novelsite Chapter 277 Insufficient Resources
Chapter 277 Insufficient Resources
Before the sun set, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian visited all the factories in Aion City, Jask Port, and the surrounding area to get a real understanding of their current situation.
After making a large turn in the bay, Lorraine and Ouyang Nian returned to their flagship, which was hovering on the sea.
He invited Bai Jin and Lin Shu, and the four of them, along with the core members, held a brief meeting in the cockpit.
"Currently, the existing mines are nearing their limits, with the remaining minerals only enough to sustain mining for half a month. In addition, the minerals required for subsequent production will increase exponentially, so we must now consider shifting our focus."
As soon as he finished speaking, a holographic image of the Red Earth Federation continent appeared in the center of the cockpit.
"The Karapir region is a region in the northern part of the Western Continent of the Lacustrine Federation, bordering the Peacock Ocean to the north. This region is the world's largest iron ore producing area, with 90% of the Lacustrine Federation's iron ore reserves concentrated here."
"In addition, the region also possesses equally abundant gold resources, bauxite, and key minerals such as lithium, nickel, copper, and manganese, and the minerals are of extremely high grade, making it a core production area globally."
As Lorraine narrated, the map controlled by Cleveland slowly zoomed in, displaying all the various minerals in the area as different points of light on the screen.
"The population of this region is very small, with only two port cities. The economy is mainly based on energy and mining, such as iron ore and natural gas, with a total population of around 5.5."
"Among them, the two main ports of Heilonggang have multiple berths with a depth of more than 15 meters, and all berths can accommodate 10-ton ore carriers."
"In addition, the region has supporting heavy-haul railway lines that connect directly to several major mining areas in the Kalapier region. According to the Cleveland Cassden database, these railways are all newly built and in good condition, and are expected to be put into use with only simple maintenance."
"The most densely populated city in the region is Karaman, located southwest of Heilonggang. The city is divided into two large areas: the eastern part is the strip-shaped core urban area, and the western part is Karaman's economic and production area."
"Separating the two urban areas to the east and west is a vast salt pan. To the west of the salt pan is the port of Karaman and a relatively important iron ore mine in the Karapier district."
"Another pillar of Karaman's economy is the chemical industry. The entire industrial zone is located on a peninsula northeast of the port of Karaman. At the southernmost tip of this peninsula is a medium-sized port, which is mainly responsible for loading and unloading bulk cargo."
Lorraine reached out and swiped the map, pointing to one of the few cities in the region.
"To the north of the core mining area is the city with the smallest population in this region. The city is located on a peninsula and is divided into three areas from south to north. The upper and middle urban areas are separated by an airport located in the city center, which is almost as long as the width of the peninsula."
"At its northernmost point, there is a small port with a berth length of 331 meters, which can accommodate cargo ships of up to 4 tons."
"Platinum, the initial reconnaissance tasks are entrusted to you."
"Since there is almost no heavy industry in this area, this clearing operation will use artillery to cover almost all buildings in the city, and the focus of the reconnaissance mission will be on high-threat targets in this area."
"clear."
Lorraine then turned to look at Ouyang Nian and Cleveland.
"When will the new generation of detection equipment be completed, and how long will it take to complete the scanning of the entire Karapir region?"
"Commander, the new generation of airborne geophysical equipment has been completed and the carrier platform is ready. However, without the support of navigation satellites, the scanning speed will be reduced to 20 days, and the scanning accuracy will also be reduced."
"The navigation satellite is ready, and the supporting optical stealth system has also been installed, but the time in orbit is estimated to be very short."
Looking at the dimensions of the navigation satellite provided by Cleveland, Lorraine tapped his fingers lightly on the table for a moment in thought, then sent a communication to the distant Stonehenge base.
Upon learning of Lorraine's needs, the old knight did not hesitate and readily agreed to the request.
"Cleveland, satellite packing, tactical transport fleet to carry out transport missions, flagship to prepare to launch drones for escort missions."
"Yes."
Meeting adjourned.
Under the cover of night, four transport planes and eight WF-01 drones took off together, flying from an altitude of 10,000 meters toward the Stonehenge site.
The following morning, two airborne command aircraft reappeared above the Stonehenge site, their onboard synthetic aperture radars detecting any anomalies in the surrounding area.
"Radar signal normal, assault ship in position, Your Excellency Cromwell, you may proceed with the launch procedure."
"it is good."
As the old knight pressed the red button on the main control panel, the thick, circular steel plate at the center of the Stonehenge base contracted outwards, revealing a large-caliber electromagnetic railgun mounted underneath.
These slightly smaller navigation satellites were fitted with makeshift sabots and inserted into the barrel of the electromagnetic railgun.
"Pre-launch checks complete, all systems are in good condition."
"Power supply is normal, and the supercapacitors have reached 100% capacity."
"put."
With a low hum of electricity, the first navigation satellite was launched into space. After leaving the barrel, the silver sabot separated from the main body and fell towards the perimeter of the Stonehenge base.
As the altitude increased, the already faint red light disappeared completely, and the rate of decrease in the satellite's ascent speed also began to slow down.
Once the satellite reached an altitude of 300 meters, the explosive bolts at the bottom of its outer shell detonated, throwing the bottom cover off. Finally, the rocket engine ignited, propelling the navigation satellite further into space.
Since there were no alien spaceships in the satellite's orbit at the time, and the satellite launch did not produce any obvious traces or electromagnetic signals, the launch did not attract the attention of any alien race.
Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief as the first satellite successfully launched. Then, following the standard launch procedure, the second satellite was launched and successfully entered its orbit.
Half an hour later, all four satellites reached their designated orbits. One of the slightly larger navigation satellites underwent a significant orbital maneuver and landed steadily in geostationary orbit. The other three satellites together formed a simple navigation network with almost no gaps.
After the navigation network was established, two airborne geophysical aircraft quickly entered the designated area and began airborne geophysical operations.
The emergence of high-frequency electromagnetic waves naturally affected the silicon-based life forms hiding in underground areas or mines. Faced with these expected enemies, the escorting drone formation did not launch an attack, but instead transmitted detailed information about the enemy units back to the flagship via satellite network.
Subsequently, the transport ship fleet waiting at the Stonehenge base quickly set sail, each carrying a specified number and type of unmanned units and howitzer vehicles that launch electromagnetic interference weapons, according to the information received.
At the same time, tactical transport aircraft stationed at the forward base also took off, fully loaded with a new generation of miniaturized electromagnetic shielding devices, heading towards the target area.
After arriving over the target area first, the tail door of the tactical transport aircraft opened, and small electromagnetic shields were launched outwards via rails inside the cabin.
The deceleration system, derived from a terminally guided missile, worked in conjunction with a disposable optical system to successfully transport these small electromagnetic shields to their designated locations.
After completing their airdrop missions, these tactical transport aircraft returned to base, followed by a new generation of tiltrotor aircraft fully loaded with infantry units.
Because it takes time to configure suitable infantry weapons, these rotorcraft, which fly at speeds more than 100 kilometers per hour faster than the transport ships, arrived almost simultaneously with the transport ships.
While waiting for the artillery vehicles to deploy, wheeled armored units advanced together with infantry units, quickly approaching the mine inhabited by silicon-based creatures.
Once the armored forces reach their designated positions, the howitzers behind them will fire, launching four electromagnetic interference shells into the air. With the assistance of the navigation system, the impact range of these four bombs will evenly cover the entire mine.
After the shells landed, the combat troops near the mine used drones to determine the enemy's status, and then quickly entered the area to wipe out the group of silicon-based creatures that had taken up residence there.
After confirming the survival of silicon-free organisms, the engineering team entered the site and began clearing the area.
The slowest transport helicopter group arrived at the scene under the escort of Wasp attack helicopters.
Subsequently, several infantry fighting vehicles responsible for perimeter security were activated and collected all the electronic jammers on the ground.
All the electromagnetic shielding devices were recovered and placed in the cabin of the Peregrine 35 transport helicopter.
These helicopters will carry electronic jammers from their cabins to the next battlefield, making advance arrangements for electromagnetic jamming.
A thousand kilometers away in Lorraine, after watching the two forces move in an orderly manner, he stopped paying attention and handed over the responsibility and authority to supervise their actions to the Red Peak Island officer at the Stonehenge base.
He continued to keep busy.
Over the next seven days, Cleveland's computing power was entirely allocated to the shipyard and factory, leaving no extra computing power to support the flagship's upgrade.
Therefore, Lorraine could only bring out a small quantum computer with computing power equivalent to the Tianhe supercomputer, equipped with Cleveland's optimized model, and work with the ship designers who arrived in Aion City to design the flagship.
While Lorraine and Ouyang Nian were busy, Platinum piloted his heavily upgraded assault ship away from Ain City to begin hunting the war behemoth-class silicon-based creatures active in the Karapir region.
While Lorraine and Ouyang Nian were busy, Platinum piloted his heavily upgraded assault ship away from Ain City to begin hunting the war behemoth-class silicon-based creatures active in the Karapir region.
The upgraded assault ships were the first to be upgraded. Because of the significant improvement in technology, the entire assault ship underwent tremendous changes, to the point that it could be described as being completely dismantled and rebuilt.
The cross-section of the entire assault ship changed from the original quadrilateral to a flattened hexagon. The width of the ship increased from 21.2 meters to 31.4 meters, and the length of the ship also increased from 52 meters to 64 meters. The increase in the height of the ship was relatively small, only from 16.2 meters to 18.7 meters.
Thanks to the new anti-hit structure and armor plates, the thickness of the ship's armor layer has been significantly reduced, and its protective capability has not only not decreased, but has actually improved.
The combination of these two factors significantly increases the internal space of the ship, allowing for the installation of more electronic equipment and weapon systems.
The original ground attack system of the assault ship was completely abandoned and replaced by a high-power laser cannon, a small-caliber plasma cannon and two 50 mm electromagnetic railguns.
The weapon system layout has also changed. The high-power laser cannon of the ground attack system has been moved to the bow, where the maximum depression angle can reach zero degrees. It is parallel to the flight direction of the assault ship and can carry out a certain degree of air combat.
The assault ship's close-in weapon system has also been fully upgraded, transforming from a pure gun-missile point defense system into a combination of small-caliber pulse laser cannons, accelerated-fire electromagnetic railguns, and close-in defense missiles.
The most noteworthy aspect of this upgrade is the assault ship's ability to deliver a single, powerful fire strike.
When Platinum pointed out that the assault ship's burst firepower was insufficient, the designers who had tasted success with the mech carrying system went on a rampage, designing numerous external hardpoints for the assault ship.
The types of weapons that can be mounted externally are diverse, ranging from rocket pods for ground attack to anti-ship missiles capable of hypersonic cruise.
At the very end of the add-on items, Platinum even features two large-caliber composite electromagnetic railguns that can be externally mounted on the hull, located on either side of the bridge.
However, with the support of assault ships, Platinum can now more easily eliminate medium-sized war behemoths. Therefore, for this operation, Platinum was only equipped with rocket pods for large-scale clearing and four 710mm armor-piercing high-explosive warhead rockets for handling special situations.
Under Xu Ling's control, the assault ship sped through the sky and quickly arrived at Karaman City, the closest city to Aion City.
Upon reaching the airspace above Karaman, two small reconnaissance and strike drones were launched from the flagship, carrying electromagnetic detection pods, to conduct preliminary monitoring of Karaman.
The detection in the eastern part of Karaman City is normal. The only thing of concern is the large zombie nest that appeared at the site of the former city government.
However, an accident occurred when two small reconnaissance and strike drones crossed the salt fields and appeared in the western part of the city.
As one of the drones approached the port in the south, the abnormal signals from the electromagnetic detection pod beneath its fuselage became increasingly apparent.
The moment the drone locked onto the source of the unusual signal, a dark shadow flew out from the mine next to the port.
Thanks to the presence of an assault ship monitoring the area from a distance, the small drone quickly took evasive action and successfully avoided the rapidly approaching shells.
However, the shockwave generated by the high-speed flight of the shell caused the small drone to instantly lose its stability.
Seeing the shipboard AI's notification about a suspected large war behemoth, Platinum pursed his lips and relayed the message to the flagship via quantum communication.
She then instructed the mechanical dog squad to establish remote communication with their respective mechs in the maintenance room at the rear of the ship, while she herself sat in the cockpit and established communication with her own mech through the newly equipped quantum communication system.
Remote control established, machine self-test complete, weapon and equipment settings complete, power sufficient.