Li Yali was busy leading the fleet to clear out the Shade Beasts in the Brolly Star System. The exploration ships had only set off three days ago, and it would still take some time to reach Liu Hai's target.
On Irina's side, preparations were nearly complete. All crew members had been recruited through the Star Sea Group, and with Li Ping handling these matters, Liu Hai didn't need to worry about them.
Currently, the entire Hera Star System was unusually calm. The friction between the Katon Civilization and the Federation had seemingly vanished. Liu Hai didn't know what the military was up to, but through previous communication channels, he learned that all Pioneers in the Third Spiral Arm were preparing for war. Large transport ships were leaving Federation Star Regions one after another, heading straight for the Stardust Star Region.
Since Liu Hai had no influence over these major events and they didn't immediately affect him, he decided to enjoy this rare period of leisure.
His way of passing time was dragging Igor to watch scientists dissect and study Shade Beasts—a rather macabre pastime. Igor refused on the spot, but Liu Hai felt lonely watching alone and claimed even popcorn tasted bland without company. So he stubbornly pulled Igor along.
Sitting in the holographic projection with a constipated expression, Igor helplessly asked Liu Hai, who was thoroughly engrossed, "Boss, when exactly did you develop such... peculiar tastes?"
Liu Hai swallowed a handful of popcorn and mumbled, "When? Ever since I realized these things could bring me a corporation worth ranking in the Federation's top thousand."
"So you're just watching for the money?" Igor was utterly speechless.
"What else? To see them make a bloody mess? I've filtered all that out—I'm only watching their research progress. Every breakthrough means resources." Originally, according to the contract with Irina, all these findings would belong to her. But later, to purchase more biological tissue from Liu Hai, she had to return these rights to him.
That's why Liu Hai was now so enthusiastic about immersing himself in holographic projections to watch scientific research. Of course, his view didn't include the indescribable gory details—his perspective was completely different from Igor's.
Upon learning the truth, Igor nearly wept. He'd sacrificed too much just to accompany his boss.
Fortunately, after seeing how Liu Hai handled it, Igor followed suit. He no longer forced himself to endure the discomfort of watching what amounted to textbook anatomy lessons. Instead, he applied similar filters to his view, focusing only on the summarized research results.
"Huh? This energy absorption and utilization efficiency seems even higher than the Federation's current performance. If this theory can be proven with concrete results, the armament industry could really take off."
Igor quickly identified the most valuable information from the vast data. Comparing it with publicly available records, he realized much of this research surpassed the Federation's demonstrated capabilities. These findings alone could elevate civilian technology in the Federation by a whole tier.
As for why he didn't mention the Federation military—those who understood knew. What was in active service, in reserves, and in theoretical development were entirely different matters. Just like how, even when the Katon Civilization suddenly revealed fortresses equipped with energy weapons, there had been no reaction at all.
Was the response too slow?
No!
Only the military could remain so composed, reacting without the slightest ripple, because they saw no issues in this situation.
This was something the Pioneers later came to understand—the military didn't consider the Katon Fleet a threat, which was why they paid no attention to the new weapons the enemy had unveiled.
Igor compared these research materials one by one with the Federation's existing market technologies, and the more he analyzed, the more alarmed he became.
"Boss, this isn't something we can handle alone, is it?"
Igor was genuinely concerned. The stakes were too high. While they wouldn't resort to ruthless tactics, the Federation wouldn't interfere in normal market competition. No one was bold enough to take on the entire Federation single-handedly.
"Of course we can't handle it alone. I just want to make a quick profit. Once Irina's fleet arrives and we've consolidated, I plan to hold an auction to sell partial technology licenses and secure some cash flow for developing the Brolly Star System."
Liu Hai, brimming with confidence, wasn't worried about Igor's concerns. He had no intention of monopolizing the benefits—or even producing these products himself. At most, he'd leave it to Li Ping to oversee.
If they could develop suitable products, they'd sell them. If not, they'd just sell the licenses and collect profits without the hassle. That was the ideal scenario.
The Star Sea Group simply lacked the foundation. Their research resources were too limited, their manpower severely insufficient, and research took too much time—something Liu Hai wasn't willing to waste on this.
After understanding Liu Hai's plan, Igor thought it over and agreed it was feasible. Li Ping would likely approve too, since they genuinely lacked the capability to utilize these technologies themselves. Selling them for a good price to secure their own interests was the safest bet.
While Liu Hai focused on researching the Shade Beasts, preliminary results emerged from the study of Star Behemoth Biological Tissue—though practical application was still far off, likely years away.
The scientific theories behind the Starry Sky Behemoths were too advanced. Breakthroughs couldn't be immediately applied—the Brolly Civilization was a cautionary tale.
Half a year later, the trade supplies from Irina's family finally arrived in the Hera Star System. The efficiency was impressive, but it would still take years for them to reach the Brolly Star System, so Liu Hai had to wait.
Around the same time, the exploration vessel sent back good news: they had discovered a star region rich in concentrated resources. Though no Life Planets were found, there were plenty of resource-rich planets.
"Give me the details." The moment he received the news, Liu Hai summoned the relevant personnel to a virtual meeting.
The exploration vessel's leader, Zhang Zhong, stood at attention. "Reporting, Boss. The star region we've discovered consists of eight star systems, totaling forty-eight planets and ten stars. No traces of Katon Civilization exploration vessels were detected in the surrounding regions."
"What's the situation in the nearby space?" Liu Hai pressed.
"The nearest star system is over a hundred light-years away. The location is relatively remote, meeting your requirements." Zhang Zhong pulled up the data and explained in detail how they had stumbled upon the star region.
Zhang Zhong's discovery had involved some luck, but the outcome was unexpectedly favorable.
It all began when Zhang Zhong's Cruiser detected faint starlight in that Star Region. However, according to the data calculations, the distance seemed a bit too far, and no Star System had been detected in the nearby void. This led to a debate over whether to explore it or not.
Eager to make a contribution as soon as possible, Zhang Zhong decided to take the risk. The result was clear—after several Warp jumps, they successfully confirmed the existence of that Star Region.
"Excellent! The corresponding exploration rewards will be distributed to you once the specifics of this Star Region are confirmed. For now, conduct a thorough survey of the region's environment and deploy some Detectors."
Overjoyed, Liu Hai was itching to inspect the area firsthand. Fortunately, he remembered he still had a fleet under his command, so he restrained himself from rushing off. Instead, he immediately summoned Li Yali to lead the fleet back.