255: Chapter 256 The US can only be a security captain on Earth now.

The White House, inside the Oval Office.

The wall clock ticked, the sound so sharp it felt like a final countdown to the end of an era.

Sitting behind the desk that once issued commands was The President, his hairline severely receded and his eyes dark as a panda's.

He did not look at the "Galactic Federation Membership Application" that had just been submitted.

He just stared fixedly out the window, watching that civilian courier spaceship flying overhead, emblazoned with the "Chenxing Technology" logo.

"Another one."

The President's voice was hoarse, carrying a sense of hollowed-out dejection. "That's the thirty-fourth one in half an hour."

"They are all Dragon Country courier ships."

"They are loaded with hot pot base, spicy strips, and... fresh food deliveries for the Mars Base."

The Secretary of Defense stood in the shadows behind him, head bowed, saying nothing.

He held a top-secret briefing just sent from The Pentagon, detailing the recent global defense adjustments. Every word made him feel his skin twitch.

"Mr. President."

The Secretary of Defense finally spoke, his voice as strained as if he had swallowed sand. "We... have completely sealed off all aerospace strategic plans."

"Including the 'Ghost' stealth bomber that has been in development for thirty years, and that two trillion-dollar 'Orion' railgun."

"Everything is halted."

The President turned his head sharply, eyes twitching. "Halted? Why? Didn't Congress approve the budget?"

"There's not enough money."

The Secretary of Defense sighed, a look of utter resignation on his face. "All research funding has now been reallocated to 'Homeland Security Improvement' projects."

"After all, our citizens' biggest wish every day now is—don't let those retired aunties who snuck in from the Dragon Country, with their square-dancing energy, shake our commercial streets to the ground."

"Security?!"

The President jumped up from his chair. "I maintain the world's top navy, possess the most advanced stealth technology, and in the end, you're telling me you want me to be a security guard?!"

"This is reality, Mr. President."

The Secretary of Defense spread his hands bitterly. "Those farmers from the Dragon Country are too terrifying."

"They don't even bother to compete with us in an arms race anymore."

"What are they doing? It's 'All-Race Merchandising'! It's 'Interstellar Street Stalls'!"

"While we're researching how to launch an intercontinental missile, that kid Jiang Chen is piloting a star destroyer, developing real estate on Mars, and incidentally giving three spicy strips as a bonus to the alien laborer driving the excavator."

That was a painful blow.

That deep sense of powerlessness plunged the entire Oval Office into a long silence.

They were once the rule-makers of the world.

Now, they had even lost their ticket to compete.

Jiang Chen's rules were simple, and brutal to the extreme.

In this universe where only the strong survive, he was the only rule. The Dragon Country not only occupied all the resource points in the Earth-Moon system, but even the Far Side of the Moon, once considered a forbidden zone, had become his private storage area.

All alien civilizations were queuing up to pay tribute to him.

All international disputes eventually evolved into a humble plea of "Will Jiang Chen ship to us?"

"The industrial system we were once so proud of..."

The President sat back in his chair, like a puppet whose soul had been extracted, staring blankly at the photo of Jiang Chen. In the photo, the young man smiled with an expression that looked completely harmless.

"Under that kind of dimension-reduction strike, we look just like a bunch of primitive people who haven't learned how to use stone axes yet."

"We don't even count as competitors."

"We can now... barely manage to guard our own little patch of land, making sure those robot security guards patrolling the streets of the Dragon Country, armed with alien technology, don't randomly dismantle our utility poles."

"It's really... too terrifying."

"Those Dragon Country farmers aren't doing industry; they are doing—'Theological Infrastructure'!"

He laughed at himself, his eyes slightly red.

The Eagle of the past wielded dollars and aircraft carriers, making the whole world bow down.

And now.

With just one word from Jiang Chen, even if he just casually released a mouse with static electricity, it could wipe out their ace troops.

Is this even a competition?

This is simply—adults beating children.

"Report!"

Just then, the secretary pushed the door open, looking somewhat flustered, holding a tablet. "That... Chenxing Technology just updated the latest 'Interstellar Route Map'."

"On the map..."

He looked at The President, hesitating and unable to speak.

"What's on the map?" The President waved his hand listlessly. "Surely they didn't circle Washington into his 'back garden' too, right?"

"Not that."

The secretary handed over the tablet with a bitter face. "It's just... they have designated the international shipping route right at our doorstep as an 'Interstellar Courier Emergency Dispatch Zone'."

"If we want to pass through those waters..."

"We have to file an application first."

"And pay a... depreciation fee."

Looking at the map marked "Chenxing Technology · Public Transportation Hub", The President couldn't catch his breath, rolled his eyes, and fainted from anger.

...

West Suburb Base, luan bird observation deck.

Jiang Chen was lying in front of the porthole, holding a remote control, clicking around on the big screen of the Moon Base, as if playing an extremely high-end real-time strategy game.

"Boss, are we really just going to openly control the whole world like this?"

Zhao Gang stood behind him, watching Jiang Chen's "unsophisticated" appearance. Although he was used to it, he still occasionally felt his soul tremble.

"What do you mean control?"

Jiang Chen turned his head, his eyes clear and firm—a purity that came from seeing through the essence of capital:

"I'm just an ordinary logistics center owner."

"I just want to deliver the prosperity of the Milky Way Galaxy to every civilization that needs it, through my cheap spicy strips and spaceships."

"Look, since the Eagle wants to be a security guard so much, let them be one."

"As long as they don't block our mining path, it's fine to give them some bonuses."

He glanced at the data on the terminal.

That was a "surprise" he had just discovered on the Far Side of the Moon.

It was a dormant signal, coming from the true culprit who had destroyed the prehistoric ruins—a mechanical civilization hiding in the shadows, constantly approaching the Solar System.

"It seems that the 'spirit stones' and 'mineral veins' given by these aliens can only be considered a deposit."

"The real trouble hasn't even shown its face yet."

Jiang Chen threw the remote control on the table, the corner of his mouth curling into a sharp arc.

He stood up and gave his final instruction to Zhao Gang:

"Get ready."

"Since we have already monopolized the logistics and energy of the Milky Way Galaxy, then the next plan..."

"Upgrade the 'Nantianmen Project' for me into—"

"The Solar System Defensive Great Wall!"

"I want to see how big an appetite these hunters who want to come and eat have, and if they can swallow this... special 'biochemical feast' of mine!"

He strode out of the command room.

Outside the door, the spaceship about to depart for Centaurus was flickering with a ghostly blue light.

This was not just an expedition.

This was an Age of Discovery—betting on the dignity of Earth, and even the future of all humanity!