Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 174 The Grand "Apollo's Sister" Plan

On the distant planet Earth, the tsunami triggered by the mysterious lunar creatures far surpassed the intensity and duration of any political upheaval or military conflict on Earth.

Even the uproar caused by Yan Ge in a certain northern region and the fierce riots in a certain southern country have completely lost their appeal and cannot steal even a trace of traffic.

The existence of that bizarre "skeletal creature" directly shook the claim that humanity is the "only intelligent life in the known universe." In a domineering and unreasonable way, it slapped the concept of "extraterrestrial life," which had long existed in science fiction and academic speculation, right in the face of every ordinary person.

We've always suspected there are aliens, but we never imagined they'd be on the moon!
Panic, curiosity, fervor, doubt... all sorts of emotions surged and churned like boiling lava in every corner of Blue Star society.

After an initial brief silence, major media outlets around the world immediately launched a relentless 24/7 bombardment. Every captured screenshot of the bone spider was magnified to the pixel level, and every blurry movement was given countless interpretations.

Various "experts" have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, with all sorts of bizarre theories emerging from fields such as astrobiology, archaeology, mysticism and theology.

Some people confidently claimed that this was a secret biological weapons test by a certain country that had gone out of control, while the neighboring country immediately and without hesitation refuted it, saying that it was the awakening of the relics of an ancient mythical war.

The online community of liberal media outlets has exploded with information, with related videos, images, discussion threads, and conspiracy theories spreading, mutating, and evolving at an exponential rate.

Social media platforms experienced frequent server outages, video websites saw record-high traffic, and the image of the giant skeletal spider was quickly adapted for various creative purposes, appearing in games, comics, and short videos, even driving sales of "skull" style clothing and accessories.

Even in the reptile pet market, a type of slender, large spider with a slightly similar appearance saw its price skyrocket overnight, increasing more than a thousandfold.

According to the claims of those involved, these are the offspring of "alien beings," and raising one is like raising a future with endless possibilities.

Fear, isn't it just another form of revelry?

Compared to the uproar among the public, the responses from governments around the world have been more pragmatic.

Almost all the major powers on the entire planet began to engage in frantic diplomatic activities between Dongxia and Baidiao.

Coming to the east was an attempt to obtain more "unvarnished" firsthand information from Dongxia, since Dongxia is currently the only country with long-term operational capabilities on the moon.
Dongxia, you must have discovered something. Tell me quickly, or I'll put pressure on you!
Going west, on the other hand, was to put pressure on the bald eagle, demanding that it share all the data obtained from the "Return to Glory" plan and explain why it insisted on landing in a sensitive area and whether it had prior knowledge of the situation.
White Eagle, you must know something, otherwise why would you have been scamming people for so long and suddenly start talking about actually going to the moon? Tell me quickly, or I'm going to shout!

Faced with inquiries from around the world, the Bald Eagle Federation's response was textbook-perfect chaos.

They are actually quite chaotic.

After his initial outburst of anger and accusations, the President seemed to quickly characterize the incident as a golden opportunity to "demonstrate imperial power and expose the Eastern Xia conspiracy."

He delivered a passionate speech in front of the gray house, announcing the launch of "Project Lunar Shield," vowing to "protect the Earth from any extraterrestrial threats," and to "return to the moon at all costs, establish a permanent presence, and uncover the truth!"

Of course, the perfect plan doesn't change the harsh reality.

The headquarters of the Imperial Federation's lunar exploration program was in complete chaos.

The White Eagle's lunar exploration project was overseen by the Imperial Space Agency. However, the Space Agency had been preoccupied with budgeting, demonstrations, and boasting for years, and suddenly having to get things done was extremely difficult.

The military representative, gesticulating wildly and spitting as he shouted, "We must launch a new probe immediately! Equip it with heavy weapons! Bring that monstrosity back!"

The representative from the Imperial Space Agency could only reply with a grim face: "Launch? With what? 'Return to Glory' is the last bit of stock we've managed to scrape together! The new heavy-lift launch vehicle is still on the drawing board, and it will take at least three more years!"

"Three years? Hey, three years after that, another three years, huh!"

"Stop your pointless wrangling and speed things up! The Federation will provide you with all the resources you need!" an advisor from the council shouted.

“Resources? Sir, this isn’t about money… it’s about the industrial base!” an engineer with graying hair couldn’t help but mutter in protest, but his voice was drowned out by the louder argument.

Everyone knows where the problem lies, but since no one can solve it, they can only turn a blind eye.

The empire has always wanted to rebuild its industry; however, all talk and no action... it's all talk and no action.

The core element is that the empire's virtual industry makes money too easily and too quickly.

Industry can only earn a penny from the money that ordinary people spend on buying things, and it has to go to great lengths to research products to please them.

Anyway, you can buy something from Dongxia for a few hundred Xia Yuan and then resell it here for tens of thousands of Diao Yuan. You can then use a little trick to easily take back those few hundred Xia Yuan from Dongxia's pocket. Why bother to do it yourself?
How can it compare to healthcare, insurance, law, the stock market, and cryptocurrencies? With just a few taps, you can easily steal the wealth that others have accumulated over several lifetimes.

Not to mention the empire's financial tides, which directly plunder decades of low-end industrial accumulation from other countries.

Transferring certain industries out serves two purposes: first, it forces others to join your financial system, waiting to be exploited; second, it allows others to earn a meager living so that you can reap the wealth you've accumulated.

Once you get used to making quick money, it's hard to go back to making money through hard work.

It's like a sex worker who can earn hundreds or thousands of dollars a day just by lying down. It's almost impossible to ask him or her to drive for Didi or deliver food, running around non-stop to earn a few dollars per order.

The empire is now like that guy who's used to spreading his legs and selling everything. In the past few decades, apart from a few high-tech, high-profit industries that have managed to survive, everything else has been moving away from the real economy and towards the virtual economy.

The true nature of empire deindustrialization lies in its shift away from real industry and towards virtual industry.

However, the current situation is quite different. The entire empire, from top to bottom and inside to outside, has reached a consensus that it is time to produce some results!
The task was passed down level by level, and eventually it fell to Emil Smith, the "Special Supply Chain Coordinator for Project Lunar Shield".

The Empire has countless Smiths, and Emil is clearly one of the more outstanding ones.

He graduated from a prestigious university, has an impressive resume, is proficient in various reports, processes, and PowerPoint presentations, and has spent years mingling with various policy and lobbying groups in the imperial capital, possessing a deep understanding of how things work.

His father was a financial tycoon, his father-in-law was a veteran senator, his wife was a legal consultant, and his child was a human rights pioneer, but no one seemed to know how to run a real business…

Now, he is faced with an urgent procurement list involving more than twenty kinds of precision instruments.

This batch of equipment has extremely high requirements, needing to withstand extreme temperature changes, severe vibrations and strong radiation environments, with processing precision reaching the nanometer level, and a complex and ingenious internal structure.

Normally, procurement would be a coveted job that everyone would fight for. Once the contract is signed, they can find all sorts of excuses to delay it. After all, orders worth hundreds of billions can be delayed until they are lost. But this mere order worth a few billion is barely enough to fill a gap between their teeth.

The problem is, this procurement not only demands timeliness but also quality. I've heard that the inspectors will not only need to visually inspect but may also use a steel tape measure to take measurements—that's incredibly high a standard!
What did you say, vernier calipers? We're not at that level yet...

In short, these outrageous demands threw NASA into chaos, and after a series of passing the buck, the blame was shifted onto Emil Smith.

Smith was a complete novice in the field of precision instruments, but in any case, he was still better than his predecessor, that call girl who was forced into the job by a certain director.

He at least knew to get quotes from suppliers first.

Commissioner Emir first contacted several well-known domestic defense contractors, as was his custom.

“Oh, Mr. Emil, this level of precision… we may need to redesign the production line. As for the timeframe, it will take at least eighteen months, and the budget requires an additional 12 billion sculptural dollars in initial investment. Otherwise, we may not be able to complete it.”

"I'm sorry, Mr. Specialist, we cannot produce this core ceramic bearing; it needs to be imported. However, our partner company's schedule is already booked until the end of next year, so you may have to wait a while longer."

“Oh God, of course we can do the assembly work, you have to trust us, but for the miniature resonators inside, if you can’t provide the finished product directly, I’m afraid you’ll have to ask a few companies in Dongxia. They are the world’s largest and only supplier.”

"They've squeezed out all the other suppliers!"

After making one phone call after another, Commissioner Smith's forehead began to sweat.

He found himself caught in a bizarre loop: every part seemed to eventually trace back overseas, especially to the Eastern Xia.

Even if some parts are labeled as "made in China", their raw materials, precision machine tools or core software often have the influence of Dongxia.

After a tremendous amount of effort and intense pressure, the project was ultimately taken over by a long-established precision instrument company in China with a "glorious history".

The result...

During the first trial production, because some of the basic components came from the Ganges Lotus Federation, where standards were practically nonexistent, the first batch of equipment was inevitably scrapped.

The second time, the purity of the special alloys supplied by local suppliers was substandard, and they were the first to experience fatigue fracture in the simulation test. Well, it's all Dongxia's fault, because they restricted the export of certain special rare raw materials, resulting in the empire lacking a reliable supply in key areas.

It might be another 30 to 50 years before precision materials processing plants are established in the empire's homeland.

The third time, after finally managing to assemble it, it was discovered that the sealant purchased from Double Lion Kingdom would release harmful gases in a vacuum environment, contaminating the internal optical components...

Time passed day by day, and the budget was being consumed rapidly, like water in a sieve, while not a single qualified piece of equipment could be produced.

Just when Commissioner Emir was about to despair, his subordinates gave him a suggestion.

"Dear coordinator, let's just buy it from outside!"

"?"

Emil was indeed unfamiliar with industry, so he had to ask more clearly: "I have already coordinated with all the suppliers in the allied countries. Each one requires at least several billion in budget and more than ten months of work. Is there anyone I have missed?"

The subordinate took a deep breath and lowered his voice even further: "Commissioner, you know... sometimes, the efficiency and technological reserves of our allies... may not be enough. But... our competitors over there, they really can handle it."

"Find Dongxia's company. If you place an order now for something like a gyroscope, their courier can ship it out tonight. By this time tomorrow at the latest, your item will be on your desk!"

Emil dug incredulously into his ear.

"That place that only produces garbage, aren't they just good at stealing the Empire's technology?"

The subordinate forced an awkward smile: "Sir, you don't really think they stole their lunar lander from the Imperial Space Agency's warehouse, do you?"

"..."

That evening, Emil Smith returned to his luxurious suburban villa in a daze, and after a family dinner, he had to seriously consult his shrewd and calculating father-in-law, a congressman.

After listening to his son-in-law's stammering and confused account, the father-in-law simply swirled the whiskey glass in his hand, the ice cubes making a crisp clinking sound.

"Oh, my dear child, I thought you had already taken care of all this!"

The father-in-law took a sip of his drink and smiled meaningfully: "Doing this? Of course you can, why not? It's all for the benefit of the Federation and national security!"

"Don't worry, even the Empire's aerial pride, the 'Raptor,' has had many parts secretly commissioned to be produced by Dongxia. When it was discovered a few years ago, all they did was fine them."

Everyone knows the answer.

The old councilor paused, leaning forward: "But, Emil, my son, listen. The work must be done cleanly!"

"The process must be 'compliant,' ideally involving several intermediaries, and employing a few reliable third-party agencies that understand the importance of the process. Prepare the checks for the law firm in advance!"

“I don’t want my precious daughter to have to make a special trip to visit you in federal prison in the future. You don’t know how awful the coffee is there.”

Emil instantly understood what his father-in-law meant.

This is not only something he can do, but it might even be a shortcut that some people above tacitly approve of or even expect. But he needs to manage all the risks himself with "meticulous care".

Either it's perfectly resolved, and everyone's happy;

Either he is exposed, or he has to be prepared to become the scapegoat for "betraying the country's trust and colluding with foreign forces," and bear all the consequences alone.

His superiors probably anticipated this, which is why they "generously" entrusted him with this "opportunity".

"I understand, dear father!"

(End of this chapter)