Nestor Corporation entered a phase of secret preparation, represented by an expansion of production capacity.
More Synthetic Humans were being manufactured, and now Nestor Corporation already had over 3,500 Series B "Sharp Pawn" Synthetics and 700 Series C battlefield support Synthetics.
Supporting this formidable production capacity was a secret warehouse, code-named "Black Gate Base," where the logistics department extracted minerals. It was set up on a remote mountain and connected to Nestor Industrial Park by a newly constructed large highway.
"Black Gate" was comprised of a massive freight station, storerooms, and bottomless warehouses. There were no accompanying mines, yet it continuously produced ore, as if conjuring valuable minerals from nothingness.
Staff involved in transport were informed of the mysterious rules. Robots stationed in the warehouse were responsible for loading tons of materials onto vehicles, while the human staff were charged only with driving these vehicles away, supplying the factories with raw materials.
They were not to enter the warehouse, nor was it wise to discuss where the materials came from. They just needed to arrive on time to drive the vehicles, delivering copious amounts of purified water, vegetables, meats to designated storage facilities, and then cart away countless silicon, magnesium, aluminum, and iron-titanium ores to the smelters for material processing.
They also transported a large amount of rare earths from Black Gate Base, from which costly rare metals could be extracted, materials that could make the performance of Synthetic Humans even more superior, and which also fetched high prices on the market.
It was estimated that this mysterious warehouse provided Nestor Corporation with raw mineral materials worth 250 million in funds every month, enough to sustain them through an entire war.
As for where it got its minerals, only Wei Shiyue knew for certain. As a senior practitioner of Moonlight Rituals, she was aware that a massive teleportation gate linking to the lunar surface was hidden deep within Black Gate Base.
Could it be that the company had formed a deep collaboration with the Moonlight Dragon Clan? It was almost like a Transcendent Alliance.
Thinking of her siblings laboring, Wei Shiyue found it amusing. Those Dragon Princes, Dragon Princesses, and other inferior Dragon Kind were working in the mines on the Moon.
It was also worthwhile. After all, the Moon was a lonely place, and without some physical labor, one would often die of boredom. Moreover, the food traded to the Dragon Clan by Nestor Corporation also helped the newborns to grow safely into adulthood without having to fight each other over limited food output.
So... such a powerful alliance would not stop at mere Anjiu City.
"The real war is about to erupt," said Wei Shiyue on her visit to Farosa, "I want to contribute as well."
War. Farosa found it interesting.
She often thought of humans as ants and bugs, but now the immense power they amassed together also surprised her.
There were wars in the Middle Ages too. Lords conscripted peasants from villages, who then marched through the countryside in lines stretching like snakes. But modern warfare far exceeded the past, larger in scale and more brutal in form. Advanced technology could obliterate a city of millions in half an hour.
"You want to join the war? What about your performances?" Farosa sat beside a round table with an excellent view, leaning back in a golden chair, clad now in a white sleeveless dress shirt and black trousers.
Lila was right there beside her, her attire similar to Farosa’s but with an added white coat, lending an especially solemn atmosphere to the meeting for Wei Shiyue.
"More profitable than performances," said Wei Shiyue crisply, "If we can defeat New Xisheng Group, their trillion-level resources will be ours. Hmm... wait, where’s the boss?"
"Setting up the signal pathways outside," Lila stared out at the landscape, "As soon as the corporate war erupts, connecting the various troops’ signals becomes a priority. There’s also the deployment of protective devices to withstand electromagnetic attacks on the city."
"I can assist in arranging the military plans." Wei Shiyue had extensive military experience and knew well the tactics of corporate armies.
"Let’s hear your insights," Lila looked to Wei Shiyue, activating a display board.
"I thought you were a barbarian," observed Farosa with interest. Who could believe that the weapon of choice for a Moonlight Princess was a huge axe?
"Our troop size is very small, we don’t even have missiles, only suited for rapid incursions," Wei Shiyue circled four military airports on the outskirts of Shangjing, "So we must seize these air force bases immediately. If those advanced space shuttles take off, we’ll be dead without a grave."
"Farosa will personally clear out the NCER Nuclear Arsenal." Lila marked a spot near Akasumi City in Yulong District, "Du Qianqian will provide support there, and the ground troops will subsequently take full control, neutralizing it or even converting it into our strategic resource."
"There was a Battle Witch in that base, so I had her leave first, so she wouldn’t get mixed up in the piles of corpses," said Farosa.
"And I will take on their navy." Wei Shiyue drew an arrow pointing to Shangjing Military Port, "I’ll use my dragon form’s Moonlight Flame to burn their ships to cinders."
"The Super-Sized Rat will randomly blow up one of the enemy’s space motherships using the Grand Electromagnetic Rule," Farosa said offhandedly, "Taking down the one closest to us from the sky."
"After containing their aerial forces, an army composed of Synthetics and land forces will advance from the ground," Lila drew a huge red arrow pointing directly at Shangjing Headquarters, "Those previously sent to Silla have all been called back, Kong Tai and Seeking Shadow will join the battle."