Planet of Sand and Oasis of Iron

Chapter 61 61. There was a kind of beauty that just ran errands and heard the explosion of the initial village
Seifer had imagined many times in his mind what a shocking scene the weapons-making workshop would be like.

For example, the molten metal slurry will be shaped in the mold, the flying sparks will spread throughout the factory, and weapon parts will rush from the ends of each assembly line to the conveyor belt.

A sophisticated robotic arm will select the best of them, and on a workbench interwoven with countless pipelines, a large and exquisite prototype will emerge, gleaming with inorganic light...

Sadly, none of these images exist.

The data in the drawing was read out, and the color of the entire drawing immediately faded, becoming no different from a piece of straw paper.

The green-haired girl took out two long strips of memory, gave one to Seifer, and took the other one behind the window, inserting it into the device embedded in the wall.

As she operated the machine's complex panels and knobs, as well as the somewhat advanced-looking touch screen, Seifer heard some rumbling noises coming from inside the vehicle.

The Dust Mercenary Base boasts a variety of convenient features, the most notable of which is the "Automatic Printer," which can print weapon spare parts in addition to special materials.

Simply put, as long as they have the data, they can even consume supplies to print out refined mercenary weapons. Brand-new weapons can also be sent to specialized craftsmen for fine-tuning for mercenaries.

As for what the special materials are...

"All the materials in this blueprint are very simple. I need to learn more about the structure... As for the important part, that extra-long firing pin, luckily we have a smelting furnace and a zero-gravity workshop in our car."

The green-haired girl finished the settings and jumped back to the window, asking Cypher to wait for a few hours for printing. During this time, she was bored and took Cypher's gun to observe it for a few seconds.

"It's a nice gun. You haven't maintained it for a while?"

"I used it very carefully, so it should be fine."

"Don't say should! Weapons also have personalities and will choose their users. If you don't treat the weapon well, it will bite you hard when necessary."

It sounds like the idea that everything has spirits. Although Sefer used to burn incense and chop off chicken heads when turning on the machine, that's all superstition, right?

"Look at you! The joints are no longer secure, the barrel hasn't been oiled, and you didn't even clean out the sand after you were done shooting! It didn't explode now, it must be because you didn't fire during the day."

Cypher just sat there, head down, listening attentively... and to be honest, it's not that he doesn't know how to maintain his weapons.

The weapons in this world are all designed with dust and extreme temperature environments in mind. To be honest, there really isn't much of a problem if you use them a little.

But it's like going to the hospital and being sick all over. For a weapon craftsman, anything that's not in perfect condition is a problem.

Getting the other party's diagnosis for free is a huge profit no matter how you look at it.

As she spoke, she actually opened the toolbox and disassembled the weapon with swift movements, placing the parts on the table in different categories.

Watching her adjust and maintain the equipment carefully, Seifer turned on the communication and whispered, "See? This is the self-awareness of a weapon craftsman. Do you want to learn from it?"

Lin Shenxue wrote angrily, "I'm a senior mechanic. Don't let me step out of my comfort zone unless you pay me!"

"Hmm... That's right. Then you can continue to be a mechanic. Remember to learn burst reload and quick reload."

'? ? ? '

The three question marks represent doubt, suspicion, and despair.

But Cypher no longer cared about her—the green-haired girl wiped the entire gun until it was shiny, then picked up the melee weapon that could quickly and briefly eject particle beams, and thought about it for a moment.

"This one... doesn't seem to have any major issues. But it looks like some privately made replica, probably miniaturizing the weapons."

"Machine?"

"Yes, the ones in our hangar are equipped with such weapons. They are particle generators that can directly melt high-strength special steel with just a hit. Those have real high-power output."

The girl shrugged and pushed the two with some difficulty in front of him. "You mercenaries are all different. Some of you love your weapons like your wives. Others just want them to be useful."

"I don't care." The girl finished her work and immediately sat down in her chair with a sluggish look, completely different from when she was working: "There are still several hours left...it's almost dawn..."

The printing speed of the vehicle-mounted weapons factory was quite slow. Seifer took the weapons on the table while she wasn't paying attention and said goodbye politely - she waved her hand and continued to lie there indifferently.

"Whatever. If you have any weapons or something that needs modification or upgrades, you can come to me. I can give you a discount... depending on my mood."

Forget it then.

When the sun rose again, Seifer had returned to his car, while the mercenaries around him had either returned to the city long ago or parked their cars somewhere nearby, waiting for the night to come.

The Dust's communications officer said the requested weapon had been manufactured and was undergoing final adjustments. He then emphasized that it was very heavy and advised against using it lightly, etc.

You haven't even given me anything, so what's the point of talking about precautions here?

While I was choosing words and forming sentences, Lin Shenxue suddenly visited the control room. She came in with one hand on her waist and handed over the tablet.

"As expected, I have assembled an automatic fire control turret for you. Come and take a look."

Putting aside what he was doing, Seifer followed her to the 76mm gun position on the outermost deck. After confirming that the fire control module was functioning normally and that the in-vehicle controls were perfectly compatible, Seifer nodded with satisfaction.

"Very good. It seems that the title of senior mechanic is not fake...You can continue with the next one and come to the restaurant later."

When she heard about the restaurant, Lin Shenxue's eyes lit up.

She quickly ran back to the cabin where she was tinkering with things, while Cypher moved to the dining room, picked and chose in the storage, thought for a moment, and decided to make a normal dinner for the two current occupants of the vehicle.

As soon as I walked over, I saw Dr. Mei sitting in the restaurant with his chin supported on his hand, and the work board in his hand seemed to be constantly flowing with words.

Seeing him coming, he said directly: "I have good news to tell you. Our communication with the edge node city has been cut off."

"……what?"

"Don't you understand? Let me put it another way. Simply put, all external connections of the Edge Node City have been cut off."

She spoke in a tone of voice, as if discussing something else. "The second communications array was interfered with, as was the first. Now only the array inside the city is probably still functioning normally."

"Let's assume the worst. The city should be in chaos by now. If nothing unexpected happens, my researchers should have met with an accident."

Cypher took a long time to organize his words, then spoke with some delay: "Aren't you... worried?"

"Half of those people are spies from a certain company. Of the remaining half, three are undercover agents of the Sand Reform Association. Two are planning to switch to I/O Enterprise soon. The last one is a student whose thesis I rejected and who often curses me behind my back."

"I'm just a colleague under contract with them, why should I worry?"

At this point, Dr. Mei changed the subject: "You might want to worry about your friends in the city. But there's no point in worrying now. Why not have a meal?"

As he was speaking, Sefer's personal account moved and one hundred yuan was transferred into the account.

Dr. Mei continued to support his chin: "Here's the money."

The only thing left to do now was to eat. Seifer turned around to prepare the ingredients and seasonings, and while doing so, he contacted Laika. Unexpectedly, the moment the call was connected, Laika spoke first.

"Red Crossbow, the communication with Edge Node City has been blocked. Are you... not inside?"

"I was lucky, so why did those people take action a whole day in advance? I don't quite understand."

Maybe because Dr. Mei was too calm, Sefer was also implicated and very calm. He chopped the chicken calmly as if he was chatting about family matters.

There is really no rush.

(End of this chapter)