308: Chapter 308 Various Forces

Chen Wuwang stood at the edge of the display platform, his fingertips still tapping the outside of his thigh in an unchanged rhythm, but his breathing had grown slightly heavier.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

The crowd surged forward like a tide, their footsteps chaotic and their voices erupting.

"Head of the Chen Family!" A Clan Elder of the Northern Plains Sun Clan squeezed to the front, his beard trembling with urgency. "I am willing to exchange the mining rights of three low-grade Spiritual Veins for ten years for ten Combat Mechas! One price, no conditions!"

Before he could finish, the Head of the Nangu Lin Family pulled a stack of Jade Talismans from his sleeve: "Five hundred Cultivators below Foundation Establishment for lifelong service, just for technical support! We don't want the whole machine; blueprints are fine! Even if it's just opening part of the assembly process—"

"Nonsense!" The representative of the West Desert Sand Clan pushed him aside. "You're trading lives? We'll pay in Spirit Stones! Three thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones as a deposit, half paid upfront, and we sign the contract today! No conditions, first come, first served!"

"Who says it's first come, first served?" The Clan Chief of the Cangling Clan sneered. "Alliance business still requires seniority. Head of the Chen Family, we are willing to hand over the defense of three outposts on the eastern line to your command in exchange for twenty Reconnaissance Mechas to be stationed at the border! This is actual combat defense coordination!"

"Combat defense coordination?" An Elder of the Chuanyun Sect scoffed, but immediately lowered his voice and stepped forward. "Please forgive my past verbal offenses. If I could obtain one Reconnaissance Mecha to help my sect guard the mountain gate's barrier, we will surely remember the Chen family's great kindness."

Chen Wuwang finally looked up.

His gaze swept across the flushed faces—some greedy, some urgent, some calculating while feigning composure. The corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly; he didn't speak, but simply raised his right hand.

The noise of the entire venue seemed to be strangled, gradually dying down.

"Do you know why this batch of mechas was only displayed today?" he asked, his voice not loud, yet every word struck the ground with weight.

No one answered.

"Because they weren't for you to look at." He paused, his gaze skipping over the Clan Elder of the Northern Plains Sun Clan. "And they aren't for sale."

The crowd fell silent.

"Then... what are they for?" The voice of the Head of the Nangu Lin Family tightened.

"They were for you to see," Chen Wuwang said slowly. "To see what 'irreversible' means."

The representative of the West Desert Sand Clan swallowed hard. "So... they can really be mass-produced?"

"Three hundred units have already been equipped to the Guard Force," Chen Wuwang said indifferently. "Right now in the workshop, eight units come off the line every hour. Subsequent iterative models will have double the performance. What you saw just now was only the first generation."

The air seemed to freeze.

Someone gasped, someone instinctively reached for their storage ring, and others stared fixedly at the three stationary mechas as if afraid they would vanish the next second.

"Then..." a young man from the Beipo Liu Clan couldn't help but ask, "can they be sold?"

"Yes," Chen Wuwang nodded.

Everyone's spirits lifted.

"But not now." He changed the subject. "The list has been recorded. In three days, the first batch of partners will be announced."

"Wait!" The Clan Chief of the Cangling Clan grew anxious. "We'll pay double! No, triple the Spirit Stones! As long as we can settle it today—"

"I don't lack Spirit Stones," Chen Wuwang interrupted. "What I want are rules."

"Rules?"

"To buy mechas, you must first sign the amendment to the 'Alliance Cooperation Charter'." His gaze swept the room. "Acknowledge the Eastern Wasteland Alliance's Unified Coordination Mechanism, resource sharing, and wartime coordinated deployment. Otherwise, not a single one will be sold."

"This..." The Chuanyun Sect Elder's face changed. "This is a power grab!"

"It's not a power grab," Chen Wuwang sneered. "It's to stop you from fighting your own battles and only thinking about banding together when the Zerg reach your doorstep."

"But if this charter is changed, it's equivalent to handing our lifeblood over to you!" the Head of the Nangu Lin Family frowned.

"Lifeblood?" Chen Wuwang pointed at Mecha No. 001. "It won't betray, it won't covet credit, and it won't flee from battle. It's much more reliable than certain 'allies'."

The crowd fell silent.

Some lowered their heads in thought, some gritted their teeth in deliberation, and others quietly exchanged glances, clearly calculating how to form alliances and gather votes.

"Then..." the representative of the West Desert Sand Clan asked tentatively, "if we sign, how many units can we get?"

"It depends on your contribution," Chen Wuwang said. "Resource input, manpower allocation, and combat readiness response speed—the System will automatically score them. If the score is high enough, you'll naturally get them."

"System?" The Clan Elder of the Northern Plains Sun Clan was stunned.

"Yes." Chen Wuwang nodded. "From now on, all cooperation will be driven by data. It doesn't matter how loud you shout; it only matters how much you actually do."

"And if... we don't sign?" the Clan Chief of the Cangling Clan asked.

"That's fine." Chen Wuwang spread his hands. "Continue using Flying Swords for communication, rely on Cultivators to take turns guarding the mountain gates, and only react when the enemy has reached the mouth of your Mineral Veins. I have no objection."

No one responded.

In the distance, the first breeze of the night blew into the exhibition hall, carrying dust and debris, brushing against the mechas' pauldrons and making a faint metallic scraping sound.

"Head of the Chen Family!" the Chuanyun Sect Elder suddenly stepped forward again, his tone softening. "We were blind in the past and shouldn't have mocked your esteemed house for making iron lumps. Now... now we only wish to request a Reconnaissance Mecha to guard our mountain gate's barrier and keep our Disciples safe."

Chen Wuwang looked at him for a long while before slowly speaking: "Yesterday you mocked my iron lumps, and today you beg me to protect your mountain gate? Are the words 'ally' just temporary talismans to be slapped on when needed?"

The Elder's face turned red, and he was speechless.

"If you want to cooperate, fine." Chen Wuwang's voice deepened. "But it must be done according to the rules. Anyone who wants to take shortcuts or get something for nothing should give up those thoughts early."

"We are willing to talk!" the Head of the Nangu Lin Family immediately stated. "We can discuss the charter, the terms can be modified, but please be sure to consider our family's years of friendship within the alliance—"

"Friendship?" Chen Wuwang laughed. "Three years ago when the Zerg attacked my eastern district Mineral Veins, where were you? Last year when my family's technicians were assassinated, did any of you speak a word of justice? Now that you see I have mechas, you come to talk of friendship?"

The Head of the Lin Family was speechless.

"It's not that I'm heartless." Chen Wuwang looked around at everyone. "But when the rules are broken, the alliance is just a heap of loose sand. Now, someone wants to rebuild order. You can choose to join or choose to watch. But don't expect me to build the rules while giving you a back door."

The crowd fell completely silent.

Some lowered their heads, some clenched their fists, and others' eyes flickered, clearly reassessing the situation.

"Then..." the Clan Elder of the Northern Plains Sun Clan finally spoke, "we'll sign. But can we... see the details of the contract first?"

"Yes." Chen Wuwang nodded. "Tomorrow morning, it will be read publicly in the Alliance Council Hall. Anyone interested can come and listen."

"Then... the delivery time for the mechas?"

"The first batch of thirty units will be delivered within a month." He paused. "Only to those who have signed the charter."

"Thirty units?!" The representative of the West Desert Sand Clan's eyes widened. "Our family alone wants twenty!"

"Thirty units is the total," Chen Wuwang said. "To be distributed among all qualified parties. Who gets more or less depends on the score."

"This... is too few!" The Clan Chief of the Cangling Clan grew anxious.

"Few?" Chen Wuwang countered. "How many Cultivators have you lost in the past year? How many died on patrol or ended up in the bellies of Yao Beasts because there was no early warning System? One mecha can replace fifty Cultivators on rotation. Thirty units is already generous."

Everyone fell silent.

"Head of the Chen Family!" the Head of the Nangu Lin Family suddenly shouted. "If we fully support the charter amendment, can our family be given priority consideration?"

"Support isn't just something you say," Chen Wuwang said. "Show your actions at the Council Hall tomorrow. Whoever takes the lead in signing will be at the front of the line."

"Fine!" The Clan Elder of the Northern Plains Sun Clan gritted his teeth. "I'll sign! I'll take the lead!"

"I'll sign too!" The representative of the West Desert Sand Clan refused to be left behind.

"Our Lin Family... will also sign!" the Head of the Nangu Lin Family gritted his teeth.

"Our Cangling Clan..." The Clan Chief of the Cangling Clan hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "We'll sign."

Chen Wuwang looked at them and finally, slowly, curled his lips into a smile.

It was done.

He turned his back to the boiling crowd and stood at the edge of the display platform. The wind rose, his silver hair fluttered slightly, and his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye reflected the afterglow of the setting sun like a piece of cooling molten iron.

His fingertips stopped tapping.

He looked at the last trace of sunset in the distance and thought to himself:

"The plan... is a success."