Chapter 123: Combat Drone Swarm

After a brief exchange with Heavy Cavalry, Su Wu obtained the military-grade gunpowder formula. This acquisition filled the final gap in Su Wu's modern weaponry capabilities. From now on, as long as there were sufficient raw materials, his weapons would rival those of the Federal Army in both performance and reliability.

This newfound capability gave Su Wu the confidence to advance his plans to infiltrate and take control of Zhou Xiwu's large shelter with more poise and precision.

Shifting his focus back to the armory of the shelter, Su Wu assessed the inventory. There were currently about 30 courier-class drones stored on the sixth underground level—just enough to form a drone swarm. Su Wu decided that once the large transport truck returned, these drones would be sent to Zhou Xiwu's shelter to serve as the primary combat force stationed there.

"First, to be cautious, it's best to designate one drone as a command hub," Su Wu mused.

A drone swarm typically didn't require a centralized command unit, as the shelter's AI handled coordination. However, the remote location of Zhou Xiwu's shelter meant that all communications would rely on the soon-to-be-erected communications tower. If that tower were destroyed, the stationed drones would effectively become useless. Worse still, if communications were cut mid-battle, the consequences could be catastrophic.

"Next, allocate 20 drones for combat and daily patrol duties."

Su Wu issued orders to the manufacturing center, tasking it to retrofit the designated 20 drones with 5.56mm small-caliber automatic rifles and large 500-round ammunition compartments. These rifles, specifically designed for drone use, had an effective range of about 400 meters and minimal recoil, ensuring accurate targeting. Although their firepower was limited, this was a feature rather than a drawback in the confined spaces of a shelter, where indiscriminate destruction was not the goal.

For dealing with armored targets, Su Wu decided to equip the remaining nine drones with light rocket launchers capable of firing armor-piercing and incendiary rounds. These would serve as the swarm's heavy assault units.

"That should suffice for now," Su Wu concluded.

Given the swarm's modest size of 30 combat drones, there was no need for overly complex designs. Firepower and ammunition capacity were the primary requirements.

"Lastly, ground-based combat forces shouldn't be overlooked. Perhaps a fleet of mini off-road drones could serve as supplementary units," Su Wu considered.

Ground vehicles had the advantage of deploying more powerful, heavier weapons such as sniper rifles, heavy machine guns, and flamethrowers. They could also carry significantly more ammunition. For the complex underground environment of a shelter, the ideal choice would be robotic quadrupeds akin to military-grade "robot dogs," combining agility with load-carrying capacity.

Unfortunately, Su Wu was not yet capable of producing such advanced machines. As a compromise, he opted for toy-sized mini off-road vehicles, similar in size to RC cars. These vehicles were limited to flat terrain like streets or open plains but would still perform adequately as defensive assets for the outpost.

"Let's start with 20 units," Su Wu decided.

He divided their roles as follows: two with sniper rifles, three with flamethrowers, five with rocket launchers, and ten with multi-barrel machine guns. At less than a meter in length, these miniature vehicles were inexpensive to produce, so Su Wu promptly ordered the first batch.

If these land-based combat units proved effective in future testing, Su Wu planned to scale up production, deploying them in other locations such as the mining site and other shelters. They could replace the scarce construction robots as patrol and defense units.

Four hours later, a fully loaded transport truck arrived at the newly named Forward Operating Base (FOB) near Zhou Xiwu's shelter.

As the truck's ramp extended, the activated mini ground vehicles rolled out one by one into the outpost.

Meanwhile, across the street, a concealed camera recorded the entire scene.

"What are they trying to do?" Zhou Xiwu muttered, his face darkening as he watched the video of the toy-like vehicles rolling off the transport. Despite their small size, the glinting weapons mounted on their frames were no joke—they were lethal killing machines.

The sight of such weapons being brought into his shelter was no coincidence, nor were they merely decorative. The implications of Su Wu's intentions were enough to make Zhou Xiwu shudder.

"Boss, should we take them out before it's too late?" a subordinate suggested cautiously.

"Do you have the capability to pull that off?" Zhou Xiwu snapped, his eyes flashing with danger as he turned to glare at the man.

"Well…"

The subordinate hesitated. Despite wanting to reassure his boss, a quick mental calculation of the firepower on display left him uncertain. The opposing side wouldn't just sit idly if attacked. If they managed to retaliate, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Useless," Zhou Xiwu growled, cursing under his breath. Yet, even he felt powerless to deal with the situation.

After a long deliberation, he sighed and muttered reluctantly, "Find a way to discreetly contact other shelters. See if we can procure some electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons. The future of our shelter might depend on them."

EMP weapons were designed specifically to counter drones and other smart devices. If even EMPs failed, Zhou Xiwu would have no choice but to pack up and prepare to flee.

Back at the FOB, within hours of deploying the new units, Su Wu had already secured his first payoff. Through a clandestine deal with an official from the Materials Management Office, Su Wu acquired a batch of gunpowder at just one-tenth of its usual price.

Though the quantity wasn't large, it was enough to double Su Wu's current ammunition reserves, significantly bolstering his shelter's combat potential.

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