Only for the sixth star system did Liu Hai hesitate before ultimately deciding to construct a Fortress Battleship there.
As the scale of warfare continued to expand, even Battleships had become inadequate—dozens or even hundreds could be sunk in a single engagement. His current assets might appear decent here, but if the Katon Civilization set their sights on him, he'd be finished immediately.
The projection zoomed out, revealing the entire Gemini Starfield. Eight star systems orbited one another, with the trinary star system at the center. Four light-years away lay the Gemini star system, while the remaining six star systems revolved around these two primary systems.
Liu Hai's gaze swept over the five already allocated star systems before settling on the three outer ones.
The second, seventh, and eighth star systems were unremarkable in terms of resources, with only ten rocky planets among them. However, each averaged over three gas giants. Their stars were ordinary yellow dwarfs—small and dim—with their sole advantage being their youth, meaning they still had plenty of time to provide light and heat.
The previous star systems had been assigned warship and energy production plans. After some thought, Liu Hai decided to allocate the remaining three to manufacturing fortress cannons, railguns, and other miscellaneous weapons. This would allow for targeted adjustments to the production structure and reduce unnecessary resource waste.
Once the objectives were set, the Intelligent Nexus quickly produced a construction plan. Some facilities from the Gemini star system would be relocated to the other systems. Without disrupting local production schedules, a portion of the existing Engineering Robots and Construction Ships would also be dispatched to accelerate the building process.
"Two years. The first phase of construction will be completed in two years. By then, our production speed will meet our defensive needs. Once the Fortress is operational, holding the Brolly Star System for decades shouldn't be a problem."
Liu Hai reflected on the recent developments between both sides, estimating that the conflict was unlikely to reach him within the next two years. This was the perfect opportunity to focus on development.
"But I can't count on nothing happening. I need to secure another fallback option."
After further consideration, Liu Hai still felt uneasy and decided to send a few Corvettes to continue exploring further back, mapping out the region thousands of light-years beyond the Third Spiral Arm. He would identify remote areas to establish a safe zone.
Lying in the garden, watching the bionic robots trim the plants, Liu Hai found himself at a loss for what to do next.
Even in the interstellar era, industrial development still required considerable time. The plans were already set and wouldn't change unless under exceptional circumstances. The Clone Soldier administrators were continuously making minor adjustments, so there was no need for him to intervene.
The weapons and equipment needed for the Brolly Star System Defense System were being transported one transport ship at a time, with specialized teams handling their installation at predetermined locations.
As for the fleet, he didn't need to worry about that either. In terms of command ability, he was inferior to even the three sub-fleet commanders—at most, he could only offer a few suggestions.
"Oh, right. Nexus, how's the progress on my Bio-Assisted Chip?" Liu Hai suddenly remembered the auxiliary device he had ordered to be manufactured before leaving the Gemini Starfield.
"Production is nearly complete. Final debugging is underway, with installation expected in approximately half a month."
The Intelligent Nexus projected relevant data before Liu Hai, detailing the various functions of the Bio-Assisted Chip.
Though called an "assisted chip," it was actually a set of biological equipment. Its raw material was derived from that piece of Star Behemoth Biological Tissue, modified and adjusted by the Seed Ship into functional devices, with corresponding programs etched into them.
The entire biological system was essentially a condensed, simplified version of devices that could originally be linked via mental connection, compressed into biological cells. Powered by the human body, it helped the user control biological energy they couldn't freely manipulate and the nanobots introduced into their system.
Liu Hai's set of Bio-Assisted Chips, modulated by the Intelligent Nexus, consisted of five parts: a core control chip at the back of his head, an Energy Conversion and Collection Chip along his spine and another at the center of his chest, and an Energy Field Chip in each hand.
The chip at the back of his head served as the central control unit, responsible for neural linkage with the brain, coordinating the other chips, and assisting Liu Hai with computation and communication—essentially integrating functions like processing, mental linkage, communication, and central control.
The chips on his chest and back leveraged the Star Behemoth's ability to absorb external energy, converting a portion of it into bioenergy for Liu Hai's use. They could also mobilize his internal bioenergy to power external devices.
The hand chips were primarily defensive, capable of generating an Energy Shield and forming a Force Field that allowed Liu Hai to achieve low-altitude flight, among other abilities.
The main reason for creating this system was that Liu Hai's brain had stored an excessive amount of knowledge he couldn't access or utilize on his own, necessitating an auxiliary device to retrieve and process it.
After half a month of leisure, Liu Hai entered the Seed Ship, where the Intelligent Nexus installed and calibrated the Biochips.
Upon emerging, he felt slightly disoriented—as if a part of his mind was constantly occupied. His mental perception now included two additional "organs" he could activate at will, yet he couldn't physically sense their presence, creating a paradoxical sensation.
Fortunately, after a brief adjustment, Liu Hai tested the chips' functions in the garden.
First were the hand chips. With a mere thought, his hands rapidly converted energy into a 2.2-meter-diameter Energy Shield enveloping him. The Force Field lifted him about twenty centimeters off the ground—just enough for the shield to pass unimpeded.
Testing the shield's strength, he found it could withstand over a hundred degrees of force. While instantaneous output consumed a large amount of bioenergy for conversion, the chips themselves also stored a reserve.
Meanwhile, when mobilizing significant bioenergy, the chest and back chips began absorbing external energy, converting it into bioenergy to replenish Liu Hai's reserves. Excess energy was then supplied to the shield.
After hovering in low-altitude flight for a loop, Liu Hai quickly mastered the technique—it wasn't much different from piloting a hover car.
Finally, the main event. Liu Hai sat in a chair, closed his eyes, and a three-dimensional holographic projection naturally surfaced in his mind—a manifestation of the auxiliary chip's program.
With another thought, the vast knowledge systems imprinted into his neural cells by the Intelligent Nexus appeared in orderly fashion, like rows of bookshelves. After being organized by the auxiliary program, the knowledge Liu Hai possessed truly became his own, accessible anytime, anywhere.
I tried to access the few technologies with the largest data volumes, and the corresponding knowledge quickly surfaced in my mind, flowing smoothly without any hindrance.