"Can't you even keep your mouth shut while eating?" Zhao Chen looked at the bold female Half-Beastman crew member.
The female Half-Beastman crew member bit her chopsticks: "Whether I can keep it shut... isn't that up to you, Commander?"
Zhao Chen was stunned. He wondered if he had been too good to them, as they now actually dared to tease him.
"Although they have the status of slaves, you haven't abused or humiliated them; instead, you've given them a place to live and such generous benefits."
"You are different from those who buy slaves for their own selfish desires," Akame said very firmly.
Zhao Chen smiled slightly: "I'm not as great as you think."
Akame looked at the man in front of her; to be honest, she now found this man very special.
"Let's talk about serious matters. What do you plan to do in the future?" Zhao Chen looked at Akame: "Your Bloody Mary Mercenary Group has been persecuted, and a large number of Interstellar Warships have been lost."
"Your base camp was destroyed, and even those enemies you mentioned might continue to hunt you down in the future."
"And now you still have to carry a bunch of... burdens."
Akame looked at the food on her plate: "To be honest... I don't know what to do either..."
"I have a suggestion. I wonder what you think about it." Zhao Chen stared at Akame.
"Commander, please go ahead and say it." Akame's attitude towards Zhao Chen was very good, perhaps because he had saved her life.
It was completely different from when they first met, when she 'threatened him with death'.
"If you don't mind, you can bring your people and join my Starfleet."
"Don't misunderstand, I don't want to annex you."
"You can join temporarily, because I happen to be short-handed."
"We can establish a cooperation agreement for about one to three years."
"During this period, I will be equivalent to your boss. You work for me, and I will provide you with the same benefits as my crew members."
"At the same time, I can also ensure your safety. You have seen the strength of my fleet, right?"
"I have many more Interstellar Warships with this kind of combat capability." Zhao Chen pointed to the food that the surrounding Half-Beastman crew members were enjoying.
Hearing this suggestion, Akame's expression was slightly hesitant, but she was indeed moved.
Seeing Akame's expression, Zhao Chen knew there was a chance, so he immediately struck while the iron was hot and threw out an even more tempting condition.
"Besides, I can also help you take revenge!"
【Ding! Triggered the follow-up side quest 'Akame's Revenge' for the 'Hidden Quest: Recruit Bloody Mary Mercenary Group Leader · Akame'. Please complete the current quest first to view the details of the side quest.】
Akame looked at Zhao Chen with some surprise, and she said with slight hesitation: "I said before, behind those enemies of mine is the Prince Party..."
"Never mind what Prince Party or Eunuch Party it is... it doesn't matter."
"You just need to say whether you are willing or not." Zhao Chen stared at Akame: "After we go back and rest for a while, we will find a way to get the location of this group's base camp."
"And wipe them all out in one go!"
Hearing what Zhao Chen said, especially the revenge! Akame was truly moved.
She knew that relying solely on her own strength, revenge was basically a very difficult thing.
In the current situation, let alone revenge, even wanting to protect the partners of Bloody Mary is not a simple matter.
"Are you... really willing to accept us?" Akame looked at Zhao Chen and said slowly.
"Of course." Zhao Chen extended his hand to Akame: "We were partners before, and now we are comrades-in-arms fighting side by side, as long as you are willing!"
Akame stood up and shook Zhao Chen's hand with a serious expression: "Within three years, I and my subordinates will be absolutely loyal to you."
"No need for loyalty. You can view it as the simplest relationship of mutual benefit."
"I give you what you want, and you help me achieve what I want. It's that simple." Zhao Chen felt Akame's hand in his; there were calluses on her palms, traces left by long-term sword practice.
【Hidden Quest: Recruit Bloody Mary Mercenary Group Leader · Akame. Completed. Please claim the quest reward.】
【Activated side quest: Akame's Revenge】
After enjoying the meal, Zhao Chen and Akame returned to the Bridge. In just the time it took to eat a meal, the relationship between the two had changed completely from before.
Akame first had to contact Deputy Leader Sister Pei and the others to inform them of her decision.
Although Akame was the final authority in the Bloody Mary Mercenary Group, she was still used to explaining her thoughts to her subordinates, and unsurprisingly, everyone agreed with this suggestion.
On the other side, Zhao Chen sat on the captain's chair, closing his eyes to rest. He claimed the quest reward.
【Congratulations on obtaining: 5000 System Points】
Although the reward was only System Points, this was exactly what Zhao Chen needed. System Points: 18320.
Seeing the current number of System Points, Zhao Chen opened the System Mall without a word and exchanged for the T3 Interstellar Industrial Ship he had been longing for.
【Do you want to consume 18000 System Points and 30 Quest Points to exchange for the item 'T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship' technical blueprint】
Confirm exchange!
【Congratulations on obtaining 'T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship' technical blueprint】
【System Points: 320】
【Quest Points: 15】
In this instant, Zhao Chen's System Points were back to square one.
But fortunately, Zhao Chen had completed an important indicator of the quarterly quest: exchanging for a T3 Starship technical blueprint from the System Mall!
The remaining work to complete the quarterly quest only requires waiting for the subsequent combat Interstellar Warships to enter service; this is just a matter of time.
Zhao Chen had been longing for this T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship for a long time. It was definitely the best one among all the T3 Interstellar Industrial Ships Zhao Chen knew of!
Its construction space was several times larger than the T2 Iron Hammer-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ship! At the same time, the efficiency of building Starships was also improved.
For example, if the original T2 Iron Hammer wanted to build a T3 Blizzard, it would take more than two months.
But using the T3 Furnace, it could build five T3 Blizzard ships at the same time, and it would only take one month.
However, the construction cost of this T3 Furnace was also quite terrifying. The cost for a single ship was as high as 60 million star coins! It was four or five times that of a T3 Blizzard!
But compared to its advantages, this was not important at all. As long as he could own a few T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships and had sufficient raw material supply, Zhao Chen could equip his own T3 Interstellar Warships on a large scale!
Just thinking about it made him a bit excited. In addition, he could also build that T4 Rebirth-class Clone Starship! This was a crucial move that would allow the Xiaolong Fleet to rise completely!
