Chapter 157 - 111: Ammunition

Chapter 157: Chapter 111: Ammunition

The Superpower User squad’s cleanup operation was extremely efficient. It had started yesterday and continued until noon the next day. Over the regional intercom, a constant stream of the latest reports came in from the Observers in each fortress:

"Zone B is clear. The minesweeper is heading toward Zone C."

"Mines around F-09 have been cleared. Mutants confirmed eliminated."

"L-12 reporting. The last mine has been detonated. The Superpower User squad is wrapping up."

Finally, after the Observer from the last fortress confirmed all surrounding threats were eliminated and the Superpower User squad had boarded their evac helicopter, the public intercom channel was instantly flooded with excited cheers.

"Fantastic! It’s finally quiet."

"Those Superpower Users are absolute badasses!"

"Now we can finally get a good night’s sleep."

"You can always count on Jiang City!"

A joyous atmosphere of post-disaster survival filled the airwaves. The constant explosions and the potential evolutionary crisis had been a great weight on everyone’s mind, and now that it was finally lifted, they all felt an indescribable sense of relief.

A relieved expression also appeared on Xu Mo’s face. Jiang City’s response time and the force they brought to bear were truly commendable, nipping a potential catastrophe in the bud.

However, unlike the pure joy most people felt, a small thorn remained lodged in Xu Mo’s mind, one he couldn’t quite remove.

Ever since the threat was discovered, Xu Mo had paid close attention to the reports from each fortress, especially regarding the discovery of new types of mutants.

What made Xu Mo vaguely uneasy was that throughout the entire cleanup process, not a single Observer had reported any sign of Level 2 mutated zombies.

According to Xu Mo’s previous rough estimate, nearly nine hundred new Level 1 mutants might have been spawned around the Red Star Industrial Park in a short period.

With such a massive base number, even if the probability of evolving into a Level 2 zombie was low, shouldn’t there have been at least one or two lucky ones that stood out?

’Are the conditions for evolution far stricter than I imagined? Do they need more time to incubate? Or have Level 2 zombies already appeared, but their form, behavior, or hiding methods are beyond our current observation capabilities? Have they even developed a certain level of counter-surveillance awareness?’

Xu Mo didn’t consider himself an optimist. In the apocalypse, he was more accustomed to preparing for the worst.

This facade of "everything is normal" only made the thorn of doubt in his mind dig a little deeper. Xu Mo would rather he was overthinking things, that his data estimates were wrong, than ignore any potential danger.

’Forget it. The fact that nothing’s been found is, all in all, a good thing.’ Xu Mo shook his head, forcibly suppressing this doubt for the time being.

Without conclusive evidence, spreading excessive anxiety would do no good and might even affect morale.

Perhaps he really was just being too pessimistic.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Xu Mo’s gaze shifted to the corner of his bedroom, where the case containing the Barrett sniper rifle sat quietly.

This powerful weapon of destruction had been sitting idle for days due to a lack of compatible ammunition. It was like a sleeping lion, its terrifying form unable to let out a roar.

’My combat effectiveness still needs to be improved as soon as possible.’ Xu Mo gently stroked the cold exterior of the gun case, feeling a sense of urgency brought on by the passage of time. Whether it was to deal with potential Level 2 zombies or other unknown threats he might encounter in the future, stronger firepower was an indispensable component.

Fortunately, the countdown in his mind, the one that represented hope and opportunity, was about to hit zero again.

In the afternoon, when the silently ticking numbers in his mind finally settled at [00:00:00], Xu Mo took a deep breath and stood before the bedroom door, which had a sign on it that read "Ammunition Storage."

His two previous failures hadn’t discouraged him; on the contrary, they made him even more focused.

As Xu Mo pushed open the bedroom door, a familiar glimmer of light flashed in the gap and then vanished. The scene before him switched in an instant.

Xu Mo stepped into a space larger than the last Ammunition Storage. This one looked like a standard military reserve depot, about one hundred and fifty square meters in area, with high ceilings that made it feel quite spacious.

Bright LED strips provided even lighting, illuminating rows of neatly arranged green metal racks. The air was filled with the faint smell of anti-rust oil and the distinct scent of gunpowder.

A quick glance revealed that each row of racks was clearly labeled with the type and specifications of the ammunition, all categorized clearly and in perfect order.

Without pausing, Xu Mo walked directly toward the area where he remembered the high-powered ammunition was usually stored.

His gaze swept past rows of familiar specifications:

5.56x45mm NATO: Standard rifle rounds, huge stockpile.

7.62x39mm: Commonly used in the AK series; he had a good stock of this himself.

7.62x51mm NATO: Used by some Precision Shooter rifles.

9x19mm Parabellum: Universal pistol rounds.

Gauge: Various types of shotgun shells.

.45 ACP: Another common pistol round.

.338 Lapua Magnum: The main round for Xu Mo’s AWM. Next to it, there were even specialized Armor-Piercing Bullet variants.

After a quick scan, Xu Mo even spotted a dedicated area with neatly stacked crates of high-explosive grenades, as well as ammunition for some man-portable rocket launchers. The abundance of supplies here far exceeded any place he had explored before.

But none of this could make Xu Mo pause. He had only one goal.

Striding quickly to a row of racks near the end of the warehouse, Xu Mo’s steps came to an abrupt halt. There, clearly printed on the rack’s label, was the line of letters and numbers he had long been waiting for:𝒻𝑟ℯℯ