The railgun design was intricate, requiring the Goliath to deploy stabilizing legs and anchor itself firmly to the ground before firing. The oed by usiromagic coils to accelerate a solid metal projectile to hypersonic speeds. When the railgun was activated, high-capacity capacitors released a burst of energy through a series of ductive rails, geing the eleagic foreeded to unch the projectile. The result was a kiic strike capable of pierg through eveoughest armor or structures.

  “Now for the endurance problem,” Zack muttered as he studied the thermal output from test models. The energy required to fire the railgun geed immense heat, enough to lesser materials or promise the on’s iy. The solution came in the form of ceramic heat sinks and an advanced liquid-metal cooling system. The heat sinks would rapidly absorb thermal energy from the firing meism, while the cooling system would pump liquid metal through the rails, dissipati into dedicated reservoirs to maintaiional stability.

  Ego chimed in, “The stabilizers and cooling systems will ehe railgues at optimal efficy. However, firing the on requires substantial energy. The Goliath’s fusion core will o divert power to the railgun during use, limiting its ability to operate other systems simultaneously.”

  Zack smirked as he added the final touches to the blueprint. The railgun would fold ly onto the Goliath’s back when not in use, redug its profile and maintaining mobility. “That should do it…” Zack said with a satisfied grin. “Build five Goliaths for now. The cost is astronomical, but we hem.”

  Even with his satisfa, Zack couldn’t help but shake his head. The sheer expense of his projects was staggering. Between the aerial drohe Titans, and the regur maintenance of his meical army, the resources of NYC were being pushed to their limits. “If I go ahead with the global strike system too…” Zack trailed off, grimag. “I’ll burn through everything this city has to offer.”

  Ego chimed in, breaking his train of thought. “Sir, I must remind you that acc to your current pn, we need more manufacturing bugs. The existing units ’t keep up.”

  “How many do we have now?” Zack asked. He khe number fluctuated daily as new bugs were produced and old ones were recycled, but he had never paid close attention to the exact figures.

  “There are currently 124 manufacturing bugs,” Ego reported, listing the types:Make-1 Mieical Bugs: 21 unitsMK-2 Medium-Sized Bugs: 75 unitsMK-3 Large Bugs: 14 unitsMK-4 Space Work Bugs: 4 unitsMK-5 Naer Bugs: 10 units“That’s not enough,” Zack said ftly. “We’ll o ramp up produ for everything ing down the pipeliart manufacturing additional bugs immediately.”

  Zack leaned ba his chair, staring at the holographic projes surrounding him. The industrial zone served as the primary source of raw materials, but Zack’s true core productivity came from the hundred-plus meical bugs under his trol. Their efficy determihe success of his ambitious pns. “So,” Zack said thoughtfully, “we’ll o optimize their produ process. First, redesign the manufacturing steps for the bugs. Create an assembly lio mass-produce the main pos, then assemble the parts afterward. This should speed things up.”

  He g Ego’s holographiterface. “tact Charles. Tell him to clear out ay factory building to focus exclusively on meical bug produ.”

  The foundation of every pn hinged on the manufacturing bugs. Without enough of them, Zack’s grand ideas would remain just that—ideas. “While you’re at it, design a batch er, heavy-duty manufacturing bugs,” he added, a sudden thought striking him. “They o be at least five meters tall.”

  These rger bugs were essential for the step of his pn: a mobile base. His blueprint wasn’t just for a mae—it was for a flying fortress, a behemoth that would be both a produ hub and a tform. “When this thing is built,” Zack said to himself, grinning as he looked at the massive design on the holographic proje, “there won’t be a single p Earth I ’t reach. Maybe…” He trailed off, chug. “Maybe I really could rule the world like some movie Mansionin.”

  “Or,” Ego interjected, “you could lead humanity out of the apocalypse, like a hero saving the world.”

  Zack scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “Hero, Mansionin—it’s all the same. In the end, I’ll be the one in charge. Ruling is just another way of saving.” He smirked, but his eyes glinted with cold determination. “Enough philosophizing. Right now, I only have one goal for this global strike system: to eliminate my enemies. Quickly. Accurately. pletely.”

  His tone hardened as he barked his and: “Call Lilian. It’s time to uncover everything about the Vanguard anization.”

  Not long after, Liliaered the basement, her bd-white bat armleaming uhe dim lights. The translut visor added ahereal quality to her presence. “You called for me, Master?” she said calmly.

  Zack didn’t look up. “Have you seen Sophia?”

  “From a distance,” Lilian replied. Her tone remained level, but there was a trace of somethih the surface—, perhaps even guilt. “She looked haggard. She didn’t reize me.”

  Zack’s eyes flicked toward her. “Do you know why I called you here?”

  “Vanguard anization,” she answered without hesitation, her sharp intuition cutting to the heart of the matter.

  “Correct,” Zack said, shutting off the holographic dispy and lighting the stack of finished blueprints oable. The faint smell of burning paper filled the room as he turned his full attention to her. “Tell me everything you know.”

  Lilian nodded. “Before the apocalypse, the Vanguard anizatioed under a different he Frontier Stific Researd Experimental Group. It was called ASR for short.”

  Zack tilted his head slightly, intrigued. “ASR?”

  “Yes. Before the end, I had some dealings with them,” she expined, her toeady. “They were incredibly secretive, but I learned enough to know they were involved in cutting-edge work aultiple fields: maery, medie, aviation, biology, energy, and even arms manufacturing.”

  Zack’s eyes narrowed. “Hold on,” he said, turning to Ego. “Search the downloaded data. Do we have anything on this ASR?”

  After a moment, Ego responded, “Yes, Sir. I found some information in the files retrieved before the work went down.”

  Zack leaned forward as the details appeared on a new holographic dispy:Frontier Stific Researd Experimental Group (ASR): Brought together top talents from various industries worldwide.Operated in maery, medie, aviation, biology, energy, automotive, arms, and other sectors.The summary was brief but staggering in its implications.

  “How have I never heard of them before?” Zack muttered, frowning.

  “They operate with extreme discretion,” Ego expined. “They avoid any public exposure or media attention.”