Within a vast chamber stood a dark grey humanoid mecha, its contours seemingly charged with latent power. A small segment of bone spur jutted from the elbow joint, its tip crowned with a faint, chilling luminescence that sent a shudder down the spine.

The mecha’s electronic eyes glowed with a soft, bloody crimson, instantly animating the cold steel construct. It resembled a demon god from the endless nether, terrifying yet possessing a strange, almost mesmerizing beauty.

Zhong Yun stood outside the room, observing every movement of the mecha through the panoramic display. Behind him stood another light-grey humanoid mecha. In stark contrast to the aggressive flamboyance of the machine in the room, this one appeared exceedingly restrained. Its ancient lines seemed naturally formed, concealing its violent power to an extreme degree. It was much like its master: outwardly unremarkable.

“Begin,” Zhong Yun murmured softly.

He was testing the miniature optical computer he had just fabricated. The mecha’s destructive potential was immense; should the controlling optical computer malfunction, the entire base could be compromised.

The stakes were too high for carelessness.

At his command, the mecha in the room began to move. Initially, it was just simple actions: raising an arm, lifting a foot, walking, turning its head. The subsequent movements grew increasingly complex.

Zhong Yun observed closely, resting his chin on his hand. He quickly discerned its flaw. Although the mecha’s motions were technically correct, there was always a slight disharmony. The transitions between movements were jarringly abrupt.

Even though this unnatural stiffness was subtle and easily missed by the casual observer, it would present a massive vulnerability against a skilled mech pilot.

In the end, it was merely an optical computer, incapable of matching the artistry honed through a thousand trials by a high-level mech master.

Zhong Yun was thoroughly satisfied with the machine’s performance. He had never intended for these optically controlled mechs to engage in single combat. His strategy was to drown the enemy in a sea of mecha.

Therefore, the standard displayed by the optical computer mecha was completely adequate.

In the factory, mechas were rolling off the line in endless succession. Automated carriers ferried them aboard the Mercury, where Xiao Ling personally implanted the optical computers.

Ten days later, when the mining vessels returned, Zhong Yun commanded an army of over ten thousand mechas.

The personnel tasked with mining wasted no time, boarding the vacant mining ships docked at the port and setting out once more. This time, they took two hundred mining vessels.

Two hundred and fifty Contribution Points! Seven hundred and fifty more were needed.

As all the factories in Sector One became operational, the rate of production accelerated. Now, five thousand mechas could be manufactured daily, and this efficiency was still increasing as more metal was refined from the ore.

It was worth noting that the base’s peak output was one hundred thousand mechas per day, currently bottlenecked only by the insufficient ore supply, preventing the base’s vast capacity from being fully realized. But given the current manpower, rushing it was impossible.

Besides mecha construction, Zhong Yun had also opened certain factories in Sector Two. He planned to manufacture energy cannons.

In warfare, a single troop type always has weaknesses; only diversification allows for adaptation to any situation. The War God model was well-balanced, suitable as the backbone of an army. Close-quarters combat could be managed through sheer numbers, but the remote firepower was severely lacking.

He chose a smaller cannon, originally equipped on the Mist Mountain-class destroyers, modified it slightly, and intended to mount it on the War God to serve as dedicated long-range artillery, compensating for the lack of reach.

All factories operated automatically, requiring no input from him. He took advantage of this lull to tackle another contribution task assigned by the base’s main computer: repairing the transfer station.

This transfer station was enormous; such a vast area inevitably suffered localized failures. While most repair drones could handle routine maintenance, certain malfunctions were beyond their capabilities.

An optical computer was just that—an optical computer. No civilized nation would surrender complete base authority to a single AI. Should the core computer succumb to a virus or accident, the risk of a catastrophic backlash was too great.

Humanity deeply understood the principle of checks and balances. This transfer station was not governed by a single central AI, but by several, interconnected yet independent systems. Only upon receiving orders from an authorized individual could the station be controlled.

Without human command, none of the core computers could operate the base. For the base to function, the command had to originate from someone with clearance. This structure completely severed any possibility of artificial intelligence turning against humanity.

For years, the base had relied on the autonomous maintenance of repair drones, but their intelligence was limited, capable only of basic repairs and unable to address unique crises. Meanwhile, the core computers, lacking orders, could not intervene in maintenance, leading to numerous unrepaired faults accumulating throughout the base—a significant latent danger.

Zhong Yun’s arrival presented the core computers with a solution. Given the base’s paramount security priority, after extensive calculation, they issued a contribution-earning opportunity that did not violate regulations.

It could be said that Zhong Yun had stumbled upon a massive advantage.

Of course, the technological level of the Lansen Empire far exceeded Zhong Yun’s own knowledge base. Even Xiao Ling, lacking data on the Lansen Empire’s scientific framework, found base repairs impossible.

However, assistance from the maintenance core computers changed everything. Before each repair, the core would furnish a detailed procedural plan, and Zhong Yun merely had to follow it.

Even so, it demanded immense focus; every engineering task requiring repair was colossal. Across twenty days, he managed to fix only one section.

Yet, he was perfectly content. Merely fixing this one section earned him one hundred and fifty Contribution Points—nearly equivalent to what a small nation might achieve.

Adding the two hundred mining vessels from the third shipment, his total contribution value reached six hundred points, leaving him just four hundred short of achieving Level Three Authority.

Reaching six hundred Contribution Points in thirty days sounded easy, but it was anything but. Without his one hundred and twenty thousand tireless subordinates mining every day, achieving this much contribution so quickly would have been impossible. If he and Xiao Ling had relied solely on their own efforts, it would have taken an indeterminate number of years to accumulate six hundred points. This was the power of a collective—when ten thousand minds unite, astonishing strength is unleashed.

Zhong Yun had truly grasped the advantage of numbers. In the vastness of the cosmos, the power of an individual was tragically small; even possessing the Mercury, defeating a nation like the Hongxian Federation was entirely out of the question. But if he commanded ten thousand Mist Mountain-class destroyers, the situation would be different.

Or, if he possessed one hundred million Mist Mountain-class vessels, even the Ge’an Empire might hesitate.

At this moment, Zhong Yun strongly felt the necessity of building a true power bloc.

After completing the repair, Zhong Yun did not linger. He boarded the Mercury immediately, commencing his campaign.

He now commanded one hundred thousand optical computer mechas—a force capable, through a surprise attack, of utterly crushing a nation the size of the Fierce Beast Kingdom.

Near the nebula surrounding the base, several smaller nations lay scattered. They became Zhong Yun’s targets. By his calculations, the round trip would take less than ten days, allowing him to return before the mining ships docked.

The Mercury accelerated to its limit, swiftly passing the empty void surrounding the base and plunging into the nebula. For him, possessing pre-mapped star charts of the nebula, this star belt presented no obstacle whatsoever.

When Zhong Yun possessed only the Mercury, he dared to attack the Fierce Beast Kingdom. Now, armed with an army of one hundred thousand optical computer mechas, it was a trivial matter.

The nation he chose was weaker than the Fierce Beast Kingdom and possessed no ‘Satellite-grade’ warships.

The stealth-cloaked Mercury pushed within a thousand kilometers before the enemy detected it. Before they could even fully react, they were encircled by a swarm of mechas, dense as locusts.

The enemy warships scrambled to defend, destroying a wave of attacking mechas, but they soon realized the invaders were uniformly high-grade mechas, moving with incredible speed, and displaying a terrifying lack of self-preservation.

In just the initial contact, the optical computer mecha swarm lost nearly a tenth of its strength. Zhong Yun sat within the Mercury, utterly unmoved. These mechas were mere fodder; their total annihilation would mean nothing.

One minute later, the mecha swarm had lost nearly half its number. Simultaneously, the swarm reached the outer defenses of the enemy fleet, instantly shattering the escorting mecha formations.

The one- and two-star mechas had virtually no recourse against the superior numbers and higher classification of the three-star mechas.

Victory was assured; a smile of absolute confidence touched Zhong Yun’s lips.

Thirty minutes later, the entire planet surrendered. Zhong Yun had captured the world at the cost of eighty thousand optical computer mechas, effectively eradicating a nation.

Zhong Yun did not slaughter the entire populace; he was not yet that depraved. He merely expelled all inhabitants and then destroyed the oxygen processing facilities on the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for them. As for whether those residents perished in the vacuum of space, that was beyond his control.

Returning to the Lansen Empire base on the ninth day, Zhong Yun initiated repairs and conducted an analysis of the battle’s costs and gains.

A Mist Mountain-class destroyer, once breached by ten three-star mechas, was nearly doomed. To successfully drive those ten mechas through required sacrificing nearly ninety mechas. And this occurred during a surprise attack within a thousand kilometers, where the enemy was unprepared. How many more would be lost if the approach distance were greater, and the enemy fully alerted?

If several ‘Quasi-Satellite’ class carriers provided close support, casualties would be significantly lower. But that was impossible in the short term. Thus, he could only continue to construct optical computer mechas in massive numbers.

During his nine-day absence, the factories had produced another seventy thousand mechas, exactly replenishing the losses from the war. However, Zhong Yun had no immediate plans for another expedition.

The following day, the mining vessels docked punctually, bringing ore and simultaneously granting Zhong Yun the contribution value required to upgrade to Level Three Authority.

“Level Two member Zhong Yun, your contribution value is one thousand, meeting the standard for Level Three Authority. You are hereby granted Level Three Authority, granting free access to Sector Three,” the main computer’s voice remained impassive, yet its words sounded like heavenly music to Zhong Yun.

Sectors One and Two had already provided ample surprises; what awaited him in the higher-tier Sector Three? What mysteries lay ahead? Zhong Yun was impatient to find out.

The journey from Sector Two to Sector Three was long. Zhong Yun rested with his eyes closed during the flight.

About half an hour later, the flight pod docked. Zhong Yun snapped his eyes open, disembarked, and entered the control room.

“Retrieve all data pertaining to Sector Three for my review,” Zhong Yun commanded.

“Acknowledged,” replied the optical computer managing Sector Three.

Columns of data scrolled before Zhong Yun’s eyes. His spirit soared, and he clenched his fists, excitement surging within him.

Sector Three had not disappointed. It was nearly double the size of Sector Two, and it manufactured the very heart of all modern industry: Energy Cores.

Energy Cores were the most utilized energy carriers in cosmic civilization. Their convenience, practicality, and cost-effectiveness made them the most universal power source in human society.

Energy Cores were categorized into five tiers, with Tier One being the highest quality and Tier Five the lowest. The energy contained within each tier varied significantly: below ten energy units was Tier Five; ten to five hundred units was Tier Four; five hundred to ten thousand units was Tier Three; ten thousand to one hundred thousand units was Tier Two; and anything above one hundred thousand units was Tier One.

Of course, even within the same tier, the contained energy varied greatly; this was merely a convenient method of differentiation.

The Dawu region, for instance, used Tier Five energy cores, and these were imported from Free Stars; they lacked the technology to produce them domestically.

The cores manufactured in Sector Three contained one thousand energy units. The total energy released upon their complete discharge was equivalent to a one-kiloton atomic bomb, yet the core itself was only the size of an adult’s fist.

The manufacturing process for such a small energy core was nearly as complex as building a Mist Mountain-class destroyer.

Besides energy cores, Sector Three also manufactured various energy weapons, but Zhong Yun shelved those for the time being, as he had no immediate use for them.

The initiation of energy core production immediately intensified the demand for ore. At this rate, when would he accumulate ten thousand points? Zhong Yun worried inwardly.

Ten more days passed, and the third batch of mechas emerged—ten thousand in total. This brought Zhong Yun’s optical computer mecha force to nearly two hundred thousand.

With this army, Zhong Yun set out on another campaign.

Without any suspense, he eliminated another nation, earning two hundred Contribution Points. Apart from losing fifty thousand mechas, he also brought back a large number of captives.

To accelerate mining operations, Zhong Yun felt compelled to resort to this drastic measure. He brought back fifty thousand miners and their one hundred sixty thousand dependents.

With this infusion of fresh labor, the pace of mining noticeably quickened. Zhong Yun organized everyone into three hundred groups, integrating the captives with the military structure.

To motivate the captives, Zhong Yun decreed that greater mining efficiency would yield National Integration Points, which in turn determined their National Status Tier. This was modeled after the base’s Contribution Point system.

To his surprise, after one month, not a single captive caused trouble; instead, their work ethic was outstanding. They were, after all, professional miners, far exceeding the efficiency of amateurs like Zuo Zhi and Chu Tiange.

In truth, his worry had been misplaced. For the people of the Star Sea—especially those from smaller nations—switching national allegiance was commonplace. They naturally dedicated their labor to whichever nation offered them protection.

Furthermore, the immense power Zhong Yun had demonstrated made their allegiance logical. Mining was their trade; in their previous country, they received little more than rations. Here, the living conditions and benefits were incomparably better. They worked with desperate fervor.

They understood that there were no free lunches in this world; only those who proved their value would not be casually discarded by the ruling powers. They intended to demonstrate that value.

The diligence of these miners, in turn, spurred the soldiers and the survivors from the Pearl into action. The regulations Zhong Yun issued applied to them as well. They held a natural, inherent superiority over the captives, a sense of privilege. But the diligence of the newcomers exerted pressure; they could not afford to be surpassed by those they considered beneath them. No one wanted their status usurped by people they deemed inferior.

This benign competition yielded results that delighted Zhong Yun.

One month later, some individuals had accumulated enough National Integration Points to shed their captive status. Zhong Yun even took precious time to personally award them formal citizenship in front of the entire population.

This single flash of inspiration established the preliminary framework for the hierarchical citizen system of the Galaxy Nation.

With modern technological capabilities, managing over three hundred thousand people was not difficult. Of these, one hundred and seventy thousand were assigned to mining. The remaining one hundred and fifty thousand dependents of the miners were not idle. Zhong Yun selected suitable individuals from the Pearl survivors to form a teaching corps, providing formal education to the miners' children. The adults were all sent to the mining crews.

Seeing the base stabilize, Zhong Yun prepared to depart again, this time taking nearly five hundred thousand optical computer mechas.

There were five nations near the base. After two had been destroyed, the remaining three intensified their defenses. However, against the Mercury’s almost perverse stealth capabilities, their efforts were futile.

Zhong Yun consecutively destroyed the three remaining nations, bringing back two million new residents this time.

The base’s Sector One possessed ample residential space; two million people could be easily accommodated, and Zhong Yun registered them into the census.

With the opening of Sectors Two and Three, the number of mining vessels Zhong Yun could deploy exceeded one thousand.

Having deciphered the nature of the Star Sea populace, Zhong Yun was no longer as cautious as he had been initially. He immediately assigned the newly acquired seven hundred thousand miners to the mining teams.

Concurrently, five thousand soldiers were rotated out of mining duties and reinstated to their primary military roles.

Zhong Yun organized all miners into one thousand teams, dispatching them simultaneously aboard one thousand mining vessels, with one hundred of his loyal soldiers monitoring each vessel.

Watching the thousand mining ships depart the port, Zhong Yun’s heart swelled with emotion. Yun Qi, in two months, at most, I will return. You must wait for me.