After entering the apocalypse, communication between both sides has nearly ceased.
"There's no more network signal."
"I'm really not used to it."
On the Garden Cruise Ship, in the captain's cabin.
Wang Jianguo, the former steel factory director who was temporarily appointed as captain due to his past acquaintance with Su Wu, looked at the completely vanished network signal on his phone, feeling a strange emptiness and unease.
That feeling was akin to having come from a civilized world into a perilous wasteland.
According to prior arrangements, they would install a new communication signal tower at a location 80 kilometers away from Jianghe City, the nearest one.
Only then could they restore contact with Jianghe City.
Before that, Wang Jianguo could only rely on himself and the thousand security team members assigned to him to traverse the network-less stretch of several dozen kilometers.
"The Spider Robot isn't working either."
"It only has the most basic intelligence left."
"I was hoping to play cards with Brother Deng Nian."
Heavy Knight, Wang Jianguo's deputy, was also complaining.
The Deng Nian he mentioned was a worker at the remote control center responsible for operating the Spider Robot.
Due to their compatible personalities, they had become quite familiar with each other in just a few short hours.
They were almost at the point where they could play cards together during downtime.
But playing cards was a minor issue.
More importantly, without the control of the remote center workers and the computational support from the farmhouse AI, the combat capability of the Spider Robots had been reduced by more than half.
If a battle were to occur during this time, their effectiveness might not even surpass that of the security team members wearing Exoskeleton Armor.
It could be said that until the first communication signal tower was established in Tumen City, the combat strength of this expedition fleet would be less than half of its normal capacity.
"Let's focus on work for now."
"Try to keep a low profile during this time."
"Hopefully, nothing goes wrong."
Wang Jianguo shook his head, no longer engaging in idle chatter with Heavy Knight.
He stood up and walked to the large porthole at the front of the captain's cabin, gazing far into the distance at the hazy buildings shrouded in heavy rain.
That was the urban area of Tumen City.
Fortunately, it was not located on the fault line of the super earthquake.
Even though it was not far from Jianghe City, its urban area had not suffered a devastating blow.
It still retained a considerable number of intact buildings.
From the outside, one could vaguely see a hint of the prosperity that existed before the apocalypse.
However, due to the absence of lights, after looking for a while, it was easier to feel as if watching a horror movie set in a desolate area.
There was nothing there to spark any interest in exploring further.
Under Wang Jianguo's deliberate control, the fleet passed through the urban area of Tumen City quietly via the waterways.
Then they continued southward, approaching the distant rolling mountains.
The journey was smooth and uneventful.
Upon reaching the designated distance, the fleet slowly docked in a deep-water area.
Then, a small team composed of over a hundred security team members boarded two patrol boats and headed towards the nearby shore.
On a hill near the shore, they began constructing the communication signal tower.
Without the assistance of robots, the entire construction process was quite slow.
Even with everyone wearing Exoskeleton Armor and possessing considerable strength, it took nearly two hours to barely complete the work.
After connecting the power and activating the communication signal tower, half a second later, familiar network signals began to appear on everyone's phones.
A small cheer erupted at the construction site of the communication signal tower.
Many people let out long sighs of relief.
Not just Wang Jianguo, but also those who had long been accustomed to having AI manage every detail of their actions found it difficult to adapt to an environment without a network.
Now that it was restored, it felt like returning home to them.
"Network connected."
"According to the authorization agreement, AI Luo Tianyi will now take over the highest command authority of the Garden Cruise Ship expedition fleet."
"Current tasks confirmed."
"Reinforce the communication signal tower and construct auxiliary watchtower buildings."
"Reconnaissance drones are taking off."
"Conduct geological scanning and modeling, while searching for nearby threat targets—"
As soon as the network was connected, the familiar voice of the AI began to resonate in everyone's ears.
The original captain, Wang Jianguo, and his deputy, Heavy Knight, automatically stepped back.
All command authority was returned to the AI.
With the AI overseeing all powers, the fleet's actions naturally became more rigorous and professional.
They scanned the geological conditions to ensure the location of the communication signal tower was stable and safe.
They dispatched reconnaissance drones to confirm whether there were any potential threats nearby.
And they transported construction materials to build a small fortress next to the communication signal tower.
All actions were orderly and methodical, efficiently mobilizing both humans and Spider Robots within the team without wasting any extra manpower or resources.
To save time and alleviate the pressure during the fleet's transport process, the materials used to build the small fortress next to the communication signal tower were also Rapid-setting Cement.
This greatly facilitated the construction for the fleet.
In just over an hour, they completed a three-story fortress equipped with various living facilities.
After finishing the project, they did not linger at the site.
They left behind an Electromagnetic Cannon (Railgun) installed on the top floor of the fortress, along with ten security team members and twenty Spider Robots for defense.
The remaining personnel returned to the Cruise Ship to continue their journey southward.
Meanwhile, with the operation of the first communication signal tower outside Jianghe City, all underground shelters within a radius of 80 kilometers, less than 50 meters from the ground, began receiving broadcast signals from Jianghe City.
In the third minute after the signal took effect, a resident of a shelter in Tumen City was the first to discover a strange network signal on his phone.
He attempted to connect.
Soon, he saw a bustling scene of labor on his phone screen.
A large factory, roughly estimated to have at least hundreds of workers, began operating amidst the roar of machines.
"Jianghe City Evening News reports."
"At 4 PM today, the first electrical factory in Jianghe City began operations."
"It is expected to produce 20,000 mobile phones daily."
"The establishment of the first electrical factory will unleash the production c
apacity of Jianghe City's manufacturing center."
"It will help shift more production resources towards higher-end industries—"
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!