Translator: AnubisTL
Under the cloak of night, Chen Mang sat alone in a café, Xiao Lu nestled in his arms, patiently watching the time on his wrist. Seven minutes remained until the hour struck.
In seven minutes, the City AI would transmit its verification scrambles. The following hour would be their window of opportunity.
Normally, Chen Mang was always surrounded by a retinue of guards when he ventured out, a measure of security he preferred.
Today was an exception.
All his personnel had been deployed.
He sat alone, preparing to execute an unplanned operation—one he would carry out solo.
Even Zhang Yi and Zhang Er had been sent out, leaving no one to carry the refrigerator.
The actual distance to the train was tens of thousands of light-years, rendering the Hell Hat's effects useless. He couldn't rely on the defensive capabilities equivalent to the Train Armor.
His security was at its lowest.
His only safeguard was Xiao Lu in his arms. They had practiced this: in the event of overwhelming danger, Xiao Lu would swallow him whole and fly back to the hidden refrigerator.
It was relatively safe.
Admittedly, commanding the operation from the train would have been the safest approach. But after this job, he wouldn't have another chance to come here. The place would undoubtedly be on high alert. He needed the Hell Brooch's special item, and that required him to go there in person.
He wanted both the sesame and the watermelon.
Besides, neither of these were sesame seeds—they were both watermelons!
Soon.
Seven minutes passed. As the minute hand reached the hour mark, he detected no anomalies, but Xiao Ai's voice already echoed in his ear, signaling the start of the intrusion.
"Let's go, Xiao Lu."
Chen Mang stood up, placed several pieces of iron ore on the table, then put on his hat, pulling the brim low. Clutching Xiao Lu, he strode out of the café and onto the street. Across from him stood the renowned Auction House, his target for this operation.
The street was nearly deserted, most people already asleep.
Several heavily armed guards stood watch at the Auction House entrance, patrolling with cold expressions and eyes that drilled into every passerby.
He had already scouted the place.
He had taken the batch of clothing to the Auction House to inquire about its value and discreetly probed the appraisers and buyers for information. He learned that some of the auction items, including the Hell Brooch, were already stored in the Auction House's vault.
He didn't know the exact location.
That information proved impossible to extract.
But knowing it was definitely here was enough.
"Looting works like this," Chen Mang murmured, standing in the night-darkened street, lighting a cigarette as he leaned against a utility pole. After exhaling a long, pale blue plume of smoke, he pulled a few pieces of iron ore from his pocket and fed them to Xiao Lu, gently stroking the little creature's head.
"First they're lax, then they tighten up."
The Auction House's security was laughably lax.
It looked intimidating at first glance.
But with only a handful of guards carrying guns, this force wouldn't even be sufficient to protect a Tier 1 Mine back in the apocalypse. The security there was far more robust.
It was clear this place had never been robbed before.
Within the Kasha Civilization, theft was virtually nonexistent. Their welfare system was robust, and wages were high, eliminating the need for crime. Moreover, citizens of other civilizations wouldn't dare set foot on Kasha territory, let alone attempt to rob their companies or cities.
No pirate would ever attempt such a feat.
There was no precedent for such an act.
Perhaps this very lack of threat had led to the planet's security forces becoming lax, almost as if the place were deserted. Laying down the elaborate deception array had been effortless, encountering no resistance whatsoever.
Just then—
"Hey!"
A harsh, angry shout suddenly rang out in Chen Mang's ear.
The armed guards had finally noticed him leaning against a utility pole, smoking. They swiftly chambered rounds and strode over, barking, "Leave immediately!"
Xiao Ai's voice echoed in his ear once more.
[Infiltration complete. From this moment forward, control of the entire city is mine. Remaining time: 55 minutes.]
[All units, proceed to designated combat zones.]
[Commence Plan!]
In an instant—
Chen Mang noticed that every surveillance camera on the nearby streets, shops, and even utility poles went dark almost simultaneously. It wasn't just in this area; every monitoring device across the entire city had instantly gone silent.
At the same moment!
Heavy machine guns emerged from rooftops, utility poles, and above shop signs. Their menacing barrels began to rotate slowly, revealing the vast arsenal hidden throughout the city.
The next moment—
Tutututu!!!
The ear-splitting gunfire shattered the night sky, shattering the city's silence.
Countless bullets, like a metallic storm, instantly engulfed the guards who had come to drive them away. When the shooting stopped, only shredded flesh and a ravaged street remained.
"Fifty-five minutes," Chen Mang muttered, glancing at his wristwatch before tossing Xiao Lu into the air. "Go."
He needed to move faster.
His target wasn't just the Auction House. These fifty-five minutes were his time to act with impunity. Within this timeframe, he could do anything he pleased, but after fifty-five minutes, he would have to start running.
This was a direct planetary territory of the Kasha Civilization, located at its absolute core!
This was no joke!
Once the Kasha Civilization realized what had happened, Chen Mang would face an extremely terrifying encirclement and counterattack.
In the next moment—
Xiao Lu, who had been tossed into the air, rapidly expanded in size until he was as large as several soccer fields. To the stunned gazes of passersby, he opened his massive maw and swallowed the entire palace-like Auction House in a single gulp.
Then, he swiftly shrank back down, returning to Chen Mang's arms.
Chen Mang didn't need to know the exact location of the special item or delve into the Auction House to find it. He only needed to confirm it was inside, leaving the rest to Xiao Lu. They could search for it at their leisure later.
Chen Mang glanced at the passersby who happened to be nearby, waved with a smile, and strode away.
Immediately afterward, heavy machine guns hidden on rooftops and other high vantage points extended, unleashing a devastating barrage on all the passersby to ensure no specific information or faces could leak out.
In the blink of an eye, his operation was complete.
However, there seemed to be a problem with Biaozi's team in Polar Night City.
"Train Conductor, Polar Night City's actual strategic resource reserves should be 10 trillion units of iron ore and 10 trillion units of copper ore, but the actual strategic resource reserves are zero."
"The warehouses are empty."
"Hmm."
Chen Mang strode down the street, listening to Xiao Ai's report and murmuring, "Tell Biaozi to move on to the next city. If there's time left, prioritize the high-value locations we've marked."
"Understood."
Though it sounded absurd, this development was within his expectations.
He had heard rumors of corruption within the Kasha Civilization. He hadn't imagined they would steal everything, not just half—that was ruthless. But it wasn't a major problem. With seventeen cities in total, he refused to believe all seventeen could be completely emptied.
Meanwhile—
On Gemini Star, in City No. 4, a group led personally by PuruPuru, leader of the Philia Pirate Group, was speeding toward a warehouse under the cover of night on several off-road motorcycles.
Such a massive and undisguised commotion naturally alerted the warehouse guards.
The warehouse's external defenses activated swiftly, gun barrels swiveling to target PuruPuru and his crew, ready to fire. But under the guards' horrified gazes, the automated weapons suddenly turned against them, unleashing a relentless barrage of gunfire!
Tututututu!
The ear-splitting gunfire tore through the night.
PuruPuru and his crew maintained their full speed. By the time they breached the warehouse interior, the surrounding area was littered with corpses. They hadn't fired a single shot themselves; President Ai had cleared the path for them.
Traffic in the area was under strict lockdown, ensuring no one could approach.
Automated alarm signals were intercepted, preventing the Law Enforcement Bureau from receiving any alerts. No one would be coming to investigate anytime soon.
When PuruPuru kicked open the warehouse door, he froze instantly, his gaze fixed on the scene before him. He swallowed hard, his throat working involuntarily.
The warehouse was piled high with vast quantities of high-grade iron ore and copper ore—a sight that filled the entire space, overflowing like a bountiful harvest.
The sheer abundance was dazzling.
"Lord Mang really hit the jackpot with this one," PuruPuru muttered.
"Speaking of pirates..."
"Lord Mang is my ancestral master."
He suddenly realized something. He had always called himself a pirate, but all his career earnings combined couldn't match the haul from this single warehouse. Lord Mang, on the other hand, never claimed to be a pirate, yet a casual raid of his yielded more than the entirety of his career.
There were seventeen such mission targets in this operation.
He was just one small team among many.
"Let's get to work!"
PuruPuru grinned widely, waving his massive hand. His subordinates immediately shouldered refrigerators and strode forward, pulling out the oversized vacuum cleaners Qi Kexiu and President Ai had hastily assembled.
They aimed the octopus-like suction nozzles at the warehouse and pressed the activation buttons.
Instantly, countless tons of iron and copper ore flew into the air, drawn into the vacuum cleaners and transferred directly into the Stellaris train through the refrigerators.
The entire process flowed seamlessly, like water.
Meanwhile, inside the warehouse, gunfire continued to erupt, precisely eliminating the remaining personnel. Only after every last resource had been sucked into the train did new information flash across the Iris Chip implanted in PuruPuru's eye.
["Total resources in this warehouse have been inventoried: 10 trillion units of iron ore and 10 trillion units of copper ore."]
["Eliminate remaining pockets of resistance."]
Soon after—
A flat map of the warehouse appeared on PuruPuru's Iris Chip. In several corners, red dots blinked incessantly, marking the blind spots of the warehouse's automated defense systems that required manual intervention.
"This is the first time I've operated with a God's-eye view," PuruPuru couldn't help but marvel again. Though he'd never handled a operation of this scale, he'd done plenty of similar things as a pirate. But none had ever been this effortless.
It felt like cheating—operating with complete omniscience. The disparity between their capabilities and the enemy's was almost comical. This kind of information dominance felt incredibly satisfying.
Meanwhile—
The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion led his sect's disciples, skimming low over the ground on their swords, racing through the encroaching night toward City No. 8's Resource Warehouse. Before they even arrived, they heard the distant, relentless gunfire.
As they arrived, they saw it immediately.
A group of black-clad, masked men were besieging the warehouse guards with firearms. The deafening gunfire crackled like firecrackers, with over a hundred attackers—quite a force.
It seemed someone had beaten them to the punch!
"Stealing our job?"
The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's expression darkened. He refused to let his mission fail. Without hesitation, he roared, unleashing a torrent of spiritual energy that coalesced into a massive Eight Trigrams Formation in the sky!
Instantly!
The spiritual energy-formed Eight Trigrams Formation rapidly materialized, and countless Flying Swords, each radiating terrifying pressure, erupted from it like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. In the blink of an eye, thousands of Flying Swords descended like a torrential downpour, instantly engulfing the enemy!
With a single strike!
Nearly a thousand meters of land were leveled to the ground!
This was the allure of cultivation civilization—the ability to unleash terrifying power with nothing but the body!
Now, no living soul remained within the area except for them.
There was no train involved.
With their individual strength, who could possibly defeat them?
They kicked open the warehouse door, revealing vast quantities of resources stacked inside.
"Rise!"
The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion uttered a soft command. A surge of spiritual energy erupted, enveloping all the iron ore and forming a silvery Milky Way that rapidly flowed into the refrigerator.
This was a Tier 200 Refrigerator delivered to the city by Lord Mang's express service. They would need to take it with them when they left, as it had been forged from iron ore and couldn't be left to waste.
Soon, the resource inventory was complete.
[The total resources in this warehouse have been inventoried. The total amounts are: 5 trillion units of iron ore and 5 trillion units of copper ore.]
[No survivors detected.]
[Proceed to the next mission objective.]
"Only half?"
The Pavilion Master's expression darkened, but there was no time to dwell on it. Following President Ai's instructions, they swiftly retreated and headed for the next mission objective.
Their operational window was just 55 minutes.
Now, only 48 minutes remained.
Debriefing could wait until later.
This isn't the right time!
"Did we make too much noise?"
City No. 8.
On a high floor of an office building, a middle-aged man stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the towering flames erupting from the suburban warehouse. His face was etched with anxiety as he paced back and forth.
He could tell this time the higher-ups meant business. They had given him only seven days to fill the gap!
He knew he couldn't possibly fill it.
The money was already spent.
Where would he find the resources to cover the shortfall?
The old rule: if you can't fill the gap, set it on fire. A single blaze would erase all traces of the missing funds.
Tonight, he had sent men to raid the suburban warehouse. The plan seemed to have succeeded, but for some reason, he felt a nagging unease.
Let's hope everything goes smoothly.
Whoosh
City No. 9, a suburban warehouse.
An elderly man, trembling slightly, was supported by his subordinates as he pushed open the warehouse doors. His eyes swept over the vast stockpile of resources inside, his heart aching at the sight.
To fill this gap, he had emptied his entire fortune, scraping together the 20 trillion units of resources needed to cover the shortfall!
It had been a grueling, painful sacrifice.
Yet now, he felt a strange sense of peace, even a faint anticipation for the seven days to pass quickly. Perhaps he might even receive a commendation. As for the shortfall, now that it was covered, he would simply claim he had never embezzled anything in the first place!
He was an honest official!
"Not easy," the old man murmured, standing at the warehouse entrance and gazing at the mountain of high-grade iron ore. A faint smile touched his lips. In his position, one thing was clear: money could always be earned again, but his official position had to be preserved at all costs. Lose that, and you lose everything.
Since the higher-ups had made their decision, there was no point in resisting. Resistance was futile.
But just then—
A deafening barrage of gunfire erupted outside the warehouse.
Before the old man could react, a hail of bullets tore through the warehouse doors, instantly engulfing everyone inside.
A robbery!
The thought flashed through his mind. Though incredulous—who would dare rob the Kasha Civilization? You've got more guts than I do, you son of a bitch! You must have eaten a bear's heart and leopard's gall!—he immediately fled deeper into the warehouse.
But—
His aged body betrayed him. After only two stumbling steps, he collapsed to the ground. A searing pain shot through his back as a bullet pierced his flesh. In that final moment, he remembered his childhood—those carefree days.
His greatest regret as he lay dying was not having repaired his body to its prime condition before coming here. Perhaps then he could have escaped.
The attack had come with terrifying speed.
He didn't even have time to summon his train.
To avoid suspicion, he hadn't arrived by train. Instead, he had brought a small group of trusted subordinates and resources under the cover of night, leaving him with virtually no armed resistance.
The next moment—
The warehouse doors were kicked open with a violent crash!
The Clan Leader of a major family from the Black Tortoise Civilization strode into the warehouse, Great Hammer in hand. His gaze swept over the carnage within before settling on the vast stockpile of resources at the far end. A wide grin spread across his face. "President Ai, mission accomplished!"
"Secure the goods!"
That night was destined to be anything but quiet.
In the City No. 3 government building, a middle-aged man sat leisurely on the sofa in his study. He knew one thing for certain: the Kasha Civilization was about to undergo a major upheaval.
This time, the higher-ups had adopted an uncompromising stance.
No connections, no powerful backers would matter.
In seven days, any discrepancies in strategic resource reserves would be punished to the full extent of the law.
No leniency.
No exceptions.
Many were likely already panicking, but he remained calm, slowly savoring the warm coffee in his hand. In this moment, he felt a sense of cozy tranquility.
He was rather timid.
He wasn't greedy.
Yes, it might sound unbelievable. After all, within the Kasha Civilization, honest officials were as rare as endangered species. Once you occupied such a position, it was practically impossible not to be corrupt.
And it wasn't just the Kasha Civilization.
Pick any civilization at random—who would dare claim their society was free of corrupt officials? Or, to put it more bluntly, who would dare deny that at least thirty percent of their officials were corrupt?
So what if they were corrupt?
It wasn't like they weren't doing their jobs. The official salary for their positions was simply insufficient. If the higher-ups wouldn't provide, they had no choice but to take what they needed themselves.
He fully understood their reasoning.
It was perfectly logical.
But he was too timid to engage in such practices. He hadn't taken even a single iron ore from the city's strategic resource reserves—he truly hadn't dared.
And it was precisely because of this timidity that, while everyone else was restless, uncertain of the judgment that awaited them, he could sit here peacefully, leisurely savoring the exquisite taste of his coffee.
Being an honest official had its advantages.
It brought peace of mind.
But—
How long had passed?
Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared through the study, and his wrist-mounted communicator vibrated violently, its screen flashing crimson. It was an emergency communication from the Director of the Law Enforcement Bureau.
"Hello?"
The middle-aged man frowned slightly. "What's happened?"
"Mayor, our city's strategic resource warehouse has been raided. All the guards are dead, and the warehouse... it's been emptied."
"What?!"
The man leaped from his sofa, a flicker of despair and disbelief flashing in his eyes. After a long moment, his body went limp, and he collapsed back onto the cushions.
It's over.
Everything's over.
Which bastard did this?!
Why now? Why not sooner or later?
If I claim I'm an honest official, just that the warehouse was raided, will the higher-ups believe me? Not a damn chance! There'll be ten thousand others claiming the same thing. If anyone believes me, that'll be a miracle!
An hour had passed.
The AIs of all seventeen cities had regained full control.
A piercing alarm blared across Gemini Star. All nearby wormhole entrances were forcibly sealed, accompanied by a blue beam of energy that shot from the planet's core into space. The zone where wormholes could be constructed was temporarily locked down, making escape by train-generated wormhole impossible.
Gemini Star was completely sealed off.
Massive military deployments began.
Countless trains mobilized simultaneously, initiating a carpet search of the entire city.
The mayors of the seventeen cities gathered, their gazes fixed on the Star Chief. Their faces were grim, but no one spoke, each inwardly speculating about the others' thoughts.
This incident was utterly bizarre, especially at such a critical juncture.
Robbed by pirates?
Impossible!
More likely, someone decided to settle accounts, but they couldn't just raid their own warehouse—that would be too obvious. So they raided everyone's warehouses instead.
"Ahem..."
One mayor cleared his throat. "At this point, let's cut the pretense. Whoever settled accounts, step forward now. We need to discuss this together."
"Choosing this method of settling accounts at such a critical time is far too risky. Without a convincing explanation, it'll be hard to justify."
His own warehouse had been empty to begin with.
And it had still been raided.
Perfect timing to settle my accounts for me. Now, the priority was to devise a proper strategy. This crude method of settling accounts was treating the higher-ups like fools!
"Settle your fucking accounts!"
Mayor No. 3 of City No. 3 stormed forward, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "I don't give a damn who settled accounts! Return my strategic resources! I'm a fucking honest official—I don't need your fucking account-settling!"
"Your fucking account-settling?!"
"You're digging your own graves! Why drag me down with you?!"
"Alright, alright," the Star Chief sighed from his seat at the head of the table. "Who here would claim to be a paragon of virtue? Let's dispense with the pretenses and be frank. The higher-ups are taking a hard line this time. I'll start: I didn't do it."
"And it certainly wasn't because of me," the mayor of City No. 7 growled, his face dark with fury. "I just finished plugging the damn holes, and you bastards balanced my accounts?! I swear, I'll balance your mothers too!"
"Give me back what's mine, you sons of bitches, or I'll fucking lose it!"
"Ahem."
The mayor of City No. 8 sat motionless, eyes lowered like an old monk in meditation. He had indeed sent his own people to balance the accounts, but his resources were limited. They had only managed to balance the books for his own city and three others.
So far, none of his operatives had reported back; they had all gone silent.
He wondered what had happened to them.
It was clear now that they had crossed paths with someone else balancing accounts.
But this person's methods were far more powerful, capable of balancing the books for seventeen cities at once. Only the Star Chief could wield such power—everyone knew he was the most corrupt of them all. Yet no one dared to point the finger at him now.
Now things were getting interesting.
With so many officials dragged down together, he actually felt less worried. There was safety in numbers, after all. It all depended on how the higher-ups handled this. As the saying goes, "The law does not punish the masses." And during wartime, maintaining stability at home was paramount. How could they possibly execute so many top officials?
But...
He glanced around.
Where was the other mayor? Had he already fled?
The others soon noticed the missing mayor as well.
"That bastard must have done it! He pulled off the heist and ran!"
"Laozi, Laozi, I swear to Mom!"
"Seal off Gemini Star! Not even a mosquito gets out! We have to recover those resources!"
"Give me back my reputation!"
Mayor No. 7 roared, his face dark with fury. He was the angriest man in the room. He'd just finished plugging the damn hole! And now you balance the accounts? I swear, I could kill you!
Why couldn't you balance the accounts earlier? You wait until I fix everything, then you start balancing!
You fucking deserve to die!
Equally furious were...
Two more mayors joined the group, their anger now reaching a fever pitch. The other two mayors, having just finished patching up their own deficits only to have their accounts balanced immediately afterward, were seething with rage, their murderous intent reaching its peak.
In contrast, the incorruptible official, though also furious, clearly wasn't as enraged as the other three.
Just then, a train slowly emerged from a wormhole near Gemini Star and landed at the government center of one of Gemini Star's cities. A group of armed figures disembarked and strode into the conference room, their weapons glinting as they surveyed the assembled mayors and the Star Chief.
"Inspector," the Star Chief rasped, his face grim as he rose to his feet. "An hour ago, a heinous incident occurred on Gemini Star. A group of criminals stole the strategic reserves of seventeen cities, resulting in the loss of approximately 170 trillion units of iron ore and 170 trillion units of copper ore."
"We have already sealed off the entire Gemini Star."
"We will recover these resources as quickly as possible."
The authorities had arrived swiftly, signaling the gravity of the situation. If handled poorly, this incident could escalate into a major crisis.
The young man leading the group slowly walked to the front of the conference table, stood beside the Star Chief, patted his shoulder, and pressed him back into his chair. He scanned the faces of each mayor present before suddenly laughing.
"You truly have boundless audacity."
"Do you realize what time it is?"
"This is a moment that will determine the survival of the Kasha Civilization, the moment we launch our final battle against the Zerg Civilization. And yet, at this critical juncture, you're playing these petty games."
"Stolen?"
"Quite amusing."
"Do you expect us to believe that? Do you think I believe that? Do you think His Excellency the President believes that?"
"It's the truth!"
Mayor No. 7, his face darkening, abruptly stood up. "Inspector, conduct a thorough investigation! You'll find we're telling the truth!"
"No investigation is necessary."
The young man pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and slapped it onto the table. His voice remained calm as he said, "In times of crisis, we must act swiftly. There's no time for drawn-out investigations. This matter has already reached His Excellency the President's ears."
"Quite amusing."
"They say the Head of State couldn't help but laugh when he heard the news. He hasn't laughed since Commander Li launched the expedition."
"Though it was a laugh born of extreme anger."
"Still, he seemed genuinely happy."
"He personally wrote this order."
"Rest assured, gentlemen, your journey begins now."
On the table lay a sheet of Xuan paper, emblazoned with a massive, crimson "Kill" character. The brushstrokes were as sharp as blades, the character searingly vivid.
Mayor No. 7 of City No. 7's face twisted in terror. His eyes flashed with fear as he stammered, "I admit I was greedy before, but I made amends last night! I was genuinely robbed tonight, I swear! Please investigate thoroughly—I really—"
Before he could finish, a gunshot rang out in the conference room.
Bang!
The young man lightly blew away the gunsmoke from the muzzle, then smiled at the middle-aged man who lay bleeding on the floor, his face contorted in resentment. "Explain yourself in Hell. This is an order directly from His Excellency the President."
"Daring to settle accounts with such methods at this critical moment?"
"You're insulting the President's intelligence."
"If we let you get away with this, others will follow suit."
At that moment—
The other mayors and the Star Chief in the conference room paled drastically and rushed toward the door. The situation had clearly gone wrong. The envoy sent from above hadn't even bothered with an investigation before opening fire. This attitude suggested they weren't here to resolve the matter properly, but rather to "resolve" them.
Only Mayor No. 3 didn't flee. Abandoning his usual composure, he rose to his knees, raised his hands above his head in a military salute, and glared at the Inspector, his voice hoarse as he spat out each word:
"Please investigate thoroughly!"
"I am truly an honest official! I haven't embezzled a single piece of iron ore!"
"They framed me by manipulating the accounts!"
"I can withstand any investigation by the Organization!"
"Tsk."
The young man sneered and waved his hand. His subordinates surged forward, chasing after the fleeing mayors and mercilessly pulling their triggers. The deafening gunshots echoed incessantly outside the conference room.
Afterward, the young man strode alone to Mayor No. 3 and pressed the muzzle of his pistol against the man's forehead.
With a hint of pity, he murmured:
"You fools really thought you could deceive the Head of State? He's endured your treachery for far too long."
"Who would ever admit to being corrupt?"
"I'm sure you've prepared elaborate defenses against any investigation, haven't you?"
"The ledgers, warehouse records—everything meticulously crafted, seemingly airtight. But alas, His Excellency the President has no intention of investigating this time. He's had enough of you damned parasites."
"Farewell."
"Be an honest official in my next life."
Bang!
The trigger was pulled sharply, and the gunshot rang out mercilessly.
The man's eyes gradually glazed over as his body slumped into the pool of blood. Crimson quickly spread across his pupils as he felt his consciousness and life force rapidly draining away, a thick darkness enveloping him entirely.
A bitter, despairing smile crept across his lips.
His final thought as he left this world was:
In my next life, I'll definitely be a corrupt official!
An honest official?
Not even a dog would want that!
I never got to taste the corrupt officials' wealth, yet I suffered their beatings. I'd rather eat the meat first and then take the beating!
In this world, many things are relative, like time and space, and even smiles.
When a smile fades from one person's face, it inevitably appears on another's.
On the Stellaris train, drifting through space in the 27th Galaxy of the Kasha Civilization Federation, Chen Mang sat at the control panel, his lips stretched into an uncontrollable grin.
In such high spirits, even the scallion oil noodles Xiao Fang brought him tasted exceptionally delicious!
The operation's gains far exceeded expectations!
The theoretical strategic resources from the seventeen cities should have been 170 trillion units of copper ore and 170 trillion units of iron ore.
Of course,
The theoretical amount was much higher, but in reality, they wouldn't get nearly that much. His actual expectation was to secure 50 trillion units of iron ore and 50 trillion units of copper ore, which would be considered a good haul, given the rampant corruption here.
Even in zones near the Zerg Civilization, where war would break out immediately, they dared to siphon off half of the strategic resources.
The fact that they didn't take everything was already a blessing.
But—
The actual resources acquired were:
90 trillion units of iron ore and 90 trillion units of copper ore!
A staggering amount, more than half of the theoretical total!
This massive stockpile was more than enough to upgrade the Stellaris' Train Armor to Tier 200 and fully upgrade all Seven-Colored Grade Accessories, including every component inside the train, to Tier 200!
Even the Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon could be upgraded to Tier 200!
The Stellaris was about to enter the Tier 200 Era!
Everything at Tier 200!
What other trains could only dream of—a God-Tier Overpowered Effect—was now standard for every accessory on the Stellaris.
They were moving fast.
The wormhole blockade was none of their concern; they had already fled. Catching them now would be a miracle.
Next would be a massive upgrade!
The Stellaris would soon possess the strength to feast on the battlefield where two Top-Tier Civilizations clashed, and with its rapidly increasing power, it could pull off even greater heists!
Until it could meddle in the war between the two civilizations!
Then, using this conflict to grow even stronger!
From meddling to control, and finally, devouring the entire foundation of both civilizations, causing the Stellaris to surge in power once more and launch an assault into the deepest reaches of the cosmos!
One step at a time.
Everything was perfect.
Just then—
Ding.
A notification from the Kasha Civilization Daily popped up on his wrist-mounted device. He had set it as a special alert, eager to see how the Kasha Civilization would frame the incident. They would undoubtedly claim he had stolen 170 trillion units of iron ore and 170 trillion units of copper ore, and those fools would likely try to pin the blame on him again.
But he didn't care.
Let them say what they want.
The resources were in his hands, and that was all that mattered. As long as his identity remained hidden and they couldn't track him down, what did a little reputation matter?
However...
As Chen Mang read the Kasha Daily's headline, his expression gradually turned strange.
[Kasha Daily]
[Seven hours ago, the strategic resource reserves of Gemini Star's seventeen cities were devastated. Estimated losses exceed one hundred trillion units, inflicting catastrophic damage on the Kasha Civilization.]
[Investigation reveals that this heinous incident originated from a declaration made by the Head of State yesterday. He announced a thorough inspection of all strategic resource reserves within seven days, vowing to punish any malicious appropriation without mercy.]
[Corrupt officials across Gemini Star colluded to orchestrate this vile act, attempting to cover their tracks with such a crude and childish scheme to evade legal repercussions.]
[His Excellency the President, with his divine wisdom and unparalleled courage, instantly saw through their plot, sparking his righteous fury.]
[Five hours ago, all corrupt officials were brought to justice and executed on the spot.]
[At this critical juncture in the Kasha Civilization's Expedition, any act that undermines the civilization's internal interests will be deemed treason against the civilization!]
[.]
Chen Mang's expression turned slightly strange as he scrutinized the Kasha Daily. Was something amiss?
He had initially assumed he would be the scapegoat, fully prepared to settle into the role of the "Great Sage of Balancing Accounts." As long as he secured the resources, he wouldn't mind bearing that title.
But it seemed...
The title of "Great Sage" was too alluring.
Everyone wanted to be a Great Sage.
The mayors of seventeen cities, along with the Star Chief, had all rushed to claim the title of "Great Sage of Balancing Accounts," settling his accounts for him. Had he become the one whose accounts were being settled?
"Is this right?"
He scanned the rest of the Kasha Daily for more details, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find any thorough investigation reports. He strongly suspected there had been no investigation at all, especially since several Resource Warehouses were still fully stocked.
They hadn't been embezzling after all.
There were good people among the masses!
Sigh.
He found the information about the confiscations: all their estates, trains, funds, and relatives on other planets had been seized, yielding trillions of resources, all of which were confiscated.
In a corner, he spotted an inconspicuous piece of news.
["Renowned Kasha Civilization war commentator, online alias 'Air Conditioner,' was found dead by suicide at his home early yesterday morning. According to family members, he had been suffering from severe depression."]
Chen Mang recognized the name.
He had read Air Conditioner's post just yesterday.
The post expressed extreme pessimism about the Kasha Civilization's expedition and spread numerous negative rumors. Now, the man had taken his own life. But something felt off. Words carry emotions, and Air Conditioner's writing, though pessimistic, was remarkably rational—not desperate.
A man like that wouldn't commit suicide.
[...]
Chen Mang's eyes narrowed. He began to understand why the situation was being handled this way and what the Kasha Civilization's Head of State intended.
[From a single leaf, one can discern the coming autumn.]
It was clear.
His Excellency the President planned to mobilize the entire foundation of the Kasha Civilization by silencing dissent, consolidating all resources, and uniting the people in a desperate fight against the Zerg Civilization.
As for Chen Mang...
No one cared about him at all.
"Good. It's good that no one cares. It's perfect."
Chen Mang grinned, his expression radiating satisfaction. He was thoroughly pleased with the outcome of his plan, especially since it came with no hidden risks. With someone else settling the accounts for him, all that remained was to give the Stellaris train a major upgrade!
And then...
He would join the war to feast on the spoils.
In a conflict of this scale, the rewards would far surpass anything he could gain from seizing Gemini Star. Even a mere sliver of a Top-Tier Civilization's foundation would be enough to make his mouth water.
One successful heist...
And the Stellaris train was ready to take off!
The Zerg?
Suddenly, the Zerg seemed rather ordinary. Their resource consumption capabilities paled in comparison to his own. His only need was for vast quantities of resources, which he could instantly digest—a feat no other civilization could match.
This meant his path to Advancement would never be a steady climb.
Instead, his strength would remain relatively stable, almost unchanged, until he pulled off a major coup. Then, his power would surge upward in leaps and bounds—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
If this were the stock market...
He'd be a textbook example of a "demon stock."
Perfect. He loved it.
(End of the Chapter)
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