The Fourth Calamity: Starting with Dungeon Slimes

Chapter 167 Mech Production Line

And so they settled down here. Of course, to avoid being exposed as much as possible, they spent most of their time staying in the hotel with Annie and did not go out to socialize.

Even so, they were checked several times, and although it was very close, they still managed to get through, which made the players feel that it was a bit outrageous.

"This game's design is way too cautious. A strange, high-ranking succubus coming to these areas is being investigated like this."

"Normally, shouldn't everything be fine after entering the city? After all, entering the city already reveals a lot, but who could have imagined that so many things would happen afterward?"

This was something the players hadn't expected.

The level of security here completely exceeded the players' expectations.

The players initially thought that since this world wasn't an information world, the level of sensitivity regarding identity and other aspects wouldn't be so high. However, it now seems that they were overthinking things and had underestimated the complexity of the situation.

The other party's level of caution was beyond their expectations. The players even suspected that if they hadn't followed the proper procedures to get in, they would probably have been arrested by now.

Even following the normal procedures, they've already gone through so many checks, which speaks volumes.

Players are guessing it's because of the holiday.

Of course, the most likely reason is due to his/her identity.

Andy's identity will always have some questions. Although he managed to get away with it before, a closer look would reveal many problems. Under such circumstances, he could easily become a suspect. Although the recent checks haven't uncovered any major issues, the players feel that the other party may already be suspicious, which makes them even more cautious.

"In short, keep a low profile for a while, stay in this area as much as possible, and don't wander around."

"If nothing unexpected happens, they are simply suspicious of us. So, we shouldn't act rashly before we get a definite answer, because after all, our identities are there, and at least the identities we're pretending to have are very convincing."

"So even if they suspect we're a problem, they'll only observe us from the shadows. They'll never take action until they're absolutely certain."

"So all we need to do is stay here and not cause any trouble. Under normal circumstances, they shouldn't make a move. By the time they're really ready to act, they should have already investigated everything. If they only make a move then, it won't be of much use to us, because I estimate that we'll have already taken action by then."

Inside the room, the players were analyzing the current situation.

They were well aware of their current situation, so they were trying their best to avoid further problems and complications, while keeping their activities as private as possible.

After all this time and effort, and with the players putting in so much work, it's impossible for it to all be for naught.

At this moment, in the luxurious room, little Annie lay on the bed doing nothing.

In another bedroom, the players were planning their next move and how to handle the details. However, the more they discussed it, the more complicated things became.

"Our main concern now is that if we act rashly, those people who are secretly watching us might actually notice something, and then things will get really serious."

"The problem is that even if we were to take action on the day of the operation, we would still need to make some preparations beforehand. Right now, we haven't made any preparations, nor have we had any opportunity to do so. That's the most difficult part."

"That's right, that's the situation right now. We want to set up an operation, but it's obvious we don't have the opportunity. We can't just force our way in, can we? Given our situation, if we do, we'll definitely be doomed."

For a moment, the players couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache. In short, the situation was indeed a bit complicated for them.

Because their current situation is quite clear: their own strength is not that great. Under such circumstances, if they want to take action, they need to consider many things.

Setting traps in advance and finding an escape route beforehand are things that must be planned, otherwise it will all be for nothing.

However, the reality is that even if they wanted to make arrangements, they had no opportunity whatsoever, which is the most difficult part.

This is also what's giving them a headache. If they don't make any arrangements, they can say with certainty that the chances of success are very low. They haven't investigated any intelligence about the area yet. They can only operate based on the information provided by Lilith, including the guards and internal situation. But Lilith's information is from many versions ago.

If players act according to the information she provides, they will most likely fail miserably, and that's the most troublesome part.

For a while, the players were also a bit troubled.

"So what should we do about this? If we keep delaying like this, I feel like we'll never have a chance."

"We have to come up with a solution. If things continue like this, I feel the probability of our operation failing is very high."

"So this is the most frustrating thing, we really can't find a suitable solution right now."

"You know, this whole thing has been a mess, all this fuss, and now it's at the last minute that a problem has arisen. The problem is that these succubi are far too wary."

It's not entirely fair to blame the succubi for being wary; the main reason is that they recently fought against the dream demons and dwarves. Currently, relations between the two races are strained, and crucially, frequent skirmishes occur, both large and small. There's also the possibility that one side might send people to cause trouble on your side. Therefore, everything is at its highest level of alert.

Now, a high-ranking succubus of unknown identity has suddenly appeared. Anyone would be very wary in this situation, but the biggest problem with this high-ranking succubus is that she doesn't seem like anything special on the surface. She is indeed a high-ranking succubus, but there are serious questions about her identity.

Of course, the main reason it's so realistic is that players have spent enough time with Lilith and are familiar with the situation of high-level succubi. After all, Lilith's character model is quite good, and many players have even taken screenshots to use as wallpapers.

Therefore, many details about high-level succubi are still very clear, but naturally, the players did not let Lilith know about this.

If Lilith finds out about this, who knows what will happen.

And that's roughly the situation.

While Salty Fish and his friends were still struggling with this issue, the amateur welders, after a period of hard work, finally produced a prototype of the finished product.

Of course, this is a small mecha, which is also one of the mechas in Jiang Chen's mass production plan.

At this moment, Jiang Chen had already gathered the amateur welder and Tianqiong together to discuss this matter.

"Everyone, this is roughly my plan. After that, you will set up a production line based on this mecha template."

"Of course, it's okay to make a few more."

"Once the production line is set up, other members of our tribe can manufacture mechs through me. Of course, the mechs manufactured will only be the most basic models, which are essentially just the outer shell of a mech. If they want to add functions inside, they will need to find you."

"For example, if we take a defensive approach, then we need to consider defensive modules."

"If we take the offensive route, we need to consider the offensive modules. Because of the special nature of mechs, a lot of equipment captured on the battlefield can actually be used by mechs, which can provide a higher combat power bonus to the mechs."

Upon hearing what Jiang Chen said, the amateur welders exchanged bewildered glances.

When they received this task, they thought Jiang Chen was preparing to place an order, which was why he asked them to make a sample machine.

That way, we could be sure whether to place an order. Who would have thought that Jiang Chen had this in mind?

"This NPC's plan sounds feasible. What are your thoughts?"

At that moment, a player spoke up, and as he finished speaking, Amateur Welder and Sky Dome exchanged glances, then spoke to Jiang Chen, telling him that they needed to discuss it further. Afterwards, they left with the other players.

Jiang Chen knew, of course, that the amateur welders wouldn't just agree so easily, so they would definitely have to go back and discuss some other things, so Jiang Chen didn't stop them.

After returning to the gathering point, everyone discussed the matter. In fact, Jiang Chen's plan was indeed feasible.

"The problem is that we don't need NPCs at all for this solution. We can do it ourselves, so there's no need to bring NPCs in."

"Furthermore, if we follow this line of thinking, I estimate that many people would be willing to slowly gather materials to build mechs. In that case, the sales volume of mechs would definitely not be low. Under such circumstances, once we control the production line, our profits will be continuous and will definitely be the lion's share of the entire system."

As the player finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement. Indeed, it was true that compared to producing parts, producing the mech itself was obviously the most profitable.

"Let's just do this ourselves. It doesn't really matter to us whether there are NPCs or not."

The profits from this were so high that the players started to have other ideas.

Hearing their discussion, the amateur welder began to ponder.

"You're oversimplifying things. Didn't you see the agreement the NPC just gave us? The agreement also provided us with a second option: that we manage the production line ourselves."

"In this situation, NPCs do not need to participate, but we will pay a very large amount of tax. Simply put, 60% of the money we earn from producing a mech needs to be handed over to the NPC in the form of tax."

Upon hearing this number, the players couldn't help but secretly marvel.

"Wait, how can this thing be so tall?"

This price is indeed a bit high; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as astronomical.

"Why is it so high? Obviously, it must be a new mode launched by the official team. However, to implement this mode in this game, players need to develop it themselves, and we just happen to have that capability."

"After all, it's a game that perfectly replicates reality. It's impossible for something to appear out of thin air; that would be too unrealistic. So I guess that's the reason."

"In short, that's roughly the situation. And a large portion of this 60% tax will be included in the legendary 10 billion subsidy. Simply put, after ordering a mecha from us, you can go to the NPC to receive a subsidy."

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood; simply put, they were preparing to drive the price down.

Since the bulk of the profits go to the NPCs, they can provide subsidies at any time, and taxes can completely cover all their expenses, so the final price is still determined by the NPCs.

For example, if they sell for 1 gold coins, then they have to pay 6000 in taxes.

If the NPC thinks this item can only be sold for 5000, then they will subsidize it with 5000.

The 4000 gold coins they earned had many expenses. First, they had to maintain the equipment, and then there were other things that required money. In this situation, not only were there a lot of troubles, but most importantly, the money they finally received was not as much as they had imagined.

After all, this thing can't be calculated at 1; at most, it's a few hundred to 1000 gold coins, at most. And if the other party provides the materials themselves, the price is too high, so probably not many people would be willing to do it. If this mechanism can't be promoted, the official will definitely intervene. For example, the official will set up a machine themselves; for them, it's just a matter of code.

By then, the equipment they've worked so hard to create will most likely be turned into scrap metal.

If such a thing happens, it's like wishful thinking. So, making money is certainly not a problem, but they also have to consider whether there might be other problems if they engage in monopolistic business.

Most importantly, once the reputation is lowered, other factories may be able to rise up because NPCs can support their factories as well as other factories.

"So how should we choose now?"

After some discussion, they finally adopted the plan that Jiang Cheng had initially proposed: they would sell the equipment to Jiang Chen and then hand over the downstream industry chain to them.

In this way, both parties can benefit.

Although they really wanted to monopolize the profits, it was clear that this system would never allow them to do so. If they were too greedy, the factory might even be replaced.