A faint blue ripple appeared on the holographic screen in the command center. Chu Yao's fingers, which had been flying across the virtual keyboard, paused for a moment, and a barely perceptible emotional fluctuation slipped through her mechanical voice: "Communication established. The other party requests physical projection."

Lin Yi's gaze swept over the coordinates of the unknown signal source jumping in the corner of the screen—the string of numbers was distorting and changing in a way that violated the laws of physics, as if it were being repeatedly painted over by some kind of higher rule.

He tapped the table with his fingers, his knuckles gleaming white in the cold light: "Permission granted."

Suddenly, ripples appeared in the air, and a figure wrapped in a dark purple combat suit solidified from the ripples.

His left cheek was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, half of his right ear was missing, and the patterns on his shoulder armor were the complete opposite of the intruder's insignia—a more intricate pattern resembling Norse runes from Earth.

The man's gaze swept over everyone present, finally settling on Lin Yi. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he slammed one knee heavily on the alloy floor: "Commander of the Seventh Legion of the Interdimensional Resistance Army, Cain Bloodblade, greets the Supreme Commander of the Human Alliance."

Long Wu suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound: "Hey!"

You're really going all out. Where's the intelligence?

"Stop with the nonsense!" The dragon-patterned jade pendant at his waist trembled slightly with his movements, and a faint dragon's roar could be heard.

Cain looked up, his left eye a normal amber, but his right eye was fitted with a ghostly green mechanical prosthetic. As he scanned Long Wu, a data stream flashed across his face: "We traded three entire squads for this." He raised a hand to his chest, and a crack appeared in his combat suit, from which a memory core, emitting a wisp of blue smoke, was extracted. "The internal structure of the Mother Nest, the distribution of defensive nodes, the troop rotation schedule, and..." His voice suddenly lowered, "...the fluctuation patterns of their energy core."

Chu Yao stepped forward and took the crystal core. When her fingertips touched the surface of the crystal core, the AI's pupils contracted slightly—the outer shell of the crystal core still retained high temperature, as if it had just been snatched from the flames of war.

The holographic screen was instantly filled with massive amounts of data: a distorted purple behemoth unfolded in three-dimensional space, countless light bands marked the trajectory of the defense matrix, and red light spots represented the positions of the invaders' main fleet.

Lin Yi's fingertips hovered in mid-air, slowly moving along with the nest structure projected on the screen.

When he saw the swirling, dark purple energy in the core area, his breath hitched slightly—it matched perfectly with the blurry scan image the shadow had provided last week.

More importantly, in the dynamic simulation inside the crystal core, the energy ball rotates 360 times, and a dark surge fluctuation occurs for 0.3 seconds.

"Energy Tide Gap." The shadowy figure suddenly spoke, its voice vibrating beneath the metal mask, "Advanced civilizations' defense systems must maintain energy exchange windows to ensure stability."

But this time…” His fingertip traced a light trail in the air, “It took 0.1 seconds longer than we estimated.”

Cain’s prosthetic eye flashed with approval: “You’re right.”

We observed seventeen broodmother recharges, with the shortest interval being 0.28 seconds and the longest 0.32 seconds. "His hand rested on the resistance badge on his chest," he said. "Our people tried dropping antimatter bombs during the intervals, but the broodmother's automatic repair mechanism was too fast..."

"But humans possess the [Master of Time and Space]," Su Qing suddenly spoke up.

She stood beside Lin Yi, her originally pale wrists now wrapped in dark gold chains—protection that Lin Yi had reinforced for her with the power of time and space.

Her eyes gleamed. "0.3 seconds is a blink of an eye for an ordinary person, but for someone who can manipulate the flow of time..."

Lin Yi's finger paused on the simulation diagram of the energy gap, and starlight shone in his eyes.

He could clearly feel that this time difference was like a key, precisely inserted into the weakest lock of the nest's defenses.

A battle plan flashed through his mind: the Time Legion would use a spacetime rift to bypass the outer defenses, the Ancient Martial Arts Cultivators of the Reality Alliance would disrupt the energy transmission lines, and the Interdimensional Resistance would sever the connection between the mothership and the daughter ships from the inside...

"Chu Yao, overlay the scan data provided by the shadowy figure with the resistance intelligence." His voice was steady, yet carried a convincing power. "Long Wu, you lead the Dragon Clan descendants to form a strike team. The target is the gravity generator at the top of the Mother Nest—if that thing stops rotating, all the subsidiary ships will lose their coordinates."

Long Wu grinned, slamming his fist into his palm with a dull thud: "Alright!"

"Let those purple insects see what real dragon flames are like!" Suddenly, the jade pendant at his waist burst forth with dazzling golden light, and a clear dragon roar shook the glass of the command center.

"The Ancient Martial Arts Alliance is responsible for cutting off the energy transmission channels." Lin Yi turned to the white-bearded elder sitting on the other side. "Elder Li, your 'Piercing Void Finger' should be able to accurately penetrate those defensive barriers."

Elder Li's Taoist crown swayed slightly as he traced three streams of energy on the table, cleaving a cup of water into three pieces: "I haven't harbored any murderous intent for twenty years; these extradimensional trash are perfect targets for my blade."

Cain stood up, the green light of his prosthetic eye sweeping over the group: "We'll create chaos inside the Mother Nest. Their commander always likes to patrol the core during lulls—that's a perfect opportunity for assassination." His hand rested on the particle gun at his waist. "I swear on the honor of the Resistance, this time, we will not retreat a single step."

The atmosphere in the conference room gradually heated up; some people gripped their weapons tightly, while others began to test their communication equipment.

Chu Yao's terminal suddenly beeped, and her pupils contracted to slits: "Sir, encrypted communication received, source... Night Owl."

Everyone froze instantly.

Long Wu's dragon flames had just shot up to half a foot high when they went out with a "poof".

The dark figure's metal mask turned towards Chu Yao, making a sound like gears turning.

The holographic screen lit up again, this time showing a face shrouded in shadow.

Night Owl's laughter cut like a rusty blade scraping against eardrums: "Dear Commanders, are you ready for your funeral?" He tapped the table with his fingertips. "I've seen your battle plan—brilliant, but unfortunately..." A hand emerged from the shadows, crushing a glowing crystal. "The energy gap in the Mother Nest was adjusted three hours ago."

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

Elder Li's Taoist hat clattered to the ground.

Long Wu's dragon might overflowed uncontrollably, causing spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the table in front of him.

Cain's prosthetic eye was flashing wildly, clearly trying to quickly verify the authenticity of the information.

Lin Yi's pupils contracted slightly, but he still maintained a straight back.

He could feel his back was soaked with cold sweat, but his voice remained steady: "What are you trying to prove?"

"Prove that your struggles are nothing but a joke." The Night Owl's figure began to fade, his last words like a poisonous thorn piercing everyone's hearts: "Three days later, when the shadow of the Mother Nest looms over the Earth... remember to look up and see who is looking down upon ants."

The holographic screen went dark again.

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat.

Someone's communicator fell to the ground, and the crisp sound startled the group.

Long Wu slammed his fist into the wall, denting the metal surface, but no one teased him about his recklessness as usual.

When Elder Li bent down to pick up the Taoist crown, his fingers were visibly trembling.

Cain's mechanical eye stopped flashing and instead emitted a dark red light—a sign of emotional overload.

Lin Yi's gaze swept over the crowd.

He saw the representative of the technology group quietly adjusting his cufflinks, a habitual action he took when nervous; he saw a faint blue current leaking from beneath the metal mask of the dark figure, as he forcefully suppressed the fluctuations; he even saw tiny blue veins bulging on the back of Su Qing's hand, which was gripping the chain.

"Look at me, everyone." He suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

Everyone instinctively looked up, meeting his dark eyes—eyes burning, storms churning, and a near-obsessive determination within them. "What Night Owl wanted to destroy was never part of our plan." He stepped forward, his palm resting on the holographic screen, the projection of the Hive swirling beneath his hand. "What he wanted to destroy was our..."

"Belief," Su Qing replied softly.

She loosened the chains and placed her hand on the back of Lin Yi's hand.

The girl's warmth seeped through his palms, carrying a reassuring power. "But he didn't know that some things, the more they are suppressed, the more fiercely they burn."

Long Wu suddenly burst into laughter, which shook the dents in the wall, causing dust to fall in a flurry.

He bent down, picked up his dragon-patterned jade pendant, and threw it forcefully into the air: "Damn it!"

In all my years, I've never been afraid of anything that's 'doomed to failure'!

Three days later, I'll show those purple bugs what it means to be—

"Dragons fight in the wild, their blood is black and yellow!" Elder Li suddenly roared, his Taoist crown now neatly fastened on his head, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. "Our ancient martial arts lineage, inheriting the righteous energy of heaven and earth, how could we back down because of a few words of intimidation?"

Cain's mechanical eye regained its eerie green glow, and he pressed his hand to the badge on his chest, his voice hoarse but firm: "The banner of the Resistance has never fallen to the enemy's mockery."

This time…” He looked at Lin Yi, “not this time either.”

The shadowy figure's metal mask suddenly popped out, revealing a sharply defined face.

His pupils were pure silver, now reflecting the projection of the Mother Nest: "The enforcers of advanced civilizations only recognize the rules of the victor." He stood up, his metal boots thudding on the ground. "And I choose to stand with the one who can win."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became lively again.

Some people started checking weapons, some were adjusting tactical goggles, and some were loudly issuing orders into their communicators.

Chu Yao's terminal kept flashing, displaying confirmation replies from various military units.

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Yi finally smiled.

He turned to look out the window—it was late at night, and the city lights cast a warm yellow glow on the glass.

Three days later, these lights may be extinguished, or they may be engulfed by war, but...

He looked down at his palm, where a pale golden power of spacetime flowed, like an inextinguishable stream.

"Three days later," he said softly, his voice carrying clearly through the chorus of commands, "let them see what it means to..."

"Humanity's counterattack."