Deep within the dense forests of the Oceanic Nation, the military factory stood like a钢铁巨兽—a monolithic beast of steel and iron, casting its formidable shadow over the surrounding wilderness.
The entire facility was cloaked in darkness. No production lines hummed in the workshops; the workers were resting in their dormitories, and only the patrolling guards moved through the compound.
Jiang Chuan was also in his dormitory, catching some rest. He glanced at his phone—still no signal, not a single bar. He couldn’t even make a call.
He let out a sigh, the worry on his face growing more pronounced.
Ever since Wang Mingyuan had filled him in on the factory’s dire situation, he’d been racking his brain for a way to break through this deadlock.
At the end of the day, it all came down to one thing: the factory had no orders.
No orders meant no money. No money meant no production. And without production, his military factory was nothing but an empty shell.
The real kicker? He had no idea where to even find orders.
It wasn’t like he could just ring up war-torn countries one by one and ask, “Hey, need any weapons?”—that was just ridiculous…
But just as that thought was fading, he suddenly shot upright in bed. He scrambled over to his computer and powered it on.
Then, he started searching—rough and direct. He was looking for places currently engulfed in conflict and wanted to know who was fighting whom.
He knew he wouldn’t find anything too detailed, but that was fine. He didn’t need a full briefing; he just needed to know who the players were.
Before long, he stumbled across a piece of news.
【Ongoing conflict in the nation of Barto. The anti-Barto rebel faction, known as the Smarha Organization, continues to gain strength. According to reports from correspondents on the ground, the Smarha Organization is reportedly preparing for an even larger confrontation…】
Smarha Organization. Barto.
Huh. This could be promising.
Jiang Chuan narrowed his eyes, studying the report with keen interest.
And then—
Ding.
【Mission Released.】
【Option 1: Report the military factory to the Jiuzhou government. Reward: 1 billion yuan in cash, deposited into your account through over a thousand legitimate and verifiable channels.
【Option 2: Abandon the military factory and return to a normal civilian life. Reward: 500,000 yuan, a villa in Qingcheng, an Audi A8, and a company valued at 10 million yuan.
【Option 3: Complete the military factory’s first order. Reward: Mastery of physical combat techniques, and basic firearms manufacturing blueprints.
Jiang Chuan stared at the three options before him, but didn’t make a hasty decision.
Option 1—handing over the factory to the Jiuzhou government in exchange for one billion yuan. That was a tempting offer; most people would jump at it.
After all, a billion yuan was more than enough for several lifetimes.
But the risks were just as massive. There was a very real chance that the moment he handed over the factory, he’d find himself locked up for some “reason” or another—and then whether he’d ever get to spend that money would be anyone’s guess.
Option 2 wasn’t bad either—a house, a car, savings, and a company. Solidly middle-class.
But that kind of life just wasn’t what Jiang Chuan wanted.
Besides, now that he had a military factory of his own, why would he settle for an ordinary existence?
He had chosen to take over this factory for a reason. He was determined to make a name for himself in the world of arms dealing.
“System, I choose Option 3.”
【Understood, Host. Please expedite the completion of the factory’s first transaction. As this is the inaugural deal, the system will award you an additional 1,000 Military Industry Points.
【Military Industry Points: These can be used in the system store to purchase raw materials, blueprints, production lines, skilled technicians, and various R&D instruments.】
Jiang Chuan nodded thoughtfully as the system explained.
He really did need to close that first deal as soon as possible.
Right now, the factory was essentially a startup—it didn’t even have the materials to begin production.
But once he secured that first order, he could use the reward points from the system to buy whatever materials he needed and get the assembly lines rolling.
So, it all came back to the same thing: make money, secure orders.
“Oh, by the way, System—can you get me the phone number of the Smarha Organization’s leader?” Jiang Chuan asked.
System: [Yes, but it will cost you 50 Military Industry Points.]
“How many points do I have right now?”
[50 points.]
“Alright, use them all. Exchange them for that phone number.”
【Understood, Host. Please wait a moment…】
——–
The Syrian-African Battlefield.
Within the borders of Barto.
At the edge of an endless desert, a handful of mud-colored buildings stood firm against the drifting sands.
This region was famous worldwide as a haunt for relic hunters—and equally notorious as a hub for international criminals.
Because Barto’s central government had long been unstable, and local development was stagnant, the people lived in abject poverty. Many locals had risen up, eager to join the rebel forces, hoping to topple the existing regime and bring a better life back to their country.
It was precisely under these circumstances that the Smarha Organization was born.
And because of that, Barto had become a lawless land where all kinds of players converged—infamous mercenaries, high-flying arms dealers, and shadowy underworld kingpins, all with their own spheres of influence here.
The reason was simple: money flowed like water in this place.
Arms dealers profited from selling weapons, mercenaries took on contracts for cash, and underworld bosses raked in fortunes through smuggling, narcotics, and human trafficking.
As the saying goes: chaos breeds heroes. And in times of chaos, money is easiest to make.
After all, there was no law here, no restrictions. They could do as they pleased.
At this moment, inside one of those mud-colored buildings, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed white beard was staring intently at a map spread out before him, his brow furrowed in deep thought.
This was the current leader of the Smarha Organization—Brandy.
He was weighing his next move, trying to figure out how to withstand the coming retaliation from the Barto government.
As the head of the Smarha Organization, every decision he made could affect the lives of hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of people. That weight made him exceptionally cautious; he feared making a choice that would lead to catastrophic consequences.
“Report, General Brandy!”
Just then, his personal guard pushed open the door and snapped to a salute.
Brandy didn’t look up. He simply nodded. “What is it?”
“General Brandy, we’ve just received word—the United States has announced it will provide military aid to the Barto government,” the guard reported.
Brandy’s eye twitched. He lifted his head, and his eyes were filled with a mixture of helplessness and bitter resentment.
He knew exactly how severe the consequences of this news could be. He also understood that once the U.S. actually followed through with that aid, the days ahead for the Smarha Organization would become exceedingly difficult.
After all, the Barto government would have foreign weapon support. The Smarha Organization would have none.
“I understand,” Brandy said, taking a deep breath.
But the guard didn’t leave. He hesitated for a long moment before adding, “General Brandy… Jiuzhou—Jiuzhou has canceled their arms cooperation with us. The U.S. is keeping a close watch, and their representatives believe that selling us weapons right now wouldn’t be a wise move.”
“Our ammunition and supplies… may not last us much longer.”
