412: Backstab, double damage

When the detailed contents of the report were gradually disclosed by certain “well-informed sources,” the entire public sphere fell into a state of shock that was almost speechless.

The report contained no flowery language or sentimental arguments.

It adopted the format of an industry analysis report throughout, listing data points one by one.

Those figures constituted the terrifying productivity possessed by the Interstellar Peace Corporation, enough to overturn the economic foundation of existing civilizations.

The Corporation directly or indirectly controlled a total of 125 resource planets that had been explored and possessed mining value.

This included planets rich in resources such as Crystals containing Rare Elements, Fossil Raw Materials, and all Metallic Minerals. The reserves were so vast they were dozens of times the quantity currently officially announced within all the explored territories of the Eastern Federation.

The Corporation's reserves of precious metals like Gold were so enormous that they could not be accurately quantified. These Precious Metals were no longer symbols of wealth but existed merely as essential basic Materials for high-end precision manufacturing and energy transmission.

If converted to the value of the planetary civilization era, it would be enough to buy thousands of Eastern Federations at that time.

Fully automated Production Lines distributed across more than a dozen highly developed Industrial Planets had achieved intelligent “printing-style” production across the entire industrial chain, from Ore smelting to Precision Instruments assembly.

Their production efficiency was so high and their capacity so massive that they could satisfy the entire industrial demand of several civilizations the size of the Eastern Federation in a short period.

The report pointed out that, with productivity on this scale, if the Interstellar Peace Corporation wished, it could flood the market with massive quantities of various commodities in an extremely short time, at virtually zero cost.

Everything from daily necessities like clothing, food, housing, and transportation, to Strategic Materials like Starships and Energy Cores, was included.

All existing economic models, whether Market Economy, Planned Economy, or Mixed Economy, would instantly collapse in the face of this absolute advantage in productivity.

The relationship between the value and price of commodities would completely disintegrate, and the existing economic system of the entire human civilization would crumble overnight.

Resource extraction? Handled by highly efficient unmanned equipment and AI planning.

Energy? Controlled Nuclear Fusion and even more Advanced energy technologies were standard.

Transportation? The Star Gate network and massive Cargo Fleets made Logistics costs approach zero.

For the Corporation, the “cost” of all this might truly be just the energy consumption of some Advanced Authoritarian “moving a finger to press a few buttons.”

However, the final conclusion of the report was unexpected.

The Interstellar Peace Corporation had not chosen to use this power to destroy or “patronize” human civilization.

It merely used this nearly mythical productivity to underpin the Corporation's internal welfare system, providing nearly 100 million employees and their families with an “Ideal State” that eliminated basic survival anxiety and encouraged personal development and value realization.

The report further analyzed that within the Corporation's system, the meaning of “Labor” had undergone a fundamental shift.

It was no longer merely a necessary activity for survival; rather, it was a corporate strategy aimed at realizing personal spiritual value, pursuing higher levels of satisfaction, and combating the inherent inertia of human nature.

By providing unparalleled welfare guarantees, the Corporation eliminated the worries of its employees, while simultaneously motivating them to actively create, explore, and realize themselves through various methods such as rank promotion and project challenges.

This was a very unique form of management wisdom.

When the detailed content of this report spread widely through various channels, almost everyone who read it, regardless of their level of education, understood a conclusion that was unspoken yet imminent.

Internally, based on extreme material abundance and high levels of intelligence, the Interstellar Peace Corporation had nearly achieved the “Communist” societal form described in classical theory.

The impact brought by this conclusion was subversive.

For a long time, many large enterprises and major capital groups in the Eastern Federation and even human civilization viewed the “Free Market” and “Capital Profit-Seeking” as inviolable Laws, using them as the basis for constructing internal management and compensation systems, minimizing costs, and maximizing profits.

They viewed themselves as loyal followers of Capitalism.

But now, the behemoth they had always looked up to, the Interstellar Peace Corporation—which was considered the ultimate form of Capitalism—had brutally backstabbed them with facts!

This damage was like a knife slash across the waist of their health bar.

Not only did the Corporation not desperately exploit Surplus Value—or rather, there was no Surplus Value left to exploit—it instead fed the huge productivity dividend back to its employees almost free of charge.

How embarrassing must this be for those large Eastern Federation enterprises still promoting “996 is a blessing” and “Wolf Culture”?

Under this immense, invisible comparative pressure, Labor Relations within the Eastern Federation quietly underwent drastic changes.

Workers, armed with this “Corporation Welfare Guide,” righteously demanded better treatment and increased benefits from their employers. An invisible mixture of resentment and expectation permeated the Eastern Federation workplace.

What gave the major enterprise owners an even bigger headache was that the bosses of some medium-sized enterprises saw a Heaven-Defying opportunity to change their fate. They keenly realized that this was an excellent time to overtake competitors by projecting the image of a “Conscientious Enterprise”!

Consequently, a rather ironic wave of “reform” quietly emerged in the Eastern Federation business world.

Many bosses of medium-sized enterprises began to “sever the arm to save the body,” ruthlessly clearing out the “parasites” who had entered through nepotism or were occupying positions without doing work, and significantly shifting the benefits previously used to maintain these relationships toward core grassroots employees.

Raising basic salaries, increasing paid leave, improving office environments, providing Supplementary Medical Insurance, and even attempting to implement “Lifetime Employment” commitments similar to the Corporation's... The initial intention of these bosses might not have been a sudden rise in ideological awareness, but rather a calculation.

Taking advantage of the sluggish response from large enterprises being roasted over the fire by “Corporation Welfare,” they sought to attract talent with better benefits, improving corporate efficiency and cohesion.

This allowed them to pull down competitors who were too large to maneuver and difficult to transform quickly, securing the top spot in the industry for themselves.

Regardless of the motivation, the objective result was that the living environment of ordinary workers in the Eastern Federation saw a significant and forced improvement due to the existence of the Interstellar Peace Corporation, the “Company Next Door.”

However, this upheaval within the Eastern Federation did not attract much attention from the vast majority of Interstellar Peace Corporation employees; in fact, it made them somewhat... displeased.

“Tsk, these people are ridiculous, why are they spreading nonsense?”

In a cafe in Pierpoint, a P17-level Construction Materials Logistics Department employee muttered while watching the Interstellar News, “Great, now the talented people wanting to join will double, won't they? The competition for promotion just got fiercer.”

A colleague next to him smiled, stirring the Milk Tea in his cup: “Don't worry, the Corporation's threshold is high. But then again, our lives certainly make people jealous.”

For the vast majority of Corporation employees, they were already accustomed to the Corporation's welfare system.

They knew clearly that as long as they worked diligently and fulfilled their duties, even without earth-shattering contributions, they could steadily be promoted to P13-level after 33 years of service to the Corporation.

What did P13-level mean? It meant being able to live a privileged life free of economic pressure in any core city of the Eastern Federation, equivalent to earning 100,000 Eastern Federation Credits per month.

Furthermore, this was based on the Corporation covering major expenses such as medical care, education, and retirement.

But this was just the baseline. The real temptation lay in P14-level.

Only by reaching P14-level were they qualified to apply for transfer away from planetary surface positions, enter the vast cosmos, and work in large Space Stations, Star Gate Management Stations, or even Pierpoint, truly embracing the sea of stars.

Not to mention, P14-level employees were qualified to rent Private Starship services provided by the Corporation for a cost equivalent to an Eastern Federation public transport annual pass.

Although it was the most basic model, it was their own personal cosmic ride!

Many employees had been fortunate enough to see the vehicle of Director Topaz of the Strategic Investment Department at the port—a Private Starship so vast it was comparable to a small Mobile City, complete with its own internal Ecosystem.

It was said that its size alone was several times larger than the Fleet Flagship of the Eastern Federation's “Nantianmen” Fleet.

Although no one dared to hope to reach the height of Director Topaz, there was still great hope of applying for a Private Starship the size of an old-era ten-thousand-ton behemoth once promoted to P20-level or higher.

Imagine piloting your own Starship, taking your family, and freely traversing the sea of stars, exploring unknown star systems... What romance and freedom!

Therefore, for over 99.9% of the Corporation's employees, a firm belief was already deeply ingrained.

They and their entire families belonged to the Corporation in life and in death! Any other enterprise could collapse, but the Interstellar Peace Corporation absolutely could not!

As for whether the Corporation would fall out with the Eastern Federation or even come into conflict? Almost all employees, even those of Eastern Federation nationality, were not worried.

Being inside the Corporation, they deeply understood the philosophy of Preservation that the Corporation upheld.

The core of this philosophy was the continuation of civilization and the protection of every discovered Spark of Civilization.

The Eastern Federation might experience friction with the Corporation over certain issues of interest distribution in the future, but ultimately, conflicts of interest were negotiable.

Just like the famous meme from a certain ancient Fighting Game: “We still don't know why they started fighting in the first place.”

There were no irreconcilable historical grievances or Ideological deadlocks between the Corporation and the Eastern Federation. In the foreseeable future, there was no sign of conflict that required armed confrontation or a life-and-death struggle.

If it ever came to that point, their stance as members of the Corporation was crystal clear.

They knew that the Corporation's Chairman was no ordinary being.

“Just dedicate everything to the Amber King, and that's that.”