"117 seconds."

The cold countdown, like a red-hot iron, seared the core of consciousness of all who sensed its presence. This was no longer a vague threat, but a precise death sentence. The Reaper main fleet, the terrifying existence that had destroyed the Golden Giant Tree Star Region and was like a cosmic locust plague, was tearing through dimensions and crushing towards the Gaia Star Region—a planet where a faint spark of hope had just ignited!

Pei Du hovered in the cold, empty battlefield, beneath the energy embers of the annihilated Reaper scout. The vortex of burning thorns in his left eye spun wildly, his icy gaze piercing the profound darkness, as if he could "see" the tsunami-like torrent of destruction surging across the distant dimension. The thorn star core in his chest pulsed like thunder, each beat causing subtle tremors in the surrounding space. A storm of energy, a mixture of resolute fighting spirit and cold calculation, silently brewed around him.

117 seconds! In interstellar warfare, it's as short as a breath!

"Gaia... can you hear me?" Pei Du's cold voice, mixed with the fluctuations of the will of the Thorn Star Core, ignored the spatial distance. Like a real ripple, it instantly penetrated the earth's crust and accurately landed on the core of Xu Shuangyao's (Gaia) consciousness deep in the earth's core.

"Yes!" Xu Shuangyao's voice responded immediately, a breathy, yet incredibly resolute. She leaned against the massive core roots, a burning flame in her golden pupils. The entire network of golden veins in the Earth's core was operating with unprecedented efficiency, continuously gathering and transmitting the power of the planet's will. The terrifying scenes in the fragmented memory of "Blood of the Star Core" made her more aware than anyone of what she was about to face. Her fear was suppressed by a deeper sense of responsibility and a desire to protect.

"Time... 117 seconds." Pei Du's thoughts meshed like the most precise gears. "Where is the communication node left by the gravekeeper...?"

"Locked!" Xu Shuangyao's (Gaia's) mind responded instantly, sharing a clear coordinate map of several emergency communication buoys that the remaining Gravekeeper fleet had accidentally (or perhaps desperately) abandoned during their hasty escape. These buoys, like fireflies in the darkness, were the only beacons that could quickly connect them to forces beyond Gaia's star field!

"Link them! Maximum power! Send the following message—"

The scarlet data stream in Pei Du's right eye instantly compressed and encrypted a cold, efficient, and unquestionable information flow:

[Notice to all surviving civilizations and armed forces in the Gaia star region:]

[Coordinates: Gaia (with precise star map attached).]

[Threat: Reaper Main Fleet (stellar-level extinction threat).]

[Arrival countdown: 115 seconds.]

Current Status: Gaia's will has revived, and it possesses a planetary defense core. The Obliterator (Pei Du) has severely damaged its advance reconnaissance vehicle.

[Request: Immediate assistance at all costs! Objective: Build a joint defense array to delay the Reaper fleet's space jump landing point!]

[Warning: When the nest is overturned, no one will be left unharmed! Any hesitation will lead to self-destruction!]

[——Information Source: Gaia's Will & Annihilator]

There was no plea, only a cold statement of reality and a final warning. This was a desperate rallying cry to all possible hunters in the dark forest!

"Message sent! Broadcast at maximum power! Repeat!" Xu Shuangyao's (Gaia's) thoughts sent a tremor through the planetary network. Deep within the Earth's core, several massive golden roots shone with a dazzling light. The vast energy of the planet was transformed into a torrent of information, flowing along the network of earth veins to specific nodes on the surface. Then, through the buoys abandoned by the gravekeepers, like the cry of the dying, it shot out into the depths of space!

The message has been sent! Like a stone thrown into the deep sea, whether it can create ripples is unknown!

Pei Du didn't pause. His figure instantly vanished, tearing through space and appearing directly above Gaia's high orbit. The thorny vortex in his left eye coldly gazed down at the azure planet below, while the data stream in his right eye frantically refreshed, constructing a planetary defense model:

[Planetary Defense Core (Gaia Core): Stable energy (planetary-level peak). Output efficiency: 67% (limited by ancient trauma and newly awakened state).]

[Defense Vehicle: Global Golden Vein Network (Strength: High, Rule Affinity: Very High). New vegetation network on the planet's surface (Weak, but with huge growth potential and consciousness connection nodes).]

【Optimization plan: ……】

"Gaia! Activate the 'Earth Vein Shield'! Inject energy nodes according to my marks!" Pei Du's thoughts were like instructions, instantly injecting hundreds of precisely calculated energies into node coordinates and transmitting the optimized energy flow path model to Xu Shuangyao!

"Understood!" Xu Shuangyao didn't hesitate. She pressed her hands on the core roots, and the golden flame mark between her brows ignited! The entire planet's earth veins seemed to be injected with a shot of adrenaline! Deep in the dormant volcanoes, golden magma roared into the designated earth vein channel! From the deep trenches, pure ocean energy was extracted! In the ancient mountains, the veins of the rocks lit up! The majestic planet's original power, following the optimized path provided by Pei Du, which surpassed the understanding of Gaia civilization, rushed and converged in the golden vein network at high speed!

Buzz——!!!

A faint, yet incredibly resilient and thick golden halo, like a gigantic, translucent eggshell, slowly condensed and took shape outside the planet's high orbit, centered around Gaia. Phantoms of mountains and rivers shone across the halo's surface, emitting a protective aura like the earth itself, supporting all things. This was the embodiment of the planet's will—the Earth Vein Shield!

At the same time, Pei Du's figure, covered in tricolor energy circuits, moved at high speed in the planet's orbit like a ghost! His ten fingers flicked, and beams of extremely condensed gray-black annihilation energy, mixed with dark green spatial runes, were fired like the most precise chisels at specific coordinates in the void!

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