Global Transmigration: Empire of the Stars - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: The Drafter

But this didn’t mean that aircraft carriers were without significance. At least when facing medium and small warships below the level of cruisers, they could still demonstrate considerable combat capability.

“I remember that aircraft carrier blueprints are quite rare, right?” Lin Zhichen asked excitedly. The appearance of the aircraft carrier blueprint sparked more ideas in his mind.

“That’s right. According to statistics on the star network, for every hundred battleship blueprints, there are usually only one or two aircraft carrier blueprints,” Lin Ke replied, equally excited but with a hint of regret. “It’s a pity it’s not a battleship.”

Battleships were the absolute mainstay of large fleets, akin to heavy cavalry on the space battlefield, difficult to counter.

Although a light aircraft carrier was of the same class as a battleship, it was definitely not a match for a battleship in direct combat.

“No, for us, at this stage, the enhancement brought by an aircraft carrier far exceeds that of a battleship,” Lin Zhichen shook his head.

What was the greatest feature of an aircraft carrier? It was the carrier-based aircraft!

And space fighters needed pilots to operate them. His talent lay in being able to train the best pilots in the shortest time. The combat power of this aircraft carrier might even surpass that of a battleship.

“There’s another blueprint here—it’s for a Quark Light Spear!” Lin Ke handed the blueprint to him. “That’s why I said it’s a pity.”

The Quark Light Spear was an upgraded version of the Particle Light Spear, a primary weapon that only large warships of battleship class could equip. Its searing beam could easily penetrate the shields and armor of cruisers.

“It’s not a pity; we now have the funds to build the aircraft carrier!” Lin Zhichen said with a relaxed smile.

In the military’s special permissions, there wasn’t even a channel to purchase such equipment. On the market, a Quark Light Spear was priced at 2,800 energy credits, but it was often in such high demand that its true price exceeded the market value.

Certain high-power weapons, much like ballistic missiles in the planetary era, were rarely sold to outsiders. The Quark Light Spear had already reached this level.

“Big brother, we only have this one blueprint. Are we sure about the price?” Lin Ke hesitated, knowing that manufacturing the light spear required the precious material, Tork Crystal.

Tork Crystal was a commonly rare crystal in interstellar space. It sounded contradictory, but compared to metals like gold, silver, copper, and iron, the production of Tork Crystal was much lower. Yet, many important engineering devices required it, making this mineral extremely scarce and expensive on the market.

Typically, one unit of Tork Crystal cost around a hundred energy credits, and a Quark Light Spear required about three units of Tork Crystal.

It wasn’t much, but given the current size of the Meteor Mercenary Group, trying to gather enough rare crystals from the market in a short time was nearly impossible.

“Don’t worry. With my military permissions, I can exchange for a batch of Tork Crystals every month,” Lin Zhichen reassured.

“As long as it’s a finished product, this equipment will bring us sufficient returns.”

Battleships, as primary combat equipment, were entirely different from cruisers and lower-tier ships. Small warships like frigates and destroyers were essentially cannon fodder on the battlefield. They had quick construction cycles and relatively simple training, and they always played the role of drawing enemy fire in fleet battles.

Battleships were the true mainstay warships. Their heavy armor and powerful energy shields provided exceptional defense, making them difficult to sink. With the cover of numerous cannon fodder warships, they could unleash their firepower to the fullest. At this point, their main guns became crucial.

“And now, the most important spoil…” Lin Zhichen looked at the life pod. “Let me see what affected my psionic perception.”

He pressed the switch, and the remaining oxygen hissed out like white smoke, bringing a refreshing sensation. The two peered inside, where an NPC crew member was slowly waking from slumber.

With a sense of anticipation, Lin Zhichen opened his personal panel. Natural humans did not need the consent of NPCs to view their templates in wild camps.

“Name: Drafter DKXXHTS** (Human, Red)

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Profession: Drafter (Junior)

Talent: Drafting (Red): Drafting speed +16%

Skills: 1: Drafting (Red, Junior 4.03%): Drafting speed +17%, (Drafting permissions +0, opens civilian industrial products, military frigate drafting)

2: Starship Piloting (White, Junior 14.57%): Sub-light speed +20%

Evaluation: Don’t bother me, I’m just a drafter.”

“Drafting talent? What kind of talent is that? How did he become a starship pilot?” Lin Ke muttered to himself.

“This is our greatest gain this time,” Lin Zhichen exhaled, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

Perhaps this drafter’s talent wasn’t outstanding, only increasing drafting speed. But it undoubtedly solved the immediate needs of the Meteor Mercenary Group. At the very least, this NPC drafter, working with Dr. Will, could make certain modifications to frigate-level ships.

At this stage, that was more than sufficient.

“I never expected that an NPC refreshed in the wild would have such a talent,” Lin Zhichen remarked. “These talents are wasted in NPC factions. Just like this drafter, who is highly sought after by many major factions, yet he was trained as a starship pilot.”

If he hadn’t been rescued by chance, the starry sky would have lost an extremely rare professional talent. Thinking about the countless NPC fleets repeatedly battling in the Dark Star Regions, how many elite talents were being lost?

Thinking about how these talents could have played a more significant role in his hands, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

“Big brother, how did you find him?” After an explanation, Lin Ke had come to understand the importance of the drafter. He was now amazed by Lin Zhichen’s sharp psionic perception.

“It has to do with my own abilities, but also the amplification from the Psionic Crystal,” Lin Zhichen said, looking at the crystal that occupied a large part of the command cabin.

“It enhances my perception abilities.”

“Big brother, with this ability, our chances of acquiring rare-talent NPCs will far exceed those of ordinary factions!” Lin Ke exclaimed in admiration. This was like having a prospector who could continuously discover gold mines.

The gains were substantial, but the “Qinyuan” did not return directly to the solar system, as they were already nearing their destination—a nameless planet.

“Swish~”

In the darkness, a sudden light flashed and then disappeared.

This was a beam of light from a great distance, carrying powerful energy fluctuations. It was an energy spear, the main cannon of a battleship.

Lin Zhichen was slightly startled and immediately became vigilant.

For light to travel such a vast distance, it was evident that this area was already a battlefield. He just didn’t know who the combatants were.

Involuntarily, he recalled the massive fleet they had encountered midway.