434: Chapter 433 Defense Vulnerability

"Third."

"Commander-in-Chief Long."

Lin Mo turned his head to look at Long Jianjun, the General Commander of the Army.

"The second operational mission has only one primary objective, and that is to mine the maximum amount of Vibranium on Ceres at the fastest possible speed."

"Within one week, your Army must select 500 elite soldiers with the best technical skills from the Engineering Armor units to board the Luan-niao Aerospace Mothership as the main force for the mining mission."

Long Jianjun snapped to attention.

He replied with a solemn expression.

"Yes, sir!"

Lin Mo nodded.

He then continued speaking to Chief Designer Bai Yannian.

"Fourth."

"Chief Designer Bai."

"The National Research Center for Materials Physics must continue to send personnel this time."

"At least one Deputy Chief Designer must lead a core technical expert team of no fewer than 20 people to board the Luan Niao Mothership and assist in the mining mission."

"Understood."

"Fifth, Commander-in-Chief Yun, your Space Force..."

Lin Mo was swift and decisive.

He issued over a dozen orders in succession to the several high-ranking military officials around him.

There was only one core theme.

Since the Asteroid Belt indeed had Vibranium reserves, they would give it their all immediately—everything was to be handled with urgency, pragmatism, and speed!

No one had any objections to Lin Mo's operational instructions.

Everyone agreed.

Vibranium was China's highest secret.

The outside world currently did not know the extreme importance of raw Vibranium ore.

But everyone present was crystal clear about it.

Once China possessed sufficient Vibranium reserves in a short period,

And used it as a foundation,

To rapidly develop several mature technology trees,

It would be completely sufficient to trigger a fifth, or even a sixth, seventh, and eighth industrial revolution!

Especially for the first-generation 'Luan Bird' Aerospace Mothership, which was built from Rare Gold Alloys.

Its armor performance was adequate for missions on Earth and its immediate vicinity.

But to carry out long-distance space travel,

There were still many material challenges that needed to be solved.

And now,

With Ripple Alloy—which possessed strong interaction force characteristics, physical defense sufficient to withstand a Mushroom Bomb, and the ability to absorb nearly 100% of energy attacks—

The problems would be solved one by one.

It was entirely foreseeable.

When Vibranium technology matured slightly,

China could use starships as carriers,

To officially form one fleet after another of Chinese civilizations composed of starships,

Sowing the seeds of China into the endless reaches of space!

At that time,

Even if they could not withstand an extraterrestrial civilization,

There would at least be the possibility of 'losing territory but preserving the people, and plotting a comeback.'

...

With the Luan Bird's expedition set,

The topic quickly shifted to logistics and Earth's defense.

"Chief Designer Lin."

"The Luan Bird's flight speed is not comparable to the Xuan-Nu."

"This round trip will take at least two and a half years."

Chief Designer Bai frowned.

"Furthermore, the Luan-niao Aerospace Mothership currently has a crew of over 7,200 people."

"At least 700 more will be added later, which means there will be nearly 8,000 people."

"For such a long time, with so many people, eating, drinking, and living entirely on the mothership... this logistics work won't be easy to handle..."

Just as he finished speaking,

General Yun Feijie, who was standing nearby, burst into laughter.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

General Yun Feijie laughed even more happily.

"Old Bai, this is where my foresight shows!"

"Six months ago, I proposed sending the Luan Bird to the Asteroid Belt, but everyone rejected it."

"Back then, I anticipated this very scene!"

At this point,

General Yun Feijie's face was full of smugness.

"To tell you the truth."

"For the past few months, our Space Force Logistics Department has been making logistical preparations for the Luan Bird's expedition!"

"As of now, 80% of the material preparation and personnel allocation has been completed!"

"According to this progress,"

"It will only take about 10 days at the earliest for the Luan Bird to officially set out for the Asteroid Belt!"

"Hahahaha!..."

As soon as these words were spoken,

Everyone was shocked.

The senior generals of the Space Force all had smiles on their faces.

"You rascal, Yun Feijie, you really did it!"

"How come I never noticed you were so good at planning ahead?"

After Chief Designer Bai gave a playful scolding,

He voiced his final concern.

"Since there are no issues with logistics, that only leaves defense."

"The Luan-niao Aerospace Mothership is our nation's ultimate guardian. If it's gone for two and a half years, Earth's defenses will be at least eighty percent empty!"

Hearing this,

General Yun Feijie, whose mouth was still twisted in a grin,

Also began to look serious.

"That is the only point I'm worried about."

"Before this,"

"Almost all of our Space Force's active Xuan-Nu Fighter Jet formations"

"Were sent to the Asteroid Belt for exploration and mining missions."

"Now that the Luan Bird is leaving too,"

"If any turmoil occurs in other parts of Earth, I'm afraid it will be difficult to respond."

"Of course,"

"With the Kunpeng Mothership stationed in China, we are naturally an iron wall."

"I'm just afraid that if international disputes arise and China is needed to intervene..."

Hearing this,

Long Jianjun interrupted.

"I say, Old Yun."

"Aren't you worrying too much about things that don't concern you?"

"If other countries are fighting,"

"What the hell does that have to do with China?"

...