Jiang Ye stayed until one in the morning. Seeing no new whales appeared, he returned to the base vehicle to sleep.
He woke up at five o'clock, right on time.
Arriving at the shore, the soldiers were tiredly sprawled in their fortifications.
"You're up, you're up. Those who need to rest, go rest. If there's no fighting, don't linger here," Jiang Ye quickly called out. "Squad leaders! Bring your teams back!"
Several squad leaders stood up, reorganized their teams, and retreated. Only two squads remained on guard duty.
Jiang Ye led these two squads out of the fortifications and headed towards the sea.
The beach was a mess. The sixteen giant whale carcasses were crowded together like small hills, emitting a strong, fishy stench. Most of the whale bodies had exploded, their internal organs strewn everywhere. The white, greasy whale intestines snaked across the sand like white serpents.
In addition to that, there were piles of water ghost corpses, missing limbs, lying haphazardly on the sand.
Jiang Ye counted the number of water ghosts: a total of 160, all killed.
Previously, ten or so water ghosts could reach the center of the beach. Now, with their numbers ten times greater, they hadn't even touched the edge of the sand, having been eliminated by heavy firepower at sea. The town's defenses had improved more than tenfold!
The soldiers were conscientious, dividing the tasks of dismantling the whale carcasses.
These bodies were money!
Jiang Ye surveyed the scene. Everything was in order; he didn't need to command. He left with his hands behind his back.
He usually ate breakfast at Isabel's place, but today he really didn't dare. What if he was body-slammed again and dragged to bed?
He went straight to the fast-food restaurant.
The place was as crowded as ever, with seats filled on both the first and second floors. Chicken King Fast Food's franchise recruitment had been quite successful. Although the profit margins weren't high, it was well-loved by the townspeople.
Someone offered him a seat, but he politely declined. Jiang Ye packed his purchased burgers and fries to eat back at the base vehicle.
While eating, he opened the chat channel.
To his surprise, his private messages had increased by over ten thousand overnight!
Jiang Ye's expression was one of horror. "How could it increase so much? I didn't even send any messages in the public channel yesterday!"
Clicking open several private messages to read, he finally understood what was happening:
"Mr. Commander! I live by the sea. Water ghosts came ashore on a whale. These beasts are desperately smashing my car windows! I have no weapons! Can you send troops to aid me!"
"Even though it's already three in the morning, please allow me to send you this message. I just narrowly escaped an attack by a small group of water ghosts. Fortunately, my base just upgraded to a base vehicle."
"Requesting support! Commander, please save me! My location is (0771, 2310), there are so many whales and water ghosts! Too many to count! I only have a handgun!"
"Commander, I just saw the messages in the public channel. Many people along the coast are being attacked by water ghosts. This situation isn't normal, is it? As the military commander of the entire planet, do you have any way to help everyone? You are our savior, you can't just stand by and do nothing!"
"Mr. Jiang, the situation on the colonial planet is extremely critical. People along the coast are struggling to defend themselves. Water ghosts are everywhere, coming ashore. We need the army, we need weapons, we need shelters. Our situation is dire, please save us!"
Skimming through a large number of messages, almost all of them were pleas for help directed at Jiang Ye, the commander.
Instantly, Jiang Ye felt overwhelmed.
From the looks of it, the water ghosts from all over the world had mobilized collectively, like a locust swarm hatching, charging ashore in waves and attacking colonial commanders.
Most people were fleeing frantically in their base vehicles. A few with weapons defended themselves, but they were generally low on ammunition and eventually had to escape!
Tens of thousands of people had endured a desperate night, and the populace was in a state of panic!
Jiang Ye immediately sent a message to Li Nannan, explaining the situation from last night and asking for the army's opinion.
After a few seconds of waiting, a reply came.
Li Nannan: "If you had chosen military insurance back then, there's no need to say anything. Tomorrow, you'd have a million troops airdropped, bombers flying everywhere, bombs being dropped heavily into the sea, and nuclear weapons detonated in the center of the ocean. Within three days, even the water ghosts' ancestral graves would be leveled. But you chose military-business integration, so you have to rely on yourself."
Jiang Ye: "I understand I have to rely on myself, but I wanted to ask for your professional opinion. What should I do next?"
Li Nannan: "Simple. Don't you have an assault rifle factory? Sell guns like crazy, sell them at high prices to make money, and let those people protect themselves. There's nothing else you can do, you have nothing in your hands."
Jiang Ye: "I thought of that, but I have a concern. Will selling guns all over the planet pose a threat to me?"
Li Nannan: "Rest assured. You are someone appointed by the military, a first-class citizen of the Galactic Empire. Who dares to look at you with disdain? If someone threatens you in the future, send me a message, and I'll have someone nuke them directly."
Jiang Ye thanked Li Nannan and headed straight for the assault rifle factory.
The military factory was operating smoothly. Workers stood by the long assembly lines, skillfully installing parts. Dark firearms and golden bullets flowed out continuously, like rivers of steel and brass.
The factory was now running at full capacity in three shifts, so its production was three times higher than planned. It could produce a maximum of 300 assault rifles, 3,000 standard magazines, and 105,000 rounds of ammunition daily.
Rifle production was low, but magazine and bullet production was considerable.
It didn't matter, Jiang Ye could buy assault rifles from the Galactic Mall.
He could primarily make money from selling magazines and bullets.
He instructed the workers on duty at the factory today not to sell the newly produced magazines and bullets, but to store them in the warehouse for the time being.
Leaving the military factory, he went straight to Ju Lanlan's house.
Ju Lanlan had moved. She now lived in a luxurious mansion by the sea, and from her balcony, she could see more than half of the beach. Her home even had a gym.
When Jiang Ye arrived at the door, he pushed it, but it didn't open. He pressed the doorbell repeatedly.
After pressing it more than ten times, Ju Lanlan's voice came out, sounding quite annoyed, "Who is it! Are you trying to rush me to my death!"
"It's me! Urgent matter!" Jiang Ye said.
Ju Lanlan's tone immediately became affectionate. "Oh, why are you here in person? Wait a moment, wait a moment!"
The sound of slippers shuffling and running came from inside, and then the door opened.
Ju Lanlan had clearly just woken up. She was still wearing a gray silk nightgown, her bare legs and feet clad in white slippers.
"I need your help selling some military supplies," Jiang Ye said, standing at the doorway. He didn't have time to sit down inside. "Assault rifles, magazines, and ammunition."
"Assault rifles I can buy from the Galactic Mall, but will the military factory provide the magazines and bullets?" Ju Lanlan reacted quickly.
"Yes, I'll have the military factory personnel coordinate with you. They can produce 3,000 magazines and 105,000 rounds of matching ammunition daily," Jiang Ye nodded. "Sell them openly to anyone who wants to buy."
"What's the price?" Ju Lanlan asked.
"Ex-factory price. I'll make 200 per magazine, and I want to earn five yuan per bullet," Jiang Ye said. "Don't make too much profit; this price is already very high."
"So expensive!" Ju Lanlan's eyes darted. "Are you going to war? Are you taking advantage to make a fortune?"
"Yes," Jiang Ye nodded. "I'm counting on you. Work hard, work overtime."
"With our relationship, why be so polite? Leave it to me," Ju Lanlan nodded, tutting. "With this kind of profit, you can earn an extra 1.125 million a day!"
"Not that much. Don't forget the military factory was originally profitable. I'll build another assault rifle factory in a couple of days. I don't know how long this war will last," Jiang Ye waved his hand and left in a hurry without looking back.