Pfft!
"You're joking, right Igor? Ten million Credit Points could buy a standard-configured fourth-class destroyer. How could a nearly bankrupt smuggler like you connect with such a big client?"
Liu Hai scoffed at Igor's words. The two had been in contact several times recently and had grown more familiar, mainly because Igor had been actively pursuing business opportunities. They'd even shared virtual drinks while enthusiastically discussing alien beauties via projection.
Igor looked at him with disdain. "Liu, as an arms dealer, how can you be so out of touch? Parliament is pushing for another Pioneer War, causing a surge in arms demand. Orders at major arms factories have skyrocketed, with the famous ones already booked for the next decade."
"Huh?" Liu Hai had been too absorbed in alien beauties lately and hadn't paid much attention to the information collected by his Intelligent Nexus.
After checking, he confirmed this was indeed true. Currently, the approval process for Pioneer Orders had accelerated significantly. Essentially, any Star River Federation citizen with legitimate assets capable of maintaining a fleet of at least two fourth-class frigates could submit an application to the High Command.
"Alright then, Igor. What equipment does your client need? For big items like warships, there'd be a wait—at least three years for delivery." Having verified the information, Liu Hai grew curious about what kind of client Igor could possibly have connected with.
Igor laughed heartily and sent over the inventory list. "Liu, can you actually get all these? I'm going all-in on this one. If I can't secure the goods, I'll have to flee to some lord's star system for survival."
Liu Hai reviewed the list without immediately addressing Igor's doubts. After consulting his Intelligent Nexus, he confirmed all the requested equipment could be manufactured.
"It's doable, but it'll take time—about three months for delivery. We can make the exchange at the Smuggling Port." Liu Hai gave Igor a definitive answer.
Upon hearing the confirmation, Igor jumped for joy. After celebrating, he quickly asked Liu Hai for the exact pricing so he could negotiate commissions with the buyer.
"Sparrow-class Fighters at 150,000 Credit Points each, Assault-class Mecha at 230,000 each, Assault Exoskeleton Armor at 30,000 per set, Leopard Light Infantry Fighting Vehicles at 50,000 each, Tiger Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicles at 80,000 each, and Fire Support Robots at 30,000 per unit."
Liu Hai smiled at Igor while holding the freshly prepared quote sheet. "Total comes to 9.3 million Credit Points. We accept payment in metal resources."
"9.3 million Credit Points?" Igor quickly calculated his potential commission. "A 2% commission would be 186,000—yes! Finally, I'll have the funds to maintain and upgrade the Pioneer!"
"Igor, who exactly is this client of yours? I don't want you dealing with someone unreliable." Liu Hai hadn't let the massive order cloud his judgment. After all, Credit Points were essentially useless to him unless the client opted to pay in resources.
What he really wanted to know was who the client was and whether there was any possibility of being double-crossed. His current defenses were still too weak—the clone soldier army was still soaking in cultivation tanks, far from being combat-ready. The equipment production lines were only halfway completed, and warship manufacturing would be a major headache on Garbage Star due to insufficient resources.
Moreover, the spacecraft Liu Hai was producing weren't approved by the Star River Federation. Without production serial numbers and relevant certifications issued by the High Command, he wouldn't dare fly them anywhere except to sell them to space pirates.
These were precisely the reasons Liu Hai wanted payment in resources. He could launder them through mining operations, then use the profits to pave the way for the Star Sea Group's expansion.
At this critical juncture, he truly didn't want any more trouble. He just wanted to quickly legitimize his factories, register them openly, and start manufacturing warships so he could apply for a Pioneer Order and venture into the boundless starry seas where anything was possible.
"Don't worry, this was introduced by an old friend of mine. We've known each other for over thirty years—he wouldn't deceive me. Besides, if this order goes through successfully, he'll make a hefty profit too," Igor insisted, doing his best to emphasize his credibility.
Liu Hai nodded, exchanged a few more words with him, then cut off the communication under the pretext of needing to arrange the shipment.
After ending the call, Liu Hai sat back in his command chair, deep in thought. The base's current defenses included over a dozen land-based turrets, with plans to triple that number in three months. By then, he would also have three fighter squadrons. With coordinated ground and air defenses, even a cruiser-class warship could be taken down.
But the Smuggling Port had no land-based anti-air support. To guard against potential double-crossing, he'd have to reinforce Garbage Star's defenses.
With a plan in mind, Liu Hai began communicating with the Intelligent Nexus, constantly adjusting production schedules and issuing new directives.
It took over two hours to finalize the production arrangements. With nothing else urgent to attend to, Liu Hai browsed the star network again, using the Intelligent Nexus to gather intel and refine his plans.
Two months later, the garbage mountains within dozens of kilometers around the Pyramid Core had been mostly leveled, except for those concealing the land-based anti-air turrets. The ground was now covered with a two-meter-thick layer of refuse as camouflage.
Over a hundred surveillance satellites, each over twenty meters in diameter, orbited Garbage Star, monitoring everything within a one-light-hour radius. Any object larger than ten meters moving within that range would be tracked.
Several garbage dumping operations had also been redirected hundreds of kilometers away, forcing tens of thousands of scavengers to abandon the area. Only one scavenger team persistently tried to approach the Pyramid Core, but they were repeatedly driven off by armed robots patrolling the perimeter.
On the day of the transaction, a ten-meter-wide passage suddenly opened through a garbage pile fifty kilometers from the Pyramid Core.
Under the Intelligent Nexus's control, over a hundred space fighters slowly emerged, formed a basic formation, and headed toward the Smuggling Port.
Following them were over a hundred aerial combat mechs, their ten-meter-tall frames bristling with weaponry that spoke of formidable combat prowess.
Finally, hundreds of various combat vehicles carrying additional equipment appeared, maintaining a steady altitude of a hundred meters as they flew away from the underground base.
Everything during this period was controlled by the Intelligent Nexus. The Clone Soldier squad responsible for the handover had already been waiting at the Smuggling Port.
Liu Hai glanced at the internal projection of the base. Within the Clone Legion's garrison, three squadrons of fighters were ready for takeoff at any moment, prepared for combat.
Igor's communication came through just as Liu Hai detected spatial fluctuations outside Garbage Star's gravity well. He promptly informed Liu Hai that his Pioneer-class ship was currently guiding a client's cargo freighter.
Liu Hai pulled up the satellite feed and observed Igor's cargo ship followed by a medium-sized freighter over six hundred meters in length. After initial communications, the other party dispatched personnel to inspect the equipment at the Smuggling Port.
Just as their personnel landed via shuttle, over a dozen new ship signatures appeared outside Garbage Star's gravity well.