For the week that followed.
It was broadly Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Guard Fleet fighting upon the Black Great-Wall line, under hire from the Cherubim,
and always in safe positions besides, and with T5 interstellar warships to a ship.
So long as these Owl Dragon ships did not go deep behind the enemy and get tangled and surrounded, being destroyed was a thing not to be thought of.
Every Owl Dragon interstellar warship, when carrying out a hired combat mission, received an order as well.
Once the star-shield value fell below 50%, it was to quit the field.
For after all they were but hired; why should they fight for their lives?
In this series of actions, the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet gathered a great deal of combat data upon the Pitch-Black Legion fleets besides.
At the same time, in this week the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet earned no small commission as well.
It could not only wholly offset the entire cost of this business trip; the interstellar missiles they had thrown out were broadly all paid for by someone else besides.
Not only that: the supply and maintenance costs after the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet's return needed no thought of Zhao Chen's at all.
For there was already a moneyed patron to foot the bill.
Firing interstellar missiles with another man's money, there is no telling how happy a thing that is.
Had it not been to guard against some uncontrollable case arising, Zhao Chen might simply have given the order outright.
Haul out every last one of my interstellar missiles and my shells, and throw the whole lot away.
Until they were thrown clean out, nobody was to think about eating!
This week's time was soon up.
Zhao Chen lay upon the sofa on the bridge and stretched his back lazily.
In this week, he had not been idle either.
Upon the System points accumulated over the past month, Zhao Chen had already exchanged for the third T6 technology.
【Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought · T6 upgrade module (T6 Rakshasa Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought), together with the technical drawings】
【T6 Dyson Sphere · technical drawings】
【T6 Angel City Fortress · technical drawings】
These three things Zhao Chen had all got into his hands.
He needed only to return, and he could arrange for the Owl Dragon's industry to set about their production.
"And there is no knowing, back home. How the building of the T6 Wrath-of-Heaven-Goddess-class Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ship goes."
Zhao Chen's heart was by now something of an arrow bent upon home.
"Your home, is it good?" Hive Princess put in suddenly at his side, asking in her curiosity.
"My home?" Zhao Chen called the word to mind, and what rose in his head was the Owl Dragon Star System, and not that world of his former life.
These few years of experience had already made that memory grow dim by degrees.
"My homeland is very beautiful; there is no fire of war there, everyone eats their fill and is warmly clothed, and may pursue what they wish to do as their heart likes. Nor does anyone dare bully us. And everyone is proud to be a subject of my domain!" Zhao Chen said.
"How good……" Hive Princess said in her reverence.
Zhao Chen knew that this was Hive Princess thinking of her own homeland again.
Though she often did not say it aloud, yet this child was one who thought upon her homeland very much.
Several times she had fallen asleep at Zhao Chen's side, and in her sleep would mutter some words, and sometimes tears would run down besides.
Zhao Chen naturally knew that this must be Hive Princess dreaming of some bad things again.
"My lord. Word has come from Ah-Zhi's side; the Gate of Gaia is about to open, and we may make ready to sail back," Ah-Yin said at his side.
"We can go home at last." Zhao Chen stretched himself lazily, and gave order to the little succubus secretary officer, "Make ready; we are going home."
"Yes."
Eight hundred Owl Dragon interstellar warships began to draw together; though they had gone through no few battles in this stretch of time.
Yet the hulls of these Owl Dragon interstellar warships were new as new; enough to show how much room to spare they had had in those battles.
Very soon, the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet set out.
The Cherubim did not appear from first to last; by the look of it these mechanical angels were truly very cold and proud.
"Will there be no trouble upon your side?" Zhao Chen looked at the Black Great-Wall line's field of battle, still going on far off, and asked Ah-Yin beside him.
Ah-Yin said, "Though the case of the fighting looks somewhat locked together. Yet do not make light of the years our Machine Race has spent in the working of this place. In truth, even without these interstellar warships of yours in support, and without those T5 Prisoner-class Heavy Interstellar Assault Battleships. This place would not fall so quickly either. To hold out another year or so is no problem at the least. Of course, upon the condition that the number of the Pitch-Black Legion fleets opposite does not increase again."
Zhao Chen had no doubt of this answer.
With what he had come to understand of the Black Great-Wall Base in this stretch of time,
Zhao Chen believed this was the strongest military base within the known universe.
Even those bases the Owl Dragon Galactic Interstellar Group had built were not so formidable as this military base.
Even were raw materials and supply cut off, this base could run in its ordinary way for half a year to a year.
Join to this the Machine Race's system, of one heart above and below, and orderly.
The many ills of carbon-based-life armies upon the field were all of them avoided.
This was where the might of this interstellar base lay.
With such a Black Great Wall standing outside their homeland, it must be said there was truly a great feeling of safety in it.
"Setting other factors aside. I hold you in great respect," Zhao Chen said in earnest.
Hearing this word of Zhao Chen's, Ah-Yin could not help showing a trace of a smile.
The Owl Dragon Guard Fleet sailed away from the Black Great-Wall Base, and drove toward the Gate of Gaia.
Before long, they reached the Gate of Gaia.
The Gate of Gaia had opened once more.
They needed only to cross this gate, and they could return to their own world.
"Order the fleet into a state of first-degree combat readiness." Zhao Chen gave the order calmly. "In battle formation, make ready to cross the Gate of Gaia."
Ah-Yin at his side cast a glance over.
Zhao Chen said blandly, "In any case whatsoever, one must have some guard prepared. This reasoning, you should understand as well."
Zhao Chen would not put his own life wholly into another's hands.
Even the Machine Race, at present trusted and allied with, was no exception.
Ah-Yin said nothing; she understood Zhao Chen's making such an arrangement.
The Owl Dragon Guard Fleet took a battle formation, and then crossed the Gate of Gaia in order.
This time Zhao Chen opened his eyes wide, and examined closely that strange sight of encircling stellar bodies within the Gate of Gaia.
Very soon, all this sight dispersed.
Before them was the familiar mechanical royal court.
Upon the iron walls of the mechanical royal court, gun-platforms one after another were all locking upon the position of the Gate of Gaia.
These gun-platforms were no ordinary gun-platforms; the weapons mounted upon them were all of the grade of a T5 interstellar warship's main gun.
If at this moment these gun-platforms fired upon the position of the Gate of Gaia, the greater part of any army crossing over would suffer heavy hurt.
At this point, a video window sprang open before Zhao Chen.
It was the Machine Race's other leader at present, Ah-Jin.
"Welcome back."