Translator: AnubisTL
One hour later.
Sixteen express delivery packages were dispatched to the remaining sixteen major cities on Gemini Star.
Yes, sixteen.
The plan had changed again.
A slight modification had been made to the plan from just an hour earlier. This was the nature of plans—they remained fluid and subject to refinement until fully executed. Through his communication with Xiao Ai, he had discovered a more efficient approach.
The Stellaris train was located tens of thousands of light-years away, requiring a wired connection for Xiao Ai to operate. However, Xiao Ai's physical form wasn't singular; he possessed countless robotic bodies.
The other robots simply needed temporary emergency modifications.
Thus—
When the plan truly commenced,
they could deploy seventeen robots simultaneously through seventeen refrigerators, each connected via wired links. Xiao Ai's Tier 200 computing power was more than sufficient to handle this workload concurrently.
This meant they no longer needed to spend five minutes hacking into each city's AI before moving on to the next.
This would save a tremendous amount of time.
Multiple threads could operate simultaneously.
This also meant their target wasn't just 10 cities, but 17!
Theoretically, if their plan succeeded, they could obtain 170 trillion units of iron ore and 170 trillion units of copper ore!
An astronomical amount of resources!
This was a one-shot deal. They could only pull this off once. After this operation, the Kasha Civilization's other cities would be on high alert, making future incursions far more difficult. Since they only had one chance, they had to make it count!
Gemini Star, Extreme Night Market, inside a café.
Chen Mang hunched over his tablet, continuously refining the plan with his stylus. The courier was still enroute.
The plan was essentially flawless.
The only point of concern was this:
They couldn't afford to send teams to raid each city's Resource Warehouse one by one; time was too short. They had to split into multiple teams and operate simultaneously. This meant the operation would be an extremely severe test for Xiao Ai and the squad captains.
But he trusted his subordinates.
The people who had followed him were no ordinary individuals. He felt completely confident entrusting them with this task. For example, PuruPuru, the leader of the Philia Pirate Group.
Soon, after the plan was fully executed, he left the café, walked through the back alley, entered the refrigerator, and returned to the Stellaris train. He gazed at the crowd gathered in the locomotive cabin, his eyes sweeping over them as he spoke softly.
"This plan is crucial. Success is the only option; failure is not permitted."
"If everything goes smoothly, the Stellaris train will rapidly enter its explosive growth phase. You will no longer need to hide in the shadows like me. Instead, you can stand proudly in the spotlight, declaring your civilization to the world."
"Just like the Kasha Civilization."
"We too will become a Third-Tier Civilization."
"Every one of you here will be hailed as heroes of this Third-Tier Civilization."
The crowd in the locomotive cabin remained silent, their eyes burning with fervor. When they first learned of the plan, they were stunned by its audacity—it seemed utterly insane. But when they considered the potential rewards of success, they realized that madness and miracles often lie only a hair's breadth apart!
"Biaozi."
Chen Mang turned to Biaozi and said softly, "Lead the entire first team of guards and remain at Extreme Night Market. Your mission is to seize the city's Resource Warehouse."
"Yes, sir!" Biaozi nodded solemnly, his posture ramrod straight, barely containing his excitement. Finally, it's my turn to shine! he thought. Mom, after nearly dying in the Combat Training Virtual Space, this is the moment I've been preparing for!
"Zhang Damei, lead the second team to City No. 2."
"Third Squad Captain, take the third team to City No. 3."
Zhang Damei and the Third Squad Captain responded in unison, their faces grave.
"PuruPuru, take your men to City No. 4."
"Have your trusted lieutenants lead their respective squads to City No. 5 and City No. 6."
"Understood."
PuruPuru, standing in the locomotive cabin, nodded in agreement, a hint of resignation flickering in his eyes. He had always considered himself mad—after all, he was a pirate who had once put a multi-billion-credit bounty on his own head to gain notoriety.
How insane is that?
He had even dared to raid the merchant guild of the Peace-Seeking Civilization, a First-Tier Civilization at the time.
Who could be as insane as him?
He even dared to provoke a civilized government!
That definitely made him a ruthless character.
But then...
After joining the Stellaris train, he realized he was just a small fry compared to the big leagues. This big brother was going to raid the Resource Warehouse of the Third-Tier Civilization, the Kasha Civilization?
That wasn't just having the guts of a leopard—it was having the guts of a Cosmic Behemoth!
Well, damn.
He thought he'd washed his hands of crime, but here he was, back to his old ways, and on an even grander scale than before. This was the biggest heist of his life so far, but knowing Lord Mang's reckless nature, he suspected even bigger scores were yet to come.
"Young Master Li," Chen Mang said, turning to Young Master Li, who stood in the locomotive cabin, and the elderly man from Jimei Tourism Company, who had returned after settling matters with the company. "You two will lead your subordinates to City No. 7. Follow Xiao Ai's commands from the Iris Chips without question or hesitation. Xiao Ai will oversee all operational details of this plan."
"Understood," Young Master Li and the elderly man nodded in unison, their eyes burning with hatred.
Both their civilizations had been destroyed by the Kasha Civilization. This operation was their best chance for revenge!
The debt of a stolen wife can only be repaid with blood!
How much more so a genocidal vendetta?
Young Master Li's train had been destroyed in the previous war, but he still had his subordinates and the Cosmic Behemoth, giving him considerable combat power.
"Pavilion Master," Chen Mang said, turning to the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and his group standing in the corner of the locomotive cabin. "City No. 8, City No. 9, City No. 10, City No. 11, City No. 12, City No. 13, City No. 14, and City No. 15—"
"These eight cities are entrusted to your Eight Great Factions."
"Lead your Elders and disciples and strike boldly."
"Without the cultivation lock suppressing your power, your cultivation should be remarkably effective in the ground cities. Moreover, your factions are the strongest forces in the Black Tortoise Civilization. Do you feel any pressure?"
The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion exchanged glances with his companions before stepping forward, clasping his hands in a fist salute, and replying solemnly, "Reporting to Lord Mang, pressure is inevitable. After all, we face the Kasha Civilization, before whom the Black Tortoise Civilization is but a grain of sand."
"But—"
"This is also our first time entering a modern city without our cultivation locks."
"Even within the Kasha Civilization, not everyone is a train conductor. If President Ai's claim that he controls the entire city is true, I believe we can resolve any issues we encounter along the way."
"Success depends on human effort."
"We wouldn't bother with tasks that lack challenge."
"Good!"
Chen Mang nodded with satisfaction. "The Stellaris possesses extremely advanced medical technology. As long as there's still a breath of life, we can save them. Any severely wounded should immediately retreat to the refrigerator and be withdrawn into the Stellaris."
"Minimize casualties as much as possible. Ideally, we should avoid any losses whatsoever!"
He then scanned the occupants of the locomotive cabin once more.
No one else was available.
His core team was all here—his entire ground combat force. The remaining personnel were primarily support staff like Old Pig. While there were robots on the train, he couldn't send Old Pig into battle leading them.
Support staff weren't suited for frontline combat, and forcing them into such roles would be unwise.
Our foundation still isn't strong enough.
Even maintaining seventeen simultaneous battlefronts is proving difficult.
In truth, for a train, its foundation was already sufficient. What train could boast such a vast Ground Action Force? Opportunities to deploy these forces were rare, and their training required immense resources. Even the most powerful trains typically maintained only a limited number of ground combat units.
Seventeen batches were more than enough.
But for a civilization, this foundation was pitifully meager.
Seventeen battlefronts.
It sounded like a lot.
The Zerg Civilization scratched the back of its head, puzzled by why battlefronts were measured in "lines." Their standard unit was the light-year, with fronts often spanning thousands or even tens of thousands of light-years as they swept across vast territories.
Even with sufficient military strength, such massive fronts posed an extreme logistical challenge, easily straining supply lines to the breaking point.
The Zerg Civilization, however, had no need for logistics. Since leaving their home planet, their monstrous warriors had never intended to return alive, considering it an honor to die in the enemy's homeland.
"Our plan is scheduled to last one hour."
"When the plan begins,"
"Xiao Ai will first spend five minutes seizing control of all AI systems across the seventeen cities. Each team will then follow the orders on their Iris Chips to enter the designated refrigerators and reach their mission objectives."
"The first team to complete their mission,"
"will proceed to the remaining two cities."
"Attention—"
"Do not be greedy for quick success and rush recklessly. The Stellaris train can fail countless times; I have the foundation to make it great again!"
"But you each have only one life. One loss means everything is lost."
"I hope this plan succeeds perfectly."
"More importantly, I hope every one of you returns safe and sound."
"I want our enemies to suffer."
"Not us."
"Come back alive."
"Everyone, this is likely the most audacious plan the Stellaris has ever attempted in its humble beginnings. We may face a long period of being wanted criminals, forced to live like sewer rats for an extended time. But it will all be worth it."
"For the Stellaris train, for yourselves, for everyone."
"Give it your all."
"Act boldly. Whatever happens, I'll take responsibility."
As he spoke, Chen Mang gave Biaozi a meaningful look before picking up Xiao Lu from the chair, walking to the refrigerator, and disappearing from the locomotive cabin. Three hours had passed since the plan was finalized.
The sky remained dark.
There was no time to waste.
Now that the plan was fully prepared, it would commence tonight.
The delivery had arrived successfully, with remarkable efficiency.
Inside the locomotive cabin, the group exchanged glances, each understanding the unspoken agreement in their eyes.
Lord Mang had done virtually everything for them.
He had practically chewed their food and spoon-fed it to them. If their plan still failed under these circumstances, they might as well bash their heads against a tofu block and be done with it!
Especially since this time, a staggering seventeen battlefronts were being launched simultaneously.
Failure on any front would bring utter humiliation, making it impossible to ever hold their heads high on the train again.
Even seniority and a low serial number would count for nothing.
Biaozi took a deep breath and strode toward Carriage No. 2. He needed to quickly check his mech and weapons. This plan couldn't fail. As the most veteran member of the Stellaris crew, the recent influx of new recruits had triggered a deep sense of urgency in him. He had to execute this operation flawlessly!
Moreover, Lord Mang was clearly looking out for him, assigning him to Extreme Night Market—the very city where Lord Mang himself resided. If anything went wrong, Lord Mang could provide immediate support. Under these circumstances, failure would be worse than death.
Standing in place, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion gazed at his colleagues in the locomotive cabin, his expression complex and silent. Behind him, the leaders of the other seven great factions of the Black Tortoise Civilization remained equally silent.
Their original arrogance had been utterly shattered.
They had initially contributed nearly ten trillion units of resources to support the Stellaris train, watching with pride as it gradually improved. They believed their contributions had played a significant role in the train's development.
But then they learned that the theoretical yield of this plan was 170 trillion units of iron ore and 170 trillion units of copper ore.
Silence fell.
The resources accumulated by all the factions of the Black Tortoise Civilization over nearly a century of tireless effort now seemed like a joke.
Their meticulously crafted "Apocalypse Plan" felt like child's play, utterly dwarfed by Lord Mang's unnamed project.
Such a massive undertaking didn't even have an official codename. Compared to their own grandly named Apocalypse Plan, the more they thought about it, the more ashamed they felt.
Fortunately, they had contributed early.
If they had given it even a little later, with their meager resources, they likely wouldn't have been able to secure a single ticket on the Stellaris train, let alone bring their entire planet along when war broke out.
"Don't fail, everyone," the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion murmured, glancing at the group. "We originally invested capital, but our stake has been diluted to a tiny fraction. Now, we must demonstrate our individual combat capabilities. When the train isn't involved, we need to show Lord Mang that our combat prowess is far from ordinary."
"Showcase our potential."
"Perhaps..."
"We might even secure preferential resource allocation in the future and be entrusted with commanding the Ground Action Force within the train."
They had initially aimed to become major shareholders, but that dream now seemed unattainable.
Their only option was to invest their technical expertise.
This time, failure was not an option. If they failed, even their technical expertise would be worthless. Without either capital or technical prowess, their relevance on the Stellaris train would become precarious. Promises?
As Lord Mang accumulated more and more resources, he might easily forget the promises made for their ten trillion units of resources.
They couldn't rely solely on promises.
They had to prove their capabilities.
Under the night sky...
Under the cloak of night, Chen Mang sat at an outdoor café in Extreme Night Market, constantly scrolling through news articles on his tablet.
The city, perpetually shrouded in polar night, had earned its name from this eternal darkness.
Perhaps due to this environment, the city's light pollution was particularly severe, transforming the entire metropolis into a dazzling Cyber City. He loved this city and hoped to one day create a similar metropolis within his own civilization.
He was currently reading news about the Kasha Civilization.
It's worth noting that—
The Kasha Civilization's domain spanned tens of thousands of light-years. Managing such a vast territory posed immense challenges, particularly in communication.
In his previous world, many historical dynasties with similarly vast territories eventually fragmented, largely due to the sheer scale of their empires. Messages from the capital city could take over a year to reach the frontier regions.
Such delayed communication essentially meant the capital had minimal control over its distant territories.
Such delays often led to rebellions.
And that was just a fraction of a single planet's surface. The Kasha Civilization's domain spanned tens of thousands of light-years, many times larger. Their communication system, known as the "Collective Sky Net," operated as follows:
First, multiple wormholes connected all civilizations within the Kasha Civilization Federation.
Then, SkyNet Base Stations were constructed at both ends of each wormhole, as well as on planets and throughout their surrounding territories. Information was transmitted through these wormholes and base stations.
For example:
When the Kasha Civilization Leader issued an order to the 27th Galaxy, the message would first reach the SkyNet Base Station at the wormhole entrance connecting the Kasha Civilization to the 27th Galaxy. It would then travel through the wormhole to the base station at the exit, which would broadcast the message to all receivers within its range.
No specific receiver device was required.
The system supported multiple encoding formats.
Whether it was a "train radio," a standard tablet, or a smartwatch issued by various civilizations, any device configured to receive transmissions could receive the corresponding messages.
However—
Information transmitted from the SkyNet Base Station at the wormhole's entrance could not be wirelessly transmitted to the SkyNet Base Station at the wormhole's exit. The wormhole's internal environment was extremely complex, requiring a wired connection.
A long cable was needed to traverse the wormhole, linking the base stations at both ends.
Through this network of devices,
the Kasha Civilization could ensure that any command reached any zone within their domain with precision and timeliness, within thirty seconds!
For a civilization spanning tens of thousands of light-years, achieving domain-wide information coverage in just thirty seconds was an impressive feat.
This was the civilian-grade system.
Military-grade base stations offered even wider coverage, stronger signals, and higher costs.
The Kasha Civilization had been preparing for defense, not conquest, primarily due to this communication challenge. If their armies were to embark on expeditions tens of thousands of light-years away, reliable communication would be paramount.
They had no intention of establishing a "Collective Sky Net" within the Zerg Territory.
Therefore, they first needed to establish base stations at both ends of the Military Wormhole. After each advance, they would deploy additional base stations to blanket the entire operational zone.
This required vast quantities of resources.
The base stations had to be deployed in bulk. If a meteorite strike or other disaster destroyed a station, the resulting communication blackout would have catastrophic consequences.
After each advance, they would deploy multiple base stations—at least five at a time.
This method was intended to maintain uninterrupted communication during the expedition.
Yet even with these precautions, if the Zerg army detected and destroyed the base stations along their route, the expeditionary force would immediately become isolated and cut off from support, unable to receive even basic supplies from their civilization.
For the Kasha Civilization, the greatest challenge of this expedition wasn't the combat prowess of their frontline warriors, but whether their rear-line logistics could keep pace.
The war had not yet officially begun.
The first shot had not yet been fired.
Vast resources had already been committed, and all available resources were being rapidly mobilized. This was war, and once it began, the rate of resource consumption would be terrifying, capable of instantly draining a civilization's foundation.
This explained why the leaders of the Kasha Civilization, fully aware that prolonging the conflict with the Zerg Civilization would inevitably lead to defeat, had delayed launching a full-scale expedition for so long.
A civilization's leader might be corrupt, but they were rarely foolish.
If everyone else could see the situation, how could the leader possibly be blind to it? Their inaction must have a reason.
The chances of a failed expedition were also high.
Faced with certain death either way, and with some already committed to the cause, the leader had no choice but to go all-in. At this critical moment, division was the greatest threat; absolute unity of opinion was essential, even if that opinion might be wrong.
Chen Mang sat in the café, silently scrolling through news reports about the Kasha Civilization on his tablet. The information above came from an analysis by a Kasha Civilization military commentator.
It was quite detailed.
Much of this was new to him. In fact, it was through this analysis that he first learned how the Kasha Civilization's SkyNet Base Stations operated.
It sounded rather rudimentary.
But it was also perfectly normal.
After all, many so-called high-tech advancements, when stripped down layer by layer, ultimately boiled down to boiling water. The vast and boundless universe, though seemingly shrouded in mystery, was fundamentally no different from boiling water.
TL/N: Refers to how all seemingly complex tasks boil down to a simple process.
This war commentator's predictions for the war were extremely pessimistic, bordering on despair.
Because...
The Zerg Civilization didn't fucking need SkyNet Base Stations!
The Zerg Overmind's commands could traverse tens of thousands of light-years via psychic induction, directly reaching the minds of any Zerg General in real-time!
"What the fuck..."
Chen Mang sighed helplessly. The more he learned about the Mechanical Civilization and the Kasha Civilization, the more he realized how monstrous the Zerg Civilization truly was. Are these even people?!
He had only activated a single cheat.
How many fucking cheats had the Zerg Civilization activated?
Why not just declare themselves invincible and be done with it?
What was the point of going through all these formalities?
No wonder the Kasha Civilization's war commentator was so pessimistic. Even if we ignore everything else, the two sides were on completely different levels when it came to communication. The Kasha Civilization needed vast resources to build SkyNet Base Stations, while the Zerg Civilization had a God-like perspective, transmitting information in real-time, and for free.
There was no comparison.
It was a self-inflicted humiliation.
The comment section erupted in furious condemnation, clearly enraged that someone would sing a dirge before the war had even officially begun.
The Kasha Civilization comprised eighteen directly administered planets.
This civilization had always been sparsely populated. For reasons unknown, their birth rate was exceptionally low. Despite various attempts to boost it, the birth rate remained stubbornly low, resulting in an extremely slow population growth rate. Were it not for the Kasha Civilization's wealth, which allowed the government to subsidize a thousand-year lifespan for every citizen, their birth rate would have long since turned negative.
However, in recent years, the Kasha Civilization had attracted a large influx of workers from other civilizations. These individuals gradually filled lower-level leadership positions within the Kasha Civilization.
They obtained green cards issued by the Kasha Civilization, officially recognizing them as members of the civilization, though this recognition was not recognized by the Cosmic Rules. The Cosmic Rules strictly prohibited arbitrary changes in one's civilization affiliation, but the Kasha Civilization allowed it.
"What's been going on lately?"
On Apocalypse Star, one of the Kasha Civilization's directly administered planets, a gate guard cautiously leaned in to whisper to his fellow guard, "The Patriarch rarely visited this estate before. Why has he been coming here every day recently?"
"I don't know."
The guard beside him paled slightly. "Shh, the Patriarch is here."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a massive train glided to a stop before the estate gates. A grim-faced old man, flanked by his retinue, strode into the estate with the force of a gale, bypassing his usual appreciation of the meticulously crafted gardens that had cost him a fortune.
He headed straight for the conference room.
The estate's gardens were truly remarkable.
Within the Kasha Civilization Federation, there were 9,398 First-Tier Civilizations and 239 Second-Tier Civilizations.
The gardens showcased representative landscapes from each of these civilizations, transplanted into a single, sprawling estate. The resources required for this endeavor were astronomical, but the Patriarch considered it a worthwhile investment.
It gave him the illusion of being the sovereign of civilizations, with all the nations paying homage to him.
Ah, but now there aren't 9,398 First-Tier Civilizations anymore. Some were destroyed recently.
Soon—
The old man strode into his conference room. His assistant had already set up the video communication system and poured him a cup of hot tea before discreetly withdrawing from the room.
He sat alone in his chair, impatiently sweeping the cigars and cigar cutter from the nearby table onto the floor.
He lit a cigarette.
Gazing at the three figures on the video screen, he spoke slowly, each word heavy with grim resolve: "The meeting is adjourned. The Federation's directive will be implemented in seven days: a comprehensive audit of all strategic reserves within the Kasha Civilization Federation."
"The message is clear."
"They want to avoid a public scandal."
"Within seven days, you must replenish every resource you've embezzled. Failure to comply will have dire consequences."
"I've calculated my shortfall—it's impossible to cover. What do you propose we do?"
As his words hung in the air, the elderly man in the lower-left corner of the screen shook his head. "My deficit is insurmountable too. Inciting chaos now would be suicidal. War has already begun, and the Federation's stance is unyielding—we must comply."
"I've noticed an increase in surveillance around me."
"Even the wormholes near my territory have been placed under First-Level combat readiness. Escape is impossible."
"I'm preparing to take my own life."
"I've already arranged all the resources long ago. Once I'm gone, this matter will be settled. At least my children will never have to worry about food or shelter for the rest of their lives."
"..."
In the lower right corner of the screen, the middle-aged man frowned deeply and said in a stern voice, "Even if we can't completely fill the hole, every little bit helps. What if the Kasha Civilization loses the war? Will your children even have a future?"
The old man who had spoken first scoffed.
"Do you realize how many resources the Kasha Civilization has already mobilized?"
"How much has been sent to the front lines?"
"The war hasn't even officially begun yet."
"And we've already sent five waves of resources, each one an astronomical sum!"
"How much did I actually embezzle?"
"At most, I took less than 7 trillion."
"These five resource shipments are just appetizers. When the war truly begins, resource mobilization will become even more frequent, even more frantic!"
"The resources I embezzled are practically insignificant to the Kasha Civilization. I don't even have much left—only about 4 trillion. Even if I return it all, would it make any real difference to the overall situation? Would it sway the outcome of the war?"
"Either way, we're all going to die. I'd rather leave something for my children."
"Besides—"
"While the Western Military District has the strongest combat power, it's still not the Central Military District. The Central Military District of the Kasha Civilization secretly developed those massive weapons of destruction—those are the true resource hogs. A single shot could completely deplete the foundation of a First-Tier Civilization."
"When the war escalates and these weapons are deployed, my 4 trillion resources won't even be enough for a single shot. What's the point?"
Individual strength pales in comparison to the might of an entire civilization.
4 trillion resources is a staggering sum.
The Black Tortoise Civilization accumulated nearly 10 trillion resources over a century.
But—
Against a Top-Tier Civilization, on a battlefield where Top-Tier Civilizations clash, this amount is merely a drop in the bucket, easily squandered.
As for using their train to create a wormhole and escape, they never even considered it—it was utterly impossible.
At that moment, the elderly man sitting in the conference room looked up at the middle-aged woman at the top of the screen and said gravely, "What about you? What do you think?"
"Me?"
The woman at the top of the screen shook her head with a smile. "What does this have to do with me? I haven't embezzled a single unit of strategic reserves. Those are strategic reserves, you know! Don't you understand what that means?"
"I've only used my authority to make a little money."
"Nothing like you lot."
"This investigation won't lead back to me."
The other three fell silent, saying nothing.
Every civilization cracks down on corrupt officials, and the Kasha Civilization is no exception. These power-for-profit schemes leave obvious trails. If handled poorly and reported, you'd lose your position.
Embezzling strategic reserves, on the other hand, carries almost no risk.
Regular cross-regional inspections, a little coordination, and it's all easily covered up.
As long as war doesn't break out, it's the safest way to profit.
After all, power rarely changes hands in the Kasha Civilization. Lifespans are incredibly long, and those at the top never step down, making it nearly impossible for those below to rise through the ranks. If anyone discovered your power-for-profit schemes, they'd report you in a frenzy.
But—
Who could have imagined that son of a bitch, the Western Military District Commander-in-Chief, would unilaterally launch an expedition without notifying anyone!
He had forcibly dragged the entire Kasha Civilization into this unexpected final battle.
No one saw it coming.
Whether the Zerg Civilization was caught off guard or not, the moment they received the news, their first reaction was utter bewilderment.
Is this guy completely insane?!
After a long silence in the conference room, the old man continued, "Let me be frank: I infiltrated three cities on Gemini Star and siphoned off some of their strategic resource reserves. I can't cover up the shortfall."
"You need to find a solution."
"If we can't, we'll all die together. Rest assured, I'll take everyone down with me in a self-destruct."
"How much did you embezzle?" The middle-aged woman frowned, her tone sharp. Though she was displeased, she knew that if this man were captured and suddenly self-destructed, she'd be caught in the blast too.
"I took 10 trillion units of iron ore and 10 trillion units of copper ore from each city."
"That's 60 trillion units of resources in total. Quite a haul. You guys make money way easier than I do. How much strategic resource reserves do those three cities have combined?"
"Exactly 60 trillion units."
"..."
The middle-aged woman on the screen froze, her mocking smile gradually fading into a blank expression. After a long, silent pause, she calmly said, "You didn't just take a little, did you? You took it all, didn't you?"
"I initially took twenty percent," the elderly man in the conference room replied calmly. "Then I thought, what's the difference between twenty percent and thirty percent?"
"So I took thirty percent."
"Then I thought again, what's the difference between thirty percent and fifty percent?"
"So I took another twenty percent."
"Finally, I realized that if I were caught with such a massive sum, whether I took fifty percent or a hundred percent, the outcome would be the same: certain death. Since the result wouldn't change, I might as well take it all. So I took the remaining fifty percent."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The three figures on the video conference screen remained silent. After a long pause, the old man in the lower left corner finally spoke up. "You're still the best, Brother. Oh, and Brother, I forgot to mention—there is a difference."
"If you get caught doing this, you'll face severe torture. Your death won't be quick or painless."
"If we get caught, I'll take my own life beforehand. The real question is, how can we avoid getting caught in the first place?"
A long silence followed.
The middle-aged woman spoke first. "We have seven days, right? What's the rush? Corruption is rampant within the Kasha Civilization—you could even say everyone's greedy. Let's see how others are handling this."
"We can learn from them later."
"There's always a way."
"I refuse to believe they'd kill us all with a major war looming."
"True."
Though the meeting didn't produce a definitive solution, it did bring a sense of resolution, easing everyone's panic.
On a planet within the Kasha Civilization:
An elderly man stood before a desk in his study, bowing his head and speaking in a low voice. "Head of State, all arrangements are complete. The candidates we've secretly groomed over the years are ready to fully assume control of the Kasha Civilization's power structure."
"Through years of training, they've mastered the skills required for their positions."
"They are fully capable."
"But..."
"Won't too many people die this way?"
The person sitting across from the elder was the Leader of the Kasha Civilization.
The study was starkly minimalist.
It contained only a desk, some paper, and a few pens—nothing else, not even a single book.
The Head of State suffered from a mental disorder.
He abhorred any cluttered environment; if not for the necessities of office work, he wouldn't have wanted the desk at all.
"They should have died long ago," the middle-aged man behind the desk said calmly as he wrote on the Xuan paper. "Though everyone at the council vehemently criticized Commander Li, among the high-ranking officials of the Kasha Civilization, only he truly contemplates our civilization's future."
"Neither declaring war proactively nor passively defending ourselves is a perfect choice."
"My resolve has wavered for years. Now that Commander Li has made the decision for me, my task is to mobilize all logistics and marshal every resource within the Kasha Civilization."
"Since we must fight..."
"Then let it be a decisive battle."
"Whether we win or lose, I will drain the Kasha Civilization's foundation in this battle. Having made this decision, I will see it through to the end."
"Seven days from now—"
"All those who have failed to repair the breaches will be executed."
"Even those who have repaired the breaches will be executed."
"All who criticized the expedition in the council will be executed."
"All who proposed fleeing the civilization will be executed."
"All who feign compliance while undermining us will be executed."
"Power has stagnated for too long. This might be tolerable in ordinary times, but during this decisive battle, I will not allow anyone to hold the Kasha Civilization back. Kill them all and bring in the new generation."
"I want the entire Kasha Civilization, from top to bottom, united in purpose, to mobilize every last resource and fight the Zerg Civilization to the death!"
"This battle!"
"We must win!"
Only then did the middle-aged man finish the final stroke on the Xuan paper, lightly tossing it before the elder. "Commander Li is still too lenient. Seven days from now, this paper will mean that everyone can die except for these three."
"After their deaths, their estates will be confiscated."
"Children, relatives, and in-laws—all will be seized and executed."
"This includes Second-Tier and First-Tier Civilizations. Any who fail to surrender resources or defy our control will be purged."
"From this day forward,"
"I expect only one voice within the Kasha Civilization Federation."
"Victory is assured."
"Anyone who speaks against the expedition will be deemed the Kasha Civilization's greatest enemy."
"Anyone who embezzles the Kasha Civilization's resources will be deemed the Kasha Civilization's greatest traitor."
"Anyone who pays lip service while undermining our efforts, failing to prioritize what truly matters, will be deemed the Kasha Civilization's most deserving of death."
"Yes, sir."
The old man's voice trembled slightly as he bent down to pick up the sheet of paper from the ground. The calligraphy was bold and sweeping, its strokes like dragons soaring through the sky. How could someone with such a commanding hand be willing to compromise?
Seven days later, the Kasha Civilization would witness the greatest purge of power in its history!
Seven days later, the Kasha Civilization would speak with a single voice.
He knew the Head of State had always loathed these parasites, but removing one would unravel the entire system. Such drastic measures were usually impossible without a crisis. Commander Li had delivered the Head of State a crisis—a time of war when only two things mattered:
Combat strength and logistics.
Everything else was irrelevant.
Everyone else was expendable.
The first shot would ring out within the Kasha Civilization itself.
The first to die would be one of its own.
The final battle had officially begun!
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c390. 💠COMPLETED💠
🎁All [3] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [1.1k+] Chapters and [2.46M+] Words.