575: Chapter 57 Getting to Know the New Toy

They did not land on the ground, but hovered a hundred meters in the air.

The hatch on the belly of the aircraft opened.

Giant containers were precisely and smoothly lowered onto the open ground outside the Tribe by thick steel cables.

Immediately after, people wearing unified uniforms quickly rappelled to the ground using the ropes.

They were the 'Pioneer' Engineering Team.

Their numbers were not large, only fifty people.

But every single one of them acted cleanly and efficiently to a terrifying degree.

No one was shouting loudly.

Only the captain issued brief instructions through his tactical headset.

"Team A, set up the perimeter warning system."

"Team B, deploy geological survey equipment."

"Team C, set up the temporary command post and energy modules."

The Tribespeople were completely stunned.

They watched as those people erected a perimeter of faintly glowing energy fences on the open ground in just half an hour.

Various strangely shaped pieces of equipment were assembled.

A drill rig let out a low roar and began boring into the earth.

Huge screens were erected, displaying data and images that they completely failed to understand.

That was not all.

From the second transport plane, another team rappelled down.

These people wore black combat suits and were equipped with sophisticated weaponry.

Their gazes were as vigilant as wolves'.

Everyone remained silent, but the aura emanating from them made even Ge Shan, the most valiant warrior of the Tribe, feel a pang of fear.

They were personnel from the 'Heaven's Shield' Security Company.

The strength of an augmented platoon.

They did not enter the work area of the engineering team but rapidly constructed three defensive lines further out.

Automatic warning turrets were driven into the depths of the desert like spikes.

Micro-drones rose like a swarm of bees, spreading out to monitor every slightest movement within dozens of kilometers.

The warriors of the Sand Viper Tribe, clutching their scimitars and spears, felt for the first time that the weapons in their hands were like ridiculous toys.

Wu He's body was trembling slightly.

He was not afraid; he was excited.

He looked at all this, at the disciplined and well-equipped teams.

He suddenly understood.

The 'Armor of the Gods' and the 'Spear of Thunder' that Shen Yan had promised them were perhaps not precious things to this man at all.

Shen Yan walked out of the stone house.

He had changed into a clean combat suit.

Li Wei, the captain of the engineering team, and 'Wolf Dog,' the captain of the security team, immediately ran up to him and saluted.

"Boss, the 'Pioneer' Engineering Team reports in!"

"Boss, the 'Heaven's Shield' security platoon deployment is complete!"

Shen Yan nodded.

He picked up a data tablet handed to him by Li Wei and glanced at the real-time updated survey data.

"Very good."

"Establish a permanent base centered around the Crimson Valley."

"I want to see the initial framework of the base within three days."

"The first batch of ore must be transported out within one week."

"Yes!"

The two responded loudly without raising any questions, then turned to execute the orders.

Shen Yan's gaze swept over the dumbfounded tribespeople not far away.

He walked toward Wu He.

Wu He looked at him, his lips moved, but he could not utter a single word.

Everything he saw had surpassed the scope that his language could describe.

"Elder."

Shen Yan's voice pulled him back from his shock.

"This is my sincerity."

"The defense system will have its preliminary deployment completed before sunset today."

"Medical stations will have personnel arriving to establish them tomorrow."

"As for the equipment I promised you..."

Shen Yan paused and looked at the helpless tribal warriors.

"Wolf Dog."

He called out.

The security captain, 'Wolf Dog,' immediately ran over.

"Boss."

"Select fifty sets of 'Exoskeleton Light Armor' and twenty 'Electromagnetic Rifles' from your spare equipment and give them to our allies."

"Let them get familiar with the new toys first."

"Yes!"

'Wolf Dog' obeyed without the slightest hesitation.

Wu He's pupils contracted sharply.

What did he just hear?

"Exoskeleton Light Armor"? "Electromagnetic Rifle"?

He didn't understand these words.

But he understood the tone in Shen Yan's voice.

The feeling was like a wealthy man casually taking a few gold coins from his pocket to reward a beggar on the roadside.

It wasn't the fulfillment of a promise.

It was merely a casual gift.

Wu He looked at Shen Yan.

This young outsider was calmly watching the busy construction site in the distance.

It was as if he were not the one who had mobilized all this earth-shattering power.

Wu He suddenly felt how ridiculous their previous actions of sending Batu to spy on him and having the entire tribe wait to test him had been.

They thought they were making a deal with a merchant.

They were wrong.

They were asking a dragon from the steel jungle for a single scale.

And this dragon seemed to have a much deeper ambition for their barren patch of sand.

Wu He took a deep breath; the desert air felt scorching hot for the first time.

He knew that from this day forward, the fate of the Sand Viper Tribe would change completely.

And the one leading this change was the man before him.

A man he could not see through at all.

'Wolf Dog' acknowledged the order and left.

Wu He's breathing became heavy.

He watched Shen Yan's back; his black combat suit seemed to devour the sunlight under the fierce desert sun.

The shock brought by this man came wave after wave, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

He thought that offering the mining rights for the 'Divine Stone' was an equal trade.

Now, it seemed he had merely opened his own door and invited in an immeasurable behemoth.

Seven days later.

The Crimson Valley had transformed.

On the once desolate sandy land, a silver-gray metal base had sprung up.

It lay silently in the center of the desert like a crouching steel giant.

The tall energy fence flickered with pale blue arcs twenty-four hours a day, blocking all danger outside.

Inside the base, rows of solar panels greedily absorbed sunlight, providing an endless supply of power to the entire facility.

At the mine entrance, a massive hoist roared, transporting ore containing the 'Stardust Core' from the depths of the earth in carts.

The changes in the Tribe were equally immense.

Those fifty sets of Exoskeleton Light Armor were already worn by the warriors.

They were no longer wearing cumbersome animal skins but were encased in streamlined alloys.

The first time Ge Shan activated the light armor's power-assist system, he effortlessly lifted a boulder that would have required five strong men to move.

At that moment, the way he looked at the light armor was as if he were looking at a true miracle.

Their weapons had also been replaced with electromagnetic rifles.

That silent method of killing, which left behind only a streak of blue electrical light, made even the most seasoned hunters in the Tribe tremble in their souls.