Make money by hiding in the interstellar battlefield!

After a full day of travel, the team finally arrived at a point 200 kilometers north of Seven Rings City. The core responsibility of the mecha squad is armed protection; road construction and fortification building are the work of the engineering team. As the nominal squad leader, Jian Sheng's final decision on all garrison and engineering control must be approved before execution.

After landing, everyone immediately began setting up a temporary camp. Marcus proved to be an invaluable asset; without requiring a single instruction from Jian Sheng, he methodically deployed various tasks, including patrols, water source exploration, and camp site selection, acting efficiently and comprehensively. As night fell, the heads of each department gathered in the temporary tent for a working meeting, chaired entirely by Marcus.

At the start of the meeting, Marcus specifically asked Norman, the head of the construction company, to report on the project's progress: "This road construction project is approximately 50 kilometers long. How long will it take to build the temporary fortifications and complete the first phase of road paving?"

Norman pondered for a moment before replying truthfully: "This is already on the edge of the city-state's controlled area, making the transportation of supplies extremely inconvenient. We must first build a temporary fortress and solidify the security line before we can begin road paving. The two projects will take approximately four months in total."

"No, we can only give you 70 days at most." Marcus's tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. "The team's deployment period is only 75 days, and they are only responsible for guarding the construction of the temporary fortress and the first phase of the dirt road foundation development. They are not responsible for long-term security tasks."

It's important to understand that the construction of a standard reinforced concrete military fortress typically takes eight or nine months; the first phase of road paving, limited by the long-distance transportation of cement, building materials, and stone, takes even longer than a year. As a high-end combat force, the mech squad cannot be tied up in civilian infrastructure construction for an extended period. Their core mission is merely to assist in building temporary fortresses and clearing out threats from the surrounding intelligent beasts. Subsequently, the city's defense forces will take over the garrison, and the engineering team will then construct the formal military fortress around the temporary one.

The road construction was also carried out in stages. First, a barely passable dirt road foundation was created, reinforced with crushed stone, and then, depending on the supply of materials, a cement mixing plant was built to pave the road with cement. Only after the infrastructure was completed could mining operations officially begin, at which time additional security fortifications for the mining area would also need to be constructed. This was a systematic project with interconnected steps, and from mineral discovery to formal production and transportation, it typically took no less than two years.

"Vice Captain Marcus, 70 days is far too tight. Even if we build a simple wooden temporary fortress, it will take at least 80 days," Norman said urgently, looking troubled.

"You'll have to figure it out yourselves. The transfer order is non-negotiable. Once the 75-day period is up, the team must withdraw immediately. Whether you bring in laborers from Seven Rings City or find another way is none of the team's business." Marcus's attitude was firm and uncompromising. Norman's construction company, although not directly affiliated with the George family, had its supply chain entirely dependent on the George Group. Their interests were intertwined, so they could only handle things officially and dared not argue too much.

They then connected with the city garrison. Of the 100 garrison soldiers who accompanied the expedition, 50 will remain to garrison the site permanently after the formal military fortress is completed. The team leader belongs to the George family, given the deep ties between the discoverer of the nickel mine and the George Group. Therefore, the city garrison is particularly proactive: "To address the manpower shortage, we will allocate 20 soldiers daily to assist the construction team in building the temporary fortress, ensuring the preliminary infrastructure is completed within 75 days."

"Over the next three days, you must complete the selection and deployment of outer firing positions. The mech team will simultaneously sweep through the intelligent beast tribes within a 5-kilometer radius to completely eliminate any potential security risks in the surrounding area," Marcus quickly added, his instructions clear and organized.

There were also officials from the Seventh Ring City Urban Planning and Development Department in the conference room. Most of them did not belong to the nine major families and were relatively fair in their dealings. The official in charge was named Larry.

"Larry, the team will begin clearing the forest from the east tomorrow. You can send two technicians to accompany them to conduct an on-site survey before finalizing the overall infrastructure plan."

Throughout the meeting, Marcus arranged all tasks meticulously and systematically, while Jian Sheng remained seated at the head of the table, silent and composed. Only after the meeting ended did he slowly rise, speaking calmly: "Now that all arrangements are clear, everyone should perform their duties and implement them immediately."

That night, Jiansheng returned to his makeshift tent, only to find that Lin Zhizhi and Bai Sheng were nowhere to be seen. He muttered to himself, "Where have those two troublemakers gone off to again?"

He wasn't too worried about their safety. Lin Zhizhi's Libra mecha wasn't at the camp, and with Bai Sheng, that clever little devil, keeping an eye on them, ordinary star beasts couldn't possibly harm them. But he waited in the tent for a full four hours, until late at night, before finally seeing the Libra mecha return to the camp under the cover of darkness. Bai Sheng was curled up on the mecha's shoulder, fast asleep, his little head drooping, his little paws still tightly gripping the mecha's outer shell.

Jiansheng stepped forward, his face showing some anger: "Where did you run off to? You didn't even say hello."

"I've gone to scout out the movements of the star beasts around the camp," Lin Zhizhi said lightly as she jumped off her mecha.

"Why wasn't the reconnaissance mission reported in advance? What useful information could you possibly gather by venturing alone into the dense forest in the middle of the night?" Jian Sheng's tone hardened, tinged with reproach. But then he suddenly remembered that during the Southern Valley team competition, Lin Zhizhi had followed Lin Lan deep into the forest and accurately located the hideout of the Wise Beast Tribe. He had always been curious about what special abilities Lin Zhizhi possessed that made her Lin Lan's secret trump card, but he had never asked her directly—everyone has their own secrets, just like the patch system in his brain, which he would never reveal to a second person until his death.

Lin Zhizhi smiled slightly, then her expression turned serious: "This forest is very strange."

"What's strange about it?" Jian Sheng's heart tightened.

"I explored 20 kilometers to the east and didn't find a single intelligent beast along the way, which is very unusual."

"You mean, the intelligent beasts voluntarily withdrew from this area?"

"I can't be sure either."

"I hope so, but something is definitely amiss if things are not going well. We must increase patrols in the coming days and not let our guard down!" Jian Sheng solemnly instructed.

The following day, half of the mech team was deployed to conduct area reconnaissance. Due to limited manpower, they could only advance in one direction at a time, strictly controlling the search area to a radius of 5 kilometers. Sure enough, just as Lin Zhizhi had said, after a week of meticulous investigation, there were no traces of any intelligent beast activity in the entire area. The team finally breathed a sigh of relief, and their tense vigilance was relaxed.

While the number of ordinary star beasts on Mother Nest Star is enormous, most of them are low-intelligence creatures with no proactive aggression, much like herbivores on the grasslands, and they will not provoke humans. Intelligent beasts, on the other hand, are completely different. They are the original rulers of this planet, having evolved super-powerful attack capabilities through genetic mutations. They possess extremely high intelligence, understand teamwork and tactical coordination, and are the most deadly threat to humans on Mother Nest Star.

According to historical records from the Mech Officer Academy, the total number of intelligent beasts on the Mother Nest continent exceeds 500 billion, with the evolution speed of high-level intelligent beasts being even more astonishing. When humans first arrived on this land 70 years ago, most intelligent beasts did not possess the formidable offensive and defensive capabilities they have today. It was through long-term battles with humans that they underwent targeted mutations, evolving claws capable of piercing steel, strong acids that corrode metal, deadly poisons, and even their combat tactics have been constantly iterating and upgrading.

Fortunately, humans are confined to the edge of the continent, and the intelligent beasts are still in a stage of tribal fragmentation and internecine struggle for supremacy, failing to form a unified fighting force. The threat posed to Seven Rings City by individual or small groups of tribes is still manageable. However, the large-scale raid on the southern valley last time proved that king-level intelligent beast tribes have emerged around Seven Rings City and have begun to coordinate attacks with other intelligent beast tribes. This is the core reason why Seven Rings City is accelerating its development beyond its territory—it must fully enhance its military strength before the intelligent beasts launch a large-scale joint attack, supplement its industrial system by developing various minerals, and mass-produce C-level mechs to lay the foundation for the subsequent development of B-level and A-level mechs.

Humanity's greatest current predicament is a severe population shortage. After 70 years of development, Seven Rings City has a total population of just over 300 million, with its birth rate stagnating for years. The city-state may soon introduce new policies to incentivize childbirth: previously, a reward of 1 Blue Crystals was given for each son and 5000 Blue Crystals for each daughter; the new policy will adjust this to a reward of 2 Blue Crystals for both men and women. A new city will be built in the southern valley, providing newlyweds with free detached houses, abandoning the oppressive walled village structure of Six Rings City, and replicating the architectural style of old Blue Star. All military defenses will be built outside the city, with the valley entrance guarded by the main Seven Rings City legion, significantly improving security.

Without the interference of intelligent beasts, the construction team's infrastructure progressed by leaps and bounds, and Jian Sheng also witnessed the complete process of developing the outer region of the Mother Nest Star for the first time up close.

Workers operated heavy machinery to fell towering trees, clearing large areas of land. Engineering machinery then crushed the tangled tree roots and excavated the foundation. The felled trees were stripped of their bark, and their roots underwent carbonization for preservation. After being neatly cut and stacked, the walls of the temporary fortress were constructed by assembling four to five trees, each over 1.5 meters in diameter, side-by-side. In just two months, a giant wooden fortress rose from the ground. Although made of wood, its walls were thick and sturdy enough to withstand attacks from ordinary star beasts. The city's defense forces quickly deployed machine guns, cannons, and other defensive fortifications on the fortress. Once completed, road construction immediately began, following the same process as clearing the camp: felling trees, breaking up the wood, leveling the land, and laying a gravel roadbed.

For more than two months, Jian Sheng and Lin Zhizhi had a particularly leisurely time, without having to participate in high-intensity battles. Occasionally, they only needed to venture into the forest to hunt and improve the camp's meals. The most carefree one was Bai Sheng, who seemed to have found its kind in this primeval forest. It went out late and returned early every day, and was rarely seen. Jian Sheng almost never saw it.

The weather was fine that day, and the two went hunting again. After confirming that there were no intelligent beasts threatening them, they wore only their regular combat uniforms and did not pilot their mechs. They only brought a "Reaper" rifle, which Lin Zhizhi carried on her shoulder, while Jian Sheng had his hands in his pockets, looking like a hands-off boss supervising the work.

Jian Sheng always harbored a certain apprehension towards the primeval forests of Mother Nest Star. The ground vegetation here could grow several meters tall, and arthropods over ten meters long often crawled past his feet. Although they were all herbivores, their appearance, resembling giant centipedes, still made him feel uneasy. But Lin Zhizhi and Bai Sheng were completely different. The two of them entered the forest as if they were back in their own backyard. Bai Sheng flapped his translucent secondary wings, darting lightly through the forest at low altitudes, while Lin Zhizhi moved nimbly, traversing the tangled tree roots with incredible speed, always able to pinpoint the location of her prey immediately.

"Brother, we've spotted a group of herbivorous dome-shaped beasts ahead!" Lin Zhizhi suddenly stopped, lowered her voice, pointed to the dense forest ahead, and her eyes lit up.

The Dome Beast gets its name from the hard, regularly round bony armor on its head. It is adept at attacking by violently ramming its head. Adult individuals are 6 to 7 meters tall and weigh three to four tons. The meat of one Dome Beast is enough to feed an entire 500-person team for two days.

Jian Sheng stepped forward slowly, his gaze fixed on the distant herd of beasts, and whispered, "Are you confident you can kill them with one shot? When hunting these giant star beasts, don't aim for the heart; try to pierce their central nervous system. They are incredibly resilient; even after being shot in the heart, they will struggle for several minutes before dying. When hunting in accordance with the laws of nature, you should also try to minimize the suffering of your prey."

"Understood!" Lin Zhizhi quickly set up the "Reaper," held her breath, and aimed. "The keratin layer on the top of the Dome Beast's head is too thick; a direct shot cannot penetrate it. You can only aim for the eyes, deflecting the trajectory downwards by one degree to accurately penetrate the central nervous system."

She adjusted her breathing, her gaze focused, her fingertips firmly on the trigger. Jian Sheng stood beside her, watching her deft aim, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. Over the past six months, under his targeted guidance, Lin Zhizhi's marksmanship had improved by leaps and bounds. Coupled with her innate extraordinary combat talent, she mastered both cold and firearms with ease. No wonder Windsor Louise was willing to go to any lengths to bring her into the Windsor family.

Thirty seconds later, a muffled gunshot shattered the silence of the forest.

"Hit!" Lin Zhizhi put down her rifle, turned around and grinned at Jiansheng, her face beaming with joy.

Jian Sheng immediately dialed the communicator to contact Marcus: "Marcus, arrange for 30 men to come and butcher the game. There's an adult dome-shaped beast one kilometer west of the camp. We can't move it if we don't have enough men."

After hanging up the call, Bai Sheng flapped its wings and flew back from afar, a small, colorful berry in its mouth. It landed directly on Lin Zhizhi's shoulder, offered the berry to her mouth, and then chirped twice at Jian Sheng, looking very proud, as if showing off the snack it had found.

"By the way, where has Bai Sheng been all day?" Jian Sheng glanced at the little beast covered in grass clippings.

"It went to find a girlfriend!" Lin Zhizhi laughed and poked Bai Sheng's round head. "Brother, you don't know, it's dated several female meerkats in this forest. Judging by the age of meerkats, it's already an adult, which is perfectly normal!"

Jian Sheng's temple throbbed, and he flicked Bai Sheng's fluttering little wings, scolding irritably, "You little lecher, you're so happy you've forgotten all about home, living the comfortable life with three wives and four concubines, aren't you?"

Bai Sheng seemed to have his secret exposed, and immediately bristled, flapping his wings and circling above Jian Sheng's head, chirping incessantly in a shrill voice, sounding like he was arguing with him, his tone very fierce.

"You've gone too far! How dare you talk back to me!" Jian Sheng reached out to grab him, but Bai Sheng nimbly dodged and flew into the air making faces at him, making Lin Zhizhi laugh non-stop. The forest was filled with relaxed laughter.

As the two humans and the beast were playfully fighting, Jian Sheng's communicator suddenly rang urgently. His teammate's extremely grave voice shattered the tranquility: "Captain, please return to camp immediately. There's an S-rank mission!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Jian Sheng's face vanished instantly, his expression suddenly turned cold and stern, and the ease and comfort he had just felt disappeared, replaced by a tense fighting aura.