Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

"Big Brother, did your experiment succeed?" Wei Peng asked excitedly.

"That's right," Lin Zhichen nodded. "The innate talent of NPCs is generally average. Without psionic potions, it would take 30-40 years to awaken psionic energy and reach the Yang God realm, even with NZT-50.

If psionic potions are used, it can be shortened to 2-3 years, or even 1 year for the fastest ones, but the cost is very high. The average cost to cultivate one person is 420 Energy Coins."

"That's so high!" the others exclaimed.

At this price, cultivating three people would be enough to build two frigates!

"Actually, it's understandable, considering they are psionicists," Wu Tianyi was the first to regain his composure. "If the Federation knew there was a way to mass-produce psionicists, they would be overjoyed."

Psionicists are the elite of society, and their numbers directly relate to national strength. If there were an opportunity for mass cultivation, they wouldn't mind paying 4200 Energy Coins per person, let alone 420!

"What if we don't use psionic potions? We can wait decades and cultivate them slowly. What would the cost be?" Lin Ke asked.

"12-13 Energy Coins, or even less. After all, psionic potions are needed periodically to regulate the body, so it's not entirely free," Lin Zhichen estimated.

"What about Natural Persons?" Wei Peng asked. "How much would it cost to take psionic potions? How much without?"

"Natural Persons have some advantages; their cultivation aptitude is generally better. Based on my predictions, as long as they cultivate the cultivation method with NZT-50, they can awaken in about 20-30 years!" Lin Zhichen replied.

Lin Ke: "20-30 years isn't long."

It really wasn't long. Once awakened, they would at least have several hundred years of lifespan and centuries of life to enjoy.

"But it's too long for Meteor right now," Wu Tianyi shook his head.

The group fell silent. By now, they all understood Lin Zhichen's plan. NZT-50 was about to be released, and once it appeared in the public eye, it would cause a tidal wave that could engulf the current Meteor Mercenary Group dozens of times over.

"I plan to go to the Dakhan star system soon," Lin Zhichen said, causing the others to turn pale with shock.

The Dakhan star system was a wilderness outside the Federation's territory, fraught with danger.

"Big Brother," Wu Tianyi began, but Lin Zhichen waved him off.

"Don't worry. The Dark Nebula is dangerous, but it's all relative. Besides, the Dakhan star system is adjacent to the Federation's border star system, Rador Fortress, where Federation Legions frequently patrol. The star system is swept clean periodically, so the danger is actually limited."

He looked at his worried companions. "Don't worry. I'm going there to find a hidden base. Within the Federation, all our actions must be cautious, and it's difficult to develop and grow.

In the coming years, more eyes will be on us, so we must prepare in advance for any unforeseen circumstances."

"Big Brother, I'll go with you!" Wu Tianyi said. "You'll need a helper."

"Ake will go with me. It'll be you next time. Dapeng, get ready. Once I find a suitable planet, I'll jump back and give you the Gravity Drive. It'll be up to you to secure the base then," Lin Zhichen arranged.

"Understood, Big Brother," Wei Peng replied.

Lin Zhichen looked at them and smiled, "Don't worry, the Legion has more trump cards than you think."

"Beep beep~"

An urgent communication sound rang out. Lin Zhichen looked down; it was Kadir Rockefeller calling.

"Big Brother, it looks like Rockefeller can't hold on any longer," Wu Tianyi said, looking at the caller ID.

"Don't underestimate these large families. This loss isn't enough to cripple them," Lin Zhichen shook his head slightly.

"I'm afraid Kadir can't hold on."

Kadir Rockefeller was the heir to the family, but not the only one. For him to ascend, he needed sufficient merit.

If this loss was too great, his achievements would not outweigh his failures, making it a net loss.

"My dear friend, we meet again," Kadir appeared on the holographic projection with a beaming smile, showing no signs of dejection:

"I hope I haven't interrupted your joyous banquet."

It was clear he had already learned through his channels that the Mercenary Group's fleet had arrived on Earth.

"I heard that pirate base is quite tricky?" Lin Zhichen asked directly, without beating around the bush.

"It is a bit troublesome. I heard you've established a mercenary group. This can be treated as a mission; I'd like to ask for your help," Kadir, having anticipated Lin Zhichen's attitude, maintained his smile.

"You don't need to deploy the army; I just need you to help take down the pirate base's turrets."

"1000 Energy Coins. If you agree, I'll head out now. I have to leave for a trip later," Lin Zhichen stated.

"Then I'll trouble you, sir," Kadir agreed immediately.

The holographic communication ended. Lin Zhichen said, "Let's go, we'll go see the NZT-50 production line."

The group took a convenient flying car to a newly commissioned, enclosed pharmaceutical production factory.

Through the transparent tempered glass, they watched the automated assembly line where intelligent robots placed extracted medicinal materials into containers for special processing.

At the exit, translucent pills were bottled and packaged.

"Commander, Deputy Commander!" Dr. Li Ping, busy with work, walked over and saluted.

"How is the production line?" Lin Zhichen asked.

"I was just about to report to you, sir. Everything is going smoothly, and the medicine has passed inspection," Dr. Li Ping said with a smile, but then hesitated. "It's just very strange. We can only produce a maximum of 10,000 NZT-50 pills per day. If we try to produce more, it just results in a mixed liquid with no effect."

"10,000 pills?" Lin Zhichen mused. It seemed this was the production limit.

Honestly, this quantity was far too small, much less than expected. He wondered what the key to increasing the drug's yield was, as this amount wouldn't achieve his ambitions.

"Let's try first and see if there's a way to increase production," Lin Zhichen said directly.

Even if it didn't meet expectations, the profits brought by NZT-50 were enough for the Meteor Mercenary Group to feast on. Before going public, he had to increase the strength of the mercenary group as much as possible to resist when danger arrived.

Piloting the "Qinyuan," Lin Zhichen and Link quickly flew towards the asteroid belt. Activating the Psionic Warship's Space Warp, the ship directly appeared at the edge of the meteoroid field.

The engines roared to life, and the ship weaved like a fish, easily dodging meteoroids as it flew deeper into the asteroid belt. One day later, the pirate base was in sight.

"Mr. Lin, I am Colonel Bros. Young Master Kadir Rockefeller has asked me to assist you in breaking through the pirate base," the middle-aged man in uniform said sternly.

"I'll help you break through the pirate base's turrets. The rest is up to you," Lin Zhichen said simply.

"Of course, here is the information we've gathered on the pirate base's turrets." Colonel Bros sent the relevant information to Lin Zhichen:

"Including 16 small turrets, 8 medium turrets, 8 point-defense cannons, and 4 large turrets."

His gaze swept across the holographic projection, and he immediately memorized the positions of the turrets within the pirate base. The "Qinyuan" then activated. "I understand. Ten minutes. You guys follow up!"

With that, the holographic projector shut off.

On the "Edward" cruiser, Colonel Bros frowned. Behind him, several staff officers exchanged glances.

"Sir, is he joking? Ten minutes might not even be enough for the ship to turn around!" one staff officer asked hesitantly.

"Don't underestimate him. He has the potential to become a great figure like the Federation Hero Billus Dical," Colonel Bros mused.

"Have the fleet prepare within five minutes, ready to attack at any moment!"

Piloting the "Qinyuan," Lin Zhichen's gaze followed the spread of the gravity sensor's detection waves, making the entire starfield dimly visible.

By relying on the psionic energy emitted by the detection waves to perceive, the range had greatly expanded, but the clarity of the detection had rapidly decreased.

Fortunately, after a period of adaptation, he could now more accurately identify obstacles of various sizes within his perception.

At this moment, using this special vision, he located the targets by following the energy flow lines within the pirate base, combined with the previously obtained turret layout.

The flying "Qinyuan" rapidly accelerated, reaching near-light speed in a short time, and flew diagonally towards the asteroid belt.

"Beep beep~"

Urgent radar signals echoed within the base. The pirate NPCs, already on alert due to the Rockefeller Family fleet's attack, immediately sprang into action, rushing to their posts. The entire base's defenses reached their peak in a short time.

But it was futile. When the radar's speed data came out, the pirates' high-ranking officials in the central control room trembled, almost unable to stand: "It's that demon! That demon is back~"

Twenty days ago, the space battle in front of the base had been a one-sided massacre, striking fear into all the pirates who witnessed it. The destruction of three hundred warships had proven the terror of that near-light-speed demon.

Now, he had returned!

"Bang bang~"

Suddenly, bursts of fire erupted within the base. Those were the turrets being hit by Electromagnetic Projectiles!

The "Qinyuan" was extremely fast, and the reaction speeds of the NPC Crew, who had just begun their Cultivation journey, had clearly been enhanced. Lin Zhichen, with his experience, also filtered out more invalid information, increasing the difficulty of targeting.

With several effects combined, the "Qinyuan's" attack was astonishing. The Rockefeller Family fleet, observing the pirate base from afar, was shocked to see a series of explosions suddenly erupt. In almost the blink of an eye, all the locations marked as pirate turrets were precisely hit.

The entire base lost its ability to resist almost instantly, and at this point, the "Qinyuan's" near-light-speed charge had not even reached the area closest to the base's asteroid.

Having completed the mission, the "Qinyuan" drew an arc in space and instantly disappeared into the depths of the meteoroids, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded spectators.

"..." Colonel Bros stared speechlessly at the last message left on the holographic communication: "Finished the job. Please send the spoils back to the mercenary group's headquarters."

He realized he had overestimated the other party as much as possible, but what had just happened made him understand that he could never use the mindset of an ordinary person to consider extraordinary beings.

"Big Brother, you were so cool!" Link said beside him, looking at him with admiration. He had witnessed everything from inside the cabin.

The operations were completely incomprehensible. The crew operated the cannons with incredible skill, firing almost without aiming, like blind shots, and yet they hit their targets with precision. This result stunned him.

Lin Zhichen had already exited his state of man-ship integration and smiled upon hearing this. "It was okay. When you get your own Psionic Warship and awaken as a Psionicist, you'll be able to learn this trick."

"No way~ I still have a chance to become a Psionicist, but I won't even dream of a Psionic Warship," Link waved his hand.

"Don't define it so early," Lin Zhichen smiled mysteriously, not revealing the answer directly.

Why build a secret base outside the Federation?

Defending against potential enemy attacks was only one aspect. The most important reason was the Psionic Warships that appeared in a short period of time had nowhere to hide.