Psionicist Red: Effect 1: Awaken Psionics; Effect 2: Skill Learning Speed +10%; Sublight Assault Red: Effect 1: Sublight Cannon Barrage Precision +21%*5; Effect 2: Sublight Cannon Barrage Damage +24%*5; Profession: Captain Elite Red, Apprentice Skills: 1 - Psionic Cultivation Red, Warrior 15.23% - Sublight Assault Red, Master 13.21%: Effect 1: Sublight Cannon Barrage Precision +21%; Effect 2: Sublight Cannon Barrage Damage +23% - Fatal Strike Red, Beginner 13.27%: Critical Hit +2% Psionic Combat Skill: Ship Command Elite Red: Effect 1: Ship Evasion +25%*10; Effect 2: Sublight Speed +25%*10 Psionic Cost: 50 Duration: 30 min Psionics: 267 Evaluation: Look at my Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens!"
"Ship Command has completed its transformation!" Lin Zhichen let out a breath, overjoyed.
Though the skill "Ship Command" now required Psionics to use after becoming a Psionic Combat Skill, in truth, it would only really come into its own if it advanced another step and transformed into a Heroic Domain. At that point, the bonus wouldn't apply to just the Qinyuan, but to every ship under Lin Zhichen's command!
Just imagine a Hero commanding a fleet. With the Heroic Domain deployed and every skill boosting the fleet, its Combat Power would be off the charts. What would happen to an opponent without a Hero?
That explained why Heroes were the backbone of the Galactic Nations, and why the NPC monsters that appeared in space, no matter how many times they respawned, had never managed to swallow up the Civilized Nations. Under certain unusual circumstances, a horde of monsters would indeed attack civilized worlds!
"From this day forward, I'm an elite among humanity!" He looked over his transformed status panel, growing happier with every glance.
This was only the beginning. With the Diligence Repays the Heavens skill, he was destined to become a super Hero who excelled across multiple fields!
As he was getting carried away, a communication alert suddenly sounded.
"Big brother, you're incredible!"
The Holographic Communication came online, and Wei Peng appeared, shouting excitedly. "Our Meteor Mercenary Group became famous overnight! We've gone from a third-rate little outfit to one of the top twenty high-end groups. This is amazing!"
"Big brother, with this batch of pirate ships joining us, our Meteor Mercenary Group won't be just a handful of people anymore." Wu Tianyi beamed. "If you go out and subdue a few more batches, our group will grow like crazy!"
"You're getting ahead of yourself. A lot of factors came together this time. These NPCs are simple-minded; they won't surrender that easily." Lin Zhichen shook his head, keeping his cool.
If monsters were so easy to recruit, would the Federal Government really be struggling with constantly respawning NPC monsters?
"No, big brother. I saw people discussing it on StarNet. They said that people who like to charge into enemy forces alone and rout them are more likely to acquire the Recruit and Win Over skill," Link said seriously. "Those with that skill can use overwhelming force to subdue monsters in one-on-one combat!"
Lin Zhichen raised an eyebrow. That was important information. He had huge ambitions, and if he had to develop step by step, who knew how many years it would take? Recruited monsters might be cannon fodder, but with enough of them, they could still prove useful. Especially early on, it would be a very helpful skill.
Thinking it over, he said, "I'll take this batch of pirates to the rendezvous point. The rest of you, spread out. Tianyi, Ake, stay alert. Dapeng, get the ground troops ready to board and take control of these pirate crews!"
"Understood, big brother!" Wei Peng nodded.
In general, surrendered pirates were simple-minded and rarely turned on their new masters. After spending some time together, as long as they weren't mistreated, they were easily assimilated.
Still, they couldn't afford to be careless. They could put the pirates to work without worry after they had been fully brought under control.
He ordered the surrendered pirates to point their cannons toward the uninhabited zone, form a simple line, and head at a steady pace for the agreed rendezvous point. The Qinyuan followed behind, occasionally darting around to keep the pirates from changing their minds.
Everything went smoothly. Once Clone Troopers had boarded all twenty-three pirate ships, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They'd pulled it off!
Meanwhile, the story had only just begun to spread online.
"Good heavens! The NPC pirates surrendered? Can you believe those blockheads can actually get scared?"
"Does anyone know where this mysterious warship came from?"
"According to my second aunt's neighbor's third aunt's cousin's brother's second aunt's husband's eldest son, the Earth Autonomous Government recently registered a Psionic Warship with the Federal military. And it's a Frigate, of all things!"
"Damn, which big shot is behind this? Anyone have inside information?"
"So NPCs can surrender. Does that mean we can capture a bunch of them and have them fight monsters for us?"
"Idiot! Do you think the Federation doesn't understand something that simple? They just can't pull it off!"
"It's out, it's out! The Meteor Mercenary Group just made an official announcement. That's the group leader Lin Zhichen's flagship, the Qinyuan! Holy crap, the big shot's from East Continent!"
"Long live! Nobody stop me—I'm joining the Meteor Mercenary Group!"
"That name sounds familiar~凸(艹皿艹) This big shot is the newly appointed commander of the Fifth Fleet~"
"Inside information: apparently, government leaders gave this battle high praise. Some big shot in the military thinks the new commander is growing at an astonishing rate and could very well become the Federation's next Hero!"
"666~ Paying my respects to the future big shot!"
After casually browsing the web, Lin Zhichen's upturned lips showed how pleased he was—until another communication came in.
"Beep beep~"
The Holographic Communication came online again, and Kadir Rockefeller appeared, looking pleased. "Congratulations, my friend. Your brilliant performance has completely won me over!"
"It was a minor victory," Lin Zhichen said with a smile.
Kadir Rockefeller clearly disagreed. "No, it was anything but minor. According to my military advisers, the Qinyuan's Combat Power is no less than a Battleship's, and its value on the battlefield can't be measured by comparing it to a Battleship!"
Lin Zhichen maintained a composed smile. "When will everything be ready? When do we start?"
"Don't worry, my friend. You've already taken care of the toughest part. Leave the rest to me, and I won't disappoint you!" Kadir Rockefeller said confidently. "You'll get every cent you're owed!"
"I'm looking forward to it." Lin Zhichen nodded.
When the call ended, he turned to his companions. "Let's go. We'll head back to Earth first."
"We're not going to wait?" Wei Peng asked, surprised.
"No need. I can come back after they get started. The most important thing now is to train this batch of pirates. I've got something that'll come in handy." Lin Zhichen spoke casually. "Next, we'll take some time to rest and digest what we've gained."
"Understood."
The return trip was longer than the journey out. Fortunately, the Clone Soldiers had taken control of all the pirate ships, so Lin Zhichen could pilot the Qinyuan back ahead of the others and start making arrangements for the more than twenty ships.
There weren't many people aboard: the twenty-three ships carried just over a hundred people, fewer even than the Clone Soldiers under Wei Peng's command.
And in the Interstellar Era, ordinary food—grains, meat, eggs, and dairy—was abundant and cheap. Feeding a few hundred or even a thousand people was easy.
There was no need to worry about rooms, either. Before Wei Peng and the others had even set out, the group's base had already been selected, and construction on its headquarters building had begun.
Construction in the Interstellar Era was efficient enough to amaze even the most avid infrastructure builders. In just over twenty days, a headquarters covering several hundred mu had been completed. Every building was ready for occupancy, including the office block, dormitories, cafeteria, and virtual military training grounds.
The base was in the countryside, more than a hundred kilometers from a major city. In the Interstellar Era, unmanned anti-gravity vehicles were commonplace, so transportation wasn't a problem.
Earth had only recently joined the Federation, and flying cars hadn't yet become widespread, so urbanization remained pronounced and the population was still concentrated in cities.
On quite a few of the Federation's inhabited planets, however, residents were more scattered, and settlement in concentrated communities was less common.
For Lin Zhichen, the cost of buying a flying car was now a drop in the bucket, so naturally he preferred to live far from the bustle of the city.
"Group leader!" Led by several base managers, dozens of members of the management team saluted Lin Zhichen as he arrived at the base for the first time.
It was a military salute. The Meteor Mercenary Group was, after all, an armed force, and its internal management was fairly similar to that of a military unit.
Lin Zhichen returned the salute. "The person in charge can stay. Everyone else, get back to work."
"Yes, group leader!" The management team saluted and left in an orderly fashion.
"Group leader, I'm Wei Chenglin, the overall person in charge of the base. I'm responsible for its day-to-day operations." A middle-aged man stepped forward and saluted. He was broad-shouldered, and his green uniform gave him a distinctly military air.
"Dapeng told me about you. He said you came from the military. A retired officer?" Lin Zhichen asked with a smile.
"Yes, group leader!" Wei Chenglin replied, but didn't specify his exact military position.
Lin Zhichen nodded in understanding. Earth had joined the Federation, and more than two hundred countries had suddenly merged into one. Changes were inevitable. Judging by their bearing, the others were probably in situations similar to Wei Chenglin's.
"Group leader, I'm Xu Wen, in charge of the base's industry department." A man in his thirties stepped forward. His style was a little different; his gold-rimmed glasses made him look scholarly.
"We don't have many businesses yet, do we?" Lin Zhichen nodded in greeting. "What do you have in mind, Manager Xu?"
"That depends on what you want, group leader. Are you planning to set up some side businesses, or should everything serve the military?" Xu Wen asked in return.
"Military comes first for now. If there's an opportunity, we can develop some trade and commerce. In the middle and later stages, we'll establish other industries," Lin Zhichen replied.
That was, in fact, the standard approach for the Federation's private military groups. It was hard to maintain military strength indefinitely. Without economic support, one defeat could leave an entire group unable to recover, until it eventually fell apart.
There had been plenty of examples within the Federation in the past. That was why the groups that lasted were always balanced between military and commercial ventures. If they had the resources, they also invested in industry, effectively becoming states within a state. In fact, groups that went down this road eventually chose to establish their own nations, leaving the Federation and becoming new human polities.
The Federation welcomed this, since it strengthened civilized society and increased its overall ability to resist the darkness.
"Let me make a bold guess: group leader, you're aiming to establish your own nation?" Hearing this, Xu Wen's eyes lit up as he asked.
In the Old Era, such an idea would have been treasonous and laughable. In this era, people would first consider whether you had the potential to pull it off, and only then decide whether to praise or mock you.
Lin Zhichen smiled without answering, but the others understood. The energy in the managers' expressions shifted at once. Lin Zhichen's performance in the Asteroid Belt had already shown that he had the potential.
In this dark era with no clear future, people of vision were all chasing hope. And the only hope in the universe was Heroes!
"Sir, if that's the case, then we can't focus solely on profit when building our industries. We need to consider certain investments from the beginning." Xu Wen's tone had clearly changed; he sounded even more respectful. "For example, we'll need a shipyard. At the very least, we should be able to maintain our warships in the short term. To achieve that, we'll need a complete production base—
"including food production, a small-scale supply of Universal Alloy, a group of naval engineers, and so on. To make all that happen, we'll need more Energy Coins to support us!"
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