46: Chapter 46: Resources Exceed 100,000! Mothership Second Upgrade Countdown Begins!

The news of the Ghost-class stealth warships being equipped and the Shadow Fleet officially forming spread like thunder, causing ecstasy within the two colonial planets of the Dawn Faction.

This ultimate trump card—able to move without a trace, achieve total silence, and strike with a single blow—catapulted the deterrent power of the Dawn Faction to the top tier of the border star sector.

Even the border defense fleets of surrounding large interstellar consortiums and small-to-medium kingdoms no longer dared to harbor any covetous thoughts toward the Dawn Star Sector.

At the end of Chapter 45, Emperor Chen Fan issued a total resource sprint order, aiming for the core threshold of the Dawn Mothership's second upgrade: total resource reserves exceeding 100,000 units.

Currently, on the giant holographic screen at the command center of the Dawn No. 1 Colonial Planet main base, real-time resource statistics for the entire faction were jumping.

Every numeric shift tugged at the heartstrings of all the senior executives.

Total Resources: 76,422 / 100,000.

The gap was as high as 23,578 units.

While the gap seemed significant, for the Dawn Faction—which now possessed dual colonial planets, a complete industrial system, a massive fleet, and the Shadow Fleet—it was by no means unreachable.

Emperor Chen Fan stood at the center of the command console, his gaze as sharp as a blade, exuding an unquestionable commander's aura.

The four core pillars—Adjutant Qin Shuang, Commander Lei Meng, Commander Su Qingyue, and Commander Ling Ye—were all lined up, waiting for the final deployment.

"The resource sprint is not just about single-point extraction; it is an all-around explosion," Emperor Chen Fan said, his voice steady and powerful, carrying through the command channel to cover both colonial planets, the entire fleet, and all industrial mining bases.

"I announce that the Dawn Faction is entering a resource combat readiness cycle. All departments are to disregard costs and consumption to push for the 100,000 resource mark with full force!"

As his words fell, the four major domains activated simultaneously. The entire Dawn Faction began to roar at full speed like a precise, violent war machine.

1. Colonial Planet Production Explosion

The industrial bases, energy refineries, mineral processing plants, food cultivation bases, and material synthesis centers of Dawn No. 1 Colonial Planet and Dawn No. 2 Colonial Planet began running at full capacity 24 hours a day.

The original three-shift production lines switched to double-staffed rotations. The recruited pirate craftsmen, technical workers, and logistics personnel were all put to work.

The roar of machines never ceased, day or night, as basic resources were frantically produced from underground mineral veins, surface energy wells, and ecological planting chambers.

Adjutant Qin Shuang, as the chief administrative officer, sat in the resource dispatch center, squeezing every bit of production capacity to the limit: "Expand the mining area, activate three emergency mineral veins, increase energy refining efficiency by 30%, and shift all civilian building material production capacity to strategic resource reserves to prioritize the Mothership's upgrade needs!"

With the dual colonial planets operating at full capacity, basic resources surged wildly at a rate of thousands of units per hour.

The original resource curve shot up like a rocket. In just three days, total resources broke the 80,000 mark and were rapidly approaching 90,000.

2. Fleet Clearing and Looting

Commander Lei Meng led the Main Fleet frigate formation to strike at all small-to-medium pirate dens, abandoned interstellar outposts, ownerless resource warehouses, and gray-zone transit stations around the Dawn Star Sector.

These places hoarded large amounts of looted energy blocks, metal ores, and rare crystals—the strategic materials the Dawn Faction needed most urgently.

With the current hegemon-level strength of the Dawn Fleet, the clearing operation was devastating.

The river of steel formed by 16 frigates swept through, and no force could withstand a single round of artillery.

Remnant forces either surrendered or were annihilated by gunfire. The materials hoarded over decades were all loaded onto transport ships and shipped back to the Dawn Star Sector continuously.

More importantly, the Shadow Fleet, under the command of Commander Ling Ye, simultaneously launched covert operations.

Ten Ghost-class stealth warships maintained total silence, stealthily infiltrating the resource planets, secret warehouses, and weakly defended mining points of surrounding forces.

They executed pinpoint removal and silent seizure missions, leaving no traces and exposing no identities, safely bringing back batch after batch of high-value resources that could not be taken by direct force.

With the Main Fleet pushing on the surface and the Shadow Fleet harvesting from the shadows, the resource gap narrowed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

3. Research Center Technology Boost

Commander Su Qingyue led the top research team. They did not stop their R&D steps but targeted and overcame technologies for resource production increases.

With the support of the Dawn Mothership's black technology, they achieved three key technical breakthroughs in just four days: High-efficiency mining technology: mining efficiency increased by 40%; Super refining technology: resource conversion rate increased by 35%; Fast-growth cultivation technology: food and biological resource production doubled.

With these three technologies implemented, the resource production capacity of the Dawn Faction reached a new level.

Commander Su Qingyue even applied the micro-energy conversion technology from the core of the Dawn Mothership to the resource storage warehouses, achieving zero-loss storage and further expanding the total reserve capacity.

Standing before the observation deck of the Research Center, looking at the rapidly jumping resource numbers, this top scientist's eyes were full of anticipation: "Commander, the second upgrade of the Dawn Mothership will surely bring about a cross-dimensional transformation. The civilization level of the Dawn Faction will likely break through the limitations of the border star sector and head toward a broader sea of stars."

Emperor Chen Fan nodded slightly. He understood the significance of the Mothership's upgrade better than anyone.

The first unlock brought a complete research module, a full-domain technology tree, and cross-era warship architecture.

The second upgrade would surely unlock more terrifying black technology, higher-level system permissions, and more powerful Mothership capabilities, perhaps even granting the Dawn Faction the qualifications for cross-star-sector travel, interstellar diplomacy, and top-tier warfare.

4. Full Citizen Participation

The more than 70,000 citizens of the two colonial planets, upon learning that the resource sprint was for the second upgrade of the Dawn Mothership and for the future of the entire civilization, spontaneously joined the contribution ranks.

Miners voluntarily extended their working hours, farmers handed over reserve grain for free, craftsmen gave up rest to rush the production of resource equipment, and even the elderly and children participated in material sorting, classification, and transportation.

The once displaced pirate subjects and the original Dawn inhabitants who initially held onto the barren planets were now united as one.

Everyone had only one goal: to gather 100,000 resources and let the Dawn Mothership be reborn!

This top-down, unified cohesion was the core foundation of the Dawn Faction's rapid rise.

By the sixth day, the total resources of the Dawn Faction had reached 96,731 units, with only 3,269 left to the 100,000 mark!

Inside the command center, everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the jumping numbers on the holographic screen, their hearts pounding.

Adjutant Qin Shuang gripped the data pad tightly, her breathing slightly rapid; Commander Lei Meng rubbed his hands, wishing he could go up and move resources himself; Commander Ling Ye restrained the cold aura around him, his eyes carrying rare anticipation; Commander Su Qingyue stared at the back end of the research system, waiting for the moment the upgrade conditions were triggered.

Emperor Chen Fan stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes calm but hiding a burning intensity.

Nearly a year of campaigning, incorporation, expansion, construction, research, and rising—all efforts would reach a milestone sublimation at this moment.

"The last batch of resource transport ships is about to dock!" the communications officer reported loudly.

On the screen, a fleet composed of 12 transport ships was breaking through the atmosphere.

The hulls were loaded with rare metals and high-energy energy blocks seized from the last medium-sized pirate group, with a total value of exactly over 3,500 units!

As the first transport ship docked steadily at the orbital spaceport, the prompt for resource storage sounded— [Ding! Detected Dawn Faction total resource reserves: 100,147 units!] [Core conditions for the second upgrade of the Dawn Mothership met!] [Second upgrade of the Dawn Mothership: Official pre-upgrade countdown started!]

Boom! The golden system prompt illuminated the entire command center like a scorching sun, dazzling and glorious!

Resources exceeded 100,000! Goal achieved!

The command center erupted in cheers like a tsunami. Everyone embraced and shouted excitedly.

Applause, cheers, and shouts broke through the roof, spreading throughout the main base.

A full-domain celebration alarm sounded on both colonial planets. Countless citizens took to the streets, waving the Dawn flag, their eyes filled with tears of joy.

This was the victory of the Dawn Faction, the glory of all citizens!

Emperor Chen Fan suppressed the agitation in his heart and raised his hand to signal for silence. The command center fell silent instantly. Everyone looked at their supreme commander with burning eyes.

"I know everyone is looking forward to the second upgrade of the Dawn Mothership," Emperor Chen Fan said in a steady voice that reached every corner. "But as a creation of a high-dimensional civilization, the second upgrade is not achieved overnight. It requires five major processes: system self-check, energy charging, structural reorganization, module unlocking, and core awakening. Therefore, the system will enter a strict upgrade countdown."

As his words fell, a huge golden countdown clock appeared in the center of the giant holographic screen: [Second upgrade countdown of the Dawn Mothership: 72:00:00] [During the upgrade: The Dawn Mothership core is fully enclosed, research modules maintain 70% operation, fleet command system is normal, and colonial planet security is unaffected.] [After the upgrade: Unlock the brand-new form of the Dawn Mothership, brand-new system permissions, brand-new black technology branches, and a surge in full-domain combat power.]

Three days! A full seventy-two hours! Everyone had to wait for the final countdown to return to zero to welcome the true rebirth of the Dawn Mothership.

Emperor Chen Fan immediately issued full-domain directives to ensure nothing went wrong during the upgrade: First, the entire fleet entered the highest state of alert. The Main Fleet patrolled the orbits of the two colonial planets, and the Shadow Fleet lurked on the periphery of the star sector to prevent any external interference. Anyone who dared to provoke the Dawn Faction at this time would be wiped out across the entire domain. Second, the Research Center maintained stable operation. Commander Su Qingyue's team continued to study the underlying technology of the Dawn Mothership to prepare for deep analysis after the upgrade was completed, and basic R&D must not be interrupted. Third, the colonial planets maintained normal production and life. After the celebration, everyone returned to their posts, maintained order, and waited for the great moment of the Mothership's upgrade completion. Fourth, the energy core provided power at full capacity, connecting the maximum output power of the largest energy refinery on Dawn No. 2 Colonial Planet to the underlying layer of the Dawn Mothership to provide the most sufficient energy guarantee for the upgrade.

With the four directives issued, the Dawn Faction quickly shifted from celebration to a highly orderly state of alert.

Revelry was temporary; safety and stability were the foundation of civilization's survival.

Adjutant Qin Shuang stepped forward again and reported respectfully, "Commander, all deployments are complete. The two colonial planets are operating normally, the fleet is on high alert, energy transmission is stable, the upgrade process of the Dawn Mothership is undisturbed, and the countdown is proceeding normally."

Emperor Chen Fan walked to the observation window and looked at the core cabin of the Dawn Mothership, which was quietly lying dormant in the deepest part of the Research Center.

At this moment, the shell of the Dawn Mothership was emitting a faint golden halo, like a sleeping giant beast slowly waking up.

Energy patterns flowed on the surface of the hull like blood vessels, and a pressure originating from a high-dimensional civilization quietly permeated the air, making people feel awe.

"After waiting for so long, we are finally about to welcome the second transformation," Emperor Chen Fan whispered to himself.

Commander Su Qingyue stood by his side, her eyes also falling on the Dawn Mothership, her beautiful eyes flashing with scientific fanaticism: "Commander, I have a strong premonition that after the upgrade of the Dawn Mothership is completed, we are likely to come into contact with deeper secrets of the universe, and we may even discover unknown civilizations, unknown races, unknown star sectors..."

Emperor Chen Fan's eyes flickered slightly. Unknown civilizations? Unknown races?

He did not think deeply. At this moment, all answers would have to wait until the seventy-two-hour countdown returned to zero.

He only needed to ensure that the upgrade of the Dawn Mothership was successfully completed, that the power of the Dawn Faction crossed levels again, and that they stood firmly in the crisis-ridden universe, heading toward a broader future.

Time passed minute by minute, and the golden countdown kept jumping: 71 hours... 70 hours... 65 hours...

The light of the core of the Dawn Mothership became brighter and brighter, and the energy fluctuations became more and more stable. The entire Dawn Faction was immersed in a solemn and expectant atmosphere.

Just as the countdown for the upgrade of the Dawn Mothership entered the sixtieth hour, a scouting ship on the periphery of the Dawn Fleet suddenly sent an emergency star sector detection report, breaking the peace, but not affecting the upgrade process of the Dawn Mothership at all— [Commander! In the unexplored area on the west side of the border star sector, continuous weak distress signals have been detected!] [Signal characteristics: Non-human, unknown interstellar force, belonging to an uncontacted intelligent race!] [Detection footage shows: This race is small in stature, good at mining, being brutally captured, forced into slavery, and wantonly bullied and slaughtered by local large armed forces!]

Emperor Chen Fan's eyes turned slightly cold. He tapped the holographic screen with his fingertips, and the blurry star sector image was projected instantly.

In the image, a group of small-statured, gray-stone-skinned humanoids with broad, sturdy palms were being whipped, kicked, and trampled by fully armed militants.

They were forced to overwork in mining minerals on a harsh mining planet. Any slight slack resulted in cruel beatings or even on-the-spot execution. The corpses were discarded casually in the mine pits, which was unbearable to look at.

The detection system simultaneously provided race identification: Uncontacted Intelligent Race · Miner Race: Grey Race.

They were naturally good at mineral perception, mining, and refining. They were gentle, hardworking, and united, but they had been reduced to free slaves of local forces, enduring inhuman bullying and torture.

Emperor Chen Fan's gaze was icy, and a faint pressure radiated from his body.

The upgrade of the Dawn Mothership was imminent; the Dawn Faction should not have caused extra trouble.

But looking at these gentle and kind Grey Race members being slaughtered, he made a decision in his heart.

Rescue was not only about morality but also about the pattern of the rise of the Dawn Civilization.

Moreover, the natural mining talent of the Grey Race was the most precious heaven-sent race for the Dawn Faction, which would expand its resources infinitely in the future.

Emperor Chen Fan did not hesitate, his voice calm but carrying irresistible power: "Commander Ling Ye, lead the entire Shadow Fleet to strike, go full-domain stealth, head to the western mining planet, rescue all Grey Race members, and eliminate all armed forces that bully and enslave them."

"Remember, leave no traces, do not harm civilians, save the entire Grey Race completely, and bring them back to the Dawn Star Sector."

"Do not affect the upgrade of the Dawn Mothership, and do not expose the core whereabouts."

Commander Ling Ye knelt on one knee, his voice cold and firm: "Understood! Shadow Fleet, strike immediately!"

The next moment, ten Ghost-class stealth warships rose silently and disappeared completely into the universe, speeding toward the mining planet where the Grey Race was suffering.

The second upgrade of the Dawn Mothership officially entered the final countdown.

And a brand-new chapter concerning alien redemption, race absorption, and the expansion of the civilization pattern was quietly unveiled.