The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1677

Chapter 1677 Crumbling Infrastructure

The Sand War escalated to a point where the Bright Republic's infrastructure constantly came under threat.

The pressure exerted by the sandman invaders hadn't faded at all after the CFA warfleet killed the sandman emperor and demolished the capital of the sandman empire.

Like bots following their programming to the very end, the sandman admirals constantly drove their fleets into human star systems and did not hesitate to fight unwinnable battles!

The lack of self-preservation exhibited by the remaining sandman leaders cast a very dreary cloud over the Bright Republic.

If they faced a human opponent like the Vesians, then the war would have ended by now. No one liked to wage war where the price was higher than the cost.

Only the sandmen, who did not appear to value their lives at all, were crazy enough to drive their race to extinction!

With the fall of several important resource-providing star systems in the Bright Republic, it became harder and harder to produce mechs and high-quality war materiel.

Critical exotics which many mech models depended on suddenly came in short supply.

The Mech Corps requisitioned many of the remaining sources of exotics, thereby squeezing out the private sector in order to meet their own needs.

Not a single mech company could offer an objection. The Mech Corps had to be reinforced with mechs and supplies above all else!

Most of the production facilities that used to mass produce mechs had already started transitioning to producing starfighters and lesser goods.

Unlike military mechs, the starfighters were deliberately designed to incorporate as little exotics as possible.

A lot of star systems were capable of supplying large amounts of common metals such as titanium, palladium and transuranic alloys.

It was just that the exploitation of these common materials had always been enough to meet the daily needs of consumers and producers of the Bright Republic.

Now that the production of starfighters became a priority, many mining companies explosively expanded their operations.

Even the LMC received the offer to produce starfighters, though so far Ves rejected it because there was still enough demand for his Soldier mechs.

"While it's not economical anymore to produce your Soldier mechs at the Mech Nursery, that isn't the case for our newly-built manufacturing complexes in Bentheim." Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson reported. "Even if we are pretty much breaking even, the Bright Republic will never have enough Desolate Soldiers, Prideful Soldiers and Peaceful Soldiers."

"How much control do we have over our assets in Bentheim?" Ves frowned. "I'm not there, after all. I'm worried if someone harbors some ideas."

"Don't worry. We've already transferred a lot of personnel from Cloudy Curtain to Bentheim. Their loyalty to the LMC is still strong. I decided to transfer Calsie to our branch office to ensure the branch managers are kept in check."

"That's a good decision. I have faith in Calsie's loyalty. What about the security issues?"

"Due to the war, we haven't been able to transfer a sufficient amount of Living Sentinels to cover the full security needs of the new complexes. However, the risk of attacks should be very low because martial law has recently come into effect."

"What?!" Ves raised his head. "That will definitely impact the local economy!"

"Bentheim is already suffering from the drop in trade and production. Life can't go back to normal unless the sandmen stop flooding the Bentheim System with their fleets!"

Ves did not dare to underestimate the impact of these changes. Bentheim loomed so large over everyone's heads that even a minor shift was enough to stir the rest of the Bright Republic!

"What about the Holy Soldiers?" He asked, wanting to shift the topic away from his home state.

"The production of Holy Soldiers is fully in the hands of the Ylvainans. There are already enough of the mechs to meet their needs, so the Protectorate is simply stockpiling our mechs in preparation for a long slog."

"I see."

Though the Ylvainans exhibited a lot of appreciation for his Holy Soldiers, they weren't irrational enough to neglect their other needs. Defeating the sandmen came first. Indulging in their spiritual needs came second.

Raymond patiently explained the LMC's position in every significant mech market.

"The Reinald Republic is surprisingly holding on, though it has already lost half of its territory."

"Oh?" Ves raised his eyebrow. "How have they managed to persist?"

"What is left of the Reinaldan leaders have made huge concessions to the Vesia Kingdom and other states. While we aren't privy to the exact details of their deals, it's possible Reinald has already been carved up by its neighbors!"

"Good riddance." Ves sneered.

Whatever was happening in Reinald, the influx of foreign reinforcements from as far as the Sentinel Kingdom managed to stabilize the dire situation, if only barely. _{freёwebnovel.com}

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this briefing was that the production of LMC mechs by third-party manufacturers would soon come to an end.

"The sandmen continue to disrupt the supply of raw materials." Raymond concluded. "Even the states that aren't under attack have already reduced their exports in order to meet their own needs. Aside from the few states that are a little short on Desolate Soldiers and Prideful Soldiers such as the Vesia Kingdom, we have already sold enough mechs to satisfy the most acute demand for our products."

The LMC had quickly sold over a million mechs in just half a year!

This was a stellar accomplishment that was enough to enshrine a mech company! If not for the Sand War, Ves was tempted to hold a formal celebration.

As it was, the survival of the LMC in the Bright Republic couldn't be guaranteed at this point.

"Is there anything else that needs to be brought to my attention?"

"Aside from the usual friction with the government, no." Raymond replied.

"What about the Light Hounds. Are they still sniffing around in the local asteroid belt?"

"We haven't been able to gain any intelligence concerning their activities, including how much progress they made in hunting down the hiding sandmen."