314: Chapter 315 Your Highest Technology is My Megaphone

"What's going on?"

"Restart it! Quick, restart it!"

Director Gao Yuan's voice had changed pitch as he frantically slapped the control console.

But it was too late.

The soaring purple pillar of light merely trembled before turning into an ominous, inky black. A cold and malicious aura descended from an unknown place along the pillar.

In an instant, dark clouds covered the sky, with lightning snaking through the cloud layers.

At the top of the black pillar, a phantom pieced together from twisted limbs and wailing faces coalesced within a vortex. In the center of that mass of rotting flesh and mud, a giant mouth, large enough to swallow heaven and earth, opened silently.

Throat of Devouring Heaven.

The mere pressure emitted by the phantom caused the experts brought by Director Gao Yuan to collapse one by one. Black blood seeped from their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses as they completely lost consciousness.

Director Gao Yuan himself turned deathly pale, his legs shaking uncontrollably. He slumped into the mud, and a large wet patch quickly spread across his crotch; he had actually been scared into wetting himself.

Only Zhao Shouzhen managed to remain standing by relying on his foundation as a Rank 5 Expert, yet his face was pale, and his Protective Aura had been pushed to its limit.

At that moment, a line of distorted blood-red words slowly crawled across the screen of the now completely black Gaia Law Imaging Instrument.

[Welcome... to the New World.]

This line of text caused Zhao Shouzhen's heart to sink.

Meanwhile, the instigator of it all, Lin Qi, merely looked up and quietly watched the massive phantom in the sky, his gaze as if he were looking at a poorly made painting.

"So noisy."

He uttered those two words, then extended a finger and lightly tapped toward the terrifying phantom in the sky.

"Clamorous."

There was no world-shaking roar.

It was just such an understated finger tap.

The terrifying phantom in the sky—which had caused all the experts to have mental breakdowns and which even a Rank 5 Expert found troublesome—was like a popped bubble. It shattered silently, dissipating into a sky full of black light.

The clouds dispersed, and the thunder ceased.

It was as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.

Lin Qi withdrew his finger, walked over to Director Gao Yuan who was slumped on the ground, looked down at him, and said in a flat tone.

"Next time you want to use such high power, remember to give a heads-up first."

"Lest you summon some things that shouldn't be here."

Lin Qi's words made every Federation member present feel a burning sensation on their faces.

Zhao Shouzhen looked at the mess on the ground and those "experts" who were foaming at the mouth, their spirits clearly permanently traumatized, unable to say a single word.

He finally understood that this was not some academic exchange at all, but a naked display of power. Lin Qi had used the most direct and terrifying method to give these conceited Federation elites a lesson, teaching them the meaning of "awe."

"Someone, quick, carry Director Gao and the others to the medical ship!" Zhao Shouzhen snapped back to his senses and shouted into his communicator.

Medics quickly carried the people away, leaving only Zhao Shouzhen and a few of his guards at the scene. The atmosphere was awkward to the point of freezing.

"Little Qi... about today's matter..." Zhao Shouzhen wanted to find an excuse to brush it over.

"Old Zhao."

Lin Qi interrupted him, "Today, nothing happened."

"My laboratory was attacked by unknown enemies, and I performed justifiable self-defense."

"As for the Academy of Sciences expert team, they made an operational error during equipment debugging, causing an instrument overload, which led to collective mental damage."

"Do you find this explanation reasonable?"

This was giving the Federation a way out.

Zhao Shouzhen immediately understood and nodded repeatedly: "Reasonable, very reasonable."

"Little Qi," Zhao Shouzhen rubbed his hands and asked carefully, "that phantom just now..."

"A new neighbor," Lin Qi replied succinctly. "Do you think the Federation's Star-Slaying Fleet can block it?"

Zhao Shouzhen's face turned pale instantly.

"So," Lin Qi said unhurriedly, "what you should be worried about now is not whether my private laboratory has 'safety hazards,' but whether your 'house' is sturdy enough when these 'new neighbors' actually start knocking on the door."

These words made Zhao Shouzhen completely sober.

The way he looked at Lin Qi changed completely; he was looking at the Federation's only hope.

"I understand." Zhao Shouzhen's expression became exceptionally serious. "Little Qi, I will report to Admiral Luo immediately. The Federation will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."

"I don't need an explanation," Lin Qi shook his head. "I need efficiency."

He held up three fingers.

"First, for the construction of the D-3 Region, I require the Federation to open up material channels with the highest level of clearance."

"Second, with this place as the center, a hundred-kilometer radius shall be designated as an absolute forbidden zone."

"Third, once my laboratory is completed, I will consider giving the Federation a slot. As for what kind of slot it is, that will depend on your sincerity."

"No problem," Zhao Shouzhen promised, patting his chest.

The distracted Federation fleet was sent away.

The D-3 Region returned to silence.

Rain washed the ground, slowly carrying away the traces of blood and battle. Only the completely scrapped Gaia Law Imaging Instrument, twisted like a piece of postmodern art, and the four lusterless black Totem Poles remained to silently testify to everything that had just occurred.

Zhang Wei watched the last point of light disappear on the horizon, still feeling very excited.

"Brother Qi."

"Awesome, you're so damn awesome."

He was so excited his words were somewhat incoherent.

Although Instructor Su Qing didn't speak, her eyes, which were always cold, were now full of light.

"Alright, stop howling."

Lin Qi waved his hand, interrupting the fatty's lamentations. The relaxed expression on his face vanished, replaced by a solemn look.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the fanatical Zhang Wei and the admiring Instructor Su Qing. He spoke word by word; his voice wasn't loud, but it made both their hearts sink.

"The game has officially begun."