SSS rank Mother-In-Law to an Invincible Family

Chapter 487: That ship. You Go Check It Out

Xu Qianghua stood in front of the long window in the main observatory hall of the Xu estate. From here, the stars looked closer.

The sky was clear, still dark, and quiet. But in his mind, things were starting to stir.

Behind him, a soft beep rang out from the central transmission pillar.

He didn’t turn right away.

He already knew what it was about.

A few hours ago, the Xu family fleet stationed along Nexera’s third orbit had spotted something drifting into range.

It wasn’t a local signal. The shape, the energy signature, and even the material used for the hull—it wasn’t Nexeran. It wasn’t Zerg. It wasn’t anything from this part of the stars.

It was foreign.

Old.

And not supposed to be here anymore.

He turned slowly and approached the pillar. With a swipe of his hand, the image came to life.

A battered, darkened ship hovered in the projection. It looked barely functional. Deep scars ran across the hull.

Most of its outer lights were gone. The top section had collapsed in, and the engine ports were blackened and cracked.

Even in this state, it was unmistakable.

It was that ship.

The one that should have either taken over Nexera years ago... or been destroyed in space.

Yet here it was.

Still intact.

Barely alive—but there.

Xu Qianghua’s eyes narrowed.

That ship had once belonged to a powerful off-world civilization. In this place, cultivation had mixed with advanced tech so thoroughly that entire cities floated in the skies of their planets.

They had viewed Nexera as primitive—a planet to be taken, mined, and stripped.

They didn’t even consider a full war necessary.

Instead, they sent one ship—a very large, very well-equipped ship. This was a signal of both arrogance and confidence.

The commander of that vessel was only at the peak of the Voidbreak stage. That alone told Qianghua everything about how they viewed Nexera.

They thought sending someone at that level was more than enough.

Too fractured. Too slow. Too outdated.

They didn’t know about the World Core’s instability.

They didn’t know about the Zerg.

They definitely didn’t know about the humans who were still climbing, fighting, and evolving far faster than they expected.

Qianghua flicked through a few more data panels. The fleet hadn’t gotten close yet. No one wanted to get too near without knowing what was still functional inside.

They had sent scans, but most readings were incomplete.

Only one thing stood out.

There were life signs.

Faint. Erratic. But real.

People were still alive on that ship.

And now the question was—who?

He turned his head slightly. "Summon Elder Xin and Elder Wuying."

A moment later, the chamber doors opened. Two figures walked in. Both wore traditional dark-gray robes of the Xu elder division.

They moved with the steadiness of seasoned cultivators—neither rushed nor lazy.

Elder Xin had long white hair tied into a thick rope behind his back. His eyes were sharp, but not impatient.

Elder Wuying looked younger, but only on the surface. He had no visible aura leaking from his body, but Qianghua knew he was just as deadly. Both were late-stage Voidbreak cultivators.

Qianghua nodded once toward the floating image. "That ship, go check it out."

They both looked at the projection.

Xin’s expression looks surprised. "Yes."

Wuying spoke slowly. "And what do we need to focus on?"

"See what the condition is," Qianghua said. "It’s been drifting. Probably something is wrong, I want to understand what."

He gestured toward the ship’s burned outline. "We’re looking at something that should have broken apart decades ago. But it didn’t."

He stepped closer to the projection, folding his arms behind his back.

"This was never a transport vessel. It was a conquest scout. Sent to scan our world, extract the core, and enslave the major sects.

Maybe even bring the whole planet under their empire. They didn’t think they’d need a fleet."

He looked over at them.

"And back then... they might’ve been right."

Neither elder replied. They didn’t need to. It was a hard truth. Nexera had come a long way—but in those years, it had been vulnerable. Fragmented.

"Something stopped them," Qianghua continued. "The Zerg. Maybe a divine beast. Maybe fate. But now, we’re being handed a chance."

Xin nodded slowly. "What do you want done?"

"You’ll go together," Qianghua said. "Stay cloaked. Approach slowly. Use minimal energy output. We don’t want to wake anything up if their systems are on standby."

"What if they detect us?" Wuying asked.

Qianghua turned to face them fully.

"Then you back off. Unless the crew is weaker than you, do not engage."

He brought up a smaller panel. It listed the rough estimate of remaining energy signatures inside the ship.

"Preliminary scans show all internal signals are below peak Voidbreak. Possibly even mid-stage or lower. No Origin Realm fluctuations detected."

"So we should be able to suppress them," Xin said.

"Most likely," Qianghua replied. "But don’t assume. Confirm."

He paused.

"If anyone stronger survived, they’ve had years to recover. Maybe they’re conserving energy. Maybe they’re waiting."

Wuying exhaled. "And if they’re not?"

"Then you enter. Secure the vessel. Retrieve all data cores. Get names, ranks, and whatever files they kept.

I want to know what they planned, who gave the orders, and what else they know about Nexera."

He turned back to the window.

"That ship is a loose thread. We don’t leave threads."

Both elders bowed.

Without further questions, they turned and left the room.

Qianghua remained by the window. Outside, the stars were still cold and still. But something inside him felt different.

Not afraid.

But watchful.

This wasn’t just a mission. It was a memory returning in physical form.

The invaders had failed.

But if one ship had survived, who else might be watching?

And what would they think when they learned the truth—that the planet they once looked down on was no longer weak?

He let the thought settle for a while, then reached out to open a second line of contact.

"Inform the World Army. If this ship holds valid threat records or mapping logs from the early war period, they’ll want copies. We’re not claiming this discovery alone."

"Yes, Patriarch."

He closed the call and turned off the projection.

Everything else would depend on what the elders found.

But in his heart, he already knew—

Whatever they brought back wouldn’t just be answers.

It would be the start of something bigger.

And this time, they would be ready.