Chapter 408: Council's Call for Rescue

After the meeting ended, Qin Hao opened the system panel.

【Energy Units balance: hundred quintillion.】

Looking at the long string of numbers, Qin Hao felt no trace of a nouveau‑rich's joy.

This is his entire net worth now.

"System, give the price for duplicating the finished Heaven‑Repair Device."

【Heaven‑Repair Device: a mature technology derived from analysis of the 'Dimension Ascender' relic, capable of generating a small absolute domain, immune to conventional dimensional‑reduction attacks and meme contamination. Unit price: 10 billion Energy Units.】

Ten thousand units per unit, sounds cheap.

But how many warships does the Yanhuang Civilization have now?

The Shenwei Fourth‑Generation Flagships, plus the Ghost‑class Special Ships currently being outfitted, total over ten trillion vessels.

That is an astronomical figure.

"If we don't duplicate the finished product, at Qian Yin's current pace they won't be able to manufacture it within a year."

Qin Hao rubbed his temples.

"Never mind, Energy Points are meant to be used."

Thinking that, Qin Hao's expression changed, "System, allocate ninety percent of Energy, duplicate the product."

【Command confirmed……】

【Deducting 90% of Energy Points reserve……】

【Batch‑materializing the 'Heaven‑Repair' device……】

In the next instant, devices materialized out of thin air inside Qin Hao's personal space ring.

And his Energy reserve shrank by nine‑tenths.

A night's loss back to the pre‑liberation era.

"Hope it makes a sound," Qin Hao said with a self‑deprecating grin.

……

Half an hour later, Qian Yin was called over by Qin Hao.

When she saw those pieces of equipment, the Yanhuang Civilization's chief dimensional scientist froze on the spot.

Her eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost.

No, it was even more exaggerated than seeing a ghost.

She immediately took one out and began to examine it closely.

"Th… is this a finished product?"

Qian Yin snapped her head toward Qin Hao, her voice changing tone,

"Our theoretical model has only just reached forty percent! We haven't even solved the prototype issues, yet here… how can there be so many finished products?!"

"Some things are troublesome to explain."

Qin Hao didn't fabricate any lie, just looked at her calmly,

"You only need to know that I paid a huge price for these."

Indeed, it was huge.

That's ninety percent of the Energy Points!

Seeing Qin Hao's seemingly carefree yet faintly pained expression, the clever Qian Yin immediately fell silent.

She recalled the endless miracles surrounding Qin Hao.

This man harbors a great secret.

"I understand."

Qian Yin took a deep breath, her gaze sharpening again,

"With these, I can turn every warship into a mobile dimensional fortress."

"How long will it take?"

"Three months."

Qian Yin said firmly,

"As long as we connect the core to the engine, the remaining integration work can be handed to the industrial mother‑machine fleet; within three months, the whole fleet will be equipped!"

Qin Hao nodded, "Go ahead, don't hold back; if it breaks, we have more."

Though he said so, his heart was bleeding inside.

……

Time, in the dead silence of space, is both the cheapest and the most costly thing.

One year later.

The Tranquil Sea was completely sealed off.

Every planet, every warship, was fitted with that device called "Heaven‑Repair".

Throughout the civilization, a suffocating aura of lethal solemnity spread.

Everyone knows a crisis is coming.

Beyond the Tranquil Sea.

At the edge of the Laniakea Supercluster.

This is the region known as the "Wasteland Realm", where stars are sparse and most of the area is pitch‑black vacuum.

A patrol ship from the "Watcher Civilization" was idly carrying out a routine scan in this region.

"How much longer do we have to stay here?"

The pilot yawned, staring at the unchanging speck of noise on the radar.

Hasn't that Yanhuang Civilization said the Overlord is coming? It's almost been a year, and I haven't even seen a ghost.

The deputy officer rolled their eyes:

You believe that nonsense too? It's just an excuse by Qin Hao, that dictator, to get more resources. The bigwigs in the council all said it's political fraud.

Yeah, if there really were such a terrifying enemy, our warships...

The pilot's words weren't finished.

Suddenly.

There was no warning.

All the lights on the bridge went out in an instant.

No, they weren't extinguished.

They disappeared.

Including the backup power indicator lights, including the starlight outside the window.

"What's going on? Engine failure?"

The deputy officer shouted in panic, reaching out to touch the control panel.

But he grasped at nothing.

That feeling was very strange—not that he couldn't feel anything, but his hand… seemed not to exist.

He wanted to lower his head to look at his own body.

But the visual signal was cut off.

Next came hearing, touch, and even his sense of self.

In that moment.

This patrol ship, along with its crew and all matter within several light-years around it.

Was lightly erased by an invisible "eraser".

It was simply a shift from "existence" to "non-existence".

This strange disappearance did not stop.

It spread like a drop of ink falling into clear water, at a speed exceeding light, wildly invading the heart of Laniakea.

A star was swallowed.

The next second, a star system vanished.

The next second, a nebula returned to nothingness.

……

Lanya Council headquarters.

A piercing red alarm blared like crazy.

"What's going on! Why did all the signals from the frontier star region cut off?!"

The Sky Survey Chairman rushed into the command hall.

"I... I don't know!"

The operator's face turned pale as he watched large swaths of the star map turn black before his eyes,

"It's not that the signals are cut off…… it's that…… that place…… is gone!"

"What does 'gone' mean?"

"It's gone! Matter, energy, spatial coordinates…… all disappeared!"

"It's as if…… it never existed at all!"

On the big screen in the command hall, the last image sent back was playing.

It was a pure black.

It wasn't the black of a black hole that swallows light, but a void where even the concept of 'black' does not exist.

It was devouring everything at a desperate speed.

At this rate.

If not stopped, within at most a few months the entire territory of the Lanya Council will become a darkness.

"Zeroing out…… this is zeroing out!"

The representative of the Crystal Armor Civilization, that hardnut who a year ago was still arrogantly claiming Qin Hao was spreading rumors, only now remembered this.

"It's true…… Qin Hao was telling the truth!"

"The Overlord has come! He really has come!"

Fear spread through the council hall.

All arrogance, all luck, were utterly shattered at this moment.

Their proud fleet, facing that "zeroing out" strike, didn't even have a chance to fire.

"How do you attack an enemy that can erase even the concept of 'attack'?"

"Hurry! Contact the Yanhuang Civilization!"

The Sky Survey Chairman almost roared as he shouted these words, "Contact Qin Hao! No matter the cost, get him to act!"

The Sky Survey is anxious.

He knew that the only thing that could save them now was the Yanhuang Civilization they had once considered unfriendly.

……

Yanhuang Heavenly Court, the bridge of the Explorer.

Qin Hao sat in the command chair, holding a cup of steaming tea.

On the big screen, half showed that it was the rapidly spreading "Void",

The other half is those several hundred communication requests from the La Ya Council, red to the point of turning purple.

Tsk, really persistent.

Nangong Lin stood to the side, watching those jumping data, a hint of mockery appearing on their cold, beautiful face.

"A year ago they were still calling us frauds, and now they're begging for help faster than anyone."

"Human nature, eh? Whether carbon-based or silicon-based lifeforms, fear of death is a common ailment."

Qin Hao gently blew on the tea foam, not in a hurry.

"Not taking it?" Zhou Shaoqing asked, "If the council really collapses, we'll lose a layer of meat shield."

"Answer it, of course we should."

Qin Hao set down the teacup, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile, "But we need to let them suffer a bit longer."

"Only when they truly feel despair will they understand just who is the master of this starry sky."

Another ten minutes passed.

When that void had already devoured the territories of three fourth-level civilizations.

Qin Hao then slowly raised his hand and pressed the answer button.

Hum—

The screen lit up.

Xun Tian's face, filled with despair and anxiety, instantly filled the screen.

Before Qin Hao could speak, the Supreme Leader of the La Ya Council almost shouted in a pleading tone:

"Mr. Qin Hao! Save us! Please… save us!"

"Our fleet… simply can't stop it!"