Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

Six bursts of fire erupted within the base, tearing a large gap in the dense firepower net. Six turrets were destroyed almost simultaneously.

After one dive, Lin Zhichen's psionic senses picked up a sharp, dangerous feeling. The "Qinyuan" accelerated again, escaping the danger zone before the next wave of attacks arrived.

Lin Zhichen and the "Qinyuan" were one, like a seasoned hunter. Each dive was like a falcon striking from the sky, launching one fatal attack after another at its prey.

Round after round, electromagnetic cannon shells streaked down, while the pirate base's counterattacks grew increasingly feeble. Once the dense firepower net showed weaknesses, the "Qinyuan's" threat capability was greatly reduced. Eventually, the pirates were forced to activate their point-defense cannons, originally meant for space fighters and even ground troops, to deal with the space warship.

Point-defense cannons were mostly multi-barreled electromagnetic machine guns that could unleash a large number of micro electromagnetic projectiles in the shortest time. They posed a significant threat to low-defense targets like missiles and space fighters.

However, for the "Qinyuan," these electromagnetic projectiles, after passing through the Improved Electromagnetic Deflection Shield, only splashed sparks against the hull armor, causing no other damage.

Instead, the exposure of these firing points and their subsequent destruction cleared a major obstacle for the approaching Army ground troops.

When the last point-defense cannon fell silent, the military transport ships had already approached the pirate base. Cylindrical landing pods were directly dropped onto the base.

Orbital drop, the fastest and most dangerous form of air assault, directly deployed the army onto the most perilous battlefield.

If the pirate base's point-defense cannons had not been destroyed, deploying landing pods at this moment would have been sending the army to its death. While electromagnetic machine guns had little effect on starships, they posed a fatal threat to landing pods, army soldiers, and even light armored units.

Landing pods streaked through space, piercing the energy shields. Their conical bottoms dug into the pirate base's steel ground plating. Amidst steaming gas, the hatches quickly opened, forming ladders of victory.

The first to appear were not infantry, but drones buzzing like a swarm of bees.

Controlled by Army Soldiers, these combat drones, resembling miniature cruise missiles, would rapidly charge at targets. The high-energy bombs carried within their bodies would detonate, capable of destroying an armored vehicle.

Soon, explosions echoed from within the pirate base. Then, NPC Army Soldiers, clad in white plastic steel armor and wielding laser guns, rushed out, heading for the vital points of the base.

Anti-gravity armored vehicles and tanks rolled out. Large landing pods deployed these heavy weapons onto the battlefield, instantly boosting the combat power of the Army Soldiers several notches.

On the transport ship, Wei Peng stood by the holographic combat analysis system, observing the battlefield.

Thanks to the combined efforts of drones and shipboard radar, the situation inside the base was crystal clear. Red and green dots moved rapidly across the complex streets, with light spots occasionally extinguishing, often signifying casualties on both sides.

The holographic real-time battlefield interaction system aggregated the vision of every friendly unit, forming this complex, dynamic battlefield. Enemy and friendly positions were clearly marked, with data directly shared with the frontline combatants.

At this moment, automated turrets distributed throughout the area were ready, accurately projecting smart shells at the enemy according to coordinates.

This digitized, intelligent form of combat was once a dream system for great powers in the Planet Era. In the Interstellar Era, it was the most commonly used battlefield technology.

Defeat came like a landslide. When the pirate fleet was destroyed and the base's turrets were eliminated one by one, the combat morale of the pirate NPCs plummeted. As the NPC army advanced, large numbers of resisting pirate combatants were killed. Soon, pirate NPCs on the battlefield, their will to fight broken, began to surrender.

When the first surrender occurred, there would be a second, then a third, until all areas on the base's surface were captured.

"Dapeng, relax. The pirate base's main control Intelligent Brain has been suppressed by the fleet's Intelligent Brain. They can't even attempt a mutual destruction!" Wu Tianyi said through the command system.

Another difficulty in capturing a pirate base was that each base was equipped with nuclear bombs as a last resort for mutual destruction. Of course, in the information age, this was not insurmountable.

"I understand." Wei Peng breathed a sigh of relief. It was his first time commanding troops in actual combat, and he didn't have to worry about being wiped out.

At this moment, only the pirate leader and a group of high-ranking officials remained, hiding in the fortified central control room in the lower levels of the base, still struggling in vain.

A platoon of Army Soldiers arrived at the gate. It was a gate constructed from Universal Alloy, and conventional means could not open it.

The mechanical lock had already been activated, making it impossible for even the fleet's main brain to reopen the gate remotely.

But this was not an unsolvable problem. Soon, a spider-like robot quickly approached. This metal machine, nearly ten feet in diameter, unleashed a dazzling laser beam onto the gate. Soon, the sturdy alloy was dissolved by extreme heat.

Two minutes later, a passage, dripping with molten metal, appeared before the terrified pirate high-ranking officials.

After a brief exchange of fire, the main control room was captured, signifying the complete fall of this pirate base.

"We can notify our buyer now," Wei Peng said with a sigh of relief. He smiled at his companions watching on the holographic projection.

"Although we lost over a dozen soldiers, the result is quite good."

"Well done," Lin Zhichen praised.

Army Soldiers and pilots were Cannon Fodder, and even the fleet was Cannon Fodder on the battlefield. It was impossible to remain unscathed at all times.

He had noticed that after this actual combat, the general combat skills of these rookies who had just entered the battlefield had reached the expert level. This was already the selection standard for the Federation's elite army.

"Indeed, diligence repays the heavens. It's only through actual combat that its greatest effect can be realized."

His summary during this period led him to discover that the simpler the technology, the better its effect in actual combat. As Cannon Fodder among Cannon Fodder, his talent was perfect for training the army, making the process incredibly fast.

"Big Brother, what do we do next?" Wu Tianyi asked.

"Call the unit that offered the highest price, transfer the money, and hand over the base," Lin Zhichen said after some thought. "Also, sort through the pirate NPCs in the base. Take the useful ones with high talent, and the NPCs from the pirate fleets. Train them together during this time and integrate them into our ranks."

"Understood. But Big Brother, won't this take about a month?" Wu Tianyi asked.

"A month it is. We're not in a hurry," Lin Zhichen replied. "Our main priority now is to increase the size of the fleet!"

After arranging everything, he relaxed again. Having a reliable and capable adjutant saved a lot of energy for more important matters.

"I didn't even use any of the mechanical conversions this time, all to train the Army!" He pondered for a moment and looked at the floating metal cube in the command cabin.

Mysterious energy patterns flickered across the silver-gray cube, and countless runes flashed and disappeared in an instant.

The AllSpark was a divine artifact of mechanical civilization, capable of transforming any mechanical body into a Transformers, a silicon-based life form.

"I can't waste this month," Lin Zhichen casually selected a Pirate Raider. "It's you!"

"Buzz~"

The AllSpark trembled, unleashing a surging energy flow that transformed into a beam of light. It pierced directly through the hull of the "Qinyuan," striking the raider.

This energy was so immense that for a moment, Lin Zhichen felt as if he were facing a Battleship's Particle Light Spear. However, in reality, the energy unleashed by the AllSpark, though powerful, seemed to be merely a wave, a form of information. It didn't interact with any matter in the real Universe.

No, it did interact with something. The moment this beam struck the Pirate Raider, the mechanical body seemed to suddenly come alive, giving him the feeling of possessing life, just like the "Qinyuan."

One minute later, this beam finally vanished. Lin Zhichen glanced at the AllSpark; the energy waves emanating from its surface seemed to have significantly weakened.

"Energy Level: 150/300"

It was clear that transforming the Pirate Raider into a silicon-based lifeform had consumed half of its energy. However, the remaining half couldn't be used for further transformations due to a one-month cooldown period.

"Crack~"

Bathed in the light, the Raider, which had been motionless, stirred, drawing the attention of several individuals.

Amidst a complex series of mechanical transformations, a colossal metal giant, hundreds of meters tall, appeared in space.

"Holy crap, it's a Gundam!" Wei Peng's startled voice blared over the comms channel.

Gundams were a concept from the Planet era, where humans directly piloted giant combat mechs, capable of even cleaving Battleships in two. They were incredibly awesome.

However, comic artists relied on imagination, while warfare depended on real-world technology. The Federation hadn't been without its own ideas for Gundam-like combat units. But after building a prototype, they discovered that not only was the cost exorbitant, but its combat effectiveness was also inferior to space fighters. Thus, the project was shelved.

"Commander, Transformer HWJ reporting!"

The mech's cold voice echoed through the comms device, and the channel immediately fell silent.

Lin Zhichen didn't reply. He directly opened the personal panel of this self-proclaimed Transformer:

[Transformer HWJ - Intelligent Mechanical Body, Red]
[Size: Height 102.5m, Weight 101,300 tons]
[Class: Soldier Apprentice]
[Talents:]
[1: Transform Yellow: Freely switch between humanoid/Fortress/Battleship forms]
    -King Kong Transform Yellow: Enhance own chassis and armor by absorbing higher-quality alloys until reaching the upper limit of Frigate-class for this unit.
    -Rapid Fire Light Red: Weapon rate of fire +12%
[Skills:]
[1: Shoot Red, Apprentice 0.16%: Weapon hit rate +1%, Shooting damage +1%]
[2: Rapid Fire Light Red, Apprentice 0.35%: Weapon rate of fire +1%]
[Chassis Value: 350]
[Armor: 10]
[Shield: 200]
[Shield Recharge Rate: 5%]
[Damage: 8.13]
[Speed: 210]
[Evasion: 50%]
[Evaluation: Unbelievable! A hunk of metal has come to life!]

"A killing machine!" Wu Tianyi exclaimed, staring at the Transformer, clearly having also seen its personal panel.

"It's a silicon-based lifeform and has a personal panel, which means it has the potential to grow!"

Elevating from an industrial product to an intelligent lifeform, the Transformer's form represented an evolution.

Just thinking about the gap between the NPC he had just purchased and expert or master-level NPCs made him realize what the emergence of the Transformer meant. For a considerable period, it would be a main force of the Meteor Mercenary Group!

"Let's see its Fortress form!" Link urged.

Lin Zhichen gave the order directly. In just one minute, the colossal mechanical entity curled up in space, transforming into a turret. A steel Fortress composed of three small Electromagnetic Cannons.

"This is a defensive form. It works best in conjunction with asteroids, serving as a fixed turret," Wei Peng immediately grasped the key aspect.