139: Whisper of ghosts and the god of war in pajamas

It was an unquantifiable, skin-crawling 'sensation' that no scientific instrument could measure.

It was as if a cold, invisible, soft-bodied creature was silently pressing its slimy body, covered with countless tiny suckers, against the outer armor of the Natural Selection.

It was wriggling.

Probing.

Secreting an invisible 'venom' capable of disintegrating all physical defenses.

This feeling didn't come from radar or any sensors, but from Lin Mo's deepest link with the warship's soul.

The entire ship was his domain, an extension of his body.

And now, something was trying to stab an invisible, venomous needle into his skin, creating a tiny hole leading to his bloodstream.

"We have a guest."

Lin Mo's voice echoed in the silent room, so cold and unruffled it was as if he were stating a trivial matter.

He didn't get up; he merely willed it.

A soft yet undeniable alert tone sounded precisely in the Gu sisters' private communication channel.

"Beep—beep—"

In the adjacent room, almost the instant the alert sounded, Gu Zhixia shot up from her bed like lightning!

This was an instinctive reaction, honed by countless battles and ingrained deep in her bones.

She was wearing only a form-fitting black silk slip nightgown, the smooth fabric clinging to her curvaceous figure, perfectly outlining her slender, explosive physique developed through years of training.

But she paid no attention to any of that now.

Her slightly disheveled silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her phoenix eyes, usually filled with a cool arrogance, were as sharp as an eagle's in the darkness.

"What's wrong?"

Her voice held a hint of sleep-induced hoarseness, but her tone had already shifted to a cold, combat-ready state.

In the other room, Gu Nianqiu seemed much more groggy.

She was wearing a fluffy, hooded pajama set with cute little bear ears, still clutching a giant carrot-shaped pillow tightly.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the young girl sat up from her soft covers, mumbling indistinctly:

"Mmm... Brother Mo? Is it time for breakfast?"

"To the Bridge."

Lin Mo's voice was concise and clear, carrying an undeniable authority.

"Immediately."

A few minutes later, the Bridge door slid open silently.

Gu Zhixia was the first to rush in. She hadn't even had time to change, merely throwing a loose tactical jacket over her alluring silk nightgown, which added a touch of disheveled, contrasting beauty.

When she saw that everything in the Bridge was as usual, and Lin Mo was simply sitting quietly in the commander's chair, his eyes even closed, her delicate brows furrowed tightly.

"What's going on? I haven't received any intrusion alerts!"

She strode quickly to the tactical analysis console, her fair fingers blurring across the virtual keyboard as she swiftly pulled up various data.

"Radar, thermal imaging, spatial curvature detection... everything is normal! Did you have a nightmare?"

Gu Nianqiu, who followed closely behind, hugged her carrot pillow and curiously surveyed her surroundings.

Seeing both Lin Mo and her sister, her nervous mood relaxed considerably. Her bare little feet scuffed uneasily on the floor, the cold sensation making her curl her toes.

Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes.

His pupils, in the Bridge's dim blue light, were as profound as two cold universes, condensed with billions of stars.

"Radar can't detect it."

He offered no explanation, merely stating a fact.

"It's right outside, clinging tightly to us."

"Impossible!" Gu Zhixia instinctively retorted. This was a challenge to her professional knowledge as an ace pilot. "Any matter, as long as it exists, must have energy or mass feedback! Unless it's a true ghost!"

"Perhaps, it is a ghost."

Lin Mo's gaze seemed to penetrate hundreds of meters of thick hull, seeing the 'thing' wriggling on the ship's shell.

Just then!

Buzz—

An extremely subtle, yet brain-piercing low-frequency hum, like a poisoned drill, exploded in the Bridge without warning!

The lights in the Bridge flickered violently for an instant, as if the voltage was unstable!

"Ugh!"

Gu Nianqiu let out a cry of pain, her carrot pillow falling to the floor.

Her small face instantly turned pale, feeling as if the whole world was spinning. Countless sharp noises, like fingernails scraping glass, churned wildly in her head, making her unable to stand. She collapsed onto the floor.

Gu Zhixia's condition was slightly better, but not by much.

She felt as if two red-hot steel needles had been brutally plunged into her temples, and the scene before her began to show bizarre, distorted double images.

She bit her tongue sharply, the intense pain restoring a sliver of clarity, and she clung desperately to the control panel, preventing herself from falling.

"Mental... attack?!"

For the first time, an expression of horror and disbelief appeared on her usually proud face.

The enemy had actually bypassed the Natural Selection's notoriously formidable physical defenses and launched a direct attack on the crew inside the ship!

This was an unprecedented method of attack!

However, Lin Mo remained quietly seated on his throne.

The mental shock that could give an ace pilot a splitting headache was, to him, merely a gentle breeze passing over an idol.

"Petty tricks."

He closed his eyes, his vast consciousness, like an awakened ancient deity, completely merging with the warship's innermost antimatter core.

His will was the law of this ship.

"Four Symbols Barrier, switch to—World Tree Mode."

As his command was given, an indescribably wondrous change occurred within the Natural Selection.

The originally cold, high-tech interior lighting instantly became soft and warm, as if infused with Life.

A fresh scent, like a primeval forest after rain, permeated the air.

Tiny, visible specks of light, like golden pollen, slowly wafted out of the vents, drifting dreamily in the air.

The brain-piercing hum, upon contact with these golden specks of light, silently melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun, leaving no trace behind.

Gu Zhixia felt the piercing headache vanish instantly.

In its place was an extreme comfort and tranquility, emanating from the depths of her soul, as if she were immersed in warm spring water.

She stared in astonishment at the changes around her, at the golden specks of light encircling her like fireflies, momentarily lost in thought.

Gu Nianqiu, who had fallen to the ground, also stopped whimpering.

She curiously extended her small hand and caught a falling speck of light.

The speck melted in her palm, transforming into an indescribable warm current that instantly dispelled all her fear and discomfort.

"Wow... so beautiful..."

She looked up, her tear-streaked face gazing at the scene, which resembled a fairy-tale miracle, and her eyes once again sparkled with curiosity and adoration.

"Before we figure out their true nature, don't act rashly." Lin Mo's voice pulled the sisters' thoughts back.

"Zhi Xia, activate all internal defense systems. Raise the alert level to maximum."

"Xiaoqiu..."

He paused, his tone softening slightly, like a deity's compassion for devout lambs.

"Go make some late-night snacks, something refreshing. Tonight, it might not be very peaceful."

"Ah? Oh! Okay! Leave it to me!"

Although Gu Nianqiu didn't understand what was happening, upon hearing Brother Mo's task, she immediately leaped up from the ground, picked up her carrot pillow, and scurried to the kitchen.

To her, no enemy was insurmountable for a meal filled with love.

Gu Zhixia watched her sister's retreating back, then looked at Lin Mo, who still had his eyes closed, like an old monk in meditation, her expression complex.

The phrase, "What time is it to be eating?" ultimately remained unsaid.

She knew this was perhaps Lin Mo's way.

To face the most bizarre enemies with the most ordinary demeanor.

This in itself was a silent, most powerful confidence.

She took a deep breath, turned back to her tactical station, her gaze once again sharp and focused.

And in Lin Mo's consciousness world, unseen by the sisters.

His god-like perspective had clearly 'seen'.

Outside the Natural Selection's hull, the invisible 'worm,' at the moment 'World Tree Mode' was activated, let out a silent, extremely painful shriek.

Its invisible venomous needle, attempting to penetrate the hull, was forcefully 'squeezed' out by an even more tyrannical force, imbued with the laws of Life!

"Found it."

Lin Mo's consciousness precisely locked onto the source of that painful fluctuation.

The next second, he issued a second command.

His voice was as cold as a divine oracle from the netherworld.

"World Tree, take root."