The build cost of a single T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyer stands at some 200 billion star coins.
And the build task can be borne by the T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship.
Supposing it were built by a single T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship, some 50 months of work-time would be required to bring it to completion.
By the present case, Zhao Chen has near 100 T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships under his hand; so that in theory two T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyers could be built in a month.
Though of course this exists in theory alone.
"200 billion star coins apiece? Put that way, the 3 trillion star coins of the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought seems no longer so dear either," Zhao Chen muttered.
Then he suddenly came to himself: the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought had by no means been built wholly by him; its key core technology, the 'Hades Matrix module,' had been furnished by the System outright.
Who could say what the build cost of that thing might come to in the end?
"I shall not think so far. So long as a few of these T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyers can be built in future, then facing the Demon Race fleets again, I shall have more backbone besides." Zhao Chen muttered on to himself.
He had obtained the technical blueprint of one T5-grade interstellar warship.
And this was very far from enough.
By rights he ought at this point to have found some means of redeeming a T5-grade industrial base as well; but with the annual task standing where it was, there was no need of it.
Zhao Chen rubbed at his chin and considered his own present needs.
Having the T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyer, Zhao Chen felt all the same that something was wanting.
That was it!
Though the high-grade ship types were not suited to Zhao Chen's redeeming at present.
There was one ship type that suited well enough.
The interstellar cruiser!
This too is a class of interstellar warship that can, upon its own single ship type — upon a single interstellar warship, even — alter a local war.
Zhao Chen began to search the T5 Mall for a fitting object.
And at the last his eyes settled upon one option.
That was the one!
Spend 20,000,000 System points and 800 task points to redeem the commodity "T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruiser" technical blueprint?
Confirm.
20,000,000 System points and 800 task points spent — congratulations, obtained the "T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruiser" technical blueprint
System points remaining: 4,770,000
Task points remaining: 50
Zhao Chen looked over at once the data of this second mass-production T5-grade interstellar warship of his.
Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruiser
Ship type: interstellar cruiser
Technology grade: T5
Hull armor strength: 150,000–180,000 units
Star-shield energy: 5,000,000 units
Cruising speed: 1,500 star-knots
Warp engine: grade-nine warp engine
Length: 19.3 km
Mass: 9,970,000 tons
Complement: 12,000
Starship armament:
38 heavy railgun mains
300 heavy electromagnetic pulse rapid-fire guns
300 fully automatic medium electromagnetic close-in guns
Special capabilities or equipment:
Sub-grade space-fold engine (can perform short-distance space folds)
This is a rather uncommon interstellar cruiser.
For interstellar cruisers, setting store as they mostly do upon high-speed maneuver, do not adopt heavy hull platforms.
Whereas this interstellar heavy cruiser has a short-range acceleration module fitted to it, which makes good the question of its speed upon the battlefield.
And being by its own setting an interstellar cruiser, its speed is not slow to begin with.
The firepower fitted to it is fairly complete besides, and exceeds that of the T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyer of a moment ago.
Beyond which, this T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruiser has one further special capability, and that is the short-distance space fold.
Before this, on account of the Hades, Zhao Chen had wrongly supposed that all T5-grade interstellar warships possessed the space fold.
But only upon consulting the T5 Mall now did he discover that this was not so.
The T5 Chaos-Knight, for instance, does not possess the space-fold function.
And what is fitted to the T5 Lightning-Wraith is merely a 'sub-grade space-jump engine' — which is to say, as the name implies, a gelded version.
The Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's space-fold distance is very great indeed, exceeding even the distance of a T4-grade star gate.
Whereas the sub-grade space-jump engine fitted to the T5 Lightning-Wraith can perform a space fold only within the compass of a single star system.
Set against covering ground, this capability is in fact rather more for such operational tasks as piercing into and intercepting an enemy fleet.
Take together with this that it belongs to the heavy interstellar warships, its armor strength being the higher.
And if it truly cannot hold, it can rely besides upon its high speed to withdraw from the field.
And its reset cooling time is exceedingly short, so that it can commonly perform several space folds within a single action.
Its cost for a single ship is about 320 billion star coins; it can be built by the T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship, and the time required to build it is 80 work-months.
The T5 Chaos-Knight-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Destroyer!
The T5 Lightning-Wraith-class Heavy Assault Interstellar Cruiser!
Zhao Chen looked at these two starship technologies of his, well content in his heart.
With these two mass-production T5-grade interstellar warships, let but a few of them be built, and they could hold the ground for the Owl Dragon Legion.
And should the number reach two figures… what manner of scene that would be is past imagining.
"I wonder whether this first batch of mass-production T5-grade interstellar warships can come off the line and enter service before the year's end."
Zhao Chen rubbed at his own chin, and pressed the communication key beside him.
Secretary Lilith's image appeared before Zhao Chen.
"Commander-in-Chief, what are your instructions?" asked Lilith, who was at her own work.
"Get me in touch with Annie… if things are not busy over in the Owl Dragon System. Simply call her over. Say that she is to come to the Warhammer here and take a holiday. And call Nana and Spider Queen Iris along as well," Zhao Chen instructed.
The business of putting these two mass-production T5-grade interstellar warship technologies into production hereafter would need these chief engineers to take charge of it.
Beyond which, it happened well that they should come here to the Warhammer to draw up a detailed blueprint for consolidating the starship industry here in every quarter, and for founding the three concentrated starship industrial groups.
Several birds with one stone.
"Very well, I shall arrange these chief engineers' itineraries at once." Lilith noted the itinerary down.
Thereafter Lilith went straight on, her expression somewhat grave. "Commander-in-Chief, I have a matter here to report to you. Though… I should advise… that you come over in person."
"What matter?" Zhao Chen was curious.
"We have cleared the field and collected some wreckage of the Demon Race's interstellar warships. And among it… we have made certain discoveries," Lilith explained.
"Good. I shall come over now." Zhao Chen rose at once.
He was curious enough about the inner structure of the Demon Race's interstellar warships.