Starting from the Planetary Governor

Powered exoskeletons are a different beast from powered armor.

Even if you welded armor plates onto the exoskeleton to make them look somewhat similar, or even fashioned the steel plates after the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor for a cosplay, the reality is far from comparable.

Essentially, powered exoskeletons simply provide soldiers with additional load-bearing capacity, making it easier for them to carry heavier loads with less effort, and at most, a few steel plates may be welded on for bulletproofing.

Systems like the life support, electronic muscle bundles, tactical systems, and assisted firing systems contained in the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor... None of that is included, and it's unlikely to have the same level of protection.

But with such a set of equipment, trained elite mortal soldiers can handle bomb guns that would otherwise be difficult to bear due to recoil.

Or they could continue to use laser guns or electromagnetic rifles.

Strapping on some individual heavy firepower such as automatic rocket nests is also doable.

Add a chain sword, and train soldiers to T2 or T1 level...

An elite squad like that, with some effort, could barely suffice as a super poor man's version of an Interstellar Warrior.

The key is that it's much cheaper.

A suit of powered armor costs forty thousand Tax Currency, while the cost to manufacture an exoskeleton is only a thousand Tax Currency, a fortyfold difference in price.

Can a single Interstellar Warrior take down forty elite soldiers armed with chain swords and bomb guns, and enhanced with exoskeletons?

Perhaps, but there's also a high chance of failure.

The genuine Interstellar Warrior might easily blow away these super poor versions with a single shot; but on the flip side, elite soldiers with bomb guns and chain swords, wearing exoskeletons, also have the ability to threaten an Interstellar Warrior. Ordinary tactical powered armor can resist bullets and laser gun pressure, but the loyal bomb gun and roaring chain sword won't show any mercy.

And when facing ordinary soldiers, fully equipped special forces elites can also enjoy the effect of damage crushing.

Gu Hang's 10th Special Warfare Brigade plans to experiment with a few squads like this.

It's a long shot from replacing Interstellar Warriors, but it should suffice for some secondary-level special missions.

However, the production capacity of this line is average at best, estimated at about fifty sets a month, so it's only enough for special elite use. If there's a plan to produce on a larger scale, production capacity won't be able to keep up, and the cost would be too high.

If Wu Jiarong can reverse engineer this technology successfully and expand production, and once the overall productive capacity of Rage Owl Star improves, perhaps Gu Hang could arm an elite division where everyone is equipped with exoskeletons?

Hope that day comes soon.

...

After completing the specific transaction, Wang Jiarong couldn't help but ask a question:

"If it weren't for the compensation from Blackbird Heavy Industries, what were you originally planning to use to pay for that gene engineering equipment you wanted to buy?"

Gu Hang curled his lips, "Rage Owl Star isn't exactly destitute. Even if it was in the past, it's not the case now. Can't our productivity come up with five hundred thousand Tax Currency?"

Wang Jiarong remained somewhat skeptical, but she didn't press further.

But actually, Gu Hang never worried about this issue.

Without the money from Blackbird Heavy Industries, he would simply have bought less. The gene engineering equipment worth five hundred thousand could be scraped together after all. Sell a thousand armored vehicles, a million sets of individual equipment, or decommission two production lines to the skies, and the money would come.

Of course, that would have affected the planet's development.

Now, with a windfall at hand, it naturally got much better, and he could buy much more.

...

Once the corresponding items were delivered, some were transferred to the research institute and others to the Phoenix Battle Group.

The Phoenix Battle Group was naturally very happy about this.

Although, in the nearly more than half a year they'd been on Rage Owl Star, they had lost three people, and the already nearly extinct Phoenix now faced even more dire circumstances.

But at least, this replenishment was a significant boost for them.

The replenishment and upgrade of weapons and equipment wasn't so critical, but the gene seed surgery equipment was a lifesaver.

Matins and Priest Rizzo planned to conduct three surgeries in the near future, hoping to bring three new members to the group.

Gu Hang had his doubts about this.

"Is there such a rush?" he expressed his view, "Out of the group of young men you've recruited, do you have three most suitable candidates? They've trained for less than half a year."

"Ah..." Matins, the normally resolute battle group leader, showed a look of worry, "The Governor's concerns are valid, to be honest, their qualifications are the best we could find, but they're still far from enough, and their training isn't up to standard either. But we... have no other choice.

Before this, we didn't have the technology or ability to properly preserve the gene seeds; simple preservation methods couldn't maintain seed viability for long. If we delay any longer, the odds will only decrease, we can't afford to wait to find more suitable people or give those young men more comprehensive training."

That was indeed a realistic factor.

Gu Hang asked, "So... what do you estimate the chances to be?"

Priest Rizzo, who had been silent before, now spoke, "The odds are very low, I have no confidence."

"Can the success rate reach fifty percent?"
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Matins shook his head with a bitter smile, "Perhaps not even ten percent. But... if we succeed with just one, if the Battle Group gains its first new blood, there's at least hope, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief and not be so desperate."