Chapter One Hundred Eighteen: The First Turning Point

Chapter 118: The First Turning Point

While Liu Shaoyu was fervently building his own small "private army," the situation in Huaxia was advancing rapidly.

The frontline's progress finally became less smooth, owing to effective communication between the Central Star Sector and the local star sectors. Although no troops were directly dispatched, the output of cloned soldiers did increase.

This move had greater implications than one might imagine, because the number of cloned soldiers directly affected two major interests: the Huaxia military government and the Galaxy Universal Technology Corporation responsible for production—the Shen family.

Thus, this time, the Shen family was the first to make a concession—or it could be seen as a form of charity.

The production of clones is a complex process. First, the quantity is determined annually through budget planning. This number sets the production target.

The government’s coordinating department places orders with the Universal Corporation, which is responsible for manufacturing. The government does not intervene in the entire production and training process but assigns inspectors to supervise.

The production quantity refers only to the number of fully trained adult cloned soldiers added to the military. A cloned soldier, however, is not like a commodity that is ready for use immediately after production.

Clones are born like ordinary humans and pass through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, though this process is shortened through technological means.

Due to extensive genetic modifications and hormone treatments, a clone’s full lifespan is about thirty years. It takes seven years for a clone to mature into a qualified soldier, leaving roughly twenty years of active service.

Under these circumstances, it is all too easy for the Shen family to manipulate the numbers.

“This is the military’s new order and raw material approval, Secretary Yao.”

“Mm, alright.” Secretary Yao scanned the orders displayed on the screen before him.

“Eh, why is the raw material quantity this time…” he murmured, puzzled by the unusually high raw material demand.

Though quiet, his secretary overheard and said, “You know, since we’re at war now, we need to prepare extra materials for unforeseen needs, or else we might not keep up with consumption later.”

Secretary Yao nodded, inputting approval on the budget form, noting the increase as normal consumption. He knew this was just an excuse, but it was enough.

After all, his primary income no longer came from the meager military salary or travel allowances. That little money couldn’t support his reckless little dependents.

“Alright, Secretary Yao.” Satisfied, the secretary turned and left the office.

“Hmph, these bastards. Let them make a fuss; it’s none of my concern now.” Watching the secretary’s retreating figure, Secretary Yao cursed under his breath.

He was well aware of how much manipulation the Shen family pulled each year over clone numbers. Even without his approval, they could increase the count unnoticed in other stages. Bound by circumstance, he had his own unspoken difficulties.

Everyone before him had done the same, and he expected no trouble either. Even if there were, the Shen family had assured him. He trusted their power deeply. As for what his superiors had said before his appointment, he couldn’t recall now. After work, he felt at ease, wondering who to visit that evening.

---

The One-Eyed Giant Bounty Group

Master Wang sat in his office, staring at the information before him.

“Chairman, do you think we should suspend our operations for a while?” His secretary broke the silence.

“Hmph, suspend? Ignore them. We continue as planned.” Wang snorted, waving his hand to dismiss the secretary, who left promptly.

Once alone, Wang’s eyes gleamed with determination, as if wrestling with some internal conflict. After a long pause, he made up his mind.

“Connect me to Yun Shichu.”

The call was quickly established.

“Director Wang, why are you contacting me at this hour? Have you made up your mind?”

Wang smiled at the address. He had once been the director of Huaxia’s Police Department, hence the formal title. Since taking charge of the bounty group, that title was obsolete.

“I accept your terms. Everything will be as previously agreed.” Though in a passive position, Wang’s tone held no hint of concession.

Yun Shichu knew Wang was far from pleased with some of her moves but understood he had no other choice.

“Then congratulations, Director Wang. Everything I promised will be fulfilled. I’m sorry about the other matters. You know I hold you in high regard.” Yun lowered her tone, aware that Wang’s acceptance was not personal but on behalf of his faction. It was wise to appear humble now.

Wang had thought everything through before the call. Perhaps this was not a bad thing.

---

“Hmph, you youngsters are getting stronger. Let them have their fun. The old man here will keep his promises. Convey this to them: if I learn of any large-scale loss in the star sector defenses, I won’t hesitate to take over their defense directly.” Wang’s voice was stern—not a threat.

Yun understood Wang wasn’t bluffing and trusted he would act on his words.

“I will relay it. Huaxia will remember what you have done today. Thank you.” Her sincerity was genuine, deeply admiring Wang’s decisive choice.

“Remember, kid, if anything happens, come straight to me. Stop with all these messy schemes!” Wang ended the call, still expressing his dissatisfaction.

Afterward, Yun fell into thought.

Since the last incident, some attitudes had shifted markedly, but few had taken concrete action. Yun knew the remaining factions would not be as cooperative as Shen Yan or Wang.

“Congratulations, you’ve taken another step toward success.” Ju Yehe remarked.

Yun merely smiled in response before saying, “Thanks to you, the Shen family is on board. The rest will be tough.”

Ju knew well the difficulty of the remaining tasks. They had already paid a heavy price securing the initial compromises. Still, a good start was something.

“Who’s next on your list?” Ju teased.

“Haha, I’ll be paying a visit to my father-in-law’s place.” Yun smiled knowingly, aware Ju was lightening the tense mood after such a stressful period.

“The Dalu family? You’re something else. If he’d known earlier, he probably wouldn’t have married his daughter to you!” Ju admired Yun’s boldness.

“That old man never willingly wanted to marry his daughter to me.” Yun replied awkwardly but felt genuinely anxious about the upcoming meeting.