194: Chapter 194 GDC Expansion: From Cooperation to Integration
The crowds at the "New Silk Road" port were just the prelude. When the will of the people burst through old boundaries like a flood, choosing to converge toward the future represented by the GDA, the reconstruction of the global political and civilizational landscape entered the "fast lane" of accelerated integration.
The headquarters of the GDC (Global Joint Defense Command Network) had moved from its initial temporary command center at the "Guanghan Palace" base to the newly built "Ark" space city in geostationary orbit. There were no national flags lined up here, only the simple GDA emblem slowly rotating outside the transparent dome, with the azure Earth beneath it. At this moment, inside the core assembly hall of the "Ark" city, a meeting that would go down in history was underway.
The attendees were no longer diplomats carefully maintaining balance, but the top representatives of various countries (or regions) who had essentially surrendered most of their sovereignty to join the GDA as "Affiliated Zones." On the virtual desktops before them were no longer disputed clauses, but integration plans concerning the overall survival and transition of human civilization.
The voice of Elder Chen, the representative of the Dragon Country (who also served as the rotating chairman of the GDA Council), was steady and powerful: "Everyone, according to the data evaluation and public feedback from the past six months, the implementation of the 'Civilization Cornerstone Plan' has far exceeded expectations. Agriculture, medical care, energy, materials, education, environment, cultural integration... we have proven that in the face of survival threats, humanity has the ability to build a more efficient, fairer, and more resilient social form. But this is far from enough."
He pulled up the star map, where that crimson harvest coordinate remained glaring. "The threat of the 'Purifiers' has not vanished because of our unity; instead, it may be approaching due to the data transmitted back by 'the piercer.' The speed at which we integrate resources and enhance civilizational resilience must exceed the speed of the enemy's arrival. Therefore, the function of the GDC must be upgraded from 'joint defense coordination' to 'overall civilizational planning and execution.'"
The representative of the Polar Bear Country, a tough general whose epaulets had already been replaced with the GDA emblem, spoke in a deep voice: "I fully support this on behalf of the Polar Bear Affiliated Zone. We have brought all our remaining space forces, the management rights of our strategic nuclear arsenal (which has entered GDA joint supervision), and the resource development systems of Siberia and the Far East. We request and accept the GDA's unified reorganization and command, with only one condition—in the sequence of fighting the 'Purifiers,' our warriors must stand at the very front!"
This was no longer a negotiation, but an active entrustment and a request for battle. The Polar Bear Country, with its remaining but still massive military power and resources, injected the first shot of adrenaline into the integration process.
The representative of the European Union, a capable female politician, then spoke: "The European Union Council has passed a resolution to transform the entire Union into the 'Europa Affiliated Zone.' We will open all industrial databases, cutting-edge manufacturing capacity, and the final control of the 'Galileo' navigation system. We suggest establishing the GDA 'General Administration of Industrial Standards and Production Scheduling' to perform optimal reorganization of the world's remaining industrial forces and eliminate internal friction and redundant construction."
Immediately following, representatives from the Afro-Latin Brotherly Nations Group, the Southeast Asian Community, the South American Union... one by one, areas previously regarded as "symbols of sovereignty"—military command, financial systems, core industries, major scientific research, energy networks, and main transportation lines—were actively proposed to be placed under the unified management of the various professional "General Administrations" to be established by the GDA.
This was no longer cooperation; it was integration. It was the dismantling, polishing, and reassembling of hundreds of independently operating and occasionally clashing gears into a precision machine running at full speed for a single goal: the survival of civilization.
The process was not entirely without ripples. Some political remnants in former powerful nations who still held onto illusions tried to retain "special rights" or "cultural exemptions" during negotiations, but in the face of the general trend, their voices were quickly drowned out. When even the Polar Bear Country was willing to hand over its strategic nuclear buttons for joint management, any request to keep "private agendas" appeared ridiculous and pale.
The specific scenes of integration unfolded at an astonishing speed across Earth and space:
Militarily: The Polar Bear Country's "Borei-class" strategic missile nuclear submarines began to undergo modifications by GDA technicians, with their massive launch tubes partially refitted to carry the new "Deep Space Interceptors" (derived from "Thunder Department" technology). The European "Rafale" fighter production lines transitioned to mass-produce a simplified version of the "soaring heavens" carrier-based aircraft—an atmospheric aerospace fighter. The world's remaining major military bases and ports were unified into the deployment system of the GDA "Planetary Defense Command."
Industrially: After the "General Administration of Industrial Standards and Production Scheduling" was established, its first order was a global industrial capacity census and redistribution. A traditional automobile factory in South Asia, after receiving GDA technical support and order guarantees, quickly shifted production to chassis components for "floating vehicles." A rare metal mine in South America had its mining plans and logistics routes re-optimized to supply the construction of shipyards on the Moon and in the asteroid belt with maximum efficiency. Under the scheduling of "Fuxi", the global supply chain acted as one, with its efficiency multiplied.
In scientific research: The "Kunlun-Scientific Research" node became the absolute core. On his third day after arriving in the Polar Bear Affiliated Zone, Dr. Robert Lee "stood" in the same virtual laboratory as top physicists from the Dragon Country and Europa through an immersive interface, engaging in intense and efficient debates on "the next breakthrough in Graviton Manipulation Technology." Data, inspiration, and computational resources were shared globally, and disciplinary barriers were completely broken down.
In terms of people's livelihood: The GDA "General Administration of Livelihood Security" began to implement a unified "Basic Life Pack" standard, ensuring that no matter which Affiliated Zone they were in, every citizen could enjoy sufficient food provided by "Golden Harvest" farms, basic medical care covered by the "Scavenger" network, and energy and information guaranteed by "Palm Batteries" and wireless networks. Education, elderly care, and housing long-term planning also initiated global coordination.
This deep integration brought a visible leap in power.
Three months later, at the first "Integrated Forces" fleet review held in lunar orbit, the scene was breathtaking.
With the repaired and upgraded "soaring heavens" at its core, it was surrounded by the main warships of various Affiliated Zones that had undergone GDA technical modification and unified livery: the Polar Bear Country's rugged and heavy "Kirov-class" space cruiser (already equipped with joint shields and particle sub-cannons), Europa's elegantly lined "Horizon-class" destroyer (refitted with new thrusters), and the Dragon Country's newly built "Taishan-class" heavy arsenal ship... They were arranged in a neat formation, silently declaring their newborn power in the dark starry sky.
Further away, there were more new ships under construction with their frames just beginning to appear, as well as a vast network of defensive fortifications expanding around the Moon and Mars.
"Fuxi"'s comprehensive evaluation report showed that after the preliminary integration of military, industry, and technology, the overall war potential, resource mobilization efficiency, and technological innovation speed of human civilization had increased by at least 300% compared to the early days of the GDC's establishment. Social stability, public confidence, and civilizational identity had reached unprecedented highs.
Lin Mo stood on the observation platform of the "Ark" city, looking at the fledgling joint fleet outside the window and the blue planet below that appeared increasingly vibrant due to integration. He could feel that the overall "aura" of civilization was changing, becoming more solid and more uplifted.
The system interface unfolded silently, the main trunk of the civilization cornerstone technology tree becoming thicker, with light flowing and reflecting off the branches representing military technology. A new system prompt appeared:
[Detected that the host civilization's political entity integration has broken through the critical threshold (75%). The overall coordination and resource utilization efficiency of the civilization have significantly improved. Special status unlocked: 'Civilization Resonance (Primary)'. In this state, technology research speed +15%, large-scale engineering efficiency +20%, and social crisis resistance +25%. Please continue to advance integration to face the ultimate test.]
Lin Mo closed the interface, his gaze deep. Integration brought power, but it also bound the entire civilization more tightly together—rising and falling as one. The next challenge would directly test whether this newborn integrated entity could withstand a true storm.
He connected to the communication with Elder Chen: "Elder Chen, the first phase of integration is basically complete. It is time to launch the next phase of the 'Ark Project'—to turn our gaze from integrating Earth to the more distant deep space, and... to prepare a true 'welcome ceremony' for those 'Purifiers' who may arrive."
From loose cooperation to deep integration, human civilization finally clenched its scattered fingers into a single fist.