“Then there is nothing we can do,” Clarissa said.
“Nothing?” I asked. “Use the kid as a bomb.” She shook her head.
“If only that were feasible. I saw the devastation left behind by that golden blast. Everything was vaporized in its path, and she was probably at the center. I know you survived a bit, but you were mostly clear.” I nodded at this. “She survived a nuke. What kind of bomb do you think we have that compares to that?”
“Nothing,” I muttered.
“Even if we replaced the kid’s organs all with bombs, it wouldn’t get her. You don’t unleash a nuclear blast and have someone survive it, to downgrade.”
“But if it is concealed inside the kid?” I asked.
“I would give it less than one percent chance of killing her. Since we would need someone nearby to trigger it precisely the moment she grabs her kid, but she would kill everyone and the bomb would go off prematurely once the primed crystals destabilize,” Clarissa explained.
I hadn’t been thinking about that aspect of using a bomb. “The best option we have is to hide the kid somewhere, in a secure facility and keep him hostage long term. If she attacks us, we would send her body parts and limbs. That is if she cares about her child?” Clarissa asked me.
“From everything I have seen and heard, I would say yes. The fact she kept him safe and out of public sight means that she isn’t trying to lure out assassins, using her child,” I explained. This was something I had already thought through.
“Then we move to stash the child and that translator. He can be the primary caretaker. Will assign two soldiers who know Chinese as well to keep an eye on things,” Clarissa said. That still left the massive problem of the Divine Empress.
“We have been working on a super weapon,” Clarissa finally said. I looked up at that. “Not a bomb, but a cannon. I ordered the building of a production facility in Neo Brasilia and had one made at great expense. A level 1 beam cannon costs five million points, that is on top of the facility itself.”
“Really? I haven’t seen them in use,” I asked.
“Each shot costs a million points Michael. It is like pissing away points, when we could get people with skills or trained up. But the good doctor has been involved in weapon’s research and is making progress working out its principles. But our timeframe is long. Even with the resources and points, you know how methodical and safety conscious he is. There was an accident with the second research team. So slow and steady it is.”
“How long?” I asked.
“He confirmed the viability of a cannon type weapon. But unlike the assembly building, ours would be much larger. I issued payment of ten million points for a level 2 assembly building. The cannon cost didn’t go down for a level 2 beam cannon.”
“We would need something like a level 5 or 6 to take her out,” I said.
“Which would cost about two billion points. All told. Each shot costing around two hundred million points most likely. We could invest everything into that direction of research, or build a cannon ourselves. A single use one, but with maximum fire power.”
“I see. That makes sense. Since we would be using crafting crystals, an annihilation type beam, combining opposite types of energy?” I asked.
“The hard part is figuring out how to direct it. We might have to fire a dual cannon where the beams combine. Or go with some Death Star insanity beam combination. The hard part would be getting her to stand at ground zero.”
“Her child,” I said and Clarissa nodded.
“That was the missing component. We will keep him safe until then. Then when the time comes, we leak her information on his location. She goes there, then mega beam to the face. Hopefully,” Clarissa said.
“You really have been putting in the work,” I replied.
“Thanks, but what you did gave me the breathing room to start projects like this. They were already going, but since we are no longer on the defensive and have more zones we can clear for crystals, things have gotten a lot better,” Clarissa explained.
“So, timeframe?” I asked.
“That is where we run into an issue like I mentioned. Probably a year minimum. Three years at most.” I wanted to cough up blood at that. “We need to build the enchanting buildings back up and get high level material enchanted to direct the explosion. All of those things cost points. Lots and lots of points. Which means time, testing, and gathering up the necessary crafting crystals.”
“Or we can speed things up,” I said. Clarissa gave me a look indicating I should keep going and I just smiled since I had a great idea. “This New United City States, or NUCS.” I pronounced it as ‘nooks’. “I can just go there and take that knowledge that we need.”
I was silent as Clarissa considered that option. “Let’s call that option B.”
“For brutality,” I added, and Clarissa rolled her eyes.
“For brutality. Option A can be you going there on a diplomatic mission. Either they give up the information to help take out the Divine Empress or you can take it. Sending you will also send them a message regardless, to bugger off and not make demands or threaten to encroach into our zones,” she added.
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“You know it is going to be plan B all the way on this, don’t you?” I asked her.
“Yes. And while it will open up a second front. Wipe out their city. I will arrange for five units to go with you and assist as well. That is a huge chunk of our grinding ability to gather crystals, but if we can wipe the city we can take it. And the name of the city is Normandy.”
“French or English,” I said with realization and Clarissa nodded.
“Much easier to integrate than New Beijing. We need to operate under the belief that the Divine Empress can be killed by the super weapon.”
“And if it doesn’t work?” I asked.
“Then I am retiring,” I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.
“I see. Please don’t do that. Pay raise?” I offered her and her lips twitched slightly which I counted as a victory.
“A very big one. Once we win. Running this war has been exhausting. Michael, I am glad you are okay,” she said and held out a hand across the table. I took her hand and smiled a bit.
“Thanks. I feel the same way, Clarissa. Now, you are making me all sappy and emotional. Don’t tease a guy with super weapons like that.” We let go of our hands and Clarissa just shook her head.
“Well, it will probably be on you to get the crafting crystals we need to make it work. We would need at least level 5 to combine up to level 6. Doctor Katz has worked out the type chart by the way.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes. The notes are all kept at the research base, but it will take time to organize all the units to go with you to Normandy and get that research information. Anything involving energetic dissonance by counter glass-reflection is what we need. It is what makes-“
“-the astrolabes function. Yes. The Astrologer’s note.” Clarissa nodded as my brain recalled his letter.
“Exactly. Being able to direct the beam is the hardest thing. The good doctor can safely suspend the crystals, but it is a bomb, but a directed burst. We are trying a wide range of low level solutions, from tubes, to half spheres, but we are missing something.”
I felt a pain in my soul from losing the books I had stolen from the Divine Empress. Those could have held the information we needed. “There is something weird with how energy reacts with circular shapes. But beyond that, we have no good idea which way to take the research.”
“Just need a way to point the cannon, or cannons.”
“Ideally, we would build like twenty of them to blanket an entire area from a distance. Or focus on a singular point.”
“We could bury Qi Ji Long up to his neck in dirt to slow the Divine Empress down. It wouldn’t be fast moving dirty with her hands, and she would have to be careful not to hurt him. Probably get thirty seconds to a minute,” I said.
“That works. Now we just need our death rays.”
“You couldn’t figure out from the cannons the System provides?” I asked.
“That is one avenue we are looking into. But they are directly turning points into beam attacks. Which can be adjusted by slotting in a different type of crafting crystal. But there are no mechanisms we can see. It is slow going.”
“It use up the crafting crystal?” I asked and Clarissa shook her head.
“Surprisingly no. Which makes them all the more confounding. You should take a look when you visit the good doctor. And we will have to move again as well.” I gave her a questioning look. “The child. Once the child leaves, we are moving to another spot. It will be a pain, but I have done it once already.”
“I have to say this place is a lot more impressive than I would have thought,” I said.
“Making it was easy enough with Acid Shot. The ground is very stable as well. Just get some blankets to conceal the entrance and we are good.”
“About that. Your blankets aren’t enough. I was able to see through them with my Sense stat,” I explained.
“Of course you were able to do that. Which means the Divine Empress is probably able to do that as well. Will have to double layer or come up with a new protocol.”
“Sorry, but I thought you should know,” I said.
“It is fine. Thank you. So, ten billion points. That’s a lot. Save any for me?” Clarissa asked in her deadpan voice.
“Sorry, all used up. You will have to find another treasury to rob. How are you handling the finances on our end?” I asked.
“It isn’t simple. We need to move tons of crystals. But grinders contribute a set amount every ten days to desigated collection points, where a team comes by and picks them up and hands out supplies. People are rotated as needed and have their set areas.”
“The crystals are brought to a city and then used to purchase stuff. Most of our facilities are hidden in Neo Brasilia deep inside the city.”
“That would make them a nightmare to find,” I pointed out.
“Exactly the point. The researchers and point crystals don’t see each other. The ones used for the war effort, go to Purgatory and then supplies are purchased there and carted. Not the most efficent, but we have no treasury,” Clarissa explained.
“I like that. Too much of a risk honestly. So other people buy the buildings?” I asked.
“One person is responsible for each building. They get points with the expectation they will purchase the upgrade and we keep track. Hence the paperwork.” I nodded at that.
“I would call you Princess Leia, but you are building a super weapon.” Clarissa scoffed at that.
“To take out a worse super weapon. But thank you for the compliment. Running a rebellion isn’t hard. The fact we are using up most people for consumption is also an issue. It is impacting moral since the news leaked. Also we are using hybrids.”
“I saw when I passed through the mustering point in the Dragon Empire,” I replied.
“The best way to sweep and clear out their tribespeople. It is a bloodbath Michael.” I could sense the doubt coming from her. I could only imagine the stress she was under and she had been doing amazingly.
“Blame me,” I said. Clarissa looked at me in surprise. “It is fine to blame me. Just say you are doing it under my orders if people make a fuss.”
“Really? Your popularity is immense?” Clarissa asked.
“It is fine. Ultimately the responsibility rests with me regardless. While you may run things, you technically work for me,” I said with a grin. Clarissa shook her head slightly at this.
“Fine. But it shouldn’t be an issue. But just wanted to give you a heads up, in case there is pushback from the rank and file,” Clarissa explained.
“I am so far ahead now. I am ludicrous level.”
“Ludicrous, that is what you are going with?” Clarissa asked me.
“It is the only word I can put on someone who is so far ahead in stats, that other people have no chance of catching up. I had been using it for the Divine Empress, ludicrous level.”
“And that level is?”
“Combat level, stat level, monster fighting level. I really need to test myself against a level 4. To see if I can kill a level 5 monster. I will need to upgrade my skills. Also, the deadline. So what kind of timeframe are we looking at?”
“Ten days to recall people and arrange the units. Then another ten days to get to Normandy and back, then after that, just need to get level 5 crafting crystals before you run off to the tower,” Clarissa said.
“And upgrade my skills in a hundred days,” I said with a sigh. It wasn’t realistic to leave everything until after the tower either. I could easily die in there. Better to get the super weapon working first if at all possible.