Although his Captain talent still couldn't compare to his Legendary title or his supernatural ability, it was a talent, and leveling it up could very well lead to a qualitative change.
Even if it couldn't directly boost Star Origin's combat strength, its potential would still soar.
A Captain talent determined a starship's ceiling and how smoothly it could progress!
But even without a Legendary talent, Feng Xiao was confident he could explore the universe with the Heart of Dawn.
The alloy chest opened on its own. Inside lay a fruit that looked like a diamond, its translucent surface a pale-blue, crystal-like layer.
Within it, liquid shimmered and swirled, gleaming ever brighter under the lights.
"How beautiful..."
Wang Hao exclaimed in admiration.
Feng Xiao picked up the fruit and scanned it, confirming it was safe. He was just about to swallow it—
But then Feng Xiao suddenly froze. It felt as though some strange energy had surged out of him, and the crystal fruit in his hand quickly faded beneath its embrace, vanishing completely.
Feng Xiao stared blankly at the hand that had held the fruit. A hint of regret crossed his face.
To be honest, he'd been curious what the crystal fruit tasted like.
Clicking his tongue, he reluctantly opened the talent panel.
[Immortal Ship (Legendary) Level: Lv. 5 Current base effects: Immortality One: Star Point income: 2x Two: Shield energy: 2x Three: Star Weapon slots of the same tier: 4x ... Trait: 'Intermediate Immortal Hull' Reduces all damage by 20% Hull strength +50% Hull damage repairs itself (25%/hour) ... Skill: Moment of Brilliance (CD: 10 days) Effect: Enter 'Brilliance' mode for thirty minutes. Attack and defense attributes +500%. After it ends, all starship attributes decrease by 50% for three days. ... Permanent passive: Star Cycle Effect: After killing an enemy, absorb its internal energy to rapidly restore shield value or repair hull armor and other starship components.]
After reading it, Feng Xiao's eyebrows rose.
The stats had only improved slightly, but the advantage they gave him was enough to overwhelm others of the same level. That wasn't even the most important part.
The real prize was the newly unlocked permanent passive and active skill.
First, Moment of Brilliance.
It was obvious that using this skill in a desperate situation could turn the tide. Star Origin's attributes already far surpassed those of most starships at the same level.
Even against an enemy he couldn't defeat, the terrifying fivefold boost to its speed would let it escape.
With this active skill, Star Origin's chances of survival had soared once more!
As for the second, permanent passive, it showed just how terrifying this Legendary talent was.
It might not be much use in a one-on-one fight, but when battling large numbers of enemies, Star Origin's shield value would never drop below 80% unless the enemy could deal enough damage in one go to strip away at least half of it!
Why was he so confident?
This was a Legendary passive, after all. If its recovery rate weren't high, how could it possibly deserve the name?
Plenty of purple or red Star Weapons had similar effects. The difference was that their energy absorption and recovery rates were abysmal.
In an excellent mood, Feng Xiao closed the panel. Before his talent leveled up, Star Origin's survivability had been a one. Now it was a three!
As an explorer, overall survivability mattered most.
He gestured for the robots to take the unnecessary trash out of the control room, then laughed at Ilde and Wang Hao, who were watching him expectantly.
The two immediately relaxed. Judging by the captain's expression, Star Origin had received a substantial boost.
"Now that Star Origin's upgrades are done, let's get ready for our fifth hunt in another universe."
Star Origin was already powerful, but it also needed far more Star Points to level up than other ships of the same tier.
And since it couldn't increase its level until the Eternal Sun Wall reached Lv. 10, along with the other matters to take care of, its starship level would probably remain at Lv. 25 for a while.
Wang Hao and Ilde took their positions. Feng Xiao glanced at the Heart of Dawn and once again chose random entry.
Without a special anchor point, random it was.
Unlike other starships, Star Origin could enter another universe whenever it wanted. Most starships built around the same time as Star Origin had probably only entered another universe once by now.
Some might not have entered at all.
Even those that had gone in would typically just familiarize themselves with the environment and the process. The Star Points they earned on their first trip were only enough to keep the ship running.
New captains with powerful backing were the exception.
Mysterious rules appeared, and Star Origin vanished from where it had been.
Amid the vast cosmos, Star Origin appeared behind a rocky planet, floating silently.
Feng Xiao opened the briefing.
[Koprulu Sector, located on the outskirts of the star system, is ruled by three powerful civilizations. They are: the Protoss Civilization, which calls itself the Protoss; the native insectoid civilization, the Zerg, distinct from the Cosmic Zerg; and the Terran Confederacy, formed by humans who seceded from a powerful human civilization within the star system. It is worth noting that the Protoss, a near-Grade Four civilization, and the Zerg, a high-level Grade Three civilization, appear to have been altered by an even more powerful civilization. The former possesses advanced intelligence and technology, while the latter pursues sheer numbers and biological technology. By contrast, the Terran Confederacy, which has only just entered Grade Three, is the weakest. Due to outside interference, the Zerg leader brazenly launched an attack on the Protoss homeworld, Aiur. At the same time, the Terran Confederacy was overthrown, and the new Terran Dominion rose from the ruins of the Confederacy. War between the three races erupted. The severely weakened Protoss managed to kill the Zerg leader at great cost, but the leaderless Zerg went berserk and drove the Protoss away all the same. Not long after the first war between the three races ended, the new ruler of the Zerg, the Queen of Blades—formerly human—took power and launched another war. The Protoss, whose homeworld had been overrun by the Zerg during the first war, also chose a new leader: the Hierarch, Artanis! Meanwhile, Mengsk, the first emperor of the Terran Dominion, embarked on the path of dictatorship. A new balance of power had now taken shape. Current situation: The Zerg have returned. On a planet in the human empire called Mar Sara, a human of great destiny, Jim Raynor, has gathered some kind of 'weapon' and is preparing to evacuate. But the Zerg have also arrived, and a grueling defensive battle is about to begin. Note: The power of all three major civilizations has fallen by one tier, but their technological advantage remains. Note: The Protoss and Zerg were altered by the powerful Grade Six peak individual civilization, the Xel'Naga Civilization. Though few in number, its members each possess the combat power of a Star Beast above Grade Six. They also possess immensely powerful energy and biological technologies. Though their own population is small, they have many Grade Five subordinate civilizations. Note: The parent civilization of the human factions in the Koprulu Sector is a Grade Five technological civilization.]
Feng Xiao's pupils contracted. He looked at the familiar briefing in disbelief.
"StarCraft??"
It took Feng Xiao more than twenty minutes to make sense of the situation. This anchor point was about eighty percent identical to the events of StarCraft.
But some things were different. For example, the Xel'naga hadn't gone extinct; their civilization was still developing, albeit slowly.
Likewise, there was no cycle or void connected to the entire 'universe,' and the Grade Five human civilization hadn't sent an expeditionary force to the Koprulu Sector.
Amon still existed, though he definitely wasn't the evil Xel'naga from the game in his previous life, bent on ruling the universe.
He was more likely an agent of the Xel'naga, tasked with monitoring and controlling the Koprulu Sector.
Once he'd figured things out, Feng Xiao headed for Mar Sara without hesitation. He was interested in both the artifact and the Star Points the Zerg could provide.
"Zero Hour... That level kept me stuck on Brutal mode for over two hours. Let's see how cocky I feel when I'm facing starship-sized Zerg in real life!"
Wang Hao and Ilde exchanged glances, confused by Feng Xiao's sudden resentment.
"Men, establish a defensive base! Block the roads with bunkers and cover every gap in the perimeter!"
Raynor, clad in massive powered armor, issued orders, his eyes full of gravity.
The burly man beside him, carrying a huge heavy machine gun, patted him on the shoulder. "More than eight thousand troops, over a hundred bunkers, and plenty of ammunition from the Dominion base. Relax, Jim. We'll be fine!
"We can hold out for at least eight hours."
Raynor shook his head, his voice heavy. "Tychus, they're Zerg. You don't understand how insane and terrifying they are."
Boom! Boom!
As thousands of drop pods descended in the distance, Raynor's eyes narrowed.
The Zerg had arrived!
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