Chapter 186 - 184 Analysis of the Situation

Words : 1641 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

The two twin-mounted Maxim machine guns have been installed, and after the upgrade, the gate looks thicker and sturdier. Especially since the gate’s structure was changed from sliding to lifting, the entire gate is now neatly embedded in the wall. To open it without lowering the gate, one would have to blow up the entire wall. The original gate, made of ordinary steel-plated reinforced concrete, was upgraded to solid heat-treated homogeneous nickel-chromium alloy steel plates with a thickness of 30 cm. During World War II, Japan used this type of steel as the main armor for the Yamato-class battleships and stacked its thickness to an insane 650 mm. At that time, the Yamato-class main gun armor was 650 mm thick, and no cannon could penetrate it in the immune zone. In fact, the Federation found a piece of this kind of steel after the war. To test its performance, they used the 410mm main gun of a Missouri-class battleship to perform a zero-angle bombardment at a distance of 300 meters to pierce such a steel plate. However, nearly a century-old technology has turned nickel alloy steel into a common material easily available at steel markets, and it is relatively cheap. Chen Xin’s previously collected materials included a batch of nickel alloy steel columns, sold as raw materials for metal processing. In Chen Xin’s original plan, these materials were used not only to reinforce the gate but also to strengthen the internal structure of the shelter. Of course, Chen Xin’s original plan did not intend to make the gate into a 30 cm thick solid metal door. A hollow structure with a few centimeters of steel plate and reinforced concrete inside would have sufficed. But after Ding Ning gave him that note, an inexplicable sense of crisis made Chen Xin choose to make the gate solid metal, even though this doubled the survival points spent on the upgrade. Now, although Chen Xin’s gate isn’t as ridiculously thick as the Yamato-class battleship’s main gun armor, his enemies also don’t have battleship main guns. As for using explosives, they couldn’t affect such thick armor. Otherwise, there would be no need for armor-piercing bullets in warfare to effectively penetrate battleship armor. Looking at his gate, which could only be described as exceptionally strong, Chen Xin felt reassured but also somewhat puzzled. Now that the gate’s defense is enough, the wall seems less sturdy. However, this issue doesn’t require much concern. After all, his shelter is underground, with more than two hundred meters of mountain above. The hardened soil layers won’t be much softer than metal once frozen, making excavation by human power impossible. So, as long as Chen Xin doesn’t open the door, no one can enter his shelter. The hydraulic lifting structure of the gate guarantees its reliability, but if there’s no power, opening it could be a headache. Fortunately, the hydraulic mechanism of the gate’s lifting columns has an emergency opening device. In necessary situations, the liquid inside can be drained directly, allowing the lifting columns to drop instantaneously and open the gate. However, this is a single-use emergency measure and should be used only in dire circumstances or when absolutely necessary, as the gate would be challenging to close after opening this way. With such a solid and reliable gate equipped with Maxim machine guns for defense, Chen Xin felt entirely secure about his safety now. Returning to the interior of the shelter and leaning back on the living room sofa, Chen Xin finally had enough space to think through the entire situation. Initially, the beginning of the incident should be the attack on Shelter No. 2 in Baling County, which led to Qin Lan’s injury during that mission. Because the terrorists who attacked the shelter used a suicide attack, causing more than twenty casualties, it drew significant attention from the city government, leading to the formation of an investigation team. The first sweep encountered by Chen Xin was at that time. Subsequently, the provincial government, notified by the city, was equally shocked by this incident, prompting a special investigation team from the provincial capital, Star City, to join the city’s investigation team, forming a joint investigation team, followed by a second sweep. According to Qin Lan, it is very likely that the city government obtained critical leads during the first sweep, determining that the terrorists responsible for the attack were within the region where Chen Xin’s home is located, hence including Chen Xin’s home in the second sweep. But there is a discrepancy here because the incident involving Qin Lan’s injury and Ding Ning being sent to care for her, along with their one-month leave, occurred after the attack and before the city government formed the investigation team for the sweep. "Did Uncle Ding and the SWAT team know beforehand that this matter was related to me?" Chen Xin rubbed his chin, feeling something was amiss here. Logically, even if Uncle Ding wanted Ding Ning and Qin Lan to protect him, it should have been after the first sweep, confirming that the terrorists were within his area before making such a decision. But Uncle Ding gave Qin Lan and Ding Ning a month off from the beginning, as if he knew in advance what would happen and deliberately found an excuse to send Ding Ning and Qin Lan away. As for the note Ding Ning previously gave him, Chen Xin thought it quite normal, as this was already after the second sweep ended. If any action were to be arranged, there should be enough leads and intelligence. It’s just that Uncle Ding always cared deeply for Ding Ning. Previously, to keep Ding Ning safe, he gave her leave before the disaster and sent her to Mo Qingyan’s place... Thinking about the leave, Chen Xin suddenly felt inspired, connecting several things together. Before the attack, Uncle Ding, as the SWAT team leader, likely received intelligence or leads from certain channels, but he wasn’t aware of the attack’s timing and location, or the extent of the casualties it would cause. Therefore, at this time, Ding Ning and Qin Lan continued their normal work. As the attack occurred, with Qin Lan injured and over twenty police officers from SWAT and armed police either wounded or killed, the situation worsened immediately. Thus, Uncle Ding sent Ding Ning to take care of Qin Lan using her injury as a reason and gave them a month’s leave, likely intending to let them stay in the relatively safe hospital. This explains why Ding Ning didn’t initially give him the note or mention moving in with Qin Lan temporarily. But as the two sweeps unfolded, evidently something happened that Chen Xin wasn’t aware of, causing changes in the situation. Ding Ning’s note was given to him during this phase, clearly indicating a shift in Uncle Ding’s original arrangement. This might be a sign of some major action planned by the joint investigation team. Otherwise, Uncle Ding wouldn’t place his daughter in his place, which could be within the terrorist’s activity range - the shelter. However, this isn’t certain. Chen Xin tapped his fingers on his knee, with clearer thoughts and new judgments after sorting out the situation. What he just analyzed were the thoughts from the police and joint investigation team. But if he considered the perspective of those terrorists, Chen Xin felt they might not come to his shelter. Because although terrorists are crazed, they’re not insane. If they can sacrifice dozens of lives to attack an official shelter and organize a suicide attack, they must have a target. Regardless of their target, the suicide attack might only be the beginning, as for a terrorist organization, a dozen well-trained personnel daring to carry out a suicide attack are highly valuable and wouldn’t be recklessly wasted. Therefore, the first attack they orchestrated might very well be to attract the attention of the police and city government. Assuming their goal is achieved, with the city government and police’s focus drawn to Baling County, it also means their attention in the urban area has waned. In such a situation, if they were to launch another attack, where would they choose? Chen Xin felt the answer was quite obvious. Thinking of this, he worried about his friends in the city, especially Mo Qingyan and Mo Qingxin, who lacked solid defenses and weren’t particularly resilient. If something really happened, they wouldn’t have much capability to respond. How about letting the two of them temporarily come to his place to avoid potential threats? Chen Xin considered this idea but hesitated. On the one hand, the Mo sisters might not be willing to come; on the other hand, living with five people, four of whom are women, would be very awkward for him. However, considering possible dangers, Chen Xin thought he should discuss with Qin Lan and Ding Ning after they arrived before making a decision. Just then, the living space... Chen Xin scratched his head. After finally upgrading the bedroom, does he still have to sleep on the sofa? Nonetheless, that’s a matter for later. For now, Chen Xin felt he should prepare for Ding Ning and Qin Lan’s arrival, as certain things need to be arranged for the two girls. This inevitably made Chen Xin feel troublesome, but Ding Ning and Qin Lan’s presence could bring benefits, as they could help share many of the shelter tasks, even if temporarily. At least several matters in the planting greenhouse would now have assistance, freeing Chen Xin from working from dawn till dusk. Moreover, having other people in the shelter could bring much liveliness, someone to chat with, and gaming companions during leisure time. Honestly, playing games alone is fun, but having companions is certainly more joyful. Thinking about this, Chen Xin couldn’t help but look forward to Qin Lan and Ding Ning’s arrival.

Chapter 186 - 184 Analysis of the Situation

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