The Mech Touch

The base defenders stood no chance.

If the Larkinsons and their allies on the ground were only capable of fielding the twenty-eight mechs they managed to bring to the surface and retain, then Ves would have a lot more scruples of attacking this facility.

Even if Ves held a lot more confidence in the quality of his mechs and the skill of their pilots, fighting any battle while outnumbered two-to-one would definitely result in losses.

In a situation where every single mech and mech pilot counted, it was not responsible for him to aim so high.

Fortunately, the converted refugees solved his lack of power. Even if the hasty integration of biomechs to the lineup was anything but perfect, their strength was still real!

In the end, around 150 biomechs and in some cases regular mechs entered his ranks. With so much combat power at his disposal, Ves no longer needed to cower in his base!

This was why he proactively set out to leverage his current advantages to expand his power even more.

He could never possess enough mechs! Whether they came in the form of metal or flesh, Ves wasn't picky. As long as his ground force continued to grow in numbers and strength, he could pursue greater and more ambitious goals!

Right now, aside from continuing to expand his mech force, Ves also had the luxury to pursue some of his longer-term goals.

This was why he chose to assault this particular site. While it possessed a fair number of decently-stocked feeder pools which could be utilized to repair damaged biomechs, there weren't enough to go around.

What truly attracted his interest was the fact that the facility was originally a biomech design lab!

It was actually a secondary lab from a larger company whose name and owner Ves didn't care about. The only assets that he truly cared about were the biomech designers and assorted biotech specialists working under them! Each of them possessed valuable knowledge and experience that the Larkinson Clan sorely needed to populate its newly-acquired Dragon's Den.

A tight escort of knight mechs flew around an armored biotransport. When the flying vessel passed over the low walls of the lab grounds, a number of melee mechs and biomechs had already cleaned up the remaining threats that survived the shelling that preceded the main assault.

To be honest, the volleys of ranged attacks had already broken the medium-sized gang that had taken over the biolab. The simultaneous impacts of rounds and shells that landed precisely on target was so devastating that every surviving enemy became shell-shocked!

The attacks made full use of their superior technology. Irregular forces such as gangs usually didn't have the sensors and other hardware required to detect tiny drones that were able to transmit accurate targeting data to nearby scout mechs, which in turn were capable of relaying it all back to the main force.

Meanwhile, the gang that took over the biolab were more preoccupied with enjoying their looted riches and trying to see if they could crack the valuable databases of the biolab.

With such an immense information disparity, the battle held no suspense!

When the hatch of the armored transport opened, the honor guard stepped out first. Ves emerged a few seconds later, his cape billowing in the wind. His armored boots crunched against the disturbed ground.

As he swept his gaze around, he noted the fallen forms of dozens of mechs. At least half of them bore large impact wounds that shattered bone plating and cratered flesh. The remainder mostly exhibited cut wounds as they had easily been overpowered.

"The attack you've launched is too heavy-handed." Irvine Spefan of the Infinity Guards said. "These biomechs could have been salvageable, but the intensity of damage on them is too great. They cannot be repaired in a timely manner."

Ves shrugged as he continued forward. "I don't want to give these bastards any opportunity to respond. No matter what, a force of fifty biomechs along with various turrets and other base defenses is still a significant hurdle. More importantly, I didn't want to give them any time to ruin my prize."

"Wisdom is far more precious than the products it produces." Priestess Samandra Avikon affirmed as she followed closely.

While it was lamentable that he would not be able to add most of the downed mechs to his forces, there were plenty of places where he could find other ones.

He strode past fallen biomechs and broken structures alike until he reached the main entrance of the biolab.

With his honor guard preceding him, he did not worry about encountering any ambushes.

The bodies of random thugs were splayed on the floor. Each of them had already been cleaned up by the infantry forces that entered after the enemy mechs were taken down.

Without the support of their greatest weapons, the enemies on foot had no support and could not contend against the well-equipped soldiers of the Golden Skull Alliance!

Ves passed through a corridor that led downwards. While it was faster if he took the elevator, it was already shot to pieces.

Once they reached the lowest underground floor, Ves and his entourage passed through an underground storage hall where a sparse amount of feeder stock and other supplies was stored.

"It's not much, but it's better than nothing." He muttered.

They continued to walk until they reached a secure and shielded chamber. Half-a-dozen bodies of formidable-looking thugs were lying flat on the floor. Their suits of bioarmor still looked intact with one glaring exception.

All of them died by claw! The distinct strokes that sliced straight through the protection of the bioarmor and cut through the neck or heads of the wearers was too distinctive.

The source of the claw attacks proudly perched himself on a table inside the protected chamber.

"Good job, Lucky."

"Meow!" The gem cat clad in his Misfortune Harness arrogantly tilted his head upwards.

One of the reasons why the assault went so well was due to Lucky's infiltration. Aside from hacking and subverting the security and early warning systems of the facility, he also played a crucial role in securing the assets that Ves sought to secure.

"You!.. Who are you people? Are you the owner of this murderous bot?"

"MEOW!" Lucky angrily hissed at the speaker.

He was not a bot!

Ves strode forward and placed his armored hand over Lucky's body. "You should mind your words. Once you become my employee, you will learn that disrespecting my pet never ends well."

The old researcher that spoke up looked confused. "We have no intention of working for others, particularly for a foreign company, of which I presume you represent considering the hardware that you and your men are utilizing."

Ves' lips curled downwards behind his helmet. "I don't believe you understand the situation that you are in right now. We have graciously expended a significant amount of effort to assault a hostile force of biomechs. We not only bore a lot of risks, but consumed a considerable amount of fuel, energy, ammunition and time. I do not plan to leave empty-handed. I will not be satisfied until I attain a positive return of investment!"

The head researcher along with his teams of other researchers were intimidated by the tone and words adopted by their 'rescuer'. It did not help that a killer cat along with numerous heavily-armed soldiers were eying their every move!

"We… would like to have some time to discuss our options. I am certain that we can come to a satisfactory arrangement."

Ves did not immediately respond. His lack of response caused the scientists to feel more and more uncertain.

Obviously, their situation wasn't good! They had been captured by one force, only to become the possessions of a warlord!

The worst part about this was that the newcomers were clearly foreigners. No Lifer made use of conventional gear. This was bad. Their previous captors, while not very sophisticated, were at least fellow Lifers. While the researchers were confined to this compartment, they still received a considerable amount of respect!

The brilliant-looking armored figure with a cape evidently lacked this inherent respect. The pressure emanated by this leader figure was so ominous that the head researcher even suspected that he might get killed if he did not supply the right answer!

"Patriarch, please calm down. You do not need to be hasty."

Priestess Samandra Avikon strode forward, causing the head researcher to looked surprised.

"Samandra! What are you doing here? Are you in collusion with these foreigners?"

"It's a long story, professor. I would be glad to give you an explanation. You are safe now. An entire new future awaits."

Despite her hopeful tone, none of the researchers looked convinced. Ves frowned at the sight. The woman promised to him that she would definitely be able to convince any Lifer researcher to defect to the Larkinson Clan!

"I will leave you to it." Ves spoke and turned around. "Let me reiterate that I do not want to leave this place empty-handed. My forces will stay here for a couple more hours before we depart. We have scheduled several more raids for today and I would like to complete them before nightfall."

When Ves departed the underground chamber, he briefly toured the rest of the biolab. His forces were already making good use of the supplies and facilities.

Biomech technicians were dumping an excess amount of feeder stock into the feeder pools. This was a quick but very inefficient way to quickly repair any biomechs immersed in the thick and soupy liquids.

Others were accessing the data center in order to extract any useful data on biomechs and biotechnology.

Ves did not really prioritize this step. He had no intention of designing biomechs himself, but the looted data could still be of use to the Larkinson Biotech Institute.

After a few hours, the Larkinsons and the rest had already taken what they wanted from the biolab.

Ves stood at the entrance of the armored transport as a purple-robed woman strode back inside. A short distance away, a dozen young and conflicted-looking biomech designers and biotech researchers entered another vehicle.

He distinctly noted that less than half of the researchers in the underground chambers ultimately accepted his 'generous' offer!

"What is the meaning of this, Samandra?"

The woman directed her glowing orange eyes at him. "Their seniority and accumulation of knowledge may not meet your expectations, but they are earnest workers and able learners. It will not take long for them to embrace their new lives."

"They're too junior! If I wanted to pick up novices, then I could have recruited them by the hundreds! What I need is middle and upper-level researchers, those that can immediately provide a lot of advanced capabilities to our clan. I don't have the patience to wait for all of these junior researchers to realize their potential!"

"Then look elsewhere, patriarch. The senior researchers that you have met are all too attached to the LRA. They have families that they do not wish to part with. Taking them away from this planet will only cause them to bear an enormous degree of resentment towards you. No amount of persuasion can stop a husband from wanting to go back to his wife."

Ves wasn't quite sure whether that was true, but that wasn't the point.

He softened a bit. He realized that she was right. Forcefully separating people from their families went against the values of his clan. No amount of influencing from the Larkinson Network would be able to convince any disgruntled researcher to forget about his own family!

The only way to succeed was to pick up the families in question, but that was not feasible. Those families lived all over the place and it was too risky and time-consuming to track them all down, especially when the outbreak of the revolution had forced many people to evacuate elsewhere!

He sighed. "As long as the researchers you manage to persuade will not be affected by this problem, then I will accept this outcome. I am not satisfied with the yield, though. You will need  to do a better job next time. I don't know how long we can get away with these raids, but I want to recruit as many high-value personnel as possible before this window of opportunity closes!"

Samandra bowed. "I shall do my best, patriarch."