Chapter 20: Li Dawei’s Arrival

At the entrance to the factory, a helicopter descended slowly.

Li Dawei disembarked with several attendants, and Jiang Chen, accompanied by Lu Gang, immediately went forward to greet them.

"Welcome, Elder Li." Jiang Chen glanced at Li Dawei’s attendants. They didn’t seem like soldiers to him—in fact, they resembled a group of scholars far more.

"Why don’t you hang a sign here?" Li Dawei pointed to the empty gate, not in a hurry to mention his purpose, but instead chatting casually with Jiang Chen.

He was deliberately creating the impression that he was not urgent about the item Jiang Chen possessed, hoping to negotiate for more favorable terms later.

Jiang Chen, though not especially skilled at such maneuvers, had seen enough to recognize the tactic. He responded in kind, "It’s just my own workshop, not a company. What need is there for a sign?"

"It’s still better to establish a company," Li Dawei said, hinting at something.

The previous cooperation involving the 'Ripper' had been handled through a contract signed under the name of a company on Jiang Chen’s side. However, this sort of personal workshop-style company, according to the law, had scale limits—a clear ceiling. If one truly wished to expand, it was much more suitable to form a proper company.

"I’ll think about it," Jiang Chen said, steering the conversation away and turning to the topic of the 'Ripper.' "We were perhaps overly optimistic about the 'Ripper' before. Now it seems best to pair it with traditional martial artists in teams, letting them restrain monsters to create openings for the gunners. That way, the 'Ripper' can be used to its fullest potential."

After the previous battle, Jiang Chen and Jarvis had discussed and simulated various combat scenarios repeatedly. They found that, at the level of Battle Generals or Battle Gods, having high-level martial artists restrain monsters and create opportunities for machine gunners greatly improved hunting efficiency compared to a lineup of gunners alone.

It also allowed for a higher margin of error.

Even when paired with the 'Boxer' to hunt lord-level monsters, the efficiency was worlds apart depending on whether Battle God-level martial artists were involved.

Of course, that was just simulation—the real effectiveness could only be determined through actual combat.

Conveniently, the military had the strength to carry out such tests.

Jiang Chen intended to persuade Li Dawei to conduct these tests, so he could better plan his own future armed forces.

Li Dawei was intrigued by Jiang Chen’s suggestion and immediately decided, "About your proposal… I’ll go back and assemble two squads, one led by Battle God martial artists, the other composed solely of gunners. We’ll conduct tests and see how they perform in actual combat."

After a few more exchanges, Li Dawei finally couldn’t contain himself and tentatively asked, "Mr. Jiang, that robot you sent to the wilderness before…"

"It’s a powered mech, which can be piloted by humans or remotely controlled. Previously, I used remote control. But when facing monsters with special abilities, if communications break down or the devices are damaged, the mech becomes inoperable." Jiang Chen didn’t tell the whole truth, concealing Jarvis’s existence and glossing over it as 'remote control.'

"I see…" Li Dawei didn’t seem suspicious. He nodded seriously and looked at Jiang Chen. "May I take a closer look at this… powered mech?"

"Of course, please follow me." Jiang Chen had no intention of hiding it from the military, and promptly led Li Dawei and his group into the workshop where the 'Boxer' was assembled.

"I call it the 'Boxer.' It sustained minor damage in the recent battle and is being repaired. I also discovered some other issues during combat and am considering improvements."

Jiang Chen pointed to the motionless mech in the workshop. "Without extra load, the 'Boxer' reaches a maximum speed of 750 meters per second and a peak force of 400 tons. Its defenses can withstand most attacks from high-level lord monsters. But in remote control mode, it’s highly vulnerable to electrical or electromagnetic attacks. As for weaponry, specialized melee weapons can be crafted, but it’s best to use the 'Ripper.' I’ve optimized its targeting module in the internal programming."

There was nothing to hide about these specifications—they’d all been exposed in the previous battle.

Though he hadn’t found any evidence, Jiang Chen was certain the military had monitored the 'Boxer’s' actions in City 003 from start to finish.

Sure enough, when Jiang Chen listed these stats, neither Li Dawei nor his scholarly attendants showed any surprise; clearly, they already knew.

"Are there any special requirements for pilots? What about manufacturing costs?" Li Dawei asked, concerned.

From the 'Boxer’s' performance, it easily matched high-level Battle Gods, if not planetary-class.

Even if it required a novice Battle God as pilot, it would elevate that individual’s power by two levels.

If a Battle General could pilot it, its value would be even greater.

But cost was an unavoidable factor.

With Earth’s current technology, powerful weapons were not lacking—at least at the Battle God level.

However, those weapons were either prohibitively expensive or had fatal flaws that hindered mass deployment.

What humanity needed most now was a powerful weapon or equipment with reasonable cost and minimal flaws, suitable for widespread use.

"The cost is rather high," Jiang Chen replied, shaking his head. "This prototype, excluding development expenses, already costs over twenty billion just in materials and processing. The biggest issue is, to guarantee defense, the armor shell and many critical components must use 'A3-3221 alloy.' Each mech consumes about 1.5 tons of it. Besides that, it also needs 'Dragon Might IV chips.' From what I know, both are produced in very small quantities and can’t be ramped up quickly."

"'A3-3221 alloy,' 'Dragon Might IV chips'…" Li Dawei turned to one of his men.

A balding middle-aged man immediately answered, "Annual output of 'A3-3221 alloy' is less than a million tons, with over 95% earmarked for fixed uses—mainly building defensive fortifications and reinforcing city walls. Only about fifty thousand tons per year reach the market, and our Jiangnan Base City’s share is just over one thousand tons, all allocated by the HR Alliance."

"As for 'Dragon Might IV chips,' they are also core products of the HR Alliance. If we spare no expense, Jiangnan Base City can obtain at most ten thousand annually."

The bald man spoke without consulting any documents, clearly knowing these figures by heart.

Jiang Chen surmised he must be a logistics or supply official.