Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high! Chapter 1095 - 742: On the Brink (Part 2)

Any attempt to enter or leave the Mine Star faces stern warnings, eviction, or even threats of detention.

The entire Mine Star is akin to an isolated island adrift in the vastness of the universe.

Simultaneously, within the Peak Alliance, particularly factions like the Thousand Stars Commerce Alliance and the Thunder Dragon Empire, a concerted effort is underway to manipulate public opinion. They are actively portraying the "New Bauhinia" as a perilous, unruly, and potentially alien-colluding malevolent force, thereby fabricating pretexts for future military interventions.

Both opposing sides are poised for engagement, and the outbreak of war looms imminent.

Under this external pressure and the sustained state of internal vigilance, the passage of time for Mine Star represents both a trying period and a valuable interval for respite and advancement.

Bai E channeled all his focus into bolstering defensive measures and refining troop training, while the truly pivotal transformations were unfolding in the realm of scientific research.

Helen, the foremost scientist in whom Bai E had placed considerable faith, more than met those expectations.

She, in conjunction with Dai Lian's "Fire Hammer" engineering corps, Zhou Wenjie's reverse engineering division, and a multitude of scientific luminaries assembled on Mine Star, entered a state of near-frenzied productivity.

Their primary objective was to absorb and implement two critical resources: the first comprised fragments of knowledge from the "Divine Fragment," relics from an epoch long past that Bai E had managed to decipher; the second was... the technological legacy inherited from Intelligent Machinery.

As early as the initial contact and subsequent "negotiation" to integrate the forces of Intelligent Machinery on the planet housing Mine Star, Bai E had secured a substantial cache of Intelligent Machinery's smelting facilities, low-intelligence mechanical units, and even certain aspects of their technology.

Helen, at that time, had acutely recognized the unique significance of Intelligent Mechanical technology and had commenced in-depth investigations.

Now, amidst an external blockade and resource limitations but blessed with substantial temporal leeway, Helen's team redirected their research focus towards synthesizing and innovating the core tenets of Intelligent Mechanical Technology—specifically its highly efficient and precise automated manufacturing capabilities, its distinctive energy transmission methods, and its material science—by merging it with the insights gleaned from the "Divine Fragment" and the existing spiritual energy-mecha technological framework of the New Bauhinia.

This was indeed a monumentally challenging undertaking.

A significant divergence existed between the technological progression pathways of Intelligent Machinery and those of humanity, rendering the integration process fraught with considerable obstacles.

However, under Helen's brilliant strategic direction and the team's unyielding dedication, breakthroughs began to materialize consistently.

A novel alloy composition emerged, derived from the smelting techniques of Intelligent Machinery, which markedly augmented both structural integrity and spiritual energy conductivity;

The automated production lines underwent substantial refinement and optimization, resulting in a twofold increase in manufacturing output;

More significantly, building upon a partial reverse engineering of the fundamental principles governing Intelligent Machinery's "logic chips" and drawing inspiration from the "Divine Fragment," Helen's team successfully engineered an entirely new "Spiritual Energy-Logic Synergy Control System."

This groundbreaking system did not merely amalgamate human consciousness with machinery; rather, it established an intermediary layer, enabling a mech pilot's spiritual energy and willpower to direct extensive war machines with enhanced efficiency and precision via an optimized "logical framework," thereby dramatically elevating the reaction speeds and combat efficacy of large-scale, complex weapon platforms.

Upon first observing the thoroughly redesigned "Star Emperor" mecha upgrade version, with its more streamlined contours, the distinct dark gold sheen of its new alloy armor, and the pulsing internal pathways of its novel energy systems, as well as the prototypes for "New Thorn Flower" class frigates undergoing rapid construction in the docks, Bai E truly perceived the formidable technological might that had been unleashed after months of relative quiet.

Mine Star's defensive capabilities were subtly evolving from a "specialized power" reliant on elite mech pilots and a limited complement of dedicated vessels into a "regional power" possessing a robust industrial foundation, a distinct and prominent technological trajectory, and substantial latent military potential.

And just as Mine Star was silently consolidating its strength, while the external deadlock remained precarious, fresh intelligence arrived from the distant front lines of the Star Alliance.

Astra, acclaimed as the "Child of Destiny" by the Golden Federation, had been redeployed to a different stellar sector experiencing Bug Race activity following the cessation of hostilities in the Aisera Star System.

Leveraging his potent "Fate Perception" spiritual energy, the elite fleet of the Golden Federation, and drawing upon accumulated combat insights from Jade Stone Star, he adeptly orchestrated an ambush against a Bug Race sub-fleet, annihilating several of their biological capital ships with minimal losses, thereby securing a rare and decisive victory for the Star Alliance in the ongoing conflict against the Bug Race.

The Star Alliance's morale surged with the recent news. Astra and his "Brilliant Star" squadron rapidly gained fame, becoming symbols of the Star Alliance's new generation of "heroes" and the "hope" needed to combat the Bug Race.

This success seemed to confirm that the Star Alliance could indeed confront the Bug Race threat using its elite forces and established military might, even without Bai E's "unpredictable" ancient power. The positive development emboldened the "Seven Sons of the Empire" factions, who favored a strong stance against Bai E.

They grew increasingly convinced that Bai E's "uniqueness" was not essential and that the "uncertainty" and "potential risks" he posed far outweighed any perceived benefits. The opportune moment to suppress or even eliminate the "New Bauhinia," deemed an "unstable element" and a future obstacle for the Star Alliance, was fast approaching.

Consequently, further military preparations commenced. A "Border Patrol Task Force," comprising vessels from the Steel Alliance and the Holy Silver Church Country, was dispatched to the Peak Alliance's stellar district.

The official justification was to "assist the alliance in maintaining border stability and preventing Bug Race incursions and potential destabilizing factors." However, it was widely understood that this fleet's true objective was the Mine Star region, which was already heavily blockaded by the Peak Alliance fleet.

The amalgamation of the Star Alliance fleet with the Peak Alliance forces signified a dramatic escalation of military pressure against the New Bauhinia, transforming a "regional blockade" into a "joint military deterrence sanctioned by the Star Alliance." The tension within the Mine Star command center became palpable.

Catherine ominously indicated a mark on the star map, showing the approaching Star Alliance fleet nearing the Peak Alliance's blockade line. "They've arrived. It appears Astra's 'victory' has given them the audacity to move. Now, the Star Alliance and the Peak Alliance are acting in concert," she stated.

Gong Yan elaborated on the intelligence, "Based on communications from a secret channel, this Star Alliance task force is equipped with heavy orbital bombardment weaponry and a "Spiritual Power Suppression Field Generator" designed to target entities with high spiritual energy. Their presence is far from symbolic."

Helen's gaze drifted to the recently deployed ships and mechs in the dock. "Our new equipment has only just completed initial installation, and troop acclimatization training still requires time. However, they will not grant us that luxury," she observed.

Bai E remained silent, his eyes fixed on the star map. He could distinctly feel the tightening of an invisible noose around them.

The joint fleet, a combined force of the Star Alliance and the Peak Alliance, had completed its assembly and strategic positioning around Mine Star. An immense armada, dwarfing the Peak Alliance's previous isolation forces, encircled Mine Star like a pack of predators closing in on their prey.

The imposing shadows cast by the colossal warships in geosynchronous orbit created an atmosphere of overwhelming dread and pressure.

Within the command center of the United Fleet, generals from the Star Alliance and commanders from the Peak Alliance were finalizing their pre-battle assessments, simultaneously seeking a "justifiable" reason to initiate hostilities.

They recognized that launching an attack based solely on pretexts like "potential threat," "anomalous spiritual energy," or "refusal of inspection" would likely face internal opposition within the Star Alliance, particularly from certain factions outside the "Seven Sons." A more compelling, more "evident" transgression was required.

At this critical juncture, the advanced detection systems of the joint fleet identified newly constructed, distinctively designed industrial structures on Mine Star's surface. Furthermore, several prototype frigates, exhibiting design aesthetics clearly influenced by non-human civilizations, were observed undergoing operational tests in space.

More damningly, during the integration of Intelligent Mechanical Technology, Helen's team had unavoidably utilized and modified numerous automated units and assembly lines originating from Intelligent Machinery. The energy signatures and operational patterns of these components deviated significantly from the standard human technological framework.

"A large number of energy signatures indicative of non-human civilization technological creations have been detected! The match with the Intelligent Mechanical Technology spectrum exceeds 87%!" The scout's report electrified everyone present in the command room."Intelligent Machinery?!" The Star Alliance General's expression grew grim, a flicker of grim realization in his eyes. "Back when the Intelligent Machinery rebellion almost destroyed human civilization! This Bai E is not only a mystery in his power, but he also dares to secretly research and merge the forbidden technology of Intelligent Machinery! This crosses the absolute boundary of all human civilization!"