Chapter 49 War Conference

Academician Wang's thought-provoking speech once again made the atmosphere in the entire Command Center heavy yet impassioned.

"A living creature that feeds on the universe..."

"The constantly evolving Void Devourer..."

These cold and cruel truths, unearthed from the ashilya database, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, causing the relief and optimism they had just felt following the birth of the "ghost" to vanish completely.

Indeed, it is like sailing against the current; if you do not advance, you retreat.

They could no longer use the old approach of "steady, step-by-step progress" to deal with this survival crisis that had escalated to a "cosmic level."

"I agree with Academician Wang's opinion."

This time, the first person to stand up in support was surprisingly the Minister of Security, who had always advocated for caution.

His resolute face was now filled with determination.

"Since this is a war, there is no reason to retreat. If we blindly hide in the 'novice village' to grind for gear, by the time we go out, the 'BOSS' outside might have already leveled up to a point we cannot defeat."

"The performance of the 'Ghost' far exceeds our imagination. Its high mobility, high stealth, and the newly added Kinetic Deflection Field and 'self-repair' capabilities were born for high-intensity, high-risk exploration missions. Using it in low-intensity environments like the Ghost Route is simply a waste!"

"Therefore, I suggest we go directly to the giant beast skeleton! We must figure out, in the shortest possible time, just how powerful our future enemies are!"

The Minister of Security's change of heart surprised many, but it also strengthened the resolve of even more people.

If even the most conservative and safety-conscious person had decided to "draw their sword," what else did they have to hesitate about?

"I agree too!"

"Let's do it! Isn't it just a bigger corpse? We've even extracted the souls of aliens, so what are we afraid of?"

"That's right! Fortune favors the bold! For immortality... no, for the continuation of civilization! Let's go all out!"

The atmosphere in the conference room was impassioned.

Chen Weiguo watched all of this and nodded with satisfaction.

He knew that after experiencing several life-and-death tests and ideological shocks, this scavenger project team he had personally built had truly been forged into an invincible sword.

They were no longer just scientists, engineers, and soldiers.

They were the "sword-wielders" of civilization.

"Good!" Chen Weiguo stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Since everyone is in agreement, then our next target is—Sector 003, the giant beast skeleton!"

"Orders!"

"Intelligence Analysis Department, immediately formulate a new operational plan within 48 hours based on the known information about the giant beast skeleton, combined with all data on 'biological civilizations' from the ashilya database!"

"Technical Support Department, conduct one final, high-intensity stress test on all systems of the 'Ghost'! Ensure it enters the battlefield in perfect condition!"

"Medical Team, immediately establish a special research group to address the 'mental contamination' that may appear in the new area! I want you to work with the Technology Department to build the strongest 'mental shield' for Comrade Lin Yuan!"

"All departments, start operating at full capacity around the new operation codenamed 'skeleton'!"

"Yes!"

...

Once the orders were given, the entire base once again became a precision war machine operating at high speed.

And Lin Yuan, as the "spearhead" of this war, was once again pushed to the forefront.

This time, he didn't need to attend those boring "remedial classes" anymore.

He was invited directly into the operational meeting room, where he participated in the formulation of the operational plan as the most important "technical expert."

"Based on the information provided by the system and the data in the ashilya database, we have made several preliminary speculations about the giant beast skeleton."

The head of the Intelligence Analysis Department stood before a huge holographic star map.

In the center of the star map, it was no longer the scattered debris field from before.

But rather... a three-dimensional model of a creature so huge it could not be described in words, like a creation beast from mythology.

This model was forcibly pieced together by the Intelligence Analysis Department based on system descriptions and the sporadic data about the biological mother nest that Lin Yuan had "translated" from the database.

It looked like a deep-sea giant louse, magnified billions of times, covered in countless tentacles and armor.

Its body was curled into a huge sphere, with a bumpy surface covered in countless huge holes, like craters.

"Three thousand kilometers in diameter..." Lin Yuan looked at the model, still feeling a bit of scalp-tingling dread. "How big must this thing have been when it was alive?"

"Immeasurable." Academician Wang shook his head, his eyes filled with awe. "It might only need to extend one tentacle to easily crush a planet like Earth."

"We speculate that this 'skeleton' is the 'mother nest' of this biological civilization, and also their... 'planet'."

"They are a civilization that wanders the universe with the mother nest as their carrier. The mother nest is their home, their city, their everything."

"And our mission this time is to enter the interior of this 'corpse' to search for the 'legacy' of their civilization."

The department head marked several red, highlighted areas on the huge model.

"According to the ashilya data, the most important core areas of a biological mother nest are usually these few places."

"First, the 'Hatching Nest.' That is where they reproduce their offspring, and it is very likely to contain the most primitive and pure genetic samples."

"Second, the 'Neural Hub.' That is the 'brain' of the mother nest and the wisdom core of the entire civilization. If we can find it, we might be able to obtain knowledge billions of times greater than the ashilya database."

"Third, the 'Energy Core.' Every living creature needs energy. Such a massive mother nest, its 'heart,' or rather 'stomach,' must contain energy secrets we cannot imagine."

"These three places are the primary targets of our mission."

"However," the department head's tone shifted, his expression becoming serious, "these three places are also inevitably the most dangerous."

He marked "?" signs on the model that emitted an ominous red light.

"'Mental Contamination.' This is the first and greatest threat we face. For such a massive creature, the resentment, unwillingness, and pain generated at the time of its death would form a powerful mental field that has persisted for countless millennia. Once deep inside, Comrade Lin Yuan's consciousness is very likely to be contaminated and eroded by these negative emotions, or even... possessed."

"Secondly, there are the 'Native Predators.'"

"Such a massive corpse in the universe is, in itself, a complete ecosystem. Inside, countless monsters that feed on this corpse, which we know nothing about, must have bred. They might be lurking in every corner of the corpse."

"Finally, there are our most familiar 'old friends'—the Void Devourer."

"According to the system's prompt, the 'Void Devourer' here are 'special variants.' We speculate that they have undergone some kind of mutation we are unaware of due to long-term consumption of the flesh and blood of this 'giant beast.' They might be more cunning and lethal than the ones we encountered on the Ghost Route."

After listening to the department head's analysis, everyone in the conference room felt immense pressure.

This damn place is basically a super horror dungeon that combines Resident Evil, Alien, and Cthulhu Mythos!

"In response to these threats, we have formulated three contingency plans."

"Plan A, 'Dip and Run.' We will only operate on the surface of the giant beast skeleton, utilizing the 'Ghost's' powerful scanning capabilities to explore those smaller, exposed damaged areas. We will not go deep, we will not be greedy, and we will focus on gathering intelligence and testing the performance of new drones."

"Plan B, 'Surgical Strike.' We will lock onto a target that seems to have the highest value and relatively controllable risks based on the scan results—for example, an independent chamber that looks like a small laboratory or warehouse. Then we will plan the shortest route for you to head straight for the target, grab the item, and run."

"Plan C, 'Bloom from the Center.' This is a... the most daring and craziest plan."

The department head's finger pointed to the very center of the huge corpse, the area marked as the "Energy Core."

"We abandon all other targets directly and use the fastest speed to break into the deepest part of the giant beast skeleton, straight to its 'heart'! We are betting that the energy core of a biological civilization will itself generate a powerful biological force field that repels all other outsiders! That place is likely the safest spot in the entire corpse! Just like that 'Safe Zone' on the Ghost Route!"

The three plans were increasingly radical and increasingly crazy.

Everyone's gaze once again converged on Lin Yuan.

This time, no one treated him as a "mascot" that needed to be protected.

He was the commander-in-chief of this war.