Jiang Ye hadn't even paid when the screen suddenly turned red, followed by a pop-up window.
[Combat Alert: Earth Dragon eggs have been discovered in multiple locations, nearing hatching. All camps are to immediately search nearby areas for more Earth Dragon eggs and reinforce camp defenses against potential Earth Dragon attacks.]
Jiang Ye was utterly bewildered. Earth Dragon? What kind of creature was that?
He had originally planned to buy just one anti-air gun. But with the combat alert, he immediately increased the quantity to four and placed an order for twenty billion.
After purchasing, a placement selection screen popped up. Jiang Ye positioned the four anti-air guns at the four corners of the base. As they were placed, each anti-air gun had three concentric circles representing different effective defense zones. The outermost circle had the lowest hit rate, while the innermost circle offered the most effective defense.
These four defense zones perfectly enveloped the entire camp.
The firepower of the anti-air guns was formidable, but Jiang Ye was unaware of the Earth Dragons' true capabilities and whether they would be easy to fight. He continued to browse other camp infrastructure.
He hadn't realized how much he needed to buy until he started looking!
The Anti-Air Gun Shell Manufacturing Plant, which could be built above or below ground, was responsible for supplying ammunition to the anti-air guns. At full capacity, each manufacturing plant could produce approximately 960,000 shells per day.
While this sounded like a lot at first glance, Jiang Ye quickly calculated that the manufacturing plant's output was actually quite poor. Given the anti-air gun's firing rate of 266 rounds per second, it could deplete a day's production from the manufacturing plant in just one hour.
The Small Missile Vehicle could simultaneously lock onto fifty targets and launch two volleys of a hundred small missiles in a short period. It was effective against ground, air, and sea targets, primarily used for attacking vehicles, aircraft, and small ships, but could also engage large creatures.
The Small Missile Manufacturing Plant could produce high-explosive and incendiary missiles, with a maximum daily output of 1,000 rounds.
The Blast-Proof Ammunition Depot could store various types and calibers of weapons and ammunition.
There were too many items, and most of them seemed useful. Jiang Ye felt overwhelmed.
The door suddenly opened, accompanied by the sound of metallic footsteps. A gunsmith walked in.
"Busy, Old Jiang?" It was Isabel's voice.
"Ah, you've come at the perfect time!" Jiang Ye patted the chair beside him. "Come sit. I need to consult you, my trusted advisor."
Isabel closed the door, unfastened her mech suit with a clatter, and plopped down beside Jiang Ye. She glanced at the screen. "Oh? Bought anti-air guns?"
"Bought four. Do you think that's enough?" Jiang Ye asked.
"More than enough. These things fire incredibly fast. Even early-stage small camps don't really need them. You've bought too many," Isabel yawned.
"That's good to hear. A combat alert just popped up, saying Earth Dragon eggs were found globally. Do you know about Earth Dragons?" Jiang Ye inquired.
Isabel's yawn abruptly stopped, and her eyes widened. "Earth Dragons? Damn it, that's a death sentence! Those four anti-air guns won't be enough, not by a long shot!"
Jiang Ye had a bad feeling. "Are these Earth Dragons very terrifying?"
"They're terrifying beyond measure! Remember those lawnmower creatures I told you about? Earth Dragons are the lawnmower creatures developed by the Mir people. Their combat power is top-tier among lawnmower creatures, a super troublesome thing!" Isabel exclaimed, becoming animated.
Jiang Ye immediately shifted slightly to the side and pointed at the control screen. "The situation sounds dire. You have experience, so take a look at what infrastructure we need to buy to strengthen our defenses and place the order directly."
Isabel immediately clicked to order four more anti-air guns, bringing the total to eight, evenly distributed around the camp. She then frantically ordered 16 shell manufacturing plants, directly connecting two to each anti-air gun.
"These anti-air guns have excellent cooling performance, but their firing rate is indeed too fast. They can fire continuously for about two hours at most, after which they require ten minutes of cooling and internal pipeline maintenance," Isabel explained. "Also, the hot shell casings pile up so much they could bury the turret. Someone needs to clear them out constantly."
Jiang Ye nodded. With a firing rate of 960,000 rounds per hour, being able to sustain fire for two hours was already incredible. The gun and artillery technology of this era should have reached the structural limits of such weapons; further advancement would likely involve different types of weaponry.
Next came a staggering 40 underground ammunition depots, resembling inverted skyscrapers, all connected and sunk into the ground.
Isabel was about to order more when a prompt appeared: Insufficient Balance!
Both of them froze.
"So, there are times when your money can run out," Isabel remarked. "Did you confirm the order?"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Jiang Ye hadn't seen an insufficient balance notification in a long time. "These items total 23 billion. After they're all built, can they really defend the camp?"
"Not necessarily. It depends on how many Earth Dragons come," Isabel replied.
"What exactly are Earth Dragons? Describe them to me."
"Their appearance is very complex. They're a bit like... a toad with an octopus head, covered in tentacles. They have four legs, and their bodies are covered in dark green scales and rotten flesh. Their skin is green or yellow, and their flesh has thousands of black spots like dragon fruit. Even as juveniles, they weigh tens of pounds and will eat anything, stuffing plants and animals into their mouths. However, they don't defecate. All their waste is converted into strong acid and foul liquid, stored in internal acid sacs. At critical moments, they can expel it under high pressure. When they mature, Earth Dragons can reach the height of a three or four-story building, and a single acid sac can store a ton of acid. They can grow three or four acid sacs within their bodies," Isabel described.
Jiang Ye's face turned green. This creature sounded even more difficult to deal with than Godzilla!
"Their hides are very thick. Ordinary small rifles are like tickles to them; only heavy weapons can do damage," Isabel said. "The camp's defenses are still weak. You'd best hurry back and find a way to raise more funds. I'll take people to scout the surrounding ground for Earth Dragon eggs and destroy them before they hatch."
"Okay, I'll head back then. Thanks for holding the fort here," Jiang Ye nodded.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Ye emerged from the control cabin.
He felt like retching but managed to hold it back, taking a few sips of hot water to stabilize himself.
He activated his headset and contacted Feng Zhishuang.
"Hello, hello, connected," Feng Zhishuang said.
"I'm short on money, a lot of money," Jiang Ye stated directly. "Birong Star needs a batch of military supplies, and the prices are all exorbitant."
"Are you planning to seize territory on Birong Star?" Feng Zhishuang asked. "That's unlikely. I suggest you give up."
"Never give up!" Jiang Ye declared resolutely. "I want to occupy some territory on Birong Star, develop it locally, and earn extraterrestrial money. Find a way to get me the military funds as soon as possible."
"Issue bonds, commercial investment, loans from extraterrestrial banks. What method do you want for raising funds?" Feng Zhishuang seemed prepared, rattling off options.
"Can I do all three?"
"No, you can only choose two. If you choose the first two, Jiang Ye Star's finances will be overdrawn, and you won't be able to get loans from extraterrestrial banks."
"Which two do you recommend?"
"Bonds and commercial investment. The first two are about extracting funds internally. If you can't repay them, it doesn't matter," Feng Zhishuang said. "Wait a moment, and I'll draw up a plan for you."