Chapter 90: Interesting Captains

Chapter 90: Interesting Captains

Chen Feng did not completely follow Tang Tianxin’s advice.

Besides reviewing the data of the top one thousand warships, he also randomly selected and carefully studied over a thousand more from the lower-ranked ships.

He discovered some interesting things.

The human space fleet was divided into five main fleets: the Vanguard Fleet, the Left Wing Fleet, the Right Wing Fleet, the Central Fleet, and the Rearguard Fleet.

Twenty-five thousand escort ships were evenly distributed among these five fleets.

Tang Tianxin’s Tianxin was the spearhead of the Left Wing Fleet, considered an elite combat force.

During his last visit, Chen Feng had learned about the general situation of the human space fleet.

The total number of escort ships was ten thousand. He didn’t expect it to more than double this time, reaching twenty-five thousand.

Escort ships were mainly divided into Battleship-class, Cruiser-class, and Destroyer-class.

Among these, the Battleship-class was the highest tier, having the largest carrying capacity, the most firepower, the most ship-borne combat units and Azure Dragon Armor suits, and also possessing extremely powerful fusion-compressed energy particle cannons and ultra-long-range large nuclear missiles.

Battleship-class escort ships also had internal repair facilities. They were important combat units, second only to the giant Motherships.

The Cruiser-class was next. Its carrying capacity was relatively smaller, carrying only a small number of combat units and Azure Dragon Armor suits, and it only possessed basic, fine equipment repair capabilities. However, it had strong long-range sailing abilities and was good at ultra-long-distance patrols.

Destroyer-class escort ships were the smallest in size. They had no ship-borne external combat sub-units, but they were equipped with fusion-compressed energy particle cannons and a large number of short-range impulse particle cannons. They also had extremely strong maneuverability, making them suitable for close-range dogfights.

In past years’ military exercises, one Destroyer-class escort ship would often cooperate with several small and medium-sized Combat Ships to form a small-scale cluster tactical strike force.

Aside from the personal special requirements of the warship commanders, the basic equipment of escort ships was classified only by tier. Their configurations were mostly similar.

For example, even though Tang Tianxin’s Tianxin was a Battleship-class escort ship and ranked in the top ten in the military exercises over the years, this was only because Tang Tianxin’s command style and skill level ensured she could always achieve great results at a relatively low cost during exercises.

In the entire fleet group, there were at least another hundred Battleship-class escort ships with equipment levels equal to the Tianxin.

For top-tier operators like Chen Feng who had won the All-Army Competition, the important reference for choosing an escort ship was actually not the equipment configuration, but the captain.

Therefore, after briefly looking over the equipment lists, Chen Feng focused his attention on the captains’ personal profiles.

It truly was reference material provided by the Military for top operators. The introduction for each warship captain was extremely detailed, covering everything from a comprehensive personality analysis from a psychological perspective to descriptions of combat style, and so on.

Some captains had also personally written recruitment manifestos, making targeted self-introductions in hopes of attracting more outstanding Azure Dragon Armor operators.

But what Chen Feng was truly interested in was the introduction of these captains’ hobbies in the material.

At first, he found out Tang Tianxin liked playing Go. He was only slightly surprised but then felt it made sense, as Tang Tianxin’s set of theories on developing one’s thinking ability was quite solid.

But later, he discovered that besides Tang Tianxin liking Go, almost all captains, including Mothership captains and those of the small Combat Ships, had their own hobbies.

These hobbies were all sorts of strange and wonderful things.

Diabolo, yo-yo, hoop rolling, billiards, Rubik’s cube, Hua Rong Dao, tarot cards, Texas Hold’em, mahjong, Gwent, LEGO, ping pong, checkers, Go, chess, shogi, and all kinds of other board games.

The variety was too numerous to list, and there were also quite a few individuals who liked the same thing.

For example, Go was not just loved by Tang Tianxin; at least dozens of people in the five fleets were fond of Go. The reason Tang Tianxin couldn’t find a Go partner and could only seek being beaten by the AI was purely because her skill level was awkwardly stuck in the middle. She couldn’t beat the AI, but no one else was her match, and her Gomanship (sportsmanship in Go) was too poor.

Chen Feng thought this was quite amusing.

Before, he had treated everyone in this entire future world as NPCs.

After coming here this time, because of the Azure Dragon Armor and Ding Hu, he had established a deeper connection with the military and gained more understanding of these officers who were originally just codes to him. They were real, living people.

An image involuntarily popped into his mind: a mature and steady warship captain, in his own office, rolling a hoop like a seven-year-old child. It was too funny.

Closing the data inquiry interface, Chen Feng began to seriously think about which warship to choose.

He had currently selected a total of eight intended targets for himself. Besides the Tianxin, the other seven Battleship-class escort ships all belonged to the Rearguard Fleet.

Even though there had been quite a few twists and turns this time around, his original intention to strive to live a few more seconds had never wavered.

“Are you done?”

Tang Tianxin’s voice sounded in the brainwave resonance communication, so close it was as if the person had leaned in to whisper in his ear.

Chen Feng, who had been fully focused, was badly startled.

He really wanted to curse.

He had clearly turned off all external communications because he didn’t want to be disturbed.

If Tang Tianxin could still force a connection, it could only be because she used her authority as the Base Commander to requisition public resources and forcibly opened an emergency communication channel.

“General Tang, if you need me for something, couldn’t you give a heads-up? Your sudden talking in my ear is really scary,” Chen Feng complained.

At the same time, he thought to himself, if this woman wanted to play Go with him again, he would block her immediately—in his mind.

“Sorry, an unexpected situation has occurred. I need to discuss it with you.”

Chen Feng immediately became tense, standing up with a whoosh. “Is there an urgent mission at the Base?”

Tang Tianxin shook her head. “No. It’s both official business and a private matter, I suppose.”

After she said this, a spherical object was projected in Chen Feng’s living room.

“What is this?” Chen Feng asked while frowning and examining it.

Tang Tianxin said, “The offspring resulting from the fusion of our genes.”

Chen Feng understood. “Oh.”

So it was a fertilized egg Embryo magnified countless times. Looking at the sphere again, he suddenly felt his emotions become very complex.

Even though the process was bizarre and completely different from what he had expected, that faint feeling of blood connection came flooding over him the moment he learned the truth.

He felt both anticipation and regret.

It was really good.

It’s a shame there wasn’t time to wait for them to grow up.

“Sigh, it cannot survive,” Tang Tianxin said in a heavy tone.

Chen Feng’s heart immediately tightened. “What do you mean?”

“This cell has already died. The conclusion from the Pangu Institute is that the Embryo created from the combination of your genes and mine cannot mature through artificial cultivation. It’s currently impossible to determine which part went wrong. They had considered all factors, but the final result was still unsatisfactory.”

Chen Feng felt lost for a long while before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

“Is that so? That’s truly regrettable. Forget it. It doesn’t have any real meaning anyway.”

“Mhm, the government’s support for this project has been stopped.”

Chen Feng nodded. “It’s good that it’s over.”

“But I’m not ready to give up yet.”

“What do you mean?”

Tang Tianxin said, “I want to try again. If artificial synthesis doesn’t work, then let’s use the ancient people’s method.”

“The ancient people’s method? What does that mean?”

“Come to my office.”

Half an hour later…

Chen Feng swallowed hard. “You’re serious?”

Tang Tianxin nodded as she took off her outer coat. “Yes.”

Chen Feng kept rubbing his hands together. “Don’t you have any… other thoughts?”

“Other thoughts?” Tang Tianxin looked puzzled. “I don’t understand what you mean. I’m not interested in these things, and I haven’t studied them. But before you arrived, I reviewed some historical data. I don’t think it’s difficult.”

Chen Feng looked at the “historical materials” in front of him, feeling complicated. “Has no one ever told you about these things before?”

“My parents were both officers, but they never interfered with my affairs. No one ever told me about this growing up. I don’t care.”

Chen Feng looked at Tang Tianxin’s calm expression and was sincerely impressed.

“Are you a Synthetic Human too?”

Tang Tianxin shook her head. “No. My paternal and maternal genes were both optimal selections chosen voluntarily by my parents. I am different from Synthetic Humans formed through Artificial Intelligence optimization.”

“But you were also artificially cultivated, right?”

Tang Tianxin answered without hesitation. “Of course. According to historical records, most women saw a significant drop in work ability during pregnancy, being unable to perform high-intensity work for at least six months. This traditional birthing model, which is inefficient and harmful to social productivity, has long been obsolete.”

“Then what about you…”

“Don’t worry. I have completed my self-physical assessment. My physical constitution far exceeds that of ordinary people. With high progesterone secretion, my thinking ability will improve even further. Even if pregnant, I would still be an excellent ship captain.”

Chen Feng gave a thumbs-up. “You really are outstanding talent.”

“Thank you for the praise. Now, let’s begin.”

Two hours passed.

Chen Feng still sat blankly by the bedside, his feelings complicated.

He regretted it deeply in his heart.

Why did I…

“Thank you for your cooperation, Lieutenant Chen Feng. I have studied the cycle. Missing these two days would mean waiting another month. Over the next two days, we need to intensify our efforts. We will continue after you rest for three hours.”

Tang Tianxin said this while adjusting her attire.

Chen Feng covered his face.

This feeling was too strange.

This General still approached everything with the mindset of conducting research.

Not only was she engaging in the act, she was also talking to herself and recording data!

“My adrenaline secretion has increased, tripled.”

“How strange, my immune system is actually producing a rejection response.”

“So, in such competition, the genetic carrier that survives to the end is the strongest? This ancient method of conception indeed has its logic.”

“The mysteries of life are truly incredible.”

Chen Feng turned to look at her and sighed. “General Tang, in your heart, is there really not even a little feeling, something different?”

Tang Tianxin was puzzled. “Different? Are you referring to heart rate? My heart rate was indeed faster than usual at the time, but the intelligent system said it was a normal physiological reaction.”

Chen Feng was convinced. “Can we not record data next time?”

Tang Tianxin shook her head. “No. Since we’ve decided to undertake a project, we must strive for perfection. Although the authorities do not support me, if I can produce results and find the reason for artificial embryo failures, it might have universal significance.”

“Universal significance? What do you mean?”

“If we two can succeed, it will prove that you and modern humans have not developed complete Reproductive Isolation. Then you should take on the responsibility more proactively, to leave more outstanding genetic offspring for humanity.”

Chen Feng fell backward. “Forget it! It’s just a waste of time and energy!”

Tang Tianxin suddenly smiled mysteriously. “Is that so? Based on your previous micro-expressions, I can determine that you possess a high level of enthusiasm for this ancient method of union. You can’t fool me.”

Chen Feng expressed fear.

“What enthusiasm! I have none at all!”

“You are speaking with the most excellent Commander. Lying is useless. Come, let’s play another game of chess.”

Chen Feng shrank back. “No, thanks?”

Playing a game of chess afterward felt very strange.

But in the end, he still couldn’t resist Tang Tianxin’s “temptation.”

She actually used the production progress of the modified Azure Dragon Armor that Chen Feng was eagerly awaiting as leverage!

At the production base, due to some components not being mass-producible, technicians had to individually write metal printing programs for customized production, which also used up the technicians’ personal time.

Simply put, it required extra money, an additional credit fee.

Given Chen Feng’s current treatment, he couldn’t afford that fee himself and still had to rely on Major General Tang Tianxin to pay out of her personal savings.

Bound by favors, softened by meals, Chen Feng, for the sake of obtaining the modified Azure Dragon Armor and sacrificing himself for humanity’s future, threw himself onto the chessboard and was still soundly defeated.

Another three hours passed.

Chen Feng finally escaped under the pretense of recovery training by evening, injected with Serum, and got into the Azure Dragon Armor.

Professor Ouyang was confused. “Why do you look so tired? Your complexion is quite pale, more exhausted than after training in the Azure Dragon Armor without Serum?”

Chen Feng gritted his teeth. “Old man, shut up! I’m here to rest!”

Tang Tianxin’s voice sounded in both their helmets. “Professor Ouyang, remember to have Chen Feng replenish his nutrients early. Chen Feng’s consumption was indeed very high.”

Professor Ouyang suddenly understood. “I see.”

After a while, Chen Feng felt that Tang Tianxin probably wasn’t eavesdropping on his side anymore, and cautiously asked Professor Ouyang, “Old man, let me ask you something. Are all female workers who aren’t Subsistence Allowance Recipients so…ahem…detached about…reproduction?”

Professor Ouyang countered, “Not necessarily, it varies by person. But generally, the higher the talent level, the smaller the personal desires and emotional fluctuations.”

Chen Feng asked again, “That’s not reasonable! Isn’t it instinct?”

Professor Ouyang said, “When I was younger, I also studied the differences between ancient and modern humans. I think it’s like this: starting from the 20th century, with the acceleration of informatization, social information became increasingly vast. To maintain sufficiently efficient learning capabilities and master more comprehensive knowledge systems, we have actually been evolving continuously. Although the extent of this evolution isn’t comparable to the qualitative changes of ancient times, significant changes did occur in the human nervous system and brain. We discarded some inefficient emotions. All of this was to maintain a faster social pace.”

Chen Feng asked puzzledly, “But don’t Subsistence Allowance Recipients still have those needs?”

“Just as you said, they are Subsistence Allowance Recipients. They can only indulge in low-level instincts, unable to keep up with the pace of the times. That’s why they ultimately became Subsistence Allowance Recipients.”

“O…okay then.”

Unconsciously, another seven days passed.

Chen Feng finally received the modified Azure Dragon Armor. It was entirely black, had stronger performance, and higher manufacturing costs. However, its self-repairing materials greatly reduced maintenance costs.

Simultaneously, Tang Tianxin’s reproductive attempts with him for the month were declared a failure.

Chen Feng wasn’t surprised by this and even secretly felt relieved.

But he made another decision.

He would board Tang Tianxin’s ship, the Tianxin.

On the surface, his reason was that Ou Qinglan, the designer of the Azure Dragon Armor – Modified, would also be on the Tianxin serving as a technical consultant.

Secretly, his reason was that he wanted to play chess.