Global Crossing: Empire of Stars, Section 13

At that time, Pirate Pursuit Cruisers would appear. Those were Cruiser-class warships, possibly equipped with Space Fighters. With them, the pirates' combat strength would multiply!" Dr. Bros said with certainty.

"I understand. Thank you for your work!" Kadir Rockefeller said politely, then turned to look at a middle-aged officer behind him.

"Colonel Bros, if I asked you to attack this Pirate Base, how many men would you need?"

"Lord Kadir, based on a standard fleet, we would need to deploy at least two Cruisers, fifteen Destroyers, thirty Frigates, and two regiments of ground forces." Colonel Bros hesitated before adding,

"But that is only the minimum configuration. Even if we win, it would be a pyrrhic victory. We would lose at least a third of the fleet!"

Kadir Rockefeller fell silent. Looking at the intelligence transmitted back by the Space Spy Eye, he sank into thought.

Although he had been mentally prepared, the Pirate Base's formidable defenses still sent a chill down his spine.

The fleet Colonel Bros had requested already accounted for half of the family's private military. If it suffered severe losses in this battle, it would inevitably affect the family's plans going forward.

One slow step led to slower steps after that. It could very well affect the family's overall strategy.

The Federal Government's promised protection period was only ten years, and three of them had already passed.

More importantly, if the fleet's losses were too great, his brothers and sisters would kick him while he was down. At that point, he might not merely lose his status as the family heir—he could be thrown out altogether.

"Young Master, if all you want is military merit, why not regularly clear out pirate fleets? This is a perfect Spawn Point." The older butler beside him offered a reminder.

"Big Brother has already established a colony on Mars and is developing an Infinite Mine. It brings the family income every month. It may not be much, but it is steady. As the colony grows, it will become a long-term benefit." Kadir Rockefeller shook his head.

"Second Brother has led fleets into the Asteroid Belt and achieved quite a bit, earning the recognition of the family elders. Fourth Sister is not willing to fall behind either. She has been actively developing ties with the Federation's Merchant Guilds and opening up trade routes. I hear she has made progress too. Only I have made no real moves."

The butler understood the rest without it being said and could only sigh inwardly.

Children of great families were born into glory, but who knew the pressure they carried?

"Young Master, based on our observations during this period, this base should possess an Infinite Mine." Dr. Bros, who stood to the side, hesitated before speaking.

"Oh? What kind of mine is it? How large are the reserves? How did you determine that?" Kadir Rockefeller's eyes lit up as he looked over.

Everyone's gazes instantly focused on Dr. Bros, making a fine sheen of sweat appear on his forehead.

"It is either titanium ore or platinum ore. Its output should be no lower than six units. Without mineral support, this Pirate Base could not possibly Spawn so many warships in such a short time."

Kadir Rockefeller and the others' eyes immediately brightened. Although the New Universe's spawning mechanics were strange, they were not entirely without logic.

According to intelligence compiled On the Star Net, aside from the initial scale at which things Spawned, later expansion had to proceed gradually. The number of warships Spawned depended on the size of the base.

However, if there were mineral deposits or plundered cargo, they would receive more support, and the fleet Spawned next time would be larger.

This base was growing several times faster than a normal Pirate Base. That was clearly abnormal.

"So this Pirate Base might also be an industrial base?" Kadir Rockefeller said in delight. The people behind him also broke into excited smiles.

"There is a sixty percent chance," Dr. Bros nodded.

Although NPCs differed from Natural Persons, they were indeed Intelligent Life. They needed food to survive and developed production as well. Every Pirate Base was, in fact, a fully functional colony.

Bases with mineral deposits usually developed industry. Once such a base was completely taken, it could immediately be used for Industrial Production, far faster than painstakingly building one from scratch.

"That is enough!" Kadir Rockefeller grabbed the doctor's hand. "Dr. Bros, I will remember your contribution to the Rockefeller Family!"

"Thank you, Young Master. It is what I should do." Dr. Bros smiled.

In the New Universe, some mineral deposits had gained inexhaustible reserves due to gamification.

Of course, there were drawbacks. Every mine had a monthly output limit, so they could not be emptied in one go like normal mineral deposits to obtain a massive quantity of resources.

But for the Federal Government, which controlled countless star regions, mineral resources were inexhaustible. As long as consumption was properly planned, sustainable development could be fully achieved.

Thus, every Infinite Mine was an inexhaustible gold mine.

According to Federation law, the discoverer of a mineral deposit within Federation-controlled territory could receive half its monthly output until it was nationalized fifty years later.

Mineral deposits discovered outside Federation territory were controlled by their discoverers.

The Solar System was naturally within Federation rule. If they occupied this mineral deposit, it would mean fifty years of long-term profits!

"Let's do it! I'll go speak to Father right now." Kadir Rockefeller gritted his teeth. He was going to gamble his future and fate!

"Something's happening!" A sudden shout startled everyone present.

"Doctor, look! Someone is racing!" a young intelligence officer shouted.

A trace of viciousness appeared on Dr. Bros's face. "That damn Bata, if this is—what?"

His expression swiftly turned to shock, and everyone present froze in place.

In the holographic image, the Pirate Base erupted into chaos. A rapidly flying object streaked through space like lightning, appearing before the base in an instant. Two Pirate Raiders leaving the base had no time to react before exploding into fragments.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The intelligence returned by the Space Spy Eye showed that the Pirate Base had reacted as well. Dozens of turrets targeted the ghostlike vessel and opened fire. Crimson Red flashes vanished in an instant, forming a Firepower Net across the sky.

But it was futile. The bolt of lightning vanished in a flash, escaping the Firepower Net's coverage almost instantly. It easily dodged toward a nearby asteroid cluster and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Inside the intelligence room, everyone stood dumbstruck, as if dreaming.

"A Frigate? What was its speed?" Kadir Rockefeller was the first to react.

"About one light-speed. Three hundred kilometers per second." Dr. Bros murmured as if in a dream. Even now, he could not believe the comparative speed data.

"Colonel Bros, can a Frigate reach that kind of speed?" Kadir Rockefeller asked.

"Impossible! A basic Frigate can reach less than five hundred meters per second at most!" Colonel Bros instinctively retorted. "Even equipped with the most advanced plasma thrusters, it would not exceed one kilometer per second! Not even Space Fighters can reach that speed!"

"So what exactly is that thing?" Kadir asked. Colonel Bros fell silent.

Dr. Bros hurriedly adjusted the equipment, froze the holographic image, and enlarged the mysterious object. After a series of comparisons and image restorations, everyone finally saw its true form: an utterly ordinary Petrel-class Frigate.

"Unbelievable!" Colonel Bros was speechless. "A Frigate firing its cannons cannot exceed five hundred meters per second. That is determined by combat radar. Any faster, and the gunners would not even be able to find their targets!"

Yet this Frigate had raced at three hundred kilometers per second and precisely blown up two Raider Boats in an instant!

"Could it be an indigenous expert from another star system? I heard that warships piloted by some Psionicists can accomplish incredible things," Colonel Bros muttered to himself, but his words made Kadir Rockefeller's Whole Body tremble.

He had heard an interesting rumor from an acquaintance. Supposedly, a Psionic Warship had suddenly appeared in the Solar System, though it was only Frigate-class.

At this moment, Lin Zhichen, piloting the Qinyuan, had no idea his heroic bearing had already been recorded.

After a period of familiarization, he gradually discovered the wonders of a Psionic Warship. When psionic power merged with the warship, he and the Qinyuan became a single whole.

He could even use psionic power to establish shallow links between his consciousness and those of the crew, turning the entire team into one entity. They could raise the vessel's speed to one light-speed during Sublight Travel while easily controlling the entire warship in combat.

In battles at such extreme speeds, the effects of evasion attributes usually had no time to activate. The enemy had only just aimed, and before they could fire, the starship had already dodged dozens of miles away.

Only now did he understand why the Federation valued Psionic Warships so highly. Even an outsider like him, who had no intention of joining the military and instead chose to start his own business, received massive monthly subsidies.

Leaving everything else aside, this Sublight Assault alone made him a Fierce General on the battlefield, capable of beheading commanders and seizing banners. At the least, it could change the situation of a local battlefield. At most, it was a trump card that could turn the tide at a critical moment!

"Too bad my crew members are not Psionicists yet. Otherwise, with deep mental fusion, it might be possible to raise the ship's speed to several percent of light-speed. That would be truly unstoppable!"

He sighed softly. At a thought, the pilot and the Qinyuan immediately responded. The entire Frigate swiftly carved an arc through the void, passing straight through a small asteroid cluster.

At that moment, the nearest asteroid was only a dozen meters from the hull!

In space, that was practically brushing against its face!

In the Old Era, there were records of birds crashing into airplanes on Earth.

At Sublight speed, even striking an asteroid could result in a disaster where the ship was destroyed and everyone aboard died. At best, the armor and hull would be torn apart, requiring emergency repairs.

Because of such risks, warships slowed down when traveling through asteroid belts to avoid being struck by asteroids.

At the Qinyuan's speed, this truly was racing.

It easily passed through the Asteroid Belt and charged toward the panicked Pirate Base. The pirate fleet patrolling around the base was busy turning around when the Qinyuan launched a direct surprise attack from behind.

That position was the most lethal. Directly beside the engines at the rear of the ships were the energy compartments. Once they exploded, they would trigger chain reactions and blast the vessels into bursts of sparks on the spot.

Sure enough, after a rapid volley from the Coilguns, Three Ships of Raider Boats that had not turned around in time were struck directly in their engines. The shells tore through metal and penetrated the energy chambers.

Boom!

Three fireballs ignited almost simultaneously, illuminating the entire battlefield in an instant.

Destroy Pirate Base 13

Mission Intelligence: Base Scale: Micro. Preliminary assessment: 35 Pirate Gunboats, 200 Pirate Raiders

Mission Level: Light Red

Mission Requirements: 1. Time limit: 3 months; 2. Mission objective: Destroy the Pirate Base

Mission Reward: 40 military merit, 200 Energy Coins

Mission Failure: -20 military merit, -100 Energy Coins

Mission Description: Any Pirate Base appearing on an Administrative Planet is a threat that cannot be ignored. Those endlessly spawning fleets are the nightmare of every Natural Person! Destroy it immediately, or abandon the mission and let the Federation military handle it.

Notice: If this mission is not resolved within six months of its release, it will be forcibly reclaimed and handled by the Federation military.

"Forty points of military merit. That is enough to reach Level Two." Lin Zhichen swept his gaze over the mission sent back by the military's intelligent computer and casually set it as a direct mission for the Meteor Mercenary Group.

If this kind of mandatory mission issued by the military was not completed within the time limit, the Mercenary Group's level would drop and its credit rating would decline. The consequences were extremely serious.

The Qinyuan moved through space like a hunting shark, elegantly carving one arc after another. Crimson Red streams of light flashed past—the shells fired by the Pirate Base's turrets—but they were far from their target.

If one looked carefully at the Qinyuan's trajectory, one would notice that although it was traveling at high speed, its hull swayed from time to time like a fish flicking its tail through water.