Chapter 262 In this way, the quality of the population will have a qualitative leap!
"Well, you are right!" Sterkar nodded and sighed: "However, since we have entered this copy, we cannot retreat.

Every civilization has its own pace of development. We just need to find the path that suits us and proceed step by step, steadily and steadily!"

As the two were chatting, Elena suddenly ran over from the laboratory, holding a pile of information in her hand, and said breathlessly: "Sir! We have just made new progress. I think you must take a look at this!"

Sterkar looked at her excited face and asked in confusion, "What's so urgent?"

Elena hurriedly handed over the information in her hand, flipping through a page while quickly saying, “Look at this, when we were studying the improvement of population quality, we discovered a new gene modification technology that can directly improve the physical fitness of individuals without causing much impact on their genetic stability.

We have done some initial testing in the lab and the results are very promising!"

Sterkar took the information, flipped through a few pages carefully, and nodded: "This is indeed good news, but are there any risks in implementing it? We can't take too much risk to transform the population on a large scale!"

Elena shook her head and replied, “Sir, we have already considered this issue.

The core of this technology is to precisely adjust gene fragments without drastically changing the individual's genome structure.

So theoretically, the risk is very small, and once it is popularized, the physical fitness of the people on our planet will be improved by at least 30%. In this way, the quality of the population will have a qualitative leap!"

"Okay, okay!" Sterkar nodded with satisfaction: "Elena, you continue your research to ensure the safety and feasibility of this technology.

Once you have the final results, we will start promoting it!"

Elena nodded solemnly, then turned around and went back to the laboratory to continue her work.

Sterkar continued to walk towards the inner hall of the palace. On the way, Holden was coming from the other side, with a tired look on his face, but very excited.

As soon as he saw Sterkar, he immediately said, "Sir, I just came back from the mining area. We have started to upgrade our equipment, and our production efficiency has increased by 15%. Although it is not particularly significant, it is a good start.

Next, we will continue to optimize the process and strive to increase the output even more! ”

"Well, good!" Sterkar nodded approvingly: "You guys should hurry up and make progress, the resource issue is a top priority for us.

After this mission is completed, we will continue to expand the mining area and ensure our technological and military development!"

Holden smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead: “Don’t worry, sir, I’ve been keeping an eye on this matter and will definitely not delay it!”

The two were chatting when suddenly a piercing alarm sounded throughout the palace, followed by the prompt tone of the emergency communication system: "Master Pioneer, emergency! Interstellar radar has detected an unknown fleet approaching our planet, which may be a hostile force!"

Sterkar frowned and immediately said to Holden: "Hurry to the command center, I'll be there soon!"

Holden didn't dare to delay for a moment, and immediately turned around and ran to the command center, while Sterkar quickly walked towards the nearest portal.

On the other side of the portal, the palace's interstellar command center was already bustling with noise. Leo and a group of military commanders were urgently directing the deployment of various defense lines.

As soon as Sterkar entered, Leo immediately came up to him: "Sir, the enemy ship is approaching us. We are not sure about their intentions yet, but we are ready to fight!"

"How many ships does the enemy have? How far are they from us?" Stekar asked quickly.

"According to the latest radar data, the enemy fleet has about ten battleships. It is currently about 20,000 light seconds away from our planet, but is approaching rapidly!" Leo said, pointing to a holographic map.

Sterkar looked at the map and nodded slightly: "Twenty thousand light seconds. That means we still have about ten minutes.

Immediately activate the defense system and contact the other party to find out where they are coming from!"

"Understood!" Leo quickly conveyed the order, and the planet's defense system was immediately activated, with various turrets and energy barriers quickly entering a state of alert.

At the same time, the communications officer was also trying to contact the opposing fleet.

The live broadcast room's bullet screen started to get lively again—

[Wow, emergency! The enemy ship is coming! Will Pioneer-sama just attack directly this time?! ]

[Enemy ships? Could they be from Terra? Or other interstellar forces?]

[Don't panic, sir. Handle this calmly. Maybe we can get more information this time! ]

[Haha, this is the most exciting moment. I really want to see how the adults respond. Or is it more exciting to just open fire? ]

[Fuck, ten battleships?! This is too much! Are they trying to stir up trouble?]

[Did the designer of the Blue Star 009 deliberately arrange such a coincidence for this mission? The enemy ship attacked just after accepting the mission, which is really exciting! ]

Sterkar stood in front of the command desk, his eyes fixed on the holographic map.

The trajectory of the enemy ship was approaching rapidly. The communicator's fingers were operating quickly on the control panel, and a thin layer of sweat seeped out of his forehead.

"Is the communication connected?" Stekar looked at the communicator, his tone calm, but every word carried an unignorable sense of oppression.

The correspondent wiped the sweat from his forehead and answered anxiously, "Sir, the other party has not responded yet.

We sent the standard interstellar greeting message many times, but the other party remained silent!"

"Silence?" Stekar snorted coldly: "It seems that they are not here to negotiate.

Leo, how is the defense prepared?"

Leo immediately stood up straight and answered in a sonorous voice: "Sir, all defense systems are ready.

The orbital artillery batteries around the planet have entered a level one alert state, and all defense barriers have been opened.

We are waiting for your order now!"

Sterkar stared at the map and fell into a brief period of thought.

Although the number of enemy ships is not large, the combat effectiveness of each battleship cannot be underestimated. Rashly starting a war may put oneself in a passive position.

He made a quick decision: “Try to contact again.

If the other party still does not respond, prepare to fight immediately! "

The correspondent tried to contact again, but there was still no response.

Sterkar frowned and turned to look at Leo: “Since the other party does not intend to communicate, we don’t have to be polite.

All fleets are ready to engage in battle, aim their guns at the enemy ships, and wait for my orders!"

"Yes, sir!" Leo turned around and began to give orders. The atmosphere in the entire command center became more tense. Everyone was on edge, waiting for Stekar's final instructions.

At this moment, suddenly, a low and cold voice came from the communication channel: "This is Ethan Karl, commander of the Seventh Fleet of the Terra Empire.

We have received the message and are here for a routine interstellar patrol.

Failure to reply in time was due to a brief malfunction of the communication equipment, which has now returned to normal.

Please confirm your identity!"

Sterkar raised his eyebrows, with a barely perceptible chill in his voice: "Terra Empire? Routine inspection? Interesting, this is an unexpected meeting.

Commander Ethan Carr, we are the pioneers of the Raider civilization and are currently responsible for the security of this galaxy. Your Terra Empire fleet suddenly approached our airspace. If you have malicious intentions, you know the consequences! "

There was silence for a moment on the other end of the communication channel, and then the deep voice sounded again: "Master Pioneer, we have no intention of offending you, and we have no ill intentions.

Just a routine inspection to ensure interstellar order.

We have not committed any acts of aggression and have no intention of challenging your authority!"

Stekar sneered, "Oh? No ill intentions, then why didn't you respond to the call? I mistakenly thought you were up to no good!"

“I’m sorry, Master Pioneer!” Ethan Karl’s tone remained cold and formulaic without any fluctuation: “As I said before, there were indeed some malfunctions in the communication equipment.

We have no intention of conflicting with the Raider civilization.

This is a misunderstanding!"

Sterkar was silent for a moment, pondering what the other person had said.

He understood that the Terra Empire's fleet was not simply on a patrol mission, especially the Seventh Fleet, which was the elite among the elite in the Terra civilization.

He knew very well that the other party must have come with other purposes, but there was no need to tear each other apart at this moment.

He slowly said: “In this case, I hope you can keep your distance to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Our defenses are ready, and I don't want the next communications breakdown to lead us to more direct action!"

"We understand, Master Pioneer!" Ethan Karl's tone remained unchanged: "We will follow your instructions and keep a safe distance!"

The communication was cut off and the command center returned to calm. Only the enemy ships on the holographic map slowly changed their course and began to move away from the border of the attacker's planet.

Leo walked up to Sterkar and said in a low voice: "Sir, do you think they are really here for inspection?"

Stekar's eyes were sharp, and he said coldly: "Inspection? That's just an excuse.

The Terran Empire's fleet would not approach our planet for no reason.

They must be planning something, but we can’t figure it out yet!”

Holden also rushed over at this time, and said with a worried look on his face: “Sir, I also think this matter is a bit strange.

It is unlikely that the Terra Empire's fleet is merely for patrolling.

Should we step up our preparations just in case?"

Stekar nodded: "That's right, we can't relax our defense.

Although they have left temporarily, who knows what they will do next? Leo, you continue to strengthen the defense line and remain on high alert.

Elena, you speed up the technological upgrade, especially the defense technology.

Holden, please solve the resource problem on your side as soon as possible. All departments must fully cooperate!"

Leo, Elena and Holden responded in unison: “Understood, sir!”

After everyone went about their business, Sterkar looked at the holographic map again, silently calculating in his mind.

He knew that this "inspection" incident would definitely not be the last.

He didn't know what the Emperor of Terra civilization was planning, but he had to plan ahead and be ready to deal with possible threats at any time.

At the same time, the live broadcast room's bullet screen was also constantly refreshing -

[Shit, is this really the Terra Empire's fleet?! This is such a coincidence, I just said I should be on guard against them, but they showed up on their own!]

[The commander of Terra is really cold. Why do I feel like he is stalling for time on purpose? ]

[By the way, is the Terra Empire's fleet really here for an inspection? Something feels wrong! ]

[Master Pioneer has handled this wave quite well. Let’s not quarrel with each other for now. Let’s figure out the situation first! ]

[The designer of Azure Star 009 is really amazing. He actually arranged a Terra fleet to disrupt the situation at such a critical moment. It's amazing! ]

[Alas, it still depends on how the adults respond. I hope there won’t be a real war next time! ]

Stekar ignored the sound of the barrage, his mind still immersed in the situation before him.

Although the crisis has been temporarily resolved, he knows that the real challenge is still ahead.

With the departure of the Terra Empire fleet, the tense atmosphere on the surface of the Raider planet gradually eased.

Sterkar once again inspected the status of each system and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that all defense measures were in place.

He turned to Leo and said, "Stay alert. Although they have retreated temporarily, we cannot relax at all.

Report any disturbance to me immediately!"

Leo nodded and answered heavily, "Yes, sir! I will keep an eye on this matter myself and will never give them a chance to launch a sneak attack!"

Sterkar patted Leo on the shoulder and smiled: "Okay, I trust you to do the job!"

After confirming that all the work was arranged properly, Sterkar finally returned to his private office.

Although he remained calm on the surface, he still felt a sense of pressure in his heart.

The sudden appearance of the Terra Empire fleet was definitely not accidental.

He had just sat down, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his thoughts still racing.

At this moment, Zhizi's voice suddenly sounded in his mind: "My lord, I just captured some communication fragments from the Terra Empire Fleet through some hidden signal channels.

Although most of the information is encrypted, we can infer some useful information from some of the content! "

Sterkar's eyes lit up: "Oh? What information? Tell me now!"

Zhizi's tone remained calm: "According to the communication fragments we decoded, the real purpose of the Terra Empire fleet seems to be related to some special energy source.

This energy source appears to be extremely rare and of great military value.

Based on their communication frequency, I speculate that the source of this energy may be around our raider planet!"

"Special energy?" Sterkar's brows furrowed even tighter in an instant: "Can you confirm that they have found the exact location of this energy?"

Tomoko paused for a moment, then replied, "There is no conclusive evidence yet that they have located the exact location of the energy source."

(End of this chapter)