Chương 175: Thành Phố Thương Mại G313

Mà at this moment, Hua Rong also spoke up: "Li Feng, the gravitational wave bomb has been successfully detonated, destroying 22 enemy ships."

Looking at the orc warships suddenly plummeting from space on the projection, Li Feng felt a chill run down his spine.

Theoretically, the vastness of the universe dictates how long these warships would keep falling—this was the new conceptual weapon of the Great Qin Empire.

Why do planets float in the universe? Why do warships hover motionless in space without falling?

The root of it all lies in the gravitational waves permeating the universe. Planets and warships are like fish in the sea, swimming freely thanks to the buoyancy of the water.

The principle in the universe is much the same, except the so-called "water" is the gravitational waves that fill the entire cosmos.

When a warship navigates through space, the thrust of its engines plays only a minor role; the crucial cosmic "buoyancy" comes from passively received gravitational waves.

This design philosophy stems from the fact that ships on the sea only consider how to sail across the ocean, and no one ever ponders how they would navigate if the sea had no water.

Now, this once far-fetched worry of the sea losing its water has been proven by Great Qin. The effect of the gravitational wave bomb is to prevent ships from receiving gravitational waves.

And the result is that they plummet downward...

Theoretically, if the gravitational wave bomb were large enough, it could even cause the matter of an entire star system to fall.

Similarly, the rebel fleet on the G313 route, upon seeing this unfamiliar Great Qin warship deploy a conceptual weapon, fled in an instant.

The skirmish with the orcs came quickly and ended just as fast. In reality, the battle between the Lingnan Corps, a portion of the Time Hourglass Fleet, and the orc fleet lasted less than seventy-two hours.

The rebel fleet joined in at the forty-eighth hour.

Although the rebels are disloyal, in battles against non-human races, they never lack a sense of righteousness. Yet, after fighting side by side, the two sides would immediately turn on each other.

Over time, this became an unspoken rule between the rebels and the Qin army.

Before the alien races withdraw, no one is allowed to fire upon the other. Once the aliens retreat or are annihilated, they will immediately slaughter each other.

Inside the Time Hourglass flagship, Duanmu Xue felt her heart race even at the sight of the Iron-Headed Goose.

"If only this warship could belong to our Time Hourglass Fleet... This ship is damn handsome..."

"Forget it... No matter how much I look, it's not mine... Notify the fleet to prepare to withdraw to the Time Mother Port."

The Time Hourglass Fleet also began to retreat and pull out. They did not inquire about Li Feng's purpose here, as too many ships from other corps came to the Lingnan Star Region every day.

Having resolved this encounter with the orc fleet, the Iron-Headed Goose set sail once more, its target the mandatory passage point of the G313 route.

"Set sail! Destination: the City of Traders!"

"Activate mimicry, disguise our vessel as an armed merchant ship."

To reach the City of Traders, one could only travel through physical space. This place was the gathering hub for Great Qin's wandering traders and also the border junction with the Annan Star Region.

As the Iron-Headed Goose steadily approached the City of Traders, the universe once again became jammed with ships, a testament to just how bustling the area around this city was.

Though they fought life-and-death battles with the rebels on the front lines, it did not affect the exchange of goods between the two sides in the slightest.

Rebel merchant guilds entered Great Qin territory through the City of Traders to buy and sell goods, and Great Qin's wandering traders also sailed into the Annan Star Region from here.

At this moment, Li Feng saw on the projection the legendary cosmic marketplace in the distance, said to be twice the size of Earth.

A starport suspended on the border line, now expanded into a cosmic city. From afar, its lights shone like a star, a testament to its dazzling brilliance.

Outside the marketplace, a vast number of ships were docked. Merchants conducted final resupply and traded small commodities within the City of Traders.

As the ship slowly advanced, Li Feng even spotted a small Great Qin escort frigate guiding a rebel merchant fleet.

At this time, Ye Hui and Chu Tianlan also arrived at the bridge. They were equally stunned by the ship's projection devices, but even more shocked when they saw the panoramic projection on the bridge.

Chu Tianlan asked, "Company Commander... With so many ships, could that rebel warship have slipped through?"

"It could... and it definitely will."

Ye Hui shook his head and replied, "The rebels are warships. The City of Traders prohibits rebel warships. If one appears, it will be attacked by Qin warships just the same."

"They might have already switched ships..."

Li Feng had never been to the City of Traders before. He assumed the management here would be very strict and that Great Qin would completely ban trade with the rebels.

But after leaping out of the Guixu node and seeing the rebels and Qin army jointly attacking the orc fleet,

and then witnessing the bustling, traffic-heavy prosperity of the City of Traders, Li Feng realized all his previous tactics had been mere wishful thinking.

Here, not just a single warship could slip out—under certain circumstances, an entire fleet might manage to escape.

After all, to have a ship jam in the universe indicated an astronomical number of vessels too vast to count.

After pondering for a moment, Li Feng still said, "Captain, conduct covert scans on all surrounding ships within range. Do not be detected."

Hua Rong looked at the projections on all sides, an endless sea of slowly moving merchant fleets stretching beyond sight, and for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

This coverage range had too many gaps, but there was no better alternative.

The Iron-Headed Goose advanced while scanning. Among these merchant ships, more or less, some carried contraband, but these prohibited items were harmless enough to Great Qin that they barely bothered to regulate them.

As the Iron-Headed Goose docked at a berth in the City of Traders, Li Feng gave a direct order.

"All members of the recruit company, remove your power armor. Dress as merchants and enter the City of Traders. Do everything you can to find out if there's a way to smuggle a warship out."

"Yes, sir!"

The entire Abyss Recruit Company dispersed into small groups of two or three, scattering outward.

Some disguised themselves as merchants, others as pirates. As for Li Feng, he was ruthlessly abandoned by his teammates and had to act alone.

The streets and alleys of the City of Traders were filled with stalls everywhere. Those with physical goods displayed them; those without put up pictures. Once a deal was agreed upon, they would head to the docking port for the transaction.

Li Feng wandered around, purchasing thousands of insect pearls to distribute among his recruit company brothers later—they would come in handy during battles.

But as he ventured deeper into the district, Li Feng also saw many other races setting up stalls.

The armored soldiers of the Lingnan Corps patrolling the City of Traders never drove away these alien species. Here, everything revolved around commerce.

Not just sub-humans, but even the pointy-eared Star Sea Spirit Clan, the finned Naga, and even green-skinned orcs!

And here, many prohibited items were sold openly and brazenly. For instance, Li Feng spotted a Xuling weapon, and even a stall displaying a photo of a Steel Colossus while selling the actual thing...