Volume 2: The Undersea City Chapter 79 "The good times were only yesterday"
As the entire city of Alpha sank beneath the sea, this doomsday-like scene finally disappeared completely. The black fog and flames were no longer there. All that was left in Ke Lan's vision was the inky black sea and the sky covered by lead-gray clouds.
The equatorial diameter of Alpha Centauri is very close to that of the Earth. If the data from the Earth is applied, Ke Lan's line of sight can see things as far as ten nautical miles away. The distance between the Pioneer and the nearest coast or island is definitely more than this value. It is basically impossible .
Ke Lan summed up and concluded that if he wanted to contact the icebreaker, he only had two ways: one was to start a fire in a high place and use the thick smoke as a distress signal. No matter whether it was the Pioneer or any other ship or aircraft, as long as they noticed the distress signal, he could be saved; the second way was to find a way to repair the communication device on his body, and then make a signal amplifier by himself, search for the nearest human base station, and send a radio distress signal.
But both methods have flaws and problems - to make a fire, first of all, he has to find enough combustible materials, and this task is obviously not easy in this barren land with only rocks and mud. Secondly, the towering smoke column can not only be seen by humans, but also by indigenous creatures. If it attracts some dangerous predators, it will not be easy for Ke Lan to protect himself with only the self-defense equipment on him.
As for the radio for help, he also faced the problem of lack of materials and tools, and he had no idea why these devices malfunctioned. Logically speaking, if there was something strange in the sea, now that he had come to land, these devices should have returned to normal, but except for sonar and cameras, and some purely mechanical equipment , most of the electronic equipment was still paralyzed.
Without even a screwdriver, it would be a fantasy to repair these precision instruments.
"I didn't expect the plot to turn into a story about surviving on a deserted island..."
Ke Lan sighed and continued walking along the coastline.
On the other side of the coastal bedrock, close to the land, is an equally desolate Gobi Desert, with nothing but rocks and sand. Ke Lan decided to search the beach first, and if nothing was found , then go deeper into the Gobi Desert to try her luck.
If this is not an island but part of the continent, then the tens of thousands of kilometers stretching back are all uninhabited areas that are rarely visited by humans. Except for the only human port, there are no transit stations in the surrounding , and even exiles rarely come here - the water in Zhonghai carries a huge amount of radiation, it is like a huge radiation source, and the radiation concentration in the surrounding areas is also terribly high, which is not suitable for long-term human settlement at all.
After walking about two or three kilometers, Ke Lan finally made some unusual discoveries - a pair of human remains.
This is a mummy, but it is not the kind of mummy that has been parasitized by flesh-eating worms and had its blood and flesh sucked out. Instead, it is a naturally weathered mummy.
Although it was at the seaside, the environment above the bedrock was very dry due to the air currents. Coupled with the abnormally high dose of radiation, the microorganisms attached to the corpse had not even begun to enjoy this feast before it was completely dehydrated and turned into something like a mummy.
The corpse was wearing a tattered standard armor and kneeling on a rock facing the sea. A rusty bullpup automatic rifle was placed at its feet.
"There are no fatal injuries on the body... but there are signs of severe skin ulceration. It is very likely that he died of acute radiation sickness ..." Ke Lan walked around the body, then squatted down and picked up the rifle.
This is an old-fashioned rifle. Judging from the inscription on the gun, the model should be called "AUG-S900" assault rifle, using 5.56mm caliber bullets. The severely aged plastic buttstock is covered with cracks. This is a weapon made using old-era firearms technology and was discontinued before the Type 01 rifle was officially put into service.
"This guy... could he be from the first exploration team?"
Only when the Ark just landed on Alpha would the field forces use this antique from the old era.
Ke Lan took off the dog tag hanging around the neck of the corpse. On the front of the dog tag was written the name of the deceased and the unit he belonged to - "Wood Collins, 3rd Armored Combined Brigade, 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, Sergeant."
"The 3rd Armored Mixed Brigade..." Ke Lan repeated the unit's number. He had never heard of this unit's number. When humans first arrived at Alpha, the war with the indigenous creatures lasted for four years before the area around the landing point was cleared. During these four years, countless unit numbers and temporary numbers were cancelled, newly established, and rebuilt. A number like the 3rd Armored Mixed Brigade, which had no characteristics at first glance, would hardly leave a deep impression on people.
Ke Lan turned the dog tag over and saw a famous emblem on the back: an eagle holding a rifle and a trident. Below the emblem was an English inscription, which translated to...
“The good times were only yesterday.”
This emblem and inscription both come from an American special forces unit called the "Navy SEALs" in the old era. However, after the destruction of the earth, the number of this unit disappeared along with the end of the old era... Now it seems that the 3rd Armored Brigade should be the direct successor of this special forces unit. In this case, they can definitely be called "elite".
The missions carried out by this elite force are most likely confidential, and Ke Lan would definitely not be able to access them with her authority. As for why this body appeared here, the answer could probably only be found in the army's central archives.
"This set of armor should be land combat equipment, so we can rule out the possibility of arriving here by water... The magazines are full of bullets, so they should not have encountered any battles... In the backpack... there are unopened compressed military rations. Huh? Is this... the first generation of 'Radiation Resistant Ning'?"
Ke Lan unscrewed the medicine bottle with some surprise. There was actually more than half a bottle of pills left in the bottle, nearly a hundred pills.
Although the first-generation anti-radiation pills are not as effective as the improved version that Ke Lan took, they are still effective. The only difference is that the dosage must be larger and the side effects are slightly more obvious. But Sergeant Collins still has nearly a hundred anti-radiation pills in his backpack. There is no reason for him not to take them.
Ke Lan examined the body again. There were no external injuries, and apart from the characteristics of acute radiation sickness, no other fatal factors were found. The unopened food also showed that the person was not starved to death.
Then why did he "give up treatment"?
...Is it because he knew that he would never be rescued and made this choice out of desperation?
