Zhao Chen's purpose for exchanging these three starships was actually quite simple. With his current capabilities alone, constructing the T3 starship rewarded by the system was impossible.
However, by using the technical blueprint provided by the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser as a foundation and modifying and assembling these three starships before him, it might be possible to assemble a simplified version of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser!
In Zhao Chen's mind, which already possessed the skills of a 'Top-tier Starship Engineer,' countless calculations confirmed that the feasibility of this plan was as high as eighty percent!
"Using the hull of the T2 Devil Crocodile-class Medium Interstellar Battleship, then combining it with some performance modules from the T2 Hyena and T2 Gray Wolf..." Zhao Chen muttered excitedly, his eyes gleaming with madness.
After finalizing the assembly plan, Zhao Chen immediately began operations.
He walked over to the control panel and personally operated the mechanical arms to start cutting the three starships.
This was Zhao Chen's first time modifying a starship, but the moment he started, he felt as though he had done this many times before—familiar and effortless, with precise and skillful movements.
Even the highest-level starship engineer in the academy would marvel at this young man's craftsmanship and technique if they were here.
Without decades of hands-on experience and top-tier knowledge, it would be impossible to perform with such fluidity.
Dismantling three starships alone was an enormous workload.
Hiring mechanics or engineers for assistance would have been a great help.
But Zhao Chen couldn't do that.
First, because Zhao Chen had no Academy Points left—all his Academy Points had been spent on exchanging for parts.
Second, this process couldn't be known to outsiders. Dismantling and assembling three different starships into a brand-new one, while incorporating some core technologies of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser—if anyone noticed and word got out, who knew what consequences it might bring.
Thus, Zhao Chen had to handle the entire process himself.
Zhao Chen calculated in his mind that it would take about twenty-some days.
Over the next three weeks, Zhao Chen essentially skipped all his classes. Since it was the end of the semester, some assessments had already concluded, and Zhao Chen had enough credits to advance to the fourth year, so his absences didn't have much impact.
However, news of Zhao Chen's challenge to Zhang Haoran had spread throughout the third year. Many students went to Zhao Chen's classroom to catch a glimpse of the rumored down-and-out baron, only to leave disappointed.
Beep beep beep beep
The door of the starship workshop flashed red, emitting a notification sound indicating someone was requesting entry.
For the first few minutes, Zhao Chen ignored it, but the notification sound persisted patiently for a full ten minutes.
Zhao Chen could no longer bear it. Dragging his exhausted body, he walked out of the workroom to the main entrance and opened the door.
"Zhao Chen, have you gone crazy!"
As soon as the door cracked open, before he could even see who it was, a sharp, feminine voice rang out, followed by a slender, pale leg stepping inside first.
Zhao Wan'er immediately pointed at Zhao Chen's nose and began scolding him furiously, but Zhao Chen barely registered her words as he leaned against the doorframe.
"Wan'er... are you done scolding me? If you're done, I need to get some rest. Ahh..." Zhao Chen squinted his eyes and yawned.
The woman standing before him, with a graceful figure and skin as fair as snow, was Zhao Chen's younger sister, Zhao Wan'er.
She was also a fourth-year student at North Star Starship Academy and would advance to fifth year next year.
Why was Zhao Chen, the older brother, only a third-year student while Zhao Wan'er was already in her fourth year?
Because Zhao Wan'er was a genius. She completed the entire three-year curriculum in just one year, surpassing her brother Zhao Chen and advancing to fourth year.
With her outstanding looks, she had always been considered one of the academy's great beauties.
At this moment, she was wearing a white military-style uniform. Considering that this young lady had only come to find him after more than half a month since the incident, it was likely due to her fourth-year final exams, which required piloting a starship for practical assessments. She must have just returned to the academy.
Upon her return, she had come to find him as soon as she heard the news.
Zhao Wan'er looked at Zhao Chen, who had dark circles under his eyes, messy hair, and even carried a certain odor.
She then glanced behind him. At the entrance of the workshop, there was a simple bed on the floor, next to which lay a box of instant nutrient meals. Empty packaging was scattered everywhere, emitting a sour smell.
A few sets of spare academy uniforms were also tossed on the ground, left unattended.
It was clear what kind of life Zhao Chen had been living for the past half month.
"You still have the nerve to rest? Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused? For a woman, you challenged Zhang Haoran to a Starship Duel and even made a bet that whoever loses would drop out of the academy. Are you out of your mind!" Zhao Wan'er, frustrated by his lack of ambition, grabbed Zhao Chen by the ear.
Normally, this should have been somewhat painful.
But at the moment, drowsiness overwhelmed Zhao Chen, and he slumped forward, collapsing onto Zhao Wan'er.
"You..."
Thud.
Zhao Wan'er fell to the ground, with Zhao Chen leaning against her like a child.
"This guy!" Zhao Wan'er sighed helplessly and dragged Zhao Chen into the Starship Workshop.
But when she looked up and saw the Starship Parking Area inside the workshop, which was the size of several football fields, she was stunned.
A starship stood there.
Its hull appeared old and worn, not new. Some parts were uneven, and there were even traces of artillery fire.
On the surrounding workbenches, scattered components of various sizes were visible.
Yet, despite all this, Zhao Wan'er could still sense a hidden ferocity emanating from the starship.
Most importantly, she felt that this starship looked familiar, but she couldn't recall seeing it in the Starship Encyclopedia she had studied.
"Wan'er..."
A voice from behind pulled Zhao Wan'er back to reality.
Zhao Chen had woken up and was now sitting cross-legged on the ground. Though he had only slept for about ten minutes, his condition had improved significantly.
"You... what is this?" Zhao Wan'er pointed at the unfamiliar starship before her.
"My starship," Zhao Chen replied instinctively.
"Don't lie to me without even thinking it through! I heard from that kid Li Wei that you used your Academy Points to exchange for three old starships. This definitely isn't..." Zhao Wan'er trailed off mid-sentence.
She turned around, looking at the starship before her with an incredulous gaze. It seemed she now understood why she felt a sense of familiarity when looking at this unfamiliar starship.
"Wan'er, you're usually so clever. How come you still haven't figured it out?" Zhao Chen said with a teasing smile, the corners of his mouth lifting.