144: The first step to flip the chessboard! Target the logistical heart of Leviathan!

Just then.

"Sister! Brother Mo! Dinner's ready—!"

Gu Nianqiu's energetic voice, transmitted through the ship's communication system, spread throughout the entire deck.

The insane thought, enough to make the world tremble, was instantly pulled back to the reality filled with the scent of everyday life.

The resolute killing intent on Gu Zhixia's face instantly receded.

She suddenly realized how outwardly emotional she had been, perhaps even... losing her composure.

A subtle, slightly embarrassed blush crept up her ears.

She cleared her throat unnaturally, took a deep breath, as if to suppress that violent battle intent back into her heart, and was the first to turn and walk towards the elevator.

"Let's go, time to eat."

Her voice had returned to its usual coolness, but her steps now carried an unshakeable determination.

Lin Mo watched her somewhat flustered yet perfectly straight back, a barely perceptible curve forming at the corner of his mouth... In the dining room, a sumptuous breakfast was already laid out.

Tender and juicy black pepper steak sizzled on the plate, its rich meaty aroma captivating, accompanied by golden-yellow sunny-side-up eggs with slightly runny yolks, and a few vibrant cherry tomatoes glistening with dew-like droplets.

Slices of toasted bread exuding a rich wheat fragrance, and a cup of steaming coffee, freshly ground by Gu Nianqiu herself, quietly awaited their owner's enjoyment.

"Ta-da!"

Gu Nianqiu, wearing a cute lace apron and holding a spatula, poked her head out from the kitchen like a little chef seeking praise.

"Taste the latest masterpiece from this master chef, the 'Eat it and be full of energy all day' Vitality Steak Set!"

She keenly noticed that her sister's aura seemed a bit different, so she deliberately cut an extra piece of steak and carefully placed it on Gu Zhixia's plate.

The three enjoyed this rare warmth and tranquility before the storm.

The aroma of the food, intertwined with the false yet real beauty outside the window, formed a unique atmosphere called "home."

After the meal.

"What do we do next?"

Gu Zhixia elegantly wiped the corner of her mouth, bringing the conversation back to business.

Her eyes had once again become sharp as blades.

Lin Mo did not speak.

He simply made a gesture with one hand in the air.

A massive star map unfurled in the holographic projection in the center of the dining room, instantly replacing the ocean view outside the window.

The star map's data came from the core of the Vulture flagship.

"Leviathan's headquarters, 'Abyssal Maw,' is located in a chaotic starfield shrouded by strong gravitational fields and spatial storms."

"The coordinates are dynamically encrypted, and we cannot obtain them for now."

Lin Mo's finger slowly traced across the star map, finally illuminating a dazzling red coordinate point located on a continental shelf at the other end of the current planet.

That was a giant industrial complex marked as the "Purgatory Furnace."

"However, here..."

"...is their largest military base and logistical lifeline on this planet."

"Most of their fleet needs to be resupplied and repaired here; it houses their largest spaceport."

His gaze swept over the two sisters.

"Lan Yue wants us to seize the heart of the world, to fire the first shot in the god-slaying war."

"But our understanding of Leviathan is almost zero; rushing into their lair would be suicide."

"So..."

His voice became cold and decisive, echoing his words from the deck that morning.

"Before we go dismantle their throne, we must first pull out their claws, smash their turtle shell, and make them hurt until they can't breathe."

He pointed at the coordinate named "Purgatory Furnace" and said, word by word.

"Our first target is here."

"Pull out Leviathan's roots on this planet for me... root and branch."

...Three hours later.

The Natural Selection, like a silent dark cloud, arrived stealthily above the Purgatory Furnace.

This place was like two different worlds compared to the previous fair-weather sea area.

The sky was an eternal, dark reddish-brown, stained by industrial exhaust.

It was as if a piece of iron plate had been burned through, even the clouds carried the color of metallic rust.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and metal smelting.

Every breath felt like swallowing hot, rust-flavored grit, leaving one's throat dry.

The land below had been completely transformed into a boundless, hideous steel hell.

Countless automated mining machines, massive enough to rival mountains, emitted deafening "creak—creak—" sounds.

With their gleaming alloy claws, they greedily tore open the reddish-brown skin of the earth, continuously feeding rare metal-rich ores onto conveyor belts that snaked across the land like giant pythons.

Further afield, colossal smelting furnaces, like Gothic cathedrals, towered into the clouds.

Their chimneys tirelessly spewed thick, fiery black smoke into the reddish sky, darkening it even further.

And in the center of the entire industrial complex was a heavily guarded colossal shipyard.

Dozens of massive berths housed over thirty standard warships of the Leviathan Guild, from frigates to heavy cruisers, all present.

Countless engineering robots and small spacecraft, like worker bees, bustled around these steel behemoths, performing maintenance and resupply.

This was the heart of the Leviathan Guild on this planet.

It was the source of their power, maintaining their dominion over this sea area.

"Scan results are in."

In the Bridge, Gu Zhixia's voice carried a hint of gravity.

On the tactical sandbox before her, a three-dimensional model of the entire Purgatory Furnace had already been constructed.

It was densely marked with hundreds of defensive fire points, shockingly red.

"Aside from the fleet itself, the base has at least three hundred large-caliber railguns deployed, as well as full-area energy shield generators."

"The shield's strength is sufficient to withstand a saturation attack from a conventional fleet for over ten minutes."

She extended a slender finger, rapidly manipulating the sandbox, and brought up a simulated calculation.

In the display, a virtual warship representing the Natural Selection charged towards the base at maximum speed.

Almost the instant it entered firing range, the entire Purgatory Furnace came alive!

Hundreds of destructive beams of light shot up from the ground, weaving into an impenetrable web of death!

The virtual warship's shield value flickered wildly on the screen.

In less than three seconds, it was completely depleted.

Immediately after, the hull was mercilessly torn to shreds amidst the dense bombardment.

"Do you see?"

Gu Zhixia turned off the simulation, her pretty face taut.

"If we force our way in, even with the 'End' series weapons, we would instantly become the concentrated target of all firepower."

"Before we can destroy them, we ourselves would be riddled with holes. The risk is too high."

Lin Mo did not speak.

His gaze, from beginning to end, had not lingered on the dense turrets and powerful shields.

His sight was fixed on another corner of the sandbox.

There, an inconspicuous independent building complex was marked as the "Energy Supply Center."

"Forcing our way in is reserved for their ace fleet."

Lin Mo slowly spoke, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

"To deal with this kind of turtle shell, we have a more effortless method."

He extended his finger and gently tapped on that energy center.

"This place,"

"...might be our true objective."