As more and more transport ships recently arrived in the Brolly Star System, even with several neighboring star systems sharing the transportation load, the daily handling of thousands of loading and unloading operations still overwhelmed the continuously expanding space stations.
Outside the loading and unloading ports of the five external space stations, endless queues stretched for several astronomical units. These included not only inbound transport ships unloading cargo and loading armaments before departure but also small local transport vessels belonging to the Star Sea Group shuttling back and forth.
The boom in armament trade also spurred prosperity in the local consumer market.
Though the armament trade had only begun a year or two ago, the number of non-local residents had already surpassed a million. Applications for shops and factories piled high on the desks of administrative staff.
Meanwhile, none of the local Star Sea Group employees had the time to capitalize on this opportunity—all were buried under workloads so heavy they were losing their hair.
Had it not been for the timely support from the Star Sea Group headquarters and the Clone Soldier division of the Gemini Starfield, the management of the Brolly Star System would have gone on strike under the crushing workload.
The first thing Liu Hai did when he found time was to address the space station housing crisis. Currently, there were 35 large and medium-sized space stations in the Brolly Star System, 15 of which belonged to the research department and could not accommodate outsiders.
Of the remaining stations—five managed by the Star Sea Group and five serving as trade ports—only ten small space stations were available for non-local residents.
With the growing number of stranded individuals, all of whom were either representatives or liaison personnel sent by various Pioneers, along with numerous related staff, not a single person could be considered expendable.
Thus, expelling outsiders was impossible—the only solution was to accelerate local residential development.
To this end, Liu Hai designated a plot of land on the outermost planet of the star system for the construction of several large cities and corresponding space stations to stabilize the increasingly chaotic population structure.
As for security, Liu Hai directly deployed a battalion of Clone Soldiers under Stallone's command. Since they had not yet undergone Gene Optimization Technology modifications, their physiques remained within normal human limits, and their equipment required no adjustments—they could be deployed immediately.
While waiting, Liu Hai received word that the Mothership and Fortress he had requisitioned were about to arrive. Calculating the distance, he was surprised to find that the logistics fleet and Irina would reach the Brolly Star System simultaneously.
Irina's arrival was inconsequential, but the news of the impending Fortress and Mothership reassured Li Yali and the others.
With trade flourishing recently, their fleet had faced mounting security pressures. The frequency of patrol missions alone had left the crew mentally exhausted.
After all, every operation followed wartime protocols, with each individual linked to neural control systems. Though their bodies rested in secure pods, their minds remained hyperactive.
Prolonged exposure to such conditions would wear anyone down, let alone a crew that hadn't had proper rest in years. Worse, as more and more transport ships arrived, their patrol routes grew longer, and the star regions they monitored expanded.
The personnel from Star Sea Group still had over three years before arrival, yet even before their arrival, it was already evident that they would be insufficient.
The support personnel from Cactus Sister's trade deal were also still en route. Compared to Star Sea Group traveling directly from the core wormhole region to the Brolly Star System, the journey from the Second Spiral Arm through the Hera Star System to reach here was even more distant.
Now, the fleet's eleven fortresses and two motherships were about to arrive. The sheer firepower they represented meant frequent patrols were no longer necessary—just deploying one Standard Fortress at each warp point in the surrounding star systems would drastically enhance the security of the entire Brolly Star System.
Just as everyone was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the transport fleet, an urgent communication left them pale-faced.
Three minutes earlier, the Third Logistics Company's transport fleet had been ambushed by the Katon Fleet while passing through the warp point of Star System 365. A space anchor had been deployed within a five-light-year radius, disrupting warp capabilities and preventing entry into warp drive.
The Third Logistics Company's transport fleet consisted of 550 large cargo ships fully loaded with supplies, escorted by fifteen corvettes, along with Liu Hai's eleven fortresses. Additionally, Irina's fleet of 300 warships of various classes had unexpectedly encountered them.
Upon detecting the spatial interference, they quickly reorganized their formation, using the fortresses as shields to protect most of the transport ships while sending distress signals to the nearby Pioneer Fleet and Star Sea Group.
They were the closest, the cargo belonged to them, and most critically, over 200,000 of their logistical personnel were stationed here.
"Report the current situation in detail!" Liu Hai demanded the moment he entered the virtual command center.
A projection unfolded before him as Fang Jian'an, a third-level staff officer from the strategy department, stepped forward to explain: "This is the warp point of Star System 365—originally just an empty void, with the only matter within three light-years being Star System 365 itself. Currently, we've lost control and monitoring of the area."
"Five minutes ago, after the Katon Fleet activated the space anchor, all detectors in the region were destroyed."
Liu Hai's expression darkened. "Are you saying this was a long-planned diversion?"
Li Yali shook her head. "Regardless of their intentions, our priority now is to rescue the transport fleet."
Hearing this, those standing at the top of the virtual command center frowned. The problem was that they had too little intel on the Katon Fleet—all detectors within several light-years had been wiped out, something the Explorer Fleet shouldn't have been capable of.
"Has there been any unusual activity from the Katon Fleet in the Third Spiral Arm recently?" Liu Hai asked Li Yali.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. All their fleets are engaged in battles with the Pioneers—there's no way they could have slipped under our radar unnoticed." Li Yali suspected this fleet belonged to Katon's military.
"What about the military fleet in the neighboring star system?" Before anyone could respond, Liu Hai pulled up the detector feed from that region.
The projection showed the military fleet assembling—likely Irina mobilizing her forces for reinforcement.
The three Standard Fortresses' defending Legion Fleets arrived to support the battlefield on schedule, but losses among the transport ships were inevitable. After all, the fortresses could only Warp up to three light-years away before forcibly engaging their Warp Drives, dragging along ordinary warships to reinforce the battlefield. This left a gap of several days in their arrival timeline.
While this gap wouldn't wipe out the entire transport fleet—which had eleven fortresses defending against the Katon Fleet—some losses were unavoidable.
The fortresses could barely move as it was, with severe shortages in their pilot crews that couldn't be filled by hastily reassigning fleet personnel. Not to mention, their energy reserves were already insufficient.
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