Chapter 404: Hunter and Prey

"Hahaha! You scum of the Yanhuang Civilization, obediently stop your ships and surrender!"

"Hand over your dimensional engine technology, and I, the great lord, might spare your lives!"

On the public channel, the raiders' arrogant shouts filled the air.

Tens of millions of ferocious warships, their pitch-black muzzles aimed, had all been trained on the besieged Yanhuang convoy.

In their view, this convoy with weak escort forces was already in their pocket.

A victory without any doubt was about to be secured.

However, faced with this sudden encirclement, the Yanhuang convoy's response exceeded all the raiders' expectations.

Those several million transport ships and hundreds of thousands of escort ships continued to maintain a steady sailing posture, as if they hadn't noticed the surrounding enemies.

"Huh? Are these guys scared stupid?"

The raider leader, that three-eyed giant, furrowed his brow in confusion.

His adjutant beside him also felt something was off: "Boss, the situation is a bit weird."

"Who cares if it's weird!"

The three-eyed giant quickly dispelled his doubts, a cruel smile spreading across his face: "Since they won't surrender, let's first blow away tens of thousands of their escort ships to teach them a lesson!"

"All warships, first volley, target: enemy escort ships!"

"Open—"

Before the word "fire" could even be spoken,

An anomaly suddenly occurred!

All that could be seen was that the seemingly defenseless Yanhuang escort ships and those clumsy transport vessels underwent a change in their hulls.

Beneath the disguise lay ferocious muzzles and a sleek, aesthetically pleasing hull.

That was hardly any merchant or escort ship!

Clearly, they were warships armed to the teeth!

"Uh-oh! It's a trap!"

The three-eyed giant's pupils contracted sharply, realizing something was wrong.

But it was already too late.

At the moment the disguise was lifted, the weapons systems of millions of Ghost-class battleships activated simultaneously.

They did not fire ordinary space cannons.

But rather, a series of silver-white torpedoes, each about the size of an arm.

"What the heck is that?"

The raiders hadn't even reacted yet.

These torpedoes had already crossed the vast distance at a speed beyond their comprehension.

They did not attack the raiders' warships' shields, nor their armor.

But instead… they simply vanished in place.

The next second, inside the raiders' fleet, those torpedoes materialized out of thin air!

They bypassed layer after layer of defenses, appearing directly in the enemy ships' engine rooms, ammo magazines, and even the bridges!

"Dimensional Jump Torpedo!"

This is a new concept weapon developed by Qian Yin's team based on the latest dimensional theory.

It can perform short-range dimensional jumps that ignore physical obstacles, striking straight at the enemy's most vulnerable internals!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions suddenly erupted inside the raiders' fleet.

Warship after warship burst open from within, turning into dazzling balls of fire.

In just a single encounter, the raiders' fleet lost nearly a third of its strength!

"Retreat! Retreat quickly! We've been tricked!"

The three-eyed giant was terrified out of his wits, roaring madly as he ordered the fleet to fall back.

The remaining raider warships, like headless flies, swarmed in chaos, trying to escape this deadly zone.

However, the Ghost Fleet gave them no such chance.

Second and third waves of Dimensional Jump Torpedoes came one after another.

Flames of explosions flared up and down amidst the dark cosmos.

Just as the raiders' fleet was about to collapse, an even more despairing scene unfolded.

Along their retreat route, spatial ripples spread outward.

An immensely massive ship, exuding a king-like majesty, slowly descended from higher-dimensional space.

It was none other than the Pioneer!

"The game, it's time to end."

On the bridge, Qin Hao watched the panicked fleeing raider warships, his eyes icy.

He raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.

"No-Fly Zone, activate."

Hum—

An invisible wave, centered on the Pioneer, instantly spread outward.

This wave was a small-scale rule weapon Qin Hao created by using the system to directly copy and enhance the Overlord clone's "rule-defining" ability.

Its function is singular.

It defines the rule within this space: any unauthorized faster-than-light engine is prohibited from activating!

In an instant.

All the marauder warships that were frantically fleeing had their engines, as if seized by an invisible giant hand, instantly shut down.

The entire fleet, as if hit by a pause button, eerily froze in place.

All the marauders horrifiedly discovered that their warships had lost all power.

They could only drift like floating iron coffins, helplessly sliding through space.

"What... what kind of power is this?"

"God... it's the power of a god!"

"We've provoked an existence we shouldn't have!"

Despair and fear completely destroyed the marauders' will.

"Nangong Lin."

Qin Hao's voice sounded over the comm channel.

"Here."

"Wipe out most of them, leave one flagship, and bring their leader to me alive."

"Understood."

Nangong Lin's cold, clear voice fell.

A fleet composed of warships specialized in mental power emerged from the shadows of the flank.

An invisible mental shock swept over the immobilized marauder warships.

Next, the lights of the warships went out one after another.

Inside, the crew, silently and without a sound, had their consciousness stripped away, falling into eternal sleep.

The whole process was clean and swift.

A few minutes later.

Only a lone flagship remained, still drifting in place.

A squad of Yanhuang soldiers easily boarded the defenseless warship.

Soon, the towering, once invincible three-eyed giant leader, like a dead dog, was dragged onto the bridge of the Pioneer and thrown at Qin Hao's feet.

His remaining eye was filled with endless fear.

"Spare... spare my life... lord, spare my life..."

He knelt on the ground, his body trembling like a sieve.

Qin Hao looked down at him, his eyes devoid of any ripple.

"Who sent you here?"

"I... I can't say..." the three-eyed giant still wanted to retain a last shred of pride.

Qin Hao smiled.

"It seems you still haven't grasped your situation."

He extended a finger and lightly tapped the three-eyed giant's forehead.

"Soul Search."

Hum!

A vast surge of mental power instantly flooded the three-eyed giant's mind.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream echoed throughout the bridge.

The three-eyed giant's memories flashed through Qin Hao's mind, scene by scene.

He saw the conspiracy in the darkness.

He saw the massive shadow known as the Shadow Sovereign.

He saw the entire process of their transaction.

A few seconds later, Qin Hao withdrew his finger.

Meanwhile, the three-eyed giant was already foaming at the mouth, his gaze scattered, completely turned into an idiot.

"Shadow Sovereign..."

Qin Hao softly uttered that name from his lips.

Killer intent shone fully in his eyes.

"The high-ranking conservatives of the Laya Council... very good."

"I originally wanted to play with you slowly, but since you've stretched out your faces yourselves."

"Then I won't hold back."

He turned and gave an order to Zhou Shaoqing.

"Clean up the battlefield, gather all evidence."

"Then set the course."

"Target—Laya Council headquarters!"

"This time, I'll go in person and demand an explanation from them!"