In the silent vastness of the universe, a star system with six planets orbited naturally. The aging star still radiated immense heat, providing light to the planets within its system.
Liu Hai observed the projected image of the star system before him. The Garbage Star was the fourth planet in this system. The first three were depleted wastelands stripped of all metal resources, their remaining atmospheres even siphoned to sustain the Garbage Star—all handiwork of those smugglers. This was the only way to maintain the Garbage Star's habitable environment.
Hundreds of surveillance satellites were evenly distributed around the Garbage Star in the projection, constantly monitoring spacecraft traffic within the system.
With trade volume increasing, Liu Hai had no choice but to bolster defenses. The orbital turrets had proven their worth—cheap yet firepower-rich, offering exceptional cost-effectiveness. Thus, Liu Hai deployed three hundred more orbital turrets around the Garbage Star's orbit.
The fighter squadron was expanded to five hundred jets. Combined with the orbital and ground turrets, this setup would suffice unless an entire fleet led by a cruiser arrived.
Liu Hai stared blankly at the projection. Today marked Igor's arrival, which meant the first laundering transaction was about to commence.
Beep! An alert sounded, turning green after verification.
"Liu, I'm here. Also, I've contacted five buddies—they're all willing to join the company's transport division," Igor reported eagerly, having just exited warp speed.
"Oh, Igor, you're here?" Liu Hai snapped out of his thoughts, checking the projection to see Igor's ship approaching the Junk Star Gravity Well.
"Hey, Liu, how's the cargo spaceship situation?" Igor cheerfully inquired about the promised vessels.
Liu Hai reassured him, "The small cargo ships are ready. Once the down payment comes through, we can retrieve them. The five we're buying are all fourth-gen Tractorca Freighters from Hercules Corporation. They come with front-mounted container grapples and can hit sixty times warp speed fully loaded with 100,000 cubic units. Empty, they reach eighty times warp. Though slower than your Pioneer, they'll do the job."
Igor did quick math. Round trips would take just over four months, allowing three runs a year. With crew salaries averaging over 10,000 per month plus bonuses reaching 20,000–30,000, this already surpassed many small freight companies' pay scales.
Satisfied, Igor pressed, "Liu, where are the ships stationed? I'll have my guys head there now so we can retrieve them as soon as payment clears."
"They're at the Hercules Corporation space station on Kono Administrative Star. Handle the arrangements yourself—I've got no liquid funds right now, though Energy blocks are plentiful," Liu Hai casually delegated, since these would be Igor's subordinates anyway.
Noticing Liu Hai's subdued mood, Igor simply outlined the shipping plan. His buyers were over ten light-years away across three star systems—a two-month journey one way. With smuggling port metal stockpiles growing continuously, he urged Liu Hai to find ways to increase transport capacity.
This matter was also a headache for Liu Hai. The Smuggling Port didn't have the facilities for containerized cargo, so goods had to be loaded directly into the spacecraft's internal holds. The current hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of metal materials would take a long time to transport.
Following this, he needed to receive the second batch of metal materials from another buyer. He had suggested that the other party pack the materials into containers and release them just outside the Junk Star Gravity Well, where they could be trapped using force fields. This way, the cargo spaceships could transport hundreds of thousands of cubic meters in one trip.
However, the other party didn't fully agree, only stating they could arrange it if conditions permitted. After all, delivering over a million cubic meters of metal materials in one go would require a significant number of containers. It was clear they were just middlemen and wouldn't go out of their way to prepare these things.
After Igor arrived at the Smuggling Port, the Engineering Robots arranged by Liu Hai began moving the metal materials under the command of Clone Soldiers. Igor's spacecraft had less than 10,000 cubic meters of cargo space, but with the Engineering Robots, the loading was completed quickly—within an hour—before taking off.
Watching the spacecraft enter warp drive, Liu Hai got up and headed into the Underground Base. The base had now been expanded by the Intelligent Nexus to over a hundred square kilometers and was still growing.
In terms of production, aside from assembly lines for Fighter Mechs and other equipment, Liu Hai had only set up a few equipment production lines. These were intended to upgrade the ship cannons and other systems on the Corvettes and Destroyers he planned to purchase later, enhancing their combat effectiveness and survivability.
Another issue was that when applying for a resource recycling permit, Liu Hai had been warned by the resource management department of the Kono Administrative Star. They prohibited him from continuing to recycle metal resources, citing them as federal reserve materials. While they wouldn't question what had already been recycled, he would now have to pay double the taxes.
This meant Liu Hai's plans to legitimize the metal materials had hit another snag. He never expected the Garbage Star to be treated as a federal reserve by the resource department. No wonder they transported waste from several nearby star systems all the way here.
Liu Hai had grown numb to the federation's endless regulations. Just a couple of days ago, he thought a hundred billion Credit Points was a huge sum. But after analyzing data collected by the Intelligent Nexus, he realized he was still dirt poor.
To truly leverage the Pioneer Order or the Exploration Order, a hundred billion was barely enough to meet the entry threshold. After all, this wasn't the age of great maritime exploration, where a single cargo spaceship could apply for an Exploration Order and wander the universe freely.
The now-developed federation had strict internal resource controls. Only because they mistook Liu Hai for a native of the Garbage Star did they offer some compensation and avoid holding him accountable—though it still affected his plans to legitimize the materials.
Liu Hai rode his Hover car around the Underground Base, observing the factories operating at full capacity. The Fighter Jet units and Clone Legion were also busy training and studying.
After circling the base, Liu Hai returned to the Pyramid Core Control Room and activated the smuggler's communication projection.
"Mr. Liu, what can I do for you?" Broli greeted warmly as soon as the call connected.
"Mr. Broli, the first batch of goods will arrive in just over a month. Please make the necessary preparations for receipt as soon as possible," Liu Hai reminded again. "Also, as I mentioned before, I hope the goods can be transported in containers and dropped off outside Garbage Star."
"Mr. Liu, this matter is indeed difficult to handle. After all, we're not a freight company and don't have that many containers. We can only do our best," Broli explained with a troubled expression.
"Alright, it would be best if you could manage it. It would save both of us a lot of trouble."
Though dissatisfied with the response, Liu Hai could only offer this reminder. After exchanging a few more words, he ended the communication.