Space Odyssey from Abandoned Mining Space Station

Chapter 238: Chapter 104: Chen Ming’s Arrangement, Dusk’s Test

After taking care of the usual matters, Chen Ming and Old Wu resumed their discussion about the main business.

Chen Ming straightforwardly stated his needs: ”I currently need about ten Guard Level ships, which should be sufficient to sustain resources for around three months, without needing to account for the crew.”

”That’s not too many, right, Old Wu? Can you calculate that?”

”Are you underestimating me?”

Old Wu rattled off a list of the resources needed for the ships, including weapons and ammunition, logistical supplies, fuel consumption, and the maintenance needs of all the ships.

Chen Ming had a rough estimate in mind before asking the question, and he generally agreed with Old Wu’s calculations, only having a minor query to address.

”We can make some adjustments with the weapons and ammunition. If we can directly purchase the raw materials for some of the ammunition, we could save a bit.”

Old Wu calculated a bit more and nodded: ”Alright, I got it. After buying the materials, we buy the ships?”

”Yes, I need the Torrent Level from Speed Particle Technology.”

After Chen Ming finished speaking, Old Wu waited a few seconds, seeing that Chen Ming didn’t plan to continue talking, he asked, ”That’s it?”

”That’s it. It seems I can only afford one Torrent.”

”I have a bit less than fifty million in my own account, and the account set up by the plant manager has just over forty million, which totals ninety million.”

”Then I have two Mules parked at the Space Station. I plan to sell one.”

Upon hearing this, Old Wu couldn’t help but ask, ”Who are you planning to swindle?”

”It’s not a swindle; I’m seriously selling it. In the future, I’ll just pretend I never had this ship, and I won’t deliberately try to get the ship back. I just don’t know if anyone would want this kind of civilian second-hand ship.”

Old Wu rubbed his chin, considering as he spoke: ”The Mule Level is alright, a commercial ship, and there’s a military subsystems option. Even at its original price, it’s got to be over two hundred million, so even at half depreciation, it’s still pretty good.”

”And your skills aren’t something everyone knows about, as long as you don’t deliberately reveal your abilities, selling it shouldn’t be a problem.”

”Alright, so first buy the materials, pay the deposit for the Torrent, and then the money from selling one Mule should be about enough.”

”Store the purchased materials at the maintenance plant first. There should be space, right?”

Old Wu had just passed through the interior of the maintenance plant when he boarded the Sentinel, so he immediately said: ”Of course there is. That batch of unknown items you got from Old Wu last time is still piled up at the maintenance plant.”

”Anyway, our maintenance plant doesn’t earn from the storefront, just pile them up if you want. Who’s going to oppose it?”

Having received a definite answer, Chen Ming contentedly continued asking, ”Alright, then any issues with buying the Torrent?”

”No issues, Speed Particle Technology’s Torrent is a product. A legitimate transaction, how could there be any problem?”

”The only thing is whether the Torrent, at a price of over 170 million per ship, is worth it? And is one ship enough? Are you not considering other ships? Didn’t you say you wanted to build a fleet?”

Old Wu’s doubts were indeed not without reason at this moment.

After all, the price of the Torrent is undoubtedly among the more expensive in the Frigate class.

However, apart from its excellent drone control AI, like other ships produced by Speed Particle Technology, which excel in perfectly fitting with Energy Weapons with its Radiant Energy System,

aspects otherwise don’t quite match this price.

Moreover, under normal circumstances, without considering whether the buyer is qualified to operate this ship, the price of a standard military Guard Ship is usually between 30 to 50 million.

One Torrent can equal six standard military ships, like the Military Sentinel or Conquest, for example.

As for the more expensive Centurion, it can equate to three.

Investing the money for the Torrent into other Guard Ships could potentially form a small-scale fleet prototype in no time.

Also, it should be noted that when Chen Ming strolled through the Black Market earlier, he saw a Hammerhead for only 130 million.

At that time, seeing a Torrent sold for 170 million was indeed outrageous.

Though the ships sold on the Black Market surely have some differences from normal products, and the prices compared to normal may have some fluctuations.

For instance, if Chen Ming recalls correctly, that Hammerhead on the Black Market was outfitted with extra specially adapted load points and mount points, which Sinda Corporation probably released to earn some extra profits.

And then that Torrent seemed to have something special, said to possess a more advanced drone AI.

So naturally, the price will also be higher than ordinary ships.

But either way, the base value of the Torrent itself is there, upwards of 150 million is to be expected.

However, Chen Ming feels that, for him, the Torrent should be worth this price.

The Terminator Unmanned Combat Aircraft Squadron loaded on the Torrent, under the assistance of Chen Ming’s abilities, would definitely produce a terrifying effect.

Even in one-on-one combat, it might prove stronger than a Hammerhead Destroyer.

”This thing is worth the price for me.”

And besides this reason, there’s another motive.

Chen Ming continued saying, ”I want you to ask the company.”

”When fighting with the military earlier, there should still be two Destroyers in the company’s fleet that survived, and I’ve already controlled them.”

”I want to ask how the company plans to handle this.”

Chen Ming’s ability already dictates that all ships he’s touched become an unpredictable time bomb for anyone else, making it impossible to use as before comparably.

So if the company intends to dispose of these ships, there’s a chance Chen Ming could acquire them at a relatively low cost.