Invasion of America

Chapter 146 Low-Altitude Sentinels
It was still a month ago. Kelly returned to Shanghai, intending to use the supply chain system of 'electric flight' to provide financial support to 'Holy Light', which was still in North America.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense would realize at this moment that the apocalypse presents enormous opportunities—many countries have completely collapsed, and as long as people have money, expanding territory is not a dream.

But if you're in or around 'Tokyo University', this dream doesn't exist—you have to look further afield; the best place in the world is North America.

It has a large area, abundant resources, and a good infrastructure.

Of course, many people are eyeing this lucrative opportunity, making the competition fierce. Without resources and connections, one can't really have an advantage.

Kelly came here seeking resources and support.

Just the day before she returned, Qiu Yongfeng, the general manager of 'Electric Flight' who remained behind, was still frowning.

General Manager Qiu was originally just the vice president in charge of procurement, which was a lucrative position in the company with good pay, but he didn't have much say in the matter.

But in the past year, his boss died, his boss's boss died, and his boss's boss's boss simply disappeared overseas. Qiu Yongfeng came to work with a heavy heart, feeling like he had taken over a mess.

In recent months, the primary task in China has been to reorganize production factors so that the surviving people have jobs, food, and money to spend.

Electric Flight is a research and development-oriented company, and all its products are manufactured by suppliers. However, the electromechanical product supply chain is fragmented, and even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients!

Kelly convened a company meeting, bringing together more than a dozen managers from headquarters, as well as the heads of suppliers, to discuss how to resume production and what to produce.
General Manager Qiu complained at the meeting: "China consumes 750 million tons of crude oil every year, and imports account for 550 million tons of that."

Currently, oil-producing regions in North America, South America, Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East are all in a mess, with crude oil imports completely disrupted.

It is said that domestic crude oil production is less than one-third of what it used to be, forcing coastal refineries to shut down.

The limited production capacity can only supply the military and key departments.

The idea is to complete the peacekeeping mission during the most difficult window of opportunity for Japan and South Korea; otherwise, if they wait six months to a year and allow these two industrialized nations to recover, the cost of peacekeeping will be ten or a hundred times greater.

Without crude oil, not only will the refining industry collapse, but the materials industry will follow suit. All our suppliers are not only short of manpower, but also of raw materials.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room nodded in agreement, and the supplier poured out his grievances, saying that the reality was even worse than he had imagined, and that he was suffering greatly.

“The whole world is in a mess right now, so don’t complain to me.” Kelly said calmly. “At least there is order here at ‘Dongda’, but there isn’t even basic order in North America.”

"The 'Holy Light' Group has the rights to produce and export weapons. Now, let's think about what we can supply to North America, even something rudimentary, but it must be delivered as soon as possible."

Next to Kelly sat a man with a buzz cut, who had also returned from North America. He was giving a brief overview of the current situation in North America on the projector, as well as the drastically degraded warfare model.

One supplier exclaimed in surprise, "Weapons? We've never made weapons before."

Another supplier was very interested, saying, "Actually, manufacturing weapons isn't difficult. For example, firearms can be produced in any machining workshop."

Kelly shook her head. "There is no shortage of firearms and ammunition in North America. Almost every member of 'Holy Light' in North America has ten guns, and they are seizing more and more."

We need more high-tech gadgets, like small guided bombs airdropped by 'Warthogs,' and guided weapons that can be used by individual soldiers or vehicles.

The suppliers were now at a loss, because Kelly's requirements were something they had never considered, and everything had to be done from scratch, which was quite difficult.

The first meeting only resulted in a few basic cooperation agreements.

For example, 'Holy Light' can merge and invest in several companies, re-recruit employees, purchase several high-speed transport ships, and hire enough crew members, even foreign ones.
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The real solution will have to wait for Lao Xiao to return and bring Kelly some definite good news.

"The higher-ups said they would fully support 'Holy Light's' survival in North America. They can provide some flexibility to address our current predicament."

As Xiao Jinlang spoke, he operated the projector, and a PPT appeared on the screen. "First of all, the higher-ups can provide us with some suitable equipment, such as this 'Low Altitude Sentinel' system."

The screen clearly showed a retractable electronic mast mounted on a military truck, about twenty meters high, with a small phased array radar at the top that could scan flexibly.

Below the mast is a small container powered by a diesel generator. Inside the container, dozens of loitering munitions are arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern, reminiscent of swarm warfare.

Kelly asked with a hint of doubt, "What's this for?"

"We are outnumbered, so we like to use drones and low-altitude aircraft to deal with others, but we also need to guard against others using the same tactics against us."

This is a low-cost anti-drone system independently developed by an aerospace research institute. It employs both infrared and optical guidance, and can effectively strike low-speed flying targets such as helicopters, and even possesses a certain ground attack capability.

“This looks good,” Kelly said.

Xiao Jinlang smiled awkwardly and explained, "The army doesn't like it, thinking that this 'jack-of-all-trades' seems to be able to handle everything, but in reality, it's not proficient in anything."

In particular, it lacked the ability to conduct high-intensity combat in complex electromagnetic environments, so it wasn't selected. After failing to win the domestic bid, this model had to turn to the export market.

But forget about exports for now; the bidding company simply gave us their only testing system along with all the design and production data.

Finally, Lao Xiao lowered his voice and said, "The other company said that this system is positioned as low-cost and uses the mature 1553B data link."

Its technical threshold is not high, the entire system weighs only a dozen tons, and it can be easily transported by two trucks. Private enterprises also have the production capacity.

They're not looking for profit; they just want to recoup the R&D costs and ensure no loss of state-owned assets. If we need improvements, they're willing to cooperate actively—it's like making friends.

Kelly knew nothing about military matters, and had no concept of so-called "state-owned assets." She cut straight to the point and asked, "How much are they asking for?"

"Not many, they are all mature existing products and technologies, only two 'small goals' in total," Xiao Jinlang replied.

“Dollar?” Kelly confirmed.

“Of course it’s RMB, the US dollar is worthless these days,” Xiao Jinlang said with a smile.

“Too expensive, cut it in half.” Kelly demonstrated her keen business sense by instinctively haggling.

After a moment's thought, Lao Xiao replied, "It seems feasible. After all, it's a project that failed in the bidding. The aerospace institute should be happy if they can recover some of their costs."

The next day, Kelly summoned the suppliers of "Electric Flight" and asked them if they could produce the "Low Altitude Sentinel".

After carefully studying the technical documents, one supplier said in bewilderment, "Low cost? This thing is not low cost at all."

Its backup battery is required to be able to start up at any time within ten years. Given our current usage environment, this requirement is completely unnecessary.

Another supplier frowned and pondered, "Why does this loitering munition have to use a small rocket engine? Can't a piston engine be used?"

It's the kind of two-stroke engine used in motorcycles. It's cheap, produced in large quantities, simple to manufacture, and doesn't require much fuel. The only drawback is that it's not very convenient to use and isn't very fast.

Some suppliers also raised questions: "Does the guidance chip have to be military-grade? I know that military-grade chips are definitely more resistant to interference, but who would interfere with this thing now?"
Are civilian-grade chips not acceptable?

At worst, we can use two main control chips to cross-verify the target information. Military-grade chips can cost tens of thousands of yuan each, while civilian-grade chips only cost a few hundred.

These suppliers of private enterprises may not be experts in other areas, but they are all experts in cost reduction.

"The projectile body is just an aluminum alloy cylinder, right? Can't we use stainless steel? Roll it up and weld it. We have an automatic welding machine; it's very fast." "The projectile fins are just a thin metal sheet, right? Can we use tinplate? Anyway, it's a disposable consumable; I guarantee it won't break within six months."

"Does an optical camera necessarily have to use synthetic sapphire? Resin glass does have poor light transmittance, but for a cheap product, why pursue such high performance? Wouldn't it be better to just produce in large quantities?"

"Is it necessary to guarantee normal operation in extreme environments ranging from -55 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees Celsius? Let's narrow the range to -20 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius."

"The range doesn't need to reach 30 kilometers; 20 kilometers is enough. At worst, we can develop two models, one with a range of 15 kilometers and the other with a range of 30 kilometers, and use them together."

Just one hour later, the researchers from the institute who came to deliver the data and cooperate with the improvements were already covered in sweat.

His proud "low-cost" loitering munitions, in the eyes of these shrewd private business owners, still have huge "room for price reduction".

The loitering munition, which originally cost tens of thousands of yuan per unit, has been completely transformed after some "modification". Its technical level has dropped by a level, its production difficulty has also dropped significantly, and its unit price has dropped by a zero.

One supplier even stated that this was a quote for 10,000 pieces, which is considered a small "customized" order among private enterprises.

If the order reaches 100,000 units, he's confident he can halve the price again. As for a million... he can't imagine who could consume such a massive number of loitering munitions in the apocalypse.
The researchers at the institute shook their heads helplessly. "No, no, your modifications are equivalent to starting from scratch. Going through all the procedures would take at least two years."

Kelly shook her head decisively. "I'll give you a maximum of two weeks for research and development and testing. Production must begin in two weeks, and delivery to North America must be completed within a month."

"Two weeks?" The researcher looked at the beautiful yet assertive foreigner in disbelief. "Two weeks isn't even enough time to develop a preliminary plan."

“Isn’t this already planned out?” Kelly pointed to the proposal that had just been discussed on the table. “We don’t have time to waste. If you can finish the design within a week, that would be even better.”

The researcher was completely stunned.
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Several supplier owners were more pragmatic. They carefully considered the technical documents and Kelly's requirements, and one of them took the lead in suggesting:
"A week is indeed too tight, but if we go all out, it is not entirely impossible to complete the initial research and development and testing within two weeks."

This loitering munition is essentially a specialized drone, with its core components being nothing more than a camera, servo wings, and a control motherboard.

China has a considerable reserve of technical personnel in the field of drones, and a wide variety of mature flight control solutions.

We can find a way to recruit four or five hundred experienced technical personnel in a short period of time, and then break down the research and development tasks in detail and carry them out simultaneously.

Another supplier chimed in, "We can also prepare the materials immediately. The initial production volume will certainly not be too high."

However, if resources are concentrated, it is entirely feasible to produce several hundred or even a thousand usable loitering munitions within a month.

"Four or five hundred people?" The researchers at the institute were stunned again when they heard this number.

Their original R&D team consisted of only thirty or forty people at most, half of whom were leaders in charge of administration and management. The number of people who could actually devote themselves to the front line of R&D was very small.

If we can recruit hundreds of engineers with actual R&D capabilities, we can indeed significantly shorten the R&D cycle.

He couldn't help but ask, with a hint of probing, "Does your 'Holy Light'... not lack funding?"

Kelly nodded with absolute certainty, “We not only have ample funds, but also resources and connections that you can hardly imagine. This project will inevitably be led by our ‘Holy Light’.”

The researcher's eyes flickered, and he gritted his teeth and said, "If you really have such strong connections, then you wouldn't need to go to the trouble of recruiting so many people from outside."

Why not simply pull out those people in our institute who have actual R&D capabilities and form a temporary task force to give them their all?

This is, after all, a low-speed aircraft, so the flight control system will not be too complex. It is even possible to produce a small batch of a few dozen by hand and test them simultaneously, which can greatly reduce the development time.

Our institute has considerable technological reserves; it's not entirely impossible for us to produce a barely usable prototype within two weeks.

The facts soon proved that the relationship with the 'Holy Light' could indeed be described as "connecting heaven and earth".

Under the guise of "maintaining peace and stability in North America," Lao Xiao not only quickly recruited a group of people willing to serve 'Holy Light,' but also obtained considerable strategic resources.

Even fuel, which had become extremely scarce in the apocalypse, had a stable, rationed supply.

The luxurious Gulfstream 650 private jet parked at Shanghai Airport was also urgently towed away for a "slimming" modification.

All the non-essential comforts, such as the luxurious leather chairs, spacious double bed, exquisite mini-bar, and even the private bathroom with sky view, were ruthlessly removed.

To minimize the aircraft's weight.

After some modifications, this private jet, which originally had an internal load capacity of less than three tons, was increased to more than four tons.

With its amazing long range, Lao Xiao personally led half a platoon of "crewboys" and a group of technicians to Los Angeles again.

This established a fragile yet precious air route between the distant "Eastern University" and the perilous North American continent.

At the same time, Kelly also began to "buy" high-speed tankers and large cargo ships, intending to build her own transoceanic transportation fleet—calling it a "buy" was actually equivalent to taking possession without compensation.

The port was filled with unclaimed ships, some drifting alone on the empty sea, and some even fully loaded with various supplies, yet no owner could be found.

If enough crew members can be found and the necessary fuel can be raised, a giant ship worth hundreds of millions or even billions can be taken over.

In order to quickly recruit experienced crew members, Kelly offered a very tempting deal: for every ship they successfully control, the crew would receive 80 percent of the ship's shares.

Only 20% of the 'Holy Light' was retained.

Despite the extreme shortage of manpower, Kelly miraculously acquired seven or eight ships of various sizes in just half a month, successfully establishing the 'Holy Light Logistics' in its early stages.

In the process of controlling these ships, 'Holy Light' unexpectedly gained an extra "income".

When General Manager Qiu reported to Kelly, he mentioned: "Vice President, our people encountered a roaming Mexican force while searching the Port of Los Angeles."

The other party became very excited after learning that we were from the 'Holy Light'.

Their leader claimed to control several supertankers, each weighing hundreds of thousands of tons, and hoped to exchange these tankers for supplies with us.

Mexicans? Supertanker?
Before the apocalypse, the United States was the world's largest oil exporter, exporting more than 200 million tons annually. It is not entirely impossible that Mexican forces did control supertankers in the United States.

Meanwhile, domestic crude oil inventories have run out, and many refining companies have been forced to shut down for maintenance or even production due to a lack of raw materials.

Against this backdrop, as long as a stable supply of crude oil can be obtained, there is no need to worry about sales.

"The leader of that Mexican group is named Cervantes. He said he used to work under President Zhou and knows you," General Manager Qiu added.

Kelly had no recollection of Cervantes, but Xiao Jinlang confirmed his identity and readily agreed to his request, willing to exchange the resources controlled by the 'Holy Light' for the precious crude oil.

Cervantes even offered to provide a team of experienced Mexican crew members to safely navigate the tanker to the port where the "Dongda" was located.

But he made one condition: 'Holy Light' must first provide them with a batch of urgently needed supplies, otherwise they are on the verge of collapse.

(End of this chapter)