Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

“A new recruit. We checked his background. He said he was a warrior from Ursus, but there’s no such person on Ursus’s roster. That unit was disbanded more than a decade ago.” Of course, the boss had done his research; otherwise, he might have run into a brick wall.

"He's not a knight of Kazimierz, much less the royal guard of the Ursus emperor or a duke's bodyguard. In short, he's probably one of those charlatans who somehow got his hands on standard weapons and soldier's badges."

This kind of thing is quite common. The corruption in the Ursus army is even higher than in Qazimir. Although Qazimir is gradually moving towards civilian control of the army, at least the active soldiers can still eat their fill, and the retired veterans still have some pensions and fiefdom income.

In Ursus, even active-duty officers might not be able to make ends meet. To be well-fed, they have to drink the blood of soldiers. If a veteran like Hrag doesn't engage in some shady income, his pension plus all his assets would be enough to open a small clinic, and he'd have to partner with someone else.

Therefore, reselling equipment and soldier identities is not uncommon in the Ursus Border Legion. Moreover, there are quite a few of these items on the corpses and wreckage left over from past battles. It is possible for a strong young man in a border village to be lucky enough to find a set.

"What is your name?"

"His name is Ivan or something?"

"Ivan? Ivan Sokolov?"

"Yes, I think that's what it's called?" The boss looked at his trusted subordinate. "You know it?"

"I hope I don't know him!" The head coach's head was throbbing. He really hoped he didn't know him. If it really was that guy, the boss would have to ask the other side to go easy on him if he wanted to lose gracefully.

He still vividly remembers how his entire squad of knights was almost completely wiped out by him and his companions, not to mention that terrifying Wendigo.

If those people really are just coming to the Kazimierz Arena to make some pocket money, they'd better just drag out the time and then concede as soon as possible—at least that way fewer people will die.

"Impressive?" The boss had never seen his head coach like this before, and quickly composed himself, his previously dismissive expression vanishing.

"If it really is that Ivan, then we can assume... our opponents are definitely not just ordinary infected, but rather... the true Ursus elite shield guards masquerading as infected, and their leader is called..."

The moment the name "Bozokasti" was uttered, the temperature in the entire room seemed to drop several degrees. Everyone knew how that fertile plain in northern Kazimir ended up in Ursus's hands and how the old knights of Kazimir suffered heavy losses.

"No, no way, how could that person be here?" The boss couldn't even speak clearly. This doesn't make sense! This is like a dump truck running over a child!

"I heard that person was fighting against the Infected in northern Ursus before. I don't know if he got infected or something happened, so he came here under the guise of being an Infected..." It's not an event with a zero probability.

"This is just a name that can't be confirmed, right?"

"Hopefully it's just a coincidence of names." The Conqueror Knight thought so too. If it really was those people, they might need to find a large group of elite knights to intercept them.

On the other hand, "Don't be nervous when you get on the court, just play normally."

"Understood..." Granati carried his shield and musket toward the arena entrance. Because some people still bought Red Pine Team tickets and placed bets this time, and with Talulah's promotional campaign, they had gained a little popularity. So their entrance was no longer met with boos, but with faint but real cheers and applause.

"This is so addictive—" The girl fastened her helmet. The competition didn't prohibit wearing armor, or rather, it even encouraged it. Originally, she could only forge a barely passable thing from scraps, but now…

Check out the Xia Group's military-grade Centurion powered armor. Talulah specifically asked Old Xia for it; it's a squad leader-level armor from the Earth era, manufactured by the Hive.

Of course, no auxiliary software or hardware was installed, and the arena was far too lenient for this armor.

The time is short, so there's no need to worry about battery issues; the site is clean, so there's no need to worry about harsh electromagnetic or natural environments.

"It's a pity that I can only wear this once..." The organizers will definitely ban it; there's no doubt about it.

Otherwise, they could easily dominate the entire match without any skill required, making it utterly boring.

Because the opponent's weapons are simply incapable of penetrating the defenses, unless they also bring out heavy military weapons, then it's no longer a competition but a military exercise!

The crimson armor shone like blood, and the golden honeycomb-patterned visor concealed the girl's face. Her entire body was shrouded in layers of alloy and carbon nanomaterials, with not a single inch of skin exposed. She walked onto the field like a metal golem, and the arena instantly fell silent.

This is like a fight in a black boxing ring in the lower levels of the city, where a fully-equipped Khorne champion suddenly appears on the other side; the scene is extremely absurd and impactful.

Her other comrades were also wearing standard Yeti exoskeletons or light powered armor, which was relatively better, at least they weren't completely wrapped up like a metal can, but those carbon nanofibers that looked like fabric... it was unlikely that ordinary guns could penetrate them, at least they would need etched bullets.

"Red Pine Team! Red Pine Team!" Talulah's atmosphere-building team started cheering.

Of course, their cheers were genuine, because as infected individuals, they had truly bought tickets for their own team—everyone knows, with that equipment, that training, that setup, they were simply dominating.

Therefore, the cheer was genuine and highly infectious, and the other audience members instantly became enthusiastic as well.

After all, there's very little novelty left on the field. These upsets and comebacks of underdogs perfectly match the spiritual and cultural needs of the lower classes.

The cheers of the Red Pine team echoed throughout the arena. Everyone was cheering and applauding for themselves. This kind of treatment made the five members of the Red Pine team, who were only playing for the second time and had previously only played in underground arenas, tremble all over. An indescribable sense of excitement filled their bodies.

Compared to their excitement and exhilaration, their opponents seemed to have been shoved with dog shit, with an "Other servings" emoji written on the bottom of the plate. "What the hell is this?" the captain muttered.

"Red Pine Knights, ignite your battle blades!" Since it can only be used once anyway, might as well show it all. Granati knew what his boss was thinking and knew that he was being used for publicity and advertising.

However, being used implies having value, and the medicine, food, and training they received these days were genuine; the other party owed them nothing, so they naturally needed to reciprocate.

Amidst the buzzing sound, every melee weapon glowed with a red-hot light, and the heat of the dragon flames flowed freely across the battlefield, igniting the atmosphere of the entire arena.

"They're self-taught! Even if they don't compete, they'd be perfectly capable as the atmosphere-building team for an exhibition match!" Ivan shook his head.

"Both teams enter!" The host finally remembered his duty, even though one side was already considering the possibility of conceding defeat as soon as they stepped onto the field. "Ladies and gentlemen, the infected team from Block 0, the biggest upset and dark horse of the tournament, a group of nameless people, have returned to the arena with mysterious and powerful equipment. Let's cheer! Red Pine Team!"

"Damn it!" The opposing captain gritted his teeth and led his teammates into the arena. To admit defeat before even fighting in the Kazimierz Knights Arena was no different from disbanding the team. No one would buy tickets for cowards or bet on them, and if no one bet, the boss wouldn't make money and would disband the team.

For this decent job and income, he had to go out there and fight until a certain amount of time before he could give up, even if the outcome might be that he would be wiped out!

At least if they were killed by the enemy, the boss would pay their wives and children compensation, and they could continue to live in the civilian area. But if they surrendered and the team disbanded, their whole family would soon be crammed into Block 0 with the infected and poor people of the Red Pine Team, living off garbage, and could be killed by gangsters and looters from the downtown area at any time.

Chapter Fifteen facilitated a thorough exchange of opinions.

Chapter 15

Victory was almost inevitable, even a given. The five members of the windmill team persevered for a while with all their might, but it turned out that the experience and fighting ability of the racing riders could not make up for the huge gap in equipment.

However, the Red Pine team's lack of competitive experience allowed them to play a slightly more attractive game.

However, once Granati got used to the rhythm and the new equipment, the windmill team captain happily surrendered.

His original orders from his boss were to throw the match and lose in a way that looked good. Now that he had achieved his goal, there was no need for him to keep putting on a show.

Once they have gained a slight advantage, they begin to retreat to their own positions and then announce their surrender.

Apart from the gamblers who had placed large bets and were unable to accept the result, the other spectators did not boo loudly.

The equipment gap between the two sides is so obvious that some fans of the Windmill Team are even calling for a cheating scheme and demanding that the organizers ban the infected members of the Red Pine Team from using such cheating equipment.

With the Centurion Armor on her body, she could ignore all attacks except for the opposing captain's heavy hammer, including Originium magic. Not to mention, she also had an original Shield Guardian's Flash Shield. When they saw that thing, many spectators who had served in the military and even coaches from other teams watching the game stared wide-eyed.

A standard shield charge, followed by a Victorian-style musket barrage, nearly wiped out the Windmill team on the spot, and the Dragonfire Bullets ignited half the arena.

If it weren't for the fact that the Red Pine team's coordination and teamwork were still a bit lacking, especially since they weren't familiar with the new equipment and hadn't followed up with breakthroughs, the opposing team would probably have become an "entrance ceremony" team—enter, kill instantly, and leave.

Taking advantage of the opponent's poor teamwork, they launched a counterattack, forcing Granati (Grey) to retreat. Then, they decisively surrendered before the opponent could regroup and push forward.

They managed to escape unscathed with dignity, but the Red Pine team's equipment...

Before the second match, the organizing committee informed us that we could no longer use them. We could keep the gunlance, the molten sword, and the shield guard's flash shield, but the centurion armor was classified as an Originium-powered device and was not allowed to be used.

The reasoning is that if this works, then other teams can too. Whether they bring their land-based assault ships up there is none of the tournament organizers' concern, since they are essentially the same thing.

Their equipment wouldn't normally be banned so early; they would have played a few matches to raise the odds.

However, who knew that it was too strong, even obviously so, which was really not conducive to opening the betting market, so it had to be banned in advance.

Judging from the current situation, they probably won't be released for a long time. However, the molten metal weapons and gunpowder, being relatively standard weapon designs, weren't as conspicuous, so they were released. However, dragon fire bullets are also prohibited, citing the possibility of injuring the audience.

After their successful debut performance, the Red Pine team's fanbase gradually grew, and Talulah opportunely began her promotional efforts, simultaneously establishing a so-called youth training camp aimed at providing training for any infected or impoverished individuals aspiring to become competitive knights—in reality, it was training future recruits.

On the surface, this was to ensure that the team had fresh blood to rotate through, which led other teams and organizers to quickly follow suit.

However, they primarily select talented knights and members of the common people, rather than accepting applications from just anyone like Talulah.

Back in Kazdel, the farms near Satie Oasis remained the same, peaceful and serene, with white cotton fields and green tea fields interspersed, and green wheat swaying in the wind along the irrigation canals.

A new batch of agricultural workers, purchased and recruited, are wearing straw hats in the cotton fields...

The cotton is picked, and after being degreased, washed, bleached, and combed, it is made into combed cotton slivers and sent to textile factories for further processing.

Of course, Lao Xia did not learn from the outdated steam-powered textile machines and inefficient production methods of early industrialization.

Besides, Terra's textile industry is not bad to begin with; it's just that it lacks competitiveness. Its textile factories use standard Covenant agricultural and light industrial equipment.

However, it's not so friendly to the female workers who have entered the factory. There have been quite a few workplace injuries these days. Several new safety rules have been added to the original rules based on the physiological characteristics of the Terrans. The most important rule for the Sarkaz is that they must wrap their tails around their waists and secure them with a clip when they enter the factory.

These days, the most frequent surgeries performed at the factory hospital are tail amputations. Every few days, workers who don't pay attention to their tails get caught in machines and that's the end of them. Besides tail amputations, skin grafts and finger reconstructions are also common procedures.

Work-related deaths are commonplace. A small cemetery has even been built next to the factory to bury the deceased workers, most of whom have no family or friends and cannot find anyone to claim their bodies.

The cemetery is right next to the factory area. Workers and agricultural workers passing by would occasionally come back to give these unfamiliar coworkers a bouquet of flowers, as a kind of psychological comfort.

Compared to the highly automated textile factories that require only a small number of carefully selected workers, clothing factories are standard labor-intensive industries.

Even though Lao Xia has fully automated equipment, one consideration is that Terra's local clothing is quite complex, with each ethnic group and race having its own style, and some of it is indeed not suitable for standardized production;

Secondly, there needs to be a labor-intensive light industry to create jobs, right?

Besides textiles, chemical plants also need a lot of cotton to manufacture nitrocellulose gunpowder, even though the efficiency of the gunpowder combustion is reduced due to the penetration of Originium particles.

However, similar chemical products and gunpowder are flammable but have other uses. For example, nitroglycerin, in addition to being explosive, can also be used to treat heart disease.

The oasis was bustling with people, and several small markets and villages and towns had formed along the railway line, almost becoming a country within a country. If it continued to expand like this, it would be necessary to establish a grassroots administrative and management system, and it would no longer be able to be managed in a corporate manner.

Moreover, the people below also need a tangible government to provide cohesion and unity, so that they clearly understand which country they belong to, rather than being confused about which side they belong to.

At the same time, since a grassroots administrative system is to be established, a framework plan for this microstate and a policy program for this political faction must be presented so that the people know what you are going to do, what you will do, and what your ultimate goal is.

Since some of Theresia's legacy remained, Rhodes Island, upon entering Kazdel, immediately officially recognized the Kazdel government-in-exile.

Although it retained the structure of a pharmaceutical company, some of its personnel and organizational structure began to transform into a political power, and it openly raised the banner of the Demon King.

To be honest, there's nothing we can do about it. Changing customs and traditions isn't a simple matter. The Sarkaz have been worshipping and following the Demon King for many years. It's hard to accept the idea of ​​completely abolishing the Demon King right now.

Even in the harsh environment of modern China, events like Zhang Xun's restoration still occurred, and the large number of remnants of the old regime are typical examples.

"As for the Demon King issue!" The professor looked at the assembled "Throne." "Now everyone can be a 'Demon King,' or rather, there is no such thing as a Demon King at all."

"However, the government structure still needs to be established. Just because our generation can set up this makeshift team now doesn't mean it can continue to operate this way in the future." Old Xia and the doctor basically agreed that they must leave a rule for future generations, a basic rule for decision-making and discussion, and also a rule for who will take responsibility and lead the way if something goes wrong.

The flaw in this current system of inertia-based management is that once something goes wrong, it seems like everyone can take responsibility.

However, relying solely on voluntary self-discipline to take responsibility could easily lead to a situation where no one takes responsibility and the burden of responsibility is placed on the shoulders of others—a completely unacceptable situation for a newly established regime.

"Since the Demon King is no longer bound by bloodline, there is no need to establish his actual rule. He can simply be a flag and a symbol."

Old Xia proposed this idea, and the Doctor also thought it was very feasible. A constitutional monarchy would not immediately provoke a counterattack from the still powerful and stubborn monarchy in this wretched place like Terra.

Conversely, it could also provide a more acceptable, low-cost way for the lazy bourgeoisie to interact with the monarchy. Once successful and established, it would become a model for Terra.

For countries where the struggle between monarchy and civil rights is fierce, this could be a way out, while for countries where monarchy is deeply entrenched, the reaction might not be too extreme.

For emperors or kings, this was indeed a way to maintain wealth and status—they wouldn't approve of it, but they certainly wouldn't block it out.

When a political system becomes a widely accepted model, it becomes very easy to use it for reform or even to expand influence abroad.

However, this requires strong economic and military strength.