Chapter 32: 8-Liter Consumption
Spewing thick black smoke, several steam trains left the main base, once again fully loaded with all sorts of supplies, firearm-wielding Clones, and massive amounts of ammunition.
By now, the strange birds around the main base had been completely wiped out. At most, a few scattered, lone birds would occasionally gather, only to be easily killed.
But a certain distance from the main base, the number of strange birds started to increase again, and the fighting erupted once more.
The windows of the steam trains slid open, and a dozen or so guns poked out of each car, firing furiously into the distance.
Not only that, but some Clones also climbed onto the train roofs, firing down from their high vantage point.
Other Clones didn’t ride the trains, instead running alongside them on both sides. Their combat tactics were therefore more flexible; they had wider fields of fire and could reposition more easily.
Under this three-pronged assault, any strange birds that gathered around the trains were gunned down.
After killing the strange birds, the armed Clones tossed their guns into the train cars and seamlessly picked up wrenches, hammers, steel rails, and other materials to begin repairing the damaged tracks.
The transition from soldier to engineer was utterly smooth and natural, without a hint of hesitation.
The trains roared onward, eventually arriving at Copper Mine No. 1.
Copper Mine No. 1, serving as a forward base, had always borne the brunt of the attacks and suffered the heaviest casualties.
But that didn’t matter. Now, the firearm-wielding Clones had arrived, and victory had come with them!
Several hundred Clones leaped down ferociously, grabbed their firearms, and unleashed a coordinated volley.
In just over twenty seconds, more than thirty thousand rounds were fired!
Li Qingsong’s design philosophy for this firearm, which he’d named the "Assault Type-1," wasn’t to pursue accuracy but rate of fire. Then, with a virtually inexhaustible supply of ammunition, he would rely on sheer numbers to defeat the enemy.
Improving accuracy was no easy task. It demanded incremental improvements in manufacturing precision, high-precision machine tools, and high-performance materials.
Why go through all that trouble? With that kind of time and effort, he might as well just make tens of thousands more bullets. With tens, even hundreds of thousands of rounds pouring downrange at once, what enemy couldn’t be killed?
As a result, a huge swath of the strange birds besieging Copper Mine No. 1 was wiped out in an instant.
The melee Clones, who had just been fighting for their lives, instantly breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately fell back, handing the front line over to their reinforcing companions.
A repeat of the events at the main base unfolded. Under the relentless barrage of bullets, the strange birds fell in great swathes, until eventually every last one was dead.
Meanwhile, the Clones traveling on the other trains to the remaining mining outposts achieved similar results.
Moreover, the main base was still churning out a ceaseless supply of firearms and ammunition.
Thus, in less than five days, all the strange birds besieging his base network and railway lines were completely annihilated.
Not a single strange bird remained within a ten-kilometer radius!
At that moment, Li Qingsong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
’But it’s not time to truly relax yet.’
Li Qingsong thought to himself, ’Ceres is enormous, and my base network only takes up a tiny fraction of it. I have no idea how many more strange birds are out there in the distance. I need to conduct large-scale reconnaissance to confirm their movements and numbers.
And I can’t afford to neglect the development of weapons technology from now on.
These strange creatures appeared on Ceres, which is just a tiny planetoid. Who knows what other dangers are lurking elsewhere.’
Having made his decision, Li Qingsong immediately recalled a large number of Clones to the main base.
Now that he had sufficient firearms and ammunition, Li Qingsong left only 400 Clones to defend each of the outlying mining bases.
Although the number was drastically reduced, their overall combat effectiveness was still several times greater than that of the previous 2,000 melee Clones.
Even the main base only really needed 1,000 Clones for a sufficient defense. But to be absolutely certain, Li Qingsong assigned 2,000 Clones to patrol it day and night.
Adding the 1,000 Clones required for the railway lines, the total number of Clones Li Qingsong had committed to defense plummeted from the original 16,000 to just 7,000. The remaining 9,000 consciousness slots could finally be freed up.
As it happened, the Clones at the main base responsible for basic production had been worked half to death recently. This was a perfect chance to send in more hands and let the others get some rest.
And so, Li Qingsong began a new round of large-scale Clone redeployment.
In addition to the 7,000 Clones on defensive duty, Li Qingsong also set aside 1,000 Clones for reconnaissance missions.
They were divided into small teams, each driving an off-road vehicle. They ventured out into the far reaches, scouting the desolate, silent landscape of Ceres.
Of the remaining 8,000 consciousness slots, some were used to supplement basic production, while Li Qingsong dedicated the rest to another, even more critical task.
The research and development of weapons and combat equipment!
Right now, he only had the Assault Type-1, which made his combat options too one-dimensional. He needed a wider variety of combat equipment.
’The environment on Ceres is different from that on Earth. For now, I can’t build any aircraft here.
So, for now, I’ll have to focus on building ground-based combat vehicles like armored cars and tanks.
Those are relatively simple; you just pile on the armor. But... the power source is a problem. My battery technology isn’t advanced enough.’
After some thought, Li Qingsong decided to use internal combustion engines for power.
There was no gasoline on Ceres, but there was plenty of methane. Methane has a lower density than gasoline but a higher calorific value, so on average, it was a comparable substitute.
If gasoline could be burned to power vehicles, then so could methane.
Especially since Ceres has low gravity, "fuel consumption" would naturally be lower.
Before, his technological level had been insufficient to produce internal combustion engines, but that was no longer the case.
The only difference from Earth is that vehicles there don’t need to carry oxygen, since it’s readily available in the atmosphere. The internal combustion engines here on Ceres would have to carry a dedicated oxygen supply.
Taking all factors into account—the differences in gravity, terrain, fuel, and technology—Li Qingsong estimated that he could get a three-ton vehicle to travel 100 kilometers on an average of 8 liters of methane and oxygen.
’Eight liters per hundred kilometers. That’s acceptable.’
With his mind made up, even larger-scale research and development began at once.
Li Qingsong wouldn’t just build more firearms; he would also produce armored cars, tanks, and various types of Cannons!
While simultaneously managing weapons R&D, basic production, patrols, and reconnaissance, Li Qingsong also made a point to bring back some strange bird carcasses, intending to thoroughly examine and analyze them in the biolab.
After all, the Li Qingsong of today possessed a foundational knowledge of biotechnology.
After a round of examinations, he discovered something that left him rather shocked.
’This strange bird’s bodily fluids are this nutritious?!’