13: Chapter 13: The task is arduous and the road ahead is long.

The battle ended at 3:41 AM.

From the moment the first helicopter was shot down to the last mercenary laying down their arms, a total of twenty-four minutes had elapsed.

The battle had gone so smoothly that Wade found it somewhat unbelievable.

"How could the enemy be so weak this time? They surrendered before the casualty rate even hit thirty percent? What garbage! Even the nobles are stronger than them."

Accustomed to life and death, Wade couldn't understand it and could only offer his deep disdain.

But on second thought, perhaps the other side realized the gap in weaponry was too vast and gave up.

"All squads, report casualties."

The voices rang out sequentially over the channel:

"Squad 1, no casualties."

"Squad 2, no casualties."

"Squad 3... does someone spraining an ankle count?"

Wade's mouth twitched. "It doesn't count. Clear the battlefield and keep the prisoners under concentrated guard."

Fu Haoran was somewhat surprised upon receiving the report.

"Logically speaking, 2K weapons shouldn't be this pathetic. The ceramite and plastiform of the Planetary Defense Force are very rudimentary and their defensive power isn't strong. There shouldn't have been zero casualties."

"It was likely a lack of intelligence that caused the mercenaries to misjudge the situation."

In fact, that was exactly the case. If the fight had continued, the Planetary Defense Force would have certainly suffered casualties.

The problem was that the overwhelming combat power of the Leman Russ Tanks quickly crushed the American troops, who were only used to fighting when they had the upper hand.

It was very difficult to get this group of grunts to fight tenaciously.

With the meager wages they were earning, why would they risk their lives?

On the other side.

Several young soldiers gathered around a Sherman tank with a melted turret, pointing and gesturing.

"Why is this thing like it's made of paper? One shot pierced it straight from front to back? It's not even as good as our Taurus APC."

"The armor of this world is too backward. I don't even know what's worth repairing if we tow it back."

A veteran walked over and slapped each of them on the back of the head. "Stop your yapping! The Governor said that if we tow these vehicles back and replace them with ceramite, they can still be used as armored vehicles."

Everyone then realized.

"Right, weld a few armor plates on and mount a heavy Bolter, and it'll be a mobile heavy fire support point."

Once they understood this, everyone worked with extra vigor, beginning to dismantle the armor of the tanks and Humvees.

On a distant clearing, nearly a hundred mercenaries squatted in three rows with their hands behind their heads.

Many had blank stares, having not yet recovered from the shock.

A former Navy SEAL stared at the ground and muttered softly, "Who are they... what kind of weapons are they using?"

He looked at the rugged Laser Guns in the hands of the guard soldiers—some even bound with strips of cloth and "clear tape"—then looked at the custom HK416 at his feet. He suddenly felt that the weapon he had spent 8,000 USD on was like a toy!

...

[Ding! Combat Mission: Ranch Defense Battle completed]

[Evaluation: S (Flawless Crush).]

[Rewards: Universal Points +5000, Soldier Morale +10,]

[Bison Armored Vehicle (Elite Edition) x5]

[Don't you feel ashamed? Is it fun bullying 'elementary schoolers'? If I were you, I'd go find a regular army next time. Only a well-matched opponent is worthy of respect!]

Fu Haoran ignored the system's final provocation and instead checked the new toys he had received as rewards.

Soon, five armored vehicles with thick armor plates, four-axle tracks, and turbocharged engines appeared on the clearing.

The weapons mounted on each were different.

Some were equipped with twin-linked autocannons on the sides and turret, some had Storm Bolters installed on the top hatch, and others were equipped with twin-linked Gatling cannons.

Of course, a full suite of life-support systems was a standard feature.

When Wade saw these beauties, his eyes turned green with envy.

"Good stuff, My Lord."

"This modified Bison Armored Vehicle is usually only found in the Loyalty Heir Academy and is standard equipment for Stormtroopers. My Lord, how did you get your hands on them?"

Fu Haoran didn't answer, merely glancing at Wade.

Wade immediately shut up. "I spoke out of turn!"

There are some things that if the commander doesn't say, it's best not to ask.

As for the real reason?

Fu Haoran looked at the vehicles and thought, "The system gave them to me, how would I know how to explain it?"

"Alright, finish clearing the battlefield before dawn, and these vehicles will all be yours."

"Really?!" Wade's eyes lit up.

"Cut the crap and get moving."

Wade scurried off to work happily.

However, as someone from the Warhammer World, Wade clearly didn't understand what it meant to treat prisoners well.

"Colonel, how should we handle the bodies?" a soldier inquired.

Wade said, frustrated by the lack of initiative, "Take all the enemy corpses back and sell them to the food processing plant to be turned into Corpse Starch."

"There's no need to treat the heavily wounded enemies. Kill them and take them back to be sold to the food processing plant for Corpse Starch."

"See if the lightly wounded enemies can work. If they can't, kill them and take them back to be sold to the food processing plant for Corpse Starch."

"Take the uninjured enemies back to work. When they die, sell them to the food processing plant for Corpse Starch."

The soldiers were not surprised by this.

You might ask if eating Corpse Starch made from bodies would cause psychological distress?

That was easy to solve. If you were short on money, sell it to the Underhive people.

If you weren't short on money, put it in the warehouse. In case of a food shortage one day, you could take it out and eat it. When you're starving, you won't mind.

After Wade left, Fu Haoran pulled up the ranch's surveillance.

As the guard soldiers put down their weapons and picked up tools, the farm finally began to operate normally.

[Side Mission: King of the Hive City—The Great Foundation (Completed)]

[Rewards: Unlock Cross-World Industry Management Interface; Universal Points +1000; Storage space expanded to 5000 cubic meters.]

A new interface unfolded on his retina.

On the left was real-time data for Blue Star Ranch:

Daily Canned Food Production: 12,000 standard cases

Daily Meat Processing: 100 tons

Vertical Farm Capacity: 8 tons of vegetables/day (estimated)

"It's still not enough." Fu Haoran was not in a good mood because this level of production was far from meeting the Tithe requirements.

The next morning, in an underground bar a hundred kilometers away.

Three mercenaries who had luckily escaped back were squeezed into a corner booth. Whiskey sat before them, but no one was drinking.

One of them had hands that were still shaking.

He stared at his glass, repeatedly muttering, "Laser Guns... one shot pierced the armored vehicle... their armor... the bullets didn't even penetrate!"

Montana Environmental Protection Agency office.

The fat official Calvin had just finished a phone call. His hand shook, and his coffee cup shattered on the floor.

He rushed to the filing cabinet, frantically flipping through all the files related to Limestone Ranch—fine notices, environmental assessment reports, rectification orders.

"Destroy them! Destroy all of them!"

He roared at his assistant.

"Also, tell the people below that if anyone mentions the words 'Limestone Ranch' again, whoever dares to mention it is fired!"

The assistant was stunned. "But Director, we just said yesterday that we were going to their slaughterhouse..."

"Yesterday was yesterday, today is today! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

On the other side of the underworld forums, an anonymous post was trending: "Limestone Ranch Restricted Area: 400 Elites Wiped Out. Listed as a Dead Zone. No contracts allowed."

Hundreds of kilometers away, at Lawrence Dewent's estate.

A tablet was thrown to the floor, its screen shattering.

Dewent stared at the message [Operation Failed, All Personnel Lost Contact]. His face turned from bright red to pale, and finally to a deathly grey.

"Investigate!" He grabbed his assistant's collar. "Find out for me! Where did that army come from? Where did their equipment come from? Who exactly is that Asian man!"

The assistant stammered, "Sir, our people just sent word... Fu Haoran has put a price on the mastermind's head."

"How much?" Dewent asked fiercely.

Pfft!

Dewent looked down in disbelief, finding a dagger plunged into his heart.

"Sir, they're offering 100 million USD." The assistant, who was usually meek, had now become exceptionally excited.

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself and took the contract. I'm sure you'll understand, right?"

"With this money, I'll never have to look at your face again."

Saying this, the assistant excitedly stabbed a few more times.

The once-mighty Dewent was now completely dead.

And above all this clamor, the underworld merely quietly raised the threat level of the Limestone Ranch files by three ranks and chose to wait and see.