Chapter 494, Factory on Gold-Silver Island
A large number of skeletons were struck by bullets, but even more skeletons swarmed around the convoy from different directions.
Pickups were overturned, and people on trucks were dragged out and hacked to death.
Those who attempted to drive away were stopped by skeletal wyverns dropping iron frames onto their vehicles.
Vehicles swerved and crashed into roadside trees.
The people inside were killed directly by skeletons.
...…
The battle didn't last long.
The only unexpected development was that the armored vehicles did indeed open fire.
The factory grounds were bombarded.
Even though the skeletons had been repositioned earlier, the losses were still significant.
Blowing up pirates had been satisfying.
But today, the tables had turned.
Glenda flew back from the distance. "It's over. Their leader is dead. The deputy leader took over the command, but it was a bit too slow."
"No problem. Compared to the gains, these losses are acceptable," Wu Heng said as he walked out from his hiding spot.
Four armored vehicles, a machine-gun pickup, and trucks.
It was a significant haul.
It felt like they had delivered a batch of supplies to him.
As Wu Heng returned to the factory entrance, he saw the area riddled with craters.
Several bodies had been dragged to the entrance.
Looking at the corpses, Wu Heng instructed, "Strip the clothes off these bodies."
Several skeletons bent down, removing bulletproof vests and helmets from the corpses and placing them aside.
"Who was their leader?"
Glenda pointed to one of the corpses. "That one was the leader."
Wu Heng immediately cast [Speak with Dead]. The corpse suddenly sat upright.
Its head twisted at an eerie angle to face them.
Wu Heng asked, "What orders did the provincial rescue team give you?"
The corpse replied, "Approach Factory No. 35 to monitor and observe your movements."
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Were you ordered to attack us?"
The corpse replied, "Not directly, but I decided the timing was right to attack and capture your leader."
Wu Heng nodded.
The provincial rescue team hadn't given direct orders.
This revealed two possibilities.
First, the rescue team didn't want to appear too domineering since the central station issued commands to all local teams.
Second, they might have been aware of Wu Heng's strength.
After all, there had been several exchanges with Xinfu City.
Wu Heng continued, "Tell me about the internal situation of your rescue team."
The corpse hesitated for a few seconds, then replied, "The provincial rescue team is controlled by three factions: the military rescue team, Tiancheng Group, and Boss Huang of the Huang family."
Wu Heng frowned.
"How did the rescue team splinter into so many factions?"
The corpse explained, "In the early days of the base, resources were scarce, and many couldn't survive. Rewards were given for bringing back supplies and intelligence, including weapons. Tiancheng Group and the Huang family used this to quickly amass manpower and weapons, gaining influence."
Wu Heng pondered the implications.
The military had distributed weapons as rewards.
But over time, these weapons empowered Tiancheng Group and the Huang family, granting them military strength and influence.
This seemed to be the case.
But thinking about it, it was an unavoidable situation.
Without distributing weapons, clearing areas and gathering supplies would have been challenging.
Distributing them created control issues.
His initial decision not to distribute firearms to other survivors on a large scale seemed correct.
It prevented unnecessary risks.
One last question.
Wu Heng asked, "Now that you're dead, will the rescue team come looking for trouble?"
The corpse answered directly, "Yes. I am the son of Huang Guangping."
After the fifth question, the corpse fell back with a thud.
Huang Guangping?
This captain was part of the Huang family's faction in the rescue team, which explained why he acted without orders.
Wu Heng had interacted with the military market and Deputy Commander Liu before.
They all sought mutual benefits.
Yet they hadn't crossed the line into ruthlessness.
This captain wasn't from the core rescue team.
Wu Heng interrogated two more corpses and gained further insight into the rescue team.
The base housed around 5,000 people and had a relatively sufficient stock of weapons.
They had at least twenty armored vehicles.
Ammunition and firearms were plentiful, but exact numbers were unclear.
Satisfied with this information, Wu Heng ended the questioning.
The remaining corpses were all converted into skeletal warriors.
They joined the ranks.
"Assign skeletons capable of driving to bring those vehicles inside. Find materials to patch up the walls," Wu Heng instructed nearby.
Several skeletons quickly moved out.
They righted the overturned pickup, pulled the truck off the tree, and drove everything, including the armored vehicles, into the courtyard.
Meanwhile, other skeletons collected rubble to temporarily seal the collapsed walls.
...…
Qi Hancai came over from the back.
She glanced around and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Take me to see the production line you mentioned. Also, have someone search for blueprints nearby. If the rescue team came for them, there should be a storage location for blueprints," Wu Heng said.
Qi Hancai nodded and used the radio to relay instructions.
She then led Wu Heng to the rear factory building.
The factory occupied a vast area.
Dormitories, a cafeteria, and a basketball court were well-maintained.
It even felt better than the prison, lacking its oppressive atmosphere.
At the rear.
Most of the factory had been burned down.
Likely aided by accelerants, the fire was intense enough to melt iron into discs.
The surviving factory section was separated by a large open space.
This part hadn't been affected.
They turned on flashlights and entered.
The floors and walls were covered in claw marks and bloodstains.
Soon, Wu Heng spotted the equipment Qi Hancai had mentioned.
The workshop was mostly intact, with a slender production line holding unfinished shells.
Judging by the specifications, they were producing 23mm shells.
Definitely for autocannons.
Wu Heng's spirits lifted.
Restoring production would solve the ammunition shortage.
"The other workshop has equipment for making small-arms ammunition, with a wide variety," Qi Hancai said with a smile.
The harvest was excellent.
It had met their pre-departure goals.
"If only we could restart production," Wu Heng said.
Qi Hancai nodded. "The mechanics checked it out. The equipment's in good shape. As long as we provide power, production can resume."
"I'll figure something out."
They didn't explore further as night had fallen.
Wu Heng assigned skeletons to guard duties.
Qi Hancai had the dormitory cleaned and prepared.
Further inspection of the factory and blueprint searches would continue in the morning.
Qi Hancai accompanied Wu Heng to his room, asking softly, "What should we say if the rescue team asks about their people?"
Wu Heng thought for a moment. "Tell them they left. Where they went, we don't know."
"Will they believe it?"
"They won't believe anything we say. It's just an excuse," Wu Heng replied.
"Alright!" Qi Hancai nodded.
Wu Heng entered his room.
Opening a gate, he took his skeletons inside.
...…
It was near dusk on Gold-Silver Island.
Wu Heng left his study and went to the skeletal alchemy lab.
He retrieved an organ jar and a Level-4 corpse core, placing them before him.
The core resembled a small brain with dark purple veins.
He opened the jar and dropped the core inside.
Level-3 corpse core potions weren't complete yet, so Level-4 would be even harder.
But the Corpse King's abilities were intriguing.
Its visible regeneration speed was terrifying.
Even shattered bones twisted into knots could rapidly heal.
Its regenerative power was absurd.
Wu Heng also retrieved a plastic bag containing other mutated corpse cores.
Four Tier-2 cores and over 300 Tier-1 cores.
These were handed to regular alchemical skeletons for potion-making.
After handling the cores.
Wu Heng descended the stairs.
Minnie and Andviel had finished dinner and were training with instructional skeletons.
Wu Heng had the skeletal chef prepare a meal for himself.
He ate while listening to Minnie and Andviel discuss their day.
"Andviel, who planned the island's layout?" Wu Heng asked.
Andviel thought for a moment. "A gnome architect, I think, but I don't remember the name."
"Can we contact him?"
"He works at the town hall. Should I call him here?" Andviel asked.
Wu Heng considered. "It's not polite to summon him here for everything. Have him meet me at the guild meeting room tomorrow morning to discuss the island's development."
"Understood, Master."
After a simple meal.
Wu Heng returned upstairs, while the two women went back to training.
...…
In his study, Wu Heng poured himself a glass of water and reclined in his chair.
He began reflecting on the day's events at the factory.
Killing the rescue team members would surely strain their relationship.
With three factions in their ranks, direct war was unlikely.
But he needed to prepare nonetheless.
The factory's production line was intact enough to meet ammunition needs once operational.
"Raw materials and power—these need solutions."
Raw materials weren't a big issue.
Gunpowder and metals like copper and steel could be sourced from the alternate world.
Gold-Silver Island, a hub for various trade guilds, could supply these resources easily.
"Transporting raw materials through the gate repeatedly is too inconvenient."
"And there's the risk of the rescue team bombing the factory if I'm away."
"Moving the factory to Gold-Silver Island would solve everything."
On the island, material needs and threats would be easier to manage.
Local threats wouldn't include bombardments.
"Second, there's the power issue."
Wu Heng rested his hands behind his head.
Factories required power, and solar panels weren't enough.
A power station was necessary.
Of the power options—thermal, hydro, wind, and nuclear—nuclear was out of the question.
Thermal and hydroelectric seemed viable.
Gold-Silver Island was near the sea.
Water was abundant.
But building marine equipment was too difficult for his current resources.
Thermal power was simpler.
Burning fuel to produce steam and convert it to electricity was straightforward.
"Generate heat and convert it to electricity..." Wu Heng murmured.
Then his eyes lit up.
Flame Furnace.
A magical structure powered by runes that generated immense heat.
It could even melt metals for blacksmithing.
Perhaps a magical power plant could be developed.
Fuel wouldn't even be necessary.
"Worth a try!" Wu Heng declared.
The idea seemed highly feasible.
He quickly planned in his mind.
The sky grew darker.
Wu Heng left the study and went to his room to rest.
...…
The next morning.
After washing up, Wu Heng went to the radio room.
Philipa's logbook was filled with notes.
The most notable entry was about clearing another pirate group yesterday.
Wu Heng picked up the microphone. "Philipa!"
After a moment, a groggy voice replied, "Are you insane? It's so early."
"Is everything okay?"
"The pirate situation is fine, but you talking so early makes me want to die," she grumbled weakly.
Wu Heng almost laughed. "You've been away for a few days. Want to come back?"
Philipa hesitated.
Then she said, "I do miss you, but it's only been a few days. Everyone here is still motivated. Check if there are any nearby pirates. If not, I'll return."
"Hold on. I'll check." Wu Heng pulled out the emerald sand table and scanned Philipa's route.
He searched carefully.
His gaze landed on a suspicious fleet.
Five ships flying blue flags with yellow stripes, resembling a merchant fleet.
But they were sailing crosswise, not along a standard route, heading toward another fleet.
Then their flags changed to pirate banners.
Clever tactics.
"Philipa, there's a fleet to the north preparing to attack a merchant convoy," Wu Heng reported.
Philipa immediately perked up. "They've engaged?"
"Not yet. They're closing in."
"Got it. Turning around now. This convoy is under my protection," Philipa said, then asked, "What's their pirate flag? Any notable threats?"
Wu Heng glanced at the sand table again. "A black flag with a gold lion or tiger emblem."
"The Mad Lion Pirates? The guild even revoked their bounty," Philipa said skeptically.