287: Chapter 287 Harvest

[Warning, warning! Unregistered identity detected.]

As Lin Fang entered the largest capital ship in the fleet via the Black Star, the AI assisting in the management of the warship began to shriek. A wailing sound echoed through the bridge, and red lights flashed.

However, no one inside was moving anymore.

The AI on this ship was merely a low-level artificial intelligence. Ignoring the piercing alarms, Lin Fang strolled leisurely through the vessel, surrounded by stone statues in various poses.

Lin Fang stopped in front of a particular stone statue. Judging by the insignia on her shoulder, she was the highest-ranking officer of this fleet. She remained frozen in her final moment of struggle, both hands held protectively in front of her as if trying to ward off some invisible invasion.

“What a pity, it's still too little...”

As the victor, Lin Fang was naturally not expressing regret for the dead, but rather felt that his spoils of war were too few.

Coming to the main control console, Lin Fang manifested a strange, palm-sized device from his storage. This was the deciphering tool specifically designed for these warships. Once connected, No. 3 would take over control of the fleet.

Finding a data relay port, he clicked the interface at the end of the deciphering tool precisely into place. Instantly, the alarms on the bridge began to fade, replaced by garbled code scrolling frantically across the main console screen.

The garbled code lasted only a few seconds before the Verland logo on the screen vanished, replaced by a planet-shaped emblem.

No. 3's voice arrived as expected.

[Boss, I'm in.]

[Starting to overwrite the core instruction set, implanting our identity recognition protocols, and taking over fleet permissions...]

From a god's-eye view, one could see the Verland fleet suspended in the air beginning to refresh their status one by one. The operating systems of all warships began to modernize. After a waterfall of code flashed by, the aerospace fleet had already changed hands.

[Boss, the Verland fleet is now yours.]

“They are now called the Third-Party Fleet.”

No. 3's words brought a look of satisfaction to Lin Fang's face, and he said casually, “Tell me about their situation.”

After listening to No. 3's report, Lin Fang had a clear understanding of his newly acquired assets. The foundation of this Third-Party Fleet was an expeditionary formation built with the full effort of the Verland Company. Within the technological framework of a Type I civilization, it could be considered a ceiling-level configuration.

The core of the fleet consisted of five capital ships, each just over 1,100 meters in length, equipped with decent energy weapons and orbital strike capabilities.

The rest were assault ships, frigates, and similar vessels, totaling over 200 units. Most utilized kinetic weapons and were relatively average.

The propulsion system consisted of controllable Nuclear Fusion engines, with a maximum speed reaching one-twentieth of the speed of light, which is 15,000 kilometers per second.

This was already an excellent speed. Based on the shortest distance from Earth to Mars, traveling to Mars at this speed would take less than half a day.

“Find a place to land, supplement the necessary personnel for the ships, and then have them throw these stone statues away,” Lin Fang ordered. Unlike those infected by the ordinary Petrification Virus, who might still be saved, these people were already brain-dead, including the millions outside.

Looking at the stone statues below, Lin Fang fell silent for a moment.

But it was only for a moment. Lin Fang withdrew his gaze, and his eyes returned to their usual calm.

Emm...

In the beginning, he had only wanted to survive.