I built an armada.

But time is indeed of the essence. Long Xia's electromagnetic pulse weapon is like a Damocles' sword hanging over his head; he won't be able to sleep soundly until it's dealt with.

Having Donghuang, a subordinate with strong precision manufacturing capabilities and who is also obedient, do this job is indeed the optimal solution.

"can."

The chieftain finally spoke, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

"I will put in a good word with them in the Eastern Wilderness."

but."

His sharp gaze swept over the Indian king.

"Your Indian tribe must pay the Donghuang tribe the production costs of the core components on time and in full!"

Not a penny less! I don't want to see you take my money and then deduct wages from Donghuang, causing unpleasantness for all three parties and delaying the important business!

"That's natural!"

"Of course!"

While patting his chest and making assurances, the Indian king was already plotting how to delay and deduct money from the payment process.

"Great Chief, rest assured, our Indian tribes are the most trustworthy! We will pay the Eastern Wilderness every penny due! We guarantee they will operate at full capacity to produce the core components quickly and efficiently!"

The chieftain snorted, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Indian credibility? That stuff is like holy water in the Ganges—take it with a grain of salt.

However, with his words as a deterrent, the Indians didn't dare to go too far.

He picked up the encrypted phone on the table.

"Bring me the Eastern Wilderness Tribe, Noda Taro."

In the Prime Minister's residence in the Eastern Wilderness Tribe, Noda Taro had just finished dealing with a wave of elderly people protesting the reduction in pensions. His voice was almost hoarse from shouting, and he was drinking ice water to soothe his throat when the red dedicated phone on the table rang shrilly.

He jumped in surprise, almost spilling water on his expensive suit.

This ringtone represents only one place—Eagle Village, the Pentagon!

He hurriedly grabbed the receiver, his voice instantly becoming incredibly respectful, and he unconsciously bent his back.

"Moshi Moshi! Your Excellency, Great Chief! I am Noda Taro! What are your instructions?"

On the other end of the phone, the Great Chief's voice carried its usual commanding tone, concise and to the point.

"Noda, listen. We've reached a cooperation agreement with the Indian tribes to jointly develop a new generation of electromagnetic pulse weapons to counterbalance Longxia."

The Indians will handle the technical framework and system integration; the precision manufacturing of core components will be left to your Eastern Wilderness tribe.

Noda Taro's eyes lit up the moment he heard that!
This is fantastic news! We can cling to Eagle Daddy's coattails, make money, and most importantly, it's tripping up the Dragon Summer Tribe! We'll do anything to annoy Dragon Summer!

"Hi! Hi!"

Noda Taro's voice rose with excitement.

"Thank you for your trust, Great Chief! Our Eastern Wilderness Tribe will do our utmost! We guarantee to complete the manufacturing of the core components with the highest precision and the fastest speed! We will not let you down!"

"Ah."

The chief was fairly satisfied with his attitude.

"The Indian side will coordinate with you on the specific drawings and requirements. Remember, ensure quality and quantity, and deliver on time."

Regarding the money, the Indian will settle the accounts with you directly.

"Yes! I understand! Please don't worry!"

Noda Taro bowed repeatedly to the air, as if the great chieftain were right in front of him.

No sooner had he hung up on Eagle than another encrypted phone rang.

This time, the screen displayed the area code for the Indian tribe. Noda Taro straightened his tie, cleared his throat, and answered the phone with a barely perceptible air of superiority. After all, he was now working for Eagle Daddy, so his status was naturally a little higher than that of the smooth-talking Indian.

"Moshi moshi! Your Majesty the Indian King, I am Noda Taro."

On the other end of the phone, Ah San Wang's enthusiastic voice came through, with a curry-scented English accent.

"Oh my! Prime Minister Noda! It's an honor to meet you! The Great Chieftain has already spoken with you, hasn't he? Our two tribes are now close partners! For our common goal—to counterbalance Longxia! Haha!"

Noda Taro echoed with a forced smile.

"Yes, Your Majesty the Indian King."

His Majesty the Great Chief has instructed us to cooperate fully.

"So, when can you send us the drawings and technical requirements for the manufacturing of the core components? That way, we can arrange the production line as soon as possible."

"Drawings? Requirements?"

The Indian king chuckled.

"Prime Minister Noda, please don't worry! We're doing the final sorting and encryption of the blueprints and technical documents, and we'll be able to send them over very soon! However..." He changed the subject, his tone becoming somewhat "shy."

"Regarding the deposit... what do you think?"

Noda Taro's heart skipped a beat, and the smile on his face instantly froze. Good heavens, he wants money before even starting the work? Does he think he's a philanthropist?

"Your Excellency, the King of India."

Noda Taro's voice turned cold.

"According to international practice, for the contract manufacturing of such large equipment, the client is required to pay a certain percentage of material procurement deposit and start-up capital in advance."

Our Eastern Wilderness tribe is world-renowned for its precision manufacturing capabilities, but raw materials, equipment debugging, and overtime work all cost money. You can't expect us to advance the funds, can you? Chief Eagle himself said that the costs will be settled directly between you and us.”

"Oh dear, Prime Minister Noda, you've misunderstood!"

The Indian king quickly explained, his tone so sincere it was almost as if he were swearing an oath.

"It's not that we don't want to give it! It's just that the R&D funding promised by the Eagle Tribe is still going through the process and hasn't arrived in our account yet! As you know, the financial approval process on the Eagle Tribe's side is extremely complicated!"
Our Indian tribe is tightening its belt on research and development right now; we're really strapped for cash! How about this? As soon as the money from the Eagle Clan arrives, I'll personally oversee the transfer of the deposit to you immediately! Absolutely not a penny less! I swear on the name of Mother Ganges!"

Noda Taro listened to the Indian king pounding his chest loudly on the other end of the line, but inwardly he cursed. The name of Mother Ganges? What's that worth? The credibility of the Indian tribes was notoriously like Schrödinger's cat in the political arena of Earth—you never knew if it even existed!

Asking the Eastern Wilderness to advance the funds? That's too risky! What if the Indians renege on their debt, or the Eagle isn't satisfied with the finished product? Who will we ask for the money back? The Eagle Chieftain only said the Indians would pay, not that he would cover it! "Your Excellency, King of India."

Noda Taro remained unmoved, his tone resolute.

"Without a deposit and without blueprints, we cannot start production."

This is a matter of principle. Please understand. Or, could you ask His Majesty the High Chief to act as guarantor?

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone; clearly, Ah San Wang hadn't expected Noda Taro to be so difficult to deal with.

Just then, a hurried voice came from the background—it was Defense Minister Singh!
He had clearly been listening in the background, and now he disregarded etiquette, leaning right up to the microphone and speaking rapidly.

"Prime Minister Noda! Prime Minister Noda! Please don't panic! I'm Singh! I have some fantastic news to tell you!"

Noda Taro frowned.

"Minister Singh? What good news?"

He wondered to himself, what tricks are these Indians up to now?
Singh's voice was incredibly seductive, like offering candy to a child.

"Prime Minister Noda! Think about it, once our 'Shah Rukh Khan' system is successfully developed, who will be the first to be equipped with it? Of course, it will be our two closest partners!"

We, the Indian tribe, solemnly promise that after the system completes testing and is officially deployed, we will prioritize deploying our most advanced 'EMP protection solution' in the key military facilities and important cities of the Eastern Wilderness tribe!
This is a super shield capable of withstanding Dragonxia's electromagnetic pulse weapons!

Noda Taro's breath hitched when he heard the words "EMP protection plan" and "priority deployment"! Defend against Longxia's electromagnetic pulse weapon? Isn't this exactly what he fears and desires most right now?

The crushing defeat in the last naval battle, and the terrifying weapon that silently crippled his entire fleet in Longxia, remains a haunting nightmare for him! If he could truly receive priority protection, the safety of the Eastern Wilderness Tribe would be greatly enhanced!
The temptation is too great!
Singh keenly noticed the silence on Noda Taro's end of the phone and knew there was a chance, so he quickly increased his bet.

"Prime Minister Noda! Think about it, Ryusha's electromagnetic pulse weapon is like a sword hanging over our heads! With our protection plan, you can rest easy!"
This concerns core national security interests! Compared to the safety of the tribe, what is more important—a mere deposit? Our Indian tribe considers you our most reliable ally, which is why we are willing to share the priority deployment rights for this core protection technology!

Noda Taro's heart pounded, and his blood rushed to his head. His fear and hatred of Longxia, and his extreme desire for the tribe's safety, instantly overwhelmed any remaining sense of risk. Deploy a defensive plan first!
This is a godsend! With this, Noda Taro's prestige in the Eastern Wilderness tribes will reach its peak!

Those troublemakers who marched and protested, wouldn't they have to shut up?
"Minister Singh, are you telling the truth?"

Noda Taro's voice was somewhat hoarse, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

“It is absolutely true! I swear in the name of Brahma!”

Singh spoke with unwavering confidence, but inwardly he was gloating. What EMP protection plan? It wasn't even close to being implemented! He was just making empty promises to fool Donghuang first!

Noda Taro took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and his voice suddenly rose.

"Good! I believe in the sincerity of His Majesty the King of India and Minister Singh! For our great cause of fighting against Longxia, and for the safety of the Eastern Wilderness tribes!"
We'll help you with this! Our Eastern Wilderness tribe will immediately begin manufacturing the core components! The production line will be ready right away! Please send the blueprints and requirements as soon as possible! As for the deposit…” He gritted his teeth.

"It's not too late to pay after the Eagle Tribe's funds arrive!"

"Hahaha! Prime Minister Noda is indeed a man of great principle! That's satisfying!"

The loud laughter of the Indian king came from the other end of the phone.

"Drawings and requirements, immediately! Send them out right away! It's a pleasure working with you! This is to keep Longxia in check!"

"A pleasure doing business with them! All for the purpose of keeping Longxia in check!"

Noda Taro responded loudly, and after hanging up the phone, he slammed his fist on the desk, his face flushed with excitement, and roared at the empty office.

"Long Xia! Just you wait!"
"Let's see how you die this time!"

He was completely unaware that he had been fooled by a worthless check and had willingly jumped into the trap set by the Indians.

Deep within the Dragon Heart Laboratory of the Dragon Xia Tribe.

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, but inside, the lights were bright. Guo Xueyun carried a thermos and hurried through the buzzing experimental equipment area, her brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

She pushed open the door to Su Dingping's office, and a strong smell of coffee mixed with the smell of sweat hit her.

"Dingping!"
It's 3 a.m.! Don't you care about your life?!

Guo Xueyun looked at the figure behind the desk who was almost buried in piles of blueprints, feeling both heartache and anger.

Su Dingping had lost a lot of weight, his eyes were sunken, and he had a stubble beard. Only his eyes were still incredibly bright, like burning stars.

"Sister Xueyun, just wait a little longer, it'll be done soon." Su Dingping replied in a hoarse voice without even looking up, his fingers flying across the keyboard as the printer next to him spat out sheets of paper filled with complex lines and formulas.

Guo Xueyun placed the thermos on the table with a "thud," the lid popped open, and a rich aroma of ginseng soup wafted out.

"Almost done? You've been saying that for three days straight! Look at you, you could be blown away by a gust of wind! Hurry up and drink this soup!"

Without saying a word, she shoved the soup bowl into Su Dingping's hands.

Su Dingping reluctantly raised his head, took the bowl, and forced a tired smile.

"That was quick. The last few parameters of the core components will be locked soon."

He gulped down several mouthfuls of hot soup, and the warmth seemed to invigorate him a bit.

"Oh, right."

Guo Xueyun pulled up a chair and sat down, a gloating smile on her face.

"Just received news from 'Operation Red,' and it's quite interesting. The Eagle Tribe and the Indian Tribe have made contact!"

Su Dingping paused, holding the soup bowl, and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? They can actually get together? Isn't Chief Eagle arrogant and haughty?"

Who knows!

Guo Xueyun scoffed.

"The Eagle offered a reward of 10 billion to purchase electromagnetic pulse technology, and the Indians immediately jumped out and said they were almost done with it, and that its performance would even surpass ours! The Eagles actually believed them!"

The two groups even signed some ridiculous "joint counterbalance to Longxia" document. The Eagle provides the money, the Indians provide the labor, and I heard they even got the Eastern Wilderness tribes involved to build their core components! You tell me, isn't this like a turtle eyeing a green bean—they've hit it off?!

"Pfft!" Su Dingping couldn't help but almost spit out the ginseng soup in his mouth. He quickly wiped his mouth, shook his head and laughed.

"The Eagle Tribe is grasping at straws in their desperation."

What level are the laboratories of the Indian tribes? They can't even build a decent model of controlled nuclear fusion, let alone develop electromagnetic pulse weapons that surpass ours. They probably can't even properly manufacture a magnetron with stable output.

"Who can argue with that!"

Guo Xueyun laughed so hard she nearly fell over. (End of Chapter)