Tank

Miss Camille's horror was not limited to this one incident, for the more she thought about Valentine, the more she realised what Van der Linde had been doing during this time.

However, at this time, the primary focus should still be on Dutch.

Hope Ranch.

It was another gorgeous day, and as soon as the sky brightened, Hope Ranch employees were up early. Some asked their partners and girlfriends to accompany them for a walk around the ranch, while others went for a morning run because they had nothing else to do, and still others entered the property's livestock stable to milk cows.

It was difficult to think that living in the West could be so relaxed and free, with even extra energy for exercise; it was just amazing.

"Creak…" Karen stepped out of the wooden house in her pyjamas, followed by the faint sound of the wooden door, stretching lazily.

"I'm so sleepy, Jenny! Can't we prepare a little later?" Karen was unusually awake this morning.

Her affluent lifestyle during this time had thoroughly spoilt her; she was well-fed and comfortably clothed, with nothing to do but find entertainment every day. Her mental condition was radically different than previously. Her chest had grown slightly larger.

Jenny shook her head as she heard her words: "No, Karen, Dutch, and the others have only recently returned and are ready to depart again. I believe we should start preparing early, or they may not eat at the ranch!"

She grabbed a tiny, immaculate wooden pail and dragged Karen towards the livestock shed while rushing.

The gang members had been exceedingly active recently. Mary-Beth and Tilly spent nearly all of their time on the Hope Happiness Factory Newspaper. Arthur and John followed Dutch to Guarma, while Davey and the others had yet to arrive from Ohio, leaving them idle at the ranch, eating without helping.

Jenny preferred Dutch, therefore she wanted to prepare breakfast for him and the others while they were still at the ranch.

The two girls giggled as they slid into the livestock shed, while Dutch and Arthur in their wooden house threw open their room doors and stepped out.

"Hey, Dutch!" Arthur closed the door after a glance at Mary-Beth, who was still sleeping soundly. He noticed Dutch walking out of his room and couldn't help but greet him.

"Good morning, Arthur." Dutch smiled and greeted Arthur before looking to Marko and Reverend Swanson, who were sitting on the living room sofa.

These two males could genuinely communicate together, even if they stayed in the same room all night. It was unclear how a theologian and a scientist could have so much to talk about.

"Marko, Swanson, how did you sleep last night, gentlemen?"

"Oh, Dutch! I was about to report to you! All of the machines we ordered have been delivered to Van Horn Trading Post, and all of the necessary resources are in place. Except for sulphur, which must still be purchased in big quantities, everything else can be generated in-house once our mine and steel mill are fully operational.

Marko was overjoyed to see the Dutch come, recalling the changes that had occurred during this time span.

"Kieran is now in charge of this area. He stated that all of the Morgan Family's equipment has been moved to the mining site and is currently undergoing assembly and final preparation. Our mine will be operational within three days at the most.

In addition, we have already recruited several members of the study team you indicated. After all, the remuneration you offer is simply too incredible; few scholars can resist such enticements! Hahaha."

The Morgan Family wielded tremendous influence. Through their collaboration, different professional equipment and technical personnel were promptly brought from the neighbouring city.

Of course, the current paucity of professional equipment was a contributing factor.

This remained within Dutch's expectations, and the addition of research workers was what made him most happy.

This meant that their Van der Linde Gang now had its own foundation and could stay up with future advances.

"Excellent!" Dutch was overjoyed; as long as the mine began operations, their raw resources would not be in short supply, nor would they be controlled by others.

His visage darkened: "Given that, we need to begin the next phase of the plan."

"Is there a plan?" Oh, sh*t! You still have plans? Dutch!" Arthur, who had just walked over, yelled in amazement.

Damn, why do the Dutch always have a lot of plans? Isn't it the sole plan right now to manufacture weapons on Guarma?

"Sh*t! Arthur!" Dutch glared at Arthur, forcing him immediately swallow the retort that was about to come.

"Alright, alright, whatever you say, Dutch!" Arthur raised his hands in surrender before sitting on the sofa and smoking a cigar from the table.

"Hmph!" Dutch snorted coldly and glared at Mr. Marko.

"Marko, my dear sir, I've heard that a product known as a car is now available in Europe, and it can run without rails. Although I don't comprehend this, witnessing the train made me wonder: can we research a combat vehicle like a train?

For example, by adding steel plates to the locomotive and eliminating the need for rails, I might place artillery or Maxim weapons on it. People may hide within the carriage and just drive to engage in mobile firing, much like a mobile bunker!

Marko, do you believe this idea will succeed? Oh, Arthur, show Mr. Marko the blueprint I asked you to draw earlier.

Let's see if we can create a portable steel castle."

Marko is a genuine polymath; he even created sentient robots that don't require programming. At this point, Dutch could comprehend if he made a nuclear weapon by hand. So designing a tank should be relatively simple for him.

Especially considering the Tank's interior references the train's inside. Although a tank and a train are not the same, they both use an internal combustion engine. Dutch decided to trust Mr. Marko and the study team he personally assembled.

when expected, Marko's eyes lit up when Dutch explained and showed him the blueprint. He quickly grabbed the plan, his eyes gleaming as he saw the Tank prototype drawn on it.

"Damn it, what kind of steel castle is this? This is even more wonderful than the robot I imagined! Oh, Dutch, if we had anything like this, we would easily dominate the globe!

But why am I not seeing any wheels? Oh, wait, is it a track-like structure, or the wheel? Oh, this is such a brilliant concept!"

Mr. Marko was fully immersed in the Tank's design. He stared at the blueprint in his palm, ecstatic. Unlike what the Dutch assumed, he was the true maniac, obsessed with this type of technology that gave him power and a sense of conquest; otherwise, he would not have sought to build a robot to dominate the globe.

"Oh, Dutch, my dear Dutch, you are a genius!" This type of military vehicle is a forerunner for a full series! Damn it, leave it to me! Let me handle this! "I believe I already have some ideas!" Marko was a true polymath; he came up with ideas after only a few glances at the layout.

Dutch chuckled heartily, clearly satisfied.

"All right, Marko, I'll leave this matter to you to resolve. Make sure our factory is capable of industrialised manufacturing! I believe that starting now, this era will undoubtedly belong to us!"