Brother, just how powerful is our family?

August 17, 2026, 3:00 AM.

The winter nights in Huai County are quiet and deep, with frost covering the ground and stars standing out clearly in the cloudless night sky.

On the terrace of Qin Feng's villa, a faint light, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, flashed by—it was an optically cloaked shuttle hovering and landing in the pre-cleared area.

Qin Feng, dressed in an ordinary dark coat, boarded the shuttle boat accompanied by four guards.

The hatch closed silently, and the engine started with only a slight hum.

The next second, the shuttle rose vertically, accelerated, and broke through the atmosphere within seconds, leaving the blue arc of Earth behind.

Inside the submarine, Qin Feng looked back at the gradually shrinking Earth through the porthole.

From space, this planet appears beautiful yet fragile, with the outlines of its continents faintly visible beneath the clouds, and the lights of civilizations clustered into patches of light in the darkness.

"Boss, we are expected to arrive at the asteroid belt base in three hours," the captain reported. He was a cyborg officer, designated QB-7.

Qin Feng nodded, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest. But his heart was far from calm.

Six months ago, he sent Qin Zhanjun to lead the initial construction team to the asteroid belt.

At that time, it was just an idea, a blueprint.

Now, twelve interstellar warships have been completed—each ten kilometers long.

Such a shipbuilding speed would be unthinkable for any country on Earth.

However, the Universal Group possesses energy-matter conversion technology, fully automated nanostructure arrays, and tireless bio-engineered workers.

More importantly, it possesses the resource-rich asteroid belt, far removed from Earth's view.

Time passed in silence.

The shuttle cruised at near-light speed, and the starry sky outside the window seemed to stand still, with only the occasional passing asteroid reminding them that they were traveling in deep space.

Three hours later, a strange sight appeared outside the porthole.

Dozens of terraformed asteroids floated in the void, their surfaces covered with metallic structures and flashing with indicator lights.

Between these "space factories," twelve enormous structures float silently.

That's a starship.

Even though he was mentally prepared, Qin Feng still felt his breath catch in his throat when he actually saw it.

From a distance, they look like twelve black giant swords suspended in the starry sky, with sharp lines and ferocious shapes. Their surfaces are covered with an energy-absorbing coating that reflects almost no light, as if they were twelve cracks in the universe itself.

But as the shuttle gets closer, the sense of proportion begins to crumble.

When the bow of a warship filled the entire porthole, Qin Feng experienced what "megalophobia" meant for the first time.

It was no longer a "ship", but an infinitely extending giant steel wall, a metal mountain suspended in the void.

The shuttle boat looked as insignificant as dust in comparison.

"Boss, we are approaching the flagship 'World'," the captain reported.

Qin Feng saw that an entrance had opened on the side of the warship—the entrance itself was 300 meters wide and 500 meters high, enough to swallow an entire stadium.

The shuttle flew in, like a flying insect burrowing into a cave.

The interior is a completely different world.

On both sides of the entrance passage, countless indicator lights stretch to the horizon like a galaxy.

Engineering vehicles—or more accurately, engineering aircraft—moved orderly through the passageway.

Further away, you can see layers upon layers of decks, pipes, and equipment arrays, forming an incredibly complex steel maze.

The shuttle eventually docked at a berth near the central bridge.

The hatch opened, and Qin Feng stepped onto the deck of the "Universe".

Normal gravity – The warship is equipped with a simulated gravity system that uses rotation and gravitational field adjustment to make the internal environment similar to that of Earth.

The air is fresh and the temperature is pleasant, unlike any enclosed metal structure found in space.

"salute!"

A loud voice echoed in the spacious connecting hall.

Qin Feng looked up and saw a neat formation in front of him—five thousand bio-engineered soldiers standing in formation, wearing uniform dark gray space combat suits and the emblem of the Universal Group on their chests.

At the very front of the column, Qin Zhanjun strode forward.

The space force commander was a burly man with a resolute face and sharp, eagle-like eyes.

He walked up to Qin Feng, stood at attention, and saluted: "Commander! The First Space Fleet of the Universal Group is assembled and ready for inspection!"

Qin Feng returned the salute and then walked along the red carpet towards the reviewing stand. His footsteps echoed steadily on the metal floor. On both sides, five thousand pairs of eyes were fixed on him, their gazes filled with nothing but loyalty and unwavering resolve.

These cyborg soldiers are all genetically optimized and combat-trained, possessing physical strength and learning abilities a hundred times greater than ordinary humans.

They need no sleep, no entertainment, no emotional comfort—they are perfect soldiers, absolutely loyal, and absolutely efficient.

Qin Feng ascended the reviewing stand, overlooking the army he had created.

"Soldiers!" His voice resounded throughout the hall through the loudspeaker system. "Six months ago, this was a barren asteroid belt. Today, twelve interstellar warships have been built, and a powerful space fleet has taken shape. This is your achievement, the glory of the Universal Corporation!"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "But I must tell you, this is just the beginning. Larger shipbuilding bases are already under construction in the Kuiper Belt. In the future, we will have hundreds, even thousands of warships, and our fleet will cruise the entire solar system, and even into the far reaches of space!"

The officers and soldiers stood at attention, their eyes burning with fervor.

"I know some people will ask: Why do we build such a powerful military?" Qin Feng's voice deepened. "To conquer? To rule? No."

He surveyed the room: "We built the fleet for protection. To protect our homeland from any threat, to protect our civilization from free development, and to protect our right to choose our own path."

"The universe is vast and full of unknowns. We don't know if other civilizations exist, or what challenges we will face in the future. But we do know one thing: only those who wield a sword are qualified to talk about peace."

"Today, we are not here to flaunt our military might, but to prove that Chinese civilization, and indeed human civilization, has the ability to emerge from its cradle and thrive in the vast universe!"

Thunderous applause erupted. Although the emotions of the cyborg soldiers were deliberately suppressed, a certain excitement could still be heard in their applause.

After the inspection, Qin Zhanjun accompanied Qin Feng on a tour of the "World Space" spacecraft.

They first went to the bridge.

This is a hemispherical space, 200 meters in diameter, with a panoramic observation window at the top—actually made of tens of thousands of pieces of high-strength transparent composite material, capable of displaying electromagnetic signals of any wavelength and switching to a tactical view.

At the center of the bridge is the captain's command post, surrounded by dozens of control consoles, each with an operator seated in front of it.

A huge holographic projection floated in the air, displaying the warship's real-time status, the surrounding spatial situation, and the operating data of various systems.