Chapter 17: Synthetic Meat
Throughout the entire battle, Qin Mo refrained from participating.
Grotte advanced leisurely amidst the encirclement of enemy forces, utilizing his hand-mounted weapons to unleash a barrage upon the adversaries. With the weapon reconfigured to mimic a shotgun's firing pattern, it proved even more effective, as each shot, propelled at an astonishing rate, blanketed a wide area of foes.
Gray unleashed a relentless barrage, expertly wielding his shoulder-mounted cannon. Within the HUD of his visor, the reconnaissance drone's aerial view appeared in the lower left corner, marking every insurgent in sight. The drone was also linked to the shoulder cannon; when the cannon adjusted its firing angle, a zone of impact indicator appeared on the HUD, eliminating the awkwardness of missed shots.
As the insurgents were slaughtered to the point of collapse and chose to flee, the battle came to an end. Gray and Grotte returned to Qin Mo's side, and the three of them proceeded into the large fortress.
All surviving soldiers within the fortress gazed at the trio with awe, moving from various positions to kneel before Qin Mo, their eyes fixed on the double-headed eagle atop his staff.
"Who is your highest-ranking officer?" Qin Mo inquired as they walked.
"It is I, my lord," a colonel adorned with insignia identical to Klein's stepped forward, kneeling before Qin Mo.
Qin Mo regarded the colonel, issuing orders: "You currently have 472 personnel; that is far too few. There is no need to remain at this position. Immediately advance westward to join the other units."
"Understood." The colonel nodded, slightly astonished, as he was unaware of how many remained after the battle.
The command was promptly executed. Soldiers gathered their weapons and supplies, convening at the position. Nearly half of the fewer than five hundred soldiers were wounded, some assisted by comrades, while others were carried on stretchers.
Requesting these individuals to traverse over seventy kilometers was indeed a daunting task.
Qin Mo summoned a transport drone to assist the injured first.
Seeing Qin Mo exhibit kindness toward the wounded, the colonel could no longer restrain himself from asking an inappropriate question: "Are you a commander? Is our defense line still intact?"
Initially reluctant to respond, Qin Mo felt the intensity of their hopeful gazes and decided to offer reassurance: "I do not know whether the defense line established after the offensive plan failed still exists, but I am in the process of establishing a new one. Currently, there are two fortresses."
The soldiers' faces fell into expressions of sorrow and despair upon hearing there were only two fortresses.
Qin Mo resolved to uplift their spirits, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, a distant buzzing sound filled the air.
Everyone was drawn to the noise, looking up at the sky.
Five black spheres suddenly descended, halting half a meter above the ground and hovering, their mechanical arms extending to collect any useful items from the battlefield.
Recognizing the arrival of his logistical machines, Qin Mo diverted his gaze, continuing his uplifting speech: "Soldiers, we—"
"Ugh!"
A low growl erupted from nearby.
Lying not far away was a grotesque being, riddled with gaping wounds yet still alive. It stood with a heavy pickaxe, staggering forward while glaring fiercely at Qin Mo.
Just then, one of the logistical machines happened upon the surviving grotesque. Its mechanical arm retracted before extending again, now wielding a sword, swiftly dispatching the creature and reclaiming its remains.
"Fear not, everyone; these are our machines," Qin Mo assured the soldiers.
The troops nodded, redirecting their gaze back to Qin Mo, awaiting his previously interrupted remarks.
"Comrades, loyal subjects of the Emperor, we… hold on a moment." Qin Mo suddenly recalled something and opened the communication channel to the main control intelligence. "What is the purpose of reclaiming the grotesques? Don't tell me it's for consumption."
The response from the main control intelligence came swiftly: "According to my analysis and observations, the corpses of insurgents can be repurposed. After undergoing multiple processing steps, they will be completely non-toxic, and using them as nutritional supplements poses no side effects."
"I… never mind," Qin Mo replied, dismissing his concern. He understood that resources were scarce, and even if that grotesque were turned into a nutritional paste, they would have to endure it.
The logistical machines not only reclaimed enemy corpses but also collected the remains of their own soldiers.
After retrieving a deceased soldier's body, a logistical machine approached the colonel.
"I am still alive!" the colonel exclaimed in a fluster, fearing the machine would claim him as well.
The logistical machine offered no response, pausing for a moment in silence before opening a square aperture in its exterior.
As the surrounding personnel puzzled over its meaning, they suddenly heard a clang, followed by a square object launching from the opening, landing in the colonel's hands.
It bore the etched visage of the deceased soldier, accompanied by a caption: Ashes of the brave fallen in the Abyss.
"..." The colonel was momentarily stunned.
Qin Mo heard the voice of the main control intelligence: "Humans have a custom of commemorating the deceased."
The logistical machine continued its task, swiftly cleaning the entire battlefield before ascending into the sky to fly to the next location.
"My lord," the colonel said, signaling his subordinates to gather the ashes of the deceased. "I will follow your orders and proceed westward to meet with allied forces."
"Very well." Qin Mo nodded, retrieving a communicator and handing it to the colonel. "Should you encounter danger along the way, use this to call me. The channel is set up. Additionally, if you encounter a psychic, you may throw this device; it possesses psychic suppression capabilities."
"Thank you," the colonel replied, heading westward.
After watching everyone depart, Qin Mo commanded the main control intelligence, "Gather intelligence regarding the other positions as swiftly as possible."
"Received. The reconnaissance drones are already under construction."
...
Night fell.
At the fortress occupied by the 47th Regiment.
The logistical machines descended from the heavens, depositing metal containers filled with food before departing.
The soldiers claimed their rations, and ten minutes later, an uproarious cheer erupted within the fortress.
Qin Mo, engrossed in the production of the fourth set of powered armor, was drawn out of his cave by the clamorous celebration, emerging to assess the situation.
"This is surprisingly delicious." Klein approached Qin Mo, brandishing a box of food. He extracted a morsel with his fork, savoring it with blissful enthusiasm.
Qin Mo glanced at the food in Klein's hand—it was solid synthetic meat.
"Is it good?" Qin Mo asked.
"Mmm-hmm." Klein nodded vigorously, then looked at Qin Mo, hugging the container tightly against his chest. "Gray brought you a portion, and I can't share mine."
"Rest assured, I have no desire to share," Qin Mo replied, nodding.
As the two conversed, Gray approached the cave, carrying two boxes of food. He handed one to Qin Mo and placed the other in Klein's hands.
"Have you lost your mind?" Klein exclaimed incredulously, staring at Gray, astonished that he would give away such delectable food.
Gray said nothing, merely trudging away in silence.
"Enjoy your meal," Qin Mo smiled, placing his portion of food in Klein's hands before retreating to the cave to continue his work.
Klein watched Qin Mo's retreating figure, then glanced down at the three boxes of food in his hands, lost in thought.