Chapter 75: The Star Fortress Blueprints

In the ravaged valley, Wang Ji and the giant one-horned tiger, Kate, sat facing each other. The two figures, one large and one small, appeared unusually peaceful amidst the silent chaos.

“So, you're saying that the arrival of your ten great races on Earth is because our side has triggered an evolutionary surge?” Wang Ji's brow was tightly furrowed, the information Kate had just provided weighing heavily on him.

Kate, meanwhile, showed great interest in the origins of Wang Ji’s strength.

“That’s right. Simply put, I don’t know if this is a blessing or a curse for you. Your planet reached a turning point, and now you’re about to enter the grand plaza of the cosmic era,” Kate paused, then continued, “Unfortunately, your development has been too slow. If you had triggered this evolutionary surge ten thousand years ago, you might have kept pace with us. As it stands… to put it bluntly, you’re just fat meat on a chopping block.”

Wang Ji joked, deflecting the seriousness, “Oh? That’s not necessarily true. There are plenty of people with strength like mine, at least from what I know.”

Kate looked at him, puzzled, then replied, “Alright, the explosive strength of you natives is honestly hard for me to read. Maybe it’s connected to your planet’s delayed evolutionary surge by ten thousand years.”

“But I advise you not to underestimate us. The ten great races sent ten vanguards to Earth. In your country, it’s just me and that giant gorilla. If a Battle King arrives, I fear you’ll have no chance at all.”

Wang Ji lowered his head, silent. The concept of a Battle King’s power was beyond his imagination. According to Kate’s description, a Battle King was at least the ruler of a planet! That alone spoke to their frightening status.

He thought for a moment, then asked, “Didn’t you say your Tiger Clan belongs to the Misos, the cosmic overlords? Can’t you resist the invasion of the Gorilla Clan?”

Kate gave a bitter smile, “Misos are indeed a top-tier cosmic clan, but they rely on alliances to have any say against the Sirong clan. Sirong places great importance on this, so they sent several subordinate clans led by the gorillas from the nearest star systems to scour resources. They are determined to turn Earth into their colony. We’re only allowed to benefit during this evolutionary surge, as per the agreement.”

Hearing Kate’s words, anger welled up in Wang Ji’s heart. The feeling of being prey was infuriating. He clenched his fists tightly, then released them after a long moment, sighing helplessly.

“Thank you, Kate, for telling me all this.”

Kate stood up, laughing, “Haha, I just like you. Good luck, native—I hope you cause more trouble for the Gorilla Clan, Wolf Clan, and Snake Clan. That’ll make things more interesting for me.”

Wang Ji’s eyes brightened; his journey had not been in vain.

“So does that mean we’re allies now?” Wang Ji looked at Kate.

Kate paused, ready to leave. “More or less. The enemy of my enemy is my ally.”

Wang Ji got the answer he wanted, staying where he was as the giant one-horned tiger disappeared into the distance. Only after the figure vanished did he stand and begin to sort through his gains.

“X System, display the results of this operation.”

[Spent 1,000 energy points to record fragment of B-level combat technique: Thunder Flash.]
[Spent 1,000 energy points to record fragment of B-level combat technique: Wind Cannon Combo.]

“Hm? What does ‘fragment of B-level combat technique’ mean?”

[Both are intermediate psychic combat skills. The commander can enter the simulation classroom to learn and understand the skills; there is a certain chance they can be mastered.]

A look of joy crossed Wang Ji’s face. During the struggle for the Red Spirit Fruit, he had witnessed the terrifying skills of the gorilla and the giant one-horned tiger. Once targeted, he couldn’t escape, despite his strength.

The Whirlwind Slash had been a fluke, so he needed to understand the structure and principles of psychic combat skills. Suppressing his excitement, he asked, “You previously hinted at unlocking ultimate functions—what’s the status now?”

[Beep. By absorbing the energy of damaged genius treasures, 6,724 core crystals were obtained, meeting the conditions to unlock many ultimate system functions. There is a 67% chance to unlock one ultimate function. Confirm unlock? If it fails, the absorbed energy crystals will be depleted.]

Wang Ji thought for a while, then asked, “What is a core crystal?”

[Core crystal is the basic energy and universal currency used by all cosmic races. The commander can convert energy points to core crystals through the system; 1 core crystal equals 1,000 energy points.]

Hearing the explanation, Wang Ji grinned—half a Red Spirit Fruit was worth over six hundred thousand energy points. He was also looking forward to unlocking ultimate functions.

“Let’s do it!”

He gritted his teeth and gave the order to X System. The value was worth the risk.

[Unlock command confirmed. Please wait… Unlocking ultimate function…]

...

X System was silent for nearly a minute. Wang Ji’s heart sank with every passing second, sweat pouring down.

[Beep. Congratulations, Commander, ultimate function unlocked: Lucky Roulette.]

Wang Ji exhaled deeply, unable to resist laughing aloud. He eagerly entered X System’s virtual space.

“Lucky Roulette! What is it? Show me.”

Instantly, the command room scene shifted to a vast stage, with a towering wheel resembling a Ferris wheel, each segment filled with various prizes.

He saw that the segment with the lowest odds contained a technologically advanced space battleship. Wang Ji’s mouth watered as he brought up the details.

[A-Class Gemini Battleship: worth 1 million core crystals.]

Seeing the battleship’s majestic holographic projection, its advanced main cannon and hull, he was tempted to spin the roulette immediately. Yet he held back, examining the other prizes.

There were A-Class combat skills, a set of Iron Man-like single-soldier armor technology, architectural blueprints, and some ordinary weapons like an excellent-grade great sword.

After browsing, Wang Ji asked, “X System, what are the requirements for drawing?”

[Lucky Roulette requires 100 core crystals per activation. You may draw once a month. This first draw is a bonus for the commander’s initial activation.]

Wang Ji pulled a bitter face—the equivalent of 100,000 energy points per draw. It really was like buying a lottery ticket. He asked, “Can the prizes be refreshed?”

[Yes. Each refresh costs 1 core crystal; you can refresh up to three times per draw.]

Wang Ji brought up his status bar.

Host: Wang Ji
Title: Fate Defier
Level: 2-Star Battle General
Strength: 213
Spirit: 234
Agility: 191
Physique: 87/100
Status: Excellent
Advancement: Level 2 gene unlocked (mutation direction unknown)
Energy Points: 1375

Only enough for a single refresh, Wang Ji chose not to refresh. Any prize was useful to him, so he wasted no time and drew.

He pressed the large red button before him, and the giant roulette wheel began to spin. After nearly a minute, it started to slow.

The pointer settled on an excellent-grade weapon—a multi-barreled machine gun, reminiscent of a Vulcan Gatling. Wang Ji shouted in frustration.

“Damn it! Free stuff is never good!”

As if the roulette heard him, it stubbornly spun forward, passing the machine gun segment with its 30% odds, creeping toward a higher-grade item with only a 5% chance.

“Come on! Come on!” Wang Ji cheered, his heart racing.

The pointer, moving like a snail, bypassed the machine gun and landed in the tiny 5% segment.

Wang Ji leapt up in excitement.

[Congratulations, Commander, you have obtained the architectural blueprint worth 100,000 core crystals: Star Fortress.]

The roulette stage faded, and Wang Ji returned to virtual space.

He suppressed his joy and brought out the prize. The blueprint was a detailed architectural plan; the hologram revealed a fortress as vast as a city.

It could house tens of millions, with comprehensive plans for residence, production, and defense.

“Stellar Rail Cannon! Battleship manufacturing facility! This is incredible!”

Wang Ji quickly browsed the blueprint’s details, finally grasping its immense value. Some technical restrictions required energy points for research, but construction could begin immediately.

He exited virtual space, confidently clenching his fist.

“If I can build the Star Fortress, I believe it’s our only chance! It’s truly the first step into the cosmic era. Next, I need to collect more energy points to unlock technology, and get Xiao Liu and the others started on construction.”

Wang Ji glanced at the surrounding chaos and hurried back the way he came.

This journey had yielded not just two fragments of B-level combat skills, but—more importantly—a glimmer of hope from the Lucky Roulette.

All the way, Wang Ji remained exhilarated, swiftly traversing the forest toward Long Qianwen and the others.

From Kate’s information, he learned that the ten great races, led by the Gorilla Clan, arrived with hostile intentions. Even the supposedly neutral Tiger Clan, Fish Clan, and Doghead Clan came with overwhelming power.

None of his companions realized that the disaster was actually a chance for Earth’s people to evolve, a chance being stolen by the cosmic clans.

The pressure felt immense.

Yet now, finally, he glimpsed a ray of light in the darkness.

With that hope, Wang Ji pressed on tirelessly, catching up with Long Qianwen and her group before sunset.

From a distance, he rushed toward the flickering campfire light of their camp.