NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 3 - Spoils of the War
Chapter 3: Spoils of the War
Three minutes later, the second and third shots hit their targets.
By this time, the pirates finally figured out where the projectiles were coming from and started heading towards the frigate’s hiding spot.
But at a distance of one light-second, and within the asteroid belt where they couldn’t travel at full speed, it would take the pirate boats at least a few minutes to reach the frigate.
Round after round of electromagnetic projectiles flew through space, and one of the pirate boats, having been hit repeatedly, was severely damaged and had to slow down.
It immediately became the focus of the three gunners’ concentrated fire. After just five more volleys, the pirate raiding boat, having been hit by nearly ten electromagnetic projectiles, reached its final moments. A burst of sparks erupted on the battlefield, tearing the entire ship into pieces.
At the same time, Lin Zhichen’s eyes lit up. At the moment the gunboat was destroyed, one of the gunners finally gained enough experience, and the ultra-long-range bombardment skill advanced from apprentice to junior level, increasing the hit rate.
With one gunboat lost, the remaining two were subjected to even more bombardment. Four minutes later, the second gunboat was destroyed.
The last remaining pirate ship finally saw the culprit—a frigate hidden beside an asteroid, quietly extending three gun barrels and launching projectiles.
By this time, both sides reached the optimal range, significantly increasing the hit rate.
The pirate raiding boat was equipped with two red laser turrets and one electromagnetic railgun.
The advantage of the laser cannon was its high speed and sustained burning damage, but its drawback was its short range, making it useless at this moment. The only electromagnetic railgun fired, but the electromagnetic projectile struck the asteroid in front of the frigate, creating large craters.
Asteroids primarily composed of silica couldn’t block the electromagnetic projectiles for long, but they provided enough cover for the frigate to unleash its firepower. The gunners, whose bombardment skills had reached intermediate level, achieved an 80% hit rate in several consecutive volleys. Just four rounds of concentrated fire sent the last gunboat to join its companions.
With a dazzling burst of light, this small-scale ambush finally came to an end.
“Name: Gunner DQXJPS** (Human, White)
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Profession: Gunner (Intermediate)
Talent: Bombardment (Gray): Kinetic Weapon Range +3%
Precision (Gray): Kinetic Weapon Accuracy +2%
Skills: 1: Bombardment (White, Intermediate 11.34%): Firing Speed +15%, Bombardment Damage +15%
2: Ultra-Long-Range Bombardment (Light Red, Intermediate 5.64%): Range +150%
Evaluation: A double-talent piece of trash!”
“Indeed, it must be actual combat for growth to be fast enough!” Lin Zhichen smiled. The skill improvement even enhanced the talents. If he were to ambush in his current state, the last pirate raiding boat wouldn’t have had a chance to get close.
Apprentice was the term for beginners, while reaching an intermediate level often required a person to work for 2 to 3 years. With his talent’s bonus, just one real battle was enough. He believed that after a few rounds of combat, he could train a group of elite crew members.
With the battle won, it was time to clean up the battlefield.
The frigate emerged from behind the damaged asteroid, weaving through space like a fish, and quickly arrived at the pirate ship’s wreckage.
A faintly glowing white object stood out, immediately catching the crew’s attention. The frigate moved closer to it.
The new universe was similar to a game, where defeating enemies also yielded loot, which floated in the form of faintly glowing objects on the wreckage of the ships.
The frigate’s damage control crew, wearing conspicuous white spacesuits and jetpacks, rushed out from the cabin and quickly retrieved the loot, then were pulled back by the ropes attached to them.
After two trips, Lin Zhichen was pleasantly surprised to find that the three pirate raiding boats had yielded two pieces of loot. This was a rare jackpot.
Generally speaking, the longer a star region was developed by intelligent life, the lower the drop rate. In the prosperous star regions of the Federation, the drop rate even fell to a few percent, making the loot from a major battle insufficient to cover the cost of ammunition.
In newly developed star regions, the drop rate was much higher. According to statistics, the drop rate in the solar system was about one in five. This time, it was clearly above the average.
“A red laser turret, junk that can only be sold for money,” Lin Zhichen remarked, unable to suppress a smile.
Despite its outdated performance, this small red laser turret had a standard market price of 9 units of universal alloy.
Universal alloy was a term for white-quality metal alloys, used to build frigates, destroyers, and ordinary civilian ships. Of course, the quantity and craftsmanship varied, resulting in different performance levels.
In the interstellar era, currency was anchored to energy. Energy points could be considered the Federation’s currency, universally accepted within the Human Federation and all its affiliated human nations.
One hundred million energy points equaled one unit of energy currency. The value of one unit of universal alloy typically ranged between four and five units of energy currency.
The selling price of this red laser turret was 30 to 40 energy coins.
Just this turret alone was worth the return trip.
He then looked at the other piece of loot, a floating piece of paper.
“A frigate blueprint!” Lin Zhichen was stunned for a moment before confirming that he hadn’t seen it wrong.
A frigate blueprint was a ship design diagram and also a type of authorization, unique to the new universe.
Only with a blueprint could engineers process materials into the corresponding products. Without it, no matter how many materials or how advanced the technology, they couldn’t manufacture the item. This was a form of restriction.
The price of a blueprint typically accounted for more than 50% of the construction cost. A standard frigate cost 100 units of universal alloy to build, so this blueprint was worth over 200 energy coins.
“Such a dilemma~” Should he keep it for personal use or sell it?
Shaking his head, he didn’t make a decision immediately.
Having spent nearly a month traveling from Earth to the asteroid belt, it wasn’t feasible to retreat after just one battle. It was too early to decide.
After spending nearly an hour gathering the loot, the frigate set off once again. Flames erupted from the engines, and the massive ship embarked on its journey once more.
“Captain, there’s a holographic communication from Earth. Should we connect?” the radar observer asked.
Thanks to the construction of spaceports, the entire solar system was within the range of quantum communication. Anywhere within the Federation, as long as one was within the range of a quantum communicator, real-time communication was possible.
“Can you see the caller ID?” Lin Zhichen asked.
“It shows that it’s your friend, Wei Peng,” the communications officer reported.
“Put it through.” Sitting in the captain’s chair made of soft metal, specially processed so that the metal layer acted like a sponge cushion, it automatically adjusted to fit the sitter’s shape, providing the best experience.
“Big brother!” An equally proportioned holographic projection appeared in the captain’s cabin. He turned around, seemingly observing the structure of the command cabin:
“How does the maiden voyage feel? Is it the same as the virtual classroom?”
With a burly build and a fierce appearance, Wei Peng was determined to become the strongest ground forces commander in the galaxy, the Federation’s mightiest cannon fodder.