234: Chapter 234 Reconnaissance Platoon Deployed Forward! Lu Chen Keeps a Contingency Plan to Preserve Firepower

Day sixty-nine, 1:15 PM.

Level one Storage Area, Sector One.

Zhao Tiezhu sat cross-legged on a floor mat.

In front of him, twelve sets of individual equipment were lined up, taking up half a wall.

Twelve rifles.

One hundred and twenty rounds of ammunition per person.

Two grenades per person.

One communicator per person.

One pack of three-day rations per person.

Reconnaissance Platoon leader Cheng Kui squatted nearby, weighing a pack of rations in his hand.

Thirty-two years old, a veteran from the iron wall; he had been following Zhao Tiezhu since the time Zhao Tiezhu was a company commander.

"Battalion Commander Zhao." Cheng Kui tapped the Nutrient Bar with his knuckles, making a hard thudding sound. "If we take these out in minus sixty degrees, they'll be no different from iron rods—they'll break your teeth."

"Bring hot water." Zhao Tiezhu didn't look up. "Equip everyone with an extra canteen; soak them to soften them up."

"Not enough canteens." Cheng Kui pointed at the ground. "For twelve people, we only have six, all told."

Zhao Tiezhu immediately keyed his communicator: "Lin Xiao, when the Relocation Team comes over, bring six canteens along. Old ones are fine."

The other end acknowledged.

He cut the communication and changed the subject: "Communicator batteries?"

"Fully charged." Cheng Kui picked one up to inspect it. "Standby time is seventy-two hours on a full charge. Calculating based on thirty seconds per call, three days is definitely enough. I'm just worried the low temperature will drain the power quickly."

"Keep them against your skin." Zhao Tiezhu patted his left chest. "Tuck them into the innermost pocket and keep them warm with your body heat. Pull them out to send a message, then stuff them back in immediately."

"Understood."

Zhao Tiezhu picked up a rifle from the floor and pulled the bolt.

With a click, the sound of metal friction was somewhat dry.

"If the guns are frozen outside for too long and the lubricant freezes, the bolt won't move at all."

"Wipe them dry and run them dry," Cheng Kui chimed in, picking up a gun to gesture with. "The old method from the northern ice fields. When it's below minus forty, you don't oil the firearms; you rely purely on the dry friction of the metal parts. The accuracy is a bit off, but at least they'll fire."

"Before you set out, wipe the oil off all twelve guns for me," Zhao Tiezhu instructed.

Cheng Kui put the gun down and rubbed his hands. "Battalion Commander Zhao, what time do we leave?"

Zhao Tiezhu put the gun back in its place.

"The City Lord hasn't given the final word yet."

"But we're definitely going out?"

"We must." Zhao Tiezhu grabbed a handful of bullets and pressed them one by one into a magazine. "During Degradation, Polaris is grounded. The radar can see eight kilometers, but beyond eight kilometers, we're completely blind. The Reconnaissance Platoon must be sent out to set up an early warning line at the six or seven-kilometer mark. Report any movement immediately."

"Six or seven kilometers." Cheng Kui pondered for a moment. "Out on the ice field at minus sixty degrees, crouching that far away without even a windbreak?"

"There are pre-civilization ruins on the Rustwind Wasteland." Zhao Tiezhu went over the terrain from his patrols in his mind. "Find large pieces of steel wreckage to use as cover. You'll need to pick your position well; you must lock down the view of the northern approach."

"Daytime is fine, but what about at night?"

"Night is the dangerous time." Zhao Tiezhu tapped the loaded magazine against his palm. "Degradation happens entirely at night. This time out, you will be the furthest eyes of Polaris."

Cheng Kui stared at the equipment on the ground and said nothing.

After a long while.

"Battalion Commander Zhao, let me ask for the bottom line."

"Speak."

"Iron Hoof's scout vehicle was caught by us as soon as it entered the eight-kilometer range. If the twelve of us are crouching six or seven kilometers away, will Iron Hoof be able to scan us if they turn on their radar?"

"The heat signatures of twelve people, on a passive thermal imager from six or seven kilometers away, are just twelve noise points," Zhao Tiezhu broke down the math for him. "At minus sixty degrees, a human body at thirty-six degrees creates a significant temperature difference. But how much surface area do you actually have? Wrapped in cold-weather gear, the thermal radiation exposed is less than zero point three square meters. From six kilometers away, passive imaging can't even distinguish a human shape."

"What if it's active radar?"

"To scan living people with active radar, you'd need level-four equipment or higher, which a scout vehicle can't afford to install." Zhao Tiezhu brought up the logic he had worked through in the Cockpit. "If Iron Hoof's main force actually pushes up and they run level-four radar at full power, then you indeed won't be able to hide. But if it truly comes to that, your mission is over; just high-tail it out of there."

"Six or seven kilometers." Cheng Kui timed it in his head. "Running back at full speed with a pack, how long would that take?"

"Running with a load on the ice field takes about seven or eight minutes per kilometer. For six kilometers, an hour at most."

"One hour."

"That's enough." Zhao Tiezhu's tone was certain. "From the moment Iron Hoof's main force discovers you, to reporting it up, and then sending vehicles out to chase, that whole process will take at least two hours. By the time you've run for an hour, you'll already be home."

Cheng Kui nodded, keeping those thoughts to himself.

The communicator at his waist vibrated.

Lu Chen's channel.

Zhao Tiezhu keyed it open: "City Lord."

"Zhao Tiezhu, how is the equipment inventory coming along?" Lu Chen's voice sounded as cold and hard as ever.

"Ready. Twelve sets. We're short six canteens but they're being transferred now. Rifle lubricant has been wiped dry. Communicators are fully charged."

"Good." The rustling of turning pages came through the communicator. "The time to advance is set: Day seventy-two."

"Day seventy-two." Zhao Tiezhu went over the dates in his head. "The day before Degradation."

"Correct. Deploy on the evening of Day seventy-two and find cover six or seven kilometers to the north. Stay there from that evening until the end of Degradation on the night of Day seventy-three."

"Crouching out there for over a day straight."

"Thirty-six hours at most." Lu Chen stated the limit. "Can you hold out with three days of rations?"

"More than enough. Thirty-six hours is plenty."

"Good. Take note of the communication discipline."

"Go ahead."

"Once you're out, the communicators are for receiving only, no transmitting. If you truly encounter an anomaly, send back one shortwave burst, strictly limited to under three seconds. Shut down immediately after sending and move to a new position."

"Receive only, no transmitting, three-second shortwave, move after sending. Noted."

"Do you understand what constitutes an abnormal situation?"

Zhao Tiezhu went over the potential signs on the ice field in his mind: "Moving heat sources appearing to the north. Hearing engines. Seeing lights. Anything that shows signs of human activity counts."

"Add one more," Lu Chen filled the gap. "Ground vibrations. If Iron Hoof's level-five crusher starts moving, the ground will shake even five kilometers away. Lying on the ice, you'll be most sensitive to vibrations."

"Understood." Zhao Tiezhu summarized the conditions. "Heat sources, engines, lights, vibrations. If any one of those four occurs, sound the alarm immediately."

"Correct."

"Zhao Tiezhu," Lu Chen suddenly called his full name.

"Present."

"The Reconnaissance Platoon will deploy, but you will stay on the ship to take command."

Zhao Tiezhu's hand on his knee suddenly tightened into a fist.

"I'm not leading the team?"

"You're not going out." Lu Chen's words left no room for negotiation. "During those hours of Degradation, Polaris is a sitting duck; I can't move. Someone needs to monitor the ship's entire weapon system. The four Phalanx CIWS systems, the Ray Cannon, the Napalm Towers—these pieces of equipment need someone who can decide to fire within two seconds."

Zhao Tiezhu stared at the rifles on the floor, his jaw tight.

A full three or four seconds passed.

"Understood." He swallowed his frustration.

"Let Cheng Kui lead the team," Lu Chen assigned.

"Cheng Kui will do." Zhao Tiezhu looked up at Cheng Kui beside him. "A six-year veteran of the iron wall, he's been on no fewer than thirty outer reconnaissance missions. He has more experience with staking out the ice fields than I do."

"Good. You make the arrangements for the evening of Day seventy-two."

"Will do."

The communication cut off.

Zhao Tiezhu clipped the communicator back onto his belt.

He looked down, his gaze sweeping over the twelve sets of equipment twice.

Cheng Kui squatted nearby, waiting for what came next.

"Platoon Leader," Zhao Tiezhu spoke.

"Present."

"We deploy on the evening of Day seventy-two. You're leading the team."

The corners of Cheng Kui's mouth pulled down, and his eyelid twitched.

He didn't ask a single unnecessary question.

"Understood."