The journey back to base from Gray Port spanned six hours, and as they neared the edge of the territorial airspace, two Spectre fighters materialized beside the transport ship, accompanied by a transmission requesting escort duties.
Kaliya turned to Yang Ying. “This was arranged beforehand to meet us. Had it been any other vessel, a few missiles would have seen it destroyed.”
Shortly after, as they ventured deeper into the controlled airspace, a Valkyrie frigate joined the escort formation.
A beauty wearing an oxygen mask appeared on the communication screen, her voice ringing with military crispness. “Welcome back, Officer!”
Yang Ying responded with a smile. “Lilia, long time no see. With only a single Valkyrie frigate stationed here, things must have been incredibly tough.”
A smile flickered in Lilia’s eyes, though it was a cold one. “Harder than you had it relaxing on Earth, I imagine…”
“Ouch, quite the heavy resentment,” Yang Ying said, taken aback by Lilia’s immediate, powerful retort. “But calm down, I’ve brought reinforcements. You won’t be fighting alone anymore.”
The Valkyrie frigate was a large warship, akin to a destroyer, unlike the single-pilot Spectre fighters. Lilia commanded a crew of over a hundred, which explained why the construction time for one unit was extended tenfold, requiring twenty-five days to complete a single ship.
This first vessel had only just finished construction while they were en route back to Earth, and Yang Ying had seized an opportunity to secretly deploy it immediately for this escort mission.
This time, Yang Ying returned with four Valkyries, each completed in one of the four airfields.
Despite the evident frustration in her tone, Lilia conducted the escort with meticulous precision.
Soon, the outline of the base appeared ahead.
The base itself was crafted from a small asteroid approximately 35 kilometers in size, with the main facilities situated internally. The surface featured only a sparse scattering of structures, interspersed with dozens of anti-air towers.
Yang Ying found this slightly odd and pointed towards the towers. “Kaliya, you even managed to construct the anti-air towers?”
“Not quite,” Kaliya explained. “The base’s anti-air towers are just shells, incomplete, possessing no offensive capabilities. The CVs built them using locally sourced ore. They still require some key components made from Vespene Gas; once we secure the Vespene, these towers will become operational quickly.”
“I see,” Yang Ying nodded.
Unlike in the games, Vespene Gas harvested from the Floating Continent could not be transmitted directly to the CVs in the real world. CVs constructing buildings on the Floating Continent also had to transport the Vespene Gas to the construction site for use. Therefore, a single CV could not establish a space colony independently; once their carried supply of Vespene Gas ran out, they were limited to building with natural resources, many of which—especially materials for Terran structural components—were difficult to gather from natural deposits.
However, a single Protoss Probe could construct an entire colony, which amply demonstrated the distinct characteristics and advantages of the three races—a topic for later discussion.
As the transport ship approached the base, a hatch opened on the asteroid’s surface, revealing a pale green energy screen that enveloped the entire entrance.
“What is that?” Yang Ying asked.
“This light screen prevents the escape of air from within the base, yet spacecraft can pass through it,” Kaliya explained.
“Impressive technology,” Yang Ying praised. This screen eliminated a series of tedious launch procedures, drastically shortening the time required for an aircraft to go from boarding to launching into space.
The transport ship pierced the light screen and entered the hangar, executing a 180-degree turn to land. The escort force followed suit, landing within the hangar.
Yang Ying was the first to disembark.
Before him stood over two hundred personnel arranged in a perfect square formation: Marines, Firebats, Medics, and Ghost Agents, all fully armed. CVs piloted engineering vehicles, standing in precise, unmoving ranks.
The moment Yang Ying’s boots touched the ground, the formation, commanded by Firebat Commander Brian, executed a salute: Marines and Ghosts raised their rifles, Firebats and Medics raised their hands, and CVs lifted their manipulator arms, all directed toward Yang Ying.
Brian stepped forward two paces and announced, “Officer! Base personnel total two hundred and twenty-two. Aside from the Valkyrie frigate and the Spectre fighter squadron assigned to alert duty, all members are present, awaiting your inspection—”
“I don't know anything about inspections,” Yang Ying interrupted, raising his hand to return the gesture. “But looking at your morale, I am extremely pleased. I hope you all continue to strive for excellence.”
The crowd responded in unison, “Yes! Officer!”
Yang Ying then spoke a few more words of encouragement before dismissing them.
Walking further inside, they reached the Mechanical Fabrication Plant, where machinery adapted from Earth equipment was used to produce components for Terran gear using resources from the asteroid belt, thereby conserving the use of Vespene Gas.
This fabrication plant also served as part of the base’s camouflage—a facade intended to blind external observers.
Moving deeper still, they arrived at a vast plaza.
“Officer, this is the designated destination for the relocation plan,” Randall stated. “The base is designed for eighteen levels, but only the outermost layer has been completed. The next phase of construction is ongoing.”
To truly maximize the base’s function, certain genuine Terran structures were essential.
“One level is sufficient for now; the space here is enough for the first batch planned for relocation.”
Yang Ying stepped forward two paces, extended his hand, closed his eyes, and mentally connected with the Floating Continent, issuing the command to Morpheus: “First batch transfer commencing!”
Morpheus, who had been waiting eagerly, responded instantly, “Yes! First batch transfer commencing, Officer!”
Instantly, a sub-base structure, four Barracks, two Siege Tank Factories, and four Starports lifted off the Terran territory on the Floating Continent, vanishing without a trace.
On the plaza of the base’s first floor, eleven large structures materialized out of thin air, subsequently deploying stabilization rigs onto the grand plaza to establish their positions.
Among the structures of the three races, only Terran and Protoss buildings could be transferred from the Floating Continent to the real world; Zerg structures could not.
Terran structures required Yang Ying to summon them into the real world after they were lifted, similar to summoning units; unlifted structures could not be called forth.
The Protoss method was even simpler: Probes (Protoss workers) could be teleported directly from the Floating Continent after being positioned by a Probe, requiring no direct intervention from Yang Ying—this is what made it possible for a single Probe to build an entire colony. Protoss expansion plans based on this capability were currently being formulated at a rapid pace.
Once all buildings were secured, a communication came from the Command Center: “Terran Base Two Commander Kevin reporting to the Officer! Transfer operations successfully completed!”
The subsequent integration and calibration work was coordinated between Randall, Brian, and Kevin, while Yang Ying proceeded to the Command Room, where Kaliya delivered a report on the situation during his absence.