LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 29 - Arrival of the Fire Phoenix
Chapter 29:Arrival of the Fire Phoenix
“You don’t need to worry about money.Soon,we will have an inexhaustible supply of energy credits,”Lin Zhichen waved his hand and looked at a scholarly young man who was nearly bald:”You must be Dr.Li Ping,whom Da Peng mentioned?”
“Yes,Commander,”Li Ping shrugged.”I am the head of the mercenary group’s research department,responsible for scientific research.Of course,there isn’t much to do at the moment.”
“There will be soon,”Lin Zhichen said.”There is a new drug you should look into.Get the product ready as soon as possible.”
Li Ping glanced at the data Lin Zhichen sent over:”This is…!”
“A new drug that aids in learning,”Lin Zhichen said casually.”This will be our future source of funding.Get it ready as soon as possible.”
He then looked at Wei Chenglin and instructed,”Contact the Earth Defense Directorate.We will soon have 23 pirate ships arriving at the port.These are the spoils of this battle and the foundation of our mercenary group’s future.”
“Yes,Commander!”Wei Chenglin pondered for a moment.”Commander,in the short term,our fleet can use Earth’s starport,but in the long term,we must have a base of our own.
Commander,the pirate base you attacked in the asteroid belt would be very suitable…”
“Our base won’t be in the solar system.I’ll figure something out when the time comes,”Lin Zhichen shook his head.He had too many secrets,and it wouldn’t be appropriate to keep them under the Federation’s watchful eyes.
After assigning the tasks and bidding farewell to the senior staff,he went to his room in a high-rise villa.
Sunlight poured in,and the high-altitude wind was gently filtered by a faint energy shield,making it feel particularly soft.Sitting on a lounge chair by the swimming pool,it almost felt like a sunny beach.
At this moment,he had the time to review his gains from this trip.He had destroyed over two hundred pirate ships and acquired fifty to sixty pieces of loot.
The most valuable items were three destroyer blueprints and fourteen frigate blueprints,followed by five large turrets,as well as some small turrets and shipborne accessories.
He kept the three destroyer blueprints,sold the fourteen frigate blueprints,various turrets,and shipborne accessories,and with the 20%discount from the military shipyard,he finally gathered enough funds to cover the cost of three standard destroyers.
After placing the order,what initially seemed like a huge sum of money was reduced to just a few dozen credits for pocket money.
“No matter how much money you make,it’s never enough.”
He sighed inwardly but was not worried.Once NZT-50 began production and hit the market,the entire mercenary group would gain a continuous stream of wealth,enough to make others envious.
At this moment,however,Lin Zhichen felt a sense of calm.He had understood in his previous life that great rewards came with great risks.If he wanted to develop steadily,relying on talent alone would make him a corps commander,a hero who shook the stars,and a pillar of humanity.
But he wanted more.He wanted to personally establish a nation,one that could rival or even surpass the Federation,to join the upper echelons of the galactic family,and even to venture beyond the galaxy to witness the vastness of the universe.
In comparison,the mere solar system was too small,far from accommodating his ambitions.
“The Federation won’t covet everything I have because it needs to maintain order!Those who will covet my assets are the major conglomerates,big families,and even vassal states that make up the Federation.
But the production rights for NZT-50 cannot bypass the Meteor Mercenary Group because these rights are already bound.I cannot die,at least not due to a conspiracy,because I can dissolve the mercenary group at the last moment before my death,rendering their efforts futile.
The most likely scenario is coercion and enticement,using various means to force me to comply.As long as I withstand it and get through the brief period of weakness,the Meteor Mercenary Group will experience rapid development.”
He closed his eyes,enjoying the sunlight and breeze.Thanks to the Federation’s modifications,the planetary weather control device that had been built could artificially regulate Earth’s climate and temperature changes,keeping them at the most optimal levels.
Due to the unique nature of the new universe,no matter how advanced the technology,without the proper permissions,it was impossible to terraform a barren planet into a habitable paradise.
This restriction made life-bearing planets in the galaxy extremely precious.Excluding those unmodifiable Class V planets,such as toxic planets,and subtracting some unsuitable Class IV planets,like pure ocean planets,as well as those Class III planets that were difficult and costly to terraform,the number of planets that could be colonized by humans was very few,each one an incredibly valuable treasure.
Planets like Earth,which required no or minimal modification to be directly habitable,were Class II planets and were even rarer treasures among treasures,each one needing to be carefully protected.
“Next comes a busy period.”
It was foreseeable that once NZT-50 was exposed,the entire Federation’s attention would turn towards it.
Once some under-the-table maneuvers failed to work,the most likely outcome would be mutual compromise.The production rights were with the Meteor Mercenary Group,as determined by the permissions.
However,the scale of the Meteor Mercenary Group meant that the production capacity it could offer would inevitably fall far short of meeting the entire Federation’s needs—this was also due to permission restrictions.Unless the Federation military made an exception and directly upgraded the Meteor Mercenary Group to a full-fledged corps.
That was still impossible,for the same reason:the Federation was the greatest beneficiary of order and must also be its greatest maintainer.
“The Federation will take the lion’s share,but the remaining small portion will still be enough to make the Meteor Mercenary Group thrive,”Lin Zhichen closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Three days later,in a dedicated training room,Lin Zhichen,who was training his crew,was disturbed by a holographic communication.A casual glance made his temples throb.
Reluctantly,he left the training room and sat down in his villa:”Why are you contacting me again?Didn’t we make things clear last time?”
“Coordinates!”The tall beauty asked directly.
Lin Zhichen casually sent over the location of the headquarters.If she could enter the solar system,Earth wouldn’t be able to stop her.
Soon,a gem-red flying car descended.As it sped through the sky,a trail of flames burned behind it,resembling a phoenix flying at high speed.
“Fire Phoenix,truly wealthy!”Lin Zhichen clicked his tongue in slight amazement.
The Fire Phoenix brand flying car,produced by the Federation’s Bacchus Heavy Industries Group,was a high-end vehicle equipped with a luxurious cabin that can accommodate up to five passengers.
The most striking feature was its built-in miniature quark fusion reactor,supporting both hyperspace and sub-light speed engines,and equipped with a shipborne electromagnetic deflection shield comparable to that of a destroyer.
With such luxurious configurations,its price was naturally exorbitant—7998 energy credits,enough to build a standard cruiser.
In short,this thing was a luxury toy for the nobility.Even if the current Meteor Mercenary Group were stripped to the bone,it would barely be able to afford this single flying car!
The Fire Phoenix’s speed was incredibly fast.As it descended through the atmosphere,the friction made it look like a crimson bird diving swiftly,and in an instant,it was hovering above the high-rise villa.