Chapter 147: Ma Zhongliang

Chapter 147: Ma Zhongliang

After steering the spacecraft into the protection zone, Ma Zhongliang activated the autopilot function, setting it to cruise toward the designated coordinates automatically. He then walked into the main lounge of the spacecraft and began introducing the situation to Li Hongshen and the others.

"Do not assume that entering the protection zone is a casual affair just because we crossed the perimeter so easily. The rules are structured this way: the protection zone is relatively lenient on entry, but exceptionally strict on exit. When the time comes for us to leave, we must pass through those Void War Bastorts and undergo a battery of stringent detection procedures. Otherwise, even a Lord cannot pilot their own spacecraft out. Shortly, we will arrive at a location in the Central Security Zone that borders the Low Security Zone, where we will relieve a Transcendental Lord originally stationed there. In this region, Lords are not permitted to deploy their territories casually; everyone must coordinate strictly in accordance with the instructions of the Legion Alliance. The exact deployment coordinates for each territory are calculated with extreme precision. This concerns not merely the defensive line of the protection zone, but also our very lives and the replenishment of logistical resources. I am merely mentioning this to you in passing. When you eventually arrive here in the future, your respective legions will undoubtedly provide you with preliminary training, allowing you to understand these operational procedures in much greater detail.

"Let me focus on explaining my arrangements for you. I will have you rotate through various positions within my city. Initially, you will spend one year performing administrative duties inside my Lord's Mansion to gain a comprehensive understanding of the administrative hierarchy and structure. Following that, you will be assigned to work in various departments across my city, rotating posts every six months. During this period, we will hold a weekly meeting. I will require you to keep detailed records of the issues you encounter in your work and report them to me. If there is anything you do not understand during your daily duties, you may also ask me at that time. Of course, during every engagement, I will have you follow directly behind me so that you can observe the battlefield situation, learn how orders are issued, and so on. I imagine you all understand the purpose of military training: it is to show you what our civilization is currently confronting, while allowing a Transcendental Lord to demonstrate how to face hostile races, what path lies ahead for your future advancement, and what developments you must necessarily undertake. Now, the first thing I am going to teach you is the absolute necessity of a Lord's personal strength."

With that, Ma Zhongliang extended one palm toward the window outside and then clenched his fingers into a fist.

Following Ma Zhongliang's gesture, a silver, intricately patterned energy gauntlet materialized outside the spacecraft. It instantly closed around a drifting cloud, grasping it tightly within the energy palm. A splatter of greenish fluid then burst forth from the grip of the energy gauntlet. Ma Zhongliang relaxed his hand, and through the window, one could clearly see a mass of pulpy, minced flesh resting within his energy palm, from which the shattered remnants of an exoskeleton were faintly visible.

It was easy to deduce that this had been a Void Zerg, which had presumably been hiding within that cloud until Ma Zhongliang plucked it out as a teaching material for Li Hongshen and the others.

"Did you see that? Once you enter the protection zone, you must remain vigilant at all times, because you might encounter a hostile race at any moment. If a Lord's personal strength is inadequate, you might not even survive the journey to your designated post. I know what you want to ask: why not deploy your territory and let your subordinates carve out a path instead? I can tell you outright: that is impossible. Time, resources, and the enemy races will not wait for you. Your comrades on the front lines are depending on you to relieve them at their posts! Furthermore, I can tell you that every Lord and their main city act like a nail, anchoring the defensive line firmly in its current position. If other Lords were to wander past casually, it would easily disrupt the defensive line and give the enemy a vulnerable opening to exploit.

"Of course, this is not without its benefits for us. Every Lord who enters the protection zone is issued a personal spacecraft free of charge, because personal spacecraft are utterly essential within the protection zone, and indeed hold great utility for the civilization at large. Lords within the protection zone rarely utilize spatial teleportation or the jump functions of their starships. Because the spatial fabric here is relatively fragile, you might accidentally plunge straight into an enemy spatial corridor and end up inside the belly of a hostile race before you even have a chance to deploy your territory. This is no joke; there were several such cases in the very beginning. Consequently, the civilization began issuing personal spacecraft, substituting teleportation with physical flight speed.

*The Zhongliang*, this vessel of mine, can travel from the Void War Bastion to the Central Security Zone in just two days—extremely fast. Moreover, it is equipped with a miniature quantum brain for autonomous navigation, and its hull is constructed from C-grade hyper-spiritual metal, granting it an exceptionally high defense rating. Furthermore, when I am on leave, I do not need to wait for scheduled flights of void dreadnoughts; I can pilot the spacecraft directly into warp and return to the interior of the civilization's territory via jump bridges, which is exceptionally convenient. As for you lot, do not set your sights on a vessel like this—don't even think about it. This one was custom-built using my personal merit points.

The craft you receive will undoubtedly be standard-issue models—the kind where you won't feel heartbroken if they get shot down. Although standard-issue spacecraft possess numerous flaws such as low speed, poor defense, cramped space, and unergonomic interiors, they will still be quite precious to you when the time comes. At the very least, they will get the job done. Moreover, I trust that graduates of the Central Lord University like yourselves will quickly accumulate sufficient merit points to commission a spacecraft tailored to your own preferences."

In this manner, Li Hongshen and the others spent two full days together inside the spacecraft. Fortunately, because none of them lacked in personal strength, most were capable of brief periods of inuria and required no sleep. This successfully averted issues such as food shortages, long queues for the restrooms, or fighting over bunks. After his initial appearance, Ma Zhongliang had returned to the cockpit and had no further extensive interaction with Li Hongshen and his group. After all, regardless of the fact that they were all Lords, everyone still felt somewhat ill at ease in the presence of the Transcendental Lord Ma Zhongliang.

Two days later, the spacecraft arrived outside a gigantic city. Ma Zhongliang had the vessel hover in mid-air while he flew into the city alone. Very soon, through the spacecraft's viewing ports, Li Hongshen and the others watched as the massive city vanished, revealing Ma Zhongliang, another unfamiliar Lord, and a separate spacecraft.

After exchanging a nod with Ma Zhongliang, the unfamiliar Lord boarded the spacecraft, which then shot straight up into the air, flying back in the direction Li Hongshen and the others had come from, and vanished from their sight in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Ma Zhongliang stood his ground. Before long, Li Hongshen and the others watched as space slowly fused together, and another gigantic city materialized out of thin air in the location below.

All sorts of personnel and machinery quickly surged out from the city gates, commencing heavy engineering work on the surrounding open ground. It appeared they were linking up with the external defensive network previously established by the former Lord.

The spacecraft carrying Li Hongshen and the others also descended swiftly into this massive city, and guided by a staff member, they proceeded to the Lord's Mansion.