Zhao Wan'er carefully examined the starship from top to bottom.
She looked at Zhao Chen in astonishment: "This... starship was assembled from those three... T2 Hyena, T2 Gray Wolf, and T2 Devil Crocodile?"
She realized why this starship gave her a sense of déjà vu—the hull bore a ninety percent resemblance to that of the T2 Devil Crocodile-class Medium Interstellar Battleship.
The weapon modules on it were also very similar to those of the T2 Hyena-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer, and...
In short, this starship carried too many features of those three vessels.
"That's right," Zhao Chen admitted openly.
He couldn't yet reveal the matter of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser, but the fact that he had assembled a starship himself couldn't be hidden.
Because the starship warehouse had exchange records, and combined with Zhao Chen's upcoming duel with Zhang Haoran using this starship, anyone with a discerning eye would connect the dots.
"You spent the past half month here assembling this starship? When did you learn starship assembly?" Zhao Wan'er stared at Zhao Chen in disbelief.
Dismantling three starships and assembling them into one was no easy task. Most importantly, it required ensuring that every module of this starship could actually activate!
Pointing at the starship, Zhao Chen smiled: "I have many secrets. Besides our Starship Captain Department courses, I secretly studied some starship engineering on my own.
And this is my first starship. I've named it Zero Blizzard!"
Although it could be considered a simplified version of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser, using the "Blizzard" name didn't feel entirely appropriate.
So Zhao Chen simply gave it a standalone name: 'Zero Blizzard'.
"Zero... Blizzard?" Zhao Wan'er muttered this strange name. This thing that resembled an interstellar battleship, yet also an interstellar cruiser, but also had the style of an interstellar destroyer—what on earth was it?
"Are you sure it can actually activate?
Zhao Chen, I know your feelings for Jiang Shasha. But that woman really isn't right for you. Don't cling to just one tree.
And you know the situation of our territory.
The two of us barely managed to use the territory's last savings to become students at North Star Starship Academy. Only if we graduate successfully can we have any hope of revitalizing the territory.
You don't want your Nobility Title to be reclaimed by the Empire then, do you!
If you get expelled... you... how could you face... our parents' spirits in heaven! And sister's sacrifice..." Zhao Wan'er glared at Zhao Chen with resentment.
Then, Zhao Wan'er directly grabbed Zhao Chen's wrist: "I'll ask my close friend for help. She comes from a prominent family. Let her negotiate with Zhang Haoran to cancel this duel."
But Zhao Wan'er couldn't pull Zhao Chen along.
Instead, Zhao Chen actually stepped forward and picked up Zhao Wan'er in a princess carry.
"You... what are you doing..." Zhao Wan'er's cheeks flushed red.
"To see my starship," Zhao Chen said without further explanation, carrying Zhao Wan'er as he ran toward the starship's hatch.
Passing through the somewhat aged corridors inside the hull, they arrived at the bridge—the "brain" of this starship.
The bridge wasn't very large, about a hundred square meters. Because it wasn't activated, the bridge was pitch black.
Zhao Chen set Zhao Wan'er down and walked alone to the captain's chair, sitting down before placing his hand on the right armrest.
"Highest authority detected..."
"Commencing identity verification..."
"Captain... Zhao Chen... identity verification complete..."
A floating crystal control panel rose before Zhao Chen, and he pressed several buttons on it.
"Starship activating..."
"Starship master control system activating..."
"Starship energy system activating... 10%... 30%... 60%..."
As Zhao Chen officially activated the starship, the bridge's lighting system came to life, illuminating the entire bridge.
Following that, this colossal behemoth began to stir!
"Starship transmission system undergoing automatic inspection... inspection complete... operational status good..."
"Starship weapon system undergoing automatic inspection... inspection complete... operational status good..."
"Starship..."
One mechanical voice after another echoed across the bridge.
Zhao Chen's first starship had officially been awakened!
"All starship functional modules operating normally. Starship energy remaining at 19%."
Zhao Chen excitedly pumped his fist. Although he had the technical skills, he honestly couldn't guarantee a 100% success rate.
Unexpectedly, it succeeded on the very first attempt.
"It actually started..." Zhao Wan'er hadn't expected it either.
"How is it? Pretty impressive, right?" Zhao Chen stepped down from the captain's chair and casually slung an arm over Zhao Wan'er's shoulder, like a brother would.
Despite being siblings, Zhao Wan'er's consistent excellence often made their dynamic feel more like that of an older sister and younger brother.
Zhao Wan'er rolled her eyes. "So what if it can start? What about its combat capabilities? Will it hold up in actual combat? These are all questions.
I've heard that Zhang Haoran's starship is a T2 Starship.
Are you sure this assembled starship of yours can compete? Don't let it fall apart before the fight even begins."
"Little sis, why don't you have more faith in your brother? Forget about whether it can compete or not—I could take down that Zhang Haoran's T2 Starship in just ten minutes!" Zhao Chen confidently crossed two fingers, forming an 'X' shape.
"Pfft... ten minutes... I never realized you were such a braggart before." Zhao Wan'er shot Zhao Chen a sideways glance, completely unconvinced.
"Besides, this starship only has you on board from top to bottom, not even a single starship crew member. How are you supposed to fight?"
Smack
Zhao Chen suddenly clapped his hands, his eyes lighting up. "How could I forget about that? No wonder I felt like something was missing when I started the starship earlier."
Zhao Wan'er covered her head, utterly exasperated with her older brother. "I'd better go discuss with my best friend how to handle this situation."
"Wan'er, tell me, where can I find starship crew members the fastest?" Zhao Chen now looked eagerly at his sister.
Modifying and dismantling starships—that was his forte.
But when it came to matters like this, Zhao Chen truly had no idea.
"You haven't even thought about these things, and you're already planning a starship duel?" Zhao Wan'er was speechless, but she still explained to Zhao Chen: "Crew members generally come from three sources. First, students from other majors at the Starship Military Academy. Besides the Starship Captain Department that you and I are enrolled in, the Starship Military Academy has various other specialized departments."
Channel two involves recruiting veterans who have retired from the Imperial Army. These crew members are skilled in operations, but maintaining them requires a significant amount of money.
Channel three consists of crew members from less formal sources, such as those previously involved in gray industries, pirates, slaves, and the like.
In fact, the academy also provides channels for crew recruitment.
"Connect to the academy network using your ID card, and you'll find specialized channels there."
Zhao Chen rubbed his chin and, without much thought, asked, "Which one is the cheapest?"
Zhao Wan'er rolled her eyes but was well aware that Zhao Chen didn't have much money to spare.
"The cheapest option, of course, is slaves. These slaves are usually prisoners of war, some of whom were originally starship pilots.
However, due to loyalty and identity concerns, many people are reluctant to use slaves, at most assigning them the lowest-level tasks.
For positions on the bridge, it's still..." As Zhao Wan'er was speaking,
Zhao Chen had already connected to the academy network using his ID card. In a crew recruitment channel, he spotted the slave option in the farthest corner.
After clicking, a list of slaves appeared.
Scanning through it, Zhao Chen suddenly stared intently at the slave list, as if he had discovered some treasure!
"This one!" Zhao Chen decisively clicked on an exchange option.
Since his Academy Points were depleted, Zhao Chen paid using his personal account this time.
"What did you... do?" Seeing Zhao Chen close the holographic projection interface with a satisfied expression, Zhao Wan'er had an ominous feeling.