Chapter 458 Welcome Home

The final farewell was brief. On the screen, Cheng Gan stood in the strange, glowing fungal carpet of G-581 and gave a crisp military salute.

"Don't worry, General, we will keep a close watch on this place."

Beside her, Thor's thunderous voice came through the communicator, filled with undisguised excitement.

"When you return, the highest mountain here will be called Mount Sol! I want to carve my name on it myself!"

"Only if you can beat me, otherwise the highest mountain belongs to me, you muscle-bound idiot." Marcus followed with a drawn-out tone.

Zhou Jue did not wait for their new round of arguments to escalate.

"Take care of yourself."

She cut off the communication.

"All ships, report the status of your tractor beams."

"Great Wall No. 1, traction stable."

"Great Wall II, target locked, status safe."

"..."

The remaining starships, including the "Great Wall" and "Kunlun" series, along with three captured alien ships, began their return journey.

“Recalculate the transition parameters,” Zhou Jue ordered, her gaze falling on the screen displaying the enormous energy consumption. “We need to minimize the travel time and choose the most stable quadrant as the route.”

"clear."

The strange fleet, returning with its spoils, slowly turned its course, its back to the priceless treasure planet, and disappeared into the deep darkness.

"Initiating the leap."

The familiar, bizarre tunnels enveloped the entire fleet.

The bridge of the "Great Wall No. 1" was quiet. The excitement of the battle had subsided, replaced by a heavy fatigue. But beneath the fatigue, an irrepressible excitement was still surging.

They won, captured the alien spaceship, and discovered a brand new world teeming with resources.

A young technical officer, his eyes gleaming with excitement, walked up to Zhou Jue's command post.

"General, we can now access the alien ship's logbook."

"read."

The officer projected the data onto the main screen, where alien text scrolled rapidly, accompanied by the system's translation.

"That confirms the captain's statement," the officer reported, his voice slightly relaxed. "They are the Silverwing Federation's Third Reconnaissance Scout Team. Their mission objective is: 'To conduct preliminary reconnaissance of the G-581 system and assess its suitability as a Level 4 logistics transit station.'"

He swiped the screen and brought up another file.

"This is their... assessment report on us, about travelers."

The report was surprisingly short.

"Target: Planetary 'Probe'. Planetary civilization level: 0.7 (pre-jump era, fragmented political system), language not yet unified. Threat assessment: negligible. Initial contact value: low. Recommendation: use the 'Firefly' series of probes for location and observation. If resources are abundant, it can be considered a resource planet."

A suppressed burst of laughter and murmurs spread through the bridge.

"Negligible?"

"They call us 'negligible'!"

"They never expected us to make a move."

The atmosphere immediately lightened, and the victory felt even sweeter. It was a perfect surprise attack against an arrogant and overconfident enemy who had completely underestimated them.

Zhou Jue leaned forward slightly: "Where are their weapons? The ones they fired at the 'Heavenly Net' array."

The officer's smile froze. He quickly searched through several technical sub-menus, then said, "General, we haven't found any weapon records yet."

[Host, you're asking me? I know the answer.]

【I've taken over all authority over the starship, I know everything!】The system proudly declared.

Before Zhou Jue could even ask, the system eagerly transmitted the information to him.

[Host, according to their own engineering blueprints and operating manuals, that 'planetary disintegration ray' is not a weapon.]

Its classification is 'Type III Geological Exploration and Resource Extraction Beam'.

Its main function is to carry out large-scale mineral mining and surface clearing; in their words, it's an industrial piece of equipment.

Zhou Jue transmitted the information that the system had given her to everyone through the Kunlun Mirror.

On the bridge, the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere vanished instantly. They had used the entire formation, sending their top "gods" to attack with all their might, only to find that it was all just to counter the enemy's mining lasers.

This is like the story of "Tian Ji's Horse Racing." We send out our best horses, but the opponent only sends out their worst. Even if our best horses don't go all out and we win easily, the opponent still sent out their worst horses! How strong are their best horses? What about their average horses? Who knows?

The ship they were so proud of that was crippled was not a warship at all, but an exploration vessel, a space truck equipped with a cutting machine.

This "great victory" suddenly brought them to their senses. They hadn't defeated a tiger, but had barely knocked off its claws, or even that.

A chilling feeling instantly spread to everyone present. The true strength of the Silverwing Federation was a bottomless, dark abyss, and they had just thrown a small pebble into it.

"Countdown to the end of the leap: three, two, one."

The bizarre tunnel collapsed, revealing the familiar yet reassuring sun. In the distance, a small blue planet hung against the dark backdrop of the universe.

The tension caused by the "mining laser" eased slightly. Whatever the threats ahead, at least for now, they were home.

Zhou Jue sat up straight in the chair.

"Connect to the Blue Star Defense Command priority channel."

"Channel connected, General."

“This is the Great Wall Fleet, Commander Zhou Jue,” she began, her voice steady and clear: “We have completed our mission and are returning home. We engaged and suppressed the enemy’s alien reconnaissance force, and have now captured three enemy ships and their crews. We also have important intelligence related to the future of the Alliance. We request permission to enter Earth orbit to report on our mission.”

After a brief static noise, the response came, and Commander Qi's gentle voice rang out.

Welcome home.

Commander Qi's gentle yet powerful voice instantly reached the bridge of the "Great Wall No. 1," and the simple words "Welcome home" brought tears to the eyes of many tense crew members.

Having received permission to enter the port, the massive fleet began to adjust its formation. Three alien ships, each with an exotic style and bearing numerous scars, slowly descended toward the blue planet, escorted by the "Great Wall" series starships.

Passing through the scorching ionosphere, the view outside the porthole changed from deep black to a familiar azure. The clouds were parted by the ship's hull, and below, the outlines of the continent and the ocean became increasingly clear.

Finally, the fleet landed at the Kunlun Space Base, located in the heart of the Asian continent. The sound of hydraulic pressure opening the hatches rang out, and the long gangway slowly descended.

Zhou Jue stood at the cabin door, taking a deep breath of the air from home. Below the gangway, the scene was solemn and grand. Led by the chairman of the Supreme Council of the Alliance, the heads of various countries and the highest military commanders were already lined up to wait. Their expressions were solemn, with both anticipation for the hero's return and deep concern for that "important intelligence".

There were no flowers, no ribbons, only the most solemn military salute and the deepest gaze.

Zhou Jue straightened her military uniform and took the lead in stepping down the gangway. Behind her were the bridge officers and soldiers with resolute eyes.

The alliance chairman, who was leading the group, stepped forward. His hair was gray, but his eyes were still sharp. He did not shake hands, but solemnly paid his respects to Zhou Jue and the fleet behind her.

"Welcome home, soldiers," he said in a deep voice, his tone filled with complex emotions. "You've worked hard."

Zhou Jue stood at attention and returned a standard military salute, his voice clear and firm: "Reporting to the Chairman, the Great Wall Fleet has completed its mission and is returning to port! We have brought back victory, but also a wake-up call."

The chairman nodded slightly, his gaze passing over her to the young soldiers who were walking down the gangway, and to the alien creations filled with the unknown and the threat.

“We know,” he said. “Go in and rest first, then tell us everything. Whatever the future holds, we’ll face it together.”

"yes!"