Chapter 456: Survival and Crafting Bullets for the Enemy

Chapter 456: Chapter 456: Survival and Crafting Bullets for the Enemy

The group immediately sprang into action.

Discarded tables, chairs, books, paper, and even the packaging from non-essential lab supplies were quickly gathered.

Chet Lucius and Seraphina Sullivan both "happened" to "find" lighters and accelerant in their backpacks.

Soon, a small but sufficiently warm fire was burning in an open space in the center of the lab.

The orange-red flames leaped, dispelling some of the chill.

It also cast dancing light and shadows across the group’s pale, exhausted faces.

As they drew closer to the fire, feeling its long-awaited warmth, some color finally returned to Dr. Ford and Sharon Lynn’s faces.

But their bodies were still shaking uncontrollably.

Dr. Ford clutched the canister of the agent tightly, as if it were his only source of support and motivation.

"This isn’t a long-term solution," Chet Lucius said, his brow furrowed as he watched the dancing flames.

"Our fuel is limited, and we have no idea how long that monster outside will stick around. We’re trapped in here."

"We must find a way to leave."

Seraphina Sullivan added, her gaze sharp, "Doing nothing is a death sentence."

Flora Sullivan walked to the window, carefully lifted a corner of the curtain, and peered outside.

She saw the giant white moth still circling slowly in the distant sky. Everywhere it passed, a layer of ice and snow formed, like a mythical domain of frost.

She let the curtain fall and turned around. "It’s no good. That big white moth doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving."

The area it’s circling is blocking our general path to the Shelter.

If we want to get around it... we’d have to fly or dig a tunnel.

We can’t get out unless we take care of it."

Sharon Lynn, nestled in Seraphina Sullivan’s arms, asked weakly, her voice choked with sobs, "Seraphina... I’m so cold... Are we... are we going to freeze to death in here?"

Seraphina gently patted her on the back, keeping her voice as steady and firm as she could. "Of course not."

Dr. Ford has already developed an agent to deal with monsters, right?

We just need to figure out how to turn this ’hope’ into a real ’weapon’ we can fire. Then we can take care of that big thing outside and leave safely."

Hearing this, Dr. Ford gave a bitter smile and sighed. "Seraphina is right. We have the theory and the formula for the agent, but... we lack the ability and the resources to turn that theory into a practical weapon."

We don’t have precision instruments or a production line, no suitable carrier or delivery system... Just having the agent is useless if we can’t get it on the monster."

Just as everyone fell into a brief, anxious silence, Chet Lucius, who had been staring thoughtfully into the fire, suddenly moved.

His face blank, he picked up a thick, irrelevant textbook from nearby and, without a second glance, casually tossed it into the fire.

The flames flared higher with a WHOOSH, making the light and shadows on his face flicker erratically.

"No," he said slowly. His voice wasn’t loud, but it held a peculiar certainty. "I can make it."

Everyone froze, and all eyes snapped to Chet Lucius.

Dr. Ford was especially stunned. "You? Lucius, you’re saying you can make a weapon? With what? How?"

Chet Lucius’s gaze swept over everyone before finally landing on Seraphina Sullivan, his eyes carrying a nearly imperceptible hint that said, ’I need you to play along.’

Seraphina Sullivan: "..."

’She understood immediately.’

’This guy. He’s about to put on another performance.’

’Clearly, Chet Lucius has some kind of Player Ability or item that lets him directly craft or manufacture equipment. To avoid exposing his status as a Player, he needs a plausible ’explanation’ to cover for it.’

’She had no choice. For the sake of the mission—and more importantly, to survive—she, his ’temporary teammate,’ had to play along.’

Seraphina Sullivan took a deep breath. Her expression rapidly shifted from surprise to dawning realization, then to delight. She nodded emphatically, her eyes signaling, ’I get it. You go on with your act. I’ll play along.’

Having gotten Seraphina’s unspoken confirmation, Chet Lucius relaxed slightly and began to lay out his carefully crafted persona.

"Before... I was actually a moderately well-known streamer. A military hardware and DIY enthusiast."

His tone was calm, as if he were stating some irrelevant fact. "Before the apocalypse, I liked to tinker with things. I’ve scratch-built all sorts of gadgets, from compound bows to simple coilguns. I even tried my hand at making some special types of ammunition."

I’d say I have a decent understanding of mechanical structures, materials processing, and basic chemistry."

He gestured toward the advanced equipment in the lab, and at the tools and materials scattered about.

"The setup here, while no match for a proper military arsenal, is far better than I could have imagined."

"We have Dr. Ford’s refined ’Barrier Breaker Type I’ agent to serve as the core payload, we have metal materials on hand that can be machined into shell casings, and we have basic chemical reagents to mix propellant and stabilizers... Plus, I’ve had a look at Seraphina’s sniper rifle."

He looked at Seraphina. "That rifle’s design is unusual. It seems highly compatible. If I can craft a matching special-purpose round, then maybe... we could actually try to fire the agent directly onto that white moth!"

Seraphina immediately jumped in, her expression one of ’pleasant surprise’:

"Really?! That would be fantastic! My rifle is definitely compatible with some types of special ammunition!"

If you can really make the rounds, I’ll take the shot!

If we work together, we might actually have a chance!"

Flora Sullivan blinked, looking from Seraphina to Chet Lucius. She seemed to realize it was time to "act," too.

She quickly raised a small hand and chimed in with a slightly over-the-top tone, "Wow! You’re amazing, Lucius!"

And you’re amazing too, Sullivan! I feel... I feel so useless, like I can’t help with anything..."

After speaking, she even put on a deliberate ’I’m so useless’ expression.

Seraphina Sullivan: "..."

Chet Lucius: "..."

Dr. Ford and Sharon Lynn were a bit dumbfounded by Flora Sullivan’s sudden self-pity, and they stared at her blankly.

A single thought flashed through both Seraphina’s and Chet’s minds: ’Isn’t that laying it on a bit thick?!’

’Way too dramatic!’

’Especially in such a tense, life-or-death situation...’

Fortunately, Dr. Ford was completely captivated by the possibility of "making a weapon," while Sharon Lynn was still in a half-frozen daze, so neither of them scrutinized Flora Sullivan’s "performance" too closely.

Chet Lucius cleared his throat, forcing the topic back on track with a serious expression. "There’s no time to lose. The temperature outside is still dropping, and we’re running out of time."

Let’s start right now!

Doctor, please tell me the traits of the ’Barrier Breaker Type I’ in detail one more time—its optimal concentration for effect, and any potential reaction conditions."

Seraphina, let me see the data on your sniper rifle’s design and ammunition specs for reference."

Everyone else, help me gather all the metal tubes, thin metal sheets, chemical reagents, and any small tools you can find that might be useful for fabrication..."

And so, a temporary weapons workshop began to come together amidst a flurry of urgent activity inside the laboratory, a small bastion against the frozen despair.