Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

In Zone 18, the surface had seen negligible change over the past six months, remaining the same timeless, reddish-brown wasteland.

But beneath the surface, a monumental transformation was quietly underway.

The Workshop, Central Control Room.

A massive holographic sand table floated in the center of the room, displaying a network diagram that extended nearly a hundred meters underground.

A thick main artery, glowing a deep blue, originated from the Workshop’s foundation. It snaked its way northwest like the spine of a great dragon.

Along its path, several thinner branches extended out, connecting to a series of flashing resource nodes.

This was Allen’s "Underground Great Wall."

[Reporting, Commander. Phase One of the ’Underground Great Wall’ project has now exceeded a total length of 500 kilometers.] 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Jarvis’s voice rang out in the control room.

[The ’Trailblazer-I’ Shield-Boring Golem is currently operating in optimal condition, advancing toward Mining Area Four at a rate of 520 meters per hour. At this pace, the main artery will connect with Mining Area Four in an estimated 72 hours.]

Allen’s gaze fell upon the flashing point of light that represented Mining Area Four.

This new mineral vein had been discovered a month ago by an Exploration Golem, ninety kilometers from the Workshop.

[The exploration report for Mining Area Four has been updated.]

Jarvis brought up the new data.

[Mineral Type: Gray Granite.]

[Properties: Naturally contains trace amounts of Magic Power. Its structure is dense, with energy resistance 80% higher than ordinary rock. After being quarried, it can be used directly as a building material for Wizards. It is also one of the best materials for the torsos of the Witchcraft School’s Stone Golems.]

[Reserves: Massive. The estimated yield is over twelve times that of the Black-Vein Iron Lode in Mining Area One. The ore body is shaped like a hill, making it easy to mine, though its market price is relatively low.]

Gray Granite. A material used for the outer shells of many Wizard Towers.

And for now, he had an entire mountain of it.

"What’s the status of the underground conveyor belts?" Allen asked.

[The underground conveyor belts for Mining Areas One, Two, and Three are running stably, transporting ore around the clock.]

A three-meter-wide conveyor belt stretched out from a deep tunnel, laden with black ore. Like a ceaseless river of steel, it silently funneled the wealth of the wasteland into his heart.

Over the past six months, Allen had poured a great deal of his energy into the "Underground Great Wall" project.

He had halted the expansion of his surface forces, choosing instead to divert resources to this subterranean lifeline.

As it turned out, his choice had been absolutely correct.

This secure underground corridor significantly reduced his transportation costs and security burdens.

A steady stream of ore was converted into legions of Golems and vast quantities of Magic Stones. These were then reinvested into further expansion, creating a virtuous cycle.

Just as Allen was admiring his subterranean network, Jarvis’s voice rang out again, presenting a new problem.

[Commander, as our sphere of influence expands, vulnerabilities have appeared in our current defense systems.]

The display on the holographic sand table shifted. The blue area representing Allen’s territory had expanded into a massive ellipse, with its farthest point 160 kilometers away.

[While the ’Storm Falcons’ are highly mobile, their payload is limited to three munitions per sortie, which is insufficient for all-weather coverage of such a vast area. Powerful Magical Beasts have been sighted multiple times along the borders of our territory.]

Allen frowned.

’Sure enough, conquering territory is easy; holding it is the hard part.’

The Storm Falcon was an excellent fighter—a sharp sword. As the most mobile Golem in Allen’s arsenal, it was better suited for high-speed aerial patrols and precision strikes on key targets.

’I need... a persistent aerial presence.’

Allen’s finger swiped across the sand table, tapping on several key mining areas and transportation nodes. ’An aerial unit that can hover for extended periods, possesses significant firepower, and can serve as a stationary fire-support platform, similar to the battlefield role of a helicopter.’

[Based on your concept, a new project has been generated: Demon Eye Mk. II.]

Jarvis responded instantly, displaying a brand-new 3D model.

It was a metallic sphere nearly ten times larger than the original Demon Eye. It no longer prioritized extreme stealth; its shell was covered in clearly visible Rune Circuits.

In addition to its original detection lens, it also had three new ports that resembled cannon muzzles.

[Project: Demon Eye Mk. II · Floating Cannon Platform.]

[Role: Area Denial, Point Defense, Fire Support.]

[Core Technology: Sacrifices flight altitude and flexibility in exchange for a high-capacity Energy Core and sustained suppressive fire capabilities.]

[Weapon System: Three Magic Guide Beam Emitters.]

[Production Cost: 6,800 Low-Level Magic Stones per unit.]

’The production difficulty isn’t too high.’

Allen made a soft clicking sound with his tongue, his eyes filled with satisfaction. ’Just my type.’

「Half a day later, at the newly cleared testing ground outside the Workshop.」

A brand-new Demon Eye Mk. II hovered steadily fifty meters in the air.

"Begin attack test. Target: Sector 1," Allen commanded.

HUMMM—

A low-pitched hum of energy filled the air.

The three emitters on the Demon Eye Mk. II simultaneously glowed with a blinding white light. Three beams, each thicker than a man’s arm, shot out in an instant, striking a target one kilometer away that had been built from stacked Gray Granite.

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a continuous SIZZLE.

The three beams didn’t just flash and disappear. They pulsed at high intensity, like the strobe function on a tactical flashlight, continuously bombarding the target.

Faced with the high-temperature, high-energy beams, the hard Gray Granite was perforated with smooth, round holes.

After ten seconds, the beams ceased.

The target, a small bunker-like structure built from dozens of tons of Gray Granite, had been riddled with holes until it resembled a honeycomb.

[Test Report: Full-power volley can be sustained for 10 seconds, delivering 300 pulses, with a 30-second cooldown. Peak intensity per pulse reaches 200.]

"Excellent. A ten-second barrage is equivalent to thirty Spider-Slayer Mk. IIs firing at once," Allen nodded.

The highly mobile ’Storm Falcons’ would act as aerial rangers, responsible for assaults, pursuits, and decapitation strikes.

Meanwhile, the ’Demon Eye Mk. II,’ with its long loiter time and powerful firepower, would serve as an aerial fortress, responsible for area denial and point defense against both ground and air targets.

With this mix of high-speed and low-speed assets, long-range and close-in capabilities, his air defense network was finally starting to take shape.

"Jarvis, queue up twenty Demon Eye Mk. IIs for production. I want to use them to guard key strategic points."

[Command confirmed.]

With another powerful unit added to his legion, Allen was in high spirits.

The three pillars of his operation—economy, industry, and military—were all advancing in tandem. Everything seemed to be thriving.

Even the Tier-2 Scorpion King cowering in its hole seemed less odious. It was almost like a free security guard watching his back door.