"And then there are the drones."
Su Wu's combat drones.
Currently, they are primarily equipped with three series of models.
There is the disposable self-destruct drone, which functions like a grenade, capable of automatically locking onto and tracking targets.
Then there is the Express Delivery Drone, armed with light electromagnetic weapons, and the Multi-Wing Drone, which can carry multiple rocket-propelled grenades and a heavy electromagnetic sniper rifle.
Logically speaking, Su Wu should have focused on developing the Multi-Wing Drone, which has the strongest overall performance.
However, precisely because of its powerful performance, the cost of manufacturing the Multi-Wing Drone is extremely high.
This has resulted in its total numbers remaining limited.
With the materials needed for large-scale production, Su Wu would rather use them to manufacture Azure Sky-Class Transport Drones, which have a higher payload capacity and can bring him a steady stream of resource income.
"The payload limit for combat drones is fixed."
"The electromagnetic weapons currently in use are already the most versatile and optimal solution available."
"There can be no large-scale modifications."
"However, we can try to add some differentiated weapons."
"For example, modifying the structure of the light electromagnetic rifle on the Express Delivery Drone to reduce its rate of fire and ammunition reserves in exchange for increased destructive power."
"At the same time, it is also very suitable for carrying small-sized, nearly bug-like destructive Annihilation-Class Sniper Rounds."
"As for the Multi-Wing Drone, it can also be equipped with laser weapons."
"With its 50-kilogram payload, it can carry as many solid-state batteries as possible."
"This would allow the laser weapon to have a 30-second activation time, barely enough for practical combat use."
"In addition, by providing it with auxiliary drones and ground-based power storage vehicles for wireless charging."
"The combat time of the laser weapon can be further extended."
"Moreover, with the current progress in anti-gravity and electromagnetic shield research."
"Some conditional technologies can be attempted to be applied to the Multi-Wing Drone."
"Allowing it to partially deflect kinetic attacks directed at it, indirectly increasing its survival rate on the battlefield."
"Additionally, the Multi-Wing Drone with a 50-kilogram payload is expensive to manufacture."
"So perhaps we can reduce its configuration and redesign a cheaper version of the Multi-Wing Drone."
"To fill the gap between the Express Delivery Drone and the Multi-Wing Drone."
"Enhancing the overall firepower strength of the combat drone swarm."
The more Su Wu thought about it, the more he realized the various possibilities for modifying combat drones.
All sorts of innovative ideas burst forth in his mind.
Seizing this state of mind, he unhesitatingly burned his Spirituality and delved into deep design.
February 27th.
Qinling Mountain area.
The battle that had lasted nearly a day was gradually coming to an end.
The continuously evolving Amethyst Crystal Entities, which had gained several modern light weapon-like abilities, ultimately failed to break through the blockade of the 3rd defense line.
They silently retreated to the original 2nd defense line area to regroup.
And Su Wu still had no intention of reclaiming the 2nd defense line.
The areas that had fallen had no significant resources.
Even if the Amethyst Crystal Entities occupied them, it wouldn't bring them much benefit.
On the contrary, allowing them to appear in large numbers outside the Magma Canyon.
From a terrain perspective, it would actually be more advantageous for Su Wu's heavy weapons.
Making it easier for him to efficiently harvest them.
"For the time being."
"The heavy artillery cluster, combined with the Thunder-Class Photoelectric Cannon, plus a Pioneer-class Land Destroyer stationed in the past."
"Is enough to keep the 3rd defense line as stable as Mount Tai."
"Then, by gaining two to three more days."
"With the production capacity of the Super Factory, it will be sufficient to complete the modifications to the existing frontline Spider Robots and combat drone swarms."
"Allowing their combat power to be significantly enhanced."
Su Wu was in the underground control center of the farmhouse.
Inspecting the battlefield configuration at Qinling Mountain.
Although it's called the 3rd defense line.
In reality, it is more like a comprehensive defense war zone.
Judging from the deployed formations.
It spans all areas of Qinling Mountain, from the mountainside to the base.
The area is extremely vast.
And it gathers the majority of the armed forces Su Wu has deployed there.
Breaking through its blockade is more than ten times more difficult than the 1st and 2nd defense lines.
While the Super Factory was updating the robot army.
Su Wu did not forget to continue paving the way for future upgrades.
He assigned the extremely lucky Wei Manman a task to research light composite materials that could be used for drones.
Once the new material is successfully developed.
Su Wu will be able to have more robust and higher payload capacity second-generation drones.
Taking combat power up another notch.
At that moment.
An abnormal situation popped up on the holographic map.
15 kilometers west of the base of Qinling Mountain, near the direction of Jianghe City.
A Pioneer-class Land Destroyer that was on routine patrol there.
Detected traces of Amethyst Crystal Entity activity five kilometers underground.
Su Wu shifted his gaze there.
After briefly reviewing the data scanned by the destroyer.
He immediately realized that this was not a normal natural surge of Amethyst Crystal Entities.
But rather their attempt to actively open a passage, breaking through Su Wu's blockade from elsewhere.
The difference between passive and active actions.
Is that the latter will undoubtedly far exceed the former in numbers, with a continuous stream to follow.
However, their luck was not great.
The weak crustal point they chose to break through happened to be on Su Wu's routine patrol and monitoring route.
They were discovered before they could emerge.
But this was still extremely bad news for Su Wu.
It meant that in the future, the places where he would need to establish defenses would no longer be limited to the Magma Canyon.
Opening the armament database.
Su Wu browsed through the military equipment records.
Currently, at the farmhouse.
There was still the main force of the Spider Robot Army temporarily assigned to the engineering team as construction tools.
Out of the 11 Pioneer-class Land Destroyers, one was stationed in the Qinling Mountain area, two were patrolling around Jianghe City, and one was dispatched on a mission around Steel City.
Leaving a full seven at the farmhouse on standby.
This was the most powerful force Su Wu could deploy.
As for the more numerous Icebound-class Land Battleships and snow transport vehicles.
Because the former was the core of the merchant train.
Currently, there were none at the farmhouse. They were all traversing areas outside Jianghe City.
The latter, while waiting for the new Icebound-class Land Battleships to be matched, still had an inventory of about six to seven hundred.
This number was roughly one to two days of production for the Super Factory.
"The main force of the Spider Robot Army in the engineering team are all older models that have not yet been modified."
"They are not suitable for going to the front line."
"This time, let's send three Pioneer-class Land Destroyers, along with 300 snow transport vehicles, and some modified Heavy Main Battle Spider Robots and laser robots."
"Hopefully, we won't need to use them."
As Su Wu assembled an expeditionary force on the control panel.
The ground floor of the farmhouse became busy.
Three Pioneer-class Land Destroyers, along with a larger number of snow transport vehicles.
Drove into the preparation hall one after another.
Inside the hall, a large number of service robots, mechanical arms, and engineering vehicles were responsible for inspecting, replenishing ammunition, and temporarily installing special weapons for them.
During the entire 25-minute modification and resupply process.
A total of 1,000 Heavy Main Battle Spider Robots and 200 ordinary Spider Robots equipped with laser weapons arrived one after another.
They boarded the Land Destroyers and snow transport vehicles respectively.
They would serve as auxiliary combat forces for this expeditionary team.
In addition.
Some construction robots, fixed automatic weapons, and building materials were also loaded into the snow transport vehicles.
For the place that was about to become a long-term battlefield.
Although it was not suitable to set up high-cost, high-specification military watchtowers with Thunder-Class Photoelectric Cannons.
Building some semi-permanent ordinary gun turrets and electromagnetic machine gun platforms.
Was still a cost-effective thing to do.
Very easy to recoup the investment.
With everything ready.
On the ground floor, the east exterior wall.
A huge and thick metal door slowly slid open from both sides.
Outside, the biting cold wind collided with the warm air inside the shelter.
Instantly creating visible white mist.
A few seconds later.
The expeditionary force, led by three massive Pioneer-class Land Destroyers.
Slowly drove out from the door.
Su Wu stood in the underground control center.
Watching through the exterior wall's surveillance.
As the expeditionary team gradually disappeared into the distant icy horizon.
He felt a heavy pressure and unease about the future.
Once they left.
If the situation could not be controlled.
The future of the entire Eastern Continent might undergo a tremendous change.
The humans hiding in the shelters beneath this continent.
Would no longer face only the harsh extreme cold environment. But also the direct threat of another race, another civilization.
Nine hours after detecting the new Amethyst Crystal Entity outbreak point.
The first batch of tens of thousands of mutated Amethyst Crystal Entities responsible for excavation.
Finally struggled across the 4.9-kilometer distance.
Appearing at a position less than 100 meters deep from the surface.
Entering the optimal kill zone of the chain underground explosives Su Wu had pre-arranged.
At this time.
Far away on Qinling Mountain.
The long-rested evolved Amethyst Crystal Entities once again launched a large-scale assault.
The dense roar of heavy artillery turned into faint horns.
Accompanied by the howling cold wind.
Faintly reaching here.
"Confirmed enemy targets have entered the preset area."
"Commencing detonation."
The Artificial Intelligence was not affected by the war on Qinling Mountain.
Still following the established program to the second.
It detonated the explosives on the Amethyst Crystal Entities' forward path underground.
With a series of muffled explosions and the rising dust and shattered ice tens of meters high.
Underground.
A great change began.
The rock layers, already riddled with holes from the Amethyst Crystal Entities' excavation.
Instantly twisted or shattered.
With nearly unparalleled natural force, tearing apart the Amethyst Crystal Entities within into debris.
Half a minute later.
The underground tremors gradually subsided.
In the scans of the Pioneer-class Land Destroyer's Crystal Detector.
Within one kilometer of the surface in the shallow underground.
Tens of thousands of Amethyst Crystal Entities were reduced to less than one-tenth.
Only less than two thousand survivors remained.
At the same time.
The engineering team on the ground.
Began to seize the time to enter.
Continuing to drill and bore holes on this land that had already been blasted once.
Deploying the second batch of explosives.
"It seems everything is going smoothly."
"Probably won't need the expeditionary team to really take action."
Su Wu, who was watching this battlefield from afar.
Felt slightly more relaxed.
From this initial practical combat.
At the very least, it could be proven that the self-destruct Amethyst Crystal Entities that had appeared on Qinling Mountain.
Were extremely limited in number and could not be used for excavating underground passages.
Su Wu could still kill most of them underground at a very small cost.
Evening.
When the Artificial Intelligence detonated the buried explosives deep underground for the third time.
And commanded the ground expeditionary army to kill the sporadic thousands of Amethyst Crystal Entities that had emerged.
No Amethyst Crystal Entities acted rashly anymore.
They quietly settled in the underground depths more than one kilometer from the surface.
Then slowly expanded the surrounding space.
Trying to bring more of their kind over.
And also attempting to dig channels horizontally in different directions.
Away from the upper areas already blocked by explosives.
This method was clearly clumsy.
They could dig channels, and Su Wu naturally could too.
No matter where they moved, they would easily suffer devastating blows in the end.
But as long as they persisted.
As they gradually probed the limits of Su Wu's Crystal Detector's detection range, or discovered new weak points in the crust.
There would eventually be a day when they successfully emerged.
The only difference was the timing.
"In a sense."
"This should be considered an overwhelming advantage in numbers for the Amethyst Crystal Entities."
"The mechanical army of the farmhouse."
"The range they can defend. Ultimately has a limit."
Seeing the Amethyst Crystal Entities' intentions.
Su Wu had no way to change this.
He silently sighed.
No longer paying attention to the temporarily safe second Amethyst Crystal Entity outbreak point.
Instead, he opened the internet.
His gaze swept over the countless underground shelter photos uploaded by humans.
Flipping through their shared various shelter life logs.
Some of these humans.
Perhaps lived quite a hard and difficult life.
But overall, the shelters they were in.
Many could still be called prosperous.
Quite a few wealthy and powerful individuals could immerse themselves in a world of song and dance.
But this prosperity and peace.
Would eventually be shattered by the Amethyst Crystal Entities.
And the moment was not far away.
"Continue to seize the time to expand the army."
"The external resource plundering must also be faster."
"Can't care about the official stance anymore."
"Also, take advantage of the current situation to transfer as much population as possible."
"In the future, there may not be such a safe transportation environment."
"At that time, perhaps many, many more people will die."
As his thoughts turned.
Su Wu set the development route for the next period of time.
And focused the main goal on expanding the merchant train that could transport population and materials, sixth-generation fighter jets, and Azure Sky-Class Transport Drones.
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