Chapter 357: Sixth-level Civilization, Truth

In the virtual-real simulation scene, Luo Lao, Zhang Yunfeng, Qian Yin, Zhou Shaoqing……

And Bi Jalie and Ke Huang, who are far at the two ends of the Milky Way Galaxy, all attended the meeting.

Everyone's faces showed the excitement and fatigue from just having experienced a great victory.

But when they saw Qin Hao's slightly pale face with faint bloodshot eyes, all excitement subsided.

It was replaced by an instinctive unease.

They sensed that something that would change everything was about to happen.

"Everyone here?"

Qin Hao's voice broke the silence.

"All here."

Luo Lao nodded, hesitated a moment, then asked, "Xiao Qin, how is your body……"

"No problem."

Qin Hao waved his hand, cutting off the other's concern.

"Time is pressing; let's get straight to the point."

He stood up and walked to the center of the conference table.

He raised his hand and lightly pressed into the void.

"Hum——"

A massive holographic projection instantly unfolded in the center of the meeting room.

It was an extremely complex three-dimensional star map composed of countless points and lines.

At the center of the star map was a huge vortex emitting purple light.

Around the vortex, countless galaxies, like prey entangled in a spiderweb, were densely distributed.

"What is this?"

Zhang Yunfeng furrowed his brows.

"This is information I extracted from the consciousness core of a Devourer sub-body."

Qin Hao's voice had no emotional fluctuation.

"About the truth of the Devourer civilization."

"And…… the true enemy we will face in the future."

The words fell.

The star map began to change.

The viewpoint kept pulling back, then pulling back further.

Those galaxies that originally looked densely packed became ever smaller as the viewpoint stretched.

Finally, a scene that made everyone feel suffocating appeared.

It was a massive structure.

The Virgo Supercluster, with a diameter exceeding one hundred million light-years, appeared before everyone in a symmetrical structure.

And at a certain point in this structure, a line of golden text appeared.

【Overlord】

【Sixth-level Civilization】

【Dominion: Virgo Supercluster】

The meeting room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared fixedly at that line of text, their minds blank.

Sixth-level Civilization?

Virgo Supercluster?

Qin Hao gave them no time to react, continuing to control the star map.

The image changed again.

The viewpoint focused on two points of light at the edge of the supercluster.

They were two points of light so insignificant within the supercluster as to be almost invisible.

The points of light were magnified.

They turned out to be…… the Milky Way Galaxy and the Andromeda Galaxy.

"We are here."

Qin Hao pointed at the position of the Milky Way.

Then his finger slid toward that purple vortex.

"And our enemy is here."

"The distance from us is about sixty million light-years."

Sixty million light-years.

For an ordinary civilization, this is an unimaginable distance.

But for a fifth-level civilization that has mastered dimensional shuttling and black hole engines, this distance is not insurmountable.

Moreover, the other side is a sixth-level civilization.

"In the Overlord's cognition, these galaxies where we reside are not the home of civilization."

Qin Hao's voice was ice-cold, like the abyss.

"But rather…… its pasture."

"A pasture?"

Luo Lao muttered the word repeatedly, his face turning extremely grim.

Qin Hao nodded.

The star map changed again.

This time, countless fleets of biological ships resembling the Devourer appeared, shuttling, devouring, and harvesting in different galaxies.

"The Devourer civilization is essentially a tool created by the Overlord."

"Their purpose is, within the Overlord's domain, to find suitable galaxies, establish nests, and then expand wildly."

"They devour civilizations' knowledge, technology, energy… even souls."

"Finally, these essences are conveyed to the Overlord through a special means."

"And the Overlord will then reward them with greater power, making them more efficient."

"This is a perfect ecological cycle that feeds on civilizations."

Every word Qin Hao spoke was like a heavy hammer, smashing hard into everyone's hearts.

"In other words…"

Zhang Yunfeng's voice was extremely dry and hoarse.

"We… are merely livestock raised in captivity?"

"That can be understood that way."

Qin Hao answered calmly.

"Boom—"

It was as if a thunderclap exploded in everyone's minds.

Luo Lao sprang up from his seat, his palms pressing hard onto the table, veins bulging.

"How… how is this possible?!"

His voice trembled violently from anger and disbelief.

"We have developed for so long, we have built countless civilizational orders, we have had many glories!"

"In the end, all of this is merely… food in others' eyes?!"

No one answered him.

Because everyone was enduring the same shock.

Zhang Yunfeng's fists were clenched tight, his knuckles whitening.

The immense joy and pride from just having defeated the Devourer Sub-body were crushed to dust in this moment.

They thought they had won a great victory.

But they didn't realize that, in the eyes of higher beings, this victory was nothing more than livestock in a farm knocking over a feeding trough.

Bi Jiale and Ke Huang, the two emperors who once ruled the Milky Way Galaxy for millions of years, now also showed fear stemming from the instinct of life.

Their civilization had once been the hegemon of the Milky Way Galaxy.

But now they know that everything they prided themselves on is, in the Overlord's eyes, not even worth a speck of dust.

A senior officer muttered helplessly, his voice full of weakness.

"A sixth-level civilization… ruling the Virgo Supercluster… with a domain of over a hundred million light-years!"

"What can we use to fight back?"

"There is simply no hope…"

His words voiced everyone's worries.

"Yes."

A fifth-level civilization is already an invincible existence in the Milky Way Galaxy.

And a sixth-level civilization is a terrifying existence that surpasses an entire galaxy, ruling over tens of thousands of galaxies.

The gap between them is far greater than that between an ant and a star.

"How do we fight?"

"What do we fight with?"

"Enough!"

A furious shout broke everyone's train of thought.

Qin Hao slammed the table hard, producing a loud bang.

Everyone was startled awake by that sound and turned to look at him in unison.

"Hope isn't given by others; it's forged by ourselves!"

Qin Hao's voice, like a great bell, instantly dispelled everyone's worries.

He rose to his feet, his eyes like lightning, sweeping over each person.

"The enemy is strong, stronger than imagination. But that doesn't mean we have no hope!"

"The Yanhuang Civilization rose from obscurity; when has it ever feared a powerful foe?"

"We were once merely a weak civilization confined to our home planet, not even having entered the space age."

"But now?"

"We have unified the Milky Way Galaxy, we have defeated the Devourer Sub-body, and we have entered the ranks of fifth-level civilizations."

"Who gave us all this?"

"It's us ourselves! It's been forged step by step with countless blood and sacrifice!"

Qin Hao's words, like a blazing fire, ignited the fighting spirit in everyone's bones.

In Lao Luo's eyes, the light reignited.

Zhang Yunfeng's fists relaxed, then clenched again—this time not with despair, but with fighting spirit.

I will tell you this truth, not to make you despair.

Qin Hao's voice became extremely firm.

But I want you to understand that our war has just begun!

The enemy is strong, but they are not invincible.

We still have time, we still have hope.

From now on, there is only one goal—survive! Survive at any cost!

As long as we live, there is a chance to turn the tide!

As long as we live, there is hope!

His words were like war drums, beating on everyone's hearts.

The atmosphere in the meeting room began to change.

Despair was transformed into a frenzied, do-or-die fighting spirit.

Luo Lao took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

"Xiao Qin, tell us—what should we do?"

Qin Hao's gaze fell on the star map, at the position marked 【Dark Abyss Nest】.

"First step."

"In the deepest part of the 【Dark Abyss Nest】, there is a dimensional rift connected to the 【Overlord】."

"I will go alone and, before the 【Overlord】 notices the Andromeda star system, completely destroy that rift."

"For the Yanhuang Civilization, strive to gain precious development time."

His words trailed off.

The meeting room fell into silence again.

But this silence was one of thought.

Luo Lao and Zhang Yunfeng exchanged a glance; unusually, they did not immediately object, and both saw worry in each other's eyes.

Because they knew Qin Hao was right.