Chapter 4: The Useless Ones Are Recycled
“Well, this place feels a bit lacking for daily living, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We are concurrently conducting surveys for food procurement.”
“Right, food is the most important, but we’re also missing a lot of other things. Towels, toilet paper, and… let’s see, dishes, spare underwear, clothes, and we don’t even have sheets.”
As she counted on her fingers, Ringo realized for the first time the necessity of such supplies. Feeling a bit disheartened, she added these items to her task list.
“Understood. I will consider procurement methods for general necessities and consumables.”
With Ringo’s response, she nodded in agreement.
“So, how is the survey of the surrounding area progressing?”
“Yes, Ma’am. The launch of the High-altitude Plane will be possible in about 20 minutes. Thanks to rocket propulsion, it will reach an altitude of 20 kilometers in just three minutes. After that, it will glide at high altitude and return to the fortress using electric fans at lower altitudes.”
“Wow, I didn’t know we still had such aircraft left.”
“Yes, Ma’am. It is likely that these were produced to unlock the technology tree.”
According to the records, the aircraft was created from the technology tree for atmospheric flight at the beginning of the game. Although the rocket boosters are expendable, it should serve reasonably well as an emergency high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft itself is very lightweight, made from cellulose-based materials, which gives it a low radar cross-section and a long endurance due to its variable mechanisms. The ducted fans used for low-altitude flight are also lightweight and high-performance, lacking stability in rough weather, but fortunately, the surrounding weather conditions are calm.
“Hmm… What other atmospheric aircraft do we have in stock?”
“Yes, Ma’am. We have various battery-powered drones, fuel-powered drones, three solar-powered reconnaissance aircraft, 15 multi-role jets, 33 fighters, 12 bombers, 10 attack aircraft, and 20 interceptors. Additionally, there are eight propeller-driven patrol aircraft, three wide-area control aircraft, four propeller-driven cargo planes, and two jet cargo planes. We also have several rotary-wing aircraft.”
As the commander inquired, Ringo displayed a list of currently operational aircraft. However, the actual number of aircraft that could be flown is quite limited. Many of the larger aircraft require an open runway, which is simply not feasible to prepare.
“…I see. So we don’t have a runway.”
Reclassifying the aircraft into those that can move but cannot fly, the commander sighed.
“Yes, Ma’am. There are aircraft that can operate on the short runway within the fortress, but due to fuel stockpiles, we have determined that constant operation is not feasible.”
“True… Sigh, it seems the fortress is just as hungry as I am…”
Seeing the commander rub her stomach, Ringo felt a pang of guilt but continued with her report.
“For now, we do have electricity as a potential energy source. It would be prudent to prioritize the operation of battery-powered or solar-powered aircraft.”
“That’s true. It’s better than nothing, but it can’t be helped…”
Battery-powered aircraft inevitably have a short range. With the current number of operational units, 24-hour surveillance is impossible.
“By the way, how much fuel do we have in stock?”
“Approximately 50,000 kiloliters, converted to aviation fuel. This allows for about seven full-scale sorties, but without a runway, that number is somewhat meaningless. It would be more effective to allocate it to machinery instead.”
“Hmm… It feels like a lot, yet not enough…”
Ringo estimated that while it wouldn’t run out in a few months, it likely wouldn’t last a year. Naturally, if they conducted full-scale sorties, they would quickly deplete their reserves, but prioritizing battery-powered operations would extend their supply for a while. However, it’s hard to say for certain until they actually begin operations.
“Speaking of which, have there been any traces of the enemy?”
“Yes, Ma’am. There are none in the vicinity. No artificial electromagnetic waves have been detected across any band. We have conducted satellite orbit observations as much as possible, but no artificial objects have been found. From this, we can assume that there is no civilization utilizing electromagnetic waves, and they lack the technological level to operate artificial satellites.”
“Completely concealed… perhaps?”
When the commander asked, Ringo simulated that possibility for a few seconds.
“It is a probability we can ignore, Ma’am. If there were a civilization that we could not detect with our current equipment, we would assume we could offer no resistance.”
“…I see. So it’s pointless to even think about it.”
“Yes, Ma’am. At this point, we cannot even determine if they are friendly or hostile.”
Ringo concluded that there was no point in fearing risks that could not be observed or predicted. Moreover, the resources of the Supercomputer were excessively abundant. Allocating some of those resources to countermeasures in that area should suffice for the time being. With far too few physical terminals, they were in a state of complete surplus. Ideally, they would like to mass-produce more observation devices…
“Solar-powered reconnaissance aircraft… Ah, the Swift. Can we launch the Swift?”
“Yes, Ma’am. It will take about half a day to prepare, but the winds are calm, so takeoff should not be an issue. We currently have three units, so it would be best to launch two and keep one on standby.”
“Okay, please proceed with that. Is mass production possible?”
“…Yes, Ma’am. We can produce five units with the resources on hand.”
They had resource reserves. However, since they were starting to construct a nuclear reactor, they could not allocate those resources.
“…I see… The current resource levels are… oh dear… This won’t do; we can’t touch this.”
As the commander looked over the resource list, she slumped her shoulders. It seemed she realized that they were not just tight on resources but genuinely lacking. If they operated the equipment, it would inevitably break down. Resources would be absolutely necessary for repairs. If they touched the dwindling resources, they would truly be in a bind if something went wrong.
“Hmm… It seems we have no choice but to recycle the unused aircraft…”
At the commander’s words, Ringo recalled that possibility. Feeling down for not having thought of it sooner, she calculated the potential resource recovery from recycling the large aircraft that were unlikely to be operational in the future.
“Ma’am, by recycling some of the aircraft, we can recover this amount of resources.”
When she displayed the calculation results, the commander nodded vigorously.
“Good job, Ringo. Let’s get started on this right away. …Also, we should consider constructing ships in this situation. While planes can achieve speed, their fuel efficiency is poor…”
Ships. The fortress, The Tree, certainly did not have shipbuilding facilities. During the game, it had been constructed as a mountain fortress in a rugged mountainous area. There were neither lakes nor even rivers in the vicinity.
“…I’ve searched the library and found information on shipbuilding. While we need to construct a dock, we can reasonably expect to build small vessels of about 10 meters.”
“Then let’s get started on that too. Still, we are really short on resources… The sea, it’s all about the sea… Fish, seaweed? It seems we could extract metals from seawater, but…”
From the commander’s murmurs, Ringo searched the library for information on resource recovery from the flora and fauna found around the fortress. She discovered several pieces of information regarding resource recovery from seaweed and algae.
“Ma’am, I found information on extracting cellulose from seaweed and petroleum-based fuels from genetically modified algae in the library. While these will require facility construction, they can provide sustainably produced resources.”
“Oh… let’s see… Hmm, hmm… While the efficiency is indeed low, considering that we can ultimately convert sunlight into resources, it’s not a bad idea. Hmm, when it comes to the sea, there are also underwater mines and oil fields, but it’s not like we can find them right away. Alright, let’s go ahead with that too. Let’s prioritize it; obtaining construction materials is crucial.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I will create a schedule.”
Promptly, Ringo began to initiate the tasks as instructed. After all, most of the facilities were in a state of suspension. She would adjust the energy distribution and start with recycling first. All aircraft that could not take off from the short runway would be dismantled. While extending the runway was somewhat possible, she determined that there was no need to operate aircraft that required such measures. If absolutely necessary, it would be better to convert them into seaplanes. Although they had not researched the technology tree at all, in this world, they should be able to start production immediately.
“Now, as for my food…”