Chapter 483: What's there to panic about, just follow the script!

The moment he saw the sender, the Inspector felt his soul's core about to explode.

Supreme Chairman, Lord of Terminus!

That being, the strongest existence who has been a 'living fossil' at the Alliance headquarters for hundreds of millions of years,

Actually, he personally messaged him?

In the past, this was simply unthinkable.

"Looks like these old monsters have a keen sense of smell."

Qin Hao's calm voice sounded from beside him, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

The Inspector drew a deep breath, desperately suppressing the tremor that sprang from his very instincts.

He knew full well that every second to come was a dance on the blade's edge—one slip and it would be eternal doom.

"Answer it."

Qin Hao casually waved his hand, his tone relaxed as if he were directing a rehearsal.

"What's there to panic about? Just follow the script we rehearsed. Don't forget, you're now the Alliance's special envoy in control of everything—show some 'I'm the greatest under heaven' aura."

"Understood."

The Inspector forced his mind to steady and connected the call.

There was no holographic image, only a vast, icy will devoid of any emotion,

that descended directly and overbearingly into his thoughts and consciousness.

【Temporal Officer】

Just those three words—the terrifying authority of a ninth‑level civilization—made the Inspector, an eighth‑level powerhouse, feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, his thoughts on the verge of freezing.

【Your report has been read.】

The Lord of Terminus's will continued to echo: '【Well done. That tool capable of assimilating zero‑point energy is indeed interesting.】'

"Worrying for the Alliance is my duty."

The Inspector quickly slipped into role, his tone carrying just the right hint of proud composure.

【Resource and tech requests approved. The first batch of support fleets will arrive in standard time one month later.】

"Good."

The Inspector's brief, concise response perfectly embodied the image of a minister who, though a subordinate, had earned great merit and need not be overly humble.

However, the Lord of Terminus's next thought struck like a heavy hammer, slamming hard against his chest.

【Regarding this Yanhuang Civilization, are you sure they've only grasped the basics? They aren't hiding something… deeper, are they?】

【Here it comes!】

【Death probe!】

The Inspector's mind raced wildly, but the mental fluctuations he projected on the surface were full of impatience and contempt.

"Secrets? What could a bunch of primitive monkeys that haven't even evolved their life forms possibly hide?"

He let out a scornful snort.

"Their tech path is a hodgepodge, like throwing whatever they pick up from the trash onto themselves.

"I've tested that assimilation technique—it's extremely unstable, with horrendous side effects; a slight misstep triggers a backlash from the rules. It's only fit for handling minor troubles in the boondocks of the frontier, nowhere near the main stage."

"If I didn't see some utilitarian value in it, I would have already activated the Causality Law weapon and one‑click reformatted this restless civilization."

These words were half‑true, half‑false, both taking a jab at the Yanhuang Civilization,

and reinforcing his own persona of being aloof and in control of the whole situation.

【Is that so?】

The Lord of Terminus's will paused for a moment, as if scrutinizing.

【Causality system alert: not long ago, the G‑37 branch detected a ninth‑level intensity fluctuation—you'd better not tell me you didn't know about it.】

The Inspector's heart skipped a beat.

But he reacted extremely quickly, almost instinctively firing back a counter‑question.

"A ninth‑level fluctuation? Of course I know."

He gave a cold snort, his tone full of disdain for making a fuss:

"That was me deliberately guiding a high‑intensity rule clash to test the limits of the assimilation technique.

"The scene did get a bit out of hand, but everything was under my absolute control. So what? Are you telling me headquarters is now so idle that it has to personally interrogate every experimental error?"

That move of swapping concepts was executed slickly—it not only explained the alarm's source but also turned the tables,

showing his dissatisfaction with headquarters' micromanaging.

Such an audacious blame‑shifting attitude actually makes doubts easiest to dispel.

【……】

The Lord of Terminus fell once more into a death‑like silence.

That silence pressed down on him like a billion‑year‑deep ocean, making it hard for the Inspector to breathe, as if his soul were being repeatedly kneaded and pierced.

He didn't know whether they believed him, so he could only grit his teeth and stubbornly maintain that arrogant façade.

Meanwhile, Qin Hao beside him was frantically parsing all the hidden data behind the communication through the system.

【Host! Detected within the communication stream an extremely covert causality probe, now back‑tracing the Inspector's recent behavioral trajectory!】

【That probe has been intercepted by the collective soul network forged from the Xuanyuan Sword, and its logic has been altered.】

【High‑energy warning! Parsed high‑frequency keywords from the other's subconscious information stream: Judgment Fleet, King of the Star Sea, Court of Truth, Erasure, Forced Severance…】

【Conclusion: they don't believe a word of it. This is just a smokescreen! A catastrophe‑level military operation has already been launched!】

As expected, an old fox.

Qin Hao's eyes turned icy, yet the corner of his mouth curled up.

These old monsters that have lived through countless ages—how could they possibly be fooled by just a few words?

Fortunately I kept a trick up my sleeve, using the Xuanyuan Sword's causal shielding function to forge a perfect past for the Inspector; otherwise that probe just now would have given us away.

"Looks, the old fogeys at your headquarters have serious paranoia."

Qin Hao directly flung the analysis results at the Inspector.

Upon seeing the data, the Inspector's soul core instantly turned icy.

The Judgment Fleet?!

And two ninth-level big shots are personally leading the team?!

How is this support?!

This is about utterly obliterating the entire G-37 branch—people and star system alike—on both physical and conceptual levels!

【Very good.】

At this moment, the will of the Lord of Terminus sounded again, with no discernible emotion.

【Since everything is under your control, continue your experiment.】

【One month later, the support fleet will arrive on schedule. Then, I want to see a complete core principle report.】

【Don't let me down, Chronology Officer.】

As the words fell, that terrifying will instantly withdrew.

The communication was cut off.

The Inspector felt as if his spine had been ripped out; he shuddered, weak all over, his voice trembling: "He... does this count as him believing?"

"Believe? You're overthinking."

Qin Hao shook his head, a cold light flashing in his eyes as he saw through everything.

"He just wants to steady you, let you and us lower our guard so they can close in and kill us."

"They say they're sending support, but actually they're sending a funeral squad!"

Qin Hao rose, walked to the temple's edge, and overlooked the vibrant, frenziedly evolving energy garden outside.

"One month of preparation time?"

"Enough."

He turned, saw the Inspector scared witless, and suddenly smiled—a bright yet dangerous smile.

"Since they want to watch a show, let's set up the most luxurious banquet for them."

"By the way, my Miracle Garden is lovely but still needs a few weighty statues to guard the place. Ninth-level civilization big shots should make durable statues, right?"