Chapter 172

After a long while, Qin Hao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze carrying a hint of solemnity.

"The situation…… is more complicated than we imagined."

He organized the key information obtained from Ka La Fa's memory and directly projected it onto the holographic screen at the center of the observation room.

A vast star map slowly unfolded.

"This is the territory map of the Mo Yun Empire." Qin Hao pointed to an area marked in dark red on the star map.

"Their territory has a diameter of about 85 light-years and controls over a thousand star systems."

This number made everyone present suck in a breath of cold air.

85 light-years!

What an enormous territory!

Human civilization to this day hasn't even fully left the Solar System.

Meanwhile, they are already a vast empire ruling over a thousand star systems.

"According to the classification of cosmic civilizations, the Mo Yun Empire belongs to an early-stage Second-level Civilization."

Qin Hao continued.

"The hallmark of a Second-level Civilization is being able to fully control the energy of its home star system and having the capability for large-scale interstellar colonization. From this perspective, they indeed meet the standard."

"Their total population cannot be precisely counted at present, but it is at least on the order of tens of trillions."

And their individuals, that is, beings like Ka La Fa, have an average lifespan,

of about 800 Blue Star years.

800 years!

Another shocking number.

This means their individuals have enough time to learn and accumulate knowledge.

"Their social structure is a hive-like collective consciousness."

"With a supreme 'Mother Brain' as the core ruling the entire empire, all Mo Yun beings basically obey the Mother Brain's will."

Each of them also has independent thought, but the farther away, the weaker the Mother Brain's control.

"In terms of military strength, an expeditionary fleet like Ka La Fa's, consisting of 400,000 warships, is considered a medium-sized fleet in their empire; their standing main fleet numbers over 20 million ships."

20 million ships!

The atmosphere in the command room grew increasingly heavy.

The previous joy of defeating 400,000 enemy warships vanished in the face of these cold, ruthless numbers.

What they defeated was merely a scrap of meat that fell from a giant's body.

"However, you don't need to be too pessimistic."

Qin Hao shifted the topic.

"Although the Mo Yun Empire appears huge, as we previously analyzed, it is a severely lopsided civilization. They overly rely on biotechnology and psychic power, and in many basic physics and energy application fields, they are far inferior to us."

"Although their warships are numerous, each has weak combat power, which is also the key to our victory."

Moreover, they are not invincible.

Qin Hao marked another region on the star map.

That region emitted a soft emerald-green light, forming a stark contrast with the Mo Yun Empire's dark red.

"Here, about tens of light-years from the Mo Yun Empire, there exists another powerful civilization, which in Ka La Fa's memory is called the—Elf Civilization."

"Elf Civilization?"

Everyone was stunned.

Could it be the kind of civilization we imagined?

"Yes, this is a high-level Second-level Civilization. Their technology comprehensively surpasses that of the Mo Yun Empire."

According to Ka La Fa's memory, the Mo Yun Empire once attempted to invade the Elf Civilization, but suffered a crushing defeat, losing millions of warships, and thereafter dared not set foot in their territory even a step.

"The Elf Civilization appears to be a peace-loving race; they never initiate expansion, focusing solely on defending their homeland."

Although their territory is not large, their technological strength is unfathomable.

This news eased everyone's tense mood somewhat.

In the universe, it's not only the Mo Yun Empire that is an aggressive civilization.

"In other words, we are not isolated and helpless?" Zhang Yunfeng asked.

"Theoretically, that is the case."

Qin Hao nodded, "But we cannot pin our hopes on others' goodwill. The Mo Yun Empire is our most direct and realistic threat."

Lao Luo's face remained solemn as he gazed at the vast red region representing the Mo Yun Empire's territory and posed the most critical question.

"When will the Mo Yun Empire learn that Ka La Fa's fleet has been wiped out?"

"Will they… send more troops?"

This question, like a huge boulder, weighed on everyone's hearts.

Qin Hao's silence instantly dropped the atmosphere in the command room to freezing point.

This question, like a needle's point, precisely struck the spot everyone was most worried about.

For the vast Mo Yun Empire, Ka La Fa's expeditionary fleet might be merely an insignificant unit.

But the empire's dignity cannot be provoked.

A fleet of 400,000 warships was utterly annihilated by an unprecedented "lowly civilization," with even the commander captured alive.

Once this news is transmitted back, it will surely provoke the mighty empire's thunderous wrath.

By then, what awaits human civilization may not be 400,000 warships, but four million, or even ten million!

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Qin Hao, waiting for his answer.

Qin Hao's face was unprecedentedly solemn.

He did not answer immediately, but instead carefully searched the relevant fragments in Ka La Fa's vast, smoke-like sea of memory.

Finally, he found it.

That was the last thought of Ka La Fa before his consciousness was about to collapse, when Qin Hao's telekinetic strike hit his biological brain.

While sending out the surrender thought, it also used the last remaining energy of the King Insect Mother Ship to transmit, toward the Empire's homeland, a highest-priority information stream encrypted through hyperspace.

The content of that information stream was very simple.

It contained the coordinates of the Solar System, a combat power assessment of the Human Federal fleet, and… the fact of its defeat and surrender.

Qin Hao slowly opened his eyes and said in a deep voice: "The worst-case scenario has already happened."

"What does that mean?"

Zhang Xianzhong's heart sank sharply.

"Before surrendering, Ka La Fa had already transmitted everything here back to the Mo Yun Empire."

Boom!

This news exploded like a heavy bomb in the command room.

Everyone's faces instantly turned deathly pale.

"This damned bastard!" Zhang Xianzhong slammed his fist on the table, his eyes blood-red.

"Then, how long do you estimate it will take for their main force to arrive?"

Luo Lao hurriedly asked.

"According to Ka La Fa's memory, the Mo Yun Empire is 153 light-years away from us; their superluminal navigation technology relies on a special biological space engine, with a maximum speed of about 15 times the speed of light."

"But their territory is too vast; gathering the main fleet from the imperial center and then sailing here takes not a short time."