The commander felt a wave of surprise at Sanjay's demands. He had expected the camp behind Sanjay to request assistance in destroying a robot facility, undertaking an extremely dangerous mission, or something similarly risky. Instead, they wanted blueprints of their weapons.
The request puzzled him. The weapons weren't entirely new; over the years, the resistance had developed a few new models and improved older ones by reverse-engineering machine army guns and salvaging what they could at their weapon manufacturing facility. But Sanjay's request wasn't for weapons in bulk—it was for blueprints and a few samples.
"Why do you need blueprints and samples? These weapons shouldn't be too difficult to manufacture," the commander asked, unable to grasp the reasoning.
"I'm not sure, Commander. I was simply informed of this demand," Sanjay replied with a straight face.
"Are you certain you don't need weapons in bulk for your camp?" the commander asked again, seeking clarification.
Sanjay nodded firmly.
The commander scrutinized Sanjay's expression. If Sanjay was so certain, and if the camp had sent only him to negotiate, then this must indeed be what the camp wanted. But why? Perhaps their scientists were researching new weapons and wanted to gather as much data as possible. Who could say?
Instead of overthinking, the commander decided to focus on his own priorities.
"Alright, we'll share the blueprints and a few samples of every weapon we have in our arsenal. But you must uphold your end of the bargain," the commander said in a strong tone.
Sanjay nodded in agreement.
They spent hours discussing the terms and finally reached a mutual agreement. Sanjay would handle the entire transportation process of delivering the medicine to a secure location near the camp, while the commander's soldiers would collect the supplies and bring them to the camp.
When the commander asked why Sanjay couldn't deliver the medicine directly to the camp, Sanjay avoided the question but insisted on this arrangement. The commander accepted, as the most dangerous aspect—transportation between camps—would now be Sanjay's responsibility. The commander only needed to transport the supplies from a nearby location, which was relatively safe.
The blueprints and weapon samples would be delivered directly to Sanjay's apartment within the camp. The commander agreed to this, recognizing it as a favorable deal with minimal risk.
As for the quantity, the commander requested one million medical bags.
Hearing this, Sanjay internally sighed, realizing he would become a factory again. He agreed to the quantity but explained that the delivery would be made in batches every week. Since this was a high-risk operation, he also demanded fifty thousand points for each successful delivery.
The commander nodded in approval. Though fifty thousand points was a substantial amount, it was a fair reward for the significant risk Sanjay was undertaking by traveling between camps.
After signing the contract, the two shared a meal. On the table were some bread and an unknown animal soup. Observing this, Sanjay asked if they needed MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat) as well, mentioning that he had a few samples.
Hearing this, the commander perked up, recalling that Sanjay had mentioned they also manufactured food. Sanjay pulled a few MRE packets from his bag and showed them to the commander.
The commander was astonished. The MREs included chili with beans, spaghetti with meat sauce, chicken curry, and tuna or salmon pouches with heating options. He was even more shocked by these than by the medicine. In this era, due to nuclear war, soil and water were heavily contaminated with radiation.
The resistance had been forced to use greenhouse technology to grow limited crops underground in clean soil, and even then, only a few vegetables could be cultivated. The idea of farming chicken and tuna was unthinkable. Their facility must be far more advanced—and larger—than his own camp, he thought.
The commander quickly signed another deal for one million MREs, also to be delivered in batches. He agreed to the same payment of fifty thousand points per delivery. If these MREs were cost-effective to produce, the camp could use both the medicine and the MREs for years.
As a human, Sanjay didn't want to see his fellow humans suffer under the tyranny of machines, so he decided to provide the MREs as a small gesture of help to make their lives a little easier.
Sanjay had initially wanted to sell health potions instead of the medical bags, but he worried that such a unique product would raise suspicions about his alias and potentially lead to interrogation. That would jeopardize his mission and might even result in punishment from the system for revealing his identity.
After the meal and bidding farewell, Sanjay returned to his apartment. He had a massive task ahead of him. He needed to produce one hundred thousand medical bags and one hundred thousand MREs for the first batch within a week.
Once inside his apartment, Sanjay settled on the couch and began production. Each medical bag cost him ten units of mana to create due to the complexity of the medicine inside, while each MRE required only two units of mana.
Prioritizing the medicine, he first created a soundbox, played some upbeat music, and took a deep breath. With one hand, he began creating the medical bags, while the other hand brewed mana potions to replenish his energy as he worked.
Five days later, he finally completed the production of one hundred thousand medical bags and one hundred thousand MREs. Over time, his mana consumption decreased—from ten units per bag to one unit, and for MREs, it became almost negligible. Except for brief breaks to eat and use the bathroom, he remained on the couch, even producing items in a half-asleep state.
After finishing the assignment, Sanjay took a long shower and immediately went to bed. He was mentally exhausted from the sheer effort of creating so many items. Hugging his pillow, he fell into a deep sleep.
Twenty hours later, he woke up feeling slightly refreshed. However, his work was far from over. He needed to find a secure location to transfer the supplies and hunt a few machines. Otherwise, he feared his ranking might drop to E or F.
After dressing and packing all the items into his storage pouch—which could hold up to one hundred cubic meters and was weightless—Sanjay stepped out of the apartment, ready to tackle his next challenges.
A few minutes later, Sanjay stepped out of his apartment with his newly purchased Xeom automatic rifle. He hadn't tested it yet, so he decided to try it out and see how effective it was—whether it was worth the investment.
On foot, he left the camp and headed toward a nearby city about five kilometers away. This seemed like a good spot to conduct his tests. The area was desolate, with no humans nearby, only an android patrolling in the distance.
Sanjay took out the automatic rifle and aimed at the android from two kilometers away, using the rifle's advanced magnifying scope. He wanted to observe the damage it could inflict and ensure he could retreat quickly if needed—his last encounter with machines had left him traumatized.
He pulled the trigger, firing multiple rounds at the target. The shots hit accurately, and after taking multiple hits, the android collapsed to the ground. Sanjay was astonished. He hadn't used a sniper or any specialized equipment, yet the rifle delivered precision shots from such a long distance and was powerful enough to damage the titanium body of the android.
The rifle's rate of fire was also impressive. It could release at least one hundred rounds in two to three seconds, far surpassing the M4A1 carbine, which could fire only thirty rounds in the same time frame. Its bullets were slim and crafted from some unknown material, adding to its lethality.
After confirming through the magnifying scope that the android was down, Sanjay relocated to a different area. He encountered another android and once again tested the rifle, firing a few more rounds before moving five kilometers further to avoid detection.
Next, he tested the sniper rifle—and was utterly shocked. The sniper could hit targets with pinpoint accuracy from a distance of ten kilometers. The advanced scope was capable of clearly viewing objects up to twelve kilometers away.
The sniper scope also came with additional features. It could scan for any moving entity within its twelve-kilometer range and distinguish between humans and machines. The scope could even detect targets behind barriers such as walls or trees, functioning almost like a radar for locating hidden enemies. This feature was likely developed by the machines to identify humans but had been repurposed by humans to detect machines.
Sanjay was especially impressed by how accurately it detected humans. The scope could identify human targets by sensing their heartbeat. He witnessed this firsthand when he spotted a team of humans moving in a particular direction.
The biggest surprise, however, was the rifle's silence. Despite breaking the sound barrier, neither the automatic rifle nor the sniper rifle produced any audible noise due to their construction from some unknown material.
It was almost as if the laws of physics had been defied. However, Sanjay speculated that rather than breaking physics, humans had possibly discovered new principles. Unless someone stood within five meters of the firing radius, no sound could be heard.
This technology was undoubtedly developed by humans to operate stealthily against the machines. Sanjay realized how invaluable it could be on his journey to climb the tower. He resolved not to sell all the advanced technologies he had acquired.
Finally, Sanjay tested a grenade. The grenade came equipped with a timer and could be toggled between EMP and fragmentation modes. This versatility made it an extremely useful tool.
Satisfied with the technology of this world, Sanjay felt he had gained more than he had hoped for—especially the human detection and silent firing systems.
In the meantime, he also searched for a secure location to use as a warehouse, finding a small cement factory with an empty warehouse five kilometers from the camp. Using the sniper scope, he verified that there were no robots within a ten-kilometer radius.
He unloaded all the medical bags and MREs into the warehouse. After carefully arranging everything and double-checking the inventory, he left the location.
By now, the sun was beginning to set, and it would be night in about two to three hours. Sanjay hurried back to the camp and thankfully arrived just in time before nightfall.
He headed straight to the military camp and attempted to enter the commander's office but was stopped by the guards on duty.
Sanjay requested the guard to pass a message to the commander: the requested supplies had arrived and needed to be transported to the base as soon as possible. After relaying the message, he returned to his apartment to rest.
After Sanjay arrived at his apartment and settled onto the sofa, the doorbell rang. As he expected, the two soldiers who had previously invited him to the military camp were standing at the door.
They saluted him first, a gesture of respect. The commander had informed them that Sanjay was a soldier and had also briefed a few of the top officers about his role. Everyone was in awe at the sheer scope of the mission—transporting tons of medicine and MREs over hundreds of kilometers of dangerous roads.
Regardless of the benefits they might gain from the weapons blueprints, the risks seemed overwhelming. To ensure their own safety and preparedness, they had discreetly tracked Sanjay's movements when he left the camp earlier that morning. However, aside from killing a few androids and moving between locations, he didn't appear to do anything unusual.
What Sanjay didn't know was that his every action had been monitored live throughout the day. Observing his speed—faster than most cars—some scientists concluded that it was beyond human capability. A few even speculated that the other camp might have developed genetic enhancement drugs to push human limits.
Their suspicions deepened when they saw him casually carrying the thirty-kilogram sniper rifle without breaking a sweat. The commander briefly considered approaching Sanjay to negotiate for whatever enhancements or technology he might be using, but he dismissed the idea. They had nothing to offer in exchange.
He reasoned that if the other camp wanted to share such advancements, they would approach their camp directly—just as they had done with this current deal.
Later that day, when the officers were informed that the supplies had already arrived, they were utterly shocked. How had the items been delivered? When had it happened?
The delivery had taken place right under the army's nose, without anyone noticing. They couldn't comprehend how Sanjay had communicated the requirement or coordinated the delivery. Someone must have transported the items days ago, and Sanjay had likely only gone to verify their presence.
This realization left the officers feeling uneasy. The other camp's capabilities were clearly far beyond their own. However, some officers found solace in the thought that such a powerful and well-organized camp still existed—it gave them hope in their fight against the machines.
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