366: Chapter 365 The War Begins

This Yao Beast core is worth at least five water blue fruits... but I can't waste the rest either. He put the core away.

He pulled out the sickle at his waist and started working; if you're dead, you'd better be prepared to become food.

He sliced through the tiger skin, cut a piece of thigh meat, found some wood nearby, and started a fire to cook and eat.

Not to mention, this tiger demon meat tastes great, and more importantly, it contains quite a bit of biological energy.

I can't let it go to waste... Eating the whole tiger demon is no worse than a water blue fruit. And that's cooked; if eaten raw, the energy would probably double.

But he wasn't that perverted...

Thinking about it, this valley might be its nest. I'll find its lair first...

So, he spread out his Divine Sense and flew quickly, circling the valley once.

Sure enough, there was a cave where the tiger demon had appeared... it was huge inside.

With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he was pleasantly surprised. An unexpected windfall.

He landed quickly and walked inside.

This cave was divided into inner and outer sections.

The outer part was piled high with the withered bones of many fierce beasts... and even human bones. It seems killing it was justified; this thing had eaten many people.

It's normal; it eats humans, and humans eat it...

He quickly walked into the inner cave, which was spacious. There was a skylight-like hole overhead, allowing sunlight and snowflakes to drift in.

In the far corner, an underground stream flowed by. In the center was a huge stone platform, exceptionally smooth. This must be where the tiger demon slept, as the skylight faced the direction of the morning sun... It really knew how to pick a spot.

This cave is incredible...

And beneath the stone platform, quite a few Natural Treasures were scattered about...

These were the things that gave him a pleasant surprise: black ancient grass, Chi Jing Grass, and several even better medicinal herbs.

After a rough calculation, they were comparable to four water blue fruits...

Thinking about it, since he was already at the Outer Gang stage, he might as well use up these herbs here before leaving... and eat that tiger demon too. With the energy of nearly ten water blue fruits, he could surely push his cultivation to the Outer Astral Peak...

This way, his combat power would increase greatly. When he returned to the human world to search for that so-called Immortal, he would have the capital, wouldn't he?

So he went back, carried the massive tiger demon back to the cave, gathered some dry firewood, and set it down...

The tiger demon meat wouldn't spoil at all, especially since it was winter...

Looking around the environment again, it was truly wonderful... Animals really know how to enjoy themselves...

He decided he had to use up all these things before leaving...

...

Blue Star, Huaxia Alliance Center.

A meeting was being held, and the atmosphere was tense.

"I suggest we strike while the iron is hot and completely eliminate the Intelligent Humans. Other alien races can be spared, but the Intelligent Humans must die. We must remember the past hatred... The Human Race and the Intelligent Humans are irreconcilable..."

"I agree. We should launch an all-out offensive to completely occupy the Chaos Galaxy. Only then will we have the energy to deal with the Abyss Zerg in the Proxima Centauri System... They've been restless again lately..."

"I object. We are currently in a period of rapid development; such a war would drag down our economy. We can't just raise taxes, can we? You must know that to reduce the taxes from the previous era, we've already provided a lot of subsidies. Raising taxes now would be a slap in the face. War is about money and logistics... With the current economic difficulties, we should rest for a few years first..."

"Nonsense! One punch now saves a hundred later. Once this war is over, we can completely clear the threat from the Chaos Galaxy. If we don't fight now, are we leaving it for our descendants?"

"You're the one talking nonsense! People have long lifespans now. For young people, almost everyone can reach the Baodan stage if they Cultivate to the end. Why can't we spend a few years improving the economy and nurturing talent before wiping them out in one go? I think your Military Department is just warmongering... A love for war inevitably leads to peril..."

"Bullshit..."

"Bang..." Du Qinglong slammed the table. "Enough, stop arguing. You're like a vegetable market. A Minister of Finance and a Vice Chairman of the Alliance Military Commission, arguing like street thugs—what is this..."

Everyone quieted down. As the Chairman of the Military Commission, they still acknowledged him... his prestige was sufficient.

He said, "We all know the government is under great financial pressure... but if we take a defensive posture or delay for a few years, will there be even greater changes on the side of the Intelligent Humans?"

"We don't know... and the Proxima Centauri System is currently our biggest concern... According to intelligence, for some reason, they already have thoughts of crossing galaxies. So I personally agree that we should fight this war... because if the Zerg attack, we'll be caught between two fires, and our situation will go from bad to worse..."

After speaking, he turned and asked, "What does Chairman Song think?"

He thought for a moment, looked at the Minister of Finance, and asked, "Budget the war expenses. If it's not enough, have the Great Families pitch in. Whatever you do, don't touch the interests of the common people. Remember, the disaster of the Noble Families must not happen again..."

"Some Great Families have existed for hundreds of years; their wealth is beyond our imagination. Although it's already been ruled that descendants of Great Families are not allowed to enter politics..."

"...but now that the Alliance is in danger, they must also contribute money and effort... This war must be fought... Chairman Du is right. Our administrative staff may not know how crazy the Zerg are, but the Military Department definitely does... If we really end up being attacked from both sides, it's a weight we won't be able to bear... Let's do it that way. I also agree to fight..."

Seeing that both the Chairman of the Government and the Chairman of the Military Commission agreed and had sufficient reasons, everyone else stopped objecting...

Actually, everyone wanted to fight, knowing this war could be won. But the government's consideration of people's livelihoods wasn't wrong either; they just had different starting points...

...

A small courtyard in the countryside of Hongzhou...

Lu Qingzhou returned home after work.

After dinner, Old Lu saw his frown and asked, "What's wrong? Why the long face?"

"Sigh... it's a long story." He sighed and complained, "You guys insisted I join the government and become a public servant. It's so exhausting... I'm busy as a spinning top every day, having to bow and scrape to the common people. If I do one thing wrong, I face a scolding... Nowadays, even a dog wouldn't want to be a government employee... only you guys would make me do it..."

"Qingzhou, the Alliance is like a giant machine, and each of us is a screw. Someone has to do the government's work. Isn't the pay quite good? Besides, if young people don't work for the government, how will that work? We also have to do our part for the Alliance..." Old Lu advised earnestly.

The Alliance's current system is relatively complete. Indeed, no one wants to go to government departments; they're too busy and tiring... more complicated than any ordinary job...

As for corruption and special privileges, don't even think about it. With high technology plus public supervision, if caught, one would at best be sent to the front lines as cannon fodder, or at worst face permanent imprisonment or death, and be written into history books to be reviled by everyone.

They might even erect a kneeling statue of him locally, ensuring his infamy for eternity.

To prevent official corruption, the government put in a lot of effort. First, the salary is decent... then there are strict punishments and supervision...

This makes today's young people completely unwilling to enter the government to work...

"Dad, let's not talk about that..." Lu Qingzhou sighed and continued, "Now the government has handed down another task, requiring the families and wealthy people of Hongzhou City to donate money for military expenses. Tomorrow, I'll have to go around begging everyone again..."

"Qingzhou, is the government's finance really in such difficulty?"

He nodded. "Yes, we've been at war for decades and have been reducing taxes all along. How could things not be tight?"