163: Chapter 163 A Lament for the Old Era

India, Prime Minister's Office.

Great Immortal Mo finished watching the video, and his whole body collapsed into the chair.

"Our 'Tejas' fighter jet has been in development for 30 years and still hasn't been finalized."

"Daxia's mecha have already been built!"

The Secretary of Defense cautiously asked: "Mr. Prime Minister, should we also launch a mecha project?"

"Launch my ass!"

Great Immortal Mo slapped the table with a palm: "We even have to import tanks, and you still want to build a mecha?"

"Then what should we do?"

Great Immortal Mo was silent for a few seconds, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Tell Daxia that we are willing to purchase mecha."

The Secretary of Defense was stunned: "Prime Minister, but Daxia certainly won't sell them to us easily. I'm afraid whatever conditions they demand, we..."

"Conditions?"

Great Immortal Mo sneered: "We have plenty of conditions."

"The usage rights of military bases in the Indian Ocean can be discussed."

"Rare earth export quotas can be discussed."

"Border disputed areas can also be discussed."

He stood up and walked in front of the map:

"As long as we can buy a mecha, everything can be discussed."

"With a mecha—"

Great Immortal Mo pointed at Pakistan on the map: "These problems will no longer be problems."

The Secretary of Defense understood: "You mean..."

"Correct."

Great Immortal Mo nodded: "Get the mecha in hand first; we'll talk about the rest later."

"Anyway—"

He turned around: "Daxia also needs allies, doesn't it?"

The Secretary of Defense: "Understood, I'll go arrange it right away."

Global arms market.

Lockheed Martin headquarters, CEO office.

Emergency board meeting.

The meeting room was filled with suited directors, and everyone's complexion looked bad.

The CEO stood in front of the projection screen with a remote control in his hand.

"Gentlemen, we are in big trouble."

He pressed the button, and a set of data popped up on the screen:

"In the past 24 hours, we have received 27 order cancellation notices."

"F-35, 17 orders."

"F-22 upgrade kits, 6 orders."

"Other projects, 4 orders."

"Total value—"

He paused for a moment: "18 billion US dollars."

The sound of cold breaths being sucked in echoed in the meeting room.

"The reasons given by customers are all the same—"

The CEO switched to the next page, which showed screenshots of several emails:

"Fighter jets have no advantage whatsoever in front of mecha; it's better to spend the budget elsewhere."

"We need to re-evaluate our defense strategy."

"Suspend procurement plans until effective countermeasures are seen."

A director raised a hand: "What about the stock price?"

The CEO didn't speak, just switched the screen.

The stock price curve chart, the red lines dropping like jumping off a cliff.

Opening price: $478

Current price: $285

Decline: 40.3%

Market value evaporated: 32.7 billion US dollars

"Damn it..."

A director covered his face.

"Then what do we do now?"

Another director asked: "Can we... also develop mecha?"

The CEO shook his head: "I've asked the technical department."

"They said that even if we get the complete design blueprints, with our current technological level—"

"Just the shell Materials of that Daxia mecha cannot be handled."

"Not to mention their energy System; we don't even understand the principle."

The meeting room fell into silence.

After a long while, the Chief Technology Officer spoke:

"Actually... it's not completely without a chance."

Everyone looked at him.

"The government side has launched the 'Manhattan 2.0 Project', dedicated to developing anti-mecha weapons."

"High-energy lasers, electromagnetic railguns, quantum jammers..."

"If we can get the contracts for these projects—"

He spread his hands: "At least it can keep the company alive."

The CEO nodded: "I am already in contact with the Five-Legged Building."

"But the problem right now is—"

He looked at all the directors: "We have to survive this quarter first."

Boeing Company, Seattle headquarters.

In the production workshop, more than a dozen assembly lines for Apache helicopters all stopped.

The workers stood in place, not knowing what to do.

The workshop supervisor shouted with a megaphone: "Attention everyone! Temporary leave! Wait for notice!"

"When will work resume?"

A worker asked.

"I don't know."

The supervisor shook his head: "Orders are all canceled, even if work resumes there is no work to do."

The workers exploded.

"I still have a mortgage to pay!"

"My child still has to go to school!"

"The company isn't going to go bankrupt just like this, is it?"

The supervisor didn't know what to say either, and could only wave his hand: "Go home first, you can go drive Uber or deliver takeout."

Meanwhile, the CEO's office.

The CEO was in a video call with the military's procurement officer.

"General, please reconsider, the Apache has been verified by actual combat—"

"Stop talking."

The general in the video interrupted him: "Your helicopters are indeed good."

"But the problem now is that Daxia has mecha."

"In front of mecha, the Apache is just a target."

"Can't fly past it, can't fight it, and the armor can't withstand it either."

"What do I want this for?"

The CEO wanted to say something else, but the general had already hung up the phone.

He collapsed in the chair, looking at the production workshop outside the window.

Those stopped production lines were like some kind of metaphor.

An era has ended.

General Dynamics.

Tank production base.

In the huge workshop, dozens of semi-finished M1A2 tanks were neatly arranged.

But the assembly line had been stopped for three days.

The Chief Financial Officer walked into the president's office carrying a report.

"Boss, the tank orders... are all gone."

"Not a single one?"

"Not a single one."

The Chief Financial Officer put the report on the desk: "All customers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude."

"What are they waiting for?"

"Waiting for the price of Daxia's mecha."

The president was stunned: "What do you mean?"

"Customers say that if the mecha are too expensive, they will still buy tanks."

The Chief Financial Officer smiled bitterly: "If the mecha price is acceptable—"

"Then tanks won't be needed."

The president leaned back on the chair back and closed his eyes.

"So our fate is in Daxia's hands?"

"You can understand it that way."

The president opened his eyes: "Absurd."

"But this is reality."

Meanwhile.

Global weapon order data statistics:

Main battle tanks: -73%

Fighter jets: -58%

Armed helicopters: -64%

Destroyers / Frigates: -47%

Conventional submarines: -31%

But there are also increases:

Air defense missile Systems: +127%

Surface-to-air laser weapons (under development): +89%

Electromagnetic interference equipment: +156%

Underground reinforcement engineering: +203%

Military analyst commentary:

"The market is voting with its feet."

"Everyone is preparing for the mecha era."

"Either buy mecha, or buy weapons that can counter mecha."

"Traditional equipment?"

"That is something from the last era."