Quarterly Mission: bring the number of active-service T3 interstellar warships to three hundred.
Zhao Chen cast an eye over the freshly refreshed new quarterly mission; the mission's content was very simple — 300 T3 interstellar warships. At present, the number of active-service T3 interstellar warships of every model in the Owl Dragon Fleet had already reached 100 and more.
This meant that, over the coming three months, Zhao Chen would need to expand the build by at least another 200 T3 interstellar warships of every model.
"This mission is, for the moment, of no too great difficulty." Zhao Chen reckoned it over in his mind; he need only make a proper arrangement of the output, and there was basically no difficulty to it. Were one not to take into account the reasonable ship-type mix of the Owl Dragon Legion's fleet, then building nothing but the shortest-to-build T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigates, uniform down the line, could entirely complete this construction task.
"Report — the latest news just received. The Northern Goose Group has delivered the second batch of 3,000 T2 Tibetan Mastiff-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers! Now, within the Starlight Empire, the Northern Goose Group's prestige has reached a height never before seen!" the secretary Lilith reported to Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded with an air of careless unconcern. This news, Li Yaqi's side had reported to him at the very first moment. A production line of interstellar industry composed of 500 T2 Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships — this had left even Zhao Chen himself somewhat astonished. He'd originally thought that, in so short a span of time, for Li Yaqi to be able to build 300 T2 Iron Hammers would be enough; who'd have thought she would, of all things, over-fulfill the task. These 500 T2 Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships were fully enough to give the Northern Goose Group the strength to challenge those several top-tier starship-manufacturing groups of the Starlight Empire. And, at the same time, this would, too, become the Owl Dragon Legion's second productive force behind the scenes in the future!
"The most important thing before us just now is, still, the fighting over in the Reef Star Region. I hear the friction of the war over there has already reached a fairly serious pitch — that there've even appeared legion-grade large-fleet mobilizations, is that so?"
Zhao Chen opened up a star chart — that of the Reef Star Region. Though his person was situated in the Owl Dragon System, over this stretch of time, at no moment had he not been keeping watch on the situation of the Reef Star Region.
The secretary Lilith nodded and said, "Yes. Indeed, even the systems controlled by the Independent faction's Snake-folk have been caught up in it, with a string of frictions breaking out. From some of the intelligence our T3 Silver-Rat-class Light Interstellar Stealth Reconnaissance Ships have spied out — it seems the Warhammer faction wants to seize control of the resource systems under the Snake-folk's banner! And, at the same time, to annex the Independent faction. They've already issued an ultimatum to the Snake-folk's Medusa Queen: if the Snake-folk's Medusa Queen won't openly support them, the Warhammer faction, then they'll unfold a whole series of military actions. By our forecast, this surface calm of the Reef Star Region's is more than likely to end before the close of July!"
Before the close of July — that would be this very month.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and opened an electronic file. It was the data situation of the Owl Dragon Legion's currently active interstellar warships of every kind.
Total number of active-service starships: 267.
T4 starships: 2; T3 starships: 118; T2 starships: 147.
Before he'd even noticed, Zhao Chen's interstellar fleet had, in number, already become the equal of a corps-grade interstellar fleet. Of course, there was a great deal of "water" in it — for no small number were auxiliary-type interstellar warships.
Zhao Chen clicked open the combat-type interstellar warship column, and two sub-category boxes appeared. The combat-type interstellar warships divided into two kinds: one being combat-type interstellar warships proper, and the other being battlefield-auxiliary-type interstellar warships.
The box on the left displayed:
Total combat-type interstellar warships: 197
T3 starship list
Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship · 1
Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship · 5
Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber · 5
Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser · 20
Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate · 50
T2 starship list
Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship · 1
Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship · 5
Snow Mastiff-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship · 10
Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate · 100
Under Chief Engineer Annie's "working overtime and doubling shifts," Zhao Chen's construction plan had been completed half a month ahead of schedule; and the interstellar industrial ships freed up thereby had, in late June, produced those interstellar warships that had come to be left vacant on account of the sale to the Medusa Queen. Of these, the T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate had, moreover, been personally decreed by Zhao Chen to be built to a count of 100.
Why, when there was the stronger T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate, should one still build this T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate? Of course, it was for the defense and patrol of the home system; to use the T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate for that would be rather a case of great timber put to petty use. To use the comparatively cost-effective T2 Black Rhino was just fitting — and once it had been used up, one could "give it a good wash" and still sell it off. It was, quite simply, about as suitable as could be.
Total battlefield-auxiliary-type interstellar warships: 12
T4 starship list
Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship · 1
T3 starship list
Andromeda-class Interstellar Medical Ship · 1
Virgo-class Heavy Interstellar Supply Ship · 10
Ships of the interstellar-medical, interstellar-supply, and interstellar-jump sort — the kind that could carry out support-type combat operations upon the battlefield, but themselves possessed no combat power — these belonged to the battlefield-auxiliary-type interstellar warships. They were an existence of the utmost importance upon the battlefield!
The remaining great category was, of course, the genuine auxiliary-type interstellar warships.
Total auxiliary-type interstellar warships: 58
T4 starship list
Reviver-class Clone-Human Starship · 1
T3 starship list
Goddess Academy-class Ship · 1
Silver Eden-class Ship · 5
Prospector-class Heavy Interstellar Mining Ship · 10
Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship · 10
T2 starship list
Bronze Eden-class Ship · 1
Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship · 30
Zhao Chen looked over these interstellar warship lists, his heart brimful with a sense of pride.
This, just this, was the Owl Dragon Legion he'd spent close to two years' time forging!
"With a lineup of just this sort, to deal with the internal turmoil of the Reef Star Region is still somewhat not enough. I'll need to make a proper arrangement of this quarter's construction plan. Lilith, help me get in contact with Annie." Zhao Chen thought of that "labor-gang foreman" of his.
"Yes." The secretary Lilith at once sent a video-comm request to Chief Engineer Annie.
But 10 seconds on, the other side, of all things, still hadn't connected.
"Chief Engineer Annie's side didn't connect." the secretary Lilith reported.
Zhao Chen knit his brows slightly; he used his own permissions to send a video-comm request — and, of all things, after 10-some seconds of the comm request, it went unconnected. By the rules of the Owl Dragon Legion, anyone whatsoever — whether on leave or in working hours — upon receiving a comm request coming from the Commander, must connect at the very first moment. For Annie to go two times running without connecting was, in truth, somewhat strange.