"The dietary formula you mentioned refers to the recipe for making chocolate cake, right?" Dao Lao tapped the tin can in his hand and asked.

"That's right. But this chocolate cake is just one of the food formulas provided by the Savior," Carl replied.

Hao Yun then asked, "With over two million people, excluding the elderly and infirm, even if everyone is a soldier, you must face tremendous pressure from the Massanians' large-scale attacks. After all, you need to simultaneously use the defensive fortifications built around Lena Mountains to intercept the Massanian forces. Moreover, if, as you described, the Massanians surround the entire circular mountain range with a large number of troops, they are bound to send even more forces to attack here. So, I really can't imagine how you manage to hold the defense for at least a year under such unequal conditions."

Carl pointed to a nearby artillery position they had just passed and said, "This is all thanks to the Automated Combat Control System. It was thanks to the timely appearance of the Savior that our ancestors successfully withstood multiple fierce attacks launched by the Massanians during the early stages of invasion, but humanity also paid a heavy price for it. Because after those several world wars, the total population of humanity has plummeted from several billion before the war to only a few billion now. Furthermore, with defense forces around the world still engaged in continuous combat with the Massanians, humanity's total population continues to rapidly decline, and human defense forces are also stretched thin due to insufficient manpower."

"It was at this time that the Savior finally assisted our scientists in developing an automated combat system. With this system, humanity immediately gained the ability for a single soldier to simultaneously control multiple weapons and coordinate them to attack invaders. For example, the artillery mounted here and those heavy artillery and tanks you saw outside just now. Most of them will be remotely controlled by soldiers to strike at the invading aggressors once the war begins. This not only solves the problem of insufficient defense forces but also enables us to deploy more lethal weapons on the front lines and better coordinate their combat capabilities."

"This is also another important reason why we need to collect and study the bodies of Massanians on a large scale. Because it was through studying the bodies of Massanians that the Savior invented this automated combat system. Therefore, our scientists have been working hard to study the structures of the Massanians, hoping to decipher more technologies from them and use these technologies to produce more weapons to deal with the Massanians," Carl continued.

"Since there are such advanced equipment, why not equip our squad with some? In that case, wouldn't there be fewer comrades dying in battle?" Dream Jia asked puzzledly.

Carl sighed, "Ah! For a special operations team like ours, which constantly lives on the edge, if we could equip the Automated Combat Control System, why wouldn't we apply for it from the command? However, due to our current technological limitations, the Automated Combat Control System can only be used near the main city."

"So, what specific technological limitations are we facing?" Dream Jia asked curiously. Dream Jia was interested in various weapon knowledge herself, and partly because she wanted to know if the combat system Carl described was related to the advanced technology of the Realm of Spirits.

Carl replied to her question, "Firstly, although we can use this system to remotely control weapons for combat, since we have to continuously control many weapons for long periods and with high intensity through the Automated Combat Control System, in order to avoid errors and ensure that each weapon can receive control commands promptly and accurately and maintain efficient combat capabilities at all times. Therefore, we must ensure that all weapons are stably covered by the network of the Automated Combat Control System."

"To achieve this, we need to build numerous signal relay processors in the bunkers near the battlefield for signal relay and transmission. However, based on our current technological level, we can only produce those large-sized signal relay processors. Plus, once these processors are activated, they must be supplied with continuous energy to ensure their stable operation. This means that our squad, which operates year-round outside, cannot effectively use the Automated Combat Control System."

"Secondly, don't forget that those Massanian mouth organs have the function of intercepting signals. They can use this function to interfere with the transmission signals of the Automated Combat Control System. Therefore, in order to prevent the Automated Combat Control System from being disrupted by the Massanians, we must also set up large-scale signal jamming devices on the battlefield to shield the interference from the Massanians. However, similar to the processor models of the Automated Combat Control System, we still do not have the ability to manufacture smaller models of jamming devices. So from this perspective, our squad cannot be equipped with such advanced weapons. Otherwise, how would we conduct various highly concealed infiltration operations behind enemy lines carrying two large-sized devices?"

"In that case, hasn't the Savior provided any help to improve these equipment technology systems?" Dream Jia asked again.

Carl shook his head and said, "If it were possible, the Savior would have provided us with new technology long ago! However, the Savior is not omnipotent. For many things, the Savior also needs to continuously explore and deeply research to unlock their mysteries. Besides, the automated combat system that the Savior helped us develop has already enabled us to possess the ability to mobilize several times our armed forces with limited manpower to resist the Massanians! How can we then ask the Savior for more and better weapons?"

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Carl then pointed to a convoy of tanks passing by the squad and said, "Of course, although this system is very powerful, the technological limitations and our own capabilities mean that each soldier can only operate up to three weapons simultaneously in coordination. Moreover, the distance between these five weapons and their operators cannot exceed a range of 250 meters radius. Therefore, we still dispatch sufficient soldiers to the battlefield during the war and have three soldiers operate up to fifteen weapons to form a mini combat team, so that we can better control the weapons deployed on the battlefield to resist the Massanians' attacks."

According to Carl, if we exclude personnel unsuitable for combat, those needed for logistical support during war, and soldiers requiring rotation for rest, the defending forces of Lena Tower would still need to commit hundreds of thousands of troops daily to battle. Even though Lena Tower has limited heavy rapid-fire cannons and primarily relies on artillery and various types of machine guns, the sheer firepower of millions of weapons firing daily is enough to be awe-inspiring even to imagine in such a battlefield.

Thinking about this, Haoyun couldn't help but sigh again. Despite Lena Tower possessing such formidable firepower, it could only secure victory in the year-long war against the Subox by the sudden withdrawal of the Subox from combat. So, just how many troops would the Subox deploy to attack Lena Tower in this upcoming war? If the Subox continue their attacks without interruption, firing at full capacity during the day, can the defenders of Lena Tower truly withstand resistance for another year?

Just as Haoyun was lost in thought, Carl whispered to the three of them again, "Fortunately, the Subox's idiosyncratic style of attack not only stops during the day but also always seems unhurried during their offensives, allowing us to catch our breath amidst the battles. Otherwise, I would really doubt our strength; the Subox could probably flatten Lena Tower in less than a year!"

Carl spoke in hushed tones to avoid being accused of mocking their own capabilities. However, upon hearing Carl's words, Haoyun and the others neither got angry nor found it amusing. They actually thought Carl was quite right. If the Subox continue attacking humans as they did during the NX invasion of Earth, even if human civilization here has not completely perished, its end wouldn't be far off.

However, when it came to the Subox's unconventional style of combat, Haoyun and his friends still felt puzzled and expressed their incomprehension at such illogical behavior. As interstellar invaders, the Subox adhering to such principles with every attack was itself something very puzzling. Moreover, despite humans clearly understanding their operational patterns, the fact that they dare to act as they please makes these Subox appear even more absurd.

Could it be that the Subox are so arrogant because they have great confidence in defeating humans? Or is it because they have some purpose and intentionally prolong their attacks? Anyway, it cannot be simply because the Subox have always had this operational style, right? If this is their style of warfare, Haoyun really can't figure out how they managed to drive away those seemingly wise and powerful saviors from their own homelands!

The time spent traversing the tunnel was much quicker than Haoyun and his companions had anticipated. Soon, following the special operations team's departure from the tunnel, they stepped onto a brightly lit avenue lined with dozens of large factories on both sides. Inside these factories, lights were also brightly lit, and the sounds of machines running occasionally echoed out. It was easy for Haoyun to discern from the parked motorcycle outside the factory that this area was definitely a specialized weapons factory.

"As you can see, the area closest to the tunnel belongs to military use. In addition to stationed defense forces, it is also used to manufacture and stockpile various military equipment and supplies, facilitating rotations for our defenders during combat and ensuring logistical support for the war zone," Carl explained.

Then, Carl's tone shifted, and he said, "Under normal circumstances, these factories wouldn't be working overtime like they are now, even into the night. So, it seems the scale of the Subox attack on Lena Tower is not small! But—this shouldn't be happening, right? After all, only forty-one years have passed since the last major war ended. The Subox couldn't possibly launch another large-scale attack on Lena Tower in such a short time, could they?"

"Maybe this is a case of the Subox breaking their own rules?" Dream Jia reminded.

At that, Carl immediately furrowed his brows and sighed heavily, "Ah! I hope not! Otherwise, things might really take a turn for the worse!"

After passing the weapons factory with the special operations team, Haoyun and his group quickly saw large areas of plants lining both sides of the avenue, resembling wheat. According to Carl, these plants were used to produce raw materials for chocolate cakes. In addition to these, humans also needed a wildflower called Crystal Flower and cocoa pods harvested from cocoa trees to make cocoa powder. Both of these raw materials were grown on the mountains surrounding Lena Tower. It was only then that Haoyun and his companions finally learned from Carl that this type of chocolate cake was also called Tamer Cake.

As Haoyun listened to Carl further explain Tamer Cake, he once again thought of the Elven Biscuits that the Dakka Elves had once highly praised. He wondered how the resurrected Elven tribe was faring under the leadership of Archbishop Harvey. If given the chance, Haoyun really wanted to revisit the old homeland and see how the first world he had helped overcome disaster had developed.

Lena Tower was much more prosperous than Haoyun and his companions had imagined. Although the houses here were not tall, their orderly construction along the grid streets made the city look exceptionally neat. What surprised Haoyun even more was that all the houses facing the street had storefronts, each hosting a variety of shops. According to Carl, since money had lost its meaning to humans, the purpose of opening these shops was solely to maintain the civilization of human cities so that present-day humans wouldn't forget the colorful lives their ancestors once enjoyed in their cities.

Carl said with deep emotion, "Since the Subox invaded Earth, human civilization has suffered severe destruction. But humans did not succumb to despair; instead, we evolved our ideology once again amidst the disaster. Humans have become more humble, more respectful of life and nature. Compared to blindly pursuing superficial and illusory things, humans are more willing to focus on practical work and live down-to-earth lives."