Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Shattering Perceptions
"Sister..." A loud explosion shattered Xiaosi’s understanding, and he shouted in disbelief.
Although it was far away, the deep pit blasted open was still very obvious. Even if his sister would beat him, Xiaosi couldn’t help but run towards her.
"Sister, what is that? It’s incredible..." Xiaosi shouted excitedly, pointing at the distant pit, then widened his eyes even more at the things laid out on the ground.
"Who told you to come over here?" In just a moment of distraction, Xiaosi disobediently ran over, and Hua Jin immediately grabbed him.
"Ouch, it hurts, it hurts..." Xiaosi whimpered pitifully, "Sister, don’t worry. I definitely won’t touch anything. Just let me stand here..."
Even while grimacing in pain, he didn’t forget to appease his sister.
"Really?" Hua Jin felt a bit skeptical.
"Of course," Xiaosi nodded vigorously, but unfortunately, his ear was in his sister’s grasp, making the nodding even more painful.
Hua Jin let go of him, realizing there was no way to drive him away. She had to let him stand there, but she would still keep an eye on him.
"Don’t touch anything, understand? It could be fatal," Hua Jin warned once more, still uneasy.
"I know, I know," Xiaosi shrunk back, the recent explosion still vivid in his memory. He’s not a fool; he’d just look and not touch.
Seeing that her brother was taking it seriously, Hua Jin felt more at ease and allowed him to stand still as she went to check the explosion site.
The explosion’s power far surpassed that of a string of firecrackers or bamboo bombs tied together. It not only blasted a large crater in the ground, but the fragments from the explosion were also embedded into the nearby tree trunks, some even deeply. This was the most deadly aspect; imagine these fragments shooting into the enemy’s bodies. How much fighting capability would remain? Some might already be dead.
It was successful, the most successful one yet. Hua Jin was ecstatic. She had always thought she was quite capable since anything she set her mind on so far hadn’t failed her, whether in the modern era or this period.
Indeed, she was a genius. Hua Jin felt a bit smug, forgetting how she nearly turned everything upside down while researching in her space.
Holding the fragments in her hand, Hua Jin’s eyes sparkled as she returned to Xiaosi.
"Cover your ears," she said and proceeded to throw out a dozen more to test the stability of the item properly.
"Boom... boom... boom..."
The ground trembled, and birds flew away in flocks, escaping from this terrifying place.
Meanwhile, the men working in Hua Village were shocked into stopping their work due to the repeated noises, looking towards the northwest direction.
Xiaosi, with hands over his ears and mouth agape, watched the scene in shock. One was already that powerful; after a dozen more, the distant area was completely blasted to bits. Dirt and stone fragments were splattered everywhere, and most absurdly, a tree closest to the blast was broken right in half.
A tree that had withstood various disasters had fallen to tiny projectiles.
Xiaosi stood stunned on the spot, motionless like a wooden figure.
Hua Jin didn’t have the time to focus on her brother’s condition; her attention was entirely on the explosion site.
After waiting about a quarter of an hour for the explosions to end, Hua Jin made her way to the chaotic area.
A giant tree that needed two people to wrap their arms around was broken in half, the thick trunk lying across the crater.
If such a giant tree could be blown apart, what would it do to a human body, Hua Jin’s eyes shone even brighter.
She then found two unexploded projectiles in the debris, not sure if the impact wasn’t enough or if there was another issue. Hua Jin cautiously picked them up and then forcefully threw them back.
If they didn’t explode this time, it meant they were duds.
No further action occurred; indeed, they were two duds, with no reaction at all.
"Sister...this..." Xiaosi was at a loss for words.
"You see? This is dangerous material, don’t touch it," Hua Jin took the opportunity to say.
Xiaosi quickly nodded, especially after his gaze turned from the broken tree to his own skinny arms and legs, nodding even more adamantly.
Not touching, definitely not touching. The tree was so tough and was blown apart this badly; his small arms and legs were better left alone.
"Sister, be careful," Xiaosi said with concern, watching his sister gather the remaining items into the basket.
Giving her foolish brother a glance and seeing him thoroughly frightened, Sister Hua was satisfied. Her movements became more gentle. Besides the iron balls, everything else required a spark to ignite, so she wasn’t exaggerating. Even if the iron balls were triggered, it needed a shock, which wasn’t likely under these conditions.
But being cautious was always a good idea.
The results of the experiment were overall quite satisfactory. Though only a couple were decent enough, if mass-produced, they could effectively deal substantial damage to the northern invaders.
Hua Jin’s anxious heart finally calmed down. The next step was to slightly increase the dosage to enhance the power, and then hand the items over to her grandpa and father. If she had time, she would also take a trip to the city to secretly share the gunpowder and formula with the defending soldiers. Only then might the problem be solved at its root.
With the problem solved, Hua Jin was in high spirits at home. In her excitement, she went directly to the kitchen to prepare a meal for her family who had worked hard all day.
Xiaosi was also sworn to silence by Hua Jin. Overall, unless she voluntarily spoke of it, Xiaosi wasn’t allowed to tell anyone, or he’d be excluded in future endeavors.
This threat was quite effective, scaring Xiaosi into immediately covering his mouth and nodding.
The family was quite pleased. It had been quite a while since Hua Laohan and Hua Chengtian had seen Hua Jin. Seeing their child not only come out of seclusion but also cooking delicious food, they were all grinning from ear to ear. After a long day, they felt instantly rejuvenated.
After dinner, the family chatted happily for a while. Although everyone was curious about what Hua Jin was doing, no one took the initiative; they waited for her to speak up. After all, they believed that when it was time to tell, she would naturally speak.
This was their trust in the family.
Life went on busily. Besides the women, the men, young and old, were reinforcing and building the walls. Two days after coming out of seclusion, Hua Jin secluded herself again, but this time with a little helper, Xiaosi. The location also changed, now set in the forest behind the village, using a mobile wooden house built by their father from her space as their new site.
Initially, Hua Jin was a bit worried since her brother gave an impression of being carefree. However, she was surprised to find that once he got serious, he worked methodically, every step taken with utmost care.
It reminded her of Xiaosi practicing martial arts. Once he got serious, the child’s potential was immense, and she felt secure entrusting some crucial tasks to him, including the gunpowder’s formulation and proportioning. Of course, open flames in the room weren’t allowed at all.