Chapter 338: with translation of chapter title

Hum—

The dark-gold star gate slowly opened in the star region of the Solar System's secret coordinates '01'.

The Void Voyager, bearing invisible wounds, sailed out smoothly and returned to this familiar homeland.

The star gate silently closed behind it.

'Activate the medical protocol, send all crew immediately to the highest-grade medical bay.'

Qin Hao's voice was hoarse, but the order was crystal clear.

The medical ships that had been waiting here immediately drew near, and beams of transport light lit up, carefully sending the unconscious elites on the bridge away.

Qin Hao looked at the empty bridge, mentally linked into the ship's system, and quickly scanned each person's vital signs report.

【Qian Yin, mental power over-exhausted, vital signs stable……】

【Long Feng, mental sea shaken, core stable, no danger to life……】

【Song Xiaolu, mental link lightly burned, expected to wake after 72 hours……】

After confirming that everyone was merely temporarily weakened, with no permanent injury, Qin Hao's taut nerves relaxed a fraction.

Under the protection of the mental resonance shield, he was the only one who could stubbornly withstand that terrifying pressure.

But he was not at ease.

The brief clash with the Devourer Sub-body still made his soul feel waves of needle-like stabbing pain.

Without time to rest, or even to change out of his blood‑stained combat uniform, Qin Hao directly activated a high‑level encrypted communication.

'Call an emergency strategic meeting.'

'Now.'

……

The Yanhuang Civilization Command Center was filled with an atmosphere heavy to the extreme.

Luo Lao, Zhang Yunfeng, Zhou Shaoqing, Zhang Xianzhong……

All the core senior officials sat upright and solemn.

They looked at the holographic image of Qin Hao in the center of the conference room, slightly pale yet still upright.

They had learned from frontline reports that the exploration fleet had been attacked, and everyone except Qin Hao was unconscious.

'I have seen the Devourer.'

Qin Hao got straight to the point, with no preamble.

He waved his hand, and all the data recorded by the Void Voyager appeared, including the footage of the mantis civilization being devoured,

the 'puppet city' of the Xirong Civilization, and finally the battle recording of that fierce clash, were all projected before everyone.

Upon seeing those thousands of hideous living warships and the dimension‑warping attacks they launched, which could twist space, the faces of Zhou Shaoqing and the other military bigwigs turned extremely grim.

And when Qin Hao explained that these were merely 'scouts',

they are a vast 'civilization symbiotic collective', pieced together from countless conquered civilizations, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.

This is a terrifying mode of consuming civilizations that they had never imagined!

'Finally, I engaged in a brief mental clash with their sub‑body.'

Qin Hao's voice was calm, as if he were recounting something unrelated to himself.

'An existence with the strength of a fifth‑level high‑tier civilization.'

'Boom!'

That sentence was like a mental nuclear bomb, detonating in everyone's minds!

'What?!'

Zhou Shaoqing sprang up from his seat, face full of disbelief, 'A fifth‑level high‑tier civilization?! You… you actually fought it?!'

Zhang Yunfeng's body also involuntarily trembled.

That is an existence one small stage higher than ourselves.

A slight mistake would mean the annihilation of the entire army.

Luo Lao's brows knitted as he looked at Qin Hao's pale face, his voice filled with lingering fear and worry.

'Do we… have a chance to win?'

This question voiced what everyone present was thinking.

Facing a fifth‑level high‑tier civilization, the gap is still considerable.

However, Qin Hao's answer was unexpected to everyone.

'Yes.'

He uttered just a single word, yet it was firm and resolute.

Qin Hao's gaze swept over the crowd, and he calmly analyzed:

'In terms of strength, that Devourer Sub‑body, although possessing a formidable will‑pressure, seems limited in power and has not reached true high‑tier levels.'

'Our current combined strength is only fifth‑level mid‑tier, but we are not without the power to fight.'

'More importantly, I have found their weakness.'

His voice carried a confidence that seemed to see through everything, instantly calming the panicked hearts of everyone.

'First, they are a highly centralized "symbiotic collective", with all actions relying on the unified command of the sub‑body consciousness.'

This means that once their command core is damaged, the enormous Devourer legion will fall into chaos, even collapse.

'Second, their living warships, while extremely adaptable and able to quickly develop immunity to known attacks,'

but conversely, their defense against weapons we have never encountered is almost zero!

Qin Hao looked at everyone and slowly laid out his plan.

'I have devised a three‑step strategy.'

"First step, infiltrate."

"We must, at the edge of the Andromeda, establish an absolutely secret 【bridgehead】!"

"A forward position that can accommodate a massive fleet and possesses instantaneous teleportation capability!"

"Second step, break the defense."

"The Academy must immediately concentrate all forces, and based on the data I brought back, fully develop new weapons targeting the Devourer's biological structure and energy characteristics!"

"I need more powerful dimensional weapons and mental weapons!"

"Third step, decisive battle."

"Commander Zhang, you are responsible for issuing the highest war mobilization order to the entire Milky Way Galaxy."

"Unite the strength of all civilizations to form an unprecedented 'Milky Way Galaxy United Fleet'!"

"We must be prepared for a prolonged war with the Devourer, even a civilization‑ending showdown!"

"Three‑step strategy, layered and decisive, clear and resolute."

"The concerns of the others in the conference room were swept away by this overwhelming confidence."

"In their eyes, fighting spirit reignited."

"Before anyone could recover from the shock, Qin Hao immediately issued the action order."

"'Dismissed.'"

"'Execute at once!'"

"Communications shut down."

"Qin Hao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the sting in his soul."

"He lingered not a moment, piloted the 'Void Walker' and returned to the star gate at the edge of the Solar System."

"A secret fleet of several thousand of the most advanced engineering vessels had already been waiting there."

"'Depart.'"

"The order given, the star gate opened."

"The massive fleet slipped silently into it."

"……"

"A few days later."

"At the edge of the Andromeda, within a barren, dark nebula."

"Qin Hao's fleet hovered there."

"He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the system."

"'System.'"

"'Using "Conceptual Construct", create a 【Space Folding Base】 here.'"

"'Requirements: external form a one‑kilometer‑diameter asteroid, internal folded space no less than 0.1 light‑year."

"Equipped with top‑tier energy and information concealment capabilities, able to house tens of millions of warships and hundreds of millions of people.'"

"【Command confirmed.】"

"【Conceptual Construct: Space Folding Base. Generating…】"

"【Energy consumption unit: 50 billion.】"

"'Confirmed.'"

"In the next instant, a force beyond mortal comprehension descended upon the void of the nebula."

"Space itself, like dough, was kneaded, folded, and compressed by an invisible giant hand."

"A plain, unremarkable asteroid materialized deep within the nebula."

"From the outside it was indistinguishable from the countless meteors scattered throughout the universe."

"But inside, it was a brand‑new world broader than the Solar System!"

"Qin Hao's will swept over the newly‑born base, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face."

"He immediately issued a new command."