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墨書 Inktalez
Walking against the warm breeze, they crossed the completed main Gathering Place area and made their way to the riverside. The warm wind brushed against them; although it wasn't the true warmth of a post-apocalypse world, it still raised the temperature by a couple of degrees. Their clothing had become lighter, and at least not everyone was bundled up like dumplings anymore.
Accompanying Zheng Yifan were Han Rui and Li Ning, and their destination today was a newly constructed factory by the river.
This was the first factory to fully utilize superpowers, with every core employee being a superpowered individual. Of course, roles like porters remained ordinary people.
The power of superpowers was gradually shifting from military to civilian use, significantly improving the quality of life. After about half an hour's drive, they left the Gathering Place and were greeted by endless wheat fields stretching as far as the eye could see. This was where winter wheat was planted. The air was still quite cold, but with Sun Jiang's concentration of Zombie Fluid, these crops would no longer suffer from the cold; instead, they thrived abundantly, their prosperity spreading like waves across the fields.
The cold was biting, even buried under several heavy snowfalls during winter that concealed all signs of life. However, when the warm wind blew in and the winter snow melted, it marked the season of harvest as the earth revived.
As they walked past each wheat field, Zheng Yifan's mood lifted further, alleviating some of the gloom hidden within him.
The winter had passed peacefully. Ever since they dealt with the Ice King Mercenary Corps and Division 1, there had been no large-scale battles. Aside from some effort spent clearing out the Solar Photovoltaic Power Station, there had been no major troubles.
Basking lazily in the sun, the car moved smoothly along without any bumps. The road had been repaired to near perfection; Hope Gathering Place had officially completed nearly all its infrastructure a month ago. The factory at their destination had gradually formed into a technical support facility centered around Hope Gathering Laboratory.
Factory One. A simple name that reflected just how lazy its owner was; Zheng Yifan had randomly typed those three numbers on his computer when naming it.
The primary focus of production was weapons for future superpowered individuals at Hope Gathering Place; it could even serve as a stepping stone for its growth—a stronger foundation that Zheng Yifan absolutely could not afford to neglect.
After a while of driving, Zheng Yifan woke up from a light doze under the sun and could already see the not-so-large factory ahead.
Only a dozen hydraulic devices on the river reminded him of the true rise of mechanical power.
Steam power was also beginning construction; this ancient energy source was now more suitable for an apocalyptic world than ever before. The dam was located along River Journey. It was too far away to be utilized for now. The water flow harnessed was from the turbulent section of the river downstream from Jiang Grand Bridge, combined with more steam power to generate energy for rough processing. In the final stages, it would still be primarily controlled by superpowered individuals.
From outside, the factory resembled a post-apocalyptic workshop—nearly ten thousand square meters of spacious and tidy premises. As Zheng Yifan entered through the main gate, he passed through four checkpoints and underwent cleaning in a designated area before donning dustproof clothing used in the workshop.
Upon entering the factory, Zheng Yifan's first impression was one of vastness. The entire factory lacked the continuous rows of working machines he had imagined; instead, there were only two CNC machining centers. After placing raw materials inside and inputting programs, these machines would process them according to set instructions.
Behind him were massive clamps, each accompanied by a Superpowered Individual waiting to process the materials when it was their turn.
The factory's ceiling was dominated by enormous cranes, capable of transferring large components between workstations.
What pained Zheng Yifan the most was not the machinery, but the Zombie Crystal s.
A vast amount of Zombie Crystal s. When he initially established this military factory, he felt little about it, merely signing his name on the proposal. But now, seeing it all laid out before him, he was filled with dread.
The sheer scale of the factory was primarily due to the use of Zombie Crystal s; the enormous building functioned as a large Superpower formation. It was a collaborative effort planned by all the Formation Masters in the Gathering Place.
In Hope Gathering Place, there were nearly a hundred Formation Masters. These individuals, highly sought after in other Gathering Places, had come together to set up such an immense formation in just one month—not on the city walls or on Jiang Grand Bridge. The formations at those locations had only seen a handful of people working for a short time.
In contrast, this factory had consumed a tremendous amount of energy.
With 400,000 Zombie Crystal s used entirely above the basic tier for setup, the resulting effectiveness of the factory was immense.
Inside the factory, over a dozen large energy gathering formations had been created. According to laboratory calculations and rational suggestions, weapons suitable for Superpowered Individuals could only be truly manufactured in areas rich in Vital Energy. Some special weapons used by Superpowered Individuals required additional refinement.
Moreover, they needed even better tempering and smelting.
There were ten Second Tier Superpowered Individuals assisting with fire manipulation; once materials entered their domain, they would undergo more thorough refinement. While temperatures might not reach extreme highs, the Vital Energy condensed to almost a physical state within the furnace was sufficient to transform metals that had undergone multiple processes into Primordial Iron suitable for Superpowered Individuals.
These would then be passed through various processing stages to imbue them with special powers, turning them into weapons for Superpowered Individuals.
When Zheng Yifan entered the factory, he did not carry the imposing presence of leaders inspecting after a Post-Apocalypse; instead, no one acknowledged his arrival. Everyone was focused intently on their tasks.
It was evident that they were crafting weapons resembling long staffs—specifically like the long staff Zheng Yifan had made for Li Ning.
However, the shape and craftsmanship of the manufactured items were completely different.
Zheng Yifan glanced at Li Ning beside him, only to see that the weapon Li Ning had been carrying had vanished. The initial processing of the raw material had not taken place; they had directly begun refining the weapon's purity from the second stage.
The furnace was glowing red-hot, illuminating the entire factory with the brilliance of Zombie Crystal. A massive amount of Vital Energy was being drawn into the furnace, roaring like a demon, its power so immense it was staggering. This energy could not escape; it was forced into the long rod being forged.
The individual controlling the furnace, a Superpowered Individual with plasticity Superpower, managed the flow of Vital Energy inside, transforming the weapon into different forms.
Before them lay blueprints, detailing every dimension. Curvature, size tolerances, and a series of data were marked clearly. Of course, there were no specifications for metal properties because they did not need them; they were Superpowered Individuals.
Weapons emerging from the furnace would be refined into Primordial Iron. The higher the strength of the original material, the better its performance, resulting in more Primordial Iron obtained.
After refinement, only a slender rod remained. Inside the furnace, numerous pieces of already quenched Primordial Iron awaited; these would be added to the weapons above to complete their quenching process.
Li Ning stood nearby, his face twitching in distress as he forced himself to stomp on the ground as if something valuable lay beneath.
"Li Ning, what's wrong with you?" Zheng Yifan asked in confusion.
Li Ning hesitated before replying, "Boss, it's not that I don't want to be generous; I just can't bear to watch. Every glance makes me feel like my Military Merit is about to hit zero again. Who knows how much debt I'll end up with!"
He wore a mournful expression, filled with gloom as he stole glances at the furnace.
"Pfft! You've been by my side; your Military Merit isn't lacking either, right? Is it really that painful just to customize a weapon?" Zheng Yifan remarked.
"You don't understand, Boss! The Psychic Weapons at Factory 1 are outrageously expensive! I simply can't afford it! After saving for so long, I can only dare to splurge like this once, and then it'll probably take me two years to recover!" Li Ning pointed at the furnace ahead.
"Did you see that? Refining weapons there is free! You're not allowed to carry too much raw metal; every gram of Primordial Iron you add costs 100 points of Military Merit or 10,000 newly issued Hope Currency," Zheng Yifan continued explaining.
"I need at least several hundred thousand, or even millions of Military Merit for this process. How long will it take to accumulate that? And that's not even the most outrageous part; there are enhancement stages where you can choose to upgrade your weapons, and each upgrade requires a massive amount of Military Merit or money."
"I belong to the Guard Camp as a Captain, which gives me access to a large Loan qualification. That's why I'm daring enough to give this a try; very few others can afford it. Those who use daggers and similar weapons might still dare to give it a shot. As for that guy Pu Qiang, he probably needs to engage in continuous battles for a year or capture a city just to manufacture the initial model of the weapon." As Li Ning spoke, Zheng Yifan was truly shocked.
It's too expensive! It's too extravagant! This is going to drain every last bit of resources! However, as Zheng Yifan carefully examined the entire factory, he suspected that this price was an internal one; externally, it would at least double. He believed it could even be marked up tenfold, and there would still be customers.
He could already sense that Li Ning's weapon was gradually taking shape; its appearance had changed significantly. It was no longer just a long staff but rather a long-handled hammer with a head the size of a human skull.
The hammerhead resembled the circular design Zheng Yifan had initially conceived, but the pinhole in the center had been removed, and it was no longer so complicated on top.
This also indicated that Li Ning's control skills had been sufficiently honed; he no longer relied heavily on weapon assistance.
It further demonstrated that his previous weapons could no longer allow him to unleash his full potential; he needed something more powerful.
During this period of use, Li Ning summarized his combat style. He no longer aimed for an all-around approach but focused on enhancing his capabilities in group battles.
Zheng Yifan's individual combat ability was undoubtedly exceptional, but he lacked means to deal with multiple opponents. This was when the Guard Camp would come into play.
Thus, he created this Superpower weapon that could diffuse power and handle almost all minions. (To be continued)
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