Chapter 490: Chapter 265 Shadow and Dawn!
He had just heard something…
Naming the fleet?
Had Black gone mad?
Mu Fan gathered his emotions, asking in disbelief, “You mean it’s my fleet?”
“Correct, it is your fleet, and this is the flagship of the fleet, please name it first.”
A warship’s holographic image surfaced on the light screen.
What is this!
Mu Fan’s gaze was fixed on the holographic light screen projected by Sky Communication.
A huge warship with a dense and uniform array of raised structures on its surface hovered in mid-air.
The warship’s sharp armor prow, like a spear smeared with dark-red bloodstains, pointed forward, suspending in mid-air, wider at the top than the bottom. On the side, there were extensive decks that jutted out. Meanwhile, towering bridges, similar to stacked mountains of knives, pointed at the sky, standing in the middle and back sections of the warship.
Both sides were densely covered with electromagnetic cannon arrays, which protruded unreservedly from their firing ports, and the main gun on the armored prow looked imposing.
The entire warship had been compressed into a holographic image of unknown proportion, but just the sight of the mottled dark-red and ferocious exterior allowed Mu Fan to sense an atmosphere of solemn lethality.
This was a true war machine!
The dreams of men lie in the stars and the sea.
Mu Fan had only ever come into contact with mechas, even possessing the Shura, that stood towering at the pinnacle of terrifying mechas!
But Mu Fan had never had the opportunity to truly witness warships, which are normally beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Let alone a warship designed and transformed entirely by Black!
Today, when he saw this monstrous killing device that truly belonged to the Star Sea for the first time, he felt the insignificance of humanity beneath a warship.
No wonder Ruan Xiongfei once said that the scale and level of mechas can change local wars, but to achieve strategic victory, one must rely on warships!
Compared to warships, mechas really are truly insignificant!
“This, did you really make this? How could Shadow Base possibly have this level of capability!”
Mu Fan was utterly incredulous. His mindset was like someone who originally only had 1,000 Star Coins, but one day, was suddenly told that they now had ten billion.
This astronomical difference was enough to make him think he was dreaming.
“Of course not. The base model is the Icebreaker Warship, modified according to the Yake Empire’s [Casar] class Battle Barge production standards. The ship’s functions and strength are now at the level of the Federation’s seventh-class Battle Mother Ship. The armaments have been changed from Macro Cannons to electromagnetic gun arrays and from Light Spears to plasma heavy cannons at the prow.”
The base was actually that warship from the Sword Axe Star Thief Group!
Mu Fan was truly taken aback, but upon closer inspection, he indeed found that aside from the transformed prow and sides, it was strikingly similar to the structure of the Icebreaker Warship.
The capturing lens of Sky Communication’s image captured Mu Fan’s expression.
A hint of joy appeared in Black’s voice as it continued:
“However, current production capacity is temporarily insufficient. Only one flagship has been transformed, two Wager Guard Escort Ships (based on the Federation’s fifth-class Escort Ship) have been built, and four Netherfire Assault Cruisers (based on the Federation’s sixth-class cruisers). The fleet has already achieved initial combat capability.”
“Following the Yake Super Empire naval equipment format, additional warship construction plans are in progress. The controlled area of Planet 131 has been surveyed, with rich reserves of High Crystal Ore and metal deposits, enough to support the establishment of a fleet battle group of twenty-two ships.”
“Although we only have a preliminary framework for now, please believe in the great mechanical hematopoietic ability of intelligent life at Shadow Base.”
In Black’s usual narration, only a great yet ordinary fact was being described; the pride in its tone represented its greatness as an intelligent being destined to be extraordinary from birth!
“So now, please name this fleet and… your flagship, Commander.”
Black repeated the sentence once more and for the first time used the term “Commander.”
Mu Fan listened with rapt attention, but at this moment, he forced himself to suppress the excitement in his heart as he paced countless circles in his bedroom, clad in flexible weighted clothing.
Finally, his pacing stopped, taking in the quiet breath of the night, feeling every cell in his body rejoice and leap for joy in the dense darkness.
Mu Fan thought about his current situation and his expression finally firmed up.
“Black, I’ve thought of a name.”
“What is it called? I feel like today is going to be one for the history books,” Black’s voice carried a hint of eager anticipation.
“Borne from the shadows, concealed in the void, growing incessantly on the dark side undetected by all—hence, this fleet shall be known as—the Shadow Fleet!” Mu Fan’s eyes shone brightly in the darkness.
“Black, the strategic direction of this fleet requires my approval, and in other cases, you will act as its true Commander! You now have one more responsibility, Captain.”
Mu Fan’s words made Black’s voice almost distort with excitement.
“Mu Fan, are you formally granting me the authority of second-in-command of the fleet?”
“Yes.”
“Hahaha, from now on, please address me as Commander Black! Shadow Fleet, Shadow Fleet! Hahaha, this is our very first fleet!” Hearing the sincere laughter of intelligent life, so akin to that of a child, a smile appeared on Mu Fan’s face.
“The flagship ‘Casar’ class Combat Barge requests naming.”
“Born of the shadow, it represents the birth and legacy of hope, so the flagship shall be named—Dawn!”
“The ‘Dawn’ Battle Mother Ship!”
As Mu Fan uttered the name, the thoughts of the young man and Black converged in the starry sky.
Black, who had never spoken up about base construction, had quietly presented him with such a grand gift!
“Fleet—Shadow, flagship—Dawn! At your command, Commander.”
Mu Fan closed his eyes to calm himself for a while until his mind cleared, then he asked, “What is your next development plan?”
“Continue to expand the scale of metal smelting, construct complementary production lines for warships to realize a complete formation of twenty-two warships! Establish a factory for ship-borne weapons. Although some key data are lost, it is still possible to replicate weapons such as the Yake Super Empire’s plasma torpedoes and the Thunder God trappers.”
Only on Planet 131, with its complete mechanical manufacturing chain, full authorization, unparallel mineral resource advantage, and free from disturbance, could Black maximize his function.
“Understood, continue with the tasks as planned. Try constructing a few small transport ships for surface and atmospherical travel to and from the planet,” Mu Fan nodded.
“At your command.”
“Thank you, Black,” Mu Fan threw himself back onto the comfortable bed, “for giving me such a great dream.”
A round, rolling laughing emoticon appeared on the light screen projected by Sky Communication.
“Service to my host is my ultimate purpose, goodnight, Mu Fan.”
“Goodnight.”
Sky Communication turned off, and Mu Fan closed his eyes with a smile lingering on his lips as he drifted into sleep.
In the virtual network, Black floated alone in Base #341, without Mohandas to keep it company, and the metal sphere it transformed into did not whiz around wildly as usual.
Murmured monologues emanated from the metal ball, echoing within the base.
“Meeting you was my luck, helping me understand the purpose of intelligent life’s existence. Thank you, Mu Fan.”
…
Who would have imagined, at the far end of the vast expanse of the Galaxy Federation, a fleet in its infancy was emerging in a unique environment, like a young sprout moistened by the first rain, beginning to unfold its own lustrous life force.
The fleet, named the Shadow, carrying a mission to pierce the dawn, lay in silent wait.
One day in the future, when its owner needed it most, the Shadow would tear through space like a dazzling star. In a flash, it would streak across the sky, stunning the world!