Chapter 281: Interim Report Card
On the day he embarked on his journey again, Lu Yuan woke up to a screen full of system messages.
【Achievement Unlocked: One in a Million Civilizational Essence; Discovered Ideal City Ruins, gained 5 Exchange Points】
【Achievement Unlocked: Doomsday Cataclysm Investigation — Carbon-Based Civilization’s Competitor 1; Discovered an Intelligent Order Consensus sub-entity, gained 20 Exchange Points】
【Achievement Unlocked: Are You Also a T800? Captured any Intelligent Order Consensus combat body, gained 5 Exchange Points】
【Achievement Unlocked: Great Ship, Great Guns; Possessed a warship over one kilometer in length, gained 5 Exchange Points】
【Research Mission Triggered: Puppet World: In the past, the residents of Ideal City were the elites of the entire star sector, but now they have become walking corpses among the ruins. Find the cause of this cataclysm. It is recommended to start by questioning the local indigenous people.】
Well then...
In addition to the 35 achievement points, Lu Yuan also gained 125 Exchange Points from the recent military victory.
It seems that in the system’s eyes, the battle of Ruins Star was more important than the previous two space battles, presumably due to the higher technological level of the Deep Sea.
The particle beam main cannon was not for nothing.
Furthermore, the increase in industrial capability and prestige each converted to 150 points.
Lu Yuan opened the long-unseen corporate rating panel.
Compared to four months ago, when he was about to publicly try the two major criminals of Oasis City and hadn't even started warship design, the achievements Cangyuan had made could only be described as “cheating.”
【Number of Employees: 669 → 28105】
Over the past 17 weeks, an average of over 1,100 new players created accounts each week.
Lu Yuan had basically recruited various domestic gaming masters and hardcore players, and at the same time, “lured” a large number of professionals into “Star Sea.”
Among these talents, in addition to veteran masters like Moto, the majority were graduate students and Ph.D. candidates.
“Star Sea” helped them escape the relatively unsuccessful research torment in reality and begin to enjoy a more successful second life as scientists.
In Red Iron Town and Oasis City, over 1,500 people and over 7,000 people, respectively, became official employees or interns of Cangyuan.
Those with outstanding abilities directly joined the super factory, mining sites, Emerald Star theme park, or outer space development department.
The rest, under the guidance of the butler AI and production-oriented players, through the military-to-civilian conversion of production line technology, comprehensively promoted civil industries represented by construction, automobiles, and home appliance manufacturing, constantly transforming their generational Desert homes.
There were even many housewives doing housework while wearing industrial exoskeletons!
【Control Ran Ge: 219 → 3.1 K】
This included Li Star 440, Moon 57, Li Star orbit 511, other parts of the Li Star System 275, Emerald Star 613, New Hope Space Station 289, Ruins Star 76, and Star System routes 1193.
【Prestige: 90 → 19K】
Currently, over 2,900 Star Alliance residents have come to Li Star, and over 70% of them expressed their intention to obtain green cards and settle long-term in the survey distributed by the butler.
The remaining 30% of foodies expressed an extremely strong desire, developing a religious-like fanaticism for the local cuisine.
What initially attracted these interstellar laborers was job opportunities and high salaries, Cangyuan’s reputation, and the protection promised by this pre-cataclysm cosmic giant.
But what made them determined to stay was the unique human “golden age” culture.
【Industrial Strength: 1.1 K → 166K】
The industrial ship on the ground, the orbital shipbuilding complex, and the giant 3D printer attached to the shipyard were all pre-loaded at full capacity, contributing 41K, 29K, and 58K to the industrial rating, respectively.
The orbital super factory is currently undergoing gradual expansion, contributing 12K industrial rating.
In addition, there is 26K rating from mining and civil industry. A second, larger, beehive-style shipbuilding complex is being meticulously planned.
Its main body consists of four 800-meter shipyards arranged in a diamond shape, with an additional four 400-meter class shipyards arranged in a cross shape around the periphery, making it a behemoth with three-dimensional dimensions approaching or exceeding one kilometer.
Once fully completed, its production capacity is expected to be at least 6 times that of the first shipbuilding complex, requiring at least 5 super factories of industrial ship level to provide raw material support.
【Military Strength: 453 → 337K】
This figure includes the military forces leased to the Free Trade Alliance.
Each frigate, including its carrier-based aircraft, has a combat power of about 5K, totaling 90K for 18 ships; the four warships acquired from Hugh, after modification, totaled 10K; and the two Apollo captured warships, after modification, totaled 6K.
In addition to the carrier-based aircraft units configured in the fleet, the Cangyuan Air Force currently also possesses 45 replicated “thundercloud” fighters, 32 “bóláo niǎo” light aircraft, a total of 42 fighters of various models purchased from the Star Alliance, and a small number of remaining Apollo “razor” fighters.
All of them have been converted into two-seater fighters, mainly active around Li Star and Emerald Star, and can serve as trainer aircraft for new recruits, with a total combat power of 15K.
Ground forces, including aerial vehicles within the atmosphere, totaled 19K.
The reserve of over 1,200 nuclear warheads purchased from the Star Alliance and a small number of space station fixed defense facilities totaled 12K.
As for the newly captured “Deep Sea,” it has not yet installed a warp drive, but its combat power rating has already reached 185K, exceeding that of the entire fleet.
Lu Yuan is very much looking forward to the performance of the full-power particle beam main cannon in actual combat after all permissions are unlocked.
【Number of Outer Space Strongholds: 2 → 9】
These are: Moon Hydrogen-3 Mine, Gas Giant Fuel Collection Platform No. 1, Li Star Synchronous Orbit Shipbuilding Complex, Synchronous Orbit Space Station, Synchronous Orbit Super Factory, Synchronous Orbit Solar Power Station, Asteroid Belt Small Supply Space Station, Reconstructed Li Star System Jump Point Monitoring Space Station, and “Widow” Star System Fully Automatic Monitoring Space Station.
Currently, it appears that once industrial and prestige ratings exceed 1K, for every order of magnitude increase, the system will grant rewards.
Not bad, not bad!
The number of Exchange Points increased from 88 to 548, not in vain of the hard work of farming and campaigning.
Lu Yuan, without a second thought, spent 350 points to purchase a second set of giant 3D printers, deploying them in Li Star’s synchronous orbit.
Cangyuan’s production capacity is always insufficient.
Since that’s the case, this new set of printers will be dedicated to replicating more of its kind! One becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight—striving to equip each shipyard of the future new shipbuilding complex with at least one set of giant 3D printers.
Otherwise, an 800-meter long shipyard would be large enough, but building a light aircraft carrier would take half a year, which simply wouldn't keep up with the pace of the game.
Not to mention that the 100 carrier-based aircraft on the mothership also need to be built simultaneously.
However, if this happens, the supply of raw materials might not keep up again. What a headache!
Cangyuan’s current mining primarily relies on self-gushing oil wells, ground mining robots, and drone-blasted cosmic mining ships, and its efficiency has limits.
It would be great if there were more efficient mining methods.
Lu Yuan looked at the remaining 198 Exchange Points on the system panel.
These are enough to open another large blind box, plus a small blind box. If he could open up a black technology of the level of the “Incarnation” system, wouldn’t he be making a huge profit?
After careful consideration, Lu Yuan resisted the call of the gambler within him.
It wasn’t that he felt his luck was balanced, leading to a guaranteed bad outcome this time; it was mainly that these 198 Exchange Points might be needed for emergencies during the upcoming journey.
Let’s go!
After washing up and coming downstairs to the cafeteria, Lu Yuan saw the elite crew he had personally selected to participate in the Grand Voyage Treasure Hunt mission, as well as the Paradise Island advance team.
Good, good, still those familiar faces.
Ye Xing, as Cangyuan’s vanguard, took the lead and was the first to sign up to scout Paradise Island.
He is currently level 27, with a perception main attribute as high as 65. His perception of nearby enemies has steadily surpassed that of high-end power armor heartbeat detectors on the Star Alliance arms market.
Ye Xing’s cousin, Guo Li Cheng, upon learning that Paradise Island was filled with gladiatorial competitions of various levels, immediately couldn't sit still and wanted to go and spar with them.
Guo Li Cheng’s best friend, Dan Ta, said she wanted to go with her.
Male God declared that he would “beat the shit out of” the local crime masters. It just so happened that Paradise Island was rumored to be rampant with various freaks, mutants, and cyborgs, so his new appearance wouldn't be too conspicuous.
In addition, there were 20 other high-level players, all veterans, sharpening their blades, eager to begin their “Interstellar GTA” and “Cyberpunk 3200” journey.
With everything ready, Qiangyun ascended and set off, its hangar filled with Jump Point stasis pods.
To prevent accidents, the ever-cautious Cangyuan still called upon 10 “owl” heavy fighters to escort them.
Fifteen days later, Qiangyun successfully entered the New Hope System, stopped at the star’s Lagrange point, and began circling in a figure-eight pattern.
Soon after, Tianwen arrived for a secret personnel transfer.
Not making a public appearance was mainly because he didn’t want the media to know.
“Welcome, Executive Officer!”
Boarding Tianwen, Lu Yuan saw Ma Lou, Ran Ge, and Yi Mo Qun Qing warmly welcoming him, and also saw Anya’s envoy, her purple-haired mech girl assistant.
“Hello everyone!”