Chapter 61: Ants
In a world devastated by chaos, finding individuals with the right expertise was almost impossible. "Unless..." Zack's gaze shifted to the pile of spider parts stacked in a corner of the room.
His mind clicked into gear. An idea began to form—a way to bypass the need for skilled manpower altogether. "Ego, start recording," Zack said, grabbing a pen and sketchpad. He began to draw feverishly.
Before long, a design emerged on the paper: a mechanical bug. It resembled a ant while it size was far smaller from the spider as it tailored for precision work. Beside the sketch, Zack scrawled the name Ant-1. The first mechanical manufacturing bug was completed by the robotic arms in Zack's workshop, under Ego's careful supervision. It sat on the table before him—a sleek, four-legged machine about the size of a house cat. Though its shape was reminiscent of a spider, its function was entirely different. Instead of weapons, the Ant-1 was equipped with an array of tools: welding guns, cutting machines, and fine manipulators.
Despite its small size, it was impressively efficient, powered by graphene batteries. Zack had designed three sizes of these manufacturing bugs:
Large ones, similar in size to the spiders, for building and transporting heavy machinery.
Medium ones, like the Ant-1, for versatile tasks.
Small ones, no bigger than a palm, specialized in crafting precision instruments.
The Ant-1 was a medium-sized unit, balanced in function and capability. It carried over a dozen production tools and featured a highly advanced AI capable of recording multiple production modes simultaneously. As the first of its kind, it proudly bore the designation: 001.
"Activate 001," Zack commanded.