Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Journey Around the Solar System“Very pleased to see you, my friend.” Kadier Rockefeller’s face was beaming with a warm smile.

“Welcome,” Lin Zhichen replied politely with a smile. “How may I be of service to you?”

Kadier: “I heard that you have acquired a carrier? And you are heading towards the asteroid belt?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhichen answered.

“My dear friend, a carrier is a rare war beast, and you don’t seem surprised at all?” Kadier said with a hint of exaggeration:

“May I ask, does the Meteor Mercenary Group have any more in stock?” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ N0vᴇlFire(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Lin Zhichen chuckled, “You must be joking, sir. To obtain even one of these warships is a stroke of luck, let alone a second one. To be honest, even this one was acquired by chance, and in the solar system, it might be a rarity for some time.”

“I see, that’s quite unfortunate,” Kadier shrugged. “If you ever come across a second one and don’t plan to use it yourself, please consider the Rockefeller family. We will ensure the price is fair.”

“Of course,” Lin Zhichen readily agreed.

“Old friend, the situation in the asteroid belt is quite chaotic. If you need anything, feel free to contact me at any time,” Kadier said.

“Certainly,” Lin Zhichen nodded.

As the holographic image closed, Wu Tianyi and the others exchanged glances.

“Big brother, was it just a greeting?” Lin Ke couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course not. It was a probe, as well as a subtle reminder. The Meteor Mercenary Group has risen too quickly, and we’ve already attracted the wariness of the established powers,” Lin Zhichen replied.

“There are no old families in the solar system, just some remnants of the old era,” Wu Tianyi shook his head.

“I think we don’t need to worry too much, but we should be cautious of them banding together.”

“The asteroid belt has already become a battleground for Earth’s emerging powers. The territory is already insufficient, and our sudden entry as a major player has undoubtedly added to the chaos,” Lin Zhichen mused.

“We’ll deal with soldiers as they come and water as it flows,” Wei Peng said nonchalantly. “At worst, we’ll fight a battle and see who laughs last.”

After 35 days of long travel, the small-scale fleet finally arrived at the asteroid belt.

Lin Zhichen put away the two accumulated Slaughter Ship Spirits and looked at the nearby asteroid belt.

Large ships like carriers were actually not suited for combat in the complex environment of an asteroid belt. Due to their slow speed, escaping becomes difficult if something goes wrong. But retreating was not an option at this moment.

Led by the “Qinyuan,” they began to carve out a path for the fleet.

Psionic energy fluctuated, like a giant hand pushing away the floating asteroids. In the chaotic asteroid belt, a passage was quickly cleared.

One by one, the warships entered. In such a chaotic terrain, the test for fleet command became even more apparent, as the commander had to consider more complex and difficult issues.

“This frigate needs to be positioned here to prevent any fuel leaks.”

“The carrier-based aircraft must be deployed quickly to scout the surrounding star regions in advance.”

“The standard fleet formation takes up too much space. There isn’t enough room in the asteroid belt to spread out the formation, so the fleet must be rearranged.”

For a while, the previously leisurely Lin Zhichen became busy once again, hastily commanding the fleet to continuously change formations.

In this situation, the “Fleet Command” skill on his character panel improved rapidly. It had taken him a month to not even reach the beginner level, but after entering the asteroid belt, it took only a few days to approach the intermediate level.

At this moment, the Meteor Mercenary Group finally faced its first fleet battle—a micro-fleet consisting of 7 pirate raiding boats and 2 pirate gunboats was discovered by the space fighters responsible for reconnaissance.

A fleet of this size could have been easily destroyed by the space fighter group alone, as pirate ships generally lacked anti-air defenses. However, Lin Zhichen did not solely deploy the fighter group.

Instead, he divided the space fighter group into two squadrons, pincering the enemy fleet like a pair of tongs. Meanwhile, the main fleet, leaving behind one destroyer and 10 pirate raiding boats, pressed forward with the remaining warships.

For the first fleet battle, taking advantage of the enemy’s weakness, he wanted to experience the combat atmosphere.

Calculating the advance speed, the pirate fleet quickly realized they were being semi-encircled by enemies from the front and both sides.

They did not choose to flee immediately. The opposition between NPCs and natural human factions made them quickly recognize the true nature of the Meteor Mercenary Group. This pirate fleet almost instantly launched a charge towards the main fleet.

Seated in the captain’s chair, Lin Zhichen did not pilot the “Qinyuan” to charge directly but instead engaged in fleet combat as a conventional warship.

Of course, not using an advantage would be foolish. His psionic perception spread along with the radar waves of the “Qinyuan,” quickly scanning the approaching pirate fleet.

“Attention all ships, aim according to my command. Coordinates 123.452.625, aim, and fire a volley!”

The command from the “Qinyuan” echoed through the communication channel. Naturally, this position was determined based on his flagship. The radar operators would quickly mark the firing coordinates for the entire fleet based on his verbal instructions, allowing the fleet to concentrate its firepower for a synchronized volley.

If it were a novice radar operator, this process would take about ten seconds. However, for master-level crew members, by the time the captain issued the firing command, the designated coordinates had already been marked and sent to the entire fleet.

Even with the provided coordinates, the NPC crew still needed to calculate the firing positions based on their own ship’s actual coordinates, so the first volley didn’t commence until 13 seconds later.

“Zzzt~”

Electromagnetic shells were fired. To maximize the advantage of long-range bombardment, the fleet’s shipborne weapons were primarily equipped with electromagnetic cannons. In one volley, hundreds of electromagnetic alloy projectiles flew at sub-light speed.

“Second volley, coordinates 125.442.621!”

“Third volley, coordinates 127.451.652!”

“Fourth volley, coordinates 134.423.642!”

“…”

Unlike the extreme efficiency of the “Qinyuan” as a single ship, each volley from the entire fleet required at least 13 seconds, significantly less efficient.

But this was from Lin Zhichen’s perspective. If it were any other fleet in the solar system, few could complete a volley within 30 seconds. This demonstrated the immense value of master-level NPCs in actual combat.

With each successive volley, the bombardment skills of the entire Meteor Mercenary Group and all NPC gunners rapidly improved. Simultaneously, a new skill appeared on Lin Zhichen’s personal panel—Long-Range Bombardment!

After a dozen or so volleys, the first wave of shells finally reached the target fleet. The pirate fleet was still oblivious, continuing their routine navigation, unaware that the reaper in the darkness had arrived!