Chapter 27: Battle
As he experimented with different tactics, Li Qingsong would immediately discard any that proved ineffective and try another.
Consequently, a steady stream of experience in team-based melee combat was generated. Through Li Qingsong’s conscious control, this knowledge was instantly synchronized to every single Clone, including those currently on an express train to the copper mine base.
Even though the remaining one hundred thousand-plus Clones were assigned to other tasks or were resting, they too gained a vast amount of experience in melee combat in just a few hours.
And so, the Clones defending Copper Mine Base No. 1 quickly arranged themselves into the most effective combat formation, one proven through experimentation.
Just then, the train carrying reinforcements from the main base arrived. Throngs of fully-armed Clones leaped from the carriages, reinforcing the multi-layered battle lines.
In an instant, the defensive force at Copper Mine No. 1 swelled to 3,500!
The formation was also extremely dense.
The core facilities of Copper Mine No. 1—a mining pit, a full set of mining and crushing equipment, ore processing machinery, an auxiliary power plant, a dock, and a rest area—occupied a total area of only a few tens of thousands of square meters. One side of the base was bordered by a canyon and required no defense.
The total length of the defensive line was only a few hundred meters.
On a front line a few hundred meters long, no more than a thousand combatants could engage the enemy at once. Li Qingsong held the remaining armed Clones in reserve, keeping them on standby.
If a Clone on the front line fell, Li Qingsong’s consciousness link would instantly transfer to a Clone in the reserves, who would immediately take their place, ensuring the front line always maintained sufficient numbers.
They waited in tense formation as several hours slipped by. Then, a slight tremor ran through the ground. In the beams of the searchlights, a vast, dark shadow materialized ahead.
Li Qingsong knew it wasn’t truly a shadow, but a massive flock of monstrous birds.
They were so numerous they blotted out the ground beneath them.
Li Qingsong immediately halted some non-essential production tasks, reallocating the portions of his consciousness that had been overseeing them at the main base. He connected a thousand of these conscious links to the armed Clones on the front line.
Letting out a silent roar, as if sensing the abundance of fresh, delicious food, the flock of monstrous birds instantly charged. The armed Clones stood their ground, and the two forces collided in a flash.
In an instant, dozens of fully armed Clones were sent flying by the impact. Some were snatched mid-air by the monstrous birds and torn to pieces. Others fell into the swarm, only to be trampled and mauled to death in the next moment. Those who survived scrambled back to their feet and threw themselves back into the fight without a second thought.
Countless spears thrust and stabbed. Countless longswords slammed down. Countless shields were raised high, desperately blocking the monstrous birds’ attacks for themselves and their comrades.
For a moment, the battlefield was a chaotic maelstrom of flying flesh and blood.
Li Qingsong’s focus was absolute as he controlled the 1,000 front-line combatants, not daring to relax for even a second.
Under his control, the combat Clones’ coordination was nothing short of perfect. Every spear thrust, every sword swing, every shield raised was perfectly synchronized, fluid, and natural.
Moreover, whenever a front-line Clone fell, a fully armed replacement from the reserves would immediately rise, joining the front line without hesitation to continue the fight.
The entire rotation was perfectly orderly, executed flawlessly as if it had been rehearsed millions of times.
Furthermore, no matter which reserve Clone was sent to join the battle, he could instantly integrate into the fray, fighting in close coordination with his new comrades.
But even with all this, the pressure on the front was still immense.
It couldn’t be helped. The monstrous birds were simply too large, and their strength far surpassed that of a human.
What’s more, some of the monstrous birds would occasionally take flight. They couldn’t fly far before falling back down—it was more like jumping than flying—but it still caused trouble for Li Qingsong.
Whenever that happened, Li Qingsong had no choice but to allocate more of his consciousness to the area, directing more armed Clones into the fight to deal with the problem.
On average, even with the Clones’ perfect coordination and the constant generation of new combat experience and skills—which were instantly synchronized to all of them—Li Qingsong still had to sacrifice three Clones for every monstrous bird they killed.
’It’s a shame I didn’t have time to build fortifications,’ Li Qingsong thought. ’Without them to help hold back these monsters, this open-field battle is the only way to save the base.’
’But that’s fine,’ Li Qingsong thought. ’Time for the explosives!’
A Clone charged forward like a man possessed, clutching a large sack of explosives, and hurled it as if it were a grenade.
Thanks to the low gravity on Ceres, the explosive pack sailed more than a hundred meters before it detonated with a massive BOOM.
In that instant, four or five of the monstrous birds were blown to smithereens, their mangled remains sent flying into the sky.
The ground trembled. With each new eruption of fire and light, more monstrous birds were blasted to pieces.
The number of Clones was steadily dwindling. But with the addition of explosives and the constant replenishment from the reserves, the battle line finally held, settling into a stalemate.
While the battle at Copper Mine No. 1 raged, Clones at the other mining bases remained on high alert. Back at the main base, numerous steel mills and metal smelters continued to operate at a frantic, desperate pace.
After a few days of optimization, Li Qingsong had once again boosted the production speed for complete sets of melee weapons, reaching an average of 3,000 sets per day.
In the communal dormitories, large numbers of Clones rose at Li Qingsong’s command. Refreshed and full of vigor, they left the barracks, went to the armory to receive a full set of equipment, and then headed for the front line.
The armory’s inventory wasn’t large, kept at only around two hundred sets.
At the current rate of consumption, it seemed those two hundred sets would be depleted quickly.
But that never happened. The reason was simple: with dozens of factories producing at full capacity, a steady stream of combat equipment was constantly arriving to replenish the stock.
For every set of gear a Clone took, a new one arrived to replace it.
As Clones continuously took their gear, newly produced equipment was constantly delivered. With this steady inflow and outflow, the inventory remained stable at 150 to 200 sets, never more, never less.
These newly equipped Clones would then board a train in an orderly and rapid fashion, heading at top speed toward the next base about to be attacked by a flock of monstrous birds.
Upon arrival, they would sit and rest for the time being. Simultaneously, Li Qingsong’s consciousness would instantly disconnect from them and withdraw back to the main base. From there, he would control a new, continuous stream of armed Clones, sending them off to reinforce the defenses of other bases.