The newly built Research Center continued its work on scientific theory, advancing the technological framework for use in war.
Block-shaped Computing Centers rose across the planet's surface as the Molecular Robots spread.
The total mass of the Molecular Robots had already reached ten billion tonnes, and they continued replicating themselves.
Construction began on the foundations of the Planetary Engines, while material and energy refineries went into production.
Everything proceeded in a tense but orderly fashion, while Luo Qi kept his attention fixed on the region within seven light-years.
Vast amounts of nebular matter interfered with electromagnetic detection. Passive receivers could not clearly pick up signals from afar, so a high-powered active detection system needed to be built.
Luo Qi therefore designed a new-generation model of small fusion-powered spacecraft.
He sent the design to the Integrated Production Factory for production, intending to use it for auxiliary work on space engineering projects.
Soon, new-generation Multifunctional Fighters rose from the surface factories. They would continually carry thousands of satellites into planetary orbit.
The satellite constellation would perform extremely long-range scans of the outside world, establish an intelligence defense system, and build a standard planetary network.
At the twentieth hour, three Fourth-Generation Warships detached from their bases, left the planet's gravitational influence, and began testing.
Just then, drifting meteorites entered the Stellar System Group, and a Fourth-Generation Warship departed at faster-than-light speed.
It reappeared at the designated position and immediately launched a wide-area attack, indiscriminately sweeping away the meteorites entering the Stellar System.
The Fourth-Generation Warship performed a light-speed jump. Unfortunately, although the power of its instruments had been increased,
the use of new materials had brought its total mass to twenty-two billion tonnes and greatly increased its size, reducing its speed to twenty-eight times the speed of light.
The new satellite observation