Chapter Fourteen: Preparations Before the Battle (Part Two)

Chapter Fourteen: Preparations Before the Battle (Part Two)

“It’s fine. We’ll be able to collect our weapons at the military camp shortly. I imagine our identities have been arranged as a U.S. government-designated special jungle warfare team,” Schuster said, rising from the corner to shield Lolita.

“That’s good, we—uh,” Zhang Jie began, but before he could finish, a flash of white light shimmered behind Schuster. Then Lolita, now clad in a splendid American uniform, stepped out from behind him and positioned herself in front.

“What’s this…” Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses, gazing intently at the corner.

In another flash, Schuster himself appeared before everyone, now dressed neatly in an American uniform as well.

“When in an American camp, you wear the uniform. Didn’t you see that each bed in this barracks has your name on it? Hurry up and change,” Lolita said as she adjusted the Heaven’s Spark in her hand.

Only now did everyone notice that each cot in the tent indeed bore their names, along with a set of military fatigues. They hastily began changing, though the women hesitated to undress.

“Lolita, could you help these two?” Schuster said with a sigh, turning away.

Without a word, Lolita patted Zhan Lan on the shoulder, who was covering her eyes. In an instant, white light shimmered, and Zhan Lan was clad in the same uniform as Schuster and Lolita.

The other two women were similarly outfitted, much to the dismay of the three petty thugs, whose hopes for a glimpse of benefit were dashed—they'd be getting nothing but a quick end.

Once everyone was dressed, the spatial lock was lifted.

“Mission: Follow Major Dutch. Do not stray more than one kilometer from Major Dutch, or face erasure!” The Lord God’s voice resounded.

After reading the mission details on their watches, the group stepped outside the tent to take in the sight of the American military camp. Any lingering doubts about being inside a movie vanished—for at a distance, they could see Dutch, played by the former governor, unmistakable with his cigar and imposing muscles, a diamond in the sand, a moon in the dark.

“If you’re all clear, best return to camp and don’t wander off. If you’re mistaken for deserters and shot, that’s your own bad luck,” Schuster said, now fine-tuning an AWM rifle—complete with bipod, suppressor, and an anti-materiel extendable scope.

“Hm?” Zero took a look at the magazine beside Schuster and noticed each was marked with a tiny lightning emblem.

“What kind of bullets are these?” Zero asked.

“Standard enchanted rounds. Damage increased by fifty percent, range by ten percent, with a paralytic effect,” Schuster replied without looking up, continuing his adjustments.

Zero picked up another magazine, finding it loaded with ordinary ×67mm rounds.

“Take this rifle. The camp’s sniper rifles can’t compare to mine. If you run out of magazines, get more from Lolita. Use the enchanted rounds against the Predator,” Schuster said, handing the rifle to Zero, who was already entranced, checking over the weapon with shining eyes.

“Ba Wang, I’m not sure what machine gun you prefer, but judging by your arm length, I think this one will do nicely,” Schuster said, producing a jungle warfare RPK squad machine gun.

“Wait, what’s that?” Chu Xuan suddenly grabbed Schuster’s wrist excitedly. From the side, he looked like a lecherous uncle pouncing on the weak—cough, apologies for digressing.

“Is that really a cultivation tool? Is it truly a cultivation tool? My god, I’ve long suspected from various documents that such items once existed. So they all come from this space! If we could unlock the secrets of this technology, who knows how far humanity could evolve!” Chu Xuan was oblivious to the strange looks he was receiving. With a feverish intensity, he went on, “Do you realize that many artifacts have been unearthed, both domestically and abroad, which modern science cannot explain? They lack power sources; even with electricity or other energies, they cannot be activated. Material analysis shows that in ancient times, there was once a supremely advanced civilization. Yet, the dating of these artifacts is bizarre—they range from tens of thousands of years ago to just over a thousand years, with the most recent made about a millennium ago. Could such an advanced culture have hidden among us unnoticed?”

“This led to a split among researchers. One theory claims these were made by aliens hiding within human civilization—a theory I dislike. People blame everything inexplicable on aliens, then say whatever nonsense they please. Such an attitude is infuriating… The other camp believes these were made by legendary immortals, or the gods of Western myth. While no less fantastical, at least they seek clues among ancient ruins, and as their research progresses, they’re finding corroborating evidence.”

Chu Xuan stood, looking at everyone. “Do you know what this means? It means humanity’s progress is not limited to technology. Though this mysterious technology could fall under natural science, it lies outside the realm of conventional technology—this is the pinnacle of inner science!”

“Fine, take it. Inside you’ll find two ****, fifty magazines, and two grenades,” Schuster sneered, removing a ring from his left hand and another, tapping them together before tossing one to Chu Xuan.

Chu Xuan instantly became absorbed in research, pulling out **** and magazines in turn.

“Lolita, you’ll be a medic. Zheng Zha, assault. Ba Wang, machine gunner. Zero, sniper. The three punks can collect rifles from the yard themselves—I’m not providing weapons for scum. Zhang Jie, support. Chu Xuan, command. Zhan Lan and Lolita, both medics. The rest can get their own weapons. Any questions?” Schuster drew a ******** from his infinite space, strapped it to his left thigh, then handed his Blood Dance Crescent to Lolita, who secured it on his back.

“No complaints.” Zheng Zha and the others had no objections, though the newcomers and the three punks glared at Schuster with resentment.

“By the way, make sure to bring insect repellent and apply it immediately—without it, you won’t last long against the jungle’s venomous bugs and leeches. You’ll also need a machete and a survival knife. Newcomers should get various stimulants—they might just save your life. Take compressed biscuits and jungle vests. When I checked earlier, I saw the U.S. military’s kit is outdated, straight out of the Vietnam War. For firearms, I recommend the AK-47 with an iron stock—it’s light enough for a teenager to wield, extremely reliable, and you won’t have to worry about it jamming in mud. As for the M16, I suggest you pass—it’s not as reliable as the AK. Handguns should be large-caliber revolvers for maximum stability, plus four grenades,” Chu Xuan’s voice echoed in everyone’s ears.

“Good advice—you’d all do well to listen. We won’t need it ourselves, but you should each prepare an honor grenade. As long as you’re still breathing, you needn’t worry about your head becoming a Predator’s trophy. In the Vietnam War, every soldier carried one, for a quick and painless death,” Schuster paused, then nodded.

“I’m curious why you two don’t need them,” Zero asked. He’d always had a good impression of Schuster.

“We?” Schuster hesitated, then decided to show off a little since Zero was friendly. With a snap of his fingers, a suit of lightning armor appeared around him. “The two of us are exorcists—lightning specialists. By altering the local magnetic field, we make ourselves invisible to insects,” he said, then dismissed the armor—it was too draining to maintain, and his magic reserves were barely at fourth tier in this horror movie.

“Lineage exchange?” Chu Xuan asked, adjusting his glasses.

“Our profession is exorcist. If that’s hard to grasp, think of us as onmyoji,” Lolita explained.

“I never expected such people to exist in reality. I’ve seen internal martial artists before, but never actual magic,” Chu Xuan remarked.

“If we decided to self-destruct, do you think anyone within a hundred miles would survive?” Schuster said, idly spinning a throwing knife between his fingers.

At his words, the veterans visibly shuddered.

“Chu Xuan, go talk to the Americans,” Schuster said as footsteps sounded from outside.

“No problem!” Chu Xuan replied, just as the barracks door swung open.

A U.S. Army staff officer entered to issue their mission orders. This time, the Reincarnation Squad’s cover was as an elite Asian mercenary team—specialists in jungle warfare, veterans of the Vietnam War, now tasked with assisting Dutch’s team in recovering missing pilots in Central America.

The staffer invited their captain to meet with Dutch’s team and instructed the rest to collect weapons and gear. Chu Xuan was escorted away by one officer, while Schuster and the others were led to the armory for special weapons and ammunition. The newcomers’ eyes lit up at the chance to claim arms—they would no longer be at the veterans’ mercy.

“Hmph, judging by those ordinary folk, I doubt they’ll survive the first battle. The guerrillas in the film may seem weak, but that’s only to highlight the movie’s special effects,” Schuster remarked to Ba Wang and Zero, watching the rookies excitedly poking and prodding their new kit.

The others fell silent at his words.

PS: I have business to attend to today and will be out. This chapter is set to upload automatically!