Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"Boss, isn't this configuration a bit excessive?" George whispered from the side.

"Firepower is everything! Besides, so many gun barrels look quite impressive."

"...As long as you're happy."

“Anyway…” Isaac looked at Sagara Sousuke again, “You try destroying those active ASs in front of you and see what happens.”

"learn."

As soon as he finished speaking, ten ASs on the training field surrounded Sagara's IW-95. Some drew their large-caliber assault rifles and began firing, while others drew their tactical knives for close combat.

These ASs are all unmanned, that is, drones, but their combat capabilities are fully qualified.

Sagara maneuvered his IW-95 sideways to dodge the attacks from the ASs in front of him, and quickly activated his machine gun.

A barrage of firepower poured from the machine guns, and the three M6s in front of them exploded instantly into wreckage as if they were made of paper.

"That's amazing..."

Sagara felt that he had driven many ASs, but never one as powerful as this one.

Several ASs in front of him had already pulled their triggers, and the bullets made a 'clanging' sound when they hit the IW-95, completely unable to penetrate its defenses.

This time, Sagara did not use the machine gun. He jumped back to create distance and pressed the missile launch button on his arm.

In an instant, seven missiles were launched from the arm, trailing plumes of flame. The remaining ASs tried to dodge, but it was no use; they all exploded the moment the missiles made contact.

"So powerful!!" George exclaimed, looking at the flames before him.

He had been commanding operations in the past few years and had witnessed many battles between ASs, but this was the first time he had seen a one-sided battle like this.

Sagara was also surprised by the AS's powerful performance. Just as he was about to break free, all the lights inside suddenly went out, and the machine became immobile.

"Huh? What's going on?" George asked curiously, looking at the motionless AS. "Is it damaged?"

“No, it’s just that we ran out of fuel,” Isaac said. “After all, I’m using a gas engine to power this machine, which is twice as heavy as a regular AS, so the endurance is a big problem.”

"That means we can't officially deploy it in combat..."

Sagara opened the hatch, jumped down, and walked up to the two men.

"So, Sagara, are you satisfied with the performance of this IW-95?"

“Yes, sir. This AS is the best I’ve ever piloted,” Sagara said. “Its fire control system and armor protection are absolutely top-notch in the AS class, it’s just that its range…”

“The battery life will be improved later, so don’t worry about that.” Isaac patted Sagara on the shoulder. “However, we don’t plan to establish an AS unit for the time being, so you can train with the instructors for a while first.”

"Yes."

Although Sagara had participated in numerous battles, large and small, and his survival and combat abilities were beyond doubt, he lacked some basic military knowledge.

IW's training camp is a place to provide professional training for self-taught mercenaries, covering everything from hand-to-hand combat to battlefield reconnaissance and demolition.

The boy named Sagara will be taught by former Army Rangers and Marines.

Chapter 539: 95 Modified & Operation Yelkastum

Sousuke Sagara began his training career, while Isaac started improving his IW-95 design.

In the conference room at the base, George and Isaac discussed improvement plans.

“Boss, I think that since AS is a humanoid weapon, close combat ability is still necessary.” George said, tapping the screen with the remote control.

On the screen, a huge M6 is running on the road, holding a knife and stabbing it into the tank at its feet, piercing the entire tank through.

“George, we live in the age of information warfare. We should improve our radar and fire control systems.” Isaac turned off the screen. “Close combat is unnecessary. What we need to do is detect the enemy first, attack first, and then eliminate them. That’s in line with the times.”

“Our missile systems and drones can already do that, but what we need to design is an AS,” George said helplessly. “The current IW-95 is just a walking missile launcher.”

"This is called the enhanced version."

"That's too much of a buff! Mobility and close-combat capabilities have been completely sacrificed!"

"As long as we can solve the engine problem, mobility won't be an issue," Isaac said confidently.

“The engines we’re using now surpass any on the market,” George complained, pointing at the design drawings. “Two 1100kW turbocharged engines are barely enough to run it. Haven’t you considered reducing the weight of the externally mounted weapons?”

It was thanks to Sousuke Sagara's excellent driving skills that the AS was not completely stationary and unable to output power.

"How can you disassemble this? This is the lowest configuration I could think of."

"..."

George found it impossible to communicate normally with this boss who believed "firepower is everything".

"Don't look disappointed, I also have several modified versions here."

Isaac placed several design drawings on the table.

"What?"

George picked up the design drawings and began to look at them.

The image shows several variants of the IW-95, all of which are modified versions equipped with external weapons.

There are six models: '95 modified', '95 heavily modified', '95 drastically modified', '95 modified and modified', '95 continued to be modified', and '95 modified to the point that even the mother wouldn't recognize it'.

"Boss, can you put a little more thought into naming your products?"

"It's just a tentative name. We can decide on a name when it's built," Isaac said, spreading his hands. "In short, it can be summarized as an air defense type, a firepower-enhanced type, a stealth type, an electronic warfare type, an amphibious type, and a strategic nuclear strike type."

"This is the first time I've heard that AS can carry out tactical nuclear strikes."

“Actually, the modifications are minor issues; the most important thing is to increase the engine’s power,” Isaac pondered. “I originally wanted to use a scaled-down version of controlled nuclear fusion, but there are some problems with the experimental equipment; we’re still missing a supercomputer for the experiments.”

"That means..."

"The development of AS has to be put aside."

"..."

George was speechless. If the weaponry were just made a little more reasonable, it would be an incredibly powerful AS, absolutely on par with any country.

However, Isaac's decision was what it was, and there was nothing he could do about it.

It's already quite impressive that Isaac, who wasn't very optimistic about AS to begin with, took the initiative to develop and manufacture the experimental machine. It would have been even better if he weren't so stubborn.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After the short holiday, Isaac naturally had to go back to 'class,' but after the boring daily routine came the long holiday. During the long holiday, Isaac's father's Atlantic Fleet had a mission, so he was not at home.

However, before leaving, he gave Isaac a task.

“Feifan, Erica’s medicine is almost gone. Since your father isn’t home this time, why don’t you take her to Yelkastum to get it?” her father said. “I’ve written down the address for you.”

"Ok."

……

Since it's a long holiday and I've received this extra task, I have to do something about it.

IW is developing very well, but it hasn't yet met Isaac's expectations, so he needs to make the organization grow faster.

Aside from the trainees on the deserted island, Isaac specifically chose an elite force of fifty men for a temporary meeting.

"Gentlemen, this is our destination. I imagine you haven't heard of it before," Isaac said, pointing to the large screen behind him.

The large screen displayed a small city located in a small piece of territory next to Italy.

“Yelkastum is a crime-prone area, and our weapons factory needs to start operations there,” Isaac said with a serious expression. “However, due to the complex situation there, we must clear out an area.”

Isaac's words contained the word 'cleanup,' but how he cleaned it up is left to the imagination; in any case, it was quite bloody.

"Boss, do you want us to wipe out all the criminals there?"

“How is that possible? 80% of the people in this city are gang members. If you wipe them all out, how many people will be left?” Isaac shook his head, refuting his claim.

Are you afraid that international public opinion will criticize us then?

“That’s one aspect, but more importantly, I’m worried about not being able to find employees,” Isaac said casually.

The idea of ​​taking action against Yerkastum had actually been around for four years; the goal was to bring the city under his complete control.

It's about time to get started.

"We deployed a smaller number of people this time in order to avoid alerting the enemy, to find out who is in control of the city, and to be ready to take action immediately."

"learn."

After the meeting, everyone left the conference room, and George approached Isaac alone.

He asked with some concern, "Boss, are there any problems with the people we've chosen this time?"

"There's no problem. Its combat capabilities have been tested in several battles."

“That’s not what I meant. I certainly trust their abilities,” George hesitated. “But… they all fled here after committing serious crimes in various countries. Could it be…”

IW doesn't require a clean resume when recruiting; they accept anyone as long as they're outstanding. Therefore, many people who come here have criminal records, some minor, some major.

Some of the fifty men that Isaac had temporarily drawn from the front had violated international humanitarian law during the war and had even been court-martialed.

“George, we at IW have never been some kind of ‘savior’ organization. It’s normal for one or two people to have problems.” Isaac walked up to George and patted him on the shoulder.

"And what I need is a butcher who can be ruthless."

Chapter 540: Why do you have to force me to rob you outright?

Today, Isaac and Erica boarded a ship bound for Yerkastum.

The fifty selected soldiers secretly traveled there in Comanche aircraft equipped with the ESC electromagnetic stealth system.

As usual, Yelkastum was rife with fights and brawls, utterly devoid of any semblance of civilization. However, Isaac didn't say much about it.

Did Erika live in a place like this when she was a child?

“Yes, because I am a Twilight race, I was abandoned at birth and lived in an orphanage,” Erica said. “When I was very young, the orphanage was suddenly attacked and I was kidnapped. My uncle came here and rescued me.”

"This has actually happened?" This was the first time Isaac had heard of such a thing.

“Yes, I was kidnapped and taken to a laboratory where I was injected with drugs and trained every day…” Erica’s usually calm expression seemed to show some distress; she was very reluctant to recall what had happened.

"Don't dwell on the past," Isaac comforted him.

"Ah."

This city is dark, and ordinary people certainly cannot adapt to this ruleless life. In this city, as long as you have power, you can get everything; otherwise, you are worse than a pig or a dog.

Walking through the dilapidated streets, Isaac followed the address his father had given him and arrived at the brothel he had visited before.