151: Chapter 151 Fifth Tier! The Aircraft Carrier-Class "Many Children, Many Blessings"!

Li Taiping slept for a full day and night in the captain's quarters.

He didn't dream, or rather, he was so exhausted that he didn't even have the strength to dream.

It was an extreme exhaustion, as if his soul had been hollowed out. Only a deep, unconscious slumber could give his nerves, stretched to their limit, a moment's respite.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten.

He sat up and rubbed his still-throbbing temples. Although the emptiness and sorrow in his eyes hadn't completely vanished, at least he had regained his focus.

He couldn't sink any further.

Su Jie hadn't sacrificed her life for him to wallow in self-pity and become a walking corpse.

He was Li Taiping, the captain of this ship, and the only person those girls on deck could rely on.

He took a deep breath, and the heavy knot of frustration in his chest seemed to dissipate significantly as he exhaled that turbid air.

He threw back the covers, got out of bed, gave himself a quick wash, and changed into a clean set of combat fatigues.

When he pushed open the captain's door and stepped onto the deck, the faint morning light happened to spill onto his face.

On the deck, The girls had already begun their morning exercises.

Xia Zhi was practicing her swordsmanship as usual, her blade flashing with the sound of slicing air.

The Twin Sisters were sparring, their fists and feet flying. Although it looked like they were just playing around, their moves were quite methodical.

Yun Jinxin and Yu Tong were jogging, while Chu Mengyao was doing some stretches.

Su Mei and Sa Wanwan were leaning against the railing, chatting while occasionally glancing in his direction.

When they saw Li Taiping walk out, everyone stopped what they were doing.

“Captain Brother!”

“Captain, you’re awake?”

The girls gathered around him, their eyes filled with concern.

They could feel that today's Li Taiping was completely different from the soul-shattered version of yesterday.

Though he remained silent, his upright posture and the light rekindled deep in his eyes announced that the omnipotent captain had returned.

“Mhm.” Li Taiping nodded, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces. Finally, his eyes lingered for half a second longer on Su Mei's face, which was identical to Su Jie's.

He forced a slightly stiff smile and said to everyone,

“I made you all worry. I’m fine now.”

“It’s good that you’re fine, it’s good!”

Lin Weiyu patted her chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.

“I told you! Captain Brother isn't that easily defeated!” Lin Qingxue chimed in.

Xia Zhi said nothing, but she silently sheathed her sword, the worry in her eyes finally fading away.

Li Taiping looked at them, a warmth spreading through his heart.

He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention, then dropped a bombshell.

“Alright, don't crowd around. I have some good news for everyone.”

He paused, then said word for word:

“The Many Children, Many Blessings can now be upgraded to the fifth rank.”

“What?!”

“Fifth rank?!”

The deck instantly erupted into chaos; everyone thought they had misheard.

“Captain, you're not joking, right? The materials for rank four to rank five... they're so extravagant. You've gathered them all?”

Chu Mengyao's eyes widened. She had seen that astronomical list of materials with her own eyes.

“Of course.” A confident smile, the look of a man in control of everything, finally appeared on Li Taiping's face.

With a flick of his wrist, he didn't offer much explanation, simply displaying holographic projections of several items before them.

[Excellent Grade Power Engine], [Excellent Grade Fuel Filter], [Excellent Grade High-Precision Nautical Compass]...

When they saw the rows of Excellent Grade items shimmering with a ghostly blue light, The girls were completely speechless.

“So... so many?” Su Mei’s beautiful eyes were filled with shock. “The quantity of each of these exceeds ten, right? And... is that... an excellent grade item upgrade scroll?!”

Li Taiping nodded. His tone was flat, yet it carried an undeniable sense of pride:

“That’s right.

I had good luck in the dungeon. Not only did I gather the upgrade materials, but I also obtained blueprints for core components that can be mass-produced.

From now on, as long as we have enough energy stones, our treasure basin can replicate them infinitely.”

Infinite... replication?!

The girls looked at each other, seeing extreme shock in one another's eyes.

What did this mean?

It meant that Li Taiping wasn't just limited to upgrading one fifth-rank battleship.

If he wanted to, he could even build an invincible fleet composed entirely of fourth-rank battleships, capable of sweeping through any sea!

“I told you! The Captain has advanced to Epic!”

Sa Wanwan suddenly shouted excitedly. She was the most sensitive to auras. Even though Li Taiping was deliberately restraining it, that occasional leak of pressure from his life level couldn't be hidden from her.

epic grade!

Yet another piece of heavy news!

“Um... then what will the Many Children, Many Blessings look like after this upgrade?” Yun Jinxin covered her small mouth, her eyes full of anticipation.

From a first-rank small wooden raft, to a second-rank sailboat, then a third-rank yacht, and a fourth-rank Yangtze-class cruise ship.

Every upgrade had brought about earth-shaking changes.

So, how spectacular would the fifth rank be?

Li Taiping didn't keep them in suspense any longer. He walked to the control console in the center of the deck, looked at the glowing, golden [Upgrade] button, took a deep breath, and pressed it hard!

“Rumble—!”

This time, there was no blinding white light, nor any violent shaking.

The entire ship seemed to be infused with life.

The metal structure of the hull emitted a low hum, like the breathing of a giant beast.

Blue light paths lit up on the surface of the hull like flowing blood vessels, outlining a brand-new silhouette.

The ship's length and width were expanding frantically at a speed visible to the naked eye!

One hundred and fifty meters... two hundred meters... three hundred meters!

The width also exploded by dozens of meters!

When all the changes settled, a true colossus of the sea appeared beneath everyone's feet.

This could no longer be called a ship.

This was, in every sense of the word, an aircraft carrier!

On the flat, broad deck, a clear aircraft takeoff and landing runway had even appeared.

And at the stern, a large elevator platform slowly rose, with a prominent 'H' mark highlighting its status as a helipad.

“Oh... Oh my god...”

The Twin Sisters' mouths hung open as they looked at the endless deck, feeling like their brains couldn't process it all.

However, this was only the beginning.

Li Taiping brought up the holographic projection.

Only then did The girls discover that the interior of the ship had undergone even more earth-shaking changes.

It was still a three-story structure, but the space on each floor had expanded several times over, and the decor had jumped from its previous luxury to extreme opulence and sci-fi aesthetics.

All rooms had expanded proportionally, with more furniture and complete functions. Aside from the lack of a network signal, this ship was a mobile, top-tier futuristic city!

When the screen switched to that room they were both familiar with and shy about, everyone gasped.

The Nursery.

The core functional area that had once made their faces flush.

Currently, inside, twenty Smart Nursery Pods emitting a soft glow were neatly arranged!

“Twenty... is he planning to birth a whole soccer team plus a cheerleading squad?” Chu Mengyao couldn't help but complain.

But what truly made them scream were the two new modes added to the ship.

[Deep Sea Submersible Mode]!

[Low Altitude Hover Mode]!

“It can go deep into the sea and even into the sky?!”

“Good heavens, is our ship now a Many Children, Many Blessings aircraft carrier that can go both into the sky and under the earth?!”

On the deck, cheers erupted that were more enthusiastic than ever before.

...