84: Forging the future

"The holiday is over."

Lin Mo's voice was like ice water extinguishing the last warmth of a hot spring.

"From now on, we prepare for battle with all our might."

Gu Zhixia's phoenix eyes, which had been slightly hazy from the steam, instantly refocused.

All traces of laziness and shyness were burned away in that moment, leaving only a sharp, intense light, hotter than the core of a furnace.

She didn't ask why.

Nor did she hesitate in the slightest.

She simply nodded heavily.

In this world, no one craved power more than she did.

Gu Nianqiu also put away the innocent cheerfulness on her face. She obediently hugged the still-warm Constant Temperature Jade tightly to her chest, her small face filled with seriousness.

She knew that when Brother Mo spoke in that tone, it meant truly important matters were about to begin.

"Zhi Xia, get ready. We're going to the shipboard factory."

"Nianqiu, you'll be in charge of logistical support. This upgrade and modification might take a long time."

Lin Mo's instructions were clear and concise.

The three quickly moved into action.

Gu Nianqiu pushed a small dining cart, transporting the massive alloy box, along with various rare fruits she had scavenged from Silent Mountain Villa that could temporarily boost attributes, to the entrance of the factory located in the deepest part of the ship.

She knew she couldn't help much, but she wanted to ensure that her sister and Brother Mo could immediately get the best food and energy-restoring fruit juice whenever they needed it.

This was her battlefield...

Lin Mo and Gu Zhixia walked side by side, their footsteps echoing a steady and firm rhythm in the empty alloy corridor.

"Buzz—"

With a low hum, the circular alloy door, engraved with a gear and crossed swords emblem, silently retracted inward.

The world behind the door suddenly opened up.

It was completely different from when they had last left it.

After being promoted to the Gold rank, the original armory and mech Hangar had been expanded into a true "shipboard factory," filled with a sense of future technology.

The entire space had expanded at least fivefold. The dome was so high it was out of sight, and soft simulated skylight streamed down from above, illuminating every corner as bright as day.

The floor was no longer cold alloy, but a modular smart floor that could be raised and combined into different workstations as needed.

More than a dozen thick, giant mechanical arms, gleaming with cold metallic light, hung silently beneath the dome like dormant steel beasts.

Their ends could be replaced with high-precision laser welding heads, material recombination spray guns, or powerful grippers capable of lifting several tons, depending on the need.

"This is... a true armory."

Gu Zhixia murmured, her beautiful eyes reflecting the awe-inspiring scene, filled with an almost obsessive light.

In the center of the hall, a large circular recessed area projected a faint blue holographic operating interface, with countless data streams rapidly scrolling across it like a waterfall.

This was the heart of the ship.

It was where all miracles were born.

"First, let's solve the reconnaissance and harassment problem."

Lin Mo's thinking was very clear: when facing unknown enemies, information always comes first.

With a thought, the shipboard drone hive blueprint he had obtained at LV20 transformed into a golden light and merged into the central control panel.

"Detected new blueprint 'shipboard drone hive' (Gold)"

"Starting blueprint structure analysis... Analysis complete."

"Scanning inventory materials..."

"Construction requirements: Metal × 5000, Polymer Composite Material × 1000, Energy Crystal × 20, Ship Exchange Points × 15."

"Start construction?"

"Yes."

The command was issued.

"Boom—Rumble—Rumble—"

The sleeping giant awakened!

A wall on one side of the hall silently slid open, revealing a huge material warehouse.

The mechanical arms hanging from the dome activated simultaneously, emitting synchronized hydraulic sounds. They precisely grabbed steel ingots and fed them into the smelting furnace below the central area.

Whoosh!

A dazzling white light flared, and a torrent of molten metal was shaped.

Another set of mechanical arms skillfully grabbed various polymer materials and energy crystals. Countless blue electric arcs flashed between their mechanical claws, recombining different substances at the atomic level.

The entire process was smooth and fluid, filled with breathtaking industrial violent aesthetics.

There was no deafening clanging, only the low hum of the energy furnace operating and the gentle breeze stirred by the moving mechanical arms, like the breathing of a giant beast.

In just ten minutes.

As the last arc of laser welding extinguished, a massive, dark gold metal creation, filled with honeycomb-like hexagonal structures, was slowly lifted out of the central factory area by the mechanical arms.

"Click! Click! Click!"

With a series of precise mechanical sounds, it was accurately embedded into the wall of the Hangar, perfectly integrating with the ship's structure.

In each cell of the hive, a soft blue charging indicator light illuminated.

"'shipboard drone hive' construction complete."

"Can accommodate 'hornet' series drones: 24 units."

"Functions: Automatic maintenance, automatic charging, automatic ammunition resupply."

Lin Mo's gaze fell on the four complimentary, crudely shaped 'hornet' I drones.

"Basic models, too weak."

He shook his head, about to order an upgrade.

"Wait."

Gu Zhixia suddenly spoke. She quickly walked to the control panel, her fingers rapidly swiping across the holographic screen, bringing up the inventory list of the alloy box.

"If it's just a regular upgrade, it's too wasteful."

Her eyes gleamed with professional light.

"Using Phantom Alloy as a coating can give them both optical and radar stealth capabilities."

"Change the power to a Micro Electromagnetic Core, and the speed and maneuverability can at least triple!"

"Weapon system... use this! High-Energy Focusing Chip, it can transform the original solid-bullet machine gun into a low-power plasma cannon!"

The more she spoke, the more excited she became, exuding a convincing charm called "professionalism."

Lin Mo looked at her, a slight curve forming on his lips.

"Do as you say."

"Okay!"

Gu Zhixia received confirmation and immediately began to draft the modification plan.

"'hornet' I drone upgrade plan confirmed."

"Plan provider: Weapon Master 'Gu Zhixia'"

"Consumption: 'Phantom Alloy' × 20, 'Micro Electromagnetic Core' × 4, 'High-Energy Focusing Chip' × 8..."

"Starting upgrade..."

This time, it was an even more precise modification.

Two mechanical arms, tipped with nano-probes, secured a hornet drone in mid-air.

They skillfully disassembled the drone's shell, replacing it with a brand new Micro Electromagnetic Core, sparkling with blue electric arcs.

The drone's shell was sprayed with a layer of Phantom Alloy coating that could absorb radar waves, giving its originally jet-black body a translucent quality that shimmered in the light.

The small-caliber rapid-fire machine gun mounted beneath the fuselage was replaced with a smaller, more menacing-looking "plasma rapid-fire cannon."

Gu Zhixia's gaze swept over the weapon hardpoints, and she added another instruction.

"Modularize the hardpoint scheme! Allow them to switch between EMP grenades and High-Frequency Vibration Particle Blades based on the mission!"

When the first upgraded drone was returned to the hive by the mechanical arm, its appearance had undergone a radical transformation.

It was no longer a hornet.

But a deadly ghost, lurking in the shadows.

"'hornet' I has been upgraded to 'Ghost hornet' II (Purple)"

"Performance summary: Possesses primary optical stealth capability, equipped with a plasma rapid-fire cannon, can mount EMP grenades or High-Frequency Vibration Particle Blades according to mission requirements, maximum speed increased to 800km/h."

Gu Zhixia looked at the brand-new drone, her eyes incredibly bright.

"With this, we won't have to scout ahead ourselves anymore. They are our eyes, and our sharp claws."

"This is just an appetizer."

Lin Mo said, slowly turning around.

His gaze, passing through the flying sparks and flowing light, finally landed on the two titan mechs standing silently in the deepest part of the Hangar, majestic as gods.

That was today's main course.