Chapter 116: An Unexpected Gift

"Mr. David, your relationship with the military is just as excellent as the rumors say! They even let you use a Land Tiger of this active-duty caliber," Mr. Boone said with a smile, sitting inside the Type II Land Tiger armored vehicle next to David.

"How is this Land Tiger any better than our Titan armored vehicles?" Manson remarked softly from the side.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Mr. Boone glared at Manson, chiding him gently before turning back to David with an apologetic expression. "Mr. David, our consortium bid for the armored hover-vehicle project with the Pan-Rock Star military and lost. But that wasn't because the Titan armored vehicles weren't good enough—it was simply because they weren't cheap enough."

Although Mr. Boone had scolded Manson, David could tell that Mr. Boone himself held the Type II Land Tiger in deep contempt.

"This is just a small measure of protection the military provided for me due to safety concerns," David quickly explained on behalf of the Perrin City military.

"Mr. Boone, we are approaching the airbase. You need to request entry," the pilot, Trooper Ives, reminded him from the driver's seat.

"I'll get in touch," Mr. Boone said, smiling at David as he began operating his identity bracelet.

"The application has been approved. We are cleared to enter!" Trooper Ives sounded surprised by the swift response.

"I haven't even sent the request yet!" Mr. Boone paused, his hands freezing in mid-air. He turned to David and said, "Mr. David, I had no idea your status in Perrin City was so high that you don't even need to request entry to the airbase!"

Only then did David recall that when the military gave him this Type II Land Tiger, they had mentioned it could enter and exit any location in Perrin City at will. It turned out they hadn't been lying.

However, David’s attention was completely captured by the spacecraft parked next to two High-Altitude Cruisers. It was a massive, deep-blue vessel, making the High-Altitude Cruisers look small in comparison.

They were, of course, two completely different types of craft. The long, slender hull of the High-Altitude Cruiser was optimized for atmospheric flight. The Titan S600 transport ship, on the other hand, was designed primarily for cargo. Its massive fuselage didn't offer the best flight experience within an atmosphere, but equipped with a warp drive, the Titan S600 was capable of interstellar travel.

As they reached the Titan S600, David turned to look at Mr. Boone, who was wearing a peculiar smile. The alloy used for this S600 was not the standard material; it was reinforced with Grade 1 insect shell. David had seen this alloy many times before—it was almost exclusively used for military hardware and rarely seen in civilian applications. David did not believe for a second that the Titan Consortium had managed to refit an entire ship with such exotic materials in just a day or two after receiving the order from the Perrin City government.

"Mr. David, to be honest, once we received the order from the Perrin City government, we realized the ship was for you. We immediately checked with the factory to see if there was any stock available. It just so happened that Mr. Bonner, the consortium's heir, had an S600 transport ship being finished according to his own specifications. I contacted him, and he agreed to transfer this ship to you," Mr. Boone explained with a smile.

David shook his head. The Titan Consortium was truly sophisticated; they knew how to turn a favor into something far greater. He understood that for an heir to a massive conglomerate, a ship like this was merely a toy, but the gesture itself was a significant favor.

"Please convey my thanks to Mr. Bonner. If the opportunity arises, I will thank him in person," David said after a moment's thought.

"Mr. David, you will definitely meet Bonner," Mr. Boone replied with a smile. "The ship's paperwork is all in order. We came here specifically to deliver it, and here are all the documents." With that, he transferred several files from his identity bracelet to David's.

"I'll leave you to admire it now. We'll be on our way," Mr. Boone said, bidding him farewell.

After seeing them off onto their High-Altitude Cruiser, David returned to the S600. He tapped his identity bracelet, and the boarding lift descended. As he stepped onto it, he noticed it was inlaid with numerous gemstones; the handrails and pedals were more like works of art, with beautiful, intricate patterns visible even in the smallest details.

David twitched his lips. He realized that the gift he had received was truly the extravagant toy of a corporate heir. He hesitated to even step onto the lift, carefully making his way up to the cockpit.

The cockpit before him was nothing like what he had imagined, or what was described in the S600 manuals. It was incredibly luxurious. David couldn't even identify the material of the floor. At the pilot's station sat an intelligent butler in sleep mode, waiting for David to authenticate his identity. The control system had been heavily modified, condensing the complex, massive original interface into a small area in front of the butler. It was clear that Mr. Bonner had never intended to fly the ship himself, preferring to leave everything to the AI.

This left the cockpit with plenty of extra space, which had been furnished with an exceptionally large bed. One could only imagine what it would be like to sleep while gazing out into space from the semi-transparent cockpit. To the side, there was a walk-in closet—empty, but housing another dormant household-grade intelligent butler. He even found a bathroom, designed exactly like those in the finest luxury hotels. The designer had spent a fortune replacing the standard control systems just to make room for a bathroom, a dressing room, and a bedroom, even installing a dedicated intelligent butler to ensure maximum comfort.

David was speechless at the logic of the wealthy. The inconspicuous decorations here were likely worth more than the ship itself, not to mention the miniaturized flight control system. Shrinking a flight system was an immensely difficult task, requiring a more powerful central processor to handle in a single chip what previously required hundreds of smaller ones. It also involved reconfiguring every connection interface on the ship, as a standard S600 would never be compatible with such a miniaturized system.

"Bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet—all checked. Now, where is the leisure area?" David muttered to himself. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he hurried toward the back.

He opened the incredibly luxurious and artistic rear cabin door and was stunned once more. The cargo hold had been turned into a leisure area. As he entered, he was greeted by a lush, green space where the air felt remarkably fresh. Dwarfed fruit trees and various vegetables were grown in multi-layered planters along the walls, while the center was filled with ornamental flowers and plants. The ceiling simulated natural sunlight, creating a tranquil, ecological paradise. Even more outrageous was the swimming pool in the center, complete with sun umbrellas and lounge chairs.

David couldn't even begin to imagine the staggering cost of maintaining an ecological system like this in space.

"But what about my cargo hold?" David looked at the scene, feeling like crying but having no tears. This was clearly prepared for a wealthy socialite’s pleasure cruise; it looked nothing like a transport ship.

He looked up and inspected the ceiling closely, realizing the height felt off. He quickly searched his identity bracelet and found the relevant information. With a tap, a ceiling panel retracted, revealing an elevator that required identity verification.

Ascending through the elevator, David finally saw his cargo hold. While it was half the height of the original, the floor area remained the same. After a quick calculation, he realized not only could his *Beacon* and the Type II Land Tiger fit, but there was still plenty of room to spare.

Throughout the entire ship, only the cargo hold felt like a real, functional space; everywhere else was saturated with the decadence of credits. Seeing that the cargo hold still met his needs, David’s face brightened into a smile. He didn't harbor any resentment toward the luxury—after all, who wouldn't want their space travels to be more enjoyable?

David later discovered that the areas originally designed for crew quarters had been converted into luxury guest rooms, given that the control system had been miniaturized and the ship was now piloted by an intelligent butler. In short, other than the hull and the cargo hold, this S600 transport ship bore almost no resemblance to the standard Titan S600.