Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

"Perhaps there are other skills for accelerating Blueprint generation, or perhaps the number of Draftsmen is an inherent limit. That's why all major powers have an endless demand for Draftsmen," Lin Zhichen said with a faint smile, clearly in a good mood.

"Once the aircraft carrier is out, we'll sweep through the asteroid belt for a round. I estimate the number of Mercenary Groups will increase severalfold!"

"Big Brother, aren't we upgrading the Qin Yuan first?" Link asked.

Lin Zhichen shook his head. "No, the aircraft carrier is the most crucial thing at this stage."

After bidding farewell to the others, he returned to his top-floor villa and lay down on the lounge chair. He activated his holographic wristband and began practicing his communication skills.

It didn't take long, just a few breaths, before the communicator connected.

"It's rare for you to contact me," Liu Manyun's graceful figure appeared on the screen. A blush spread across her charming face; she was clearly in a good mood.

"Busy?" Lin Zhichen asked.

The holographic image showed her sitting in the Captain's chair of a command cabin, evidently on a long voyage.

"Mm, I took a military mission to clear out NPC fleets in the Dark Galaxy," Liu Manyun said briefly. "These are tasks that all large Mercenary Groups go through. If they want to be promoted to a Legion, they'll mostly have to help the Federation expand its territory.

So, Mercenary Groups aiming for Legion status will take on these kinds of missions to gather intelligence on the Dark Galaxy as early as possible."

"I see," Lin Zhichen mused. He asked, "Are you interested in the Positron Light Spear?"

"You have a Positron Light Spear?" Liu Manyun asked, quite surprised. Her slightly parted lips held a unique charm. "Where did you get it?"

"I went to the Dark Galaxy a few days ago to scout the situation and stumbled upon a newly formed Warship Graveyard," Lin Zhichen said casually, as if he had just returned from a trip.

"I salvaged a few trophies, including a Blueprint for constructing a Positron Light Spear. I plan to build it and sell it to fund the construction of a Light Aircraft Carrier."

"It seems you had quite a haul this time." Liu Manyun looked at him deeply after hearing this, understanding that he was preparing for the launch of NZT-50 and marveling at his capabilities.

Even with a Psionic Warship, being able to safely enter the Dark Galaxy demonstrated his skill.

"It was alright. The Dark Galaxy is extremely dangerous, but there are indeed many good things," Lin Zhichen nodded. "So, do you want the Positron Light Spear?"

"Yes, it's something that's priceless but hard to find. But I want the finished product. You have clearance with the military, so you probably get construction discounts.

Although the price of a Positron Light Spear isn't as high as an aircraft carrier's construction cost, with discounts, it's pretty much the same," Liu Manyun said readily.

"Send me the payment link."

"I like your straightforwardness," Lin Zhichen chuckled. This way, for a mere 960 Energy Coins, he had obtained a Light Aircraft Carrier by trading a Positron Light Spear construction Blueprint.

"Don't hang up yet. NZT-50 has been mass-produced, right?" Liu Manyun asked. "Have you decided when to launch it?"

"This trip to the Dark Galaxy was more challenging than I anticipated. The launch date will be pushed back a bit," Lin Zhichen sighed slightly.

"The Meteor Mercenary Group's current resources are still too meager."

"You know that. You're a Psionicist, with a lifespan ten times that of ordinary people. There's no need to rush; you can plan slowly," Liu Manyun said with a smile.

"For example, you could take some time to spend with your little lovers, the twin sisters."

"Who?" Lin Zhichen asked, slightly taken aback.

"Heh, how heartless," Liu Manyun looked at him with a smile that was half teasing, half chiding. "You've forgotten them so quickly."

"The twin sisters from the academy? Fine, I've forgotten their names. It was just one night anyway," Lin Zhichen said indifferently.

"There are too many things to do in life; why dwell on longing?"

"You're so carefree, or you could say you're a total scumbag." Liu Manyun let out a cold laugh. "I advise you to be careful. Those twin sisters are not to be trifled with. Once they find you, you'll likely go through some hardship."

"Yes, it was indeed quite bitter," Lin Zhichen nodded, saying seriously. "I look forward to your next visit, bringing me more bitterness!"

Then the holographic image was cut off. He shook his head. "Women are so inexplicable. I've already done what I needed to do; why are they still shy?"

He sent the construction order to the military's warship factory and quickly received feedback. It had a high construction priority, and he would receive the ship in a month.

The normal construction cycle was about six months. The fact that he could get it so much earlier was because they were reallocating a ship currently under construction. Thinking of this, he felt quite pleased.

"The happiness of having privileges is something ordinary people don't understand."

Three days later, after a brief period of rest, the Qin Yuan set sail once more, performing a space jump directly to the Dakan System.

Within the asteroid belt between Dakan and Dakan, a large-scale fleet battle was still ongoing. Every day, both sides dispatched millions of warships, engaging in continuous warfare across the vast starry sky.

Pirate and Rebel Army fleets were scattered everywhere in space, constantly converging on the asteroid belt. If they didn't encounter enemies along the way, they would eventually join the brutal battlefield as reinforcements. If they met opposing factions midway, they would engage in combat directly in space.

Lin Zhichen had initially hoped to take advantage of the battle between the two factions to obtain more loot, but he had underestimated the war potential of this star system. The brutal battles resulted in tens of thousands of warships being destroyed daily, yet the number of fleets bombarding each other on the battlefield showed almost no significant decrease.

After multiple failed reconnaissance attempts, which instead drew the hostility of both opposing forces, Lin Zhichen had to change his strategy and focus on the NPC fleets engaged in skirmishes.

"Zzzzt~"

A scorching Electromagnetic Projectile streaked through space just over ten meters from the Qin Yuan's hull. Dodging a warning shot from a Rebel Army warship, Lin Zhichen piloted his starship to probe the surrounding star system.

At this moment, nearly a thousand starships from both sides were engaged in fierce combat, with warships being heavily damaged or even exploding every moment.

"Pirate fleet: approximately 600 ships. Rebel Army fleet: approximately 400 ships."

After multiple probes, the radar quickly gathered basic intelligence on both sides.

Although the Pirate fleet had a larger number of ships, the two sides were almost evenly matched on the battlefield.

Lin Zhichen knew that despite being two factions spawned by wild NPCs, the individual quality of the Rebel Army NPCs was actually higher, and their discipline was stricter, resulting in a stronger combat performance.

There was another important reason: the Pirate faction's warships generally had lower armor and hull integrity, with only their speed exceeding the standard level.

This was originally an advantage, but given the generally low skill level of the pirate NPC Crew, the tactics that were meticulously planned often became mere talk on paper. Instead, they suffered greater losses due to scattered formations, so this approach was gradually abandoned in favor of direct engagement, resulting in losses that were often greater than those of the Rebel Army fleet.

The "Qinyuan" weaved around the battlefield, launching surprise attacks from time to time and destroying several NPC warships.

Lin Zhichen did not adhere to any faction, arbitrarily selecting targets. This behavior quickly drew dissatisfaction from both sides. Dozens of warships from each of the two factions were gathered and divided into two directions, charging towards the "Qinyuan."

"Is hatred for Natural Persons higher than factional hatred?"

He carefully maneuvered the warship, weaving back and forth through the barrage of fire. Suddenly, the "Qinyuan" transformed into a beam of light, traversing tens of thousands of miles to appear behind the Rebel Army fleet. Its speed abruptly dropped to 1.2 kilometers per second, and its three turrets fired in unison, capable of destroying 3 enemy ships in a single volley.

Without any grand evasive maneuvers, the "Qinyuan" sliced through like a nimble swallow, with streams of scorching projectiles accurately hitting enemy ships.

To prevent being caught in a pincer attack by both fleets, the "Qinyuan" used the pirate fleet as cover, hiding in space. It formed a straight line with the Rebel Army fleet.

If these two fleets belonged to the same faction, the Rebel Army fleet would have deliberately avoided friendly fire. However, they were targeting the pirate fleet. Weakening the enemy while eliminating the disruptor was entirely acceptable.

Thus, as the "Qinyuan" launched its attack at sublight speed, the Rebel Army fleet also opened fire, unhesitatingly pouring firepower onto the pirate fleet.

Pirate warships, described as "thin-skinned and big-filled," exploded one after another. By the time the pirates reacted, the "Qinyuan" had already begun circling the pirate fleet.

Caught in a two-front assault, the desperately fighting pirates did not last long. With the destruction of the last cruiser by the "Qinyuan," the real contest began between the two main forces.

With its sublight flight capability, the "Qinyuan" was invincible in small-scale fleet battles. When the battle ended, it was already an hour later.

After a hasty sweep of the battlefield, Lin Zhichen piloted his warship towards the location of the main fleet's decisive battle. Originally, nearly a thousand starships were engaged, but by this time, only over seven hundred remained on both sides.

Without further harassment, Lin Zhichen, playing a waiting game, patrolled this expanse of starry sky, preventing any sudden reinforcements while waiting for both sides to be exhausted. This wish was finally realized after a full five hours. At this point, the total number of warships left on the battlefield by both sides did not exceed a hundred, and there was no sign of a truce.

Lin Zhichen unceremoniously accepted these stubborn fighters who fought to the death, right up to the last damaged Rebel Army battleship desperately firing its cannons.

But it was futile. The battleship's cumbersome hull granted it much thicker armor than other warships, but with its energy shields destroyed, it appeared quite pathetic. Like a clumsy bear, it was circled and ravaged by the "Qinyuan."

Lightly dodging the battleship's bombardment, it moved into a perfect firing position. The three electromagnetic cannons immediately unleashed a volley.

The electromagnetic projectiles shot out, striking the battleship's rear engines. Although sturdy, after the engines were destroyed, the projectiles were blocked by the hull, unable to reach the energy core.

A battleship that had lost its propulsion was like a sitting duck, posing no further threat to the "Qinyuan." The coilguns bombarded it without restraint, and after more than a dozen "belly-full volleys," the energy core was finally destroyed. In a brilliant energy explosion, this massive steel behemoth was torn to pieces.

"This is the first one, but it won't be the last!" Looking at the burning behemoth, Lin Zhichen finally smiled. He casually picked up the loot. According to custom, sinking a starship of a certain class for the first time always yielded some extra rewards, just like this Blueprint.

"Battleship Blueprint!"

A hint of joy appeared on his face. An Ournobain-class Battleship, 1.3 kilometers in length, equipped with a Particle Light Spear main cannon. Its high-energy concentration array could destroy several cruisers in a single strike!

This behemoth equipped with heavy armor was like a battleship from World War I – heavy armor, heavy firepower, possessing unquestionable battlefield deterrence in space combat. Its dazzling beam, with every strike, was capable of melting a small planetoid.

Compared to the rare flagship-class battleships and the space carriers that relied on relatively fragile fighter jets, it was the main battleship for fleet decisive battles!

Of course, it was impossible to build in the short term. The more powerful the warship, the more of a gold-guzzling beast it was. The Meteor Mercenary Group did not yet have the qualifications to acquire it, but the time for its emergence was not far off.

At this point, a full five to six hours had passed since the beginning.

With no intention of lingering, the "Qinyuan" quickly collected the spoils and performed a Space Jump towards the solar system. The warehouse was once again filled with loot.

The drop rate between NPC infighting was far lower than normal monster drops, but the sheer number of warships involved meant the loot obtained was substantial enough.

This time, in addition to the approximately 8,900 Energy Coins from selling the loot, there were also Blueprints for over a dozen Frigates and Destroyers.

But no matter how much loot there was, it couldn't compare to what he had gained.

After multiple intense battles, especially after destroying a battleship, Sublight Assault finally broke through the Grandmaster level and began to transform into Psionic Martial Skills.

[Name: Lin Zhichen]
[Elite Red]
[Gender: Male]
[Talent: Heaven Rewards Diligence (Purple): Effect 1: Effort yields rewards; skill practice leads to improvement; Effect 2: Members within the faction enjoy the influence of this talent;]
[Gate of Time and Space (Blue): Activates once a month, searches for temporal imprints, opens temporary dungeons;]
[Psionicist (Red): Effect 1: Awakens psionic energy; Effect 2: Skill learning speed +10%;]
[Profession: Captain Elite (Red), Apprentice]
[Skills: 1. Psionic Cultivation (Red), Warrior 37.14%]