After about seven days, the warming pods and the necessary medicine arrived.
Captain Bailieba began the procedure. He first opened Taoxiang's cryogenic hibernation pod. The moment the glass door opened, a freezing mist filled the entire sealed room. He injected the SSYS60 thawing agent into Taoxiang's carotid artery, then placed her into a warming pod.
Then it was Lixiang's turn, following the same procedure.
The two warming pods were transported onto an Escort Ship. Whether the sisters could wake up now depended solely on themselves.
Afterward, all the unknown metals and unknown liquids from the Jovian spacecraft were loaded onto a Transport Ship, along with all the documents and data.
After returning to the main base, Long Fei summoned Commander-in-Chief Li Jiaming to his office. Aside from handing him the complete blueprints and data for the GM Mobile Suit successor, the RMS-179 GM II Semi Striker, he also gave him the design data for the Dagger series MS.
"Commander-in-Chief, what do you think of these mass-production MS?"
"Mm, they are indeed excellent. This GM II Semi Striker can be used to upgrade and replace all our GMs and Specialized GMs. As for the Dagger series MS..." Li Jiaming stroked his chin as he considered them.
Long Fei said nothing and quietly waited for Li Jiaming's answer.
Pointing at the Strike Dagger, Li Jiaming said, "This MS called the Strike Dagger is practically an insult to the Strike Gundam you designed, Boss. On the other hand, this..." He pointed at the GAT-01 Strike Dagger and continued, "...this is worthy of being called a Strike Dagger. It completely carries the shadow of the Strike Gundam. More importantly, its laminated armor can withstand energy weapons. Many nations' aircraft primarily use energy weapons, and MS will likewise rely on energy weapons in the future. Once the Strike Dagger enters the battlefield, it will gain a considerable advantage."
"Then, Commander-in-Chief, do you think the Skywing Mercenary Group should equip the Dagger series MS?" Long Fei wanted to hear Li Jiaming's opinion.
"The Dagger series MS... Strike... no... call it the Strike Dagger..."
Long Fei interrupted him. "Call it the 105 Dagger. As for that Strike Dagger, keep its name. The GM II Semi Striker will simply be called the GM II."
"The 105 Dagger can be assigned to special forces, while the GM II will be used by the Skywing Mercenary Group's regular units."
"What do you think of the Duel Dagger and Storm Dagger?"
"The Duel Dagger is also very good. With its additional armor, it can not only improve the pilot's survival rate, but also use its powerful armaments and strong defenses to gain the advantage in frontal engagements. The Storm Dagger can not only provide long-range fire support; several Storm Daggers can also suppress a target area with firepower from medium range."
"So you mean elite squads or special forces squads should pilot the Duel series MS. Is that right?"
"Yes. There is another reason: the parts required to manufacture the Dagger series can be shared. However, laminated armor will probably be expensive to produce and will take time. Of course, their armaments are also quite varied and costly to manufacture. Although the GM II MS data says that some parts can be equipped with Gundanium Alloy, we can remove that requirement and continue using the original titanium alloy ceramic composite material. That will greatly reduce costs. The weapons it carries are stronger than those of the previous-generation GM, but they will not create difficulties for the manufacturing workers. They are basically already skilled at this. Once production begins, it can essentially be run on an assembly line."
"Since that is the case, I will leave you full authority over the blueprints for the GM II, 105 Dagger, Duel Dagger, and Storm Dagger. You arrange everything—how to manufacture them, how to carry out the upgrades. You will be responsible for it all."
"Yes." Li Jiaming saluted, then took the blueprints Long Fei had given him.
"Wait. Commander-in-Chief, I have a few more questions for you."
"Please speak, Boss."
"What do you think about having President Sakchi's company manufacture and sell the Strike Dagger?"
"Compared to the first-generation GM, the Strike Dagger's weapons are even more limited: a Beam Rifle, a Beam Saber, and a shield. Those are basically all its weapons. In terms of MS performance, its mobility is slightly better than that of the first-generation GM, but its firepower and defensive capability are inferior. Judging from the blueprint data, it was designed with extremely simple controls. That is also a major advantage. If it is properly marketed, and considering that the Strike Dagger is cheap to manufacture, selling it at a slim profit may persuade some smaller or poorer nations to purchase it in large quantities."
"Commander-in-Chief, that is more or less what I was thinking. I never intended to equip my mercenary group with an MS like the Strike Dagger. I was considering selling it to certain countries."
"Boss, if you have made that decision, I think you should move as quickly as possible and get the Strike Dagger onto the market soon."
Long Fei caught the implication in the commander-in-chief's words. His brow rose as he asked, "Commander-in-Chief, from the sound of it, something major is about to happen?"
"According to recent news reports, a war may break out within the next few months. Of course, that is merely this subordinate's judgment."
"I have not been watching the news lately. After dealing with the matters at hand, I will take a look."
"Then this subordinate will return to work."
"Mm, go."
After that, Long Fei summoned President Sakchi.
Long Fei asked Sakchi, "President Sakchi, I heard that you recently acquired several subcontracting factories under an arms manufacturing company that was doing poorly?"
"Yes, Boss."
Long Fei pushed the Strike Dagger MS blueprints across the desk to President Sakchi.
"President Sakchi, take a look at the Strike Dagger MS. If possible, convert those subcontracting factories you acquired into manufacturing workshops for the Strike Dagger MS."
Sakchi accepted the blueprints and studied them for a while before saying, "Boss, could you give me some time? We need to manufacture one unit and test it for a while. If there are truly no problems, then I will convert those acquired subcontracting factories into Manufacturing Plants for this MS. I will have the company's public relations department heavily promote the Strike Dagger MS."
"Mm, good. Go get to work, then."
After President Sakchi left the office, Long Fei turned on his computer and checked the recent news.
As Long Fei reviewed the news, it seemed that war might really break out in a few months. As for whether it would be large-scale or small-scale, that would depend on subsequent developments.
Resting his chin on his right hand, Long Fei thought, Those arms dealers are probably already getting restless, and the capitalists hoping to profit from war are likely making preparations in secret.
However, Long Fei also deduced that certain major powers might be manipulating these events behind the scenes. One of them was a powerful force within the Earth Sphere stirring up trouble.
There would be another update tonight.
Before you continue