius to mimic various complex situations in city streets.

After each experiment, Li Gang and his team had to record detailed test data. Time passed bit by bit, and soon it was dark.

The field testing of the Laser Grenades came to an end. Chu Ge and the others returned to the base, where the experimental base had prepared a sumptuous dinner for the Research Institute staff.

Everyone discussed the scenes from the afternoon's testing at the dinner table.

While Chu Ge and the others were heatedly discussing data, a bizarre scene was unfolding in a secret Air Force base in G Istanbul.

In the empty and silent base,

A searchlight in the distance swept across a corner from time to time. During one gap, several dark figures darted out from the darkness, crouching as they moved toward a nearby ammunition depot.

They wore night-vision goggles and black camouflage suits, holding simple automatic firearms as they looked around vigilantly.

Leaving two people on guard, the rest walked quietly toward an ammunition rack. After prying open an ammunition crate, an air-launched missile with a white-head and blue-body paint scheme came into view.

"This is it. Let's get to work."

Several men in black opened the cases they were carrying and got busy. On the lid of the ammunition crate moved to the side, a string of Arabic script was faintly visible under the hazy moonlight.

"For Exercise Use Only."