Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

The girl, who had been half-squatting beside a complex vehicle frame, stood up, casually wiped her face, leaving a two-finger-wide oil stain on her cheek, and walked to the workbench.

The crate was filled with a dense array of fasteners and gears of various sizes, as well as some strange and unusual things like pins and rotors.

"Is this enough? If not, I'll go get another box..." Yelena rubbed her wrist, feeling that her strength and energy seemed to have returned. "Xia Lin made several boxes."

"No need, those need to be saved for assembling the machines later." Otherwise, it's not a good idea to always use the Covenant's advanced equipment to produce these low-end parts; it's not only inefficient but also a waste of machine time.

Even in a corner of the workshop, a simple metal electromagnetic furnace was only half-built, with the attached Originium generator and transformer equipment scattered on the ground. It looked like it would take several more days to assemble.

It can only perform the most basic heating and smelting work, used for remelting and reworking some ordinary cast iron parts and for heat treatment of metals. Of course, it can also be used as an ore melting furnace and iron smelting furnace. However, it is difficult to use it for more advanced alloy smelting.

The core is an old-fashioned fusion heating coil salvaged from the Windrunner's cargo hold, used to heat and sustain plasma, capable of turning ordinary steel into a mass of iron plasma in a very short time.

Of course, there is neither a high-powered power source nor a need for it here; it is simply a matter of using electromagnetic force to melt the metal.

"How long will it take to finish this?" Yelena ran to the assembly table. The vehicle frame on the assembly table looked very rudimentary, just a framework made up of a bunch of metal pipes and a chassis. Various incomprehensible mechanical parts and wires filled the front half.

"Hmm, it should be finished by next week..." Skadi rummaged through the parts box without looking up. Her weapon had been taken by Xia Lin to study how to upgrade it. Now, the only thing she could do was assemble and manufacture the vehicle according to the design drawings given by Xia Lin.

I have to say, it was quite interesting, but a lot of materials were wasted in the process. Fortunately, the most troublesome part, the chassis, was made by Xia Lin, otherwise even more things would have been scrapped.

For ease of work, the girl wore a thick jacket and work pants, with a tight-fitting nano-fabric vest underneath. The elastic fabric accentuated her ample breasts, creating a rounded and striking curve that Yelena, who was still just beginning to show her potential, greatly envied.

"So soon? Last time, didn't you say it would be next month?" When Yelena came last time, Skadi was still surrounded by a pile of blueprints taller than herself, and the whiteboard in the workshop was covered with blueprints of all sizes with magnetic tacks.

Real vehicle manufacturing design drawings are not just a single volume or sheet of information found in beginner's books, but rather several large boxes, accompanied by instruction manuals and parameter manuals of at least a thousand pages.

Even though Xia Lin's vehicle wasn't strictly speaking designed and manufactured from scratch, but rather a modular assembly process, the number of blueprints was still considerable. However, once skilled, the assembly and production of the same model could be completed within half a day.

"Yes, it's mainly because I redesigned the piping and wiring with Lord Xia Lin and optimized some manufacturing issues, which is why it's faster. Didn't you notice that the most troublesome power and transmission units are already installed?"

Although it still looks like a bare skeleton, the engine, transmission, gearbox and console are all installed. Now the main task is to weld the outer lightweight frame, then the body shell, the seats, and finally the various peripherals.

Car body is already a very troublesome thing in machining, as various curved and irregular surfaces need to maintain a smooth surface and be able to withstand a certain load and impact.

However, the vehicles manufactured here are for agricultural or semi-military use, and neither Xia Lin nor Skadi considered aesthetics.

The design prioritizes ease of processing, durability against damage and impact, and lightness, resulting in a shape that is angular, rugged, and extremely crude, even in the design concept drawings. In particular, there are no plans to include an enclosed cockpit for the time being.

Just like a military off-road vehicle, it only has an interlaced carbon fiber frame and a windshield, plus a round-framed weapon station. The chairs, of course, don't have genuine leather seats, just hard metal seats, with at most strap holes so you can install removable seat cushions and backrests.

"Is it the same as Old Xia's car?" "No." Skadi came over carrying a large box of parts. "It's very different." This is a vehicle for the Yeti Squad and the Infected, and it's also a template for future agricultural transport vehicles and combat vehicles.

The engine is a simple electric motor made by Xia Lin, and the power comes from the auxiliary Originium engine, which is installed at the rear of the vehicle. There is no fuel tank; the fuel rods are inserted directly from the pre-opening at the rear. It is a four-wheel drive vehicle and has a fairly large battery.

A full supercapacitor array was screwed onto the Skadi near the rear of the vehicle, with cables cascading across the chassis. This was to power the weapons that would be mounted on top later, including a set of vertically mounted superchargers.

Xia Lin originally planned to make the simplest gunpowder weapon, as the barrel, trigger, and various parts were easy to manufacture. However, she eventually gave up due to the problem of ammunition.

The process of making bullets is not simple. Without the right equipment and enough industrial workers, producing bullets with automated equipment is like using a CNC five-axis machine to produce the kind of hammer used in metalworking practice.

It's definitely possible to build it, but if anyone plans to make this a long-term project, their boss will beat them to a pulp.

Electromagnetic weapons were ultimately chosen. If the requirement is simply to achieve the kinetic energy level of a rifle, then superconducting components and large capacitor banks are unnecessary; ordinary industrial capacitor boards can suffice.

Therefore, the weapon station of the patrol vehicle assigned to Yeti and Yelena was a 5mm electromagnetic weapon.

Its power is similar to Yelena's rifle, but its rate of fire is not as high as that of a machine gun; it is a rifle that appears to be technologically advanced.

However, this weapon, with its extremely poor performance in all aspects, especially when placed on a workbench without protective plates, has a wasteland-style feel, as if it were cobbled together from various industrial and civilian parts.

Well, he cobbled it together with these parts, and compared to a real wasteland-style electromagnetic gun, it's only missing a manual charging function with a joystick.

"Whoosh—" The modified Hercules stopped at the workshop entrance. Xia Lin opened the car door and got out, struggling to drag a large box out of the trunk. "Yelena, come and give me a hand." The two of them carried the box to the open space in the workshop and put it down.

"Come on, take a look at your new weapon." Skadi put down the parts she had just assembled, walked over, and casually picked up the box and placed it on the workbench.

Inside the box was a greatsword whose function and even its shape had changed. The original black carbon material had been replaced with a milky white material with silver-gray honeycomb patterns on the surface.

The blade was no longer that of a normal greatsword, but had become a single-edged sword, with a noticeably thickened spine, and the blade itself was made of a pale red, unidentified crystalline material.

"I've discovered that Originium is truly sentient. This blade is formed by the directional fractionation of ultra-pure Originium and its combination with silicon-carbon materials. I never imagined that old, broken furnace had this capability."

The pale red crystals and the material of the sword blade easily develop a faint honeycomb pattern, and seem to change color slightly under light, as if they are shimmering.

"The silicon carbide complex Originium particle blade can withstand temperatures exceeding 2000 degrees Celsius. The internal pattern is an electromagnetic heating wire, which can heat the blade to nearly 1500 degrees Celsius after the blade's engine is activated. Such a monster would be completely cooked in one go, or even cause a flesh-and-steam explosion."

"I need it too..."

"No, this thing is too dangerous for you..." Xia Lin refused outright, and the white rabbit immediately pouted.

"You will be infected by the Originium components inside. I used a lot of Originium here to create those special etched circuits, which is too dangerous for you and others."

"Then why can she use it!" The white rabbit pointed angrily at Skadi. Compared to the white rabbit in the original trajectory, Yelena is now more lively and willful.

“I won’t get infected with the so-called Oripathy…” Skadi shook her head. “Even Argonauts aren’t infected by Originium, and neither am I.”

"How do I use this?" Skadi lifted the greatsword from the box; it was heavier than before. "Also, can I add text and numbers to it?"

“Okay, what do you want to call it?” Skadi swung the greatsword, finding the balance quite comfortable, though the single-edged design took some getting used to. After a moment’s thought, she said, “How about ‘Spark’?”

"Yes, you can do this yourself. The outer layer is a fiber-reinforced polymer shell, so ordinary tools can leave marks."

"What's the use? It's too brittle..."

"It's like a scabbard; the blade can be retracted inside." Xia Lin turned a mechanism at the end of the hilt, and the crimson blade automatically retracted into it. The white cover closed automatically, turning it into a blunt sword, or rather, a sword inside a scabbard.

"And the strength isn't as low as you think. At least in this mode, you can still use it as a blunt weapon to hit people, you just have to hold back a little."

“I understand. So what are these rings for?” Skadi pointed to the several graduated rings on the hilt near the blade. “The first one is for heating, the temperature is adjustable. The second one is for accelerating the slashing power, also adjustable. The last one is a switch; turning it left heats up, turning it right accelerates the slashing power…”

"What if we open them at the same time?"

"The overload mode is marked here; just push it up."

“I’ll give it a try…” Skadi dragged the blade on the ground with her backhand, and as the acceleration mode was turned to maximum, the miniature plasma engine emitted a delicate roar, “Leap Wave!”

"Boom!" The greatsword flew out of his hand, smashing through the roof and flying wildly around under the jet engine's power until the ion tank ran out of fuel and finally stopped.

"Looks like half power is enough. Also, you'll need a few more days to get used to it." "Hmm," Skadi looked at her palm, a somewhat incredulous expression on her face. This was the first time she'd made such a basic mistake as dropping her weapon since leaving the training camp. No, she must have misjudged the power of this new sword.

"Oh, by the way, do you still want one? I can make you a smaller one, but it won't cost Originium..."

"No, no more..." The white rabbit shook her head vigorously. This thing looked too savage, and she felt she couldn't handle it. "I'll use a gun instead. A sword isn't suitable for me."

Skadi ran out and retrieved the Spark Greatsword that had fallen into the wild, carefully wiping the dirt off it. "The complete set of maintenance tools is in the box, along with a spare ion fuel canister. That stuff is simple to make; it's not exactly high-tech, it's just industrial ketone polymer. You can order it from any local industrial town. I saw a shop that offered this service in Springvale before..."

"Thank you." For a hunter, a good, handy weapon is like an extra life.

"Also, I originally wanted to add the high-frequency oscillation function like your original sword, but due to size limitations, I can't fit that many things inside. Oh, Yelena, if you really want it, I can make you a high-frequency oscillation sword..."

"No, I really don't need it. I'll stick with the gun." Yelena thought for a moment and decided against it. After careful consideration, she realized that as the leader of the Yeti Squad, her main method of combat was using a gun. When it came to sword-fighting range, the Bulldog shotgun was more effective than anything else—she didn't have Skadi's swordsmanship and fighting skills.

"Oh, speaking of guns," Xia Lin pulled out a new box, which was smaller than usual. "I wasn't planning on giving it to you so soon, but now with Hai Si and Ursus involved, the level of danger seems a bit high..."

"This is..." Inside the box was a weapon that looked similar to a Falcon rifle.

"Fully automatic shotgun, electrothermal weapon doesn't look very good. I studied that shotgun for several months before I figured out what was going on. 20-round magazine, can switch between fully automatic and semi-automatic."

"This is great!" The white rabbit happily hugged the new gun to its chest, its soft rabbit ears twitching with delight.

"By the way, Skadi, what's the relationship between you Argonauts and Ursus?"

“Ursus?” Skadi tilted her head, somewhat confused. “What happened?”

"Are those patrolmen here again?"

"More accurately, it's a cleanup team," Xia Lin said.

After more than half a year of recovery, Ursus finally had the resources to deal with these "unruly" fellows in the northern wastelands.

The two explosions at the mining site in particular solidified the Ursus royal family and military's belief in this idea.

We must thoroughly eliminate these infected groups in the north, especially organized and large-scale infected forces like the Snowfield Guerrilla. The emperor couldn't investigate the previous acts of defiance by the military regions, but now they dare not simply go through the motions and call it a day as before.

After all, everyone knows that if these infected forces rise to power, they will be the first to suffer. This cleanup operation is mainly led by these legions, and they are now like rats in a bellows, and even more so, bellows roasted over a fire.

Judging from the combat capabilities demonstrated in the previous attacks, this cleanup operation will undoubtedly come at a considerable cost, and may even lead to a significant weakening of their own strength.

If the suppression goes smoothly, that's fine; if it doesn't, it gives the emperor an excuse and opportunity to reclaim military power.

But if they don't move, that's fine too. The emperor just needs to continue playing the role of his "little father" and show some sympathy for the infected, since the first to die will still be those who stand in the line of defense.

Because of the "great deeds" they had done in the previous "infected economy," the generals of these legions also knew that relying on bandits to gain power was not a viable option. These "infected thugs" might be dissatisfied with the Ursus government, or they might have unrealistic ideas about becoming kings themselves, but they would never cooperate with these generals whose hands were stained with blood.

Even if there were a few leaders who coveted wealth and glory, they wouldn't dare to do that, because if the infected, who were united by hatred, compromised with their enemies, they would immediately fall apart, and he would have no way to control any of his subordinates to negotiate.

Moreover, since it's the same as betraying one's own people, selling to the Ursus Crown Prince, who seems easier to talk to and offers a higher price, seems like a better option.

Therefore, the only feasible path is to wipe out these bandits with swift and decisive action, at least forcing them to continue fleeing north. As long as they do not border the controlled areas of these legions in the south, the harm done to the civilians and mines in the north will be none of their concern.

Therefore, this time, the Ursus military was serious, and even ordinary towns were relocated during the dangerous winter to avoid the battlefield.

Chapter Sixty-Three: The Suffocation Plan

Chapter 63

Choosing to conduct the Ursus military operation in winter was a very wise choice. If it had been carried out in summer or autumn, not only would the muddy frozen ground have rendered Ursus's proud armored formations useless, but the mobile fortresses would have been completely immobilized.

Moreover, it is almost impossible to stop infected individuals and rioters who are running around in different places and have broken up into smaller groups.

Launching such a military operation in winter, especially late winter, would be disregarding the feelings of the lower-ranking Ursus soldiers.

On the contrary, it is the most appropriate plan. There are only a few places in the northern snowfields where one can take shelter from natural disasters and blizzards. Apart from those safe havens occupied by medium-sized mobile towns, there are very few places left that can accommodate a large number of people and supplies.

If these infected individuals choose to abandon these safe havens and run away to fight guerrilla warfare with the regular army in the snowfields, they will be the ones who suffer. The regular army will not need to chase them all over the mountains; they only need to block these safe havens and cut off their supply points, and hold their ground.

The remaining winter blizzards in northern Ursus and the hungry beasts that will awaken with the approaching spring will complete the remaining extermination work. Due to the natural disasters and mobile cities, the land warfare in this world is more similar to naval warfare in terms of tactical thinking.

The vast uninhabited areas, natural disasters, Originium-infected beasts, and harsh climate are no gentler than the sea. All we need to do is block all the ports, forcing the enemy to lose places where they can find shelter and supplies, and then leave the rest to nature.

However, there are requirements for implementing this blockade and suffocation strategy. The defending forces must be able to hold their ground; in other words, the stronghold must be firmly planted rather than being easily breached.

Secondly, the supply lines between these troops that gradually advance and occupy strategic key points must be secure and strong, not easily torn apart.

The reason they're taking this seriously, deploying mobile fortresses and land cruisers to make these chains and nails, is because the previous attack on the mining site made the Ursus people realize this.

If things continue as they were in the past, with each military region scheming against each other, the defenses weak, the chains made of paper, and the encirclement network ineffective, the end result will be that such a powerful fighting force can come and go as it pleases.

So the question is, after the emperor and the royalists cut off the supplies to the northern icefield mines, what targets will these infected guerrillas, who have lost their supplies and sources of manpower, choose to attack? Will they travel thousands of miles to the heart of Ursus to attack Saint-Germain, or will they attack the territories of these nobles or even their residences?

The answer is self-evident. Either these nobles voluntarily take on the responsibility of supplying the mines that the emperor ordered to be closed, only to be exploited by the infected, or they wait to be attacked by guerrillas with siege capabilities and hanged in the square, or they can only cooperate sincerely to build an iron curtain to strangle them on this desolate ice plain.

The aristocratic officers and various conservative bureaucrats were indeed short-sighted, despicable, and utterly untrustworthy.

However, when it comes to matters of life, death, or even class interests, their unity and cohesion are quite formidable—provided there are no major conflicts of interest.