Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

If this secret were to be exposed, it would be truly fatal, far more serious than NZT-50.

At this moment, the Qin Yuan had flown out of the asteroid belt and was heading towards the entrance of the Hyperspace Lane at the edge of the solar system.

The Hyperspace Lane was located in the Kuiper Belt on the frontier of the solar system. The lane itself was undetectable by the naked eye and had to be detected by a Hyperspace Engine.

The Qin Yuan arrived near the lane at 50% the speed of light. The Hyperspace Engine began to work, and the entire starship hovered before the lane. The spacetime around it began to visibly wrinkle, and the distant Starry Sky turned into blurry streams of light, like a poorly executed painting.

This was the most dangerous moment because the starship was not yet in a superluminal state but was in a state of relative zero velocity, stationary in the Starry Sky until it entered hyperspace.

If there were enemy ships nearby, it would be a sitting duck at this point.

Therefore, in prosperous star sectors, Hyperspace Lanes were often guarded by local star system garrisons to maintain security and prevent attacks during their most vulnerable moments.

Three hours later, the Qin Yuan finally entered the Hyperspace Lane and flew towards the adjacent Raidor star system at superluminal speeds, completing a journey of over 5 light-years.

"If you're bored, it's best to get into a hibernation pod and sleep. This journey will take about a week," Lin Zhichen reminded him.

The prerequisite for using the Psionic combat skill Space Warp was accurate spatial coordinates. It was best to scout these out oneself to avoid any oversights.

With a distance of light-years, the next time they came, they could simply perform a Space Warp within the solar system. This was the convenience of mastering the Space Warp skill.

"Let's go together," Link nodded.

At this point, the starship could operate entirely on automation. The crew members went back into their liquid oxygen tanks one by one to sleep. Link and Lin Zhichen also entered hibernation.

A week later, they arrived at Raidor Fortress.

When the Space Jump was completed, Lin Zhichen and Link's eyes lit up. Before them appeared a seemingly endless steel Great Wall.

The number of starships floating near the Hyperspace Lane was so vast that one couldn't see the end of it. The mysterious energy beams and dark ship hulls all indicated the power of this fleet.

"Cruisers, Battleships, my goodness, they're so big and spectacular," Link gazed at these massive war behemoths with adoration, practically pressing his face against the viewport.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhichen had no time to admire the view. He was busy dealing with Raidor Fortress's routine inquiry.

"Beep beep~ Welcome to Raidor Fortress. Please open your ship's central control computer program as prompted to accept the fortress's inspection!" a robotic, beautiful voice echoed in the command cabin.

"Captain, Raidor Fortress has sent a message requesting temporary access to the Qin Yuan's pilot controls. Do you agree?" the NPC pilot asked.

"Agree," Lin Zhichen replied.

This was a mandatory procedure for entering important star sectors. At the same time, he could feel at least a hundred Ship Cannons of various sizes aimed at the Qin Yuan.

At this moment, various types of scanning beams swept back and forth, scanning the Qin Yuan from every angle.

In the past, there had been severe incidents of treason within Civilized Nations, where hidden weapons aboard starships led to the destruction of a border fortress, resulting in a chain of serious consequences.

Since then, all countries had uniformly strengthened their border defenses to prevent targeting by hostile nations or domestic traitors.

As if sensing the Qin Yuan's peculiarity, a powerful Psionic energy soon emanated from the distant Interstellar space, enveloping the entire Qin Yuan.

Lin Zhichen's gaze shifted, suppressing the shock in his heart.

In the face of this great Psionic energy, he felt like a small sampan beside an aircraft carrier. The Psionic energy around him was compressed to its limit, almost retreating into his body.

Fortunately, this discomfort came and went quickly. In almost the blink of an eye, this powerful Psionic energy retreated.

"Captain, we've received a holographic communication from Raidor Fortress. Do you want to connect?" the pilot asked.

"Connect," Lin Zhichen's expression turned serious. He had a vague feeling that it was that powerful Psionicist contacting him.

The communication quickly connected, and a stern-looking beauty in a silver-gray military uniform appeared on the communicator, catching Lin Zhichen's admiring gaze.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, a curvy figure. The stern military uniform couldn't hide her devilish figure; instead, it made her look even more charming. However, beneath her delicate appearance lay a strong confidence that made her unforgettable at first sight.

He had seen countless beautiful women, and few could move him. Based on appearance alone, even a perfect beauty would only attract his lustful gaze, not his solemn admiration.

The reason was simple: the former was merely a craving for beautiful things, while the latter possessed the strength to crush him flat. Strength combined with beauty naturally made him dare not act presumptuously.

"Captain Lin Zhichen of the Qin Yuan salutes the Fortress Commander, General Sigrid!" Lin Zhichen stood at attention and saluted. The etiquette was, of course, Psionicist etiquette, a sign of respect for a predecessor.

"Oh? You know me?" Sigrid looked at him with interest.

"Of course, your achievements are known throughout the Federation," Lin Zhichen replied respectfully.

"I know you. You only awakened two months ago, and now you've already advanced to elite. How interesting," Sigrid was not interested in his flattery but was very interested in him personally.

"I originally thought you would come here in a year or two, but I didn't expect you to come much faster than I anticipated."

"I am very interested in the situation in the Dark Star Sector. I ask for your accommodation, General," Lin Zhichen maintained his respectful attitude.

"Everyone who aspires to the Starry Sky is interested in the Dark Star Sector." Sigrid's calm gaze alone exerted an invisible pressure. This was not Psionic energy but confidence, a special aura brought by power, extremely oppressive.

"Mr. Lin Zhichen, although you have no intention of developing within the Federation system, I hope that when you change your mind one day, you will consider Raidor Fortress."

"It is my honor to be recognized by a Lieutenant General," Lin Zhichen saluted again.

The communication ended, and the invisible pressure dissipated. The network signals and various energy wave scanners that had been searching for information within the Qin Yuan all disappeared, and everything quickly returned to normal.

It was clear that the Qin Yuan had passed the inspection.

In fact, in the face of such a powerful Hero, nothing could be hidden. He was now only thankful that he hadn't rashly taken out that secret treasure.

"Big Brother, was that the fortress just now..." Link gasped, about to ask, but was stopped by a stern look from Lin Zhichen.

In the presence of such powerful beings, merely discussing matters related to them might attract their attention. This was not superstition but tangible power.

The Qin Yuan did not linger and quickly flew towards the other side of the star system along the route indicated by the military.

To avoid suspicion, he did not use the "Qinyuan's" radar waves to scan the starfield. Needless to say, in this heavily guarded galaxy, every step was fraught with secrets, and knowing too much was not a good thing.

"Your Excellency General, why did you let him go so easily?" Behind Sigrid, a female officer in a general's uniform asked with some confusion.

"A psionicist with immense potential, and a psionic warship capable of space warping. Even if he can't grow into a legendary hero, as long as he reaches the hero rank, he's a rare and formidable general, exactly what we need."

Sigrid was silent for a moment, then said hesitantly, "I don't know, but my psionic energy tells me not to restrain him."

The generals behind her exchanged glances, their expressions filled with disbelief.

Does psionic precognition have this kind of function? Could it be that my psionic cultivation is too shallow?

"It's strange, isn't it? But this is the guidance of psionic energy; it has never deceived me," Sigrid said slowly. "Pay attention to this person. I want to know his information, but do not interfere with him."

"Yes, General!" The female adjutant saluted.

Standing by the porthole, Link looked at the colossal starship in the darkness, his expression filled with shock, almost speechless: "Mammoth-class Titan."

A Titan super-capital ship, the pinnacle of conventional fleets, a treasure on the crown of interstellar civilization's industry!

The Mammoth-class Titan is one of the Human Federation's highest technological achievements. Its hull is 13 kilometers long and 5.2 kilometers wide at its broadest point. It has a tapered bow and a smaller cross-shaped stern, with a slender bridge in the middle.

Besides the numerous gun emplacements covering its hull, the Mammoth-class Titan's most powerful main weapon is the Purgatory Ray, which can focus a massive amount of energy for a single shot capable of destroying a fleet of battleships.

In front of the Titan's colossal hull, the "Qinyuan" was so small it was barely noticeable, like a dwarf standing before a giant. The sheer difference in size alone could make an enemy lose the will to fight.

Even in the Interstellar Era, immense size still represented a significant advantage, translating to a more powerful onboard energy core and a larger energy focusing array for its formidable main guns.

The Titan flagship grew smaller and smaller, soon disappearing from view. Link and Lin Zhichen stood by the window, watching for a long time, their interest in speaking lost.

"Rumor has it on the Star Net that building a Titan costs 1-2% of the Federation's annual military budget, and the project often takes more than ten years to complete," Link murmured.

"Big Brother, do you think we'll ever have the chance to pilot our own Titan in this lifetime?"

"Of course!" Lin Zhichen replied with absolute certainty.

The Dakan System was 3.2 light-years away from Raidor Fortress, and about 6 light-years from Earth.

After four days of hyperspace travel, the "Qinyuan" arrived at the Dakan System, a wilderness still shrouded in darkness, not yet dispelled by civilization.

Immediately after exiting hyperspace was the most dangerous moment for a starship. For the next dozen minutes, the "Qinyuan" was in a state of almost exiting hyperspace but not fully, making it a stationary target.

Fortunately, this was not a completely uninhabited dark starfield, but the forward position of Raidor Fortress. At the end of the Hyperspace Lane, a large guard fleet was stationed.

After a period of stagnation, the "Qinyuan" finally broke free from the influence of the Hyperspace Lane and began exploring deeper into the starfield.

At this point, Lin Zhichen finally roused himself. The gravity sensor radar was activated at full power, and his psionic energy expanded with the radar waves into the vast Starry Sky.

This was the truly dangerous territory. Without the protection of the Federation fleet, enemies lurked everywhere.

As the radar activated, Lin Zhichen soon detected a wandering NPC rebel fleet.

Note that it was a rebel fleet, not pirates!

The emergence of two major monster fleets in the Starry Sky was a constant headache for countless intelligent civilizations. The first was the pirate NPC fleets, whose equipment was outdated, resembling militias or even modified merchant ships, known for their numbers, speed, and weak combat power.

Rebels were different. As the name suggested, they were rebellious regular forces, though in reality, they were NPC fleets spawned in space.

However, rebel fleets differed from pirates. The starships they piloted were all military-grade warships, ranging from basic configurations to advanced second or even third-generation fleets, from frigates to battleships. In the depths of space, in certain unpatrolled sectors, rebel bases that had developed to a certain extent could even acquire flagships or Titan super-capital ships!

Do not underestimate these fleets, as NPCs could also awaken psionic abilities!

Especially monster bases with a large enough population could potentially spawn elite or even hero-level monster NPCs!

These awakened NPCs were no less intelligent than Natural Persons and possessed a myriad of strange skills. One wrong move could even trip up a powerful hero. Those arrogant individuals who believed that a single powerful ship could allow them to cut through enemy lines like a hot knife through butter had mostly become frozen corpses in the Starry Sky.

Before the "Qinyuan" now was a small rebel fleet of over a hundred ships.

Led by a single cruiser, with over eighty frigates and a dozen destroyers, the small fleet was turning, its target set on the "Qinyuan."

A cruiser was a class of warship above a destroyer. A standard Federation cruiser was over 600 meters long and could be equipped with numerous weapons, including carrier-based aircraft.

This rebel warship clearly lacked a hangar bay, and no carrier-based aircraft were deployed at this time.

Because of its longer hull, a cruiser had an additional ship section compared to a destroyer. If all weapon slots were dedicated to large turrets, it could mount two large main guns and two medium turrets simultaneously.

"It's a heavy cannon configuration," Lin Zhichen made a simple judgment. Because the rebel fleet's radar was superior to the "Qinyuan's," by the time he detected them, they had already completed their turn.