Through the previous reconnaissance in that solar system, Tom had already determined the Grey Worm Civilization’s departure direction, and the next step would be long-distance tracking.

​This tracking will inevitably be time-consuming. Because the superluminal travel speed corresponding to the Grey Worm Civilization’s current technological level is about 5.3 times the speed of light, while the travel speed Tom can achieve at this moment is only about 4.2 times the speed of light.

​He can only shorten the distance between them by continuous long-term travel and fewer solar system stops.

​At the same time, during the voyage, Tom must also maintain the normal development of technology to narrow the technological gap to an acceptable level when tracking down the Grey Worm Civilization.

​Thus, a Flying Star is very necessary.

​Everything is now ready.

​Then... set sail!

​The massive fleet, along with the Flying Star, began accelerating away from the star’s gravity field. In just a few months, the once bright star had receded to a mere point of light.

​With a flash of light and shadow, the massive fleet and the Flying Star vanished together, entering the warp travel stage.

​The environment within warp space is extremely stable, and most residential ships, scientific research ships, experimental ships, and the Flying Star, aerospace carriers, etc., are also in a relatively static state, making it an excellent time for large-scale personnel movement and scientific research.

​After experiencing various life-and-death crises and numerous close calls with destruction, not only Tom but also the intelligent beings under his command developed a strong desire to further develop technology.

​These desires ultimately converged on the scientists of various races, manifesting truly in them.

​Without any mobilization or encouragement, when Tom announced the official launch of a new round of large-scale scientific and technological research projects, they cheered and jumped with joy, rushing to their workstations as if it were a festival.

​Dense transport ships, like ants, descended onto the Flying Star, taking away supplies and transporting them to various large scientific research vessels;

​In warp space, various explosions, collisions, high temperatures, and high pressures, intentionally controlled to prevent affecting overall navigation stability, continuously emerged, seemingly without end;

​Except for Tom, scientists from various races, once they arrived at the research vessels, directly treated them as their homes, often not returning home for several months, or even one or two years.

​In one large residential ship after another, schools responsible for cultivating scientific research talents, numerous teachers diligently toiled, and countless students buried themselves in their studies all day, oblivious to the outside world.

​In this atmosphere where the entire population called for technological advancement, institutions like schools gained a sacred meaning. Even criminals, who were difficult to completely eradicate, would intentionally avoid committing crimes near schools. Ordinary pedestrians would unconsciously lower their voices and lighten their steps when passing by schools, fearing they might disturb the students’ studies.

​Under these circumstances, reserve talents in various disciplines and fields emerged like a gushing spring, then, like rolling rivers, converged into the vast ocean of numerous scientific research ships, contributing to Tom’s technological development.

​In this atmosphere of unified technological development, a major breakthrough occurred in just a few decades.

​Energy technology!

​At the gravity level of technology, the primary energy source is heavy element fusion. That is, not only hydrogen and helium, but also lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, all the way to magnesium, can undergo fusion.

​Thus, the energy conversion efficiency of matter was greatly improved, even reaching a level where a total of 4\% of the mass could be converted into energy, three times more than when only hydrogen-helium fusion was possible!

​And now, gravity technology has further developed. In the magnetic confinement chamber, the temperature and pressure Tom can achieve have further increased, and the difficulty of fusion has further decreased. Thus, Tom has successfully incorporated aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur—four elements after magnesium—into the fusion chain.

​As a result, the total mass conversion efficiency has increased to about 5.2%, and with further technological maturity, it is even hoped to reach about 6%.

​This represents another increase of about 50% from the original base; fuel that could originally release only two units of energy is now expected to release three!

​Energy technology is also an entire series, fostered by the joint progress of multiple technological fields, such as more advanced materials, more precise gravity control, and more precise magnetic confinement systems.

​And this also brought possibilities for the development of many other fields.

​Thus, in the centuries following the energy technology breakthrough, conventional ion propulsion, high-speed scanning radar, space warp detection, gravitational wave communication, Gravity Cannon power, and even energy cannons, space mines, and missiles, etc., almost all fields of technology saw breakthroughs one by one.

​It was as if everything had been suppressed throughout a harsh winter, and now spring had finally arrived; the current momentum of technological development could be described as everything bursting forth with vibrant life.

​The convergence of these technologies finally led Tom to make a major decision.

​To melt down and rebuild all existing spacecraft, regardless of whether it was an aerospace carrier or a residential ship, a transport ship or a scientific research ship, a Jupiter-class battleship or the smallest unmanned battleship with a total mass of only 1.5 tons, even smaller than some larger satellites—every single one of them!

​The existence of the Flying Star provided Tom with ample confidence to carry out such large-scale industrial construction in the vastness of space.

​Thus, these numerous spacecraft were dismantled in batches, while new types of spacecraft were built in batches. It took a total of over 50 years, and while simultaneously carrying out large-scale scientific research tasks, Tom finally completed the overall refitting and upgrading of the fleet.

​From this moment on, from a small projectile to an aerospace carrier, all of Tom’s technological creations were enhanced by technological development, possessing more advanced performance.

​"At my current stage, even if I were to face the encirclement of the Star Beasts at the peak of gravity in the Star Beast Nation again, I wouldn’t be so disheveled..."

​Tom thought blandly, and issued another order.

​"Disengage from superluminal travel!"

​The next moment, the warp space, which had been maintained for several centuries, instantly disappeared, and the vast starry sky reappeared before Tom.

​The next moment, another order arrived.

​"Enter superluminal travel!"

​Warp space reopened. But this time, Tom’s fleet’s speed increased from the previous 4.2 times the speed of light to 4.6 times the speed of light.