Chapter 79: The Miniature Battle Armor

As Xie Han’s gaze lingered on the array of equipment, Yang Xingjun was quick to praise him. “You have a keen eye. Of all the gear in the Special Weapons Room, these sets of micro battle armor show the greatest potential.”

“Micro battle armor?” The phrase caught Xie Han's attention, drawing him in. He reached out and lifted one of the sets. The armor was astonishingly heavy—Xie Han estimated it weighed around a hundred pounds. He looked at Yang Xingjun in surprise; clearly, this was not something an ordinary person could wear.

Yang Xingjun hadn’t expected Xie Han to lift the micro armor so effortlessly, with just one hand. It was beyond his expectations; the standard weight for this armor was sixty kilograms, and when fully equipped with tactical weapons, it reached a daunting one hundred and ten kilograms. Imagine an average person wearing a one hundred and ten kilogram suit—not only would marching into battle be impossible, even walking for ten minutes would require exceptional stamina.

Yang Xingjun noted the eager light in Xie Han’s eyes. Clearly, only people like Xie Han could hope to wield such armor. He explained: “Micro battle armor actually evolved from mech suits. Its outer protective layer is made from a nonwoven fabric produced by fifth-generation aromatic polyamide fibers, with bullet resistance twenty-five times that of steel. The inner defensive layer consists of specialized alloy metals, boasting bullet resistance slightly superior to the outer layer—twenty-eight times that of steel. The inner layer primarily absorbs the impact force of bullets. Between the inner and outer layers is an ice crystal layer, intended to resist laser weapon attacks.”

To be called battle armor, its function had to be more than mere bulletproofing. Yang Xingjun pointed at the joints of the suit. “It’s called battle armor because of its mech-like features. Unlike ordinary bulletproof vests, the micro armor covers nearly the whole body except for the joints. The joint connections can detect neural signals and provide automatic braking. The biggest difference from full mechs is that micro battle armor lacks any powered movement; at most, it’s a full-body bulletproof suit.”

Externally, the micro battle armor resembled the fully armed gear used by anti-terror units, but its bullet protection was far superior. In Xie Han’s view, this armor could definitely defend against attacks from R2-class threats; for R3, with their terrifying claws, he wasn’t certain if it would hold. The failure to popularize micro armor was undoubtedly due to its weight—only a select few could use it.

Yang Xingjun seemed to sense Xie Han’s thoughts and remarked regretfully, “Research on this micro armor hasn’t been ongoing for long. These sets are merely prototypes. They arrived at our division just before the XR virus outbreak, intended for research and trials. If we could reduce the weight to under twenty kilograms, we wouldn’t have to worry about the zombie threat at all.”

“You mentioned its tactical weapons?” The more Xie Han examined the armor, the more he liked it. With this, he wouldn’t have to fear zombie attacks; its defensive capabilities were beyond what ordinary zombies could break through. What intrigued him most, though, was its tactical weapon system—what kind of armament would accompany such formidable defense?

Yang Xingjun replied, “Its weapons system includes the Z-type laser rifle, hybrid alloy triple-edged bayonet, Thunder scattergun, visual disruptor, and micro grenade launcher.”

Xie Han was both amazed and alarmed. Fully equipped, this micro battle armor was a mobile arsenal. The laser rifle’s cutting and sweeping power was terrifying enough, and the Thunder scattergun’s close combat ability was formidable. With the addition of the micro grenade launcher—impressive! Wearing this, facing enemies still using conventional weapons, one could easily take on a hundred opponents.

Yet the weaknesses were clear—ammunition supply. The Z-type laser rifle could only fire continuously for about fifteen minutes before its energy ran out. The Thunder scattergun’s shells were as thick as a thumb, and the ammo supply was very limited. Even the micro grenade launcher, despite its size, fired rounds weighing half a pound each. Carrying a few rounds of each type meant a significant additional weight.

Now Xie Han finally understood why such excellent equipment had been left unused in the room. It was simply too heavy. With all the weapons and ammo mounted, plus the armor’s own weight, the total mass exceeded one hundred and ten kilograms. Anyone lacking exceptional physical strength would be crushed.

Even without the weapons, just the armor itself at sixty kilograms was far beyond what ordinary soldiers could bear. Given all these issues, it was no wonder the armor had been discarded as scrap metal; only a rare few in the special forces could hope to use it.

Xie Han tried the armor on. The sixty-kilogram weight didn’t bother him much. He hung all the weapons on himself and paced around the room; it felt only slightly heavier than usual. For his stamina, it was well within his capability.

Now, clad in the full micro battle armor, Xie Han looked like a miniature mech warrior. Yang Xingjun nodded in approval; his judgment of a person’s overall qualities was indeed accurate. Though the armor was heavy, from Xie Han’s performance, it was clear that only someone with his remarkable abilities could wield it with such ease.

Xie Han was thoroughly satisfied with the equipment. With this set, his strength would multiply. Unless he faced a highly agile R3, he had little to fear from R2-class zombies. “When do we set out?” With the armor, Xie Han was eager for action.

Yang Xingjun answered, “We leave tomorrow morning. You’ll be accompanied by fifteen elite warriors from the base. But before that, we need to go somewhere.”

Confused, Xie Han asked, “Where?”

Yang Xingjun replied mysteriously, “You know, most of you have always complained that the base does nothing, but behind the scenes, countless people are working tirelessly—you just don’t see it. This time, we’re going to the base’s oldest department: the XR Virus Research Center…”