Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

Construction Materials: 150,000 units of Universal Alloy

Construction Cycle: 30 years

Sale Price: 100 million Energy Coins"

"This is truly…" Wu Tianyi stammered for a long time before finally spitting out a word: "Audacious!"

What is the Sky-Piercing Fortress?

It is a military fortress of the Fifth Sequence, the strongest fortress of all Civilized Nations.

It can be said that this single fortress could easily withstand a standard fleet of over ten thousand starships. If combined with a defense fleet, such a specialized defensive fortress would almost never fall.

"Big Brother, over here!" Link pointed to the two selected Blueprint projections. Lin Zhichen looked over, and they were indeed the military port and space fortress they needed.

"They are both standard specifications. The military port costs 100,000 Energy Coins, and the space fortress costs 1 million! They are really too expensive."

"It's right that they're expensive. This kind of business carries great risks, and they are all one-off sales." A voice sounded. The few of them looked up and saw an old man in a mask who had appeared in the virtual shop at some unknown time:

"Who buys military fortresses if not major powers?

They all cultivate their own Draftsmen. Once these Blueprints are bought, they can be replicated themselves. This is equivalent to buying a complete knowledge system, and then they can play by themselves."

"It's not that simple, is it? The content of this military fortress Blueprint is complex. Replicating the entire set would take an unknown amount of time," Lin Zhichen mused. He casually browsed through it, and the countless streams of information within the Blueprint made him dizzy.

Even a top student would kneel before such a massive amount of information, which showed that being a Draftsman was not something anyone could do.

"Heh, you can tell you're a newbie just by listening. Haven't you heard of dedicated drafting computers?" the old man said impatiently. "Buy it if you want, or leave if you don't."

"You—" Wei Peng, who had a fiery temper, was furious and wanted to step forward to speak, but Lin Zhichen stopped him. "Old sir, I want the Blueprints, and I also want a drafting computer. Please be accommodating!"

"I only sell Blueprints here. Drafting computers are rare, and I don't have any here. You can try looking in the black market; you might just strike gold." the old man said indifferently.

Lin Zhichen said no more and bought the two Blueprints.

These were merely projections. The real situation was that they would agree on a transaction location and then exchange money for goods – cash on delivery. Online transactions were certainly possible, but they would leave certain clues that might become a ticking time bomb at any moment.

Reluctantly glancing at the many Blueprints in the shop, he closed his holographic bracelet.

"Big Brother, 1.1 million Energy Coins!" Wu Tianyi's heart ached so much he grinned, his teeth aching. Converted into Federation currency, that was an astronomical figure!

"The Star Net already explained that although rebel bases have a chance of dropping military port Blueprints, the probability is very low. You might attack ten bases without getting a single Blueprint.

If it were any other time, we would still have time to take it slow, but we only have two months, and time is tight," Lin Zhichen shook his head. This was not the time to be stingy with money.

A day later, Lin Zhichen, having retrieved the two Blueprints through a covert channel, piloted the "Tengshe" back to the Dakan System. Upon arriving above Dakan 1, he saw a colossal Transport Ship, over 50 kilometers in size, hovering there.

Transport Ships were like diligent little bees, transporting the materials loaded inside the Transport Ship to the underground base's warehouse one by one.

Lin Zhichen couldn't help but stand by the ship's hull, looking at the behemoth in outer space through the special glass.

The "Megalodon" was huge, but it was nothing compared to these large civilian ships. Placed side by side, they were like the difference between an aircraft carrier and a frigate.

The "Tengshe" slowly passed the side of the Transport Ship. The alloy hull, like a city wall, stretched endlessly, almost obscuring the entire view, presenting a stern and beautiful aesthetic from an industrial perspective.

"Beep beep~"

The holographic communication sound rang out, and Conilia's beautiful figure appeared on the holographic communicator in the command cabin:

"This is the secret base you chose? I must say, your taste is quite good. The base is hidden dozens of kilometers underground. Even if its location were discovered, there wouldn't be many ways to attack it; it would have to be a direct confrontation."

In the New Universe, the upper limit of weapons and equipment was almost fixed. Weapons like the Star Destroyer Cannon were extremely rare, the trump cards of every powerful civilization. Private forces had no possibility of possessing them.

Under such circumstances, twenty-odd kilometers of earth strata were the best armor, as there were currently no weapons capable of penetrating such thick strata to directly destroy an underground base.

The weapons developed by Humanity were too small for a Planet. Seemingly earth-shattering explosions might only scratch the surface of these behemoths, barely causing any damage.

"I don't plan on fighting a ground battle. It's best if it can be resolved in space," Lin Zhichen said while watching the Transport Ship unload.

"How did you do it? Teleporting such a massive Transport Ship directly through space?"

"This Universe is much larger than you see," Conilia said with a hint of depth in her tone. "This Transport Ship isn't exactly a behemoth. You can talk about huge when you've seen a Planet-class Transport Ship."

Lin Zhichen was speechless. He had occasionally heard of Planet-class Transport Ships, with the smallest having a hull exceeding a thousand kilometers. Compared to those super-sized starships, the one before him could indeed be considered small, like a tadpole.

"Big Brother, it's all thanks to Ms. Conilia this time. She brought complete high-end metallurgical equipment, and our smelting factory will soon be able to operate at full capacity, producing hundreds of units of Bc-106 Superalloy every day!" Wu Tianyi's figure appeared on the projector.

"And SAC-17a Superalloy. The biggest advantage of this set of equipment is its versatility, allowing for free and rapid adjustment of the production line to mass-produce various types of Superalloys. This has been a great help!"

"You don't need to thank me. I also didn't expect you to have such excellent material scientists," Conilia smiled.

"Not every Psionicist with the Matter Reorganization talent is a great material scientist, but Li Heng has achieved it."

Psionic energy could indeed enhance a person's talent, but whether one could become an excellent scientist depended primarily on talent, but not entirely.

Only those with high intelligence who craved knowledge and could endure loneliness had the potential to be scientists. Unfortunately, few possessed all these factors.

"Have you heard of drafting computers?" Lin Zhichen asked.

Conilia frowned slightly. "Did you hear about it in the black market? The rarity of that thing is comparable to a Relic. It's not even sold in the black market. Not only is it regulated, but drafting computers are also strategic resources that can accelerate the work efficiency of Draftsmen; they are extremely rare."

"How so?" Lin Zhichen asked.

"Draftsmen can use dedicated drafting computers to speed up their drawing. The speed increase varies depending on the computer. I heard that some super drafting computers can allow expert-level Draftsmen to draw 10 Battleships in an hour, increasing efficiency by hundreds of times compared to normal conditions."

Conilia spread her hands helplessly.

"I assume you've already searched the black market and found no stock, right? Now you know how precious that thing is."

Lin Zhichen sighed, "What a shame."

He only had two Draftsmen, and one of them was just a beginner, so he couldn't use them.

"Don't worry, I brought you something good this time," Conilia smiled slightly, "You can guess what it is?"

"Spider Silk Clothing?" Lin Zhichen asked with interest.

In any world, it was easiest to make money from women.

There was a special spider in the New Universe whose silk was smooth and lustrous, with a natural and unconventional color. It was popular with many noble ladies—and of course, with men too.

Because this silk was best suited for making… interesting Lingerie, whose semi-revealing effect was quite outstanding and drove people wild.

"Go to hell!" Conilia said angrily. She was truly defeated by this thick-skinned man and retorted, "It's a Subspace Sensor for large bases, with a hyperspace detection range of 2 light-seconds in diameter, enough to cover an entire star system.

Radar detection range is 24 light-seconds!

Subspace sensors are third-generation radars, especially those for bases. Because they are not limited by size and energy supply, their power is immense, and their detection range far exceeds that of ship-borne radars.

This type of radar, exclusively for bases, is also a military-controlled item. Although it's not as strictly classified as a military port Blueprint, and it's not easy to obtain, Conilia really went to a lot of trouble.

"Not bad, not bad, I'll accept this dowry of yours first. By the way, as a wealthy young lady, this little bit isn't enough for your worth," Lin Zhichen nodded with satisfaction, and continued to tease her verbally.

"For a while, the 'Anboli' will continue to transport resources. Contact the Captain directly for what you need. I'll help you purchase it—of course, you'll have to pay," Conilia said irritably.

"I will do my best to delay for you, but I can't guarantee how long. You need to be prepared as soon as possible."

After speaking, the holographic communication was disconnected.

"Big Brother, you even made the Goddess of Wealth angry and scared her away," Wei Peng chuckled from the side.

"You know nothing. The money is here, and she'll come back sooner or later," Lin Zhichen said unceremoniously. "Quick, turn on the radar first. We need eyes the most."

Wu Tianyi had done better than expected. Not long after he gave the order, he felt a radar wave spread out. Clearly, before he returned, Wu Tianyi had already ordered someone to install the radar.

"Big Brother, come and see." Not long after the large base Subspace Sensor was activated, Wu Tianyi's serious face appeared on the holographic communicator. Lin Zhichen frowned and strode forward. He saw the data model projected by the ship's holographic projector within the radar detection range.

Among them, the numerous light spots gradually approaching the base were the most conspicuous.

"It's a fleet, about 20 light-seconds away from us. The target is not yet clear," Wu Tianyi said. "From the current direction of the fleet's movement, it will miss Dakan I, but at its closest point to us, it will only be 5 light-seconds away."

5 light-seconds is about 1.5 million kilometers. This distance is an astronomical number on the ground, but in space, it's the blink of an eye. It's really too close.

"Big Brother, let me go take a look," Link volunteered. "We've had the Guiche Hao for so long, it's time to take it out for a spin."

Lin Zhichen didn't answer immediately. He looked at the unknown fleet displayed on the radar and frowned slightly. "Only about 1,000 ships? It's a small fleet. Which faction could it be?"

Logically, the battle at Dakan I ended very quickly, and it shouldn't have attracted much attention from NPC factions. But the current situation was clearly beyond expectations.

His keen Psionic energy perception gave him a vague, different premonition. It felt like a new threat, or perhaps just an illusion—vague and difficult to discern.

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

"Our fleet will prepare for battle, relying on Dakan I. I'll go check the situation of the enemy fleet. I'll be back soon."

Lin Zhichen replied. Before he could enter the underground base, the 'Tengshe' cut an arc through space and sped towards the unknown fleet.

The closer he got, the more sensitive his Psionic energy perception became, and the strange feeling grew stronger. He was now certain that this fleet of unknown origin had something unusual about it.

With the boost from the Gravity Drive, the 'Tengshe' had astonishing speed. Flying at 50% of light speed, it reached within 3 light-seconds of the unknown fleet in just a few seconds.

The next moment, the 'Tengshe' drastically reduced its speed, entering a combat state of 300 kilometers per second. The unknown fleet was now very close.

Clearly, the 'Tengshe's' blatant intrusion had alerted the fleet. Immediately, over a dozen Frigates detached from their formation and began to surround it from a distance.

Broad-area communication broadcasts were also sent out, repeatedly inquiring about the origin of the 'Tengshe'.

In fact, this was a normal reaction when encountering an unfamiliar starship. Without confirming identities, both sides would maintain a degree of vigilance.

Lin Zhichen did not respond to the enemy fleet's communications. Anyone who could brazenly traverse the Dark Galaxy didn't look like one of them. He decided to pretend he hadn't heard and continued to approach the fleet.

This attitude immediately put the other side on alert. After repeated unanswered inquiries, a starship immediately opened fire.