Chapter 37: The Hatchery
Not to mention the anxiety stemming from the weakness of his direct forces and a sense of persecution paranoia, there is an imminent issue forcing Gu Hang to accelerate the expansion of his military strength.
Previously, there had been an attack by a ‘Pustule Monster’ within the Governor’s camp.
Subsequent investigations led by Yan Fangxu revealed that the source of the monster’s attack came from the western woods.
Later, when Yan Fangxu took soldiers for training, it served both as a drill and a mission to clear out these monsters.
What they discovered there was shocking.
They encountered numerous monsters, not limited to the Pustule Monsters.
Furthermore, they discovered several hatcheries for these creatures.
Gu Hang personally went to inspect the area.
In that forest dense with hatcheries, the tree bark had been corroded by the secretions of the alien creatures, riddled with holes and emitting a strong odor of decay.
The hatchery he saw was hidden in a dark and damp area of the forest, its entrance concealed by thick vines and thorns.
After burning away the vines and thorns, they entered the hatchery.
A circle of parasitized trees formed the hatchery, dark and damp inside, with a strong rancid smell permeating the air.
In the corners of the hatchery, numerous alien eggs clung to the wet ground.
Inside the semi-transparent eggshells, the embryos of mutant creatures squirmed.
A thick layer of mucus coated the eggshells, occasionally dripping down into a pool of foul-smelling green pus.
The cracks in the eggshells emitted an eerie glow, casting strange shadows on the walls of the hatchery.
Gu Hang immediately ordered the destruction of this hatchery, using fire and explosives to annihilate it from the inside.
However, that was just one small hatchery, and who knew how many more were hidden in the forest.
According to their post-assessment, if left unchecked, a wave of mutant creatures would sweep towards Gu Hang’s camp, including Wasteland Society, in a few months.
The cost of quelling this wave would be unpredictable.
Fortunately, the situation was discovered relatively early, and there was still time.
Gu Hang needed to expand his forces to protect the camp’s safety.
According to his plan, once the troops were reorganized, aside from the necessary guard units, the other squads would rotate into the forest to purify those monster hatcheries.
The primary goal, of course, was to nip the problem in the bud.
Additionally, there was an immediate benefit that Gu Hang was very keen on.
This benefit was Grace Points.
When Yan Fangxu led the troops to destroy the first mutant hatchery, Gu Hang received a combat settlement interface.
Without any losses, he gained two Grace Points.
Then he learned that there was a large number of hatcheries in that forest.
His eyes lit up at the news.
You could say it was a threat, and you wouldn’t be wrong. But to Gu Hang, it also looked like a huge treasure trove!
After putting in a lot of effort to develop his territory, introducing population, managing light and heavy industries, and construction, he had finally managed to double his fixed monthly income from 12 to 25.
He was planning to continue his efforts to increase this number, aiming to reap the rewards at the end of the month. And now, he had stumbled upon this gold mine.
Destroying one hatchery earned two Grace Points; burning down ten would be equivalent to a month’s earnings!
So why toil away so hard… well, farming still had to be done; the two things weren’t mutually exclusive.
But because there were tangible rewards, he took this matter more seriously.
The 1st Mechanized Battalion remained mostly intact, with troops stationed at Manban River Valley Manor, the Governor’s camp, and Wasteland Society.
The 2nd Infantry Battalion, on the other hand, was thrown into the Alien Forest—Gu Hang’s newly coined name.
The troops were under the overall command of Captain Yan Fangxu, tasked with clearing the forest.
In the past few days, they had already burned down seven hatcheries.
Captain Yan’s approach was cautious; he preferred a slower, more careful pace to minimize losses.
In contrast, the original commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, Pobov, was not very happy about this.
In his view, instead of burning seven hatcheries, they should have burned seventy by now!
How could they honor the Governor’s trust without quickly and maximally achieving results?
Gu Hang was very pleased with Pobov’s high combat enthusiasm.
However, he chose to support Yan Fangxu’s command strategy.
The situation wasn’t dire enough to necessitate sacrificing lives, and Gu Hang saw no need to order his soldiers to die needlessly.
The clearing of monsters in the Alien Forest could proceed gradually, eliminating creatures and destroying hatcheries at a steady pace.
There were still several months to go; even with Yan Fangxu’s cautious strategy, they should be able to resolve the problem.
Of course, as a leader, Gu Hang needed to be even more cautious.
Destroying those seven monster hatcheries had brought him a total of 11 Grace Points.
He planned to recruit another infantry battalion from the refugees and slave laborers.
Using the Black Box Fabricator, he could quickly produce enough weapons and ammunition to equip them; by spending Grace Points, he could also swiftly train these newly recruited soldiers into qualified warriors.
In Gu Hang’s domain, the speed at which he could mobilize troops was extremely rapid.
…
The Governor’s will was soon implemented.
Recruitment stations appeared in both Wasteland Society and the Governor’s camp.
Residents from both locations enthusiastically joined the army.
Of course, their reasons for enthusiasm varied.
The most eager were the residents of Wasteland Society.
Having enjoyed a period of good living, they deeply cherished it and were willing to take up arms to defend their hard-earned gains.
Next were the newly assigned refugees.
They didn’t have any particular motivations, simply drawn by the generous conditions of the Governor’s recruitment.
Adequate food, two sets of uniforms, weapons, and equipment… these were enough to attract those who had nothing.
Moreover, Gu Hang would give them Work Points, which they could use at the supply stations to ‘purchase’ what they wanted.
After two days of explanations, they clearly understood that Work Points were valuable.
Following Gu Hang’s instructions, the 3rd Infantry Battalion, consisting of 300 soldiers, was composed of 150 people selected from the refugees, 100 from the starship slave laborers, and 50 from Wasteland Society.
The personnel composition was quite complex, but Gu Hang intended for the military, this melting pot, to integrate soldiers from different backgrounds as much as possible.
An even more effective melting pot was the system’s [Troop Cards] system.
With short-term training, Gu Hang would have a qualified infantry battalion.
With three to four days of training and about six days of equipment production, this infantry battalion would take shape.
While preparing his troops and planning an operation in the Alien Forest, Gu Hang also kept another matter in mind:
How was the investigation into the heretical cult situation in Revival City progressing?