Chapter 66 (1/2)

There were four main warship construction firms: Gaia, Amarr, Caldari and Mittal. Their total warship output accounted for almost sixty percent of the Pan-Human Alliance spaceships.

Most territories would not make their own warships and would, instead, directly purchase them from the four firms, doing just some small-scale modifications to these purchases thereafter. After all, the design and cost control of warships for the big four were the best in the business, and buying the finished products would be much cheaper than building them from scratch.

However, there were also territories that would buy a few special models from the big four for safety reasons or to fulfill certain specialized tasks.

This naval-issue Hookbill frigate was one such special model, not cutting cost by utilizing a complete triple-titanium plate as its hull, along with extensive improvements to its structure, armor, shields, and internal electronic systems.

Compared to the usual Eagle-class, this Hookbill frigate had a thirty-percent increased performance rating in terms of attack, defense, and mobility!

In other words, this naval-issue Hookbill frigate represented the technological pinnacle of frigates manufactured in this era and was considered the king of all frigates!

Xia Fei could not resist walking over to that spaceship and touching that cold exterior with his hand.

This spaceship was smaller than the standard Eagle-class frigate, appearing to be a lot more rugged, which only added to its aggressive look.

That was when a commotion broke out from somewhere behind him. Xia Fei looked in the direction of the workshop and saw Old Porter seemingly arguing with a short, old coot. The stocky man, in a short-sleeved green shirt and a pair of sunglasses, looked to be in his sixties with that patch of white hair left on his head.

Xia Fei was positioned quite far from them, so he could not make out what they were saying. After a while, that short, old coot led his underlings out of the factory, and Uncle Porter immediately made his way to where Sonny and Xia Fei were standing.

“Xia Fei, this naval-issue, Eagle-class frigate is a rare find; if you’re able to, you must buy it,” excitedly reminded Phantom.

Xia Fei nodded. “I understand.”

Porter was still a short distance away when, without warning, he burst into a raucous laughter. Though he was showing a happy countenance as he made his way over, Xia Fei realized that there was a shade of uneasiness and worry behind his smile.

“Sonny, is your mother doing well?” loudly asked Porter.

“My mom’s doing fine. She specifically asked me to bring some sausages and ale to you, though I think Boateng and the others have already finished stealing bites off of them by now.” Sonny returned his smile with one of his own.

Porter turned around in the direction of the workshop and yelled, “Don’t finish the sausages; save some for me!”

Sonny and Porter were now standing in front of Xia Fei, as Porter pointed toward that standard Eagle-class frigate and spoke with that same smile. “So? Do you still like that Eagle-class frigate?”

Xia Fei nodded, walking over to the front of the spacecraft and saying, “This isn’t a spaceship.”

Porter immediately furrowed his brow, the look on his face turning somewhat unpleasant. Sonny was anxiously trying to signal and make eye-contact with Xia Fei, afraid that he would say something inappropriate.

Xia Fei ignored him, merely smiling as he continued, “After its hydraulics system was completely overhauled, it’s more durable than the original, while the rubber strips on the door seal were changed to a more lasting and dense soft metal. Not to mention the choice to swap out the original four-layer, reinforced glass for the premium six-layer glass.”

Xia Fei observed Porter’s expression as he spoke. Sure enough, as Xia Fei pointed out each modification to the spaceship, Porter’s face began to show a smile of sheer delight.

“As for the internal mechanism and the electronics of this warship, I can venture a guess without even taking a look inside—it must’ve improved upon the weaknesses of the Eagle-class frigate. Such a spaceship will be far better than a brand-new, Eagle-class frigate. This is no longer a spaceship but rather a work of art by a maestro!” declared Xia Fei firmly, making a point to flatter Porter with some choice words.

Porter’s two eyes sparkled as he chuckled. “What maestro. It’s not exactly a work of art, but I did indeed make all those modifications as you’ve just described. The Eagle-class frigate’s attack power is more than satisfactory, but its defense system is somewhat lacking. Even using inferior material for something as important as the door seal; I simply did some modifications in accordance to what I envisioned as necessary.

“The big four only know how to reduce their manufacturing cost, yet a spaceship doesn’t only require sufficient firepower. I’m not sure if you know, but a warship will run into plenty of unexpected problems in space, and it’s never a good idea to compromise on a spaceship’s safety capabilities just so they can cut costs.”

Xia Fei feigned surprise. “So this warship is actually from this great maestro? I won’t lie; I’ve already fallen in love with it the moment I saw it. I’m sure you’ve spent a great deal of time and effort repairing this spaceship, haven’t you?”

Old Porter scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. “We did spend a great deal of effort on it, but it’s truly worth it. A true maintenance mechanic will never ignore any details of a spaceship.”

Sonny pursed his lips from the sidelines. Never did he expect Xia Fei could turn into a flatterer within a blink, so much so that even he felt somewhat embarrassed just by hearing it.

Actually, Xia Fei’s real intention was not that modified Eagle-class frigate. He had merely been laying the foundation for him to get the foot in the door. What he really had his eyes on was still that naval-issue Hookbill frigate.

Xia Fei’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Maestro Porter, aside from that Eagle-class frigate, I also discovered a hero in your factory.”

“A hero?” Sonny and Porter were baffled as both wondered about this remark.

Xia Fei walked over to the naval-issue Hookbill frigate, looking all serious, and lightly stroked its hull.

“It’s this. This is a true hero!” proclaimed Xia Fei with panache.

“A rare Eagle-class frigate that was custom-made for the Navy. An outer hull intricately fashioned out from an unaltered plate of alloy, reinforced shields, armor and structure… an electronics system boasting superior precision…” Xia Fei rubbed the spaceship as he rattled on about its many advantages.