Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The night of the first of October 2040, a particular clip was uploaded onto the largest video streaming platform in the world, YouTube.

It was only a three-minute-long video and the video production process was completely rudimentary. The entire clip was probably edited on a phone. However, the impact of the video on the Earth Federation was formidable.

The video took place in a residential building at midnight.

The video began with the person filming the interior of his house briefly, then the camera was pointed to the window where a common astronomical telescope could be seen set up on the side table.

It was midnight and the sky outside was pitch-black. The person filming the video seemed to be filming in the outskirts of the city. Due to the light pollution in the metropolis city, the outskirts or countryside were the most ideal locations for such telescope setups.

The Youtuber then zoomed in on the lens of the astronomical telescope.

This was when the video got intriguing. The object of interest appeared through the lens of the telescope – zooming into the vast, midnight sky, a gigantic s.p.a.cecraft could be seen hovering in the void of the universe. It was a bow-shaped s.p.a.cecraft, imagine a regular curved bow, except without bowstrings attached. The inner sections of its curve were lined with what seemed like rows of teeth. There were approximately twenty to thirty such peculiar shapes.

There were smaller model s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps mounted to these teeth-like installations. The entire sight seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie.

Since the astronomical telescope used was a basic telescope, the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was only displayed in black and white. Furthermore, the quality of the image was poor as it was both distorted and fuzzy.

Despite the jarring quality, the spotting of this bizarre, alien s.p.a.cecraft successfully attracted the attention of plenty of astronomy enthusiasts online. In time, the video had entered the trending section on YouTube.

When the video surfaced on the trending radar, it immediately started an Internet phenomenon. Some people speculated it was digitally-altered footage while some people deduced that it was an alien invasion. They claimed that this s.p.a.cecraft was evidence of aliens monitoring the earth.

To prove the authenticity of this video, the YouTuber who submitted this video disclosed the coordinates of his house and soon enough, many other people were able to spot this mysterious aircraft as well.

The video quickly went viral.

The entire ordeal soon entered the national scope and drew the attention of Blacklight Biotechnology. The corporation immediately made an announcement to clarify that this was not an alien invasion of any sort. It was the recently launched s.p.a.ce station named “Moon Rabbit”. Certain non-sensitive details of the s.p.a.ce station were further revealed as well.

This announcement shocked the world to its core.

[Secret s.p.a.ce station exposed by astronomy enthusiasts. How long was Blackwatch intending to conceal it from the public?] – Wall Street Journal.

[Blackwatch secret exposed, rival to Area 51?] – BBC headlines.

[The raging silent battle between Blackwatch and the Earth Federation may be taken to s.p.a.ce!] – a.s.sociated Press News.

[Blackwatch Aeros.p.a.ce once again astounds the world. Why is there such a tremendous gap between Northern America and Blackwatch?] – Reuters News.

At this point, it could not be any more apparent that Blacklight Biotechnology claimed aeros.p.a.ce superiority over the Earth Federation. The international media started to catch on to the implications of this and soon enough, many controversial articles were put up to stir the hearts of the people. The people took the bait and began forming discussions questioning the intentions of Blacklight Biotechnology.

[What? When did this happen? Why is it that none of us are notified of Blackwatch's s.p.a.ce station launch?]

[A private enterprise just stealthily launched a s.p.a.ce station. It's about time we ask ourselves this: Is a private enterprise supposed to hold so much power?]

[Do you people have any idea about the business sectors monopolized by Blackwatch? Biology, medicine, natural resources, military industry, aeros.p.a.ce… And many more to count! There has never been a company of this scale in history. To be honest, I won't be surprised if they wage a war against the Earth Federation. They have more than enough capital…]

[Blackawtch claims that this s.p.a.ce station is 500 meters long, 80 meters wide, and 60 meters tall. How was it that this behemoth was launched under our nose?]

[Who cares how they launched it? The point is that Blackwatch is the greatest!]

[Don't you understand the implications of this? I admit that Blackwatch is powerful, but it may be a little too powerful now. I'm worried about the position of the Earth Federation in the grand scheme of things. The world isn't big enough for two to reign, I doubt there's any peaceful arrangement for these two factions…]

The nature of many of these articles and discussions drew Chen Chen's attention that there was now rising hostility against his faction in the international scope. This meant that the Earth Federation was beginning to feel threatened.

Something similar could be observed in the Blacklight Foundation Lilith a.s.sembly. Although the four members would not admit it, Chen Chen could sense the weariness in their tone. This watchfulness only grew in magnitude as Blacklight Biotechnology continued to strengthen itself.

From what was once a leech in Namibia, Blacklight Biotechnology had grown into a Herculean force that overshadowed its previous host, Namibia. The Earth Federation had watched everything unfold.

Now, the Earth Federation was worried about being subjected to the same fate as Namibia!

Blacklight Biotechnology was simply too powerful by this point and had encroached into every sector it could. When it came to biomedicine, they had developed anti-cancer and anti-Alzheimer's drugs as well as curing many more diseases that were once considered incurable. Biomedicine was Blacklight Biotechnology's fundamental sector and they had effectively found a cure for the vast majority of illnesses known to mankind by this point.

When it came to energy, nuclear fusion innovation was Blacklight Biotechnology's forte. Each of the major continents had certain facets of nuclear energy application which they excelled at as well. For instance, the Central Continent was proficient at nuclear power generation technology where its power generation efficiency out leveled that of all other countries.

The Northern American Continent excelled at nuclear power engine technology where it claimed automotive superiority over the other countries.

Similarly, the North Sea and European Continent each had the specialized sector that gave them an edge over the compet.i.tion.

Trumping over all of them was none other than Blacklight Biotechnology that was adept in every single aspect imaginable. It could very well muscle the others out of their respective sectors if it wanted to.

There was hardly room for debate in the industrial and aeros.p.a.ce sectors. It was Chen Chen himself that took to the initiative to offer the innovative industrial and aeros.p.a.ce technology for the four major continents together to propose the formation of the Blacklight Foundation.

When it came to the military sector, the XTN robots and electromagnetic weapons invented by Blacklight Biotechnology were staple overseas exports. Blacklight had effectively squeezed the Earth Federation out of the market. There was even a popular saying that “Blacklight is the platinum to the world's diamond”.

Furthermore, branch companies of Blacklight Biotechnology were existent in almost every country in the world. The corporational expansion scale made it difficult to put a definite number to its market value. This behemoth of a corporation had inserted its roots into so many facets of society that to disrupt its operations would cause a major social upheaval as well.

Poking the bear would immediately trigger a social and economic crisis, and in drastic scenarios may even lead to World War Three…

Chen Chen took very little interest in this international media slander since it was pretty much a monthly routine at this point. This was merely the opponent's way of probing him and also a silent protest of sorts.

Chen Chen knew that the Earth Federation was holding out hopes that he would yield his empire to the Earth Federation, all for the good of mankind. He was not stupid enough to do something like this. These politicians could bicker all day and he would continue ignoring them.

At this hour, he was looking at the blueprints of the newest s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p design sent by the aeros.p.a.ce department.

The s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was designed like a shuttle. The front portion was shaped like the head of a drill with a triangular tip. The back portion, which was its rear, was designed like a fortress. There were numerous windows, some with cannons and laser weaponry prodding out of them.

1

This was the newest s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p model designed for traversing the subs.p.a.ce. Chen Chen noted that the dimensions of this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p were marked at 500 meters long. Even the most advanced aircraft carrier currently known to mankind only measured at 300 meters. The behemoth wars.h.i.+p could carry up to five thousand pa.s.sengers at a time.

If this was the finalized blueprint, it would be more appropriate to define this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p as a s.p.a.ce fortress.

“A larger hull and thicker fortification can make it more resilient in the subs.p.a.ce.”

Little X explained, “A lot of the problem that the subs.p.a.ce poses can be solved with an increased hull size. For example, the reason the subs.p.a.ce vortex and the vines Shaw describes can hinder the previous s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p so much is because of the size difference. A lot of these problems can be alleviated simply by using a larger s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p with high-offset fortification installed at the bow of the s.h.i.+p to overcome whatever obstacles stand in its path.

“The reality anchor is also a key factor since it can limit the subs.p.a.ce airflow, essentially serving as a protective buffer. This was the exact thing that saved Shaw's life back then in the subs.p.a.ce.

1

“Of course, our subs.p.a.ce navigator Shaw is the a.s.set that ties everything together. From what we've discovered in the previous voyage, it seems that he can perceive dangers hundreds of thousands of kilometers away in the subs.p.a.ce. He's an indispensable part of the subs.p.a.ce expedition.”

Chen Chen rapped his knuckle against the table and considered these factors.

After some time, he raised his head and stated, “These are very good points, but there are still some adjustments I'd like to make, especially regarding the size of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.”

“Oh?”

Little X seemed to not take to the suggestion kindly. “But these are the ideal dimensions to survive the subs.p.a.ce. I'm afraid that shrinking it would cause…”

“I think you misunderstood.”

Chen Chen remarked, “I never said anything about making the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p smaller. On the contrary, I believe we should make it larger.”

“What?”

Little X was startled by this. “You want to enlarge our current design?”

“Of course.”

Chen Chen nodded. “We already have a preliminary understanding of subs.p.a.ce so the next step is to increase our range. We're not only planning to navigate the solar system, we want to go further. If the Milky Way was an ocean, then the solar system is merely a tiny island in this vast ocean. We need to plan far into the future when mankind inevitably wants to expand its scope further. This is why the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p has to accommodate these future ventures. It needs to have the capacity to fulfill these grand ambitions.”

“How large should it be?”

Little X asked, her voice filled with excitement.

“Nothing too extravagant yet considering we're still in the trial phase. Let's go with one kilometer.”

Chen Chen considered a while before supplementing. “There must be at least some resemblance of a habitable ecosystem in the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. I mean commodities like parks, processing plants, and warehouses. This way, even if the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p encounters some unprecedented problems, the crew can be self-sufficient for a while at least.”

Little X was impressed by Chen Chen's foresight. In truth, the crew onboard should spend the majority of their time in the cryogenic chambers. They would enter a hibernation state for months, even years, until they reach the appointed destination. However, there were many unprecedented factors in s.p.a.ce navigation that may lead to a range of accidents. Therefore, it was wise to prepare facilities ahead of time to address certain crises so that the crew could survive until rescue arrived.

These facilities should accommodate the most basic needs for survival. This meant food and basic living conditions in the s.p.a.cecraft to save themselves. Even in the direst situation, the crew should be able to manage for several months on board by optimally conserving and rationing their resources. It was better than descending into a hopeless panic right away.

With this, the design was reworked entirely, with new implementations such as yards, in-house ecological gardens, and circulation systems. The botanical garden would also double as an ecological system provider with the right air circulation distributed over the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p. At the same time, it could provide food for the crew.

The processing plant would synthesize meat and protein to sustain the crew. In cases of an extreme shortage of resources, organic excrement could be utilized as a final resort for protein synthesis.

Furthermore, the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p could ferry hundreds of smaller scout s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps and its very own battle fleet. The ferried s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps could each serve different purposes as they would adopt an advanced modular design where parts could be subst.i.tuted with different modules to perform different tasks which the situation called for.

For example, a resource-gathering s.h.i.+p's excavation module could be subst.i.tuted with electromagnetic weapons and be repurposed as a combat s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p.

After a strenuous round of redesign, the total capacity of the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p remained more or less the same, in the range of three to five thousand. However, the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p itself was at least four times larger than before and its total interior area had increased by close to ten folds.

When Little X presented the revamped blueprint to Chen Chen, he clapped the table with his palms and exclaimed energetically, “This is the one.”

“I'm afraid the current Moon Rabbit s.p.a.ce Station doesn't have enough s.p.a.ce to build a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p of these proportions.”

Little X said, “We'll need to expand the Moon Rabbit s.p.a.ce Station.”

“That's a given.”

Chen Chen agreed. “I plan to continuously expand the Moon Rabbit s.p.a.ce Station until it's ten times its current size. It should be achievable considering our resources.”

Chen Chen had been regularly s.h.i.+pping construction materials to the Moon Rabbit s.p.a.ce Station with the precise goal of expanding it in mind. As if two Gantz spheres were not enough, he s.h.i.+pped an additional Gantz sphere to the s.p.a.ce station. All three Gantz spheres were used simultaneously for s.h.i.+pping materials and the s.p.a.ce station expanded rapidly from thereon.

Little X even quipped that at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Moon Rabbit s.p.a.ce Station was visible from the earth.

While the Moon Rabbit s.p.a.ce Station expansion was underway, Shaw also cooperated with the company and allowed further research of his psionic ability.

The procedure involved was identical to the process of extracting the L factor from Chen Chen's blood to manufacture the L compound. Chen Chen planned to extract the corresponding gene from Shaw's blood and replicate his psionic powers.

Shaw was only one person and it would not do to only have one navigator for the s.p.a.ce fleet in the future. Chen Chen needed hundreds, even thousands of navigators with abilities like Shaw's. Only then could mankind overcome the obstacles in the subs.p.a.ce and populate the galaxy…