Annie looked over, close and careful, this technical blueprint of the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship that Zhao Chen had sent her, and couldn't help her eyes lighting up.
"Lilith, once we've completed all of this quarter's production tasks, how much in the way of funds and resources will we have left?" Zhao Chen asked Lilith beside him. Lilith now had chief charge of the Owl Dragon Fleet's funds and resources — she was, as good as, Zhao Chen's household stewardess.
Lilith soon pulled up the relevant data. "By the original tally, at this quarter's close — around the end of this month, that is — the funds and resources on our books come to somewhere around 1,800 million star coins still remaining. But because Chitong wouldn't take that 1,500 million star coins of commission from us, on our books we now have a total of 3,300 million in funds."
3,300 million star coins — that was still quite comfortably off.
Zhao Chen looked to Annie beside him. "Annie, I need you now to draw up, at once, the construction plan for the coming three months, according to my requirements. I have two more interstellar warships here that I mean to put into production!"
"Two more?" Annie stared wide-eyed at Zhao Chen in disbelief; and thereupon, over their private comm channel, she received another two ship technical blueprints.
The T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship! Actually a T3-grade interstellar industrial ship! If a dozen-odd of these could be built, the Owl Dragon Fleet's ship-production capacity would soar.
And then, on seeing the prefix of the ship below it, Annie was dumbfounded.
T4…
Annie sucked in a cold breath, staring at Zhao Chen in disbelief. "T… T… T4… 4… 4!"
At this expression of Annie's, Zhao Chen had long since reckoned it would come. Lilith beside him likewise cast over an astonished look — she hadn't misheard just now, had she? What she'd heard was the words "T4"?
"This T4 Reviver-class Clone Ship belongs to T4 technology — and it moreover includes the clone-human technology whose research the Galactic Alliance strictly forbids by law. So the construction of this ship must be kept secret… best if it can be built in the Lion King System, and in the very name of the build project, secrecy is to be maintained. As for the modules bound up with the clone-human technology, you, Annie, must take personal charge of them, carrying secrecy to its utmost degree. Within our Owl Dragon Fleet, only five people — yourself, Lilith, Charlotte, my sister Zhao Wan'er, and me among them — have clearance to know of it!" Zhao Chen's expression, as he spoke of this matter, was exceedingly grave.
Lilith nodded in understanding. "On the matter of secrecy, I'll work together with Chief Engineer Annie and see it well handled."
Clone-human technology… were the Starlight Empire to learn that Zhao Chen was researching it — and had, moreover, researched it to success — that would beyond all doubt call down a catastrophe of the utterly ruinous sort. Though there was no knowing just what this T4 Reviver-class Clone Ship of the Commander's was really about, it would beyond doubt make the Starlight Empire raise its butcher's blade against Zhao Chen. And by then, perhaps not even the Chu family could keep Zhao Chen safe.
"I've committed it to memory," Annie said with an earnest nod.
"Let's talk it over now, and simply draw up the construction plan for this year's last quarter. Set the rough direction first, and then the two of you can work out the detailed schemes according to the actual conditions," Zhao Chen said.
Under Zhao Chen's arrangement, the three of them set to working overtime. Before long, an outline of the coming quarter's construction plan had been laid out.
First, one had to be clear on just how much production capacity the Owl Dragon Fleet now had. 30 T2 Iron Hammers, plus the two industrial factories — one in the Owl Dragon System, one in the Lion King System — in charge of the mid- and low-end construction tasks.
First, the 30 T2 Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships would be responsible for undertaking the build of the T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships. It was projected that two T3 Furnaces could be completed and rolled off the line each month, so that before year's end the Owl Dragon Fleet would have a total of six T3 Furnaces. And the T3 Furnaces, as they were completed one after another, would each set about their own respective production tasks.
In sum, before year's end there would be completed one T3 Phoenix, 18 T3 Blizzards, and three T3 Phantom Assassins.
Finally, at year's end, the five T3 Furnaces then in active service would jointly take charge of beginning the T4 Reviver-class Clone Ship, projected for completion around the middle of the following year.
Setting aside the T4 Reviver-class Clone Ship, the whole production plan, all told, was projected to require an investment of 700 million star coins. And from the following year onward, the production task of the T4 Reviver-class Clone Ship alone would require an investment of at least 1,500 million star coins per single month!
To sum it all up: this stage's production tasks would let Zhao Chen expand his fleet by one T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship, six T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships, three T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bombers, and 18 T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers.
The reason for building so very many T3 Blizzards was, in the main, the consideration that there was as yet no suitable option for a carrier starship's escort vessel. To use the T2 Black Rhino would have a certain small-boat-escorting-a-great-ship feel to it. The former had a hull length of 100-odd meters; the latter, a hull length of close to five kilometers! Which of them was protecting which would be anyone's guess. And so the T3 Blizzard would stand in on this escort duty for the time being.
"The whole build task is no problem; the resources and raw materials in our hands are still tolerably sufficient. But in the first half of next year, to build the T4 Reviver-class Clone Ship will require 10 billion star coins of raw-material resources, and the funding gap is a problem. And at the same time, once we have the funds by then, where to procure so vast a quantity of raw materials will be a problem to solve as well." Lilith offered her analysis at this point.
Zhao Chen nodded, but said, "Next year's matters we'll speak of when next year comes; for now, first let's settle the problems before us. From next year, I plan to gradually phase the T2 interstellar warships out into reserve ships; by then those T2 warships can take on the patrol-and-escort work of the Owl Dragon System and the Lion King System."
Lilith understood the Commander's intent. This was making ready for the Owl Dragon Fleet to fully equip itself with T3-grade interstellar warships.
"But then, on the ship-type side, there's a great gap. We're far too lopsided," Annie cut in.
"On the matter of the T3 warship-type gap, I'll find a way," Zhao Chen said.
Annie blinked her eyes, staring at Zhao Chen's head. "Commander, you're not going to go pulling out T3-grade interstellar frigates, interstellar destroyers, and interstellar battleships after this too, are you?"
Zhao Chen smiled and said nothing.
"Just what in the world is packed inside that head of yours? When are you going to lend it to me to study?" Annie stared at Zhao Chen's head, wearing a look of no small interest.
Zhao Chen tossed Annie a roll of the eyes; it was only because she wasn't within reach just now that this little minx dared to caper about — otherwise Zhao Chen would have delivered, to both sides of that little skull of Annie's, a good "iron-fist-of-love friction" then and there.
"In any case, the outline of the construction plan is settled; the rest is up to how the two of you arrange it." Having laid out these matters, Zhao Chen went back to playing the hands-off boss once more.