111: Meeting

Falem Homeworld, the supreme meeting hall of the Central Council.

This place is the brain of the entire Faleim Civilization and the source from which countless commands are issued.

At this moment, on the massive holographic projection table in the center of the hall, the Star Map, which originally only displayed the surroundings of the local star system, was replaced by a much grander, brand-new picture.

That was the interstellar power distribution map covering most of the known regions of the Perseus Arm and Orion, provided by Amira Radiance, commander of the Angel Empire Divine Grace Fleet, in a report sent back by Major General Trier via a high-dimensional quantum communication channel, spanning a distance of nearly a hundred light-years.

The appearance of this Star Map was, for the Faleim Civilization, akin to lighting a searchlight in the fog of war.

The tens of thousands of stars in this star region were already more numerous than the star systems in the old universe where the Faleim Civilization once resided.

On the Star Map, vast areas were covered in a glaring dark red; that was the territory of the Iofer Federation. They were like a malignant tumor constantly spreading, devouring everything around them.

On the other side, the golden area representing the Angel Theocracy Empire, though still vast, had jagged battle lines and constantly retreating outposts along its border, silently telling the story of this ancient empire's decline.

Besides these two giants, hundreds of small spots of various colors were scattered in the gaps of the Star Map; these were other inferior civilizations struggling to survive in the cracks, or primitive civilizations that had not yet stepped into the interstellar era.

Lei Wen's holographic image sat quietly at the head of the conference table, his mind racing.

As a former player, he was all too familiar with this feeling of planning the future while looking at a Star Map, but this time, every dot of light on the chessboard represented the fate of billions of lives.

"Everyone," Archon Price broke the silence first, his gaze sweeping over every council member present, "The intelligence sent back by Major General Trier is very valuable. This confirms our hypothesis: this universe is not empty; one could even say it is quite crowded."

"That civilization named the Iofer Federation," Military Commander Talon pointed to the dark red area, his tone filled with undisguised disgust, "According to Amira's description and our engagement records with their sub-fleet just now, this is a typical isolationist and extreme militaristic civilization. They worship violence and are keen on extermination and enslavement. This reminds me of those disgusting racial purists and bloodthirsty swarms from the old universe."

"The existence of such a civilization is in itself a pathology for the universe," the council member in charge of sociological research adjusted his monocle and said seriously, "They are not only destroying life but also destroying the diversity of civilizations."

"If we leave them unchecked, this star region will eventually be left with only one sound: their roar."

"This is a great destruction to our scientific research plan of using other civilizations as observation samples."

"Then, should we declare war directly?" a hawk faction council member proposed, "Although our current capabilities do not allow for inter-galactic conquest, on the scale of a mere few thousand or tens of thousands of light-years, we are fully capable of striking the core star systems of the Iofer Federation and paralyzing their expansion capabilities."

"Inappropriate," Chief Scientist Zeral shook his head, "Our primary task remains the Cornerstone Project—that is, restoring our industrial capacity from the old era and perfecting the surrounding strategic system. Our expedition against the unknown civilization that attacked us has already dragged down our recovery speed. Engaging in another large-scale interstellar war does not align with the principle of maximizing returns."

A heated discussion erupted in the meeting room.

One side advocated for an active strike to maintain universal "cleanliness"; the other side advocated for steady development and sitting on the sidelines to watch the tigers fight.

Although the Faleim People were extreme materialists, they were not machines without emotions.

Faced with the foreign policy of the Iof People, due to their pride as a superior civilization and their instinct to maintain order, it was difficult for them to remain absolutely neutral.

"Quiet."

Price tapped the table, and the venue instantly fell silent.

"We need a compromise," Price said calmly, "We cannot let the Iof People recklessly destroy our 'experimental fields,' but we also cannot disrupt our own rhythm because of them."

"I propose," Price looked at everyone, "listing the Iofer Federation as an unwelcome entity and a potential threat target. Within our sphere of influence and monitored areas, any iofer unit that appears shall be destroyed immediately without warning or reporting."

"Agreed."

"Seconded."

"This is reasonable."

The council members nodded one after another; this was a passive but tough defensive strategy: draw a red line, and those who cross it die.

"As for the Angel Empire..." Price looked at the golden area, his brow slightly furrowed, "An idealistic theocracy. Although unpleasant, by comparison, they at least retain the rationality for communication. Should we address the request for aid from Commander Amira mentioned in Major General Trier's report?"

Everyone's gaze began to wander again.

For the materialistic Faleim People, helping a group of religious fanatics who kept "God" on their lips all day was psychologically somewhat off-putting.

Just then, Lei Wen, who had not spoken a word, opened his mouth.

"Everyone."

Lei Wen's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the depths of everyone's consciousness.

All eyes instantly converged on the head of the table; it was absolute obedience and awe.

"I basically agree with the Council's resolution on handling the iofer civilization," Lei Wen said slowly, his finger tapping gently in the void, enlarging the map of the Angel Empire.

"But regarding the Angel Empire, I think we can adopt a more flexible strategy."

"Whether it is destruction or ignoring them, both are inferior strategies." A deep light flickered in Lei Wen's eyes, the calculation of a chess player, "In this universe, although the Faleim Civilization is powerful, our population is currently too small, and our industrial capacity has not yet recovered. We need eyes, we need ears, and at times, we need a pair of hands to do the dirty work for us."

"The Angel Empire is a perfect candidate."

Lei Wen paused and continued: "They are now on the verge of total failure, and this despair is the best catalyst. If we provide them with limited help at this time, such as providing some technology that happens to be able to counter the Iof People, or some resource support."

"This will not only allow them to hold back the Iof People on the front lines and keep the conflict between the two sides going, but more importantly..."

A meaningful smile curled the corners of Lei Wen's mouth.

"This is an opportunity for infiltration."

"We can implant our influence into every aspect of their society through technical assistance."

"We can make them develop an inescapable dependence on our resources through economic trade."

"What we need to do is not just be allies, but turn them into our agents in this star region."

"In this way, we can gain the greatest say in this vast star region spanning two constellations with the minimum consumption, merely by paying some obsolete technology and surplus minerals."

"This is called using force against force, without shedding blood."

Lei Wen's voice fell, and the meeting room fell into a brief silence, followed by an outbreak of heartfelt admiration.

"Great wisdom!" Zeral flattered, "Rather than destroying an enemy, it is better to turn them into our tool. This is far more brilliant than simple military conquest!"

"the guide's gaze pierces through the mist of time," Price also bowed respectfully, "We will immediately set about formulating an infiltration plan for the Angel Empire."

The other council members also said some flattering words, more or less.

The tone of the meeting was thus set.

The Iof People were sentenced to a suspended death sentence; as long as they dared to show their heads, they would be smashed.

And the Angel people were about to welcome a master who appeared generous but was actually preparing to put a golden collar on them.

...

The communication was cut off, and the holographic image dissipated.

Lei Wen returned to the cold and silent command room underground in Tianqiong City.

Just now at the meeting, he was the supreme the guide of the civilization.

But at this moment, when he was alone facing the slowly rotating holographic projection of the Earth, a trace of deep exhaustion appeared on his face.

He walked to the console and pulled up a file that only he could see.

"Assessment Report on the Current Development Status of Human Civilization"

Although the data in the report was encouraging—breakthroughs in antimatter technology, regenerative nanomaterials in place, the industrial network of the Solar System taking shape... but after having just seen that Star Map of the Milky Way, these achievements seemed so insignificant.

"white flower," Lei Wen called softly.

"Here, Father."

"Compare the data: if the current Human Federation Starrealm Army encounters a standard sub-fleet of the Iofer Federation, what are the odds of winning?"

The data stream on the screen refreshed like a crazy waterfall, and a few seconds later, a red number popped out.

【Odds of winning: 0%】

【Simulation result: The human fleet will be annihilated within 10 minutes of contact. Although humans have mastered antimatter and ion propulsion, there is a generational gap of at least five eras compared to established interstellar hegemons like the Iofer Federation in terms of energy shield strength, weapon penetration, and superluminal mobility. The Iof People's gravitational wave weapons can easily tear apart the structure of human capital ships, and their blaster cannons are essentially true damage to current human armor. Any weapon humans have, other than antimatter bombs, cannot shake the shields of the Iofer Federation ships or the small amount of core protective armor made of strong interaction materials.】

Lei Wen sighed. This result was within his expectations, but seeing it with his own eyes still made one feel heavy.

Although the Faleim Civilization was strong, it was his "cheat," his final trump card. He always remembered what he had said to Zeral—he hoped humans could walk independently.

If humans always lived under the wings of the Faleim People, then Human Civilization would eventually become a vassal race to the Faleim Civilization, or even a pet. That was something Lei Wen absolutely did not want to see.

"Only pressure can lead to evolution." Lei Wen looked at the Kari Star System, 5.4 light-years away from Earth, on the Star Map.

"Since the Iof People and the Angel people are fighting each other, there won't be any major changes in this star region for the time being," Lei Wen muttered to himself, "This is the best development period for humans."

"Three hundred years... no, two hundred years."

"Within two hundred years, humans must possess a fleet capable of Warp Drive and must master the practical application of antimatter weapons."

He thought of the aid to the Angel Empire decided at the meeting just now.

Perhaps this could also become an opportunity for humans?

The technology of the Angel people might be looked down upon by the Faleim Civilization, but for humans, it was a priceless treasure.

If there were a way to let these technologies "reasonably" flow into Earth...

For example, in the future, having the human fleet participate in a local war against the Iof People as a "Faleim ally"? Testing and improving technology through actual combat?

A new plan began to take shape in Lei Wen's mind.

He knew he was the "behind-the-scenes pusher" of Human Civilization, even if this pusher sometimes needed to push humanity to the edge of a cliff.

"Father, what are you thinking about?" white flower seemed to sense the activity in Lei Wen's thinking.

"I'm thinking," Lei Wen's mouth curled up slightly, a fighting spirit reigniting in his eyes, "what to eat for breakfast tomorrow."

He turned and left the command room, his steps firm.

Humanity's pace was too slow; he had to give it another push.

"Prepare," Lei Wen said to white flower, "Next week I will go to inspect the blood orchid planting base on the moon, and by the way... let that girl Grey Wind give me a 'call.' Some things need to be accelerated."

"Okay, Father. However, Lady Grey Wind seems to be having a lot of fun on Kali Star right now. She seems to be interfering with the religious beliefs of the Kari People by creating 'miracles.'"

"...Let her be, as long as she doesn't break that civilization."