In the dense jungle. The bearded commander directed his subordinates, ten elite fighters moving deftly through the thicket. They maneuvered and flanked at speeds exceeding fifty kilometers per hour, toying with the charging Thunder God III mecha as if it were in the palm of their hands. A thousand high-energy laser cannons struck their target with precision; the superior fire control system ensured every beam found a vital spot. After less than ten minutes of maneuvering in the jungle, the full-speed, full-power Thunder God III mecha began to show stragglers, units that froze mid-stride, motionless in the foliage.

After all, they were running on engines designed for medium-sized fighting vehicles, which devoured energy cells at an alarming rate. Although the Thunder God III mecha were imposing in stature, they were still significantly smaller than actual vehicles, and thus could not carry a large reserve of power. Ten minutes of maximum exertion was the operational limit for the Thunder God III. Once that ten minutes elapsed, every single mecha exhausted its energy reserves, becoming nothing more than sitting ducks on the battlefield.

The last three hundred-plus Thunder God III units, driven to frenzy, unleashed a final barrage upon a small section of the forest. Over three hundred streams of high-energy particle beams blanketed the area in a deluge. Upon the bodies of the few dozen Hercules I mecha hiding within the jungle, thick energy shields erupted simultaneously. Those with sharp eyes could discern faint, ceaselessly swirling five-colored light beneath the dense blue shielding. The high-energy particle beams slammed into the mecha, only to be entirely neutralized and dissipated by the energy wards. Aside from carving out a clearing in the jungle, they had absolutely no effect.

Nearly a thousand Thunder God III mecha stood frozen in the undergrowth. From the loudspeakers of the command center's battlefield monitoring system came the triumphant laughter of the bearded commander: "Brothers, time to go stick-poking!"

With a resounding clank, a perfectly aligned thousand Hercules I mecha, completely unharmed, uniformly holstered their sidearms onto their weapon modules and drew the heavy broadswords strapped to their backs. They descended upon the immobile Thunder God III units like a pack of savage brigands, swinging their gleaming greatswords down. With sharp clack, clack sounds, like knives slicing through radishes, the bearded commander and his men reduced the thousand immobilized Thunder God III mecha to fragments. Even the thickest engine armor block on the rear of the Thunder God III was effortlessly shattered by the broadswords refined by Gu Xichen. The armor plates on the Thunder God III utilized the Federation’s most advanced vehicular alloy, but against these specialized blades, they were as fragile and yielding as onion skin.

Gu Juechen’s throat tightened, and a mouthful of internal blood surged up to his gullet, which he forcefully swallowed back down. The surging internal blood affected his heart; Gu Juechen’s face immediately turned purplish-red, and his eyes, even the whites, were peppered with minute blood clots formed by burst capillaries.

Jin Keli drew a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and bit down so hard on his pipe with his row of pearly white teeth that a piece chipped off the hard briar.

The ceramic powder in Hephaestus’s palm had vanished without a trace. Hair-thin arcs of electricity flickered across his fingertips, and his body was rigid, taut as a steel plate. He smiled warmly, chatting animatedly with the Wolf of Poison beside him, lavishing praise on the spectacular performance put on by the Hercules I. He was utterly convinced that the Wolf of Poison’s choice had been absolutely correct; the Hercules I was indeed the Federation's most advanced personal combat armor, a staggering thirty years ahead of the powered-assist suits the Federation had produced previously!

Anfite stared in astonishment at the images relayed on the screen. Many of the defensive magic arrays on the Thunder God III units had not even been breached. Those mecha were immobile simply because they had run out of power. Yet, when the bearded commander’s men hacked at these suits, the defensive arrays did activate, casting brilliant silver magical light that indeed protected the mecha. But faced with those chillingly cold broadswords, the Church’s defensive magic arrays were almost instantly shattered with a casual sweep!

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Gu Xichen stood up and sneered coldly at Gu Juechen:

"A very capable humanoid battle vehicle, but a plasma engine for a medium-sized fighting vehicle alone costs around thirty million. How many vehicle engines does the Thunder God III have? And what is its total cost? ... Brother," Father taught us that when doing business, one must never lose money just to gain recognition!" "You!" Gu Juechen trembled violently, pointing a shaking finger at Gu Xichen, stuttering, "You, you, you," for a long moment, before finally spewing blood several meters away!

Gu Xichen cast a look of pity upon the coughing, bleeding Gu Juechen, then gracefully turned toward the Wolf of Poison. With elegant composure, he gave a deep, formal bow to the many generals of the Wolf of Poison faction, whose applause thundered around them. Straightening up, his face alight with satisfaction, he inquired, "Marshal, distinguished Generals, regarding the procurement of the Hercules I, can a decision now be finalized?"

Before the Wolf of Poison could speak, the smiling Hephaestus rose to his feet, applauding loudly. He boomed, "Excellent hardware, truly a weapon of war. I fully support the procurement plan for the Hercules I. ... Hmm, this equipment will significantly enhance our soldiers' combat effectiveness and battlefield survival rate. I propose we equip the frontline troops with the Hercules I mecha as soon as possible. How about this: for the first phase of procurement, I suggest five million units. What say you?"

Gu Xichen narrowed his eyes. Five million units? What was Hephaestus playing at? Was he so eager to curry favor with him?

The Wolf of Poison glanced at Hephaestus with surprise, hesitated slightly, then shook his head:

"But, concerning the Federation's treasury..." Hephaestus waved a generous hand, smiling. "We can substitute some of the payment with resources excavated from Planet Paradise!" The Wolf of Poison laughed, picking up his teacup to take a long sip of strong tea, nodding repeatedly with a smile. "Good, let it be settled. The rare minerals excavated from Planet Paradise will be prioritized for supply to the Hardwood Defense Corporation." The high-ranking executives of the military-industrial conglomerates and defense firms present all had their eyes turn a vibrant green! Hephaestus proposed it, the Wolf of Poison seconded it, and the matter was decided. In essence, all rare minerals and Zakla energy crystals mined from Planet Paradise would henceforth be directed primarily to the Hardwood Corporation! During wartime, resources were financial backing!

Many present were filled with profound regret. Why hadn't their own corporations focused their research direction on personal combat armor in recent years?

Alas, when had the Federation Military Department ever paid attention to soldier attrition rates? It had forced them to concentrate on developing other forms of ordnance, leaving the lives of the common soldiers to chance. Regret choked them all.

But the next statement from the Wolf of Poison instantly turned everyone’s eyes bloodshot, causing them to nearly scream!

The Federation Council and the Federation Military Department had jointly passed the new generation starship construction program! Based on the alloy formula gifted to the Federation by Gu Xichen, and after comprehensive certification by the Federation Academy of Sciences, the Federation’s most authoritative academicians had jointly proposed the standard for the Federation’s new generation of capital ships:

Tier Three Capital Ship: Standard length no less than 500 meters; maximum speed calculated based on travel time between Planet Paradise and Earth Prime, with round trip cycle less than 50% of the current cruising cycle; armor defense equivalent to 5 meters of rolled homogenous alloy armor plating; maximum energy shield value more than double the current Tier One capital ship energy shield; maximum main gun caliber no less than 1,000 millimeters; minimum of five main guns, with post-fire recharge time under thirty seconds.

Tier Two Capital Ship: Standard length no less than 700 meters; maximum speed no less than 95% of the new Tier Three standard; armor defense equivalent to 15 meters of rolled homogenous standard alloy; maximum energy shield no less than three times the current Tier One capital ship energy shield; maximum main gun caliber no less than 1,500 millimeters, minimum of ten main guns, with post-fire recharge within sixty seconds.

Tier One Capital Ship: Standard length no less than 900 meters; maximum speed no less than 80% of the new Tier Three standard; armor defense equivalent to 30 meters of rolled homogenous standard alloy; maximum energy shield exceeding five times the current Tier One capital ship energy shield; maximum main gun caliber no less than 2,000 millimeters, minimum of twenty main guns, with post-fire recharge not exceeding one hundred seconds!

These were the most basic metrics for the new capital ships. Other specifications, such as radar detection range, anti-radar stealth capabilities, fire control systems, and communications arrays, had all seen massive improvements over previous designs—increases that left the executives of the military-industrial conglomerates dizzy. Although these figures had all been verified by calculations from the Federation Academy of Sciences, they sounded like something out of a fantasy novel. Everyone looked at Gu Xichen with strange expressions. Could the alloy formula he brought back truly be that miraculous?

Hephaestus elaborated on the specific process of the Federation's new starship construction plan. All military-industrial groups could develop independently or through joint ventures; they could focus on a single class of starship or all classes. They could purchase fully mature equipment systems from the Federation Academy of Sciences or collaborate with the Academy on new equipment development—though the latter required massive joint R&D investment from the corporations. In any case, by whatever means necessary, the Federation Military Department demanded to see new experimental ships appearing in the outer space of Earth Prime within six months.

The faces of the high-ranking executives, including Gu Juechen, shifted rapidly. Such an enormous shipbuilding plan could not be swallowed whole. Alliances and unions would inevitably be formed, leading to countless overt and covert struggles. The critical question became: which partnerships would yield the greatest benefit, ensuring that their own experimental vessel would secure the final production permit? This required careful deliberation.

The Federation Military Department intended to completely overhaul its entire space fleet—three levels of capital ships, along with corresponding patrol vessels, rapid assault ships, logistics and supply vessels, personnel transports, and even frontline industrial ships equipped with micro-production lines—striving to establish a space fleet capable of establishing dominance over the Roman space fleet within three to five years.

Of course, everyone present chose to ignore that last sentence. The events on Planet Paradise were no secret; the Romans had already seized that bamboo scroll and acquired the formula for the new alloy. Given the Romans' existing technological foundation, the fleet that appeared before the Earth Federation space fleet in three to five years would undoubtedly be even more formidable. Achieving a stalemate would be considered good; achieving superiority was merely self-aggrandizement by the Federation's propaganda department.

The Wolf of Poison bluntly laid out the future fleet procurement schedule—a plan so immense it nearly drove those present insane! With Planet Paradise, a world blessed with superb natural conditions and vast resource reserves, as their foundation, the Earth Federation was prepared to break the bank to enact a shipbuilding plan of unimaginable scale.

Eight hundred new Tier One warships! No fewer than 2,400 new Tier Two warships! No fewer than 4,000 new Tier Three warships! Over ten thousand supporting vessels, including patrol craft and assault ships! This colossal fleet was more than double the size of the Earth Federation's existing fleet, yet its actual combat power definitively exceeded the combined fighting strength of the current Earth Federation space fleet by twenty times!

Even Gu Xichen, the originator of this shipbuilding plan, was momentarily stunned, exclaiming in surprise:

"Heavens, so many warships! Does the Federation even have enough qualified crew members?"

Hephaestus immediately unveiled another complementary plan. The six major Federation defense corporations would collaborate with the Federation Military Department to establish dozens of new recruit training centers over the next three years, training vast numbers of space warship operators and logistics personnel. The maxim was: better to have men waiting for ships than ships waiting for men. Once the shipbuilding plan was fully underway, they would immediately begin on-the-job training for every newly constructed warship, aiming to achieve initial combat effectiveness within five years!

Gu Xichen looked at the Wolf of Poison, perplexed. This shipbuilding plan was something he and the Wolf of Poison had discussed, but this scale was insane! Dangerously, recklessly insane! Even Gu Xichen, who felt confident in their foundation, thought this piece of the pie was astronomically large—he currently felt a distinct lump in his throat trying to swallow it all himself!

Sensing the bewilderment of everyone present, the Wolf of Poison chuckled a few times and forcefully pressed a button on the command center desk.

A holographic screen descended from the ceiling, displaying a star chart before them. Initially, the familiar sight of Planet Paradise appeared. Dozens of rapid assault ships launched from the planet, quickly accelerating in a specific direction, soon entering subspace curvature speed cruise. After a brief flicker, these assault ships emerged from subspace jump into a new star system.

In this sector, a planet strikingly similar to Paradise—lush green mountains and azure oceans—was clearly visible. Two vessels bearing the Church's cross insignia lifted off from this planet’s atmosphere, meeting the rapid assault ships. They merged into a single fleet and dove toward the atmosphere of the planet below, engaging a squadron of battered Roman warships in chaotic melee.

"This is intelligence we received just two hours ago. The Church's fleet found a new planet in a region thirty-two hours’ travel time from Planet Paradise. This planet is slightly smaller in diameter than Paradise, and its natural environment and mineral resources are inferior to Paradise, but it is still ten times better than Earth!" the Wolf of Poison stated coldly. "And this new planet is only one of thirteen planets in its entire stellar system! The Church’s fleet has discovered a perfect thirteen-planet stellar chain! What we cannot tolerate is..."

Hephaestus slammed his fist onto the conference table, roaring, "Those damned Romans found this planet too! Absolutely... damned!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar, everyone shouting loudly until their voices merged into a single wave of fervent noise: "Build ships, build ships, build ships, build ships..."

Thirteen beautifully endowed administrative planets—that was enough to drive people mad! For these worlds, a powerful fleet was absolutely essential!