Chapter 145: “I Want This Big Guy!”
“I don’t want to hear so much reasoning. I just want to know when this big thing you’re talking about will be ready!” Si Rou growled impatiently.
The elder grabbed Si Rou’s hand. “If you want to see those big things, come with me. I’ll show you.”
Si Rou followed the elder to a ‘factory.’
This place was open-air, with many wrench-wielding goblins working here, kicking the grots’ assistants, laughing loudly, and sometimes breaking into fights, even occasionally killing each other on the spot.
But none of this affected their work efficiency or disrupted the bustling scene.
And here, Si Rou saw many good things.
There were Greenskin trucks being assembled, things that looked like they were made from a pile of junk haphazardly thrown together, barely taking the shape of a vehicle. Machine guns were twisted and haphazardly mounted on these trucks, which could carry the goblins to the front lines and serve as armed vehicles for fierce shooting.
He also saw cannons made from iron barrels, with three or five barrels simply bundled together with iron wire and mounted on wheels to complete the setup.
Besides these, he also spotted several three-meter-tall ‘walking’ tin cans with ‘arms and legs,’ painted with a crude orcish face in white.
He turned around and found the elder looking at him.
“These are gifts for the clan’s strongest chief! Once they’re done, wearing this will mean cha-ching, chainsaws chopping, boom-boom cannons firing, and da-da-da machine guns blazing! You’ll kill all those pesky critters for sure!”
Si Rou couldn’t help but stroke the big guy, kicking away a pesky grot who was in his way, sending it flying several meters.
After a while, he finally broke into a wide grin and laughed. “Hahaha! I want this big guy! When can I wear it?”
“No need to rush, no need to rush. It’ll be ready soon!”
…
A month passed.
Gu Hang hadn’t stayed in Garbage Town the whole time and had made several flights back to Revival City.
After all, Revival City, along with Weihsing City, the twin-city region, was the real foundation.
He inspected the rebuilding progress of Revival City; what had once been a wasteland of an outer city was now starting to take shape. Though still a large construction site, it was showing signs of development according to Osena’s plan. Now, nearly 600,000 people remained in the outer city, of whom almost 200,000 were engaged in rebuilding efforts.
With the hard work of these 200,000 construction workers, the city was rapidly taking shape again.
The current population of Revival City was around 800,000. Of the nearly 900,000 people who used to live in the outer city, 200,000 had migrated to Weihsing City, and another 100,000 had moved to the inner city.
The population structure and industry structure of the city would gradually become more balanced over time.
What Gu Hang was more concerned about, however, was the state of Weihsing City.
This was where his main industrial district was located.
Now, with the influx of people from Revival City and settlements within 200 kilometers to the east, Weihsing City’s population had exceeded 300,000.
The arms industry, in particular, was of utmost importance.
With the research institute’s black box working day and night, and Wu Jiarong’s tireless efforts, various arms production capacities were rapidly increasing.
Over the past month, the military industry in the Waste Hole District produced 55 infantry fighting vehicles, 40,000 sets of G9 rifle-centered infantry equipment, 100 cannons, 40,000 assorted shells, and 200 military trucks…
The equipment for the Extinguished Wind Brigade wasn’t yet fully complete, but at least two more heavy composite battalions had been fully prepared. They would soon be deployed to the front lines.
Accompanying the 2nd and 3rd battalions of the 1st Extinguished Wind Brigade to the front lines were 200 trucks loaded with supplies, along with ample ammunition and other equipment.
Two hundred trucks weren’t even enough to carry everything in one go; it would take multiple trips.
Once this batch of equipment and supplies reached the front, the 4th through 7th garrison divisions would be able to complete their reorganization.
Of course, Gu Hang would still need to spend over 400 Grace Points on their training.
Once training was complete and they were fully equipped, their combat effectiveness would be nearly on par with the 2nd Infantry Division, except for a shortage of artillery.
Aside from military developments, Gu Hang’s Grace Points had increased significantly over the past month.
It had nothing to do with warfare.
Though there was a massive battle raging outside Garbage Town, and it was the largest conflict Gu Hang had encountered since arriving on Fury Owl Planet, there had yet to be a battle settlement screen.
Clearly, none of the individual battles—whether counter-offensives or defensive engagements—were considered concluded yet.
It seemed that the battle settlement screen would only appear once the entire campaign was over.
The lack of combat Grace Points wasn’t a major problem, though. His monthly Grace Point income had already increased from under 400 last month to 588.
This recent boost in monthly income wasn’t due to a population surge but rather an honest improvement in productivity. Weihsing City contributed the largest increase. With the addition of nearly 200,000 new residents and a concentrated training program that allowed work and training to be done concurrently, unemployment had mostly been resolved, and the heavy and arms industries were fully staffed.
The increase in productivity resulted in a rise of over 150 Grace Points.
In Revival City, outer city construction was progressing rapidly. Industrial restoration, improved management, and the removal of debuffs all led to a steady improvement. Even with the migration of 200,000 people, Revival City’s Grace Point income had increased by 30.
These monthly earnings allowed Gu Hang to recover from the 400 Grace Points spent on training soldiers, plus expenses for activating Tadius and training the Extinguished Wind Brigade and 2nd Division, bringing his total back up to 890.
Gu Hang wasn’t going to spend this precious amount carelessly.
This war against the Greenskins was the largest battle he’d faced since coming to Fury Owl Planet.
The Greenskins were proving to be more troublesome than anticipated.
Over the past month, Gu Hang’s forces had suffered roughly 4,000 casualties. Along a 60-kilometer front, an average of 130 soldiers died each day, while about 80 Greenskins were killed each day.
The casualty ratio had reached 1:1.6, a bit unsightly.
Recently, the Greenskins had acquired new assets: artillery and armed pickups.
These two additions had placed considerable pressure on the front lines.
Their artillery posed a direct firepower threat, with front-line infantry frequently enduring heavy fire attacks. The Greenskin artillery was powerful enough that direct hits could easily breach defenses.
The armed pickups were also problematic. Though roughly built, their armor was tough, and their speed was impressive. Black smoke billowed from their tailpipes as their mounted machine guns fired wildly. While accuracy was questionable, these vehicles carried four or five Greenskins close to the lines.
It often took two rocket launchers to disable a vehicle, and even then, not all Greenskins would be killed; they only needed to get close.
Once in close range, the Greenskins inflicted significant casualties on the front-line soldiers.
But the situation was still manageable.
The soldiers under the Governor’s command hadn’t given up an inch of ground.
While the Greenskin artillery was powerful, its range couldn’t compete with human artillery. Once they identified the location of the enemy’s artillery position, the 155mm howitzers would launch three or four rounds of cover fire in that direction.
Afterward, even though it was difficult to confirm the results, the Greenskin artillery would generally fall silent, likely wiped out completely.
As for the armed pickups, they were countered with rocket launchers, mines, and obstacles to slow their advance and destroy them with concentrated fire.
If any Greenskin troops managed to get close, they would engage in close combat, though at the cost of higher casualties.
The emergence of enemy heavy weaponry and ‘armored’ units was troubling news.
Gu Hang sensed something was amiss.
When he returned to the front lines in Garbage Town after inspecting the military production lines in Weihsing City, five Space Marines who had arrived two days earlier immediately approached him with a warning.
Previously, Gu Hang had invited the Phoenix Battalion to help deal with the Greenskins outside Garbage Town.
The Greenskins were long-standing foes of the Space Marines. The Phoenix Battalion had encountered countless Greenskin enemies throughout their history, including during their century-long Penitence Crusade.
The term ‘cancer of the universe’ wasn’t just for show; these enemies were widespread across the universe. Some particularly fierce Greenskin clans had the potential to devastate entire star systems.
Responding to the Governor’s call, the Phoenix Battalion traveled from their monastery to join the fight.
Ten Iron Bull trucks, repainted with the Phoenix Battalion’s colors—primarily red with white edges and patterns, starkly contrasting the usual gray and tan of the Alliance Army—had transported the Phoenix Marines.
In addition to the five Space Marines, they brought 100 fully armed youths.
The Phoenix Battalion’s monastery had taken in 200 youths under 19 for training. Half, the younger ones, remained at the monastery for continued training with Chaplain Rizo; the other 100, who were older, had followed Battalion Leader Martins to Garbage Town.
The Phoenix Battalion planned to send these recruits into battle.
These young soldiers had only received a month of training in the monastery. Unlike Gu Hang, they had no external support. Even though the Phoenix Battalion’s
training methods were effective, one month wasn’t enough to produce elite soldiers.
That wasn’t their intent, either. The Phoenix Battalion didn’t expect this hundred to achieve notable results in battle.
It was essentially a selection process.
With only one gene seed available, it had to go to the most exceptional candidate. Those who survived the battlefield with the best performance would make it to the final selection.
Gu Hang had reservations about this.
But it wasn’t his place to interfere with matters within the battalion, so he let them proceed.
Returning to the present.
Martins and his four brothers approached Gu Hang in the allied military camp outside Garbage Town the moment he arrived.
Surrounded by five giants who towered over him, Gu Hang felt slightly tense.
Martins spoke sternly. “This war can’t continue like this.”
“What do you mean?”
“We must launch an attack immediately,” Schneider interjected. “The sooner, the better. Full-scale assault to eliminate all Greenskins and purify this land with fire.”
“Hold on… Can you at least tell me why?” Gu Hang asked. “I was planning to hold the line for a while longer. We still have two garrison divisions awaiting equipment, and our stockpile of artillery shells is insufficient… Plus, our casualty ratio is still within acceptable limits. There are an estimated 20,000 Greenskins in the High Tower Ruins. At this casualty rate, we’d lose 30,000 men to wipe them out.”
Schneider wasn’t polite with Gu Hang. “Ha! That’s assuming the Greenskins keep throwing themselves at the defenses until they’re all dead. Do you think that’s realistic?”
Gu Hang rolled his eyes. “Of course not. But maintaining the defensive line is more favorable. Logically, we should hold the line, let the Greenskins wear themselves out, build up our arsenal, and then launch a counterattack. Isn’t that a better approach?”
“There’s no chance of that happening,” Martins replied, far more patient than Schneider. “Greenskins… are a uniquely difficult enemy. They’re different. You know they grow out of the ground, right?”
“Yes, but don’t they need time to mature?”
“You’re right. But Greenskins are an alien species born for war. The more intense the battle, the faster their clans will grow.”
Gu Hang frowned deeply. “Are you saying that fighting and dying will only increase their numbers?”
It was a counterintuitive piece of information.
Gu Hang hadn’t known about this Greenskin trait beforehand.