Chapter 209 Contemplation to Enhance Surveillance

Chapter 209 Contemplation to Enhance Surveillance

"Lin Feng...the one who caused this mess?" Lisa repeated this is the first time she learned about this person.

"That's right, which is why I'll have to leave you be," Richard said. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to give me a call. I'll have someone escort you to your residence."

"Okay, brother...I understand. Whatever you are going to do in the command center, I wish you good luck," Lisa said.

Richard gave her a reassuring nod. "Thanks, Lisa. I'll handle this. Stay safe, and I'll see you later." He watched as Lisa was escorted away before turning his full attention to Sara.

"Okay, let's go where this progenitor is," Richard said, making his way to the parked JLTV Oshkosh that was surrounded by its crew.

When the crew caught sight of him approaching, they immediately stood in order and saluted.

"At ease, gentlemen," Richard waved off the formalities. The crew relaxed slightly, their expressions still reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

"How can we assist sir?" one of the crew members asked.

Richard glanced at the JLTV Oshkosh, then back at his men. "I need to borrow this truck to get us to the command center. Do you mind

The crew members exchanged quick glances, nodding their heads in agreement.

"Of course, Commander. The vehicle is at your disposal," the crew leader replied, handing over the keys to Richard.

"Thank you. Keep yourselves on standby. We will have men there in the command center to return this truck to you," Richard said as he juggled the keys in his hand.

The crew leader nodded in understanding. "Understood, Commander. We'll be ready for any call."

Richard inserted the key into the ignition of the JLTV Oshkosh and turned it, the engine roaring to life with a reliable start. He checked the vehicle's control panel, ensuring all systems were functioning optimally. He revved the engine, feeling the power of the vehicle beneath him.

He quickly put the vehicle into gear and they began to move out.

"We should be there in about fifteen minutes," Sara informed Richard.

"Oh how I missed driving this vehicle," Richard said, caressing the wheel of the JLTV Oshkosh with a hint of nostalgia.

Sara smiled briefly, then returned to the matter at hand. "We were lucky to locate Lin Feng. We already accepted the fact that we won't be able to find him with one satellite alone. But we were lucky."

Richard nodded, acknowledging the stroke of luck that had led them to this point. "Good thing that we did, now we can figure out where he is going based on where he is going. I realized that we would need more satellites in space to increase our reconnaissance capabilities. But they cost a lot of gold coins so we would do that after we begin nuking major cities that have the most zombies with it."

"I agree," Sara said.

"Since you are the expert in this field, how many satellites like the DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 satellite should we deploy to have global coverage of twenty-four-seven?"

Sara pondered for a moment, contemplating the requirements for global satellite coverage. "To achieve constant, twenty-four-seven global coverage, we'd need a constellation of satellites in a mix of polar and geostationary orbits. Considering the capabilities of the DigitalGlobe's WorldView-3 satellite, which has a resolution of 31cm per pixel, we would need at least 24 satellites."

She pulled out a handheld device, running some quick calculations. "Each WorldView-3 type satellite covers an area of about 680,000 square kilometers at any given time. The Earth's surface area is approximately 510 million square kilometers. So, to cover the entire Earth's surface, we'd need about 750 passes per day."

Richard listened intently, nodding as he absorbed the information.

Sara continued, "However, by strategically placing these satellites in varying orbits and synchronizing their paths, we can significantly reduce the number of satellites required. With 24 satellites, we can ensure that every region of the planet is under surveillance at least once every three hours. The cost of launching each satellite would cost us a ton. If each satellite costs about 120,000,000 gold coins, then for 24 satellites, we're looking at a total of 2.88 billion gold coins," Sara calculated.

"That's a significant investment, and an unnecessary one if I must say. Like if we are following Lin Feng's track using satellite, a long-endurance drone like the RQ-4 Global Hawk would be more efficient," Sara pondered aloud and continued. "The Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of providing detailed imagery. It can fly at altitudes up to 60,000 feet for more than 30 hours, covering a range of 12,300 nautical miles."

She pulled up some data on her device. "Its surveillance payload includes a synthetic aperture radar, which can penetrate cloud cover and sandstorms, and an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor for high-resolution imagery. The Global Hawk's ability to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance over vast areas would be invaluable for tracking Lin Feng. So no need for fancy expensive satellites. We could add one or two but that's it."

Richard considered the information. He opened his system interface and searched for the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Seconds later, he found it; it just cost around 16,000,000 gold coins, about seven times cheaper than a single satellite.

"Seven times cheaper and more immediately effective," Richard murmured, comparing the costs and capabilities. "It makes more sense to invest in a few of these Global Hawks for now. But we will do that after we get our money by nuking major cities hehe...Anyways, we are near the command center, I'm going to pull up here."

He maneuvered the JLTV Oshkosh expertly into the command center's parking area. They hopped out of the vehicle and made their way to the entrance. At the entrance, Richard saw two soldiers guarding the door standing in attention. He tossed the key to one of them and said.

"I want you to return the truck to New Clark City, someone is waiting for it there."

"Yes, sir," the soldier replied, catching the keys and saluting.

Richard and Sara entered the command center, a hive of activity with screens displaying satellite imagery, data streams, and communications from various teams. They made their way to the main operations room, where the latest intelligence on Lin Feng's movements was being analyzed.

In the operations room, a team of analysts was working on multiple displays, tracking the data coming in from their surveillance systems. Richard approached Mark who was focused on a large screen displaying a map with several marked locations.

"Report." n-)o..v/)e/-l-.b).I))n

"Sir Richard, Lin Feng, and his associates are currently crossing the Sea of Japan, and they are riding an Alpha Gryphon. It seems that they are heading to Japan."

"Japan?" Richard tilted his head to the side. "Why are they going there."

"That's a mystery we can't answer just yet," Mark replied, adjusting the zoom on the map to provide a clearer view of the trajectory.

"Well...whatever is in Japan, it must be important for Lin Feng. Just track his movement for now and if they stop at one location, I want you to report it to me immediately."

"Yes sir..."

"Hmm...it's going to take them a while to arrive in Japan..." Richard muttered under his breath. "My birthday is coming up so how about we blow some steam off on the nineteenth?"