The First Spiral Arm was engulfed in war, with numerous military outposts besieged by the Katon Fleet. Although none had fallen yet, the very occurrence sent chills down the spines of the Pioneers who had thus far remained outside the conflict.
The Katon Fleet's madness had been laid bare—even scattered militias dared to strike at regular forces. What, then, of the larger Legions?
This might have seemed like a question, but a glance at the battlefields of the First Spiral Arm rendered it rhetorical.
As both sides committed more and more forces, centralized command became impossible. Each fleet fought independently, maintaining only a strategic unity on the broader scale while tactics were left entirely to the discretion of individual fleets.
Whether one killed or was killed depended entirely on personal skill and whether there was a nearby ally powerful enough to pull them out of danger.
After months of escalation, the flames of war in the First Spiral Arm began to spread toward neighboring Star Regions. Reserve Lord Chang Qinghai of the Second Spiral Arm reported that he had already been affected.
A dozen Katon Legions were camped at his doorstep, banging drums and gongs, tossing firecrackers into his territory, and occasionally lobbing in a few double-kick firecrackers for good measure.
Unfortunately, Chang Qinghai had suffered heavy losses in the previous campaign. Now, even with enemies brandishing firecrackers at his gates, he lacked the strength to drive them out. He could only hold his ground, tying down the most elite force of the Katon Explorers in the Second Spiral Arm.
As for the rest, he could do nothing. Recovering his own strength took priority—otherwise, whether in war or peace, he would have no chance at all.
The Third Spiral Arm remained relatively stable, though the Stardust Star Region was pressing for the urgent delivery of their ordered goods. They feared that any further delay might make delivery impossible.
Once war broke out, logistics would quickly collapse. Even with fleet escorts, what else could transport ships boast besides their renowned cargo capacity? Yet both sides particularly loved targeting supply convoys—no matter how the battle went, destroying the enemy's transport fleet was always a strategic victory.
Events had spiraled beyond individual control. Sensing the growing threat, Liu Hai continuously adjusted production plans, even halting some auxiliary projects to focus on upgrading core facilities like manufacturing plants and space station shipyards.
Asteroids were steadily dismantled into raw materials for construction, while uninhabited planets became sprawling industrial zones lined with factories.
To accelerate the production of Angel-series warships and Tier-5 Civilization Armaments, Liu Hai toiled tirelessly, dragging the leadership of both the Brolly Star System and the Gemini Starfield into an endless cycle of work.
One plan after another for rapid development was proposed, evaluated, and either implemented or sent back for revision.
While the frontlines burned, the rear was no less chaotic—so much so that the stress was visibly thinning hair.
Under pressure from the Stardust Star Region, the Xue family and other major clans, along with the Pioneers, poured vast resources into new orders, seemingly intent on turning the Stardust Star Region into an armed fortress.
Liu Hai also knew that retreat was no longer an option. The situation didn't permit them to withdraw—the First and Second Spiral Arms, even the central regions, were already engulfed in war, and the flames were only growing fiercer. There was simply no path left for retreat.
The Katon Exploration Fleet in the Third Spiral Arm had the Pioneers there under tight surveillance. Even around the Brolly Star System, traces of Katon Exploration Ships had appeared. Clearly, this once relatively peaceful region had already caught the attention of the Katon Civilization, and it was only a matter of time before the war reached Liu Hai himself.
As a result, Liu Hai was so anxious that his lips were blistering. Development and construction weren't things that could be accomplished overnight, especially when material supplies had their limits. Less than half of the first two batches of resources had even been delivered, and now another order had come in—one they couldn't refuse.
The expansion of production lines had been underway for some time, but construction and production still required time to execute.
With manpower stretched thin, Liu Hai had already deployed Clone Soldiers to provide logistical support for the Brolly Star System. Some of the more tedious tasks had been offloaded to the Gemini Starfield, and even the Star Sea Group, located deep within Federation territory, was frantically recruiting more personnel.
"I'm exhausted. Just let it all burn."
After receiving yet another order, Liu Hai collapsed into a limp heap, looking no different from Fat Orange curled up beside him.
Somehow, word had spread that the Star Sea Group's Armament was of exceptional quality—that with enough money, one could even purchase military-grade equipment. Once this news got out, orders from Pioneers in the Third Spiral Arm sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain.
The worst part was that the Lords had their eyes on him, scrutinizing every last bit of his resources. There was no way he could turn down these life-saving orders from the Pioneers.
Painful yet profitable times were always fleeting. After reaping the initial benefits of the orders, even Igor—a man who clung to wealth as if his life depended on it—felt he should resign first, wait out this period, and then shamelessly return to his job later.
He simply couldn't take it anymore. As the head of the Logistics Department, he was the first point of contact for all Pioneers. Even with subordinates to share the workload, the sheer number of people was overwhelming.
"Boss, can we push back some of these orders? We're already booked for the next ten years! At the end of the day, we're here to pioneer territories, not run a business!" Unable to endure any longer, Igor opened a comms channel with Liu Hai to vent.
"Be glad we haven't gotten any warship orders yet. Who was the idiot who went around bragging about how good our Armament is? If it's so great, why couldn't they just buy and use it quietly? Why shout it from the rooftops?" Liu Hai was equally frustrated. He hadn't had a moment to read or study—every day was spent answering calls and negotiating deals, turning him into a glorified sales rep. All that was missing was a boozy toast with "Tonight, we drink till we drop!"
Hearing Liu Hai's complaints, Igor instinctively shrank his neck, guilt gnawing at him.
Unaware of Igor's unease, Liu Hai continued grumbling for a while before finally relenting. "Hang in there a few more days. The Third Spiral Arm was too remote and resource-scarce in the beginning. Even though more Pioneers have arrived in recent years, their numbers are still limited. We've already handled the most likely buyers—the rest might follow the trend, but the volume won't be as high."
"The most important thing is resources. We need to press Third Logistics Company to deliver those advance payments as soon as possible. Once the fighting starts, no amount of resources will matter if they can't be delivered. They'll just take up space for nothing."
Igor quickly nodded in agreement: "I'll go urge them again right away and have them dispatch more transport ships."
"Alright, get to it. I know everyone's been exhausted lately. Here's what we'll do—notify everyone that wages will be doubled for this period, and individual merit bonuses will be increased by half." Liu Hai arranged with heavy exhaustion in his voice.
"Got it, boss! I'll get right on it." Igor hastily ended the call, then immediately slapped himself hard across the face. Way to go, smartass. Now you've dug yourself into a hole.
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