I Am Honkai

"Rest assured, I am not dissatisfied with your progress," Selene said flatly to Aoki Yoichi, concealing any inner awkwardness.

This project is enormous in scale, and even with a large number of construction robots working tirelessly, completing the first phase in such a short time is commendable. Aoki Yoichi has indeed been working to his limits.

As for why Aoki Yoichi remains so anxious, it can only be said that Selene's image as an exploitative capitalist has deeply rooted itself in people's minds.

"Alright, let's go take a look at your actual achievements," Selene said, eagerly heading toward the nearby first-phase factory.

"Understood," Aoki Yoichi replied.

As the distance closed, what appeared to be a low building was, in fact, not low at all. Its height was equivalent to at least three stories above ground, with additional sections deeply embedded underground.

Once the titanium-alloy doors opened, Selene and her entourage entered the factory.

After traversing a nearly twenty-meter passageway, Selene arrived at the security checkpoint within the factory. As the second set of doors slid open, a platform approximately 500 square meters in size appeared before her.

"Director!" Inside the checkpoint, in addition to several dozen security robots, there were also a few guards in black tactical uniforms armed with guns, who saluted Selene upon seeing her. Although the factory has a significant number of patrolling security robots, real human guards are still stationed there.

Around the hall were several doors leading to dormitories, surveillance rooms, armories, and pathways to other security posts, maintaining constant vigilance against intruders.

As the owner of everything here, Selene naturally encountered no obstacles. With the guards' operation, the steel door in the center of the platform opened.

With the deafening sound of metal scraping, the steel door parted, revealing another door that opened vertically. Only after the third door, a spiral-shaped one, opened was the passageway behind fully visible.

Proceeding straight through brought her to the factory's core area—the production workshop.

The interior space of this rare embedded factory is enormous, exceeding the area of many skyscrapers in Academy City.

Even using modular construction methods, only an external frame was set up, with only a portion of the production lines installed inside, making it appear empty. The completion of other internal projects will be carried out in subsequent phases.

Currently, the factory's production lines are mostly automated and have a large number of robotic workers. Only about ten people were present, each with their own clearly defined roles.

Selene observed these workers, and though she couldn't understand exactly what they were doing, she felt that they seemed professional. She wasn't worried about potential spies or saboteurs either, as it would be challenging for ordinary people to resist the influence of the "Ideological Branding" barrier over time.

In truth, without this ability to subtly influence consciousness, Selene wouldn't dare to play so audaciously.

With so many people involved over such a long period and thousands of high-value devices and materials, Selene couldn't believe that no one would be tempted to take risks.

The saying goes, "Fortune favors the bold," and the "Ideological Branding" barrier's role is precious indeed.

Aside from the main production of the Type II military robots, the factory had many new items. As Aoki Yoichi led Selene around, he introduced the production processes of various combat equipment. "Currently, we've mostly stopped purchasing weapons externally, having achieved significant self-sufficiency in weapon production."

"These are tactical pistols... and these are tactical knives, based on the American SEALs..." Listening to Aoki Yoichi's introductions, Selene looked at each piece of equipment and nodded in satisfaction.

It seemed Aoki Yoichi was diligent and responsible. Seeing his worn-out face, Selene considered giving him a few days off, as she wasn't an entirely heartless capitalist.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, as they walked past a metal shelf, Selene's interest was piqued by the black armor inside. She excitedly asked, "What is this?"

"Oh, this is the personal protective gear we developed ourselves... Aside from personal use, we plan to market it to the security personnel," Aoki Yoichi explained in detail to Selene.

"The steel used is special, something Matsuzaki discovered, I believe. It involves the residue from Honkai energy conversion adhering to the metal. I'm not entirely sure about the specifics, but metals treated this way have excellent overall properties in terms of weight, hardness, toughness, and so on..."

"...and most importantly, it's cost-effective."

Hearing Aoki Yoichi's explanation, Selene chuckled. Wasn't this just a metal alloy infused with Honkai energy? Normally, ordinary materials shouldn't withstand this kind of enhancement. Maybe it was because she gave Matsuzaki Shoji some control permissions?

Forget it, consider it a low-quality soul steel. Compared to other ordinary metals, it was already sufficient. Speaking of low cost, it really was—besides the metal raw materials, the most irreplaceable core was herself, after all.

Moving closer, Selene picked up a piece to examine it. The bulletproof vest shell made from new materials was painted matte black, with nano-ceramic carbon fiber composite straps holding the armor plates, which interlocked according to standards to cover critical areas like the chest, back, and waist, giving it a cool, sci-fi appearance.

The neck area of the bulletproof vest had a collar-like protective layer, at least four centimeters thick, that completely encircled the neck.

The overall design exuded an aesthetic of brutal beauty, with armor plates weighing only a fifth of steel while being over five times stronger, boasting excellent heat resistance and corrosion resistance.

It could be lifted with one hand, very lightweight. According to Aoki Yoichi, it had the weight of a Level I bulletproof vest but with the defense of a Level IIIA or higher vest.

After touring the dizzying array of weapon production processes, Selene became somewhat desensitized. Although there were no major breakthroughs in weapon design, the material advancements led to ever-increasing calibers.

What can I say? It wasn't called the Middle East for nothing—this style had a Russian flair inside and out.

"Over there, BOSS, is our latest research on helmets..."

"That's the shoulder-launched missile, and in addition, there are two other types: 1. recoilless rifles, 2. rocket launchers..."

"And this is a grenade launcher..."

...

As time passed, after spending an entire afternoon touring the factory, even someone with Selene's stamina felt a bit worn out.

Standing outside the factory's back door, declining Aoki Yoichi's offer to escort her, Selene watched the sunset, the sky painted with hues of twilight, and couldn't help but sigh, "This is practically a war factory now."

Have I upgraded from a civilian capitalist to an arms dealer?