Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

"Sir, if possible, we need to occupy a few more unlimited mines."

"Don't worry about the money; we'll soon have endless Energy Coins," Lin Zhichen waved his hand and looked at a young man with a profound aura and a nearly bald head. "You must be Dr. Li Ping, the one Dapeng mentioned?"

"Yes, Commander," Li Ping shrugged. "I'm the head of the Mercenary Group's Research Department, responsible for R&D. Of course, there isn't much to do right now."

"There will be soon," Lin Zhichen said. "There's a new drug. You can take a look and get the finished product out as soon as possible."

Li Ping glanced at the data Lin Zhichen sent over. "This is incredible!"

"It's a new drug that aids learning," Lin Zhichen said casually. "This will be our source of funds in the future. Get it done quickly."

He looked at Wei Chenglin and instructed, "Contact the Earth Defense Directorate. We'll have 23 pirate ships arriving soon. These are the spoils from our recent battle and the foundation of the Mercenary Group's future."

"Yes, Commander!" Wei Chenglin pondered for a moment. "Commander, in the short term, our fleet can use Earth's starport. But in the long term, we need our own base. That pirate base you attacked in the asteroid belt would be very suitable."

"Our base won't be in the solar system. I'll figure something out later," Lin Zhichen shook his head. He had too many secrets, and it wouldn't be appropriate to place it under the Federation's nose.

After assigning tasks and bidding farewell to his high-ranking officials, he went to his room, a high-rise villa.

Sunlight streamed in, and the strong high-altitude winds were softened by a faint energy shield, making them exceptionally gentle. Sitting on a lounge chair by the swimming pool, he felt a sense of being on a sunny beach.

He finally had time to review the spoils from this trip: over 200 pirate ships destroyed and 50 to 60 pieces of loot. The most valuable were 3 destroyer Blueprints, 14 Frigate Blueprints, 5 large turrets, some smaller turrets, and ship components.

He kept the 3 destroyer Blueprints and 14 Frigate Blueprints, along with various turrets and ship components, and sold the rest. Combined with the 20% discount from the military shipyard, he finally had enough to build 3 standard destroyers.

After placing the order, the seemingly enormous sum of money dwindled down to just a few dozen Energy Coins.

"No matter how much money I make, it's never enough."

He sighed inwardly but felt no worry. As soon as NZT-50 began production and was listed, the entire Mercenary Group would have an endless stream of wealth, enough to make others envious.

However, Lin Zhichen's heart was calm. In his past life, he understood that great gains came with great risks. If he wanted to develop steadily, relying on his talent would only make him a Legion commander, a hero who shook the galaxy, and a pillar of humanity.

But he wanted more. He wanted to build a nation with his own hands, one that could rival or even surpass the Federation, ascend to the upper echelons of the galactic community, and even break out of the galaxy to witness the vastness of the Universe.

Compared to that, the mere solar system was too small to contain his ambition.

"The Federation won't covet everything from me because it needs to maintain order! Those who covet mine will only be the large conglomerates, powerful families, and even vassal states that make up the Federation. But the production rights for NZT-50 cannot bypass the Meteor Mercenary Group because these rights are bound to me. I cannot die, at least not by conspiracy. Before I die, I can completely disband the Mercenary Group at the last moment, and then all their efforts will be in vain. The most likely scenario is coercion and temptation, using various means to force me to comply. As long as I endure it and get through the brief period of weakness, Meteor will develop rapidly."

He closed his eyes, enjoying the sun and breeze. After modifications by the Federation, the completed planetary weather control system could artificially regulate the climate and temperature of the entire Earth, maintaining it at the most suitable level.

Due to the unique nature of the New Universe, even the highest technology could not terraform a barren planet into a paradise without authorization. This limitation made habitable planets in the galaxy extremely rare. Excluding Class V planets that couldn't be modified, like toxic planets, and some Class IV planets with unsuitable environments, such as pure ocean planets, as well as some Class III planets that were difficult and expensive to modify, the number of planets that could be colonized by humans was very small. Each one was an invaluable treasure.

And Class II planets like Earth, which required little to no modification to be directly habitable, were even rarer treasures. Each one had to be cherished.

"The next period will be busy."

It was foreseeable that once NZT-50 was exposed, the eyes of the entire Federation would turn towards them. If subtle maneuvers from beneath the table proved ineffective, the most likely outcome would be a compromise. Production rights would remain with the Meteor Mercenary Group, as dictated by authorization. The Meteor Mercenary Group's scale meant its production capacity would be far from enough to satisfy the entire Federation, also due to authorization restrictions, unless the Federation military made an exception and directly upgraded the Meteor Mercenary Group to a Legion. This was still impossible for the same reason: the Federation was the biggest beneficiary of order and would undoubtedly be its greatest maintainer.

"The Federation will take the lion's share, but the remaining small portion will still be enough to make the Meteor Mercenary Group incredibly wealthy," Lin Zhichen closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Three days later, in a dedicated cultivation room, Lin Zhichen, who was training his crew, was interrupted by a holographic communication. A casual glance made his temples throb. He reluctantly left the cultivation room and sat down in his villa. "Why are you contacting me again? Didn't we make things clear last time?"

"Coordinates!" the tall, beautiful woman asked directly.

Lin Zhichen casually sent over the location of their headquarters. If she could enter the solar system, Earth couldn't stop her. Soon, a gem-red flying car landed, leaving a trail of fire in the sky as it sped along, like a rapidly flying phoenix.

"Fire Phoenix, they really have money!" Lin Zhichen clicked his tongue slightly. The Fire Phoenix flying car was a high-end model produced by the Federation's Bacchus Heavy Industry Group. It featured a luxurious cabin that could accommodate up to five people. Most notably, it had its own miniature quark fusion reactor, supporting a hyperspace engine and a near-light-speed engine, and was equipped with an electromagnetic deflection shield comparable to that of a destroyer. Such luxurious configurations naturally came with a hefty price tag: 7998 Energy Coins, enough to build a standard cruiser. In short, this thing was a noble's luxury toy. Even if the current Meteor Mercenary Group were stripped bare, they could barely afford this single flying car! The Fire Phoenix was incredibly fast. Under the friction of the atmosphere, it descended like a scarlet bird, instantly arriving above the high-rise villa. "Rumble~" It sounded like thunder as the sonic boom erupted, and the shockwave quickly spread. Fortunately, flying cars had undergone generations of design, and obvious safety hazards had long been eliminated. By the time the strong winds reached them, they had become as gentle as a willow branch in the breeze. With effortless grace, the scarlet Fire Phoenix flying car descended smoothly. This time, due to its larger size, it landed parallel to the villa in the sky. Lin Zhichen waved away the armed drones that had gathered upon noticing the anomaly. He watched as the car door opened, and a woman in a scarlet military uniform with insignia stepped out.

"Looking good~" His eyes lit up slightly as he appraised the scene. Beautiful things always brought joy.

Almond eyes, willow brows, a dainty nose and mouth, a curvaceous figure, and a slender build, all clad in a fiery military uniform. A restless youthfulness immediately surged, and even though Lin Zhichen wasn't a novice, he was stunned.

The beauty clearly felt displeased by Lin Zhichen's gaze. She rolled her eyes but didn't lash out. Instead, she pulled open the car door, and another beauty emerged.

Unlike the first, who was slightly delicate, this one was more of a mature, commanding type. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her charming face couldn't hide the heroic spirit in her brows. Her crimson military uniform couldn't conceal her fiery figure, and her phoenix-like eyes swept over him, seeming to flash with electricity, making his heart skip a beat.

If appearance were scored out of 100, the first would be around 95, while the second would be 97 or 98. It wasn't surprising; psionic energy could nourish cells, improve genes, and promote life's sublimation. It could be said that all psionicists were handsome men and beautiful women.

That's right, both beauties who had arrived were psionicists!

Lin Zhichen unleashed his psionic energy, carefully sensing their strength. Without practicing specialized techniques, psionicists could completely gauge each other's strength through their naturally emanating psionic fluctuations.

The first beauty's psionic energy was clearly weaker. By his estimate, it should be slightly weaker than his own, around 120-130. She belonged to the level of a newly initiated Psionic Warrior.

The second was even stronger than him. Judging by the subtle pressure emanating from her, she had likely entered the high-level Psionic Warrior stage.

Newly awakened psionicists generally wouldn't have more than 10 points of psionic energy reserves. They needed to refine it for a long time to gradually increase it. Generally, reaching above 90 meant being a peak apprentice, at which point one would consider breaking through to become a Psionic Warrior.

However, individual encounters and physiques varied. Some people could bear more power. Take Lin Zhichen, for example; he possessed over 100 psionic energy right after awakening, which was a sign of exceptional talent.

Her soul-stirring beautiful eyes fell on Lin Zhichen, and she smiled charmingly, "We meet again. I told you long ago that you couldn't escape!"

Lin Zhichen put on a roguish air, his eyes lingering on her crimson military uniform. "Oh, come on. Men and women meeting up is natural. Last time was too rushed; this time, we can study each other properly~"

"Pfft~" The beauty beside her couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

Liu Manyun's face turned cold, and she said sternly, "Invited by the Federal Psionic Association, the leader of the Thorn Rose Mercenary Group, Liu Manyun, greets you!"

As she spoke, she crossed her hands and performed a chest-patting salute.

This was a gesture of etiquette among psionicists. The other beauty beside her followed suit, "Thorn Rose Mercenary Group, Chief Scientist Li Murong, greets you!"

In the Galaxy Era, talent was still the most important thing. Any force with even a slight ambition would cultivate its own team of scientists, especially psionic scientists, whose research capabilities were more efficient than those of normal people.

"Leader of the Meteor Mercenary Group, Lin Zhichen!" Lin Zhichen had no choice but to return the salute. The visitors were guests, and he had to maintain proper decorum in a formal setting, especially since they could enter the solar system at this time, meaning they had gone through official procedures.

"According to regulations, every psionicist who completes their awakening will be registered by the Federal Psionic Association and assigned a dedicated person to review and verify their identity," Liu Manyun said with a smile.

"Coincidentally, my unit was passing through the solar system and saw this mission, so we took it. It seems you have already passed the identity verification. Congratulations, Mr. Lin Zhichen. You have officially become a distinguished psionicist. May your name spread throughout the galaxy!"

"Thank you for your blessings, ladies!" Lin Zhichen saluted solemnly.

At the same moment, his holographic wristband chimed, a message notification indicating an email had been received.

Lin Zhichen's gaze shifted, and he activated his wristband. Sure enough, his personal mailbox had received an email signed by the Federal Psionic Association:

"Esteemed Mr. Lin Zhichen, all employees of the Federal Psionic Association, on behalf of the Federal Government, extend their highest regards and are honored to announce: Your identity has been officially changed. You will join the Human Federation as a psionicist and make positive contributions to the prosperity of civilization! May the galaxy endure forever, and civilization be immortal!"

This was a formal letter, unlike the previous letter of guarantee. It had complete procedures, and all procedural risks were now eliminated, along with corresponding benefits: a standard Frigate to be delivered in one week; a monthly subsidy of 1 Energy Coin; Citizen status; and the right to hire military-class NPCs.

These were of little significance to him now, but they were obtained for free.

"You've already advanced to Psionic Warrior? That makes sense. Looking at the changes before and after you attacked the pirate base, you must have broken through that bottleneck." Liu Manyun wasn't surprised by his advancement. She had already gained a comprehensive understanding of his recent actions during their journey: "Which skill did you advance?"

"Ship Command," Lin Zhichen replied. There was nothing to hide about this.

"It's actually this skill?" Liu Manyun looked at him in surprise. "If you elevate your entire psionic combat technique to the domain level, you'll become a commander-type main hero!"

"Commander-type?" Lin Zhichen was slightly taken aback.

"This knowledge isn't taught in the Federal Military Academy because it's the domain of psionicists; ordinary people don't need it," Liu Manyun explained. "Depending on the nature of their domain, heroes can be roughly divided into fierce generals who charge into battle, strategists who devise plans, commander-types for decisive frontal battles, and support roles like logistics, medical, and emergency repair, among many others. I thought you chose Sub-light Speed Assault, a fierce general-type hero, but I didn't expect you to have a commander domain."