Chapter 185: Chapter 182: The Underground Great Wall

Allen had turned the five-kilometer area around the entrance to Three-way Canyon into a heavily fortified military restricted zone.

An intelligent minefield, composed of hundreds of "Jumping Spider" self-destruct Golems, lay in wait, while a Demon Eye maintained constant surveillance from a fixed position high in the sky.

Twenty kilometers away on high ground, ten "Purgatory" launch platforms were deployed in a triangular formation. Their Red Lotus Magic Missiles were ready to fire, locked onto the Crystal Shell Giant Scorpion’s nest twenty-four hours a day.

Standing on the shoulder of the "Pacifista" PX-1, Allen took one last look at the deep, deathly silent cavern.

Ever since that Second-level Crystal Shell Scorpion King had retreated, it had not shown itself again.

It was like a nuclear submarine lurking in the depths of the ocean. Although it remained silent for now, the oppressive feeling of a constant, looming threat weighed heavily on Allen’s mind.

The damage report for PX-0 from the encounter with the Second-level Crystal Shell Scorpion King was out.

The left arm, along with a portion of its AT Field Runes, was almost completely destroyed. The repair cost was as high as five thousand Magic Stones, and that wasn’t even counting the completely obliterated ancient shield.

’A Second-level Wizard-grade magical beast... Conventional firepower can’t break through its defenses, it possesses powerful, instantaneous energy attacks, and it’s intelligent enough to assess the battlefield...’

Allen’s Mechanical Mind operated at high speed, parameterizing all the data on the Scorpion King and building a completely new enemy model.

An advantage in numbers is incredibly fragile in the face of a true leap in quality.

The Pacifista was able to withstand a single hit without being destroyed because of the no-expense-spared materials and that over-specced ancient shield.

But in his army, it was impossible for every Golem to be a Pacifista.

’I need... a more powerful ultimate weapon.’

Allen’s gaze passed over the canyon toward the distant, unknown wasteland. After this battle, he finally understood why the Alchemy Wizards of this world were always pursuing stronger, more versatile Golems. The gap in power levels was not something that could be easily overcome with numbers.

’An ace that can rival the Scorpion King, or even suppress it single-handedly. Its role would be a strategic-level unit, capable of ending a battle with a single strike.’

In his mind, the silhouette of a tall, humanoid figure flashed by.

High mobility, heavy firepower, strong close-combat capabilities, equipped with a top-of-the-line Control Core and weapons system.

That would be a true "mecha."

However, for now, this idea could only remain an idea. His current financial situation could not support the creation of a Golem of that caliber. The materials list alone would be enough for him to declare bankruptcy immediately.

’Build up my defenses, amass my resources, and be slow to proclaim myself king.’

Allen pulled back his thoughts, his gaze becoming pragmatic and sharp again. ’First, I’ll set a small goal. Two years. Within two years, I will have a million Low-Level Magic Stones in savings.’

He turned and flew toward the workshop, a new strategic direction already set in his heart.

Time is the best catalyst for industry.

Over the next two months, Zone 18 entered a period of rapid development.

In the core area of the workshop, the massive Magic Power furnace roared day and night, churning out one war machine and production unit after another.

DING—

A crisp notification sound interrupted Allen’s Rune-etching work.

[Report, Commander. Five minutes ago, Digger-Worm Five discovered a third mining site on the plains northwest of Three-way Canyon.]

"Oh?" Allen stopped his work. "What kind of mine?"

[Initial survey results: A Fire Element Crystal mine.]

Allen’s eyes lit up instantly.

’A Fire Element Crystal mine! One of the most common ores in the Molten Iron Mountain Range. It’s not worth much on its own, but it’s a key material for producing Alchemy Bombs and the core charge for the ’Red Lotus-I’ Magic Missiles!’

Previously, when he manufactured ammunition, he had to purchase Fire Element Crystals from the fortress, which kept costs high. If he could achieve self-sufficiency...

"Reserve size and location?" Allen’s voice held a trace of urgency.

[Reserves are massive, estimated to be more than five times that of the Black Patterned Iron vein. Location: 150 kilometers northwest of the workshop, as the crow flies. Vein depth: 80 meters below the surface.]

One hundred and fifty kilometers!

That number was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing half of Allen’s enthusiasm.

’It’s too far.’

His current transport convoy’s maximum operational radius was only fifty kilometers.

One hundred and fifty kilometers... just a single round trip would take one or two hours. Such a long supply line exposed in the wilderness would create immense security pressure.

The transport Floating Ships had limited capacity; using them specifically to haul such low-value ore would be a crippling loss.

’Should I just give up on it?’

"No..." Allen walked to the holographic tactical sand table, frowning as he stared at the flashing location.

’Giving up is not an option. This mining area is crucial to my future fire-support system.’

’If traveling on the surface and in the sky are both out of the question...’

Allen’s gaze slowly drifted downward, piercing through the surface of the sand table.

"Jarvis, create a new project: ’Pioneer.’"

"Remember that heavy-duty shield tunneling Golem I had you simulate? Now’s the time to build it."

The "Pioneer" heavy-duty shield tunneling machine was a subterranean steel behemoth designed by Allen, combining his knowledge of engineering machinery and Alchemy on the foundation of his "Dungeon Plan."

In essence, it was a mobile, underground factory.

Its body was twenty-five meters long and five meters in diameter, with a shell made of interlocking plates of refined Black Patterned Magic Steel, allowing it to bend up to 45 degrees.

The rotating cutterhead alone, studded with over a hundred high-strength cutting bits, required a full ten tons of Black Patterned Iron.

Its operating principle was simple and brutal: use the massive rotating cutterhead to pulverize all rock in its path, transport the debris backward via an internal conveyor belt, while at the same time, various functional Runes inscribed on its body would instantly and permanently reinforce the excavated tunnel.

As it tunneled forward, it left a sturdy, safe, five-meter-diameter underground tunnel in its wake.

[Calculating cost based on design blueprints...]

Jarvis responded quickly, [Projected cost for a single ’Pioneer’: 35,000 Low-Level Magic Stones. This does not include subsequent maintenance and energy consumption.]

Thirty-five thousand Magic Stones. That price was comparable to a Pacifista, mainly due to its massive size.

"Worth it!" Allen decided without hesitation.

"Build it! Use all the Black Patterned Magic Steel in the inventory. If it’s not enough, use the newly mined ore! I want to see it moving within two weeks!"

[Command confirmed. Production sequence established. Assembly is estimated to be complete in 10 days and 8 hours.]

For a logistical unit like this, the Control Core was relatively simple to make, and it didn’t require expensive soul materials.

「10 days later.」

In an open area outside the workshop, a behemoth lay dormant.

Its size far exceeded any Golem Allen had ever built. Its massive, cylindrical body was filled with a cold, industrial beauty. The enormous eight-meter-diameter cutterhead at its front was like a blooming flower of death.

Allen stood before it, as small as a child.

"Now *this*... is what I call industry," he murmured to himself.

"Jarvis, activate the ’Pioneer.’"

[Energy Core activating... Energy output stable... Cutterhead power system unlocked...]

WHUMMM—

A low rumble echoed from within the behemoth, as if it were waking from a deep slumber.

Immediately after, the massive cutterhead began to turn, slowly at first, then faster and faster, kicking up a howling gale.

Allen flew into midair and gave the command.

"Begin Phase One of the ’Underground Great Wall’ project! Commence tunneling!"

RUMBLE!

Under Allen’s watch, the ’Pioneer’s’ cutterhead bit viciously into the earth. The hard rock layers were as fragile as tofu before it. Countless fragments of stone were sucked in, only to be spewed out from the discharge port at the rear of the machine.

The entire ground trembled slightly.

With an unstoppable momentum, the steel behemoth began to devour the land of this wasteland, forging an underground highway for Allen toward the third mining area, one hundred and fifty kilometers away.

[Real-time tunneling speed: 500 meters per hour.]

[Tunnel structure is stable, meeting design specifications.]

Listening to Jarvis’s reports, Allen’s heart swelled with heroic pride.

’The Scorpion King is holed up underground, thinking it can rest easy?’

’It was wrong.’

’It had no idea what kind of enemy it had provoked.’

"Jarvis," Allen’s gaze pierced through the earth, as if seeing the dark passage continuously extending into the distance, "incorporate the Underground Great Wall network into the highest strategic plan. In the future, all of my bases, mining sites, and fortresses will be connected by it into a single, unified whole."