Inside Theramore Armory, the dim torches cast long shadows. Jaina's slender fingers traced the last Arcane Crystal, the firelight reflecting off the metal's surface dancing in her azure eyes. She straightened up, the silver embroidery on her robes gleaming faintly in the firelight.
"Is that all?" Her voice echoed in the empty warehouse, trembling with disbelief. "The entire inventory of Theramore?"
The quartermaster wiped his greasy brow, the parchment rustling in his hands. "Madam," he said, "Since the Third War, the supply of Arcane Crystal has been... you know those goblin merchants."
Jaina didn't want to hear any explanations and waved him away. She didn't have time to deal with the shady dealings now; she'd handle these internal corruptions properly after the war was over.
Jaina frowned. "These probably won't be enough for two Arcane Crystal Bullets."
Deren crouched down, his metal knee pads scraping against the Stone Tablet pavement. He picked up a Arcane Crystal, his fingertips tracing the Kul Tiras anchor emblem on it. "Not enough for full Arcane Crystal bullets," his voice was deep and steady, "But we can make steel-core bullets, coated with Arcane Crystal."
He stood up, walked to the other side of the open space, took out a piece of chalk, and began to sketch out new design drawings. The front part was a sharp, cone-shaped section made of pure Arcane Crystal, and the back was a support made of high-strength steel. The outside was also covered with a layer of Arcane Crystal.
"That's roughly it. You can see that the amount of Arcane Crystal needed is much less," Deren said, pointing to the diagram on the ground. "The only problem is ensuring a tight connection between the Arcane Crystal and the steel core, and that the force is transmitted evenly."
"No problem, my Magic Craftsmen can do it." Jaina said confidently after reviewing the blueprints. Onyxia slowly emerged from the shadows, the metal buckles on her black leather armor jingling.
She reached out and lightly touched the white line on the ground. Suddenly, her fingernails extended and transformed into dragon claws, adding several scarlet Draconic to their inner structure. "Should I add something else?"
"No, just keep it in its original state," Deren emphasized. "As long as the structure is simple, the materials are basic, and it's safe and reliable, no one will know which faction did it after the explosion. We'll remain hidden in the shadows forever, let the enemy worry about it. By the way, are those craftsmen reliable?"
Jaina bit her lower lip, moonlight slanting in through the high-rise window, casting dappled shadows on her face. "No problem. Only a few core members know what they're building; the others just think it's some strange mechanical design by Gnome. Besides, they've recently moved into the workshop with their families. They can't come and go as they please; the guards are everywhere outside, guaranteeing absolute safety."
Deren nodded. Although troublesome, it was necessary to take the necessary secrecy measures for the sake of confidentiality. After receiving the order from Orgrimmar, most of the orcs in Theramore returned to the Horde. Only a few refused to go back and decided to risk staying in Theramore. However, some of them were Horde spies. Therefore, necessary secrecy measures were essential.
"Then let's hurry up and build the ground-penetrating warheads. At the same time, organize manpower to make a model of Flame Ridge. If necessary, we can conduct a physical model verification of the ground-penetrating effect," Deren said to Jaina.
"Don't worry, I've had my men compile past data, including information on Flame Ridge in Orgrimmar. I'll have my mages build a model to test the ground-penetrating projectiles," Jaina said confidently.
Onyxia suddenly chuckled, a sound like lava flowing in a cave, "My dear brother has been too idle." She turned to Deren, a dangerous glint in her eyes, "Shall I take him to warm up?"
Deren patted his forehead. "Alright, Lady Aegwynn has been training Anveena these past few days, and Nefarian is free, so you can have him practice High-Altitude Bombing with Training Bomb. It'll be hard on Jaina. Also, take Oni to Orgrimmar tonight to scout the situation."
"No problem, Theramore's own craftsmen can modify bombs. More bombs can be manufactured if needed. I don't believe the orcs aren't afraid of the wrath of Ammonium Nitrate." Jaina also revealed a ruthless look. No one would be happy if their city was used as a stepping stone for the orcs' rise.
In the Barrens southern desert at dawn, the chill of the night still lingered in the air. Nefarian circled two thousand meters above the ground, his black scales gleaming with a coppery sheen in the rising sun. A specially made dragon saddle was fastened to his broad back, and he clutched the first practice bullet in his claws—a simulated bullet made of cast iron and filled with sand.
"Remember!" Onyxia, perched on her brother's shoulders with her legs gripping the saddle straps tightly, "Dive at 70 degrees, climb immediately after dropping the bombs! Wind speed 12 knots, watch out for updrafts from the southwest!"
Nefarian snorted angrily, his breath reeking of sulfur. "I know! I'm from Blackwing Lair— "
"Shut up! All your stupid experiments were done on the ground!" Onyxia slapped him on the back of the head, the dragon scales clanging against her leather gloves. She turned to the ground and gestured to Deren on the distant observation platform.
Deren lowered his binoculars, raised the red signal flag, and waved it forcefully. Nefarian abruptly folded its wings, its massive body plummeting like a meteorite. A howling wind swept across its wings, and Onyxia's long hair billowed behind her like a flag.
"500 meters! Prepare to drop the bomb!" she yelled.
Nefarian released his dragon claws, and the simulated warhead whistled as it plummeted towards the sand. The Black Dragon suddenly spread its wings, and a powerful updraft lifted it just off the ground. On the distant observation platform, Deren activated the rangefinder, its lenses reflecting blinding sunlight.
"Boom!"
Dust billowed into the sky like a fountain, forming a perfect mushroom cloud. Sand grains fell like raindrops, pattering against Deren's leather armor. When the dust settled, he and Jaina teleported to the crater. The warhead was embedded diagonally in the sand, and the surrounding sand was scattered everywhere due to the impact.
"4.4 meters." Deren read the data from the rangefinder, his brow furrowed. " The Flame Ridge in Orgrimmar is probably about fifty meters underground. Even if we subtract the space from the borehole and only consider half, there are still more than twenty meters of rock layers. The simulated missile's penetration depth is insufficient."
Jaina crouched down, her fingertips lightly touching the edge of the crater. Frost spread from her fingertips, freezing the loose sand into a solid model. "If only I could accelerate at the end," she murmured, ice crystals coalescing into a small ballistic model in her palm.
"Rocket booster!" Deren suddenly clapped his hands, shattering the ice mold in Jaina's hand. He excitedly pulled a notebook from his tool bag and quickly flipped through the pages. " Ammonium Nitrate plus sugar, thanks to the Fertilizer industry! I used to use it to make Katyusha Rocket. Now I can attach it to the tail of a bomb, adding a rocket booster. Perfect!"
Third update! Please vote and subscribe! Yesterday I got 400 monthly votes, and I'm updating 10,000 words daily. Once I get 500 monthly votes, I'll also update 10,000 words daily. Thank you all for your support! The story will definitely get more and more exciting from here on out.