I can upgrade the shelter-Chapter 815 - 713: Reconnaissance Mission in the Middle East Region

As Chen Xin contemplated whether he could build a land ship as his own "private vehicle," the military’s dispatched land ship for reconnaissance in the Middle East had already reached its destination.

Unlike the domestic situation, the Middle East region, like Europe, was still shrouded in darkness.

This provided good cover for the land ship’s reconnaissance mission but also added some difficulty to the task.

After all, during the day, optical reconnaissance can intuitively capture the needed information, whereas in darkness, various instruments and equipment are necessary.

Fortunately, this land ship was reconnaissance-specialized, not only equipped with numerous instruments but also carrying reconnaissance planes and unmanned drones.

The crew in charge of executing this reconnaissance mission were also elites from the military, ensuring the mission proceeded smoothly with their cooperation.

However, the Middle East is vast. Although the land ship deployed reconnaissance drones for a wide-ranging search after entering the Middle East region, it would still take some time to survey the entire area with just one ship.

"Captain, I suggest we change our reconnaissance strategy and head directly to the Mediterranean coastal areas for reconnaissance, instead of the current dragnet approach, which is too inefficient." A staff officer on the bridge proposed to the captain.

The captain did not immediately agree to the staff officer’s suggestion. After careful consideration, he said, "Heading straight to the Mediterranean can indeed save time, but our mission is to understand the overall situation in the Middle East and to ascertain whether the aliens have launched a large-scale invasion. This requires a comprehensive investigation.

Also, by going directly to the Mediterranean, we are just a reconnaissance ship with limited armament. If we encounter aliens, it could be dangerous; playing it safe is better."

As the captain, he must be responsible for everyone on board while ensuring the completion of the mission he is tasked with, thus he must act cautiously.

Although it’s not that he couldn’t take risks, he must weigh the balance between the risks and the potential gains, rather than rushing into things when uncertain.

Upon hearing the captain emphasize prudence, the staff officer did not express opposition, as his duty was merely to offer suggestions to help the captain fill in the gaps, not to interfere with the captain’s decisions when no clear mistakes were made.

Seeing that the captain did not agree with his suggestion, the staff officer frowned slightly and said, "But our current reconnaissance method is really too inefficient! The workload to reconnoiter the entire Middle East is enormous with this sweeping search method."

He did not forget to add, "Our reconnaissance ship is indeed nuclear-powered, but the drones we deploy run on heavy oil, and with such large-scale reconnaissance daily, fuel consumption is rapid!"

The issue of fuel consumption raised by the staff officer made the captain frown slightly. He turned to the chief mate and asked, "How much fuel do we have left?"

"We carried a total of twenty tons of heavy oil when we set out, and so far, we’ve consumed about 30%," the chief mate replied to the captain’s query, also reminding him, "Up to now, the areas we have scanned account for only 17% of the entire Middle East region, and they are all located on the Iranian Plateau. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Considering the purpose of our reconnaissance mission, I also suggest that our ship advance to the Mesopotamian Plain, then conduct targeted reconnaissance towards the Red Sea and Aleppo areas in Syria. This approach is far more effective than our current blanket search."

The chief mate’s words were actually a form of support for the staff officer’s suggestion, but his reasons and recommendations were more comprehensive and prudent, so after some thought, the captain decided to adopt the chief mate’s suggestion: "In that case, let’s move into the Two Rivers Valley, advancing to the location of Ancient Babylon. If there are any locals, we might be able to get some information."

"Locals? It’s quite unlikely there are any surviving locals, right?" The staff officer nearby was evidently not very hopeful.

During this period, they had blanket searched most of the Iranian Plateau, focusing on areas that used to have cities, but clearly all the cities were empty.

This result wasn’t surprising, as the region has been war-torn for years. While the people’s livelihood wasn’t exactly destitute, it wasn’t an economically developed area either.

The few oil-rich countries, although wealthy, mainly concentrated wealth in the hands of royal families and upper echelons, with an appalling gap between the living standards of the common people and the wealthy class.

In the face of a global disaster, the question of how capable such countries are at responding is difficult to answer.

The rich probably have no problem surviving, but ordinary people might not even withstand the initial disaster.

Moreover, this area has always been severely lacking basic living resources like freshwater and food. Previously, with money, they could rely on imports, but where would they import from under the current circumstances?

Even if there are survivors after several years, they are but a handful of lucky ones.

"Anyway, let’s take a look. Babylon is still one of the oldest cities in this land, and as a nation’s capital, there should still be some living people," the captain shook his head, though not holding much hope, he decided to take a look.

After all, in his view, although the Middle East’s environment is harsh, the temperature isn’t as low as back home; it’s a tropical region, so some people might still survive.

With the captain’s decision made, neither the staff officer nor the chief mate had further objections, so the reconnaissance ship began to adjust its course, heading towards the direction of Ancient Babylon.

Meanwhile, the deployed drones also altered their flight routes and changed their reconnaissance direction.

"Speaking of which, do you think the Red Sea or Aleppo is more likely the focus of the alien invasion?" Having issued the order to adjust course, the captain looked at the map and suddenly asked the chief mate and staff officer a new question.

Considering the question, the staff officer responded, "I think it’s Aleppo. The side of the Arabian Plateau near the Red Sea is mostly highlands, which, from a topographical perspective, is not suitable for large-scale military offensives. The entire Middle East is surrounded by mountains, with the only plain being the Mesopotamian Plain, and the Aleppo region is the only ’gap’ facing the Mediterranean from the Mesopotamian Plain. If one were to invade from the Mediterranean into the Middle East, this place is the most suitable for an offensive."