The troop strength transferred from Jiang Ye Star had reached 150,000.
The total number of mechs had surpassed a staggering 400,000, with 180,000 being the complete version and the remainder being the阉割版 (yan ge ban -阉割版). The factory produced a portion of 阉割版 mechs daily, while also modifying some to approximate the performance of the complete version.
The number of mechanical workers was even more formidable, totaling a full 800,000, all engaged in frontline production.
It was worth noting that a substantial 600,000 of these eighty thousand mechanical workers were funded by Xu Yan.
For the sake of Bi Rong Star's development, Xu Yan had practically emptied her family fortune, investing all the money she had earned over the years. It was rumored that she had incurred tens of billions in debt, truly going all out.
Upon learning of her debt, Jiang Ye had specifically sent her a message advising, "There's no need to bet this heavily."
Xu Yan replied with two sentences.
The first was still quite composed, "With my company's scale, taking on tens of billions in debt for a short period is a piece of cake, like mud on a turtle's back, washed away with a roll in a waterhole. No need to worry."
The second sentence, however, showed her true desperation, "Damn it, I'm throwing my head into the money pit. If I hit it, I'll get rich; if I miss, I'll die!"
Jiang Ye was shocked, unsure why Xu Yan was pushing herself so hard.
However, her mechanical workers had been a great help to him. The intelligence and flexibility of the mechanical workers were not lacking; when commanded uniformly, they could fully serve as a reserve army. Xu Yan had also signed an agreement stating that if the Jiang Ye Star forces prepared for a major war, all mechanical workers could be deployed to the front lines at any time.
Finally, there were the androids.
A total of 60,000 androids had been purchased in several batches from Fu Qiu Yan, and they had all entered their work positions.
This meant that the Jiang Ye Star forces currently stationed on Bi Rong Star totaled 1.41 million combatants.
Due to this enormous figure, the military had classified Jiang Ye Star's development level as City Level 5%, making it the foremost overt power on Bi Rong Star, quite formidable.
In addition to population, various supporting buildings and facilities were also being constructed at a frantic pace.
Twelve military bases had been established.
To create an illusion of strength, thirty empty shell fake bases were also built, containing only the main structures but no equipment, let alone military hardware. To deceive satellites, some disguised emitters that generated heat and radiation signals were placed inside, maintained and guarded by reserve troops.
Soldiers in the fake bases were required to go out more than thirty times a day, changing into over ten different colored uniforms of various troop types, entering and exiting the buildings. This made it appear to satellites as if a sizable and diverse force was stationed there.
Occasionally, aircraft formations would fly over.
The deception was quite convincing.
Three space stations.
Also for the purpose of creating an illusion of strength, five fake space stations under construction were made.
Signal stations, including those transmitting to Jiang Ye Star and those for intra-planetary communication, numbered 356.
Fake signal stations were even more numerous, at 870, all consisting of mere building shells guarded by a few mechanical soldiers.
Isabelle's managed capsule logistics stations numbered forty, and transport airports numbered eight.
Of course, more than 50% of the area of each capsule logistics station was fake. The transport airports were even more outrageous, with 70% of their runways being fake.
As for agricultural areas, mines, and factory districts, there was no need to even mention them.
A mixture of truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, the data appeared quite substantial.
...
Space Station.
General's Office.
Jiang Ye had just finished the winter plans for various industrial zones and, feeling weary, left his study to rest.
On the platform by the floor-to-ceiling window, drawing paper was spread out, with an inkstone placed on a small side table. Jiang Sen Lin, with one hand behind his back and the other holding a brush, was calmly painting.
Cen Ye Meng sat beside him, watching with satisfaction. On the floor at her feet, over a dozen sheets of drawing paper were laid out, drying in the sunlight.
Jiang Ye also walked over. It was the first time he had seen his son paint with a brush.
The subjects of his paintings were only two: small fish fry and shrimp.
The small fish were dark blue-black, and the shrimp were lead-grey. Jiang Sen Lin could finish a drawing with just a few strokes.
Though he seemed to be applying the ink casually, each fish appeared alive. The fish eyes stared in one direction, their backs were black, and their sides faintly revealed the internal organs of their bellies. Jiang Ye, in a daze, felt as if he could see the heartbeat within the fish bodies. Upon closer inspection, he could see the undeveloped scales on the fish bodies and a thin layer of oil, slickly separating them slightly from the water.
The fish on the paper seemed poised to swim out at any moment, with some even appearing ready to leap out of the water and splash the viewer with their tails.
The shrimp were equally exquisite, with their antennae, legs, and poised, ready-to-spring stances.
"Dad, guess how much these fish and shrimp are worth?" Jiang Sen Lin spoke while painting.
"This kind of fish, your mother bought them to cook before. Forty yuan a jin. The shrimp, I've seen them in the market, sixty yuan a jin," Jiang Ye said, patting his son's head. "You've painted very well. As for how much the paintings can sell for, I don't know. We'd have to see the market conditions."
"These paintings have already been sold; they were pre-ordered. While I was painting for my godmother, people from many planets came to order my paintings," Jiang Sen Lin said. "Each small fish is two million, and each shrimp is three million."
Jiang Ye was stunned.
He knew his son would never lie.
Given Jiang Sen Lin's fame, this was very likely true!
He turned to look at the papers scattered on the floor, fish swimming and shrimp playing, like a pond.
These few sheets of paper alone were worth over a hundred million!
"That's amazing. Your paintings are worth more than the actual things," Jiang Ye marveled. "How many are you going to paint in total?"
"Fish and shrimp paintings, seventy-two. And other paintings, I'm not sure if I'll paint them," Jiang Sen Lin continued to splash ink. "There are over two hundred people who have commissioned my paintings."
"So many people are willing to pay such high prices for your paintings," Jiang Ye was astonished again.
"Are the prices high? I don't think so," Jiang Sen Lin said. "Qi Baishi's shrimp are now ten million each. I believe my shrimp are no worse than his. The fish and shrimp paintings I've sold will soon double in value. Those who buy my paintings are actually buying a treasure pot."
"You've gone out and your words sound so mature," Jiang Ye looked at his son.
"Perhaps it's because I've listened to and read many books," Jiang Sen Lin replied. "In my bedroom there, I have a bookshelf with over a hundred books: novels, poetry collections, biographies, non-fiction literature, screenplays, popular science books. I read one a day and finished them all."
Jiang Ye was already somewhat numb from the shock.
He could now confirm one thing: his son's intelligence was very high.
It might even approach two hundred.
"Jiang Ye Star is planning to open an art academy for you," Jiang Ye said. "We discussed this before."
"Why not open it on Bi Rong Star?" Jiang Sen Lin put down his brush and sat down to rest, feeling tired.
"Oh?" Jiang Ye's eyelids twitched. "Why?"
"I know Bi Rong Star needs many people right now," Jiang Sen Lin said. "If the art academy opens here, many of my apprentices will come. My apprentices mostly have apprentices, and they have families, so they can bring many people with them."