176: Sharpen your fangs! Hunter, you need a little patience!

"Go now."

Gu Zhixia's voice was decisive.

She had just completed a Life leap, transforming from an ace pilot into an existence capable of personally burying a god.

At this moment, her will, power, and aura were all at their peak.

The nascent thunderous law within her body surged wildly, urgently needing a thorough, exhilarating destruction to announce its rebirth.

She extended her slender finger and pointed heavily at the three-dimensional star map.

Her fingertip precisely landed on the heavily guarded Leviathan Headquarters.

"To cut the grass, one must remove the roots."

"It will take time for the news of Jay and his main fleet's total annihilation to reach them."

"At this moment, Leviathan is a beast with its claws cut off, in its most chaotic and weakest state."

Her analysis was aggressive, every word carrying an undeniable domineering aura.

"This is the best opportunity; strike while it's down!"

"With one fell swoop, completely wipe this disgusting guild from the universe."

What she said made sense.

In military strategy, this was the best possible choice.

However, Lin Mo shook his head.

He didn't refute but simply stretched out his hand and lightly swiped across the holographic screen.

Two new data streams instantly popped up, displayed side-by-side with the star map of the Leviathan Headquarters.

One belonged to the "Thunder Dragon" mecha, the other to the Natural Selection.

The comprehensive performance parameters of the mecha and battleship were still terrifying, but two core indicators flashed with dazzling red alarms.

"Law Energy Stability" and "Core Energy Reserve."

Those two data curves were no longer smooth, but rather presented a frantic, sawtooth pattern, as if they could break at any moment.

"You completed a high-stakes gamble."

Lin Mo's voice was calm and objective, like he was reading a cold experimental report.

"And you won, and you won beautifully."

"However, the evolution of 'Thunder Dragon' is not perfect."

His finger pointed at the wildly fluctuating law curve of the "Thunder Dragon."

"You forcibly merged three different dimensional thunder laws with brute force. They are currently only temporarily bound by your will, like a steel cable twisted to its limit, ready to snap back at any moment."

"Your current state is very strong, but also... very dangerous."

"Once your will falters even slightly in combat, this power will immediately backfire."

"At that time, there will be no need for enemies to act; the 'Thunder Dragon' itself will become the most dazzling fireworks in the universe."

Gu Zhixia's brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Lin Mo's finger then slid to the Natural Selection's data display.

"To block that Nirvana Divine Thunder for you, the 'World Tree' used 30% of its origin."

"Just now, to decipher the coordinates, it underwent another high-intensity law intrusion."

"It also needs to recuperate."

"Most importantly..."

Lin Mo's gaze finally returned to the steel fortress marked as the Leviathan Headquarters.

"We know almost nothing about this place."

"Its defense system, its hidden trump cards, its chairman—the true 'Leviathan' who has never shown his face—what is his strength?"

"We know nothing."

"To attack the enemy's lair, in its prime and with unknown capabilities, with an exhausted force. This isn't 'striking while it's down.'"

Lin Mo looked up, his dark golden pupils directly meeting Gu Zhixia's slightly narrowed phoenix eyes.

"This is arrogance."

"I don't want to see the same mistake Jay just made happen to us a second time."

His words were like a bucket of ice water.

Reasonable and well-supported.

Precisely dousing Gu Zhixia's head, which had grown somewhat hot due to her surging power.

She opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but found that not a single word could escape her throat.

Everything Lin Mo said was true.

She could feel that the power within her was indeed like a group of unruly thunder beasts, held in check only by the taut reins of her will, stretched to its limit.

That seemingly effortless slaughter just now had consumed more of her mental energy than even her Life-and-death struggle with the god.

She was just... unwilling.

Unwilling to let go of that easily obtainable prey.

Finally, out of a thousand words, only three were squeezed from her proud lips.

"Hmph, coward."

She turned around, leaving Lin Mo with a crisp back, her ponytail drawing an unwilling arc in the air.

Just as the atmosphere on the Bridge fell into a delicate stalemate because of this.

A soft, sweet voice broke the silence.

"Brother Mo, Older Sister!"

Gu Nianqiu, at some unknown point, had brought out another tray from her "mobile kitchen."

On the tray, a steaming bowl of thick soup exuded a rich, almost domineering mushroom aroma, accompanied by several golden-crisp cookies with cute smiley faces drawn on them with jam.

"We should go back first and have a 'Universe Super Invincible Awesome' celebration party!"

The Little Girl held the tray, earnestly stating her strategic opinion.

"Older Sister has been fighting for so long, she must be hungry!"

"Brother Mo has been thinking hard, he must be tired too!"

"Only when we're full do we have the strength to fight the big bad guys!"

She scooped a spoonful of soup with a small spoon and carefully offered it to Lin Mo's mouth, as if presenting the most precious treasure.

"Brother Mo, quickly try this! This is my latest invention, 'The Infallible Mushroom Soup'!"

"It has seventeen different kinds of mushrooms, and also the last packet of matsutake I secretly hid and brought from Blue Star!"

"After drinking it, your mind will become super clear, and you'll definitely never make any mistakes in your calculations!"

Looking at the Little Girl's expectant face, full of "praise me."

Smelling the truly appetizing aroma.

The heavy atmosphere on the Bridge, caused by the strategic disagreement, was instantly shattered.

Lin Mo looked at her, then glanced at Gu Zhixia, who, though still grumbling, had unconsciously had her gaze firmly drawn to the bowl of mushroom soup.

The lines at the corners of his mouth finally softened, curving into a helpless yet gentle arc.

Lin Mo didn't drink the soup; instead, he reached out and gently ruffled Gu Nianqiu's small head.

Then, he turned back to the main screen.

"We do need to 'visit' Leviathan."

Lin Mo's voice made Gu Zhixia's eyes sharpen again.

"But not now."

"We are not retreating, nor are we fleeing."

Lin Mo's finger swiped heavily across the screen, and a safe route to an unknown star field was plotted.

"We are... sharpening our blades."

He turned his head, looking directly at Gu Zhixia, his dark golden pupils gleaming with a cold, sharp light named "strategy."

"I want you to completely master the new power within your body in the shortest possible time."

"Let it become an extension of your arm, not a bomb that could blow you up at any moment."

"I want the Natural Selection to fully absorb and transform the energy of that thunderstorm core, allowing the power of zhurong and the World Tree to ascend to another level."

"We will, in our most perfect and undeniably peak state, descend upon the Leviathan Headquarters."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried a convincing power that reached deep into one's heart.

"Next time we meet, we will no longer be the challengers."

"But rather... the executioners."

"What I want is not a tragic victory fraught with variables."

"But a crushing execution, undeniable and descending from the heavens."

"A hunter, before hunting a fierce beast, always needs a little patience."

"To set traps, and to sharpen his fangs."

After hearing these words, Gu Zhixia's restless heart, eager for battle, completely calmed down.

The confident and proud curve returned to her lips.

Only this time, in that curve, there was less arrogance and more of the cold cruelty of a hunter who has locked onto its prey.

"Hmph, fine."

She crossed her arms, slightly raising her fair chin.

"Let them... live a few more days."

"Yay! We can have a celebration party!"

Gu Nianqiu let out a happy cheer.

Lin Mo smiled and finally gave the command.

"Set course, destination, G-778 Safe Star Field."

"Initiate spatial jump engine."

Upon the command, the Natural Selection's dark hull trembled slightly.

The space in front of its bow began to distort, and a wormhole emitting a faint blue light slowly opened.

The ghostly black behemoth silently entered it, instantly vanishing from this desolate star field that had just buried a god and a fleet.

On the main screen, the coordinates marked "Leviathan Headquarters" did not disappear.

A bright red "TARGET" icon, automatically generated by the World Tree, and a countdown in "standard Earth days" were firmly imprinted above it.

The hunt had begun.

Only, the prey was completely unaware.