Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 58 58. These outputs must be accompanied by something, right?

There is nothing much to say about pure blocking and defensive operations, especially tower defense battles to see who can last longer.

As a special unit that is more flexible, more fancy in its movements, and can withstand dozens of G-forces when the body quickly dodges or charges, Cypher must have killed more things than others.

Although... everyone has no worries about running out of ammunition due to the unknown logistics mechanism.

But unfortunately, the enemy units came like a tide, and the defense line continued to shrink, like a snow cake being eaten by endless ants.

The defenders are like the black sesame seeds on the snow cake. If they are not careful, they will be eaten away by ants and become completely motionless.

If it weren't for the vision, the mercenaries would have been frightened and started trying to retreat - fortunately, it was a vision, and they fought bravely until only the last soldier was left.

In the distant sky, a familiar whistle seemed to be faintly heard, but Cypher, whose body was already riddled with holes, just sighed, "What kind of battle is this that is bound to be lost?" and detonated his body's energy, allowing himself and the surrounding monsters to fly into the sky together.

This is also an experiment to confirm whether his metal body is consistent with other mercenaries and whether it will be discriminated against by the vision.

If so, then I can't die in the vision, otherwise I will lose my body for nothing. If not... then wouldn't it be a huge profit?
The mystery was solved, and Sefer, who was sitting back on the motorcycle, looked the same as before and was not discriminated against.

"Wow...what a weird experience. I feel like after playing in the vision for so long, you'll subconsciously think death isn't that scary, right?"

Tien propped herself up on one foot, then lifted the frame. After checking the storage compartment, she raised an eyebrow. "Oh? It's a blueprint. Interesting... But I can't use it. How about the missile I gave you earlier, my signature weapon?"

"It hasn't been made yet, I don't know."

Seeing her take out the reward, Sefer fumbled around on his body for a while, and finally found a blueprint... Is the reward for this vision a design drawing?

This kind of design drawing is not just a blueprint. It is a picture on the surface, but after being extracted by professional equipment, it can clearly and comprehensively release the production process and detailed data.

The downside is that it can only be extracted once, so be prepared to burn the data.

What Sefer got in his hand was a set of iron nails that looked like they were wrapped in a metal structure. No one knew what they were used for.

The blueprint that Tien got was of a familiar multi-barreled machine gun, but it clearly stated that it was not a vehicle-mounted weapon, nor a weapon for human use.

It's a weapon specifically designed for specialized combat units. Currently, there are only blueprints, no crafting stations or materials, so the best option is... to sell it.

Some mercenaries have weapon and equipment production modules in their bases. While traveling between cities to complete missions, they are responsible for upgrading or making weapons for others.

Cipher's car... didn't have one. Unless he could upgrade the car body again and remove some of the internal compartments to fit the forging compartment in.

"If you think it's a pity, I have a way."

While sending him back on his motorcycle, Tien suddenly said, "There's a mercenary who recently left the company and started working on his own and ran away nearby. If you're interested, you might consider looking for him."

"However, my personal advice is not to go out on a motorcycle. That guy and his crew have very strange tempers and will not take you in for the night."

This setting sounds quite impressive. Cypher asked, "Do they specifically provide other weapons for mercenary companies?"

"That's not the case. He roams the desert doing things for money. You can pay him to do something for you, but that's about it."

"If you provide the vision blueprint, he will give you some feedback depending on the value of the blueprint. However, this guy with quirks naturally has a weird temper. Be careful not to break up with him if you look for him. It doesn't matter. I haven't looked for him." Tien said a lot of things in a row, parked the motorcycle near the parking area, and signaled him to stay where he wanted.

Before leaving, he reminded him to check the mercenary support system and then left.

Back in the car, Seifer found relevant commissions about Edge Node City in the support system - there were a lot of them, most of which were official commissions from I/O companies, and some even covered more than Edge Node City.

Some mercenaries have begun to arrive gradually to accept the commission, but since they cannot move during the day, it will probably take them a long time to arrive.

The fundamental reason why I/O companies issue commissions so blatantly is to force their opponents hiding in the dark to make a quick move and consume the resources in their hands.

Otherwise, once a steady stream of mercenaries arrives and the supplies needed by the edge node city are delivered to complete the city defense upgrade, it will be difficult for them to have any hope of occupying it.

And it cannot be done under the name of the company behind it... After all, this kind of behavior itself cannot be made public.

As long as no one knows which company it is and who is holding the controlling stake behind it when the company is occupied, the companies that are united on the surface will not tear each other apart - after all, their union still has value.

When I contacted Leica and told her that I had just experienced a very bad vision, her voice was a little shaken.

"You said you'd contact me once you entered the vision, but you only thought of the contact after you came out of it, Red Crossbow?"

"I just dropped in on the way, and the fight was so intense that I didn't have time to communicate with others... Anyway, the fault is mine, so please help me check something."

"Humph."

Obviously unhappy, Leica asked after a while what the information was.
"The local city defense gave me some very interesting news..."

When I told Leica about the mercenaries roaming the ground and making their own weapons, she let out a soft "hmm" and answered without even looking up any information.

"You mean the Dust Squad? They have more than one mobile base."

Leica said with interest, "As a mercenary force, after leaving the Phantom Mist Group, they upgraded their mobile bases individually or in workshops in various cities, visiting mines, refineries, and areas where anomalies appeared."

"I almost never accept missions from the mercenary support system, and I live purely on trades with other mercenaries... But I have a very good reputation among mercenaries."

It’s fine if they have a good reputation, but is their only interest in making weapons and equipment?
"You're right. If they're hanging around and you happen to have time, I recommend you go meet them and exchange contact information... What they build is often the same as what we build at the company, and some are even innovative."

"But most importantly, their weapons have no serial numbers or identification codes, meaning they are 'ownerless' weapons. They are very suitable for mercenaries who are truly carrying out 'unspeakable' missions."

...It sounds a bit outrageous, but considering that anyone in this world with a little money will consider setting up a company, it is not that outrageous.

So after thinking for a few seconds, Seifer said that since there was news that this strange mercenary group was nearby, why not go and find them now? Maybe he could immediately strengthen his armed forces.

Leica searched the system, gave him the location, and emphasized, "Make sure you bring enough money. Otherwise, equipment that can be traded will also do. 'Dust' takes these very seriously."

"And don't mess with them... These guys are really armed to the teeth. They're scary."

Then I really have to go and take a look - apart from anything else, such a valuable blueprint might have miraculous effects.

(End of this chapter)