Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

At the weapons training ground, all operators receive necessary training in firearms and heavy weapons. Although firearms are not very effective when facing demons, they cannot be completely ignored, as they are still very useful when dealing with small demon fragments.

Conversely, spell arrows and etching bullets are more effective against demons because their penetration is relatively low. Against demons that are completely soft targets, the projectiles will remain inside the target's body, causing continuous purifying damage.

Kinetic weapons are relatively weaker; they require almost complete shattering of a demon's physical structure to destroy it. Therefore, operators need to learn how to use special ammunition and etching ammunition, which is very difficult for those who have not received sniper operator training.

Learning to use the Pillar Rifle only takes half a month, even if your intelligence is only equivalent to that of a gorilla. The rest is just feeding you bullets to become a sharpshooter. Learning to use firearms takes at least a month, and learning to use bows and crossbows takes even longer, especially since these are magical weapons and require a certain level of Originium Arts.

While intensive training and preparations were underway at the polar camps, other nations on Terra were also undertaking their own post-war reconstruction plans and preparing for the new era of arms race and the space technology race initiated by Kazdel.

Even nations within the Ark Alliance wouldn't place all their hopes on Kazdel alone. What if there weren't enough Arks? Wouldn't only the Kazdel people be saved? Therefore, after obtaining some data from Kazdel, they also began their own launch and research and development plans.

However, everyone, including Da Yan, eventually realized that this thing was exceptionally difficult to make when they came into contact with it.

Compared to Kazdel, who was still able to send things up, Da Yan, who had been laughing at the company for half a year, was no longer able to laugh. Rembito was considering whether to simply join Victoria and go through the refuge plan, while Ursus was completely at a loss.

Iberia and Agor are still holding on, but it's hard to say how long they can hold on.

After nearly a decade of reconstruction and restoration, the damage caused by the tsunami in Iberia has largely subsided. The Iberian population has not yet fully recovered, but external connections have been reopened.

The coastal area is now a major production base for algae, and large green algae fields can be seen everywhere around Iberia's floating mobile towns. Thanks to the technology from Old Xia, Iberia is now making every effort to ensure its food supply.

Saltwind City, the smell of burning corpses still seems to linger in the air. Beneath the massive fishbone-shaped structure lies a floating city, with carbon materials and underwater structures allowing these huge offshore platforms to float in the nearshore area.

Those fishbone structures are rainwater filtration systems. Fresh water is very important for Iberia, whose land is half salt flat and half sea, so fresh water resources are scarce.

"Splash!" The girl pushed the stirrer with all her might. Hearing the creaking of the strong rope, a relieved smile appeared on her face, which was a little red from the sun. Soon, the huge aquaculture cage, along with the oxygen supply pipes, was pulled up from under a thick layer of seaweed.

The crowded fish formed a layer at the bottom of the cage. The girl opened the metal cover on top of the cage and poured the fish into the tank. Soon, the transfer tank sent all the fast-growing white-fleshed fish into the large boat connected to the small boat.

Each seaweed field is a cylindrical structure, gleaming with a bright green luster, circling the city's perimeter. Large processing ships and small fishing boats shuttle across the sea, constantly hauling up mature seaweed and the fish raised below, and sending them to the processing ships to be turned into starch, seasonings, compressed seaweed blocks, and fish protein strips. It's hard to believe that just a few years ago, this was a famine-stricken city where people were almost resorting to cannibalism.

"Put-put-put!" The sound of an engine came from the waterway not far away, and a huge, fully enclosed ship slowly sailed out, heading towards the space platform not far out at sea.

Previously, Iberia chose to launch from land, which resulted in the destruction of two of their own cities. Now they have learned their lesson and are launching from the sea. Their territory is long and narrow, lacking vast deserts and Kazdel's technology, which often leads to launches that end up hitting them in the face.

In the end, it could only be placed at sea, at worst it would just fall into the sea. However, there are difficulties at sea, namely salt spray corrosion. Fortunately, Agor provided anti-corrosion coatings, and the entire platform could be pulled back when not in use, which extended the lifespan of this thing.

"Those people are doing that stuff again. They've scared all my fish to death." The captain, with his pipe in his mouth, looked unhappily at the launch platform in the distance. Every launch was accompanied by a roar, a loud bang, and an explosion, killing off a large number of their fish, which naturally made him very unhappy.

"Only the outermost part was damaged, right?" The girl clung to the edge of the large ship and climbed up with all her might. Seawater and silvery-white fish kept falling into the cabin from the water tank outlet.

The machines inside the ship roared to life, turning the harvest into semi-finished ingredients and food that could be sold. For the Iberians, who often went hungry, this food was quite satisfactory.

"Alright, next we'll go harvest the kelp and seaweed." Kelp and seaweed are now the most common green foods on the Iberian tables. Apart from that, there are only bean sprouts and a few kinds of sour berries that don't taste very good.

The girl used a crane to lift the small boat and hung it on the side of the large ship. Then the fishing boat headed towards another seaweed field. After a day's work, the lights of the distant launch platform seemed to illuminate the entire city. The lights of the entire Saltwind City lit up one by one. The fishing boat entered the dock and was moored. The day's catch was moved by the workers onto the conveyor belt, and the automatic calculation of payment began.

The girl looked listlessly at the glass house under construction in the distance. "What's that house for?"

"I think it's called a hydroponic farm. I heard they grow vegetables and stuff there. They're competing with us for business." The old captain looked annoyed. For an experienced fisherman, these farms would drastically reduce the profits of his seaweed fish farm.

"I heard that a new seaweed farm has opened in Tide City. Business is getting harder and harder. The price of seaweed seedlings has not dropped, but the price of fish fry has gone up. However, the fish and vegetables we buy are getting lower and lower prices every day."

"Isn't this a good thing? It means that everyone is not starving and has food to eat."

"Are you stupid? If you can't sell yourself, where will you get the money to go to school? Don't you still dream of going to heaven? Those people won't want a fisherwoman who can only read!" the old captain said, exasperated.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, opening seaweed fields was so profitable before, it's normal for others to follow suit!" The girl smiled awkwardly. Besides, what did this have to do with someone like her who was working during the holidays?

Dinner was at the Fisherman's Restaurant. I must say, the mixed fish soup made with white fish, seaweed, shellfish, and the owner's special seasoning was quite delicious. It was also very good with regular seaweed starch bread. If only the people at the factory hadn't put so much bittering agent in it.

When it was time to rest, a series of roars came from the sea. It seemed that the rockets assembled during the day were being test-fired again. Then came a violent explosion that shook the room. Only then did the girl turn off the lights and go to sleep, satisfied. The explosions were almost becoming a kind of clock.

These Iberians, like in the past, are stubborn and headstrong. They were led astray by the Kazdel people from the start, and immediately challenged the launch. In contrast, the Great Yan and Victoria people began to study the basics and demonstrate the feasibility of each step, instead of immediately challenging the launch of the carrier rocket.

[PS]

Initial supplies:

Potion box: Red, yellow, and blue potions are neatly arranged, but which one should you use? Contamination limit +3

Mixed Food Supply Pack: A collection of unpalatable but highly effective food items. Supplies +2

Kettle: In the frigid polar night, hot water is a lifesaver. +1 pollution limit, +2 supplies.

Relics:

Unused Inhibitor: Half of the potion remains, its red glow tempting you. Shall you gamble your luck? All operators lose 5% maximum HP and gain -1 Mental Exhaustion.

Stimulants: A strange urge dominates you, making it impossible to look away from your comrade's neck. Guard Operators below 35% HP are immune to mental contamination and gain +25 attack speed.

Doctor's Pity: These cubes appear to have mold spots, but they are still edible. All operators recover 1% of their maximum health per second.

Fear Resistance Training Certificate: A certificate proving you can face the terror of demons, but no one knows how useful it is. Heavyweight Operators gain -50% defilement and -35% damage from demons.

Black Snow Sample: A strange black snowball marked "Absolutely Do Not Eat". +15% Attack Power, +2 Global Infection

Water Purification Chip: This is the ticket to the Pure Water, but it always feels a bit unsafe. Attacks grant +1.5 Skill Points per second.

Gadgets:

Emergency Suppressant: 5 cost, 3 charges, instantly removes mental pollution from one operator.

Healing Needle: 5 cost, 1 charge, target's health will not drop below 1 for 15 seconds, after which the target is forcibly retreated.

Chapter Five: How to Be Inhuman

chapter Five

The entire world of Terra is almost divided into two completely different worlds by two strategic plans, or more accurately, three worlds. One is an international alliance that follows the star route, consisting of Iberia, Agor, and Kazdel. Due to its own special circumstances, Da Yan joined this alliance without explicitly stating its intention to join.

In short, Da Yan has never announced its joining Kazdel's alliance, but it will always quietly show up at meetings and discussions. This is a basic skill of Da Yan's gentry: hedging its bets and not letting either side go, but it will never fully join the alliance until the situation is clear.

In addition, Syracuse joined the alliance after clearly stating that it would not join any party. Their situation is slightly different because they are located near Victoria and therefore must maintain neutrality in their international stance.

While announcing its participation in Project Star, Rembitox actually maintained a neutral stance. After all, they were surrounded by this super-international alliance linked by Project Star, and if they refused this goodwill, there would probably be no Rembitox.

The other opposing faction is the Refugee faction, also known as the Native faction, led by Colombia and including Casimir, Ursus, Glassall, Letania, and Vitória, as well as Lateran and Shelag.

Just like Kazdel, Ursus is the opposition that announced its joining but was actually flirting with the other side, while Victoria is similar to Da Yan, who neither announced its joining nor its joining the other side, but automatically shows up whenever there is any movement from either side.

While Sherag and Lateran are non-aligned, their actual stance is clearly on the side of the Sanctuary faction. The former cannot abandon the Holy Mountain faith, and the latter has a vast ancient sanctuary and dungeon to live in. From any perspective, they have no need to start from scratch.

Finally, there is the neutral faction consisting of Sargon and Minos. The former doesn't want anyone, and the latter is completely neutral. Basically, these two are marginal figures with little influence.

In this situation, Lungmen was the most affected. As the two iron curtains slowly fell, the circulation of Lungmen currency was greatly challenged. Although the two factions did not start a new world war, various arms races and technological races were also starting simultaneously. Therefore, a new currency system for settlement within the alliance was necessary.

The three major settlement systems—Lungmen Dollar, the Union Credit Coin issued by Kazdel, and a new currency issued by Colombia in its own currency—were not good for Lungmen. This meant losing the benefits of Lungmen Dollar, and its status as a free port declined. Lungmen's economic depression not only failed to recover from the post-war period but worsened.

In addition to the devastation and prolonged economic depression, the World War resulted in the deaths of a large number of noble officers. Almost every country built on the aristocratic system, except for Victoria, suffered great damage and impact.

The most severely affected are Letania, followed by Kazimir, then Ursus, and finally Great Yan. Letania's crown is already teetering on the brink of collapse. To the east, facing the military threat from Kazdel, it has to resort to levies and taxes to strengthen its military in response. To the west, the forces of Gaul's restoration are active, and to the north, the Ursus people in its colonies have been resisting since the war.

The only safe haven to the south, where the theoretically loyal and reliable Lytanians, under Victoria's instigation, believed that Lytania was being too tolerant of those untouchables. A new extremist faction, built on the humiliation of defeat and the harsh economic environment, was on the rise.

It was almost only a matter of time before this powder keg exploded, or even an inevitable event. In contrast, Kazimierz was better off because more nobles died there.

More than half of the Grand Knights of the Knights' Council are gone; some died in battle, some were captured, and others were stripped of their titles for fleeing. In contrast, the Merchants' Union, which chose to flee to the south, has retained enough members and strength, and the balance of power between the two factions is now completely unbalanced.

Compared to Letania, where a large-scale uprising could erupt at any moment and the emperor and nobles could be hanged, the turmoil in Kazimir might end quietly as a peaceful coup. However, no one can say for sure what new tricks the large number of Ursus soldiers stranded in Kazimir and the temporarily appointed "bandit knights" might pull.

On the Ursus side, the emperor used almost suicidal courage to purge the warlords and nobles in the country. The initial attrition strategy was very cost-effective, but attrition also meant that Ursus's own military was being worn down. With Ursus losing nearly half of its defense forces, the military strength in the emperor's hands was clearly stretched thin.

The warlords and nobles also realized the emperor's plan. The spineless and foolish were all dead, and now what remained were the hard-boiled ones united together. Whether Ursus could crack this bone was still unknown, even if they succeeded.

The problem between the massive number of infected people in Ursus and the significantly weakened military strength may become a new hidden danger. As for the Great Yan, it is still the same Great Yan. In a thousand-year-old empire like Ursus, stability is more important than anything else.

However, the undercurrents beneath the surface remained serious, especially as the struggle between imperial power and ministerial power gradually spread to other areas.

Columbia, "Our stock price has dropped by 1.3%. Can you provide a reasonable explanation?"

"Because Kazdel has been launching spacecraft multiple times recently, investors feel their 'tickets' to the Ark are..."

"I don't want to hear excuses. I just want to ask you business elites, what solutions do you have for this problem!" The president of Vault Technology glared at his subordinates, barely containing his anger. "If the board raises a vote of no confidence against me, I will definitely take you all with me."

A 1.3% drop in stock price may seem like a small fluctuation, but for a group with a market value of hundreds of billions of yuan, jointly established by Heilongjiang Steel and Raytheon Industries, it means the evaporation of tens or hundreds of billions of yuan in assets. As the president, he naturally needs to give an explanation to the board of directors.

If the CEO can't give the board an explanation, the board has to give him one, and naturally, he has to take these useless subordinates with him.

"We can open a portion of the shelters to the public for visits."

"Are you stupid? Do you even know who these shelters are for?" The shelters for ordinary people are completely different from those for the major shareholders of Vault Technology.

The latter has complete material reserves, ample space and more protective equipment, while the former is simply a cheap product.

"What I mean is, we can build a number of model shelters. Although it will require a large investment, it will at least restore some investors' confidence. Moreover, we can establish an experimental base in both the Sami and Sargon regions, and regularly release information about our disaster emergency response technologies..."

The president waved his hand listlessly. It was indeed a solution, but precisely because it was too practical, he didn't want to use it at all. First, it wouldn't immediately recover the stock price, and second, the investment would be too large.

"Is there any other way?" "Perhaps we can try to smear Kazdel. Although they launch rockets frequently, few of them are successful, and most of those who try to imitate them have failed. We can start from this angle."

"Oh? Tell me more." The president became interested. It was clearly more cost-effective to expose the opponent's dark history than to do it himself.

"Based on our understanding, investors in Kazdale typically don't go all in. Even if we produce more results, we can only attract funds from neutral investors and retail investors who are still observing."

This is of course a basic principle of investing: never put all your eggs in one basket. Investors generally do not sell all their shares on the safe haven side to buy shares on the other side. However, it is hard to say for retail investors. They usually suffer losses on both sides.

Without the collapse of Kazdel, most retail investors and institutional investors chose to sell some of their Colombian assets and shares while prices were high and invest in Kazdel instead. After all, in addition to the hype surrounding aerospace, the actual economic development it drives is also a profit-making opportunity.

Therefore, even if Vault-Tec creates a sample Vault at this time, it can only attract the last bit of funds from those who are observing or wavering. Since Kazdel is not a joint-stock company but is calculated based on physical investment, it is not as easy to transfer funds from there as it is from Colombia.

Given the administrative costs of easy entry but difficult exit, unless Vault Technology invests dozens of times more funds and resources to truly create a Vault system on the scale of a city-wide underground city, there will still be a large number of onlookers and those who bet on both ends.

Simply put, in normal, positive competition, their input and output are completely unequal. Investors don't choose one over the other; they bet on both sides. The only difference is that they will adjust the holding ratio on both sides according to the actual situation, and this is based on only these two plans.

If we also consider Kazdel's Arctic exploration program, the polar and ocean development program, and the huge market brought about by post-war reconstruction, such additional incentives will naturally tip the scales in favor of investors. This is something that cannot be attracted simply by improving the refuge program.

Colombia needs to demonstrate higher quality, greater return on investment, and more technological hype to attract this hot money, but this level of investment is not profitable for Vault Technology.

This is also one of the absurdities of a market economy. Ideally, in a market economy, as the simplest competitive units, Columbia Vault Technology and Kazdel End Project should compete with each other, and the one with the higher quality, better price, and greater chance of success should win.

In reality, however, such an ideal phenomenon is unlikely to occur because the cost of such a victory is too high; it essentially remains only in the theoretical assumption of rational man on paper.

"To get those investors to abandon Kazdale, we must discredit them, turn them into shameless fraudsters, and impose sanctions on them in every way possible, making their reconstruction and economic recovery more difficult, and setting up even more technological barriers for them."

"Go on," the president nodded with interest.

"And this kind of smear campaign can't be like the past, claiming they are evil or using those old, tired reasons. We all know that the war is over, and most people have no goodwill towards the Colombian government..." At this point, trying to incite them with patriotic fervor is useless.

"Therefore, we cannot directly smear them; we need to praise them lavishly and encourage them to do even more."

"Wait a minute, shouldn't we praise them? Encourage them?"

"Yes," the subordinate seemed to have unleashed all the wickedness of his ancestors, "freedom, love, peace, ideals, borderlessness—basically all these wonderful things—we'll instill them in them, make them believe it, and then we'll use that as a reason to restrain and punish them."

"A very interesting idea," the president roughly understood. It meant first elevating them to a high position of morality and reputation, then using that morality to blackmail them. If they didn't accept this blackmail, the previous praise would turn into criticism and opposition.