At this moment, it had already been twenty years since Xiao Yu arrived in this star system. Sixty years remained until the death of the Specter. Subtracting the planned thirty-year construction phase, Xiao Yu still had thirty years to devote to technological development.

Currently, on that planet, all construction projects had been completed. Numerous bases were producing an endless stream of various resources at all times. These resources provided strong support for the immense consumption required for Xiao Yu’s scientific advancement.

In addition to the critical breakthrough in the development of the negative matter cannon which is a devastating weapon, Xiao Yu was also making rapid progress in the research and development of various conventional weapons. He discovered that by incorporating negative mass tachyons into the Force Field Shield using a specific process, the shield’s performance could be significantly enhanced. Based on his analysis, the Molian Civilization’s ship shields were likely built using this very technology.

Relying on this technology, the Molian Civilization had managed to give their ship shields performance nearly on par with Xiao Yu’s Four-Dimensional Shield. Of course, the Four-Dimensional Shield used here for comparison was the version Xiao Yu had during the raid on Azure Market. Since then, his scientific developments had continually improved the Four-Dimensional Shield’s capabilities, now far surpassing the version used during the Azure Market incident.

“According to estimates, by the time the thirty-year research phase ends, my nearly one hundred thousand large-scale starships will possess shielding capabilities slightly superior to those of the Molian Civilization. Their weapons may still outperform mine, but the situation where it took dozens of my ships to hold off just one of theirs… will never happen again. They have the combat strength of twenty thousand ships? Then I’ll build one million ships.”

Faced with the war that would erupt sixty years from now, Xiao Yu brimmed with confidence.

Nearly 100,000 Four-Dimensional Shield Generators had been produced and would be installed on the large ships. Xiao Yu estimated that his fleet of almost 100,000 large ships would be able to block at least 10,000 ships from the Molian Civilization. The remaining 10,000 enemy ships would be dealt with by 900,000 medium and small ships equipped with standard Force Field Shields.

Moreover, beyond the ships, various planetary defense bases and ultra-massive negative matter cannons deployed throughout the star system were also key contributors to Xiao Yu’s path to victory.

“Quantity can lead to qualitative change. My strength lies in numbers, so I’ll bury you in them…” Xiao Yu thought to himself.

At this time, as the planet slowly rotated, the area where the Central Research Academy was located entered a long night. The sky was dotted with stars, and the land lay in complete darkness. Even the frequent and intense geological activity seemed to quiet down at this hour. On this lifeless and deathly silent world, nightfall brought with it an eerie stillness.

In stark contrast to the natural world were the brightly lit and thunderously active tens of thousands of large bases. Under the illumination of artificial suns, these bases shone as brightly as daytime. Countless robots and instruments remained hard at work.

Among them, the Central Research Academy, which occupied the most territory, was the liveliest. The over one hundred species of scientists working there all had different biological rhythms. Xiao Yu had long since made the most reasonable arrangements for their work schedules. Even during the night, more than 4,000 scientists continued to work within the Central Academy.

In truth, these 4,000 or so scientists made up only a small portion of the research power within the Central Research Academy. The massive facility, aside from the scientists, was filled with countless robots under Xiao Yu’s control, conducting various experiments and collecting data. The Central Research Academy was the engine behind Xiao Yu’s technological advancement.

In one laboratory, several scientists, each of different appearances, were intensely focused on their research. They were entering long strings of data parameters into their respective computer systems. These values were faithfully processed and executed by the computational systems. As the data poured in, a faint yellow glowing layer, shaped like a dome, began to slowly form within a large glass chamber at the center of the lab.

“What’s the energy load rate?” asked one scientist, short and dwarflike in appearance, taking his eyes off his computer terminal.

“Report, Team Leader. Energy load rate is normal and has not exceeded the preset warning threshold,” another scientist responded.

“Very good. What’s the status of the tachyon emitter? And how are the instruments responsible for isolating tachyons from interacting with normal matter?”

“Report, Team Leader. Everything is functioning normally.”

“Whew.” The dwarf-like scientist let out a quiet sigh of relief and issued a new command. “Monitor for five minutes. If no issues arise within that time, proceed with strength testing.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

It was clear that this group of scientists was led by the dwarf-like being. Under his direction, they were conducting research on the development of a new type of shield.

Time passed by little by little. The scientists watched their monitors intently, tracking every data fluctuation.

“All data is stable. Under the containment of the strong magnetic field, negative mass tachyons can maintain a safe distance from positive matter without reacting. The energy load is also within acceptable limits. This confirms that our core concept for the tachyon shield is correct. Under these conditions, if any foreign matter attacks, it will first encounter the negative mass tachyon shield. Only after breaking through the tachyon shield will it be able to reach the inner layer force field shield… Proceed with the strength test.”

After the five-minute observation period, the dwarf scientist gave this brief summary and issued a new command.

“Understood, Team Leader.” Another scientist, sitting at a specially customized computer station suited to their body size, quickly input a series of data. Instantly, within the large glass chamber, a weapon resembling an Earth-era firearm emerged outside the pale yellow shield.

“We’ll begin with kinetic weapon testing.”

As soon as the command was confirmed, a bullet, accelerated using electromagnetic coil technology to a velocity of over one hundred thousand kilometers per second, and tipped with a miniature antimatter bomb, shot out of the gun barrel and struck the pale yellow shield.

The moment the impact occurred, a vast amount of experimental data was automatically collected by electronic systems. After being processed by the automated analysis system, a test report appeared on each scientist’s computer display.

Looking at the data, the dwarf scientist slowly nodded and said, “The positive matter was neutralized by the tachyon shield. Both were annihilated, and no energy was released. The antimatter reacted with the negative matter, resulting in partial annihilation, and part of it converted into dark matter… Since dark matter lacks a fundamental particle structure, it is unaffected by magnetic fields. It passed through the data collection apparatus and dispersed into space. Hmm, good. The test results match our theoretical expectations.”

“Next, commence testing with radiation-type weapons…”

“Very good. Proceed with the gravitational bomb test…”

Under the dwarf scientist’s direction, the strength tests continued in an orderly manner. As the experiments progressed, data of all kinds was gathered and compiled, clearly presented on the computer systems.

“Team Leader, we’ve done it! The new shield has been successfully created under our hands!”

As the final strength test concluded, one scientist shouted excitedly while gazing at the still-stable pale yellow shield inside the glass chamber.

“We did it! We did it! We’re ahead of the dozens of other scientific teams conducting similar research. We were the first to develop a stable, combat-ready multi-layer shield system! Hurry and report to the Master!”

Another scientist also shouted joyfully, full of excitement.

“Good. With this technological breakthrough, we’ll become the authority in this field and gain even greater standing in the Master’s eyes…” The dwarf scientist, their visual sensors glowing with elation, was visibly trembling with excitement.

They compiled all the experimental data and completed their final report. With a slightly shaking voice, they spoke the concluding lines. “This report was compiled by: Central Research Academy, Defense Technology Institute, Fifth Subdivision… Team Leader, Species Number Thirty Six: Ers; Members: Species Number Fifty-Eight – Lorry, Species Number Twenty-Five – Moss…”

With the work complete, they issued the transmission confirmation command. Instantly, the report was transmitted through the sprawling communication network directly into Xiao Yu’s mind.

“Hmm? A breakthrough in multi-layer shield technology? Excellent. Very good. Well done. This is the most significant scientific breakthrough in recent times. This means that the major obstacle to developing high-performance shields has been overcome. All that remains is some related optimization work, and they’ll be ready for real combat deployment… Fifth Subdivision, huh? Not bad. Not bad.”

“Now for an important announcement. The Fifth Subdivision of the Defense Technology Institute, under the Central Research Academy, led by Species Number Thirty Six’s Ers, has just achieved a major technological breakthrough regarding the tachyon shield. In recognition of their outstanding contribution, I have decided to hold a formal commendation ceremony for the Fifth Subdivision in the Grand Hall three hours from now. The event will be broadcast live to all intelligent lifeforms via the television network. Relevant materials have already been uploaded to the internal forum and can be freely downloaded.”

“I hope everyone will look to the Fifth Subdivision as an example and strive to achieve even greater breakthroughs in the field of science and technology.”