American comics: Starting with Luke the Maker

A knock sounded, and after receiving permission to enter, a woman with glasses and an air of efficiency walked in and reported to Shao Zhiwen, who was standing by the window.

"Mr. Shao, PPDC reports that a Category 4 Kaiju named 'Huo Da' is about to land at sea. They have already dispatched Shaolin Rogue and Crimson Typhoon to intercept it."

"I understand. Follow the previous defense measures," Shao Zhiwen said calmly upon hearing the news, not panicking about the impending Kaiju landing. This was not only because the PPDC headquarters was nearby and the two Jaegers, Crimson Typhoon and Shaolin Rogue, could quickly arrive to support, but also because he had other trump cards.

At least, Shao Industries would not suffer any major losses in this Kaiju attack. At most, it would only be some insignificant losses.

However, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This year was truly a year of disasters. The frequency and intensity of Kaiju attacks had suddenly increased this year, with many places suffering Kaiju attacks and destruction, and even many Jaeger pilots being damaged or destroyed in frequent battles. The previously stable situation had suddenly become terrible.

Help was needed everywhere.

Jaeger support was needed everywhere. The number of existing Jaegers was stretched thin due to the high frequency of combat losses, and in some cases, even unevenly distributed.

Of course, if you were to ask why PPDC could immediately dispatch two Jaegers to support when the sea was threatened by a Kaiju in this tense situation, then you would be naive!

Shaolin Rogue.

Crimson Typhoon.

Both of these Jaegers were built with PPDC funding, technology, and manpower, but the majority of the funds, technology, and manpower came from within the country. In other words, these two Jaegers were manufactured and provided to PPDC by the country. Although PPDC was an alliance organization, and all Jaegers nominally belonged to PPDC for unified management and combat arrangements, rules were rules, but in reality, everyone knew that the various member countries behind PPDC could not truly be selfless and follow the rules.

A calculation would reveal the truth.

In the past, military creations, whether tanks, airplanes, or aircraft carriers, had a service life of at least ten or twenty years in stable times! If nothing unexpected happened, Jaegers could also be like this, but Jaegers were expensive to build and, because they had to fight and kill Kaiju, their damage rate was extremely high! A Jaeger that could last four or five years without being scrapped could be considered a veteran. A first-generation Jaeger like Cherno Alpha, which had survived for nearly ten years, constantly repaired, updated, and upgraded without being damaged and retired, was simply a miracle, a living fossil!

In fact, as the strength of the Kaiju continued to increase and upgrade, Jaegers were forced to upgrade as well. The recent years of mature and stable technology were still good, but the first and second-generation Jaegers were miserable. Due to a lack of understanding of Kaiju combat methods and technological immaturity, it was normal for them to be scrapped or eliminated within a year or two of fighting Kaiju.

Every Jaeger deployment was a gamble!

It might constantly refresh its own honor, or it might fall in the next battle with a Kaiju.

So, the question was, if you were a leader of a member country, would you be willing to take a huge risk for no reason and casually send out your own assembled and manufactured Jaegers to do charity?

Yes, when the PPDC organization was first established, everyone cooperated seamlessly. Scientists from various countries worked together wholeheartedly for the Jaeger program, and member countries sincerely provided money, people, and whatever else was needed, helping each other with enthusiasm and love. Except for the fact that the big brother in the organization drew blood a little too hard, making them pay a little too much, the various member countries did indeed receive many benefits from it. Many member countries that originally did not have much hard industrial strength were able to build their own Jaegers with the help of the alliance. The blood they were drawn by the big brother was considered a payment for knowledge and assistance.

But hadn't the frequency of Kaiju attacks increased more and more in the past year, and the degree of their power and difficulty also become higher and higher? What was worse was that eleven years had passed, and everyone's economy was not good. In the past, they could spend money and technology without considering the cost, producing Jaegers like dumplings, but now it was really impossible.

Eleven years, the latest generation of Jaegers in the Jaeger program was the fifth generation!

This speed of updating and iteration was simply unbelievable for military creations!

How long did it take for airplanes to go from the first to the fifth generation?

Nearly 100 years!

Even if the first-generation Jaegers used the latest technology from member countries, they had many problems, especially weight, generally over 7,800 tons, close to 8,000 tons! The second generation was around 5,000 tons.

However, since the third and fourth generations, with the same height and improved combat power, what was the weight of a top Jaeger? Around 2,000 tons! Taking this as a dividing line, Jaegers under 2,000 tons, generally around 1,700 tons, were classified as agile, with relatively weak defense, as assassin-type warriors, while those over 2,000 tons focused on improving armor, that is, heavy armor warriors.

The first-generation Jaeger appeared in 2015.

The second-generation Jaeger was developed and appeared in 2016.

The third-generation Jaeger, the famous Gipsy Danger, appeared in 2017.

The fourth-generation Jaeger, Crimson Typhoon, appeared in 2018.

The fifth-generation Jaeger, Striker Eureka, that is, the only fifth-generation Jaeger in the first Pacific Rim movie, appeared in 2019!

However, the current time is 2024. Five years have passed, but no new generation of Jaegers has appeared. Even the fifth generation still only has the one manufactured in 2019.

Why was the technological update and iteration like a landslide before, with earth-shattering changes every year, and then after 2019, the new generation became difficult to produce?

Because the achievements before 2019 were the result of various member countries working together and spending money without considering the cost in order to cope with the threat of Kaiju, accumulating manpower, funds, and a little luck!

Why did things start to fall apart after 2019? That was because the various member countries had spent too much money in the previous years, coupled with the fact that existing Jaeger technology could cope with the current strength of Kaiju, so there was no need to invest without considering the cost as before in the absence of stronger Kaiju.

A new plan to block monster attacks was proposed again. That was to build walls.

Building cities and setting up camps has been humanity's way of defending against beasts and enemies since ancient times. Although most of them have become history, it does not prevent humans from taking it out and using it again when needed.

After all, if the walls are really strong enough to block those Kaiju, it is obviously much more affordable than the Jaeger program. But all of this is based on the premise that the strength of the walls is sufficient to block the Kaiju attacks.

Nowadays, the initiators who heavily invested in the Jaeger program before, even if they still want to invest as before, are mostly unable to do so. The economies of the various member countries are in a slump, the number of people without jobs and unable to feed themselves is increasing, and the number of people dissatisfied with government members is also increasing. In the end, the wall plan was successfully brought to the forefront.

You should know that enterprises without a bit of scientific research strength should not think about high-end projects like the Jaeger program, and people without a bit of knowledge and ability should not get involved. In short, the profits are not low, but the threshold is extremely high. And this threshold is unattainable for ordinary people and enterprises in many member countries, so the subsidies and so on that the Jaeger program can enjoy naturally have nothing to do with them.

But most people can do the hard work of building city walls! How many people will be needed for such a large project, which will take several years to complete? How much money can be made here?

The people are simple. Of course, they are afraid of Kaiju attacks, but when some scientists stand up to guarantee that building walls can block monsters below Category 4, and that we can live safely and happily inside the walls as we did ten years ago, that longing and hope for a stable life and work, as well as the Jaeger's repeated defeats and damages in the past year, are enough to make them strongly support this project!

Are there sober people?

Of course!

Is it useful for them to stand up?

No!

Faced with the people who have been aroused, faced with the Jaeger who has been defeated frequently in the past year and is disappointing, under the influence of multiple factors, the so-called wall plan has already had a tendency to replace the Jaeger program! If the wall can indeed block monsters, then the members, scientists, and businessmen who stand for the wall will become the heroes praised by people, just like the initiators of the Jaeger program!

Although this plan sounds unreliable to sober people, they need hope too much, and people who have difficulty living due to economic problems will automatically shield those problems and think in the best direction before the worst situation occurs.

As for what to do if a Category 5 monster that the wall cannot block appears?

Didn't that member say that there are still existing Jaegers that can be used? It's not like the Jaeger program will be immediately abandoned. What's more, the walls will continue to be reinforced, maintained, and built later!

The pro-war faction, that is, the supporters of the Jaeger program, faced with the boiling public opinion, the sluggish economy, and the high-spirited opponents, many were disheartened and overwhelmed. The right to speak in the public opinion field has been completely reversed in recent years, especially in the past year. In this case, even if the rulers of a very few member countries are still sober, they are already powerless to turn the tide.

The general trend is like this.

Those who follow it will prosper, and those who oppose it will perish.

The country still wants to try its best to maintain the existence of the alliance and the Jaeger program, but what can it do when many member countries, including the leading brother US Eagle, are going to switch to the wall plan?

Use the power of one country to support the entire PPDC?

Don't be ridiculous!

Research and development investment, Jaeger maintenance, labor costs, Jaeger repair, new generation construction. Every year is a dizzying amount of expenditure!

A gold-swallowing organization that dozens of member countries are about to be unable to support is really going to die if they keep supporting it.

Therefore, in recent years, the member countries behind PPDC have long lost the close cooperation they had before. Everyone is building their own monster walls in silence, and the Jaegers developed by their own families are mostly in their own bases for a long time. In the past year, the attitude has been to sweep the snow in front of their own doors.

Help is possible. Give some money or resources?

Don't give it?

Then why should I let the Jaegers in my base risk damage to help you? At least one-third of the Jaeger construction, technology, money, and maintenance in our own base are our responsibility. Every time a Jaeger is dispatched, even if it can return safely, the subsequent energy replenishment, body inspection, and overall maintenance all cost money!

You say this is the order of Marshal Stacker Pentecost of PPDC headquarters?

We also need the protection of Jaegers for the time being! We are also facing the threat of Kaiju, and we are powerless to help you. What's more, you can seek help from the nearest Jaeger base.

This is a general trend.

Even Stacker Pentecost, as the marshal of PPDC, was unable to stop this kind of disobedience from member countries.

In name, he is the marshal of PPDC, the highest person in charge, and can manage all affairs of PPDC. But in reality, as the marshal, what he can really pay attention to and be responsible for is only most of the affairs related to the Jaeger program. But the management of the base must still come from the various member countries, especially the eight bases established in other member countries, most of their staff must be recruited locally. Among them, there must also be officials from the member countries stationed in the base, holding certain important positions and holding certain powers.

For example, finance!

As long as PPDC still has the shadows and support of various member countries behind it, Stacker Pentecost will always only be the nominal marshal of PPDC. He needs to compromise and has too many things he can't decide.

As the head of Shao Industries, he was also a little worried about the possible shelving of the Jaeger program. After all, as the world's most famous Jaeger industry chain supplier, even with a backup plan, he needs to plan ahead. Although even if there is no backup plan, just relying on the mature Jaeger industry chain, he is not worried about reaching the point of near bankruptcy as he did three years ago.

After all, the amount of funds invested in the Jaeger program by many Pacific Rim member countries in the past ten years can be described as staggering. Where can the technology and construction technology obtained from research and development be abandoned casually? Even if there are a few years of winter, the industries extended from the Jaeger program technology are enough to allow Shao Industries to maintain its development.

What's more, he still has Luke Field, who brought Shao Industries back to life!

Thinking of Luke, Shao Zhiwen turned to ask his secretary: "Where is Dr. Luke now?"

The female secretary flipped through the tablet in her arms and reported: "Dr. Luke is in the G3 Jaeger factory. The sixth-generation Jaeger Kurtulu, developed by the Luke Laboratory, is about to be assembled, and he is on site."

"Oh, he finally finished his big toy?" Shao Zhiwen smiled, his eyes full of excitement. Although it was said to be a big toy, he also understood that as the world's first sixth-generation Jaeger, even if the trend is not good now, its appearance will definitely attract a lot of attention. This is a good thing for Shao Industries!

After all, those who could build Jaegers before were all at the national level!

If Luke Field's sixth-generation Jaeger, Kū'ěrtúluò, can truly be tested successfully, then Shao Industries will have set a precedent!

The first enterprise to build a Jaeger hunter with its own strength!

The first enterprise to build the world's most advanced, and only, sixth-generation Jaeger with its own strength!

No matter which statement it is, it proves that Shao Industries' industrial strength, construction technology, and research and development capabilities are far ahead of its peers, and it is unique among the unique!

PS: Crimson Typhoon and others weighing 1700+ tons are the data provided in the movie. The data I found on the production drawings are mostly 6100+ tons or more. But I still chose the data in the movie. Let the black technology be black technology to the end. Moreover, I really can't accept that a flexible Jaeger of more than 6,000 tons actually relies on a diesel engine. Let's just make it 1700 tons.

PS1: Please follow the reading, please collect!

PS2: The new chapter has just been reviewed, I have revised it, I don't know if it can pass.