The Industrialist

"Chemical Sciences, Genetic Studies, even Geological sciences, even Botany, were carried by the Lost Engineers. They said that the Lost Engineers were a group of great minds that helped formed the foundations of the Corporation. The originating Corporation Orders, the manufacturing plants establishments, they helped before all of this.

They left because, I think, they can’t understand how the Corporation is being managed. It was Menks and his mentor who had created cruel Orders, and immoral Executions, and even his projects are politically driven.

Erik Berkley to his son

***

He thought of a hover wheelbarrow. What he had was wheeled, hardly succumbing to steep and rocky roads from the scraps towards his home. It was a long walk and pushing the borrow with 10 kg of Smooth Silver Casings had provided him thigh aches after.

He estimated about two-mile hike, passing through the row of cabins where he would frequently turn left and right. Then, into the cobbled path that would take one to the Tier 1 scrap yard and the other turn would take the sector zone where his cabin would be.

With them were three kilotonic power capacitors, each one had a size as long as his arms. They were not rare-level materials, only uncommon. However, a few more components would create a weapon of destruction.

Bombs were regulated in Axe Central City, and the ones that exploded, created destructive kinetic energy. They don’t manufacture those things as it provided a chronic trauma experience to the citizens due to the religious preachings of how the Biological Nuclear unfolded.

The religious sects were redundant about how they preached the stories. The more they elaborate the stories, the more it would sound bullshit.

He pushed the wheelbarrow further inside his cabin as the door hissed to open. Inside his 24 square-meter cabin heaved scraps of different materials.

One would be puzzled to even think of organizing the mess inside the confines of his home. Half of his bed lay metallic pipes, common-level that supposedly he could smelt them and modified into desirable forms required by his clients.

There were a lot of purchase orders, pending. Despite the messiness, Lance found it satisfying to have the scrap components within his walls as it would be construed that business was booming.

On the other side of the room, just a few steps away, where his aquarium situated. His Roflo was floating on the surface of the water.

’I gotta schedule my defense next month too. Maybe I can jump my rankings.’

He parked the wheelbarrow beside his one-chaired sofa and threw himself to the softness of his cushion.

"Master, are you not going to transfer to the Apartments?" Jasper knew that being a scrapper 2 had the benefit of acquiring better accommodation.

"It’s impractical, Jasper. I would have to transfer all of this to the new apartment and it would take me a little farther from the scrap yard Tier 2," Lance responded sheepishly, almost succumbing to his drowsiness.

As half of his body sank in the comfort of his cushion, he exhaled deep. His thoughts were raced towards making a bomb. Mining the Broadridge Mountain could be dangerous for them and explosives would come in handy. Not only by using them against Abominants but by mining.

Explosives would eliminate half of their laborious digging.

As the Salt Caravans were ambushed successfully by the Abominants, this would shorten the supply of Salt. Hence, a shortage in producing soft water is a requirement for water potability.

Lance knew that such a shortage would drive the WWMDs to filter wastewater and shorten the supply of drinking water.

Therefore, the shortened water supply will then be manipulated by forcing the supply to the inlanders and decrease supply to the commoners.

A second ’death by thirst’ would surely ensue in the coming months.

Lance would take the matter to his own hands. First, by making bombs.

"Jasper, in your database, tell me the components of making a bomb. Our kilotonic power capacitor is our explosive." Lance said as he stared blankly at the ceiling and enjoyed the comforting embrace of his cushion.

"Master, I only have generic information on how to build a bomb. You will need an initiator, a battery for the trigger, casings, switch, and fragmentation."

"Fragmentation? If electricity could only trigger stunning the Abominants for a few minutes, why not make a bomb that would kill them or make them unconscious?" Lance asked, not to Jasper but to himself.

"It is regulated boss, CO articles regarding Weapon’s Manufacturing, Section, Bombs."

"Yeah, I know that, Jasper. Explosives, if used in the City, would disrupt the balance of the atmospheric pressure. It would maybe create a vacuum inside and disharmonize the airflow from outside the walls to the inside," It was only his theoretical guess.

"Ok, Master. And what would be your fragmentation?" Jasper asked.

"Abominant Poison and the other one would be restriction cables. The police only had their lasers and stunning weapons." Lance said.

"How can you make such weapon, master? The poison? You said that such Scientific study was hidden by the Lost Engineers," Jasper retorted.

"I know. But I might know someone that has access to that Lost Technology." Lance said.

"Who might that be, Master?" Jasper asked.

"The Seer. I gotta go see her again," Lance mused. "But first, I gotta customize the Smooth Silvers first."

He hauled himself from the couch and pushed his wheel borrow at the side of his fabrication table.

The mechanical robotic arms whirred as he activated the holographic features of the table. He placed the Smooth Silver casing on top of it and the holographic designs adjusted, creating initial readings, weight identification, material dimensions, and others.

The details were available to the user of the fabrication table.

Then Lance adjusted his settings as he wanted to modify the form into something he could market. Even if the market needs of such materials was still unknown, he had an inclination of how to market this kind of metal based on his experience.

"Master, where are you going to market this metal?" Jasper asked.

"Of course to Steamhaven District," Lance responded. Steamhaven District was an Inland sector that was composed majorly of manufacturing establishments, metal factories, component fabrications, and even the manufacturing of weapons and hovercrafts for the police force.

"Whyn’t the Garbage collectors from the citizens would directly deliver the robotic trash to Steamhaven?" Jasper asked.

"That’s actually a good question, Jasper," Lance praised, "The Corporation in coordination with the Government had made a system to make scrapping trade and recycling materials much easier. If the Garbage haulers would deliver the scraps directly to Steamhaven, the current factories don’t know what to do with it. First, it is tedious for them to segregate usable scraps.

Secondly, where are they going to put the segregated scraps? Thirdly, they don’t know what to do with the approved scrap materials. They have to fabricate it into desirable forms. Fourth, they don’t have that kind of large-scale fabrication equipment. It would be a waste of operational flow."

"Lastly, what I can think of, is the challenge in logistics in hauling garbage. The garbage truckers don’t segregate the garbage to the liking of their respective drop-offs. It is much easier for them to just deliver them to scrap yards."

The damaged, dented, and dirty Smooth Silver Casing would be cleaned and repaired by the fabrication table. The robotic arms that held the sensor on its end, detected the undesirable qualities of the casing. The second robotic arm would spray anti-rust and dirt on the affected part. A white foam was dispersed from its nozzle and stayed on the casing’s surface.

One could see the chemical reaction taking effect on the dirty parts of the casing like it was taking a bath.

Afterward, the third robotic arm would wash all the foams on its surface. The table’s design would restrict the splashes of water beyond its boundaries, keeping the surroundings dry.

Then another robotic arm blew pressurized air towards the casing eliminating all droplets of water left.

There were only four arms of the fabrication table. Then the nozzles were changed automatically. Then a spraying nozzle was selected with the desired color inside the cylinder. Then it sprayed all over the casing.

And after a few touches, laminate it, blow dry again to harden whatever shred of wet lamination, then polish.

The Chest casing of the Robotic maid looked new and fresh.

The same process goes with his other harvested metallic casings.

Lance would seal them in sealable plastic bags to preserve their quality. Quality was key for him. It was his best trait as a scrapper.

"How much are you gonna charge that for?" Jasper asked.

"25 units each, Jasper. That’s a fair price," Lance said.

"Why is the price low, Master? It looks new." Jasper retorted.

"That is the beauty of buying scraps, Jasper. For the manufacturers, it is much cheaper to acquire scraps than forming new ones."

He placed his finished products on the side along with the other pending scrap materials for sale.

’I must have been so busy,’ Lance sighed upon the thought of having another scrap pile inside his cabin.

Then he saw common-grade scrap thick sheets placed on the side of the wall.

"Ok, Jasper. I know what to do," Lance said.

"What is it, Master?"

"I am gonna make those metal scraps to baseball sizes. We are going to make a bomb. But first, we need to grasp the poison-making technology first. We will go to the Seer."

"Why the Seer, Master?"

"Have you seen the cybernetic materials on her thighs and legs? It’s a cyborg technology. Such technology was included in the fields hidden by the Lost Engineers. Somehow, she can maybe give us information about them. I am gonna find the Lost Engineers"