The production at "Base No. 100" was in full swing.

Not only were there 300,000 "Cross Spider" engineering robots working diligently, but also nearly 3,000 workers and engineers!

They were almost the top industrial talents in the entire Alliance!

Some of them came from the distant Ideal City, others from Evernight Harbor in the southern hemisphere, or from shelters in the Great Desert, and even Waste Land Wanderers who studied advanced knowledge at Camp 101.

Faced with the threat of apocalypse, the Dawn City Industrial Center once again demonstrated its astounding and terrifying production capacity to the major Survivor Forces on the Wasteland.

In the southern industrial park, the "Cross Spider" just set off from the assembly line, and was directly loaded onto trucks with batteries to be delivered into the casting well of Base No. 100.

From engineering machinery for welding steel to screws in the casting well, every unit operating on the production line, whether human or machine, was pushed to the limit.

The terrifying industrial throughput even once strained the transport resources of Falling Leaves City, a railway hub.

This situation of transportation capacity failing to catch up with productivity had never occurred, not even during the most intense battles with the Southern Legion.

In the Manager's Office of the Alliance Building, Minister of Industry Song Xuelin reported the work progress during this period to Chu Guang.

"...currently, all production units of our 'Vertical Casting Well No. 100' have been activated, with the first near-orbital defense platform under production, expected to complete in three months and possibly delivered by early June!"

The near-orbital defense platform is a defensive strategy jointly discussed at a meeting by professionals from the Alliance, the Academy, and various industries, tentatively named the "Trench" plan.

Specifically, the plan is to deploy defense platforms equipped with railguns and high-power laser weapons in several low Earth orbits.

These defense platforms are seen as replacements for orbital debris.

They could prevent long-range strategic weapon strikes with mass bombs accelerated electromagnetically, much like sampans floating outside a harbor.

Although Chu Guang knew that this production speed was already astonishing, given the current urgent situation, he couldn't help furrowing his brow.

"One ship every three months?"

Song Xuelin replied with a wry smile.

"It's a massive systematic project, and achieving one ship every three months is thanks to the help from the Academy and corporations... this speed is really quite fast."

After pausing for a moment, he quickly continued.

"Currently, the related industrial chains are still in the smoothing phase, and the technicians on the production line are not yet skilled. The first ship might be a bit slower, but once it's completed, the pace should increase."

Chu Guang nodded and refrained from discussing this issue any further.

Some things cannot be rushed.

Especially strategic supplies.

He knew very well that any pressure he exerted would ultimately be transmitted down the chain and amplified at each level.

If the team had to rush due to his pressure, the final outcome might be a compromise in quality,

which he was even less willing to see.

Seeing that Chu Guang did not continue to nitpick on the project timeline, Song Xuelin finally breathed a sigh of relief and flipped through the files in his hand before continuing his report.

"Besides, there's the logistics issue... currently, the railway network in the central part of He Gu Province is operating at full capacity. Although we have large mining and steel facilities in the controlled areas outside River Valley Province, the transport capacity of the Dawn City region is already becoming stretched."

"Not enough transport capacity?" Chu Guang looked at him in surprise, slightly startled as he sat up straight in his office chair. "Wasn't there more than 30% surplus before?"

Rails are the blood vessels of the Alliance's industry. He had prioritized the development of the Alliance's railways since the Bone Chewing Chaos, even planning a Falling Leaves City as a hub for materials exchange from all directions for Alliance logistics.

It was precisely because of that initiative that the Alliance later had the potential to extend its influence to Luo Xia Province, Brocade River Province, and even to the more distant Haiye Province.

After all, even if players could walk any distance on their two feet, without the Alliance's equipment and logistics, it meant nothing.

Otherwise, a lot of time would be wasted waiting for respawns.

Chu Guang even considered the possibility of the controlled fusion reactor in Dawn City being a bottleneck, but never thought that the rows of railway lines would run into capacity issues.

Products produced couldn't be transported in?

Could this happen on the Wasteland?

Looking at Chu Guang's surprised expression, Song Xuelin, sweating from his forehead, said,

"This... indeed is our negligence. Initially, we judged that the growth rate of production capacity could match the improvement speed of our railway network, but the actual production capacity displayed by Casting Well No. 100 far exceeded our expectations, with its industrial throughput nearly equivalent to the entire Industrial area of Dawn City, naturally taking up the same transport capacity..."

Falling behind, even the rear couldn't catch up with the front.

Hearing the Minister of Industry's reply, Chu Guang was momentarily amused, not knowing whether to be pleased or to sigh.

However, one thing Song Xuelin mentioned was correct: not considering this point was indeed the industrial department's oversight.

"Such matters need to be proactively prepared; you can't wait for the problem to arise before trying to figure it out. What's needed is a review, but for now, let's solve this problem first."

Song Xuelin nodded with sweat all over.

"Yes..."

Not making things difficult for him over mistakes that had already occurred, Chu Guang tapped his index finger lightly on the armrest of his office chair, pondered for a moment, and spoke up.

"Casting Well No. 100 can't be moved, so we need to find a solution elsewhere... What do you think about transferring part of the capacity to the Death Coast along the shores of Haiye Province? I've been considering this matter already."

Song Xuelin said cautiously.

"That was my thought as well, but considering the fact that the settlements there are still in early stages of development, I'm concerned about whether they can handle such a massive industrial migration..."

"No need to worry about that," Chu Guang said with a smile, looking at the hesitant Industrial Minister. "Our Dawn City was also built from scratch in a crisis. Although the current situation is severe, it's much better than in earlier years!"

"Moreover, I have personally inspected the area of the Death Coast! Although the survivors there come from all over, they are not inferior to the survivors of City of Dawn and Dawn City, perhaps even more knowledgeable and full of vigor. I believe they have the ability and confidence to shoulder the mission of the era assigned to them."

"Since you have such confidence in them, I have nothing to add," Song Xuelin said with a smile. "I will convene an industrial meeting as soon as possible and strive to come up with a specific plan as soon as possible."

Chu Guang smiled and nodded.

"Go ahead."

For the Alliance, the industrial migration south was inevitable, and preparations had been in the works for a long time.

Container shipments are inherently more advantageous than rail transport, and industries like aerospace naturally benefit from proximity to a space elevator.

The primary role of Shelter No. 100 is actually as the incubator for the Alliance's aerospace industry, much like the Seed Factory in the north suburb of Qingquan City.

Chu Guang's expectations for it are not merely to manufacture a few near-orbital defense platforms.

It has the potential to nurture a whole forest.

...

Deep in the Great Desert, the center of the Old World.

The layered sand dunes swallowed endless clusters of cities, leaving only ruins here and there to record past prosperity.

Underneath a rusted steel giant, a battle-worn off-road vehicle sped over the sand dunes.

Avoiding a few fragments of a space elevator, the off-road vehicle eventually stopped at the entrance of an abandoned building.

As soon as the off-road vehicle came to a halt, about two dozen soldiers wearing exoskeletons emerged from the shadows of the nearby ruins, surrounding the vehicle.

The car door of the off-road vehicle swung open, and a damaged power armor stepped out, raising both hands to indicate no ill intent, while removing the helmet's visor to reveal the face of "Scorpion of the Desert" Captain Marik.

"Don't be nervous, I'm one of us."

Seeing Marik's face, the lead soldier didn't lower his guard but raised his clenched fist alertly.

Rifles were instantly raised, aiming at the "Marik" standing beside the off-road vehicle, ready to turn him into a sieve at a command.

From the trunk, the Medical Miracle, through a gap, saw the situation outside and couldn't help but mutter, "Holy shit."

Have we been exposed?!

Facing the dark muzzles of guns, "Marik," holding his hands up, remained unmoved, simply staring intently at the lead soldier.

"I need an explanation."

The soldier sneered, pointing the rifle directly at his nose.

"Explanation? Marik Lieutenant, you better account for your whereabouts over the past week."

Hearing this, Zhuang Lan internally sighed in relief, continuing without expression.

"I was ambushed by the Alliance while carrying out a mission in the southern part of the Great Desert. I spent the past week evading their pursuit. I will naturally brief my Army Operations Division on the details... I just didn't expect that after escaping with difficulty, I would still have to face the muzzles of my comrades."

That seemed to have some effect; a few soldiers surrounding them exchanged glances, and although their gun muzzles didn't lower, the murderous intent noticeably lessened.

The lead soldier was the same.

He skeptically glanced at Marik, and the muzzle of his gun slowly lowered.

"You didn't defect?"

"Have you ever seen a defector come back voluntarily?" Marik looked at him, his face gloomy as he spoke, "I did mess things up, but it can't be entirely my fault. Who would have thought that when we arrived at our destination, we would encounter not a small group of Watchers, but a heavily armed Regular Army."

"We weren't prepared at all. Warren died on the spot, along with several of my squads. I barely made it out myself! Damn... I even suspect that the signal was a trap set by the Alliance from the beginning, and their intelligence system should at least take half the blame!"

That indignant expression didn't seem fake, as if he had indeed been seriously betrayed by his own people.

Watching this drama unfold from the trunk, the Medical Miracle couldn't help but marvel. Although it wasn't his turn to appear yet, he already had that feeling... like he was genuinely captured.

The soldier in charge stared fixatedly at Marik, and ultimately, the scale of trust and doubt tipped in favor of the former.

He waved his hand, and two soldiers wearing exoskeletons approached to inspect the SUV, then opened the trunk to reveal the guy tied up like a dumpling, struggling hard.

"Who's this?"

"An Alliance member," a sinister smile curled on his expressionless face as Marik spoke with a cold laugh, "I caught this unlucky bastard while escaping. Unfortunately, the pursuers were too close, so I didn't get a chance to pry anything from him."

By this point, the soldier on duty had basically believed his story.

He waved to the soldiers standing by the SUV, signaling them to take the prisoner away, before he looked back at Marik and continued.

"I just contacted the Ministry of Internal Affairs; they're surprised you made it back alive and probably have a bunch of questions for you."

Marik smirked self-mockingly.

"Looks like, in their eyes, I'm already a dead man."

"Don't think that way, brother," the soldier gave him a sympathetic glance and then looked at his raised hands, "Put your hands down, welcome home."

Marik lowered his raised hands, shook the soldier's offered hand.

When they released the handshake, the soldier suddenly pulled out a gun-shaped scanner and swept it across Marik's eyes.

If someone unfamiliar with the Enlightenment Society might mistake it for a handgun and overreact, thereby exposing their identity.

But Marik was too familiar with these procedures, these kinds of probes didn't faze him, they almost made him laugh.

"Do you believe me now?" Marik mocked as he watched the soldier fiddle with the iris scanner.

"Don't mind it, just routine," the soldier smiled, putting the iris scanner away, "Please follow me, Lieutenant Marik."

Marik casually inquired, looking at the prisoner being taken away.

"What about the prisoner?"

The soldier smiled and said.

"You don't need to worry about him, just leave him to us."

Marik reminded with a sentence.

"Make sure to interrogate him well."

The soldier sneered and said.

"Don't worry, we won't make it easy for him."

Watching that sneering expression, Zhuang Lan's heart skipped a beat, but she didn't plead for the prisoner.

Saying anything now would be redundant; it wouldn't help that Alliance friend and might completely ruin the plan.

She was now Lieutenant Marik, a Disciple of the Enlightenment Society, a current officer of the New People's Alliance, and the captain of the Scorpion of the Desert.

Without another word, she donned Marik's mask and walked proudly behind the guiding soldier, like a warrior defeated yet with honor, towards the entrance of the legendary No.13 Shelter.

At the same time, thirty-six thousand kilometers away from Earth in deep space, a silver-gray research ship was slowly passing through an asteroid belt composed of space station debris.

Those fragmented alloy structures stood silently like unmarked gravestones in a quiet cemetery.

Compared to the grand giant structures, the Academy's research ship resembled a child's toy.

Sitting in the pilot's seat, a hint of tension appeared on Jiang Xuezhou's face.

The deflection shield could block space debris, but nothing could be done about debris larger than the research ship.

Their luck wasn't great; just as they were about to reach their destination, they ran into this "debris belt" passing through synchronous orbit.

However, they had no time to wait for this debris to drift past; they could only grit their teeth and go forward.

Unlike Jiang Xuezhou, who was nervously navigating the edge of the giant structures.

Night Ten, in the co-pilot's seat, looked like a tourist, mouth agape in amazement at the grandeur of space debris outside the cockpit.

What he saw completely overturned his preconceived notions of space junk.

He had imagined that space junk was the size of cans, but instead, it felt like Moon-sized objects were right in his face.

This was an exaggerated statement.

The space station debris here couldn't possibly be as large as the Moon.

However, they were roughly the size of a couple of aircraft carriers.

The most advanced spacecraft from Earth looked like dandruff on a giant's head compared to this, and the "Eye of Humanity" here wasn't even comparable to some slightly larger debris.

Marvel!

Faced with the scene before him, Night Ten could only think of this word.

"Wow..."

Jiang Xuezhou glanced at him, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

She appreciated that admiring expression on his face the most.

"Dream City."

Night Ten looked at her puzzled.

"What?"

"Dream City, one of the miracle structures of the Prosperity Epoch," Jiang Xuezhou said as she operated the ship, "It's said to be a permanent space station with artificial gravity and day-night cycles... at least that's how the advertisement described it."

Night Ten scratched his helmet.

"That name sounds oddly similar to Ideal City."

Jiang Xuezhou smiled faintly.

"Isn't it possible that the name Ideal City was inspired by something from the history of the Prosperity Epoch?"

There were many similar situations.

For example, Yavente City.

In Vellante history, this settlement was named after a soldier who conquered it, but that doesn't explain why it was called Yavente City even before it was conquered by the Army.

According to the Academy's historical research, this settlement was actually named after a pre-war neighborhood, and the local survivors simply kept the old name for convenience. The supposed special meaning was just added by the Vellante.

As one of the major Survivor Forces on the Wasteland, Vellante's culture was, in fact, influencing United Human language.

Night Ten stared blankly at Jiang Xuezhou.

"...Is there such a theory?"

"Just a speculation, take it with a grain of salt," Jiang Xuezhou shrugged, "I heard many on the Pioneer bought Dream City's off-plan property as investors... because according to Dream City's business plan, this massive space construct would periodically cruise between Earth and Proxima Centauri."

Night Ten couldn't help but marvel.

"...That's freaking crazy."

Jiang Xuezhou nodded in deep agreement, her gaze returning to the deep space outside the cockpit.

"It is. But considering the era, graviton technology had already made significant breakthroughs, warp engine was sending larger masses farther, it wasn't strange for people to think that way. People in the Old Epoch were still dreaming of chemically-fueled rockets colonizing Mars, and they even almost succeeded, there's nothing laughable about it."

"Haha..." Night Ten chuckled dryly, feeling like he got caught in the crossfire for no reason.

Jiang Xuezhou, however, didn't notice his unusual expression, just took a deep breath and said in a calm tone.

"Inform your teammates to get ready..."

"We're almost there."

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