Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 146 The Road Ahead Is Long After the Clouds Part
When the latest batch of replies from those who had traveled far from home was projected onto the big screen, the meeting room erupted in uncontrollable cheers.

Zhang Guoping, the chief commander of the [Cihang] project division, slowly took off his signature black-rimmed glasses, took a slightly rough napkin, and slowly wiped the lenses. The fatigue on his face could not be suppressed, and he was finally able to relax.

During this period, the pressure on all systems, from the Cabinet to [Cihang] and then to Guanxing, has been immense.

The plan was lengthy and detailed, outlining the positions and responses of all relevant parties and simulating possible contingencies repeatedly. The plan's number even reached four digits.

This is not only a confrontation with the enemy, but also an internal struggle. In the words of the cabinet, it is a contest of right and wrong.

Many comrades within the system, from a so-called pragmatic perspective, believe that the wanderer should never get involved in the affairs of Yunwu Territory.

While the [Eternal Song of Life] potion sent by Princess Liushuang is undoubtedly of immeasurable value, is it worth it to send [Wanderer]—the only lifeline connecting the two worlds and carrying the infinite possibilities of Dongxia's future—to risk getting involved in the internal strife of Yunwu Territory?
After all, if [Wanderer] were still here, even without Liushuang, there would always be another chance to exchange medicine with the elves in the future.

If the wanderer perishes, the entire future will be lost!
This suggestion received a significant response from a considerable number of project team members.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that there is a rather gloomy opinion in private: "The 'Eternal Song of Life' is so limited that it will never be our turn. What does it matter if we are three or five years shorter?"
If something happens to [Youzi], and [Cihang] is disbanded, that's what truly concerns everyone's vital interests.

However, since it was the opinion of only some people, there must have been others who disagreed, leading to heated debates and lawsuits that reached the cabinet.

The leader simply said one sentence in a profound tone.

"You can't expect a wanderer to be ungrateful to others and yet be grateful to Dongxia!"

The argument vanished in an instant, and everyone could only grit their teeth and desperately offer advice to "Wanderer," walking a path fraught with danger!

Now things are finally alright, the clouds have parted and the sun is shining again.

Putting his glasses back on, Zhang Guoping straightened his back and tapped the conference table twice with his fingers, instantly silencing the entire room.

"Comrades, we have temporarily weathered the current crisis. But this is only the beginning. Next, we will face a series of persistent and insidious 'small troubles,' a 'big trouble' that will inevitably return in a few months, and..."

Commander Zhang paused deliberately, emphasizing his words, "The protection period for the Pioneer Knights has ended. The Wanderers will need to face the unknown troubles of the entire Starry World!"

"Comrades, we need to work even harder!"

"Let's get right to discussing the specifics."

"International team, first?"

The international team's report mainly focused on the external pressures they have faced during this period.

Especially with the "Inviting the Moon" project, which has attracted a lot of attention, we have to be very careful in many things!

【Invite the Moon】, ostensibly a “virtual moon” development system belonging to the Xia Kingdom’s lunar exploration project, is actually the core firewall of the 【Stargazing】 project.

As a carefully constructed disguise, [Inviting the Moon] deeply conceals the [Stargazing] project, which truly connects to the starry world. Countless research and development teams receive task assignments, project codes, and even research directions all disguised under the guise of [Inviting the Moon].

To make the plan seem more legitimate, the only person the security department knew about was [Yaoyue], and they were also tasked with keeping [Yaoyue]'s identity confidential.

【Inviting the Moon】has already fulfilled its intended purpose.

The oldest and youngest superpowers in Earth's history, after centuries of conflict, cooperation, and confrontation, are about to enter a new phase.

Reports from all sides were quickly compiled and sent to the [Invitation to the Moon] command headquarters.

"Okay, reporting to command. In the past twenty-odd days, we have confirmed that two of our lunar exploration-related laboratory projects have been under close surveillance by our adversaries. At the same time, in order to cover up our stargazing, we have released four more interference topics. Currently, the other side is convinced that we have obtained something from the lunar surface that goes beyond the existing technological framework."

"They have restarted and accelerated several unmanned lunar exploration programs on a large scale, including orbital reconnaissance vehicles, landers, and sample return missions. Their federal temporary supplementary grants have exceeded ten billion US dollars."

"Ha," a sneer came from the side, it was the engineer in charge of technical support, "Where's their 'Apollo's Sister' manned program that they've been talking about for over a decade? Just another PowerPoint presentation?"

"Our manned lunar landing is a plan, while the other side's manned lunar landing is just a gimmick. Unmanned lunar landing is obviously more pragmatic. It's rare to see our opponent so clear-headed."

"Give them a boost, and let them try two more unmanned lunar landings and sample collections this year. If we don't push them to their limits, they won't know whether they're capable or not!"

"Let's just consider it as promoting the common progress of human technology."

A suppressed chuckle rippled through the conference room, easing the tense atmosphere considerably.

"Next up, the domestic team!"

"Yes, sir! Reporting to the leader!"

"The first phase of the 'Star Shield' New City project was officially declared completed at midnight the day before yesterday. All main buildings, core infrastructure, ecological circulation system, internal transportation network and primary defense system have passed inspection."

"Currently, the reserves of daily necessities have reached 85% of the plan, and 40% of the service and support personnel, including those from medical, educational, commercial, and municipal sectors, have been deployed and are operating normally."

"According to the plan, in three months, the relocation and resettlement of all core personnel and their immediate family members of the [Stargazing] project and all its related institutions, R&D teams, and logistical support will be completed."

"Star Shield" New City is a "Shangri-La" that was secretly created to protect the "Stargazing" project, and is completely isolated by both physical and digital means.

As the number of personnel and resources involved in the "Stargazing" project increased, the pressure on the security department became unprecedented.

To monitor an informant closely, from their physical actions to telephone communications to online resources, as well as their family members and other contacts, it would require at least several or even a dozen security personnel to keep them under constant surveillance.

This has nothing to do with trust levels. To ensure the strict secrecy of the "Stargazing" project team, we cannot give anyone else any opportunity.

Over time, the security department will not be able to withstand the strain, even if it has been equipped with a sufficient number of supercomputers.

After all, in theory, even if a monitored target goes to the toilet, they might pass a piece of information to the next stall, something that computers can't detect.

Furthermore, considering that the vast majority of staff members are still human beings with needs to reunite with their parents, spouses, and children, and to socialize with relatives and friends, they require a certain amount of freedom of movement. Long-term control, including strict restrictions on the movement and close monitoring of family members, is against human nature.

The solution adopted by Dongxia was to plan a new city.

In this city, people have jobs, families, and social lives, and can live and exercise freely; the city has both natural and man-made landscapes, which can meet basic short-distance travel and vacation needs; the education system is comprehensive, and children can study in the city from kindergarten all the way to doctoral graduation...

It can meet almost all the needs of a modern person throughout their life; this is a "small world"!
However, leaving the city requires prior notification and application.

After all, for most people, apart from necessary business trips and seeking medical treatment in other places, there are very few situations where they need to leave their own city.

In this city, you don't need to travel for work; all the work materials, related technologies, business connections, and even medical resources will be delivered to your door.

This immediately relieved the pressure on the security department.

In the past, monitoring one hundred people might have required a thousand security personnel, but the number of people to be monitored has been increasing rapidly, which would soon overwhelm the security department.

But now, they only need to manage the city's external transportation, control the city's external telephone and network information flow through the supercomputing automation system, and pay attention to a small number of people applying to go out. This way, they can complete the security and confidentiality work without excessively interfering with everyone's lives.

Although there are still some inconveniences, for everyone who knows the significance of the stargazing project, this is already the greatest degree of freedom the country can provide for their lives.

"Okay, hurry up!"

Zhang Guoping nodded, his tone carrying a rare hint of relaxed banter: "Everyone here should hurry up and complete the check-in procedures. After all, although the housing prices outside aren't very attractive, I still can't afford a place in a city with such matching resources."

"Next up, the Han Hai Group?"

"Reporting to Command, the Hanhai Group has recently completed research on 26 military projects and 97 civilian projects, which are listed below. Here is a brief explanation of some of the key projects."

"The previously highly anticipated automated robot dog combat training has been found to be severely unsuitable for the HanHai scenario."

This conclusion was completely unexpected.

The robot dog combat corps of Dongxia has developed to a very high level. To put it bluntly, it's hard to say who would live and who would die if a team of elite soldiers encountered a team of robot dogs.

However, at HanHai, after multiple rounds of point-to-point testing, the robot dog was completely outmatched by professionals.

"The main problem is that the agility, reaction speed, and... bare-handed attack ability of the professional exceed the robot dog's tolerance."

"On Earth, well-trained soldiers, without specific weapons and using only conventional firearms, will find it difficult to inflict significant damage on the machine dogs with enhanced frontal protection. And once they get close, metal against flesh is an absolute crushing defeat."

"However, in the Starry World, the robot dog will be in a state of long-range and medium-range combat with the enemy. Whether it is the currently known mainstream offensive magic, or heavy arrows and javelins, they can all cause direct damage to the robot dog."

"If we want to conduct normal combat, we must also add application modules such as finding cover and actively dodging to the robot dog, which will further increase the burden on the combat system."

"At close range... a Bronze Warrior can break the robot dog's leg, an Iron Emblem can throw a hundred-kilogram rock with one hand, and most professionals' melee weapons can easily take down the robot dog, leaving it completely defenseless."

"So, what's the technical department's opinion?"

The presenting party displayed several new design drawings: "Currently, the engineering and technical department has come up with a plan for a miniaturized combat beetle, which is undergoing simulation experiments."

"Yes, the core design idea is to use an arc-shaped metal top cover to resist magic attacks and melee weapon strikes to the greatest extent possible."

"All core components are housed within the protective shield, including the movable limbs, which can be retracted into the armor at any time to avoid damage in close combat."

"In addition to firearms, the built-in weapon system is also considering adding high-temperature flame jets, along with locally produced flammable gel, which will be more effective against professionals."

"Ha, what you call beetles aren't just pure fire turtles, are they?"

"Current simulations show that the 'prototype mechanical beetle' has a significantly better survival rate and kill ratio than the robot dog when facing a swarm of low-level professionals. Of course, further verification is still needed when facing high-level professionals or powerful magic."

Zhang Guoping nodded and approved: "A breakthrough is good. Time is tight and the task is heavy. Continue to increase investment, speed up optimization, and strive to complete the test within two months and put it into actual combat deployment!"

"Roger that!"

"Finally, the Star Group?"

"Command Center, the following is a summary of recent developments on the Starry Continent and our proposed response plan."

This set of documents and charts is densely packed when pulled out.

A summary of the distribution of various forces on the Starry Continent, including the four major forces that are clearly dominant: Sky Dome, Moon Dwelling, Mist Moon, and Orcs, their historical backgrounds, stance assessments, and suggestions for countermeasures.
The division of positions among the various holy cities within the Misty Moon Divine Court, the differences between hardliners and moderates, and the institutional distinctions within the Dwarf Merchant Guild.

As the number one enemy in the north, and the main enemy that may cause conflict in the New Cloud Mist Territory, the cooperation, disputes and opportunities of the various tribes of the Orc Group.
A differentiated approach is recommended for the various second- and third-tier powers, namely the Emerald Duchy, the Turquoise Kingdom, and the Zircon Territory.

The main difficulties and coping strategies for the near, medium and long term of the new cloud and fog territory, the supply of food and basic living materials, the stability of people's hearts, the consideration of economic ties and cultural penetration, and how to gradually absorb and digest its population resources.

The intelligence system will be comprehensively strengthened by establishing a secondary intelligence network, based on the core intelligence network of territorial intelligence personnel, and using merchants and mercenaries as its outer shell, with a focus on covering the surrounding areas.

Further accelerate the "scaling up" of weapon systems, which not only means scaling up their practical applications, but also accelerating the localization of non-core components.

Ultimately, this will form a cluster effect for large-scale operations, with a small number of high-tech, high-performance special equipment as the core, coupled with a large number of weapon systems that are "low in production requirements and highly reliable" and can be manufactured locally.

……

The immediate crisis has been resolved, but the star map and the sand table of the vast ocean on the screen constantly remind everyone that the storm is far from over and will soon rise again.

(End of this chapter)