Chapter 35: Luo Feng Goes Missing

After five consecutive days of fierce combat, the mecha squad finally departed City 003 and returned to the base city. Now, among the three transport vehicles, there were eleven corpses of lord-level beasts and more than a hundred remains of beast general-level monsters. Of course, apart from the intact bodies of the lord-level beasts, the rest of the beast general-level monsters had only their core materials—those that were well-preserved and valuable—removed and taken. Otherwise, even with the astonishing load capacity of the heavy transport trucks, it would have been impossible to carry so many remains. The limitation was not the weight, but the lack of space.

After half a day more on the road, the mecha squad returned safely to the forward base, where military transport vehicles took them to the “Jiang Industries” factory for maintenance. Only then did this “live broadcast” officially conclude.

The audience for the mecha squad’s battle broadcast was not limited to Jia Yi and his companions. Representatives from other powers such as the HR Alliance also received Jiang Chen’s invitation and watched the entire process—how the mecha squad fought in City 003 and purged the high-level monsters—through an online broadcast.

The first batch of “Boxer” mechas had already been delivered to various factions and put into field trials. However, the “gunners” equipped only with “Ripper” rifles were clearly outperformed in monster combat compared to this multi-unit coordinated mecha squad; the difference between them was vast.

Once the various factions realized this, their leaders immediately contacted Jiang Chen, hoping to obtain the core technologies of equipment like the “Guardian” and “Fire Bat,” or at the very least, secure future supplies of such gear.

Jiang Chen, of course, refused to share the core technologies. Other than the “Fire Bat,” the remaining advanced equipment couldn’t be mass-produced with the technical capabilities present on Earth. As for the “Fire Bat,” Jiang Chen had already authorized its exclusive use to the Chinese military and would not sell it to anyone else.

As a Chinese himself, Jiang Chen naturally prioritized his own people, so long as his interests were not compromised.

However, he did agree to supply equipment. No matter which faction purchased the mechas, the stronger their combat capabilities, the greater benefit to all humanity. Even if, one day, relations soured, with the “backdoors” Jarvis had left behind, these machines would never become a liability for Jiang Chen; instead, they might even serve as hidden mines within the enemy’s ranks.

Of course, the main purpose behind selling the “Boxer” mechas was still to amass wealth and acquire precious resources—those that money alone could not buy—from the hands of these great powers.

Compared to the mechas themselves, the additional equipment like the “Fire Bat” did not carry as much interest, so negotiations over these were less contentious and a consensus was reached quickly. To demonstrate his goodwill, after the signing of the intent orders, Jiang Chen sent each major faction two experimental “Guardian” units and two “Fire Bat” units to field-test alongside their “Boxer” mechas.

As expected, after these field tests, the various factions valued the “Boxer” mechas even more and promptly increased their orders, resulting in another massive influx of funds for Jiang Chen. Judging by his balance sheet alone, Jiang Chen was likely now the richest individual on Earth.

Yet in a world where extraordinary powers existed, mere money was not everything; true wealth lay in those treasures that could not be bought with currency—the real foundation of each great power.

—

As the new year arrived, Luo Feng, just as in the original story, ventured into Ruin No. 9 and vanished without a trace. Coincidentally, Jiang Chen had nowhere else to go and decided to spend the New Year at Luo Feng’s home, keeping his family company and comforting them during Luo Feng’s absence.

After the festivities, Jiang Chen threw himself back into work. With the first “Boxer” production line operational, a steady stream of mechas flowed into the hands of major forces, deployed to the front lines and quickly becoming the backbone of the monster eradication efforts.

Jiang Chen’s own mecha squad was similarly dispatched, sweeping through monsters under Jarvis’s control and bringing back a constant supply of monster corpses. While the profits from these corpses paled in comparison to those from mecha and weapon sales, they were far from insignificant. Even a heavily damaged beast general-level monster could yield materials worth tens or hundreds of millions; the remains of a lord-level monster, no matter how ruined, would not sell for less than a billion, and those of a high lord-level monster could fetch over ten billion.

Given the efficiency of the mecha squad, a team of twelve could generate monthly revenues in the hundreds of billions, recouping costs in just a few months. This was precisely why every major power was eager to place additional orders.

However, it was predictable that as the number of mecha squads grew, the market price of monster materials would gradually decline until it reached a new equilibrium. Alternatively, as more monsters were hunted, some unforeseen change might occur.

Jiang Chen, though, was not overly concerned. Upon receiving the deposit for the second order, he began preparations for a second “Boxer” production line to further boost capacity.

At the same time, Jiang Chen was considering establishing a new base outside the current base city. While the “Boxer”-level technology presented no real issues within the base city, the population there was too diverse. If Jiang Chen wanted to introduce even more advanced technologies and build a mightier mechanical army, it would be best to have territory of his own.

Now, with most of the world’s land dominated by monsters and the great powers’ territories contracted to their absolute limits, this presented Jiang Chen with the perfect opportunity to expand his influence.

Nevertheless, founding his own “base” was a long-term endeavor. Even with the system’s assistance, it would take years to accomplish. Funds, resources, personnel, and technology—all required time to accumulate.

With the system’s help, Jiang Chen was already vastly ahead of Earth’s current technology in several key areas. Yet not all fields were his forte. In disciplines such as biotechnology and medicine, even an ordinary professor might surpass him.

Constructing a fully functional, comprehensive base required excellence in every aspect, not just one. According to Jiang Chen’s vision, if he was to realize his ideal model, technology in every field would have to greatly outstrip the current standards of Earth. Just patching these weaknesses would demand countless hours immersed in the system’s library.

Fortunately, as his attributes improved, the effects of his “Heightened Focus” specialty grew stronger, and with the addition of his new “Scholar’s Mind” specialty, Jiang Chen’s efficiency in mastering new knowledge had multiplied several times over. With every level gained, his attributes would climb even higher, so perhaps the time needed to reach the next milestone would not be as lengthy as he once imagined.

But before that, there was still a substantial “payment” Jiang Chen needed to collect from the major powers.