Chapter 86 Full-Scale Enhancement! Who Is Calling the Fleet?!

With the Foundation’s current strength, resolving the crisis and completing SCP-008’s containment would be extremely difficult.

However, Ethan’s confident expression infected everyone on the Retribution’s bridge.

The soldiers, officers, and superhuman women present all firmly believed that the Foundation’s Supreme Commander possessed the power to overturn the entire battlefield in a single move.

The decisive battle was approaching.

It was finally time to convert everything Ethan had accumulated through his previous battles into real military strength.

Fifty million Rumor Points, combined with the enhancement and upgrade cards he had obtained, would dramatically increase the forces under his command in an extremely short time.

Ethan was not an idiot who hoarded his strength indefinitely, hesitated when it was time to go all in, and ultimately missed the perfect opportunity.

This was not the time to pretend to be weak.

It was time to show the world the Foundation’s formidable ships and guns.

[Would you like to use the Special Item Upgrade Card to enhance the S-Class Rare Item: Krieg Military Whistle?]

[Confirm use of the Special Item Upgrade Card.]

[Ding! Item enhancement successful. The effects of the Krieg Military Whistle have changed.]

[Faded Krieg Military Whistle: When blown, it summons a 20,000-strong Death Korps of Krieg army. Cooldown: One month.]

That still was not enough.

Ethan needed to continue upgrading it.

[Would you like to upgrade the Faded Krieg Military Whistle again?]

[Purchasing an Intermediate Special Item Upgrade Card will cost 5,000,000 Rumor Points.]

Ethan gritted his teeth.

He had to keep going.

[Continue upgrading!]

[S-Class Rare Item: Krieg Military Whistle has been successfully enhanced. Its effects have changed.]

[Dim Krieg Military Whistle: When blown, it summons a 50,000-strong mixed Krieg army. Cooldown: Two months.]

A mixed Krieg army of fifty thousand soldiers?

That force could reliably resolve the current crisis, but it still was not enough to display the Foundation’s true military might.

[Would you like to continue upgrading the S-Class Rare Item: Dim Krieg Military Whistle?]

[Purchasing an Advanced Special Item Upgrade Card will cost 15,000,000 Rumor Points.]

That price was daylight robbery.

Even so, Ethan did not hesitate.

[Yes. Continue upgrading!]

[S-Class Rare Item: Krieg Military Whistle has been successfully enhanced. Its effects have changed!]

[Psionically Radiant Krieg Military Whistle: When blown, it summons a 100,000-strong elite mixed Krieg army, accompanied by an Imperial Navy fleet responsible for transportation.]

Ethan had already spent twenty million Rumor Points, but he did not stop.

[Would you like to spend 10,000,000 Rumor Points to upgrade Yukikaze’s electronic fighter formation and perform aerospace modifications?]

[Yes!]

[Ding! Yukikaze’s electronic combat formation has been enhanced.]

[The FFR-41 electronic fighter and FRX-99 unmanned fighters have completed comprehensive airframe upgrades and aerospace modifications.]

[The number of FRX-99 unmanned fighters has increased to twelve.]

[The FFR-41 and FRX-99 have received upgraded components, including deflector shields, nano-repair armor modules, and EML electromagnetic-launch systems.]

Ethan watched his balance of nearly sixty million Rumor Points plummet.

He had barely received them before spending almost half.

He sighed.

Rumor Points truly disappeared quickly.

Then he noticed a vessel in the system store.

It was a Goliath-class aerospace and ground-suppression carrier derived from technology in the Battlefield universe.

Each one cost ten million Rumor Points.

Ethan gritted his teeth and purchased two.

[Ding! Commander, you have purchased two Goliath-class aerospace and ground-suppression carriers.]

[The vessels will enter the designated airspace or orbit and assemble at the specified time.]

In mere moments, Ethan had spent fifty million Rumor Points.

All those transactions had taken only a few dozen seconds.

Consequently, 2B, Natasha, Skye, Gwen, and Elivise were still watching him in confusion.

Ethan produced a lustrous metal military whistle and placed it between his lips.

A sharp whistle echoed across the bridge.

Ethan blew it three times.

The notes lingered without fading, seemingly resonating through the surrounding void.

Just as everyone began wondering what he was doing, the communications officer on the bridge suddenly jolted upright.

“Commander! We’ve received a transmission from a friendly force!”

“The message says: ‘Who is calling the fleet?'”

A smile appeared on Ethan’s face.

He gestured toward the communications officer.

“Reply that Foundation Commander Ethan is calling the fleet.”

“Order them to assemble immediately at the designated coordinates.”

Understanding appeared in 2B’s eyes.

As expected, the Commander had already prepared reinforcements and a contingency plan.

He was truly worthy of her absolute trust.

Natasha and Skye exchanged looks, both seeing the shock in the other’s eyes.

The Retribution alone had already been enough to astonish them for an entire day.

They had never imagined that the Foundation possessed an entire space fleet.

Had the Foundation’s technology already advanced to the level of an interstellar civilization?

And despite possessing such power, it had continued protecting humanity in silence?

Just how terrifying was the Foundation’s true strength?

Neither woman dared to continue thinking about it.

Gwen and Elivise, meanwhile, had already become somewhat numb.

At this point, even if a fleet of planet-destroying warships appeared, the two of them might simply accept it without surprise.

While everyone remained stunned, the female communications officer rapidly completed the necessary procedures and established contact with the approaching forces.

“Commander, the fleet has replied.”

“Friendly units are currently assembling. They request that we wait briefly.”

Her instruments suddenly detected another signal.

“Commander, we’ve detected hyperspace activity!”

“A fleet is performing a warp jump!”

“High-energy reactions directly ahead!”

“They’re broadcasting friendly identification signals!”

As the communications officer delivered her report, golden spatial rifts appeared one after another in the void ahead.

Colossal vessels hundreds of meters long emerged from them in succession.

“This is the Imperial Navy.”

“Three Dauntless-class light cruisers and ten transport ships have been ordered to join the Commander’s battle formation.”

Two more flashes of blue light appeared.

Another pair of vessels materialized before them. Although smaller than the Imperial ships, each was still approximately five hundred meters long.

“Commander, two Goliath-class aerospace and ground-suppression carriers have been ordered to join your battle formation.”

Within minutes, a fleet of sixteen spacefaring warships had assembled in Earth’s orbit.

Nearly every vessel was several hundred meters long.

Even while silently holding position, the fleet radiated overwhelming pressure.

A surge of pride rose in Ethan’s heart.

He turned toward the communications officer.

“Contact Sergeant Major Ryan and establish a secure communications relay.”

“Have him inform the United Nations that the Foundation has completed its combat deployment and is preparing to begin an orbital-drop operation.”

The communications officer’s face flushed with excitement.

She immediately transmitted the message.

Inside the Strategic Homeland Division’s bunker, Sergeant Major Ryan slammed his hand against the desk in exhilaration.

“Excellent!”

“Send a message to the military and Congress!”

“Tell them the Foundation has completed its deployment and is preparing to launch an orbital assault!”

“Order the JTF to cooperate with our operation!”

“An orbital assault?”

The officials around him stared at one another.

Were those sixteen warships carrying an enormous orbital-drop army?