After designing two main forces—one for internal defense and the other for field combat—Su Wu turned his attention to a 750mm rocket.
Following the principle of prioritizing firepower above all, Su Wu realized he still lacked a weapon capable of decisive strikes.
The tactical nukes mounted on his micro mech fit the bill, but their quantity was limited—once used, they couldn't be replaced. By comparison, the largest known 750mm rocket became the optimal choice.
Considering Su Wu's primary enemies were confined to the Jianghe City area, it wasn't necessary to replicate the rocket's full range. He decided to significantly reduce its range and retain only its destructive warhead.
This adjustment would cut the rocket's weight to about 650 kilograms, maximizing material savings.
"For large enemy formations, the heavy artillery units will suffice."
"This rocket can be equipped with specialized bunker-busting warheads to target large-scale refuges, breaching their defenses and paving the way for robotic dog ground units and drone clusters."
After defining the operational role of the 750mm rocket, Su Wu decided to limit production to three units.
Though incredibly powerful, the rockets posed maintenance challenges and required substantial resource expenditure. Furthermore, even in the most intense battles, opportunities to deploy such a weapon would be rare.
There was no need to overproduce them.
And if unforeseen circumstances arose, Su Wu could always rely on the tactical nukes in his micro mech as a backup.
With the rocket design finalized, Su Wu shifted to routine defense improvements.
These included arming the base car's firepower towers with complete weaponry and constructing hidden automated turrets and firing platforms.
Though these adjustments consumed minimal resources, their impact wasn't dramatic—they merely bolstered the base's self-defense and anti-air capabilities.
The production of thousands of war machines suddenly overwhelmed the manufacturing center on the second underground floor and the newly operational processing plant on the seventh floor.
Thanks to the fivefold productivity boost from the processing plant, a robotic dog or a courier-class drone rolled off the line every three minutes, and a 150mm self-propelled howitzer was completed every two hours.
Meanwhile, with low-end tasks delegated to the processing plant and medium-level tasks handled by CNC machines, the advanced 3D printers focused solely on producing chips. This left ample time to fabricate special parts and tools as needed.
"The manufacturing center needs additional assembly arms to fully free up the engineering robots."
"And we'll need a powder factory on the seventh floor."
Surveying the 3D map of the refuge, Su Wu began addressing inefficiencies.
Given the refuge's current scale, many high-level tasks required the attention of engineering robots. Assigning one to assist in assembly tasks at the manufacturing center was a waste of its capabilities.
Replacing it with mechanical assembly arms would be far more economical.
Likewise, the refuge's growing arsenal necessitated the construction of a dedicated powder factory to meet the increasing demand for ammunition.
However, with modern powder incorporating numerous rare materials, building such a factory would intensify resource pressure. Sooner or later, Su Wu would have to find ways to optimize costs and increase resource efficiency.
"Step by step. Everything is going well—all I need now is time."
Sitting at the control console, Su Wu watched as the two existing ground combat clusters and the drone cluster stationed in the farmhouse refuge completed their upgrades.
These units had become Su Wu's first professional military force.
One by one, assistant robotic dogs rolled off the production line, joining the ranks of engineering and construction robots, significantly enhancing their efficiency.
At the same time, the first section of the multi-story parking facility on the sixth underground floor was nearing completion and becoming operational under the efforts of construction robots.
Amid this flurry of activity, Su Wu felt a surge of vitality within the refuge, akin to the boundless energy of a rising sun.
However, unleashing this potential would still require time.
On August 15, the day after Su Wu's return, temperatures on the surface dropped significantly, falling from over 60°C to around 50°C.
This temperature was remarkably close to pre-apocalyptic conditions.
Meanwhile, surface radiation also began dissipating, a change that, coupled with the cooling temperatures, prompted more refuges to dispatch vehicles to collect resources and trade with others.
Some smaller refuges, having depleted their reserves due to unforeseen circumstances, took this opportunity to relocate entirely, joining nearby mid- to large-sized refuges or official refuges.
The Lemon Refuge under Su Wu's control welcomed a small refuge that had fled en masse.
Su Wu provided these refugees with relatively spacious accommodations and substantial material assistance.
In exchange, their former refuge would become a new outpost under Su Wu's sphere of influence.
Su Wu planned to deploy armed forces and production equipment there to establish a large-scale hydroponic farm, boosting vegetable and grain output.
On the same day, as more people began venturing out to the surface, filling it with a semblance of vitality, the leader of the Jingyuan Refuge publicly accused Su Wu's refuge of rampant looting and wanton violence in recent months.
The leader filed a report with the official refuge, alleging that Su Wu was manufacturing weapons, spreading chaos, and committing numerous atrocities. They called for Su Wu to be captured and brought to justice.
Soon after, the Jingyuan Refuge dispatched large convoys to liaise with
other mid- and large-sized refuges, aiming to form an armed mutual aid alliance.
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