169: Chapter 169 LV6

"Woo—"

The small beast seemed to sense Zhou An's gaze. Far from being afraid, it tilted its head to look him over, its nose twitching slightly, before turning and pouncing toward Li Muzi beside it.

It nuzzled incessantly against Muzi's gentle palms, emitting whimpers like a puppy, its tail wagging like a tiny propeller. Wanling Beasts are naturally attuned to nature, and since Li Muzi had spent years tending to the herb garden and farm, she radiated the strongest life energy, clearly leading the little one to regard her as its number one "nanny."

"It really likes Sister Muzi."

Luo Ning reached out with a grin, wanting to pet it, but the small beast nimbly jumped away.

"Yo, quite the aloof one."

"Boss, since this little guy has hatched, it needs a name, right?"

Old Zhang suggested from the side.

"It's a Wanling Beast, and Muzi hatched it herself. Everyone, let's each suggest a name and see which one fits best."

"I'll go first! How about 'Green-Ear Beast'? Look at its greenish ear tips."

Luo Ning raised her hand first.

"I think 'Vitality No. 1' better fits its physiological characteristics."

Shen Xingyue maintained her scientific persona, only to be unanimously voted down.

Zhou An looked at the lively small beast in Muzi's arms, rubbed his chin, and his gaze deepened: "Since it's the leader of all spirits and born at Cloud Top, how about... calling it 'Super Invincible Giant Beast'?"

The air went instantly silent.

Everyone turned their heads in unison to look at Zhou An, their eyes filled with the question, "Are you serious?"

"Boss, we're raising a pet, not filming some outdated, over-the-top human drama."

Luo Ning sighed while covering her forehead.

"You should probably take a break."

Li Muzi gently stroked the small beast's snow-white fur, looking at its pristine appearance, and said softly: "Since it's so white and has such a pure personality, why not... just call it 'Xiaobai'?"

"Xiaobai?"

"Isn't that too simple?"

"Though... it does roll off the tongue."

After everyone argued for a round, they found that whether it was Old Zhang's "Wangcai" or Hila's "Gale," none were as memorable as this name. Most importantly, when Muzi softly called out "Xiaobai," the little guy actually rolled around excitedly in her arms, seemingly very satisfied with the name.

"Alright, since the beast in question has no objections, then it's Xiaobai."

Zhou An shrugged. Watching this heartwarming scene, his mood, previously tightened by the situation on the front lines, relaxed significantly.

Seeing the others still playing with the small beast,

Zhou An returned to the main control console and, with a thought, deposited the ten thousand units of [Cangyun Constant Gold] and the [Warp Star Core Fragment] emitting a deep blue glow from his system space into the fortress's upgrade furnace.

"Hum—!"

As the core materials were injected, the fortress's core engine erupted with a deep, soul-trembling roar. A blinding golden-blue beam of light shot up from the main console, illuminating the entire control room.

[System Prompt: LV6 core materials are complete. Cloud Top Fortress evolution sequence officially initiated.]

[This dimension warp is of an extremely high level. Estimated completion time: 48 hours.]

"It's finally started."

Zhou An took a deep breath, unable to hide the excitement in his eyes.

Two days flashed by in this quiet, ten-thousand-meter-high sky.

48 hours later.

As the final second of the countdown hit zero, the tangible energy cocoon enveloping the exterior of Cloud Top Fortress receded like the tide.

"Beep—Evolution complete!"

"The fortress has successfully ascended to [LV6]! Please, Supreme Commander, proceed with the free DIY remodeling of the fortress's exterior and internal architecture."

A detailed 3D modeling interface immediately popped up on the main console's holographic screen, with countless glowing lines waiting for Zhou An to outline.

Zhou An rested his hands on the console, his brain racing as he began to drastically and comprehensively remodel this steel beast that had accompanied him for so long.

"First, the exterior. That original boxy shape was not only bloated but also at a disadvantage in terms of aerodynamic layout."

Zhou An's fingers swiped repeatedly across the holographic screen, stretching and reshaping the overall architecture into a sleek, speed-oriented streamlined design.

Next was the re-partitioning of the internal space.

First Level, Production and Research Zone: The area was significantly expanded, stretched to 25,000 square meters! With a stroke of his hand, Zhou An carved out 5,000 square meters, dividing it into three spacious and independent spaces—each for Luo Ning's mechanical modification room, Li Muzi's gene cultivation room, and Shen Xingyue's biochemical medical laboratory. The remaining 20,000 square meters were fully handed over to the system to generate a fully ecological, realistic environment, turning it into a massive internal pasture, strictly separating the different herds of beasts.

Second Level, Core Living Zone: Expanded to 20,000 square meters. The original 5,000 square meters were retained as the core team's residential area, high-end kitchen, gravity training room, and sterile medical room. The remaining 15,000 square meters were left blank for now, to be planned when special needs arose in the future.

Third Level, Reserved Strategic Layer: Zhou An left this entire layer empty, without any partitions, preparing it as backup space for rapid expansion in the future.

Fourth Level, Armament and Hangar Layer: The original third layer was moved entirely to the top. This was designated as a sturdy heavy weapons arsenal and an internal exclusive landing pad.

After partitioning the internal space, Zhou An switched to the firepower configuration panel.

"Eighteen basic heavy firepower weapon slots... and six hidden backup slots available for free expansion?"

Zhou An looked at the data on the panel and nodded with satisfaction.

"The firepower ceiling has been thoroughly raised. Once finished, I'll have Luo Ning tinker with these six expansion slots and get some 'big toys' on there for her."

With the main framework built, Zhou An pressed his tactical headset.

"EVA, take over the sketch I just made, perform stress calculations and refinement optimizations, and make the exterior as perfect as possible."

"Understood, Boss. Structural optimization calculations have started..."

Half an hour later.

"Rumble—!"

Accompanied by a low sound of mechanical interlocking and the deafening noise of armor reconfiguration, the sea of clouds in the sky was instantly torn apart by a violent blast of air!

A steel beast in the truest sense finally revealed its true appearance under the sunlight.

At this moment, Cloud Top Fortress had been completely reborn. It was no longer that boxy "lump of iron" from before, but a fortress divided into four major layers, entirely dark gold and streamlined, resembling a giant blade capable of piercing the sky.

Its armor was countless times thicker than before, and the special dark golden metallic luster radiated a terrifying sense of oppression and an indestructible sense of security.

It perfectly fused firepower with aesthetics—the previously exposed weapon slots were now all covered by exquisite streamlined armor, hidden around the fortress's perimeter and bottom, ready to pop out and carpet bomb the area at any time. Dense anti-aircraft matrix facilities were also added to the top of the fortress.

Most eye-catching was an external open-air landing pad extending from the top of the fourth layer.

Neatly parked on the landing pad were ten stealth carrier-based aircraft that had just finished upgrading along with the fortress. Although with their current tactical system, Zhou An and his team usually employed the overwhelming swarm of drones manufactured by Luo Ning to carry out missions, and these ten carrier-based aircraft would likely not be used—but as an LV6 fortress, it absolutely had to have the proper style.

"Perfect."

Zhou An looked at this impeccable ultimate fortress on the holographic projection.

The fortress's remodeling was completely finished, and Zhou An couldn't wait to summon the latest vehicle attribute panel.

A deep blue holographic screen unfolded before his eyes, with dense streams of data refreshing like a waterfall:

[Vehicle Name]: Cloud Top Fortress

[Current Level]: LV6

[Defensive Armor]: Dark Gold Fluid Armor, defensive power greatly increased, capable of immunizing against the vast majority of conventional physical and energy attacks of Tier 5 and below, and includes an energy refraction effect.

[Firepower Configuration]: 18 basic heavy firepower weapon slots, plus 6 hidden expandable slots.

[Conventional Cruising Speed]: Increased by 300%.

...

Zhou An quickly scanned the weapons and basic attributes on the panel. Without a doubt, the LV6 fortress had undergone a qualitative change in attack and defense, simply becoming a mobile war machine armed to the teeth.

But as he scrolled down, his brows raised slightly.

"It seems that even at the LV6 level, a vehicle still cannot acquire space warp capabilities through conventional upgrades." Zhou An rubbed his chin, muttering to himself, "Then again, Grace's 'wind chaser' doesn't have jump capabilities either. It seems the space warp that comes with my [Void Star Arm] really is a rare and overbearing existence in the entire Cangyun Airspace."

Closing the vehicle panel, Zhou An rubbed his hands together, his eyes becoming burning hot.

What came next was the most exciting moment of every fortress upgrade—drawing a Hextech talent!

"System, start the Hextech talent draw!"

Upon Zhou An's command, a brilliant light erupted above the main console. The light quickly shifted from its initial white to deep blue, noble purple, dazzling gold, and finally—amidst a violent spatial tremor—transformed into a magnificent seven-colored rainbow!

[Ding! Congratulations, you have drawn a Prism-grade Hextech talent: Omnipotent Dragon Soul!]

"Omnipotent Dragon Soul?" Zhou An's gaze narrowed, and he immediately clicked on the talent's detailed description.

[Hextech Talent: Omnipotent Dragon Soul (Prism-grade)]

[Talent Description]: The host will randomly acquire the blessing of an ultimate elemental dragon soul. Every time your physical body increases by one tier, you can unlock and draw an additional, brand-new dragon soul.

[Current Physical Tier]: Tier 5 Peak

A bright light flared in Zhou An's eyes, "Start the draw!"

The seven-colored light spun crazily in mid-air, finally settling on a streak of ultimate crimson that seemed capable of incinerating all things.

[Draw successful! You have obtained the core primary blessing: Fire Dragon Soul!]

[Fire Dragon Soul: Passive Effect]: Dragon Blood Boiling. All your attacks, including but not limited to physical combat, psionic releases, and weapon strikes, will carry a domineering dragon flame burn effect, and base damage is unconditionally increased by 25%.

[Fire Dragon Soul: Active Effect]: Dragon Humanoid Transformation. The host can actively activate the Fire Dragon Soul; the body will be covered in dragon scales, and the hands will transform into sharp claws. In this form, the damage bonus will soar to 50%, and you will gain extremely strong fire-attribute immunity and injury self-healing capabilities!

"Good grief, a 25% permanent damage increase, and it soars directly to a 50% final damage multiplier when Dragon Humanoid Transformation is activated!" Looking at this simple and brutal numerical panel, Zhou An couldn't help but gasp.

This independently calculated final damage multiplier, amplified by the base of Tier 5 Peak, was simply a dimension-reducing strike that would crush everything in its path!

"This Prism-grade talent is truly worthy of its reputation."

Zhou An clenched his fist with satisfaction, feeling the violent, volcano-like dragon flame power dormant within his body, and then with a thought, closed the system panel.

...

"Rumble—"

The thick alloy door of the main control room slowly slid open to both sides.

As soon as Zhou An walked out, he saw Old Zhang, Lin Qing, Li Muzi, Shen Xingyue, Luo Ning, and Hila, who was holding the small Wanling Beast "Xiaobai," all standing in unison in the now 20,000-square-meter second-level hall, looking around with faces full of shock.

"Boss, this... this is just too big!"

Looking at the endless new space and the surrounding sci-fi, streamlined metal armor, Old Zhang was so excited his hands were shaking.

"This is practically like a small city built in the sky!"

"And the internal spirit energy concentration and gravity regulation systems are also perfect." Shen Xingyue pushed up her glasses, a bright light flashing in her cold, clear eyes.

"Is everyone satisfied with our new home?"

Zhou An walked up with a smile and sat down on a brand-new holographic sofa.

"More than satisfied!" Luo Ning excitedly pounced over, "Boss, I just took a look at the first level; you actually carved out a 5,000-square-meter mechanical laboratory just for me! I love you to death!"

"Alright, don't get too excited yet; I have an assignment for you all."

Zhou An snapped his fingers and pressed his tactical headset: "EVA, project the fortress's brand-new internal 3D structural map for everyone to see."

"Understood, Boss."

"Swish—"

A precise and massive holographic projection of the four-layer streamlined fortress immediately appeared in the center of the fortress, with the spatial partitioning of each level clearly visible.

Zhou An pointed to the large gray blank areas on the holographic projection and looked at the crowd: "The 20,000-square-meter pasture and 5,000-square-meter laboratory on the first level are already set. On the second level, besides our core living zone, there is still 15,000 square meters empty. As for the entire 25,000 square meters of the third level, it's a completely blank slate without even a partition."

Everyone looked at the exaggerated idle area and exchanged glances.

"Before, we complained about the space being too small; now we're worried because it's too big."

Zhou An shrugged and threw the problem to them.

"Our fortress has never kept idle people or idle land. Today, I want everyone to brainstorm; go back and think hard about what these empty spaces can be used for. Whether it's establishing new industries, entertainment facilities, or special defense arrays, feel free to suggest them."

Zhou An leaned back on the sofa and made the final decision: "I'll give you two days. Within these two days, everyone is to submit a feasibility plan for the use of the idle space. Dismissed!"