I built an armada.

When the news of the Eagle Tribe's 10 billion yuan bounty reached the Indian tribe, the entire cabinet meeting room instantly erupted in chaos.

The Indian king slammed his hand on the gold-rimmed conference table, making the crystal chandelier rattle loudly.

"Ten billion US dollars! That's enough to buy so much curry ingredients! This money must belong to us Indians!"

His small eyes widened as if he were looking at a pile of golden cow dung cakes. Defense Minister Singh, sitting below, quickly leaned forward, his greasy forehead reflecting the light under the ceiling fan.

"Your Majesty, don't we have accumulated quite a bit of 'core technology' in electromagnetic pulses? Although... cough cough, although our laboratory can't even solder a decent circuit board properly, we can still talk a good game!"

"Say it? How should I say it?"

The Indian king became interested, grabbed a curry puff and stuffed it into his mouth, asking indistinctly.

Singh chuckled, revealing two rows of teeth stained red by betel nut.

“We’ll tell the Eagle Tribe that our electromagnetic pulse weapon is even more powerful than Longxia’s! Its performance is completely superior! As for how to build it…” He lowered his voice, a hint of cunning in it.

"Doesn't the Eastern Wilderness Tribe have readily available precision processing capabilities? Let's just say we have the core technology, all we need is for the Eastern Wilderness to help us manufacture the core components!"
Anyway, the Eastern Wilderness is currently being controlled by the Eagle. If the Eagle gives the order, who dares to disobey? We'll profit from both sides, getting the Eagle's R&D funds and also getting the Eastern Wilderness's technology and labor for free. This deal is a sure win, Your Majesty!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

The Indian king was so excited that he slapped his thigh, and curry crumbs fell all over his glittering gold robe.

"Do it this way! Singh, contact the Eagle Tribe immediately and tell them that our Indian tribe's 'Shah Rukh Khan' electromagnetic pulse system is about to shake the world! Tell them to prepare the money!"

Eagle Village, Pentagon.

The chief had just hung up a debt collector's call and was feeling annoyed when his secretary handed him an encrypted communication request.

"Chief, it's Minister Singh from an Indian tribe. He says he has a major breakthrough in military technology that he wants to share with you."

"Ah San?"

The chieftain frowned, looking disgusted.

"Besides motorcycle acrobatics and generating electricity from cow dung, what other breakthroughs can they achieve?"

That being said, several days have passed since the bounty was posted, and apart from a few unknown small laboratories trying to extort money, no major tribes have responded. With nothing to lose, he still answered the call.

In the holographic image, Singh's fawning face almost filled the entire screen.

"Your Excellency, Great Chief! Good day! Our great Indian tribe has achieved a historic, epoch-making, and astonishing breakthrough in the field of defense technology, one that is enough to change the global strategic balance!"

The chieftain picked at his ear, looking a little impatient.

"Get to the point, Minister Singh. My time is very valuable."

He thought to himself, "These guys always start with such an exaggerated opening."

"The key point is that our independently developed 'Shah Rukh Khan' super electromagnetic pulse weapon system has completed theoretical verification and core module design!"

Singh was spitting and gesticulating wildly.

"Its peak power, effective range, and penetration efficiency far exceed any known system of its kind, including... well, including that thing from the Dragon Summer Tribe that gave you a headache!"

The chieftain, who had been leaning back in his chair, involuntarily leaned forward.

“Oh? Far surpassing Long Xia? Singh, you better not be talking to me about a Bollywood sci-fi script.”

His eyes held a scrutinizing gaze, but a hint of interest was clearly emerging. After all, while the Indians might be unreliable, they could occasionally glean some secondhand technology from the Russians or French; who knew, maybe they'd stumble upon something by sheer luck?
"It is absolutely true, Great Chief!"

Singh patted his chest to assure him, and the force he used sounded painful.

"We possess unique and revolutionary energy focusing technology and transient waveform control algorithms!"
This is absolutely unique on Earth! As long as funding is secured, a prototype will be available soon!

"funds?"

The chieftain keenly caught the key words, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

How many do you want?

"Not much, not much!"

Singh rubbed his hands together, looking like he was saying, "I'm very kind."

"Ten billion US dollars is enough for initial R&D funding! Once the prototype is out and its performance is verified, we can discuss the costs for subsequent mass production and exclusive technology transfer! We guarantee you'll get excellent value for your money!"

Ten billion? That's exactly the amount of the bounty he offered.

The chieftain began to have doubts.

He knew the Indian tribes' character very well; they were known for boasting without thinking. But what if they actually managed to find some valuable information from some obscure corner? Electromagnetic pulse defense was Eagle's Achilles' heel, and he couldn't let any possibility slip by.

"Singer."

The chieftain tapped his fingers on the table, making a soft, rhythmic sound.

"Words are meaningless. I need to see the technical details, the feasibility report, and for your scientists to provide a clear and convincing explanation! Otherwise, a hundred billion? You might as well save it to buy a few more sacred cows!"

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!"

Singh, as if he had been prepared, shouted at the person next to him.

"Dr. Shah! Quick! Come in! The Great Chief wants to hear your technical briefing in person!"

The holographic image shook for a moment, and a middle-aged man wearing a wrinkled white coat, with hair like a bird's nest and thick glasses squeezed into the frame.

He adjusted his glasses, trying to project the air of a scientist, but the panic in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"Your Excellency, the Great Chief."

Dr. Shaha cleared his throat, his voice trembling slightly.

“I am Shaha, the chief electromagnetic expert of the Strategic Science Department of the Indian tribes.”

The sophistication of the 'Shah Rukh Khan' system is mainly reflected in three aspects.

He began to recite haltingly, interspersed with a large number of technical terms that sounded impressive but were actually nonsense upon closer inspection.

"Based on a superconducting resonant cavity design using nonlinear topological insulators, combined with a plasma sheath instability model under quantum tunneling effects, we employed fractal geometry-optimized multi-band chaotic modulation technology to achieve adaptive chaotic coverage of the electromagnetic field in the target region. The core energy source utilizes a high-density energy storage matrix based on the principle of cold fusion."

Shaha spoke faster and faster, and his words became increasingly mystical, including terms like "spacetime curvature coupling," "vacuum zero-point energy extraction," and even "the divine power of Shiva."

He dared not pause, fearing that if he did, the chieftain's sharp gaze would see through him.

The chieftain frowned as he listened.

Although he wasn't a top scientist, as a tribal leader, he possessed basic scientific literacy. The words that came out of Shaha's mouth, taken individually, seemed familiar, but put together they sounded like gibberish, and the logical chain was completely broken.

It feels like someone built a model of the Taj Mahal with Lego bricks; it looks decent from afar, but up close it's just a mess.

“Wait, Dr. Shahar.”

The chieftain interrupted his rambling performance, asking coldly, "This 'cold fusion high-density energy storage matrix' you mentioned, as far as I know, hasn't even been fully successfully verified in laboratories worldwide yet, right? How did you solve the problems of unstable energy output and radiation leakage?"

Shah visibly choked, sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, and his hand trembled as he adjusted his glasses.

"This...this we've adopted a unique...uh...magnetic field confinement and...energy cycle feedback mechanism! Yes!"

"A revolutionary feedback mechanism! The specific details are top secret, please forgive me for not being able to go into detail here." He quickly brushed it off and jumped to the next topic.

Singh, who was standing to the side, was so anxious that he glared at her and quickly interjected.

"Great Chief! You see, what Dr. Shah said is all cutting-edge! Absolutely true and reliable! The technology is absolutely sound! The only thing holding us back from quickly implementing this technology is funding!"

"As long as the funding is in place, we can immediately join forces with the precision manufacturing capabilities of the Eastern Wilderness tribe to produce the core components! You know, the Eastern Wilderness's precision machining capabilities are second to none in Asia! With their cooperation, we'll achieve twice the result with half the effort!"

The chieftain narrowed his eyes.

He understood.

These Indian guys might have some cobbled-together pieces of technology, but they're completely incapable of independent research and development.

Their plan was to use these impressive-sounding terms to entice themselves to spend money, then use the Eastern Wilderness tribe as laborers to produce something of dubious origin to complete the task.

If they succeed, the credit goes to them, and the technology belongs to the eagle; if they fail, the money is already in their hands, and the eagle is the one who loses.

A classic case of getting something for nothing! And it's a wolf trying to ensnare his Eagle Tribe!
The chieftain knew exactly what was going on.

But he didn't expose it immediately.

Because there really isn't a better option right now. Longxia's technological barriers are too high; other major tribes either keep their technology hidden or their technology is inferior to that of the Eagles.

Although the Indians are unreliable, they are at least a potential breakthrough. What if, by any chance, they can actually come up with something useful? Or even if they can only create a usable imitation of a "repair module," it would still be helpful in the immediate crisis.

As for the 10 billion, the printing press will just start, so the money will come from somewhere else anyway.

"Dr. Shaha."

The chieftain adopted an expression that said, "I'm very interested," and leaned forward, putting some pressure on the other party.

"Your theory sounds very 'innovative'."

However, science requires empirical evidence.

Okay, you should first submit a detailed technical white paper and a feasibility analysis report. (Regarding the funding issue...)

He deliberately dragged out his words, watching Singh and Shah hold their breath in tension, and sneered inwardly before continuing.

"We can talk. The Eagle Tribe has never hesitated to support genuine technological advancements."

However, I want to see tangible progress, not just a bunch of fancy words. Understand?

"Understood! Absolutely understood!"

Singh was so excited he almost jumped up.

"Great Chief, rest assured! We'll report and prepare immediately! The most cutting-edge and detailed information! Dr. Shah will personally oversee the procedure! We guarantee your satisfaction!"

He could almost see those bright green US dollars beckoning to him.

Shaha nodded vigorously.

"Yes, yes! Great Chief! We have the best scientists in the world!"

I will certainly live up to your expectations!

Communication ended.

The chief leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. His secretary asked cautiously.

"Chief, do you really believe them?"

"believe?"

The chieftain chuckled.

"I believe they are obsessed with money."

However, even a mosquito's leg is still meat.

Let them and Donghuang do their thing. You keep an eye on things, and when the report comes, have the technical advisor thoroughly 'review' it. Also…

His eyes turned cold.

"Send an order to Noda Taro in the Eastern Wilderness, instructing them to 'fully cooperate' with the Indian tribe's electromagnetic pulse weapon development. I want to see what kind of show these clowns can put on."

He deliberately emphasized the phrase "fully cooperate".

Want to drag Donghuang down with them? Perfect, let these two restless guys wear each other down. Anyway, the money spent will eventually be squeezed back from them, many times over.

The next day, in the gilded office of the Eagle Tribe, the chieftain stared at the freshly printed document, still smelling of ink, entitled "United Measures to Counterbalance the Dragon Summer Tribe," a cold smile playing on his lips. On the document, the emblems of the Eagle Tribe and the Indian Tribe were stamped side-by-side with bright red seals, and a line of small print below stood out prominently.

"The Eagle Tribe will provide necessary financial support to the Indian tribe to accelerate the research and application of its electromagnetic pulse defense and attack technologies."

"King of India".

The chief pushed a copy of the document to the Indian king sitting opposite him, who was sitting upright but could not hide his excitement.

"We'll give you the money."

You guys handle the technology.

But let me make this clear: if the final product can't even extinguish a light bulb, then don't blame me for being ruthless towards your Indian tribe.

The Indian king's fat face was plastered with a fawning smile as he took the documents with both hands, as if they were sacred objects.

"Your Excellency, you can rest assured! The scientists of our Indian tribe are all geniuses blessed by Shiva! With your financial support, the 'Shah Rukh Khan' system will surely shock the world and make the Longxia tribe tremble in fear!"

He was already calculating in his mind: as soon as he got the money from the Eagle, he would first use half of it to fill his perpetually unfillable financial hole.

"However," Ah San Wang changed the subject, rubbing his thick palms with a hint of embarrassment.

"Chief, as you know, although our Indian tribe is full of talented people, the conditions of our laboratory are a little behind the times."

"Those high-precision core components, like the energy focuser and the superconducting resonant cavity, are time-consuming and labor-intensive to manufacture with our existing equipment, and they're also prone to defects. Do you think we could…?" He tentatively looked at the chieftain.

"Could we ask the Eastern Wilderness Tribe for a favor? Their precision machining technology is top-notch in Asia! Let them handle the manufacturing of the core components, while we take care of system integration and algorithm optimization. This way, it's the most efficient approach and we guarantee it won't delay your important matter!"

The chief didn't even lift his eyelids, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

He knew perfectly well what the Indian guy was up to: he wanted to get rid of the dirtiest and hardest work so he could just lie around counting his money. (End of Chapter)