The Hungry Fortress Wants to Build a Battleship in Another World – World of Sandbox-Chapter 18Vol 3. : The Unemployed Commander Watches Over

To ensure swift transport of supplies and deployment of forces, a runway was ordered to be constructed at Oil Port.

Initially, they’d planned to skip a runway due to security concerns. But the occupation of the area had gone more smoothly than expected—and launching operations from Fortress No. 2 was taking too long. So, they decided to upgrade Oil Port into a full-fledged air base, complete with defense infrastructure.

Runway construction, however, was a different beast. Multi-legged construction mechs weren’t ideal for that job—too inefficient. They’d need to bring in wheeled and tracked units from Fortress No. 2.

Since a functional runway would allow cargo planes to land and take off immediately, they opted for an aerial drop rather than waiting for sea delivery. The cargo ship was still en route and wouldn’t return to Fortress No. 2 for another three days.

And so, another wave of cargo planes, loaded to the brim, roared down the runway of Fortress No. 2, accompanied by escort aircraft.

"Eventually, I’d like to replace all of this with jet engines. Propeller planes are stylish, sure, but they’re just too slow."

"Yes-affirmative, Commander Ma’am. If Oil Port and the extraction plant operate as planned, we can begin replacements immediately. Jet aircraft do offer far more rapid deployment."

With turboprop engines, a prop plane could still reach subsonic speeds—but supersonic? That needed jets.

If they could secure a stable oil supply, aircraft upgrades would be pushed aggressively.

Out at the oil field, the multi-legged machines had arrived and were gathering detailed data on the subsurface layers. As the scanned region steadily expanded, Eve watched the map and let out a sigh.

"I want to do something... but there’s nothing for me to do."

"I deeply apologize, Commander Ma’am. But this is important for the growth of your sisters."

Ringo, looking genuinely apologetic, bowed her head. Eve laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"I know, I know. But still, it feels weird just sitting here doing nothing, you know... Especially in the middle of all this."

She continued monitoring the five sisters from her command room.

Ever since they’d formally separated living quarters—something she’d decided on for their independence—she only saw them during meals or short breaks. And even then, the moments were brief. Physical closeness had diminished.

That was probably how it was supposed to be, considering what the sisters were originally created for. Still, it left her restless.

As the sisters stayed busy out in the field, Eve found herself trapped in a state of idle anxiety.

She could throw herself into something completely unrelated—but being the worrywart she was, she just couldn’t.

While monitoring Eve’s condition, Ringo quietly ran diagnostics to assess whether any intervention was necessary.

Her appetite hadn’t declined. She was still sleeping well. No irregularities in heart rate or brainwave data. No signs of stress spikes.

For now, Ringo decided to leave things as they were.

"Commander Ma’am. In that case, how about you create some meal and snack menus for your sisters? If we tell them the menus came from you, I’m sure they’ll be thrilled."

And just like that, Eve’s custom meals began appearing regularly on The Tree’s dining tables throughout the campaign.

It also helped expand her own culinary preferences and, depending on who you asked, may or ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ may not have lightened Ringo’s daily menu-planning workload.

"Erika, how’s the unloading going?"

"Report! Aft bay’s 80% done, port-side bay’s halfway. All on schedule!"

"Good."

"Utsugi, what’s the status of the runway build?"

"Report~! Excavation’s 60% complete, gravel production’s on schedule. We’ll probably start backfilling during the second shift after 1700~."

At present, Utsugi and Erika were stationed together in the command room of the Continental Oilfield Development Headquarters (named by Ichigo). The 24-hour day (as measured by this planet) was divided into three shifts, ensuring someone was always on duty.

Usually it was just one person, but Utsugi and Erika were both assigned as Oil Port’s primary managers, so they often worked together.

"The soil stabilizers are deployed too. Yep yep, everything’s moving right along~."

The runway project involved digging out a 2,000-meter strip, laying crushed stone in soft patches, and filling it with stabilizers to secure structural strength.

Using Ringo’s custom quick-set binding agents, they aimed to achieve bedrock-level hardness despite the rushed timeline. The result? A fully functional, structurally sound runway—completed in just seven days.

And so far, it was going smoothly.

"Let’s see... that means tomorrow we start building the control tower."

"All the materials are prepped~. Mm-hmm, command AI-chan is doing her job well today!"

Utsugi and Erika’s job was to submit detailed construction schedules to the local strategic AI, and monitor progress.

No matter how meticulous the plan, reality always introduced delays. And when things went wrong, the AI needed to think flexibly—something only an AI equipped with a brain unit like theirs could handle.

"Today’s big task was reinforcing that massive slab of bedrock, right~?"

The major event in Utsugi’s area was the discovery of micro-fractures in the bedrock—only found after high-resolution scanning of the subterranean layers.

Preliminary acoustic and electromagnetic scans had failed to detect them.

Apparently, the crack had been perfectly hidden by the complex internal reflections of ultrasonic and EM waves—a fluke oversight.

They couldn’t build atop a structurally unsound base, so they drilled into the rock and injected reinforcing materials and core rods.

"Nothing happened on my end~. Peace and quiet is the best!"

"Peace is precious~."

Chatting casually, they continued processing information over radio comms.

They called them “events,” but in truth, there were plenty of non-event-level issues happening all the time.

Equipment malfunctions. Unexpected terrain discrepancies. Components warping in the desert heat.

Normally, such minor issues would be left to the local strategic AI. However, the AI installed at Oil Port had a brand-new brain unit, specifically produced for this operation.

They couldn’t spare a seasoned one—Fortress No. 2 was still under construction, and its systems couldn’t be cannibalized.

In time, the local AI would be able to handle these minor adjustments on its own.

Until then, the sisters would need to keep steering things back on course.

◇◇◇◇

The sudden arrival of the machines sent many native creatures fleeing in panic.

The machines had surged in en masse, claiming the land within moments. Moving without rest, day or night, they struck fear into every nearby creature—who fled as fast as they could.

Fortunately, the machines didn’t pursue.

But the impact was already rippling outward.

It had just rained—a violent storm.

Though the water had quickly evaporated under the scorching sun, and the dry earth couldn’t retain moisture, the fresh shoots of green had seized their moment.

They grew rapidly, offering both cover and sustenance to wildlife.

Displaced from their original territories, the animals now found food and shelter as they spread outward. The entire ecosystem began to shift.

And then—

As night fell and the temperature dropped, the monsters began to move, hunting for prey.

Thrilled by the sudden explosion of food, they devoured the animals with delight.

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And the more prey there was, the more carnivores arrived from beyond, drawn in by the scent of blood.

As they moved, they left gaps—which new creatures flowed in to fill.

The disruption in the desert had begun. And it was spreading.