Chapter 220: Prepare for Battle! Every Second Counts!

Yanhuang Star System, designated spaceport.

A silvery-white ship, its shape like the folded hands of a praying figure, glided silently into the docking berth.

The hatch opened, and what emerged was not a large troop, but twelve people in spotless white robes, handsome-faced members of the Divine Sect civilization.

The peaceful aura they exuded made every Federal official present responsible for reception feel an inexplicable sense of calm.

Luo Rui Xiang and Qin Hao watched these twelve figures through remote surveillance, yet their hearts turned icy.

"They're here!"

Luo Rui Xiang's voice was low.

"Hmm." Qin Hao nodded. "Perfect—we can observe them for a long time to see what exactly sets them apart."

The highest-standard reception ceremony proceeded smoothly, with Lan Ge once again displaying his award‑winning acting chops, portraying a civilization representative infinitely yearning for and revering 'truth' to perfection.

Meanwhile, a top‑level emergency meeting that would decide the Federal government's fate over the next three years was secretly convened in Luo Rui Xiang's office.

"Everyone, we're running out of time." Luo Rui Xiang's gaze swept over the holographic projections of Zhang Yunfeng, Zhou Shaoqing, and Wang Hongbin.

"The Star Sea Divine Sect's technical advisory team has taken up residence; this means our contest with them has entered a close‑quarters phase."

"We must complete our own technological upgrades under their very noses while guarding against their faith‑based infiltration."

"More importantly, in three years the Silicon‑based Union's main fleet will be at the gates of the Yanhuang Star System."

"I demand that, starting now, every department push efficiency to the limit! We cannot afford to waste a single minute or second!"

His tone was unprecedentedly stern.

"How stands the armaments situation?" he asked, turning to Wang Hongbin.

Wang Hongbin, the Federal Armaments Chief, had bloodshot eyes that could not be hidden, yet his spirit was unusually excited.

"Report, special envoy comrade!"

He called up a detailed holographic data report.

"Thanks to the Academy of Sciences' efforts, we have preliminarily mastered the high‑purity energy‑block production technology we obtained from the Star Sea Divine Sect."

"Although we still fall short of their theoretical limit, the new energy blocks we produce have three times the energy density of before!"

"With this new energy source, we are now performing a Phase‑II upgrade of the antimatter annihilation engines on all our main warships!"

"Once the upgrade is complete, the speed and firepower of our main warships will reach the high‑level standard of a Second‑level Civilization!"

This news invigorated both Zhou Shaoqing and Zhang Yunfeng present.

High‑level Second‑level Civilization!

This means the Federal fleet's conventional combat power will undergo another qualitative leap.

"What about the Giant Spirit?"

Luo Rui Xiang's greatest concern remained this elite fleet.

"Thanks to a frantic ship‑building spree, the number of Giant Spirit vessels has jumped from the original five hundred to fifteen hundred!"

Wang Hongbin's voice carried pride.

"Furthermore, every newly built Giant Spirit comes equipped with the upgraded annihilation engine and the optimized space‑folding shield."

"We are simultaneously refitting the original five hundred vessels."

"We expect to have, within six months, a fleet of fifteen hundred Giant Spirit I‑type ships, all fully upgraded!"

Fifteen hundred Giant Spirits!

That force is enough to give the Federal an overwhelming advantage against any Second‑level Civilization.

But Luo Rui Xiang's brow showed no sign of relaxing.

"Still too few."

He said in a deep voice, "Against a true Third‑level Civilization, fifteen hundred ships might not even stop their vanguard."

"Yes."

Wang Hongbin nodded, the excitement on his face fading into solemnity: "So our shipyards have never halted. Our goal is to expand the Giant Spirit fleet to at least fifty thousand vessels within three years."

Fifty thousand!

That number made Zhou Shaoqing suck in a breath of cold air.

This means that, over the next two and a half years, the Federal must squeeze its entire civilization's industrial output to an unprecedented limit.

"Can the resources keep up?" Zhang Yunfeng asked the most critical question.

"No." Wang Hongbin replied bluntly. "At our current consumption rate, our stored rare minerals will last at most another year, and the energy shortfall keeps widening."

"I have issued a new resource‑contribution quota to all Protected Civilizations—three times the previous level. But this is still a drop in the bucket."

The problem, once again, lay before everyone.

"I will find a way to solve this problem; the rest will proceed as planned."

After Luo Rui Xiang finished speaking, they discussed a few other matters and then adjourned the meeting.

……

As time flowed on, six months later.

During a routine meeting, Academician Qian Bowen suddenly sent an urgent communication request.

"Luo Rui Xiang! We did it! We succeeded!"

Academician Qian Bowen's projection appeared in the meeting room, his face flushed red with excitement,

waving his arms.

"Under the 'guidance' of the technical advisory team, we have just cracked the most critical crystal‑synthesis problem in the fleet‑joint command system!"

"Although they only gave us some basic theoretical hints, we did it! Using our own methods, we have produced a photon crystal capable of bearing high‑dimensional computation!"

He displayed a diamond‑shaped crystal that glowed with a faint blue light inside an energy field.

"With it, our fleet's command efficiency can improve by at least five hundred percent! We can even have the Giant Spirit fleet conduct coordinated operations beyond visual range!"

This news, let the atmosphere of the entire meeting room

Instantly ignited.

"Great! Old Qian! You've really rendered great service!"

Zhou Shaoqing shouted excitedly.

On Old Luo's face, a hint of a smile finally appeared.

However, Qin Hao remained silent, his gaze fixed on that "photon crystal," purple light flickering in his eyes.

He could clearly sense that, deep within the crystal, there hid an extremely faint but extraordinarily stubborn "prayer" fluctuation.

Star Sea Divine Church Civilization, indeed not so kind-hearted.

They still planted a nail at the most crucial point.

However, Qin Hao did not expose it.

Now is not the time yet.

He looked at the excited crowd, silently thinking: "Let you all be happy for a while. The road ahead is the true test."

The meeting ended, and the Federal massive war machine once again began operating with greater efficiency.

And in the isolation zone of the Academy of Sciences, a Federal scientist responsible for receiving the technical consultants, after having a "friendly and in-depth" technical exchange with them, returned to his own rest room.

He sat down, picked up his water cup, and the consultant's gentle voice involuntarily echoed in his mind.

"As long as you listen with your heart, pray with your heart, the gate of knowledge will open for you......"

He shook his head, trying to dispel that voice.

But for some reason, he felt that his spirit seemed to truly produce a wondrous resonance with those instruments in the lab.

He did not notice that, as he lowered his head to drink water, a faint golden flash flickered deep in his pupils and then vanished.