84: Chapter 84 The Mad King

Inside the car, Chen Mu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Later, we adjusted our strategy and captured him alive in just one hour and twenty-two minutes, and imprisoned him in a Gravity Prison of less than eight square meters on our Guga Planet."

His tone suddenly became somewhat playful: "Now, every day inside, he shouts, 'I am the King of Planet Wuhu, you have no right to arrest me!'"

Maya was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing. But the laughter quickly stopped.

"This king... he wouldn't happen to be that A-Zu's father, would he?"

Chen Mu snapped his fingers: "Bingo. It is precisely because of this king that we designated the Wuhu Civilization as a Level 1 Civilization."

"But after capturing him, we discovered that there isn't a second powerhouse of his caliber on the entire Planet Wuhu."

"Why?" Maya frowned. "Logically, if there's one, there should be a second, right?"

She had studied basic biology and statistics. The appearance of an extreme individual within a population usually implies the existence of similar genetic or environmental conditions that could produce more such individuals.

If an S-rank powerhouse appears in a civilization, it shouldn't be that no one else has reached the same level.

"I think it's because that king killed all rivals of the same level," the President's voice suddenly came from the front.

Chen Mu glanced at him, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then he nodded: "Oh? It seems Your Excellency the President really understands this time."

He continued: "Exactly. This king not only killed all his same-level rivals, but he was even afraid of future generations ascending to S-rank. He not only killed a large number of A-rank Espers but also personally destroyed the Star Mines that could help them ascend to S-rank."

"The only few remaining A-ranks are his own children."

The President's expression was very grim. He thought of humanity's own situation—hadn't their United States assassinated many top scientists from other countries just to maintain hegemony?

How many disruptive technologies had been collectively smothered by certain industries to protect monopoly interests?

It was all because those successful vested interests did not want to see new competitors appear.

A civilization's path to advancement is often blocked by its own people, and in the end, it's the outsiders who reap the benefits.

"How hateful," Maya's voice carried anger, "how could this king be so selfish!"

Chen Mu didn't respond, only smiling without a word.

The President was silent for a moment, then asked another question: "Ball Chief, since their civilization is so powerful, why do they dress like that?"

Chen Mu explained: "I'm not clear on the specific reasons, but I guess there might be two. First, everyone in their civilization possesses innate abilities, so in terms of daily life, they don't need to develop very advanced technology."

"Second, their resources are concentrated on individuals. After we took their king away, the Wuhu Civilization's rating in our Guga Civilization's records dropped to 0.6, which is even one level lower than Blue Star. If those few A-rank Espers are gone too, I estimate it will drop to 0.4."

"Ah! This civilization is way too fragile!" Maya exclaimed.

Hearing this, a flash of disdain crossed the President's eyes.

He had thought these aliens were so formidable, but it turned out they were nothing more than this—placing the hope of an entire civilization on one person. When that one person falls, the entire civilization collapses. Isn't that just a hollow show?

He remembered when he was doing business in his youth; he had seen many such parvenus.

They looked infinitely glamorous normally, but in reality, they staked their entire fortune on a single project. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would instantly go bankrupt.

Humanity, at least, has billions of people, nuclear weapons, and a global industrial system. No matter what, the entire civilization won't collapse instantly just because a few people die.

Thinking this way, the President's mindset, which had been shaken just moments ago, regained some balance.

He cleared his throat, adopted a curious expression, and asked: "Ball Chief, regarding those A-rank and B-rank Espers... how are they classified?"

At this time, the car's speed gradually slowed down.

Chen Mu glanced out the window, his lips curling slightly.

"That question, let them explain it to you personally."

The car slowly pulled over to the curb on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The door opened, and the President was the first to climb out.

He stood still and took a deep breath. Before he could speak, a dark shadow descended from the sky.

A-Zu's feet slammed onto the sidewalk with such force that the pavement stones shuddered violently. Several agents instinctively reached for their waists but forced themselves to stop.

His robes were still fluttering, and his face already wore that mocking smile that made one's teeth itch with irritation.

"These iron shells you've built are truly slow enough."

He paced a couple of steps and tapped his finger on the hood of the lead bulletproof sedan, the metal making a dull thud.

"They're practically a match for the old men in our tribe who can barely walk."

The President's hand, which was adjusting his cufflink, stopped. He looked up at A-Zu. That face, which had been full of fawning smiles in the car just now, was now devoid of any expression.

"Oh, is that so?"

He took a step forward, standing in front of A-Zu and looking up at him. Although he was half a head shorter than A-Zu, his back was straight as a rod.

"Sir, our factories can build ten thousand of these iron shells in a single day."

"I wonder how many people on your planet can fly as fast as you?"

"You..."

A-Zu's pupils contracted sharply.

The two antennae on his forehead snapped straight as if struck by an electric shock, trembling slightly atop his head, as an invisible pressure radiated outward with him at the center.

This time, everyone instinctively took half a step back.

Only Chen Mu did not move.

He stood in place, watched for two seconds, and then reached out, making a downward pressing motion in the air.

"Alright, alright. I had you come all this way to do business, not to pick fights."

"A-Zu, this is the Interstellar City I built. In the future, you can do business and live here."

He pointed toward the glass curtain wall building across the street.

A-Zu was silent for a moment, his antennae slowly drooping, and the tension in his shoulders relaxed by half.

He glanced at Chen Mu, said nothing more, withdrew his leaking pressure, and strode toward the other side of the street.

The group walked into the mall.

This 'Interstellar Mall' was newly built after New York was declared an Interstellar City by Chen Mu.

The entire lobby was twenty meters high, with a dome made of a single piece of transparent glass. When sunlight passed through, it was filtered into a soft amber hue.

Although the mall was not yet fully completed, many human shops were already open for business.

A-Zu stood in the center of the lobby, looking around, his antennae swaying slightly.

A moment later, he pointed to a vacant shop in the east wing, right next to the main corridor with the highest foot traffic: "That place, how much to buy it?"

The Financial Advisor beside the President pushed up his glasses, trying to make his tone sound professional and devoid of any fear:

"Sir, this is our Interstellar Mall specifically established for interstellar trade. All shops are for lease only, not for sale."

Kara, standing behind A-Zu, stepped forward.

She was the first Wuhu person to step forward besides A-Zu and Karl.

Her antennae were more slender than her companions', swaying gently on her forehead like two precision antennas calibrating a signal.

"Then what is the rent?"

The Secretary of the Treasury had finally been waiting for this; it was his first chance today to demonstrate his professional expertise.

He straightened his back, cleared his throat, and quoted a meticulously prepared figure.

This figure was something he and the entire Treasury Department had stayed up for three nights to calculate, intended to give these aliens a show of strength and let them know the prosperity of Blue Star's first interstellar metropolis.

"According to current New York real estate prices, the rent is ten million US dollars a year."