Chapter 36: Setting Out!

At this moment, the massive expeditionary force had completed its assembly.

On a plain near the main base, a total of 40,000 clones began their advance, riding in over 3,000 diverse vehicles. For a time, the very earth seemed to tremble. Among these 3,000-plus vehicles, 300 were specialized, fully enclosed double-decker transport trucks designed for personnel. These trucks measured 20 meters in length, 3 meters in width, and 4 meters in height, with the interior divided into two levels, each with a clearance of two meters. With an interior floor area of 60 square meters, each level could accommodate 50 clones, totaling 100 per vehicle. Such cramped quarters would be unbearable for ordinary humans, but for clones, it mattered not. During transport, Li Qingsong did not need to link their consciousnesses; they simply had to sit obediently.

These 300 troop carriers transported 30,000 clones, while the remaining 10,000 were distributed across other vehicles. This included 500 tanks with three crew members each (1,500 total), 500 armored vehicles with four crew members each (2,000 total), and 200 artillery vehicles with three crew members each (600 total). There were also 1,000 heavy-duty trucks, each capable of hauling 100 tons of supplies, including machine gun ammunition, artillery shells, fuel, emergency medicine, pure oxygen, methane, meat, grains, vegetables, and more—a total of 100,000 tons of supplies. Beyond these were specialized vehicles such as ambulances, mobile kitchens, maintenance units, and scout vehicles. In total, over 3,000 vehicles and 40,000 clones set out on their expedition.

Following a pre-surveyed route, the main force advanced at an average speed of about 30 kilometers per hour. A smaller vanguard detachment moved faster, reaching 60 kilometers per hour, to position themselves ahead of the main column. After driving for just two hours, this detachment halted. Thousands of logistics support clones in spacesuits jumped from their vehicles, retrieved numerous crates from the supply trucks, unpacked them, and immediately began setting up camp on the desolate and silent surface of Luoshen Star.

Before long, a massive, fully enclosed metal tent was erected. With an interior area of 500 square meters, it could accommodate 500 people for a meal simultaneously. The clones managed to set up 100 such tents in less than an hour. While the tents were being built, other operations commenced. Logistics clones operated massive mobile kitchens, taking out crates of ingredients to process on-site. Using large pots, stoves, and steamers, they quickly prepared the food and partitioned it into individual rations. All 40,000 meals were completed in less than two hours.

At this precise moment, the slowly advancing main force arrived at the camp, neither early nor late. Parking in the designated areas, the clones stood up in an orderly fashion and proceeded through the built-in corridors, stepping out of their vehicles without the need for spacesuits and entering the "dining hall." Each clone took a ration and ate while walking; by the time they reached the edge of the tent, they had finished their meal and arrived at the entrance of the restrooms. They entered, spent three minutes, exited, and followed another corridor back to their troop carriers to sit down quietly. Dining and resting were executed rapidly through this assembly-line process.

Other clones who had finished eating earlier performed safety checks on the vehicles to see if any faults had occurred during the journey. Others dragged long hoses to fill the vehicles' massive fuel tanks with methane and liquid oxygen. With a force of 40,000, multiple tasks were performed simultaneously, all methodical and without a hint of chaos. On Earth, leading a force of 40,000 would require a general and a massive team of staff officers just to manage half of this efficiency. There were too many complex variables: when to camp, when to rest, how to provide water, sanitation, dealing with stragglers, repairs, or unruly behavior. A single detail gone wrong could disrupt the entire force. Ordinary people could not coordinate such a thing, but for Li Qingsong, commanding this massive force of 40,000 people and 3,000 vehicles was effortless and easy.

Totaling one and a half hours for the rest stop, all clones returned to their positions, and the convoy roared forward once more. The logistics support clones remained behind, quickly dismantling and packing all materials back onto the trucks. Aside from messy tire tracks and footprints, they left no trace of humanity behind—not even the clones' excrement, which was far too valuable as a component for hydroponic nutrient solutions to be wasted.

One hour after the main force departed, the logistics team completed their preparations and set out, eventually passing the main force and arriving at the next camp site two hours early, where the entire process repeated. Except for the four-hour rest intervals, the entire force moved through the night. Despite a speed of only 30 kilometers per hour, they covered 600 kilometers in a single day. Due to detours, the total route expanded from 1,000 kilometers to 1,300. At this rate, the expeditionary force would reach the battlefield in less than 30 hours.

Time ticked away. Frontline reconnaissance clones reported that the expeditionary force's movements had not affected the strange birds in the slightest. The small plain remained a chaotic, noisy expanse filled with swarms of creatures, their activity audible from over a hundred kilometers away. By comparison, the movements of Li Qingsong’s convoy were relatively inconspicuous. As the expeditionary force neared, the convoy began to disperse, positioning itself around the perimeter of the plain. Numerous artillery vehicles were towed into place, their barrels adjusted for bombardment. Tanks and armored vehicles planned their routes for an assault on the bird swarm. Most importantly, machine gun emplacements were established. Many high-rate-of-fire machine guns were aimed not only at the birds on the plain but also toward the sky. Lacking dedicated anti-aircraft assets, Li Qingsong had to make do with machine guns for the time being.