[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-sss-rank-mother-in-law-to-an-invincible-family":3,"chapter-sss-rank-mother-in-law-to-an-invincible-family-sss-rank-mother-in-law-to-an-invincible-family-chapter-449":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","SSS rank Mother-In-Law to an Invincible Family",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1557280,2022,"Chapter 449: The Zerg Are Here Again","sss-rank-mother-in-law-to-an-invincible-family-chapter-449",449,"\u003Cp>Back in the Xu family subspace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua sat quietly in his study, surrounded by a soft, golden glow cast by the formation lights embedded into the walls. A thick stack of jade slips sat beside him, each one pulsing gently with stored reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been reading through them for hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Northern Continent: The cliffs held. The formations were working. Losses were minimal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Western Continent: The spirit cannon traps had triggered perfectly. They'd wiped out two waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eastern Continent: More chaotic, but the newly trained defense lines were holding strong. Jinhai City had even managed to repel a full battalion last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Southern Continent… well, that was something else entirely. It had become a graveyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed the last slip and leaned back slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was silent, save for the quiet hum of a crystal incense burner on the side table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the subspace sky was a soft lavender, dotted with floating stone lanterns drifting along preset paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was going as planned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua didn't smile, but there was a calm look in his eyes. Not relaxed. Just… settled. Like a general who knew his pieces were in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached for a cup of tea that had long gone cold, then paused as the family token beside him lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned toward it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The edges of the token shimmered with dark blue light—unusual. Not one of the regular departments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the center flared with a sharp silver arc.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A communication request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the symbol?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rising spear above a star cluster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Space Fleet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached over and tapped the token.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light expanded and floated above the desk, forming a small projection window that flickered for a moment before stabilizing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man appeared within the light—early forties in appearance, dark gray uniform, close-cut hair, and a silver insignia etched across his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood in what looked like a ship's command deck, with rows of cultivators and operators in the background. Most of the lights were dimmed, and red indicators blinked across the crystalline wall panels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Commander Jian Xu reporting in,\" the man said, giving a respectful nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua gave a small one in return. \"Jian. It's been a long time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too long,\" the man agreed, his voice low and focused. \"I wish this was a routine check-in. But it's not.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua's brows lowered slightly. \"Go ahead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian shifted, and the background behind him flickered to a different view—an external scan showing a patch of space covered in dark, spike-covered ships. They were shaped like jagged bones, long and twisted, floating in tight patrol patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Zerg,\" Jian said quietly. \"Their scouting fleets are becoming more active. We've been tracking three to four ships a cycle. But now…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waved his hand, and the screen expanded to show more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seventeen confirmed vessels in the outer region. Possibly more cloaked. They haven't found us yet but at this rate…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua's eyes stayed on the image. The ships moved like insects, drifting slowly but in a pattern—searching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're sure they haven't detected the planet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We've made certain,\" Jian said firmly. \"Our cloaking array is still layered with four folds of spiritual distortion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They can't scan through it unless they brute-force the zone—which would give us an early warning. We've even been masking our energy signals with drifting rocks and dead ship hulls.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what's the problem?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian didn't answer right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just stared at the projection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then finally said, \"The problem is the way they're moving. They're not just passing through. They're circling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua's jaw tightened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If they're circling, then they're not guessing. They're narrowing something down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's our guess, too. They don't know we're here. But they know something is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a long pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind Jian, the ship's lights dimmed even further. Warning flashes blinked softly in the background, and one of the officers could be heard muttering coordinates to someone out of view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua tapped his fingers on the desk once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then said, \"How long until they close in?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hard to say. A few months or a year or two at most. We've slowed their scans by redirecting them through our satellite mines, but that's not going to last. Eventually, they'll send a swarm ship.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if they do…\" Xu Qianghua said quietly, \"We won't be able to hide anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, Patriarch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Casualty estimates?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian gave a small breath. \"Minimal if things go as planned. Our traps are already in place—layered across three fallback zones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And our fleet outmatches theirs in tech and energy handling. These Zerg ships are fast, but they're not designed to deal with multi-phase spiritual traps.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua's eyes stayed on the spinning projection of the Zerg fleet. \"So you're confident.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We've run simulations. If we engage with the current fleet, we can take them out before they even realize what's happening. We might lose a drone or two. That's it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Xu Qianghua said, \"Do we have a fallback?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We've got three jump gates pre-charged. Two lead to uncharted systems. One leads into a nebula that interferes with spiritual navigation. We won't need them unless something goes very wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But if we fight…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian nodded firmly. \"We win. The only risk is if they send a command-class bio ship without warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that happens, we'll need someone with the strength to match it head-on. Those things aren't just ships—they're living war machines.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua nodded slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll send word to Hu Liwei. She's managing the southern deployment. I'll pull one of her upper-tier units and assign them to your side. Until then, maintain silence. No sudden moves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian gave a crisp bow. \"Understood.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just before the call ended, Xu Qianghua said quietly, \"Jian.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, Patriarch?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If—by chance—they do break through, and you're left with no options, stall them. Don't let them trace anything back here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian paused. \"You won't need to give that order, Patriarch. We'll stop them at the edge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with that, the call ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Qianghua was left in silence again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced once more toward the ceiling of the subspace chamber—where the stars shimmered faintly above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The battlefield wasn't just on land anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It never was.\u003C\u002Fp>",1047,"2026-06-06T07:39:11.974Z",1,"novelbin.me","782c38724cebd435795bd04065b904b01a2aedac482d2347a1c8b60e5d415f9d","sss-rank-mother-in-law-to-an-invincible-family-chapter-335","sss-rank-mother-in-law-to-an-invincible-family-chapter-334",485,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fsss-rank-mother-in-law-to-an-invincible-family-cover.jpg"]