Chapter Eighteen: The Era of Nationwide Mass Production Arrives!

“If you don’t want to die, get to work!” With a single breath, Chu Xiao hurled the megaphone to the ground, igniting a fervor in the hearts of the masses.

Everyone looked at one another, and finally, as one, they shouted, “Let’s do it!”

The news of the impending apocalypse spread like wildfire, sweeping across the Nine Provinces overnight. The video of Chu Xiao’s impassioned speech soon went viral as well.

Only then did people learn that Chu Xiao was a young man in his twenties, one of the chief leaders of the National Production Movement, and, astonishingly, a prophet.

At the same time, more and more people threw themselves into the grand cause of the National Production Movement.

Across the Nine Provinces—youths, adults, elders—all eagerly signed up, hoping to win a sliver of survival for their families.

The higher-ups of the Nine Provinces organized efficient divisions of labor.

A vast workforce was mobilized for the production of titanium alloy.

It could almost be said that overnight, daily output of titanium alloy soared from several kilograms to several tons.

Such was the power of the Nine Provinces.

Chu Xiao did not rest either. He gathered several experts in construction to help him refine the fortress blueprint he had already drafted.

Among them was Yang Yu, the team leader.

He had earned his master’s degree at Tsinghua University and pursued further studies at MIT—a dual major in metallurgy and architecture.

He was, by all accounts, a peerless talent in this field.

Chu Xiao had not slept for a day and a night. His eyes were bloodshot, his face rough with stubble.

“I made this blueprint more precise. You, the elites of the architectural world, do you have any suggestions?”

Yang Yu studied the blueprint for a long moment before responding, “The foundation must be deep enough—at least fifteen meters.”

“Not only that, but the foundation should extend outward on both sides and ideally anchor itself to the ground. Otherwise, there’s a high risk of collapse.”

“There are other details too: the door mechanisms, the skylight design, defensive measures during combat—all these must be factored in.”

“If we install this skylight, the surface temperature inside the fortress will rise rapidly. Therefore, I suggest only using an electric grid; anything more is unnecessary.”

Chu Xiao nodded. There were indeed many things he hadn’t considered. After all, he was no expert in construction. These blueprints had been sketched out based on the combat machines and tactics of Pluto.

“You make good points. We’ll do it your way. Tonight we have eight hours—I want you to build a model and find the most feasible plan. By tomorrow, we need a precise set of drawings and to officially break ground on the fortress!”

“Time is tight, but it waits for no one. We must start now—I’ll supervise right here.”

Yang Yu looked at Chu Xiao and saw only a pair of resolute eyes.

Meeting that gaze, Yang Yu felt he had no room for objection.

“Very well.”

“Bring me that kilogram of titanium alloy,” he added. There was nothing more to say.

“What else?” Chu Xiao wondered if Yang Yu needed anything more, but Yang Yu simply shook his head.

Then, Yang Yu pulled a set of tools from his pocket—identical to ordinary ones, only two-thirds the usual size.

Chu Xiao said no more and went to fetch the titanium alloy for Yang Yu.

By the time Chu Xiao returned, Yang Yu and his team had already calculated the required dimensions for the model, its maximum impact resistance, fireproofing, and airtightness.

“So fast?” Chu Xiao set the materials on the table, disbelief written across his face.

He figured he’d only been gone ten minutes, yet they had already worked out so much.

It was nothing short of astonishing.

The allure of true prodigies—those were the only words that flashed through Chu Xiao’s mind to describe Yang Yu.

Yang Yu merely grunted, wholly absorbed in his work, and the other team members cooperated seamlessly.

Chu Xiao busied himself with further considerations for the base’s construction. The main focus should be on the largest cities; smaller ones would have to be abandoned. But if each city defended itself alone, wouldn’t that mean fighting in isolation?

If they linked the major cities with corridors, the distance would be too great, and Pluto would surely exploit any gaps.

Yet a single city could hardly withstand all of Pluto’s might.

The more he pondered these questions, the more his head ached. How should these cities be connected? Should they build a defensive line along the border of the Nine Provinces? But that was impossible to complete in three months.

“Damn!” Chu Xiao cursed aloud, but no one paid him any mind.

Everyone was focused on constructing the fortress model; the base was already finished.

Yang Yu worked on both the model and the drawings, using a millimeter ruler to painstakingly measure and sketch.

“Do you think a single city could withstand Pluto’s assault?” Chu Xiao asked, wanting to hear their opinions.

Yang Yu frowned, set down his tools, and replied, “What does it matter whether we can or not? This is already the best we can do.”

“Besides, weren’t you the one who said it would be easy to defend and hard to attack?”

He shook his head, said no more, and threw himself back into the work.

Chu Xiao had to admit he was right. At this point, there was no turning back.

He could only hope now that other nations wouldn’t falter too quickly, drawing all of Pluto’s firepower onto the Nine Provinces.

If possible, perhaps, after the war began, they could hold out a bit longer—maybe even find a weapon capable of restraining Pluto.

Now, the Nine Provinces’ only hope lay in fighting with everything they had.

A wave of exhaustion washed over Chu Xiao.

In his dreams, he saw a vague figure with their back to him; when he reached out, the figure vanished before his eyes.

Chu Xiao awoke with a start, greeted by blinding sunlight.

No matter how he tried, he could not recall the figure from his dream.

“It’s done!” Yang Yu’s voice sounded in Chu Xiao’s ear.

He looked up to see a half-meter-high model standing proudly on the table.

From afar, it resembled a hemisphere; up close, Chu Xiao saw an abundance of meticulous detail.

Every seam had been ingeniously handled, allowing each titanium alloy plate to fit together perfectly.

The top was especially impressive.

Yang Yu activated the electricity.

A crackling sound erupted above; Chu Xiao casually tossed in a scrap of paper, which was instantly incinerated to dust.

That wasn’t all. Yang Yu poured water over the side of the fortress—yet not a single drop seeped through.

“In addition, I’ve designed a drainage system,” Yang Yu explained, showing Chu Xiao the drains positioned at eight points. “I’ve also reinforced these areas to prevent Pluto from exploiting any weaknesses.”