Meanwhile, in the west, as the True Horde forces scattered across the steppes, they stumbled upon various hidden bunkers from the pre-war era. Many of these had been repurposed as bandit hideouts.

As Alam defeated the bandits, some of them chose to join his ranks, revealing the locations of particular bunkers populated solely by windup girls. Unlike ordinary windup girls, these had developed their own society and achieved a level of independence. Intrigued by this unique community, Alam decided to explore the fascinating site.

Navigating through the dimly lit subterranean city, Alam felt the air thick with the hum of machinery and the faint scent of oil. Flanked by his escort of infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), he moved cautiously through the maze of concrete and shadows, his mind focused on gathering intel about the pre-war bunker facility.

As he rounded a corner, he spotted her—a doll with striking white hair, standing serenely beside the underground street.

“Hey, you have nice hair,” Alam said, breaking the silence.

The doll, Croque, turned to him, her expression calm yet curious. “Well, umm, thank you. What are you doing here?”

“I just want to ask you something. What’s the most vulnerable part of a tank?” Alam inquired, his tone casual but laced with urgency.

Croque tilted her head, considering his question. “Tanks have various weaknesses depending on their design. Generally, the tracks are vulnerable to attacks from below, and explosive force can damage them. Other weak points include the turret ring, the barrel of the main gun, and the engine compartment.”

Alam nodded, absorbing her insights as he contemplated the strategic implications of this newfound knowledge. “What happens if something gets stuck in the barrel when the tank is about to fire?”

“If you block the barrel of a tank's main gun, the explosion's energy gets redirected back inside the tank. This could damage the gun breech and possibly harm the crew. It would be catastrophic for the tank,” she explained, her tone matter-of-fact.

“Interesting,” Alam said with a smirk. “What if we mixed something like superglue with sticky mud and launched it into the barrel? Ridiculous, right? But would it work?”

Croque laughed lightly. “Actually, a mixture like that could be effective. If you can clog the barrel, it would prevent the tank from firing altogether. It sounds silly, but it could jam the gun.”

“Can you make that mud launcher?” Alam asked, a spark of excitement in his eyes. “I want to envision it as an anti-tank weapon!”

“Hmm, that’ll be tricky to design. Getting the mud mixture right is one thing; creating a reliable launcher is another. But sure, I think I can come up with a design,” Croque replied.

“I want to order a thousand of them,” Alam declared, his enthusiasm infectious.

Croque’s eyes widened in surprise, and she chuckled. “A thousand mud launchers? That’s quite the order! But if you’re serious, I can certainly design them. Of course, there will be a price.”

“Gold will do,” Alam said with a nod. “Just make sure to mix in some chemicals to improve the mud’s effectiveness.”

“A chemical-enhanced mud launcher? Now that’s an interesting concept,” Croque mused, taking her task seriously. “And gold? You know how to make a girl happy. But let’s make sure the design works before you hand over the payment.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Here’s my contact info, and here’s your first payment,” Alam said, handing her a gold coin and an ID card. “Call me when you have progress.”

Croque accepted the coin with a smile. “Thanks! I’ll get to work on the design and keep you updated.”

“Wait, you’re a woman?” Alam asked, taken aback by her appearance.

“Yes… is that a problem?” Croque replied, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Alam rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. “I just didn’t expect it. You look… hmm… a bit unnatural.”

Croque laughed lightly, unfazed. “I know I look different. I’m a Doll—an android created by Svarog Heavy Industries. We’re designed for labor, not socializing. Some find us unconventional.”

“Ah, Svarog? Aren’t they the same ones who made the Windup Girl?” Alam asked, intrigued.

“Yes, they’re a leading robotics company. The Windup Girl is from another company, but we’re all designed for industrial labor. Svarog has made incredible advancements in robotics,” Croque explained.

“Should I contact your ‘master’ first, or are you free to make decisions?” Alam inquired, curious.

Croque chuckled again. “I’m technically property of Svarog, but I have a degree of autonomy. My main duty is as a mechanical engineer, so my primary ‘master’ is my job.”

“I see. There’s so much to ask, but I’ll save it for later,” Alam said, sensing the need to focus.

“Anytime! I’m always up for questions, especially about mechanics. Now, let me start on that mud launcher design,” Croque replied, her enthusiasm palpable.

“Great. Farewell then. Call me soon,” Alam said as he turned to leave, returning to his IFV.

Croque waved goodbye, eager to begin her project.

As mid-November approached, the clash between the True Horde and the Red Army intensified. The True Horde hid in underground bunkers across the steppes, launching coordinated raids that severely disrupted the Red Army’s supply lines. Meanwhile, the Emerald League mercenaries agreed to intercept reinforcements from the Golden Caravan, but their efforts proved minimally effective. Many of the Golden Caravan’s tanks continued to reach the True Horde’s stronghold in the Altai Mountains.

In his command center in California, Zion stared intently at the map spread out before him. “It seems they’re preparing for a big offensive. We must reinforce our supply lines and be ready to counter any attack. The Emerald League must keep disrupting their reinforcements. We need all the help we can get to defeat these rebels.”

“Sir, we received a strange transmission from Xian. It’s from Alam, the leader of the True Horde rebels. He wants to talk,” a red officer reported.

Zion raised an eyebrow, surprised. “The leader of the True Horde rebels wants to talk? That’s unexpected. Put the transmission on speaker.”

“Hey, you have nice hair,” Alam greeted, his tone light.

“Thank you. I take pride in my hair; it’s a symbol of my rank and status. So, you’re Alam, the leader of the True Horde rebels?” Zion replied, amused.

“Yes… your former subordinate, I suppose,” Alam said.

Zion studied him through the monitor. “I see. You were my subordinate before the war broke out. It’s strange that now you’re leading a rebellion against me. What brought about this change?”

“Well, I know you’re planning to expand into Europe, and we Wanderers were your first line of attack in Carpathia. You would’ve thrown me to the wolves first, and I didn’t like that,” Alam explained.

Zion nodded slowly. “I understand. You felt I was going to use you as a scapegoat. I will admit, you were part of my initial invasion strategy, but now you’ve become my enemy. How do you justify that?”

“I have enough reasons to be a rebel. I want a truce. I’ll disband the True Horde Confederacy and limit it to economic purposes only. Just don’t point your big cannon at my city; it’s intimidating,” Alam proposed.

Zion considered this, a smile creeping onto his face. “A truce and limiting your rebellion to economic purposes… That’s tempting. It would remove a major obstacle and let me focus on the rebels in Central Asia. But I have one condition.”

“What’s that?” Alam asked, intrigued.

“You must stop raiding my supply lines and destroying my tanks. If you can agree to those conditions, I’ll consider your offer of truce,” Zion stated confidently.

“I accept to stop killing your men. Just that?” Alam replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Just that,” Zion confirmed. “You’ll stop attacking my supply lines and limit your rebellion. If you agree, your mercenaries and Wanderers will be free to do as they please, as long as they don’t participate in military action against me.”

“Really? You don’t want my head or something?” Alam asked, half-joking.

Zion chuckled, shaking his head. “No, I don’t want your head. You were just a subordinate. If you agree to my conditions, I won’t hold a grudge.”

“Seems weird, but I agree for now. Can I ask something?” Alam said.

“Go ahead,” Zion replied.

“What is this so-called Project Stratocannon?” Alam inquired.

Zion’s eyes gleamed with pride. “Project Stratocannon is my pet project—a superweapon I’ve been developing for years. It has the potential to devastate any enemy position and clear the way for my troops. It’s a secret, so I can’t share too many details, but I’m very proud of it.”

“Interesting… And I want my new holdings in Central China, Korea, Altai Mountains, the Black Sea, Caucasus, and Carpathia to remain under my control. We’ll also do a prisoner exchange, including your two Red Army generals,” Alam stated.

Zion paused, considering. “That’s a fair trade. I will allow your control over those territories and agree to a prisoner exchange. As I said, your mercenaries and Wanderers are free, as long as they don’t engage in military action against us.”

“Wow, you seem like a very agreeable man. What’s your plan?” Alam asked, a wary smile on his face.

Zion grinned, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “My plan is to let you think I’ve accepted these terms and allow you to get comfortable. Once I sense you’ve let down

alam nodded “good luck with that” then the comm is turn off. and alam look at other monitor. showing zion location at the north america, “i got you” alam mutterhimself