Chapter 303: Replenishing the Fleet

So that was how it was. Li Yu generally understood the sequence of events. Star Gazer was probably not a member of the Savior Ark, but rather had some sort of transaction with them.

Therefore, this resulted in Star Gazer not truly fulfilling the contents of the transaction. He likely believed that Li Yu would absolutely be unable to evade the Savior Ark's pursuit no matter what.

Andras was plunged into despair. Li Yu's methods had exceeded his imagination.

However, his smart terminal only knew the general outline of this mission and didn't understand the deeper secrets of the Savior Ark; otherwise, he would be a sinner.

"Actually... Star Gazer didn't invite me at all..." Li Yu stated frankly. This sentence made Andras stunned. Star Gazer didn't invite Li Yu?

A crappy feeling arose in Andras's heart. Making a move was the worst plan; a peaceful invitation would have been the most suitable.

Then, a trace of hope rose in his heart. If that was the case, then this matter was a misunderstanding, and misunderstandings... could be resolved.

Li Yu himself hadn't suffered much damage; instead, it was them who had been beaten miserably.

"Actually, if he had invited me..." Under Andras's expectant gaze, Li Yu shook his head. "I still would have refused."

And the Savior Ark clearly came for the Other-Dimensional Camp. The two had a fundamental conflict.

This meant that no matter what Star Gazer did, it wouldn't affect the final outcome.

Because even if Star Gazer invited him, he would refuse, which would ultimately still cause the Savior Ark to activate their second plan.

"Why must you fight against the Savior Ark?" Andras was somewhat puzzled, then guessed,

"Is it because of the Other-Dimensional Camp behind you?"

"There's completely no need to be on the brink of war. Both are research institutions with abundant strength; it's entirely possible to cooperate."

The Savior Ark's strength could not be underestimated. The time this research institute had existed was no shorter than many ancient civilizations.

There were even people on the Black Hole Network who said that the Savior Ark was established around the same time as the Star Glory Empire.

The initial establishment time of the Savior Ark could no longer be verified. This research institute was also an extremely powerful armed organization, rumored to possess nearly a million standard warships.

Under normal circumstances, many top-tier civilizations were unwilling to fall out with them.

Fighting against it was not a wise choice.

Li Yu naturally knew this basic information, but the problem was that the Other-Dimensional Camp was completely fabricated by him and simply didn't exist.

And without getting what they wanted, how could the Savior Ark possibly be willing to send Li Yu off with a smile?

"Sorry..." Naturally, Li Yu didn't intend to tell Andras these thoughts. He raised his hand and covered Andras's head. "I simply don't find you guys pleasing to the eye."

"Just hearing your name, it sounds like some kind of holy mother."

This nonsensical reason left Andras dazed.

Bang!

In the next moment, Andras's head exploded like a watermelon. The red and white matter scattered everywhere but didn't land on Li Yu's body.

He casually tossed out golden yellow flames, which landed on Andras's body. In a short while, this A-Tier Lifeform was completely incinerated.

Going outside into the cosmos, Marta was tightly bound by the chains split from the Titan Colonization Armor and had already reverted to a normal human body.

Marta opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but Li Yu paid no attention to it and dealt with him directly with a single hammer strike. Two A-Tier Lifeforms just died like that in the silent starry sky.

Through this battle, Li Yu had a general understanding of his current strength. Combined with Thor's Hammer and various combat states, his standard combat power should have already broken through a hundred thousand Calorie Units.

He had already reached the point of Second Evolution. His speed of progress could be said to be extremely appalling.

If the "Saiyan State" after Near-Death Rebirth was combined with Rage, he could likely be even stronger.

Li Yu's spaceship had already been blown up. Although the spaceship left behind by the opponents was somewhat dilapidated, none of the damage was critical. Li Yu used the Titan Colonization Armor to temporarily repair the damage, then continued the voyage, returning to the Central Star System.

............

Shortly after the two died, in a certain star sector, a fleet was hovering. The dense array of warships was almost endless, seemingly able to cover this entire patch of starry sky.

At the center of the fleet was a super-large planetary-class main ship. It was entirely silver-white, and one could clearly see many small aircraft constantly entering and exiting its surface.

In a certain room of the white high tower at the very center of the main ship, several beings wearing white long robes stood in front of a stone stele filled with complex symbols.

If Li Yu were here, he would definitely be able to discover that the symbols on it were very similar to the symbol that appeared above Andras's head.

And at this moment, blurry images faintly surfaced on the white stele, which was exactly the scene of Li Yu finally killing Andras.

"...I simply don't find you guys pleasing to the eye. Just hearing your name, it sounds like some kind of holy mother..."

"Andras was killed. The mission failed..." a white-robed person said in a low voice.

"Didn't we receive a report earlier saying the target had been captured? Why did it fail again?" another person asked in puzzlement.

"I don't know... The information transmitted by the Caesar Stele is limited..."

"Raise Li Yu's danger level and look for an opportunity. We must definitely find out the faction behind him." Someone set the tone.

.........

Two days later, in a certain spacious room, three people sat facing each other. On the table were three cups of purplish-red liquid emitting cold air.

"This is an Ice Core from the Extreme Cold Ice Domain, mixed with various high-nutrient materials. Ordinary people wouldn't be able to drink it."

Justin introduced with a smile.

Li Yu immediately took a big gulp. The texture was thick and dense, and it was extremely cold.

It was like a piece of cold ice sliding down his throat, making his stomach feel cool.

"The taste is pretty good. Where did you buy it?" Li Yu smacked his lips, feeling it was quite nice.

Justin laughed proudly, "Hehe, you can't buy this stuff. The Infit Fleet brought it back for me when they went to the Extreme Cold Ice Domain to capture the Ice Throat previously, and I found someone specifically to brew it."

When it comes to enjoyment, you guys sure know how to enjoy yourselves.

Extreme Cold Ice Domain. This was a certain galactic forbidden zone, an ice domain covering an area of over ten star systems. The temperature in the deepest parts was said to be able to freeze time.

There were a large number of derivative creatures and precious materials. It was a place many adventurers enjoyed going to, but the danger was also extremely immense.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Yu still didn't put down his cup and couldn't resist taking another gulp, licking his lips.

"...Another cup."

Not to mention, this taste was truly a bit addictive.

Justin managed a strained smile and had someone refill it. He had beaten around the bush to say how precious this stuff was, but Li Yu was truly not polite, asking for another cup right off the bat.

Booth beside him also drank a cup. After smacking his lips, he also wanted to follow Li Yu's example and ask for another cup. However, looking at his old friend Justin's expression, he could only shut his mouth resentfully.

Seeing Li Yu finish his drink again, Justin hurriedly spoke up to prevent this guy from asking for "another cup."

"...His Majesty's notification has already come down. We will fully cooperate with the replenishment work for the Meteor Fleet."

That's right, Li Yu's appointment to take over the Meteor Fleet had already come down, even faster than Li Yu had imagined.

Therefore, after returning to the Returning Star Central Star System, he immediately began to set about this matter.

Justin was the senior official responsible for warship allocation, while Booth was the person in charge of soldier allocation.

The normal scale of the Meteor Fleet was over a thousand warships, including the most important main ship, as well as battleships, assault cruisers, frigates, vanguard ships... and a series of other warships.

And the affiliated soldiers also required several hundred thousand people. This was a massive number.

And there were far too many hidden tricks within this. Whether the allocated warships were brand new warships, flawed warships, or refurbished warships.

Whether the allocated soldiers were the old, weak, sick, and disabled, or high-quality graduates. All of this could be manipulated.

And the two people in front of him played extremely crucial roles in this.

"I heard that the assembly of the latest Ghostly Whisper main ship has already been completed..." Li Yu pointed out meaningfully. This was information he got from Max.

"Ghostly Whisper..." Justin felt a bit of a headache. This master wanted the best right from the start.

Ghostly Whisper was one of Returning Star's latest models of main ships. Its comprehensive strength was extremely formidable; just its metal outer shell could withstand a frontal attack of over a hundred thousand Calorie Units.

At the same time, it was also coveted by many fleets, and quite a few fleets had already beaten around the bush to ask him about this matter.

"This..." Justin's expression was hesitant.

Li Yu didn't mind either and instead looked toward Booth, "The recently graduated students from Calitarn should not have found a place to go yet, right?"

Calitarn Military Academy, one of Returning Star's advanced military academies. Many high-ranking Returning Star generals graduated from here, and the talents they cultivated were of very high quality.

Booth's face fell. The moment this master made a move, he was going straight for the lifeblood...

The two hemmed and hawed, not daring to agree. This matter was truly difficult to handle. Whether it was the Ghostly Whisper or the Calitarn graduates, there were quite a few commanders eyeing them every year.

Not counting the internal patrol fleets, Returning Star had over a hundred regular main battle fleets, including small fleets, large fleets, and super-large fleets.

The Meteor Fleet could only be considered a small fleet, with a fleet history of no more than five hundred years, whereas the fleet history of many large fleets was already several thousands of years.

Li Yu opened his mouth and demanded the best. If they gave it to him, how would they explain it to the other fleets?

Li Yu had long anticipated this situation and didn't mind. Instead, he turned on his smart terminal and muttered to himself, "I remember today seems to be the Sword-Bearer Medal awarding ceremony."

Li Yu didn't attend this ceremony, instead having Max receive it on his behalf. He had no interest in going through the motions.

The ceremony had already started right now, still in the square in front of the Star Casting Palace. Max was smiling so widely his mouth almost reached his ears, while Edwin was quite indifferent.

The public opinion on the network had already leaned towards peace. The loudest voice right now was— "No matter what, the Xinhuo Virus has been resolved. This achievement cannot be denied."

A large number of victims of the Xinhuo Virus came out to thank Li Yu and the other two. The public opinion couldn't impact these victims and could only gradually calm down.

"This guy Max is truly worthless, getting so smug over a single medal. Edwin, on the other hand, is considered steady..." Li Yu commented, making Justin and Booth break out in a cold sweat.

Li Yu was indirectly stating that he had a very good relationship with the two of them, which meant he had a very good relationship with General Aisel and Prince Connor.

And the truth was indeed so. The two looked at each other, accompanying him with smiles, but still did not relent.

Li Yu glanced at the two. Normally, after striking with the stick, it was time to give the sweet date. However, Li Yu didn't like giving things away.

And verbal promises clearly couldn't fool these two people.

Directly converting the two into Zealots would be the best.

Unfortunately, every once in a while, Returning Star's senior officials had to undergo mental state examinations in various aspects, precisely to avoid situations of being controlled.

Tapping his finger, imperceptible golden runes drifted into the two people's smart terminals, and then he had Claptrap establish a network connection.

A moment later, a smile suddenly surfaced on Li Yu's face, making the two feel it was somewhat baffling.

Justin muttered in his heart, does this guy not understand the unspoken rules? We know you have a huge background, but no one is to be trifled with either.

Trying to make us bleed with just empty talk, could it be that he is a political novice?

Right at this moment, his smart terminal vibrated slightly, and its screen lit up by itself without his command.

Justin was puzzled in his heart. He lowered his head and glanced at it, and his expression instantly changed drastically. He hurriedly covered the screen and checked it carefully.

The more he read, the uglier his expression became. The documents transmitted from who knows where listed almost all of his criminal evidence, including accepting bribes, keeping beast slaves, reselling damaged warships...

However, these were all minor issues. Seeing the end, Justin turned pale with fright. There were even communication records between him and Titus, which he had clearly deleted.

There was nothing too rule-breaking, but the problem lay in the fact that... the person behind him was not Titus, but a certain Prince.

By doing this, he could be said to be a turncoat, and the consequences would be extremely severe.

He abruptly raised his head to look at Li Yu. This is too lacking in martial ethics!? Playing dirty tricks?

At the same time, Booth also looked at Li Yu. The two looked at each other, both somewhat astonished. Subsequently, they reached an understanding and turned to look at Li Yu in unison.

Li Yu seemingly only just reacted, shifting his gaze away from the ceremony and looking at the two. "You two, how is your consideration going?"

Justin was gnashing his teeth, but his entire body felt weak and limp. He forced out, "Although Ghostly Whisper is precious, following Your Excellency, it will certainly not fail to live up to its mighty reputation."

Booth also took a deep breath and said, "For those people to be able to follow His Excellency the Baron is their honor!"

"Then I thank you both..." Li Yu revealed a smile, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Right, is there anything else that's pretty good? My Meteor Fleet is truly awaiting reconstruction in every aspect!"

Justin and Booth looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness. It seemed they were going to suffer a massive hemorrhage today.

......

In a certain warehouse, Li Yu looked up, only to see a huge mechanical creature descending from the sky.

Whoosh, whoosh—

Mechanical wings flapped, whipping up a howling gale. With a bang, this creature landed in the square, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

Li Yu looked it up and down. This mechanical creature was roughly a hundred meters in size, walking on four limbs, like some sort of bionic mechanical beast.

Its body was covered in sections of black metal armor, and more than half of its body was encased in specially made heavy armor.

Mechanical weapons were also equipped on the armor, including energy turrets, shields, and so on. It could be said to be fully armed, with machinery and flesh constructing a sense of heavy beauty.

Wow, this big guy looks really good... Li Yu's eyes brightened slightly, feeling quite satisfied.

Justin introduced, "This is a Mechanical Hull-Breaker Beast, specially built for boarding actions and ground warfare. It possesses a fluctuating combat power of C+ to B-."

Li Yu nodded in satisfaction, "I want this. Also, the Dark Matter Annihilation Cannon, Spectral Energy Chains, Magnetic Collapse Device you mentioned earlier... max them all out for me!"

Justin swallowed hard, his eyes lifeless. It could be expected that if he did this, it would incur the dissatisfaction of how many commanders.

(End of this chapter)