Starting from the Planetary Governor

When Gu Hang placed several new “Black Boxes” in front of Wu Jiarong, her mouth opened wider than it ever had in her life.

Where on earth did these things come from?

Initially, she had suspected they were provided by the Gu Family, but then she realized even the Gu Family wasn’t capable of this; later, she harbored the daring thought that perhaps Mr. Gu was the son of some great Sage from the Sect of Mechanics, but then again, any Sage would undoubtedly value the Black Boxes more than their own flesh and blood. Those who had mechanical parts replacing everything in their bodies except their brains, did they still possess familial affections? That was uncertain.

After that, Wu Jiarong couldn’t think of any other reason.

Even if she imagined the worst-case scenarios, such as Mr. Gu pledging allegiance to chaos and becoming a traitor to the Empire, it still didn’t seem plausible: where would a chaotic power be willing to give so many Black Box Manufacturers to a planetary governor just to undermine a broken world like Rage Owl Star?

The input-output ratio just didn’t make sense!

Unable to figure these things out, she simply stopped thinking about it.

Wu Jiarong listened carefully to the governor’s instructions, occasionally manipulating the mechanical arms extending from her back to write and draw on a piece of paper beside her.

Rather than pondering things that were impossible to figure out, it was better to consider how to meet Mr. Gu’s demands.

Mr. Gu was like a client with complex ideas and strict requirements, yet he offered a price she simply couldn’t refuse.

So many different Black Boxes, each with immense research value.

Although most of Wu Jiarong’s time was to be dedicated to various tasks assigned by the research institute by Mr. Gu, just taking the opportunity to research the Black Box products and the operation of the Black Boxes themselves during her rest time amounted to valuable gains.

Of course, she couldn’t understand how the Black Boxes worked; that was a problem even the great Sages of the Sect of Mechanics couldn’t solve, and she was far less likely to do so. Yet, merely observing them presented rewards.

An even greater benefit was researching the standard products output by the Black Boxes, which was more suited to her current level.

It hadn’t been long before she felt she had made considerable progress from the past.

She had a relatively clear understanding of her own technical skills. Although her official title was just a technical specialist, she had been preparing to become a mechanic ten years ago and had actually reached that level.

However, due to wasted time in the past decade, she had neither the ambition nor the time nor the opportunity to study further.

And now, she felt that sense of rapid advancement returning.

Probably, in not too long, she would be able to promote herself to the next level of a technical priest.

Besides helping Mr. Gu conceal the existence of the Black Boxes, she also needed to strive to prove her own worth. Although the former was important, it actually wasn’t irreplaceable. She had to work even harder on the latter.

It’s just that Mr. Gu’s requirements were still quite challenging.

“Monthly production of 50 units of 155mm heavy artillery… This one is a bit difficult. But I have looked at the 155mm artillery produced by the local natives, and I realize my design can be further simplified. With effort, we should be able to achieve that this month.”

“Producing 50 ‘Strider Vs’ each month, and subsequently needing to gradually increase… this is much harder than producing artillery. The finished Black Box cannot completely solve the problem; it can only produce 15 units with nonstop work for a month. To further expand production, we still need to set up dedicated manufacturing workshops.”

“Just setting up the production line requires the slow production of the Black Box, and the assembly of the line requires the full participation of the technicians. The Strider has many components; we can use the improved Grindstone Engine, but the chassis, body, internal instruments, and weapon systems all need to be produced separately. When it comes to assembly, that’s another challenge. We have to train more skilled industrial workers to be up to the task.”

“I estimate that it might take two or three months to reach the production rate of 50 units/month; however, once we achieve this level, subsequent increases should be faster. There’s also good news: We can initially use the finished products directly from the Black Box to meet the demands of the troops as much as possible.”

“The production line for the G9 Gun Family is relatively mature, so it’s not difficult to increase the output.”

“The same applies to the production process for plastic steel bulletproof inserts used in textile clothing.”

“Explosive guns can only be produced by the Black Box, and even if we set up a production line, we don’t have the corresponding raw material components. However, the demand isn’t great, so it’s not a big deal. It’s mainly making resupplying much more convenient for the interstellar warriors. The extra capacity can be used to make explosive machine guns, mounted on the Striders, replacing the original parallel machine guns. At that point, the infantry fighting vehicle will have dual-barreled 40mm autocannons and explosive machine guns, plus anti-tank missile launchers, making the entire armament station quite formidable.”

“We also lack the capability to produce reactors, only relying on the Black Box. But perhaps we don’t need to mass-produce these things for now? With finished product Black Box, I can have a controllable reactor power generator set deployed in the outskirts of Weixing City within a month. Both Revival City and Weixing City already have existing power grids. If we integrate into them, we won’t have to worry about energy problems for a very, very long time. This will provide immense power for all our production lines, and our production capacity will see exponential growth in the near future.”

“Basic medical technology is relatively simple; we can quickly arrange to build a chemical plant. Once the imported raw materials are in place, we can swiftly start production. This includes over a hundred types of common medications. When the time comes, the military and city hospitals will have their pharmaceutical needs met. These drugs can also be traded internationally, or even stockpiled to deal with future imperial taxes.”

…

Wu Jiarong was giving Mr. Gu detailed accounts of her thoughts and assessments.

In some respects, Gu Hang was somewhat disappointed, such as with the burst production capacity of armored vehicles being slower than he had imagined.

But what Wu Jiarong spoke of were all realistic factors, especially the scarcity of qualified automotive workers. Had it not been for the production of the Iron Bull truck series and the Patrol Rider motorcycle series, which slightly cultivated some experience, the gap in this area would surely have been even greater.

The demand for qualified industrial workers will only continue to grow in the future.

Gu Hang calculated that after returning this time, he would have to get the education industry started.

Compulsory education for children and teenagers; technical schools for the rapid training of youths and adults; management schools for training new administrative officers; military academies—or Loyal Heir Academy—particularly for ideological education and the cultivation of political officers…

As he thought about this, he began to feel a sense of helplessness.

The education sector ah, it’s another area that requires a great deal of time and energy investment.

Moreover, he didn’t have the right person to get this thing up and running.

Osenia?

She was capable, but she was too overwhelmed with work right now. Rebuilding the city, restoring production, and the insufficient administrative personnel already had the young woman’s hands full. She likely wouldn’t be able to tackle another equally heavy task in the short term.

Gu Hang had no choice but to consider other candidates.