Chapter 194: The Goblin Mechanical Army
Hiring Roger’s Squad was Owen’s decision. Although they weren’t the only adventurers to enter the third floor of the ruins, they were the only ones who touched the core of the ruins. So Owen needed them to lead the way in order to save time and reduce risk.
However, the main force of this operation wasn’t adventurers, but the updated Goblin Army, no, it was now the Goblin Mechanical Army.
Cultivating the T-Virus wasn’t difficult. Flame Empress had complete information, and after Owen exchanged for some equipment, small-scale mass production wasn’t a problem.
And it wasn’t that troublesome for goblins to use the T-Virus. After injecting a low concentration of the T-Virus, they just needed to drink nutrient solution. Therefore, the original Goblin Army collectively used the weakened T-Virus to complete a magnificent transformation. Coupled with new equipment, their combat effectiveness had increased significantly.
The army was still mainly mechanized, but the vehicles were no longer the emergency products of the past. After Flame Empress’s optimized design, coupled with the hands of gremlins who were all eight-level fitters, the mechanical vehicles currently in use had become much more sophisticated, and even the weapons equipped were no longer those special plants.
It wasn’t that plant weapons were bad. In fact, they were economical and environmentally friendly, and they could be eaten when necessary, so the cost-effectiveness was good.
The only problem was that after use, it took time to wait for the plants to grow and replenish ammunition. For example, the Coconut Cannon, after firing one shot, they had to wait for the coconut cannonball to grow back. Relying on numerical superiority in positional warfare was okay, but it was much worse to install it on a vehicle as a tank cannon. You couldn’t just water and fertilize it after firing a shot and wait for the cannonball to grow back. That would really make the enemy wait until the flowers wilted.
The main vehicle of the Mechanical Army was now the Spider Tank with two arms and six legs. It was small in size, and its body was largely made of the tough but lightweight carapace of the Thorn Spider. Coupled with its special structure, it was very suitable for the complex environment of the ruin forest.
The power source wasn’t a diesel engine or anything like that, but steam power using Magic Horn Tree blocks as fuel.
As for why steam power was used, it was mainly because Magic Horn Tree blocks were too good as fuel. Not only could they release high temperatures that could melt steel, but they also had durability. Under controlled oxygen conditions, one load could burn continuously for a day and a night, meeting daily needs and low-intensity combat. Even in intense combat with increased firepower, it could last for half a day, which was much better than diesel or anything like that.
And because of the improvement in processing precision, although it was a steam engine, the power output was not small. It was more than enough to drive the Spider Tank, which could only be considered a medium-small vehicle, and even had extra power to supply the mounted weapons.
The powerful firepower came from the continuous steam. After simple compression, it could launch nail spikes as bullets hundreds of meters away. Although the rate of fire was difficult to increase, it could already replace conventional firearms.
There were currently three models of the Spider Tank.
The first type was the assault type, with steam chainsaws mounted on both arms, and a twin-mounted heavy steam nail gun and a forty-millimeter steam grenade launcher mounted on the back.
The second type was the fire support type, with rapid-fire steam nail guns mounted on both arms, and a one-hundred-millimeter short-barreled steam smoothbore cannon mounted on the back.
The third type was the multi-functional type, with power mechanical claws mounted on both arms, and a semi-exposed platform on the back. Weapons could be mounted for fire support, a crane could be installed for engineering purposes, or it could be used to transport troops and cargo.
The steam engine could not only be used as power for vehicles, but after miniaturization, it could also provide assistance to soldiers, making the era of fighting with flower pots on their backs a thing of the past, replaced by steam firearms connected to power backpacks.
However, when the power backpack increased the firepower to provide more sufficient steam, the temperature would rise rapidly. Even with a lot of heat insulation treatment, it was still not enough, so the steam power backpack could only be fixed on the exoskeleton, and then the user would equip the exoskeleton.
In this way, the user not only obtained additional power output through the steam-powered exoskeleton, but also solved the problem of heat insulation.
However, this steam-powered exoskeleton was somewhat crude, and its defects were not small. It constantly emitted steam, and it had to be pressurized in advance for battles. Therefore, Owen didn’t plan to equip it on a large scale. Currently, only the Goblin Mechanical Army used it, because they were mainly stationed in underground ruins and forests. These places were very sensitive to fire and explosions, so steam-powered weapons were more convenient.
On the day of departure, the Spider Tanks were filled with fuel and fresh water. The Bear Goblins, who served as infantry, also helped each other fix the boiling water steam power backpacks on the exoskeleton brackets on their backs. After tightening the steam pipes, they opened the valves. With the injection of high-temperature steam, the exoskeletons also stood up, providing additional power. But the main purpose was still to provide power for the steam nail guns in the Bear Goblins’ hands, which were assembled from metal pipes and metal bottles.
The Goblin Mechanical Army was ready to go, and the adventurers also gathered.
This time, nearly two to three hundred adventurers participated in the operation. Most of them were ordinary adventurers, so even though the reward for this group task wasn’t high, they were happy to make the trip.
Adventurers weren’t as glamorous as imagined. Of the large number of new adventurers who joined each year, at most one or two out of ten could stay in the profession or live to see that day. And most of these adventurers were ordinary adventurers, that is, they were good at their skills, had some experience, but rarely touched upon the supernatural realm.
Only elite adventurers were true extraordinary professionals, and they were the elite of the entire industry, but their numbers were really small, otherwise how could they be called elite.
“Start distributing supplies.” Beast General lowered his head and ordered the goblin holding the material list under his feet.
Goblins were even shorter than goblins, but the shrewdness in their eyes made people not dare to underestimate them. Upon hearing this, they immediately directed the ogres to distribute the supplies that had been prepared to the curious adventurers.
Every adventurer had taken on many tasks, and the rewards they received were varied, ranging from eggs to antiques, but it was the first time they had seen supplies being distributed as soon as they took on a task, so they obediently lined up to receive the supplies.
The supplies were backpacks, made of very thick fabric, very strong, which was a good thing for adventurers who often went out.
Opening the backpack, the topmost item was three cowhide paper packages the size of bricks. Opening one, there were three compressed blocks neatly arranged and wrapped in oil paper, which were respectively dry food blocks made of fried wheat flour mixed with butter, meat floss blocks, and dried vegetable blocks.
These things could be thrown into a pot and cooked, completely satisfying the energy needs of an adult male for a day. And because sugar, salt, and spices were added, the taste was not bad.
This kind of dry food was sold in the shops of Green Shade Town, and the price was relatively cheap. Adventurers liked to buy one or two as reserves, because they took up little space and were durable. If they were trapped somewhere, they could save lives.
In addition to three days’ worth of dry food, there was also a metal water bottle, a sleeping bag, and a first aid kit.
The items weren’t many, but they were all good things that adventurers must have. Every adventurer was very satisfied with this, and their morale was boosted a lot when they set off.
