4: Mass Production and Unknown Signals

That yellow question mark kept flashing at the edge of the map, sticking in Sun Zheng's heart like a thorn. It seemed the far side of the moon was no peaceful place; this sudden signal was clear proof.

"I can't just wait around; I have to take the initiative." Sun Zheng suppressed the urge to immediately send troops to investigate. Being reckless was no way to survive long. His current assets were too thin; he couldn't afford to lose a single soldier.

The most urgent task now was to save up enough capital while ensuring the base's security before heading out to meet that mysterious signal.

He quickly organized his thoughts:

First, expand production: build another Ore Refinery to speed up income.

Next, mass troops: train a few more American Soldiers to at least form a combat squad.

Finally, open up vision: build the Air Command Post as soon as possible to clear this damn Fog of War.

With the plan set, he got to work. As soon as his funds hit $1,000, Sun Zheng immediately placed the second Ore Refinery. The familiar laser printer started up again; the base's industrial zone was finally taking shape.

Ten minutes later, the new refinery was completed, and a second Armed Mining Vehicle automatically rolled out, chugging toward another ore vein. The rate of fund growth doubled before his eyes. [Funds: 50] → [Funds: 110]... "Alright, now to start Massing Troops!"

Sun Zheng turned his attention to the Barracks' production queue. At $200 each, the American Soldier was currently the most cost-effective choice. He directly queued up five units.

[Training: American Soldier. Time: 3 minutes/unit.]

[Funds -200.]

[Funds -200.]

...Funds flowed out rapidly, but Sun Zheng didn't mind at all. Investing in military force at this time was more than worth it.

While waiting for the soldiers to train, Sun Zheng didn't stay idle. He delved back into his homeworld space to continue exploring this new ability. He tested small items from the Command Center's emergency toolbox one by one—wrenches, screwdrivers—becoming increasingly proficient in this telekinesis. Later, he even tried controlling multiple items at once, finding that with his current Mental Power, he could precisely manipulate three small objects at most.

"It seems this ability is linked to 'Mental Power'; I'll need to train it well," Sun Zheng noted to himself.

Three minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The Barracks' airtight door opened again, and a fully armed American Soldier marched out with a standard stride, standing at attention next to A001.

"Soldier A002 reporting to the Commander!"

"Very good, A002. Join A001's patrol and expand the alert perimeter."

"Yes, Commander!"

Following that, A003, A004, and A005 rolled out one after another. By the time the fifth soldier, A006, stepped out of the Barracks, Sun Zheng had assembled a six-man infantry squad.

Looking at the soldiers lined up neatly on the screen, each holding a machine gun, Sun Zheng finally felt a bit more at ease. He was no longer a bare-bones Commander with only a Command Center.

"A001 will act as squad leader. Everyone, attention: target is northwest of the base. Advance and scout in a skirmish line. Stay alert and report any anomalies immediately; do not fire without orders!" Through the command system, Sun Zheng issued the first combat order to this newly formed squad.

"Yes, Commander!"

The six soldiers moved out immediately, their actions crisp and efficient. With A001 as the spearhead, they advanced cautiously in a fan formation toward the signal source. A small section of the Command Center's large screen displayed the real-time feed from A001's helmet camera: the desolate lunar surface, cratered terrain, and the bottomless darkness in the distance.

Sun Zheng took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the reconnaissance feed and the map. With every step the soldiers took, a small patch of the Fog of War on the map was dispelled.

Minutes and seconds ticked by. In the Command Center, there was only the faint hum of the miners working and the sound of Sun Zheng's own breathing. The atmosphere gradually grew tense.

Suddenly, A001, who was in the lead, came to a dead stop. He raised a fist in a warning gesture, and the entire squad instantly went prone and spread out.

"Reporting to Commander! Non-natural structure detected approximately 500 meters ahead! Repeat, Non-natural structure detected!" A001's lowered voice came back, mixed with radio static.

Sun Zheng's spirits lifted as he immediately zoomed in on the feed. In the camera's narrowed field of view, tucked away in the shadow of a crater, several pieces of twisted metal wreckage were scattered! The style of that wreckage was particularly eerie—dark tones with irregular organic curves, completely different from the Red Alert system or any spacecraft known to humanity!

In the very center of the wreckage, an object about the size of a car engine was faintly pulsing with a dark red light—the source of that abnormal energy!

"It's not an ore vein, but crashed debris?" Sun Zheng's heart tightened. "What on earth is this? Fragments of an alien ship?"

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

The core glowing with red light suddenly emitted a piercing high-frequency hum! Immediately after, several inconspicuous, basketball-sized spherical objects in the debris pile suddenly bounced up, extending several metallic limbs. Red optical sensors lit up at their tops, making them look like awakened Mechanical Spiders as they lunged toward the scouting squad like lightning!

"Enemy attack! Fire at will!" A001 reacted extremely quickly, issuing the order almost the instant the enemies activated!

"Rat-tat-tat-tat—!"

Six M60 machine guns spat fire simultaneously. Although no sound could be heard in the vacuum, the vibration of the gunfire was transmitted back through the soldiers' sensors. A dense hail of bullets instantly enveloped the Mechanical Spiders!

"Bang! Bang! Screee—!"

Bullets struck the shells of the Mechanical Spiders, sending out blinding sparks. These things were not only fast, but their shells were also exceptionally hard; a single machine gun bullet could hardly take one down. However, they didn't seem to have any proper weapons, relying only on their sharp limbs to try and pounce for a bite.

"A003, flank right! A005, suppressive fire!" A001's field command was quite experienced.

A sudden encounter battle played out intensely on this silent far side of the moon. Sun Zheng's heart was in his throat; this was his first real-time command, and the opponents were completely unfamiliar mechanical entities!

"Steady! Aim for their joints and sensors!" Sun Zheng forced himself to calm down, adding instructions through the communicator.

One soldier was a bit slow to dodge and was pounced upon by a Mechanical Spider. Its sharp limbs scraped harshly against his Combat suit, making a teeth-grinding screech! Fortunately, the Allied Forces Combat suit was sturdy enough and wasn't immediately torn open.

"Focus fire on that one!" Sun Zheng shouted urgently.

The other five soldiers immediately turned their muzzles. A dense volley of bullets instantly riddled the spider, which exploded in a burst of electrical sparks and went limp.

With that threat resolved, the remaining few were also quickly destroyed under concentrated fire.

The battle ended quickly, yet it was thrilling enough. Sun Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing his palms were covered in sweat. A soldier's Armor value had dropped by a third, but it wasn't a major issue.

"Reporting to Commander, threat cleared. A total of six unknown hostile mechanical units have been destroyed," A001 reported.

"Great job. Inspect the wreckage and bring back all valuable components, especially that glowing core. Stay safe; there might be units that haven't activated yet."

"Understood!"

The soldiers began to carefully clean up the battlefield. Sun Zheng looked at the core on the screen—it was still flashing, but the light seemed a bit dimmer. His brow furrowed deeply.

This was definitely not something naturally formed. The far side of the moon was much more complex than he had imagined. Were these Mechanical Spiders a self-defense system for the wreckage? Or... some kind of Scavengers?

He had a faint feeling that he might have only uncovered a corner of a much larger mystery.