I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 689 - 587

"Hey, Vasily, have you heard? The Flame Country people are planning to re-equip us." In the military camp’s cafeteria, Vasily had just picked up a lunch and was looking for a place to sit down and enjoy the "sumptuous" meal he couldn’t find in Lucia when a comrade nudged him from behind, sharing some gossip he had heard.

Vasily wasn’t too surprised, he simply guarded his lunch carefully. After finding an empty seat and sitting down with his friend, he finally said, "It’s not a strange thing. If the Flame people don’t want us to just go to the battlefield and die or hold them back, they have to improve our combat effectiveness and survival rate, or simply put us in the rear."

"That’s true!" Vasily’s friend also sat down, but he was obviously not too concerned about the re-equipping: "But even without the Flame people’s equipment, I can still slaughter those alien creatures!"

He struck a pose showing strength, displaying the muscles on his arm.

Looking at his friend’s body, which was almost like a bear’s, and his physique capable of wrestling bears, Vasily didn’t doubt his words much.

But he still shook his head and said, "The alien creatures are very powerful, and according to the Flame people’s claims, those guys have shells on their bodies. Small-caliber rifles can’t penetrate them. You’ll need large-caliber weapons to kill them."

"What unkillable monster? It’s just the Flame people being too cautious. I say everyone should get a Bazooka and blast those alien creatures to pieces." His friend loudly boasted while shoving food into his mouth.

Vasily, long accustomed to his friend’s antics, shook his head and bent down to start eating his lunch.

Just as the two were eating lunch, the cafeteria suddenly became noisy. Many people crowded towards the door as if there was something attractive outside.

Vasily and his friend exchanged a glance, then grabbed a passing soldier and asked him, "What’s going on? Is there something outside?"

"The Flame Country brought a few alien creatures here, saying they want us to see what the alien creatures are like." The soldier replied to Vasily, then broke free from his grip and continued to run toward the cafeteria door.

Upon hearing this news, Vasily and his friend stuffed the rest of the food into their mouths within three or two gulps and stood up, rushing outside.

In these times where resources aren’t particularly abundant, wasting even a bite of food feels like a crime.

Due to the low external temperature, there was a corridor separating the cafeteria from the outside, built with transparent glass. The temperature was lower than inside the cafeteria, but it allowed an outside view.

Squeezing through the crowd and reaching the glass window, Vasily looked towards the open space at the center of the camp. Several transport vehicles were unloading cargo. Each was a cage-like container, faintly revealing the huge creatures inside.

"Those are alien creatures? They look really big!" Vasily’s friend also squeezed in, looking at those containers.

"Indeed, they are, but more surprising are the Flame Country’s equipment compared to the alien creatures." Vasily was more observant than his friend. He noticed that the containers, which seemed able to hold an elephant, were being carried down by four people from the truck.

Before becoming a soldier, Vasily had worked as a warehouse mover during his student days for pocket money. He knew that such large boxes were things only forklifts or cranes could move in the past.

Relying on manpower to transport something so big, even if it’s empty and made of very light wood, it’s not something four people can lift.

Clearly, these four people were equipped with quite advanced assistive equipment.

Thinking of the passive assistive exoskeleton issued by the troops before coming to Flame Country, Vasily easily guessed that the four movers were equipped with the powered exoskeleton that the Flame Country had demonstrated in Lucia.

Besides this, several tall figures around the transport vehicle were undoubtedly part of the Flame Country’s military equipment.

"Hey, Chekov, do you remember when the Flame Country came to rescue the capital, they dispatched those two big robots?" Vasily asked his friend.

Chekov nodded affirmatively at Vasily’s question. "Of course I remember, I still remember those big guys were fierce. I saw them crash through barricades, push away obstacles, and even withstand small caliber artillery attacks with a shield. Why are you suddenly asking about that?"

"The Flame Country is using those big guys to escort these alien creatures. Why do you think that is?" Vasily looked at the tall figures surrounding the transport vehicle, frowning.

"They’re either showing off their strength, letting us understand that the Flame Country now possesses strong military power, making Lucia not a match, or the alien creatures are so dangerous that they need to ensure no accident happens while showing us the living samples." A nearby officer heard their conversation and interjected.

"So, Major, which do you lean towards?" Vasily looked at the speaking officer, recognizing his rank.

"I’m afraid, as you think, it’s the latter." The Major shook his head, evidently sharing the same thoughts as Vasily: "The Flame Country hasn’t sought our help; it was Lucia who voluntarily offered aid. The official explanation is to repay the Flame Country’s previous help to Lucia, meaning the Flame Country doesn’t need our assistance.

But after we arrived, they didn’t just ignore us or put us somewhere out of the way, killing some alien creatures to make it look good. Instead, they’ve specifically arranged experts to assess our equipment level, now deciding to upgrade our equipment and even brought live alien creatures here to make us understand our enemy better. What do you think their goal is?"

"Worried that we’re too weak and complacent, that we would be cannon fodder and directly eliminated on the battlefield, potentially jeopardizing the entire operation and even causing the front line to collapse." Even though Vasily wasn’t very high-ranked, he had read some military literature; understanding this wasn’t too difficult.

"That’s correct, that’s exactly it." The Major nodded. As an officer, he naturally understood more than a common soldier. If Vasily could see it clearly, how could he not?

Upon hearing the Major say this, both Vasily and Chekov’s expressions turned somewhat grim. Vasily was concerned about their troop, while Chekov felt somewhat unconvinced, wanting to prove that the alien creatures weren’t that hard to deal with.