-Fatal Strike, Red, Beginner, 33.54%: Instant Kill +2% Psionic Combat Skill: 1: Ship Command, Elite Red: Effect 1: Ship Evasion +25%*10; Effect 2: Sublight Speed +25%*10; Psionics Cost: 50; Duration: 30 min -Sublight Assault, Elite Red: Effect 1: Sublight Cannon Barrage Accuracy +25%*10; Effect 2: Sublight Cannon Barrage Damage +25%*10; Psionics Cost: 60; Duration: 30 min Psionics: 312 Rating: Watch me, Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens!
"Second Psionic Skill!" Lin Zhichen let out a breath, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
After converting it into a Psionic Skill, he could feel that his control over Sublight Assault had become more precise. With a thought, the Qinyuan streaked away in a blur of light, as he began testing the speed he could now control perfectly.
.2 km/s
.8 km/s
.5 km/s
.1 km/s
.6 km/s
.5 km/s!
It was only at 12.5 km/s that Lin Zhichen began to feel the strain. His Psionic perception and mental processing speed were nearly at their limit.
Just converting it into a Psionic Skill had increased Sublight Assault's speed from 1.2 km/s to 12.5 km/s!
What benefits did the increase in assault speed bring?
It meant the Qinyuan's speed while firing on the move had increased from 1.2 km/s to 12.5 km/s, while its rate of fire remained unchanged.
When targeted by an enemy fleet, the faster a ship moved, the less likely it was to be locked on to by the enemy's shipboard electronic control systems, making it safer.
The psionic transformation of Sublight Assault had brought about a qualitative leap in the skill.
After circling through space to his heart's content and shaking off two pursuing NPC Fleets along the way, Lin Zhichen piloted the Qinyuan back to the Solar System once more.
"Big Brother, how did it go? Have the pirates and the Rebel Army decided a winner yet?" Link asked. He hadn't gone along to the Dakan System this time.
"No. They're still fighting. It doesn't look like there'll be a winner anytime soon." Lin Zhichen shook his head. "That's a good thing. You can only fish in troubled waters."
Still, he felt some pressure. The two sides had been fighting a fleet battle for a long time, yet the number of ships in their Main Fleets hadn't decreased. That showed just how many warships each side received with every refresh cycle.
It was an unambiguously bad sign. It meant that the number and scale of NPC Bases in this star region far exceeded his estimates, and he would face even greater pressure when the time came to confront them.
After turning Sublight Strike into a Psionic Combat Skill, Lin Zhichen finally had some free time. He planned to make a trip to the Asteroid Belt soon.
Over the next month, aside from checking on the progress of the battle in the Dakan System every few days, he stayed at the headquarters base, training NPC Crew while waiting for the Aircraft Carrier to arrive.
When the new month began and the Gate of Time and Space refreshed again, the pirate NPC crewmen he had captured earlier, along with the newly recruited NPC Crew who would operate the Aircraft Carrier and its carrier-based aircraft—including the pilots—had all mastered the basic skill of Refining Essence into Qi with the help of NZT-50. After being nourished by Psionic potions, their physical condition had improved considerably.
NPCs refreshed by the system were at the bottom of their respective professions. Clone Soldiers, for instance, tended to be physically inferior to Natural Person soldiers who had undergone rigorous training.
Of course, that was only their initial state. They would all receive professional training later. In fact, this was the norm for all military forces: whoever could train the best NPCs at the lowest cost would gain a greater advantage in battle.
"There hasn't been a new Instance World this month." Lin Zhichen felt a little disappointed, though he had been prepared for it. After gathering his thoughts, he looked toward the Black Hole Surface.
"We need a second Psionic Warship now."
The Psionic orb floated in his hand. The Killing Ship Spirit, the relic, and the character were all unique. Within this Instance World, the most precious thing he could still obtain was the orb before him, which could turn a Frigate into a Psionic Warship.
"I'll give this Psionic Warship to Ake," he mused. "But not in the Solar System—not even within the Federation.
"It's a pity I'm still quite far from Hero Tier."
If he reached Hero Tier and transformed his Psionic skills into a domain, the Qinyuan could take a fleet and jump straight from the Solar System to the Dakan System. He wouldn't have to agonize over it like he did now.
"Big Brother, our Aircraft Carrier's arrived! It's all over Earth Star Net now!" Wei Peng burst into the training room and announced excitedly.
"It's here already?" Lin Zhichen was taken aback. He'd been focused on the Gate of Time and Space and had missed the message on his holographic wristband.
As he headed toward the parking lot, he opened his wristband and immediately saw a pinned message: "Shocking! The Solar System's First Aircraft Carrier Has Arrived—Earth Enters the Main Fleet Era!"
He opened the video. The camera was at the space Starport, where a colossal vessel sat in its dock. Compared to it, the nearby ships looked like skiffs next to an ocean liner.
Aircraft Carriers relied on carrier-based aircraft to fight, and had always been an order of magnitude larger than warships in the same class.
Lin Zhichen had ordered a Light Aircraft Carrier, one of the smaller members of the carrier family, yet its hull was still 2,853 meters long—larger than the biggest Battleship and comparable in size to a Flagship-class Warship!
"Finally! Earthlings finally have a large warship!"
"That Aircraft Carrier is freakishly huge. The Frigate next to it looks like a giant standing beside a dwarf!"
"2,800 meters long—I swear, I couldn't run from one end to the other without stopping!"
"An Aircraft Carrier! It's invincible in the Solar System now!"
"Mom asked why I was watching the video on my knees."
"Whose is it? Whose? Anyone know which rich guy ordered it?"
"Use your head, people upstairs. Could someone own something this massive? Some big family must have bought it, right?"
"Go to bed, everyone. It's the royal family or a consortium again. This is a game for the powerful; it has nothing to do with us common folk."
"Public opinion on Earth is pretty bad. Looks like a lot of people are resentful," Lin Zhichen remarked casually.
"Don't let them mislead you, Big Brother. Most of the people with time to spend online are the unambitious ones. They can live comfortably on Federation relief payments." Wu Tianyi shook his head. "Even the most ordinary civilians receive some benefits. For example, they can get free basic cellular optimization fluid, which adds anywhere from a few years to a decade to their lives.
"Think about it. If you can live comfortably without working hard, who'd want to risk their life among the stars?
"According to surveys published on StarNet by various independent organizations, not many people are willing to study at a Virtual Academy and become professionals in the Interstellar Era, such as captains, Warship Pilots, and pilots. They make up only about 15% of the population."
"That few? What about the Federation's other Administrative Planets? What's the percentage there?" Lin Zhichen was surprised. He never paid attention to such things and hadn't realized so many people were willing to coast through life.
But on reflection, it made sense. Dying cost ten years of one's lifespan. If people could live comfortably without taking risks, who would want to fight for their lives?
"Less than 10%. Actually, Earthlings rank in the top ten across the Federation for ambition. Surprised?" Wei Peng joked.
Lin Zhichen: "..."
Soon, over a hundred flying cars shot into the sky and headed for the outer-space Starport.
"Now that's a sight," Link said, watching the Starport's dock draw closer. A colossal beast loomed ever nearer.
The enormous metal hull lay still, like a beast at rest. The nearby Frigates, each less than two hundred meters long, looked like insignificant little skiffs.
Energy shimmered across its vast form, and the Aircraft Carrier's surface gleamed with a cold metallic sheen. Its sharply defined hull and immense size gave it a distinctive air of authority.
Unlike Aircraft Carriers of the Planetary Era, whose exposed flight decks allowed planes to take off with a ski-jump, Interstellar Era carriers had fully enclosed armored hulls. The passages used by Space Fighters were hidden beneath thick armor.
There was more than one passage. The hatches along the length of the hull had all been closed. From the outside, the armor fit seamlessly together, and there was no sign of where the exits were.
Lin Zhichen opened the Aircraft Carrier's status panel:
"Orca-class Aircraft Carrier Size: Length 2,853 m, Width 1,132.7 m, Height 489.5 m Hull Value: 8,900 Armor: 23 Shield: 4,500 Shield Recharge Rate: 12% Damage: 3.08 Speed: 30 Evasion: 15.5% Carrier-based Aircraft: 144*5"
As a large warship in the same class as a Battleship, the Aircraft Carrier's armor and firepower were nothing special. It had always relied on its carrier-based aircraft to fight.
"The Space Fighters we purchased are Flowing Light Multi-function Fighters. They can fend off enemy fighter groups as interceptors, or sortie to support the fleet." Wu Tianyi explained. He had chosen the Space Fighter model, and Lin Zhichen had handled the purchase.
"Flowing Light Fighters are versatile. Equipped with missiles, they become part of a swarm. With torpedoes, they become torpedo bombers. If they carry space mines, they can even serve as minelayers."
Lin Zhichen nodded repeatedly. Though a multi-purpose fighter like this couldn't match specialized fighters at any one task, it was the best choice for the still-small Meteor Mercenary Group. Its range of weaponry meant it could handle complex battlefield situations.
In the Interstellar Era, air forces usually organized their fighters into squadrons of 12, groups of 12 squadrons, and wings of 12 groups.
The Orca-class Aircraft Carrier carried five groups, for a total of 720 fighters. That was nothing in a large-scale war, but in a small-scale battle, it was already a significant factor in securing victory.
The Aircraft Carrier was enormous and required a great many pilots. Even though the ship was highly automated and intelligent, it still had more than 1,500 NPC Crew.
At least until the furor over NZT-50 had died down, Lin Zhichen had no intention of recruiting many Natural Persons to fill important positions.
After all, NPCs had certain limitations, and situations such as double agents were basically unheard of among them.
The flying cars ferrying the NPCs made several trips before all the personnel were aboard. After taking some time to complete the resupply, the fleet—which had been docked at the space Starport for days—finally departed and headed into space.
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