Chapter 182: Prioritization
Baru looked at the satellite display in front of him, the final projected missile impact point highlighted on the screen, a trace of surprise crossing his face. He had originally thought the New United States was prepared to go all in and start a full-scale war—after all, they had even resorted to long-range superconducting strikes.
But now, it seemed… that wasn’t quite the case.
“PROJECT Corporation is actually worth them using something like this…”
Baru rubbed his chin, then shook his head.
“Forget it… No matter how valuable they are, the outcome is the same. Just a newly rising corp. If we didn’t interfere, it might really have grown into another mega-corp someday… though that was probably never going to happen. Those people wouldn’t allow anyone to touch the pie they’ve already divided up…”
He closed the screen and continued reviewing the broader situation. As the leader of the Free State Alliance, he couldn’t afford to lose focus.
After confirming that the New United States’ strike target was PROJECT Corporation, he ordered his subordinates to keep an eye on the missile’s trajectory. Once they confirmed it wouldn’t change course mid-flight, he stopped paying it any further attention.
On Green’s side, the moment he learned the missile had been launched, he didn’t hesitate for even a second. He immediately issued a retreat order, telling his troops to pull back and put as much distance as possible between themselves and PROJECT’s forces.
Yunfeng received the same news. His expression turned grave as he looked at Roland.
“This time, I’m afraid your forces are truly in grave danger. If you’re willing, you could come develop in our Dragon Nation.”
Roland paused for a moment, then smiled.
“Thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need to worry. There’s still something that hasn’t been unveiled yet—something more than enough to give you a big surprise.”
Yunfeng froze, his expression turning blank with confusion. After a brief pause, he couldn’t help but ask cautiously,
“You’re saying… you have a way to deal with long-range superconducting strikes?”
“If I explain it, it won’t be interesting anymore. You’ll understand better by watching for yourself.”
Roland smiled and pointed at the screen.
Yunfeng swallowed hard. The implication was already painfully obvious: Roland had the capability to intercept long-range superconducting strikes. And abilities like that were usually exclusive to nation-level powers.
A corp with no apparent backing… could there really be something behind them? High Knights? That didn’t make sense…
Though his thoughts were running wild, Yunfeng quietly raised PROJECT Corporation’s status in his mind.
If what Roland said was true, then PROJECT Corporation was bound to stir up massive waves across North America.
And that would bring Kang Tao enormous benefits.
On the battlefield in Elor City, Chris didn’t order his troops to pursue the Militech forces. There was no need. His objective this time wasn’t total annihilation—just driving them back.
Completely wiping them out would require paying a much higher price, and Chris didn’t think that was worth it. As long as Green didn’t do something suicidal and launch another attack, Chris had no intention of finishing them off.
“Mr. Chris, the New United States’ long-range superconducting strike is about to enter effective range. Please prepare.”
“I understand.”
Chris nodded. His cyber-eye faintly lit up with a red glow. At the same time, the Mammoth War Machine began to move—its pillar-like limbs slamming firmly into the ground.
Sections along its limbs opened up, deploying multiple mechanical anchoring devices.
Hiss—
White vapor burst outward as sound echoed from the Mammoth’s massive frame.
“Cooling system activated! Anchoring mechanisms deployed! Energy core entering full operational state. Please wait…”
“Energy preparation complete. Confirm weapon systems in position. Authorization required.”
“This is Chris, commander of this operation. Authorization granted.”
“Voice recognition confirmed!”
As the confirmation ended, the Mammoth’s back slowly opened. Countless mechanical components across its body began to reconfigure, and before everyone’s astonished eyes, a massive, highly futuristic cannon finished assembling.
“Transferring energy…”
Blue energy slowly flowed from the Mammoth’s energy core into the cannon. In moments, the entire weapon glowed blue, brilliant light shining through every seam and gap.
“25%… 50%… 75%… Charging complete. Target locked. Awaiting orders!”
“Fire.”
Chris folded his arms across his chest, his expression calm as he watched the scene on the screen. He had seen this kind of spectacle many times before.
Buzz—Boom!
With a deep, heavy roar, the ground beneath the Mammoth War Machine visibly sank. A violent shockwave of wind exploded outward, kicking up clouds of yellow sand.
Gas-like blue energy coiled around the barrel, then violently converged at the muzzle, condensing into a blinding white point.
A blue-white pillar of light shot straight into the sky, tearing through the clouds in an instant. The dust and sand swirling around the Mammoth vanished completely at that very moment.
In the blink of an eye, it was as if nothing had happened at all—except for the red-hot barrel and the Mammoth itself, now dimmed, silently testifying to what had just occurred.
Everyone watching stood frozen in shock.
Just as they thought nothing else was going to happen, a thunderous explosion echoed from the sky.
Boom!
Orange-red light flooded the heavens in an instant. The searing heat made everyone feel the terrifying power of the missile, followed immediately by another expanding shockwave.
“C-Commander, w-we—”
“Retreat! Retreat now!”
Green barked the order, his lips trembling. All he wanted now was to preserve the troops in front of him—and his own life. Who knew what would happen if they took a hit like that…
Watching everything unfold, Roland’s mouth twitched. It wasn’t shock at the weapon’s power, but pain at the sheer cost of resources consumed. Firing a shot at full power like that…
This Mammoth was effectively scrapped. It would need a complete overhaul and reconstruction, and its internal energy core was fully depleted. In terms of energy efficiency, Roland still needed PROJECT’s technology to support playing with toys like this.
As for what that cannon was—
A plasma energy cannon. Aside from the super electromagnetic railgun beneath Agas City, it was one of his last remaining trump cards.
Well. Now it was scrapped too. It would need repairs.
Converted into cyberpunk-world terms, the cost of this weapon was downright outrageous. Thankfully, PROJECT’s technology could solve most of the problems—but it still burned through nearly ten billion of Roland’s funds, a level of pain that was hard to put into words.
After all, his total assets amounted to just over two hundred billion.
Still, judging by the results, it was worth it. At the very least… weapons orders from other regions definitely wouldn’t be scarce anymore.
Next…
It was time for PROJECT’s expansion.
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