174: He has passed away.

The faint blue light from the holographic projection desktop in the Interstellar Affairs General Bureau Director's office reflected on Lei Wen's composed face.

With the final swipe of his finger across the holographic interface, the "Resolution on the Development of the F-81 (Mana) Galaxy and the Resettlement of Indigenous Peoples," finalized after intense arguments during multiple closed-door sessions of the Earth Council, was packaged and sent to Dr. Ilya's Wanderer.

Lei Wen leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

However, he did not include his idea of establishing a "Social Experiment Zone" on Mana Star.

For Ilya von Klein, the pure scientist, the formula of truth was far more fascinating than the machinations of the human heart.

Lei Wen knew Dr. Ilya wasn't interested in this; she only needed to be a good scientist, and she didn't need to worry about political matters.

"white flower, how are the preparations for the first batch of Warp Engine spaceships coming along?" Lei Wen asked.

"Everything is ready, Father." The voice of white flower sounded promptly, simultaneously pulling up the real-time surveillance footage of the spaceport outside the Babel Space Station.

In the footage, the Deep Space Berths were currently packed with brand-new ships.

These were not heavily armed warships, but a massive civilian fleet. They lacked thick armor and menacing cannons, instead featuring enormous cargo holds, modular residential units, and conspicuous corporate liveries of various colors.

This was the first batch of mass-produced faster-than-light ships in Human Civilization history, equipped with first-generation Warp Engines.

Current Human technology only allows ships to reach a maximum speed of about 10 times the speed of light, but for Human Civilization, this represents a qualitative leap from crawling to running.

The First Interstellar Fleet, which once traveled to the New Sun System 5.4 light-years away, endured a long voyage of nearly fifty years, but now this fleet only needs half a year to cross the 5.4 light-year chasm.

"This is also a great voyage." Lei Wen watched the ships poised for departure and sighed softly.

In this fleet, besides a large number of engineering vessels, mining ships, and heavy transport ships loaded with supplies, there was also one special passenger ship.

The passenger list of that ship included the names of Walker Tala, Kul, and a group of Kari scientists.

After spending several fulfilling but expatriated years on Earth, Lei Wen specially approved this trip home.

For these alien scholars whose lifespans were not particularly long, being able to see the purple sky of their home star again in their lifetime, and returning home gloriously aboard a faster-than-light ship they could never have dreamed of, was an inexpressible emotion in itself.

"The departure ceremony is about to begin. Mr. Elon is already waiting in the Cloud Top Banquet Hall." white flower reminded him.

Lei Wen stood up and adjusted his collar.

"Let's go meet our old friend."

...The Cloud Top Space Panoramic Banquet Hall is located within the Nikola Group's private space station in geosynchronous orbit.

This is the area with the best view in the entire space station, with the brilliant galaxy and the azure Earth visible outside the massive transparent dome. At this moment, the most powerful group of people in the Human Federation were gathered here—heads of state, high-ranking military officials, and commercial giants who controlled the economic lifelines of the Solar System.

The crisp clinking of crystal glasses, melodious classical music, hushed conversations, and occasional bursts of laughter interwove, forming a picture of prosperity.

When Lei Wen entered the banquet hall, all eyes converged on him simultaneously. As the Director of the Interstellar Affairs General Bureau and the hidden controller of Paradox Technology, he was undoubtedly the true center of attention at this event.

But Lei Wen ignored the politicians trying to approach him for conversation. His gaze passed through the crowd, settling on a figure standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, facing away from the others.

It was a slightly corpulent figure, wearing a well-tailored, slightly retro handmade suit, swirling a glass of amber liquid in his hand.

Hearing footsteps, the person slowly turned around.

It was Elon.

But he was no longer the spirited technology fanatic he had been decades ago.

Even with the nourishment of the fountain of youth, time had still left its mark on him.

His age, over a hundred years old, had inevitably caused some slackening in his skin. Although his eyes were still sharp, they held less of the fanaticism and idealism of his younger days, and more of the deep calculation and ruthlessness befitting a powerful figure.

His current appearance closely resembled the behind-the-scenes financial magnates who controlled the world in old-era comics—dignified, corpulent, and exuding a suffocating aura.

"Lei Wen." Elon raised his glass, displaying a characteristic smile, though the smile held more formality than their former intimacy. "Long time no see, my old friend."

"Long time no see, Elon." Lei Wen stepped forward, picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray, and clinked it lightly against Elon's. "Congratulations. I hear half the ships in this fleet bear the Nikola Group logo."

"Sixty-five percent," Elon corrected, his tone filled with unconcealed pride and self-satisfaction. "If you exclude the Interstellar Affairs General Bureau official vessels, then two out of every three ships heading to the New Sun System are mine."

He turned and pointed to the magnificent fleet outside the window.

"Look at them, Lei Wen. This is the future of humanity, and the future of the Nikola Group."

"We have shipyards in Earth orbit, refineries on the Moon, and transfer stations on Ganymede. Now we're taking our business 5.4 light-years away." Elon took a sip of wine and sighed. "Sometimes I think, if my younger self could see this, he probably would have fainted from excitement."

"Indeed." Lei Wen looked out the window. "The younger you only wanted to grow potatoes on Mars, but now you want to buy the entire Solar System."

This slightly barbed comment made Elon pause, then he burst into deep, low laughter.

"People always change, Lei Wen. Just like these ships, changing from Chemical Rockets to Warp Engines. If you don't change with it, you'll be left behind by the times."

The two walked to a slightly secluded corner and sat down.

"Regarding the development of the New Sun System, which is the Kari Star System," Elon put down his glass, leaned forward, and lowered his voice, finally getting to the point. "I read the Council's resolution. Although private capital is allowed to enter, the restrictive clauses are too numerous."

"Especially the restrictions concerning the Indigenous Protection Act and Resource Extraction Quotas." Elon frowned. "Lei Wen, we have invested astronomical amounts of capital there, and we need a return. The Kari People... they are excellent laborers. Why can't we employ them on a large scale? And those minerals, why restrict the mining volume?"

"Because that is the home of another civilization, not our unmanned colonial mine pit," Lei Wen replied calmly. "We are going there to guide and integrate them, to bring them into the Human Federation system and provide a foundation for the elevation of our civilization, not to plunder and enslave. If we are too greedy, it will not only provoke resistance from the Kari People but also damage Human Civilization's reputation in the universe."

"Reputation?" Elon scoffed. "In the face of profit, what is reputation worth? As long as we feed them and give them cheap goods, they will be eternally grateful. As for resistance... are the Human Federation Starfleet's warships just decorations?"

Looking at his old friend, who had been completely consumed by the logic of capital, a deep sense of helplessness welled up in Lei Wen's heart.

The idealist who once would have staked everything for the future of humanity was dead, replaced by a capital leviathan willing to sacrifice anything for financial report growth.

"Elon." Lei Wen's voice grew serious. He looked directly into Elon's clouded eyes. "I must remind you of something."

"Not only internally within the Council, but even public opinion is highly critical of the Nikola Group's monopolistic position."

"You control too many shipping lanes and hold too many resource nodes. From energy to logistics, from spaceship manufacturing to colony construction, the Nikola Group's tentacles have stretched too far."

Lei Wen paused, a hint of warning entering his tone.

"Other consortiums, including Europe's United Heavy Industries, numerous state-owned enterprises in China, and even some emerging commercial forces, their dissatisfaction with you is accumulating."

"And in the development of the New Sun System, if you still try to hog everything and turn it into the Nikola Group's private territory..."

"Then, you will suffer a backlash."

"Even Paradox Technology will not stand with you."

The weight of this statement was immense.

Paradox Technology was the biggest driving force behind the rise of the Nikola Group, and currently the only entity capable of completely suppressing the Nikola Group both technologically and militarily.

Hearing the four characters "Paradox Technology," the corner of Elon's eye twitched slightly.

But he quickly regained his composure, even revealing a disdainful smile.

"Backlash? Lei Wen, you underestimate the power of capital, and you underestimate the Nikola Group today."

Elon leaned back against the chair, crossing his hands over his abdomen, a posture of someone in control of the situation.

"Do you know how many employees I have working for me right now?"

He held up one finger.

"Fifteen million."

"And that's just the official employees directly hired by me. If you count the upstream and downstream supply chains, and the contractors and service providers who rely on the Nikola Ecosystem to survive... that number must be multiplied by at least ten."

"One hundred fifty million people, Lei Wen."

Elon's voice was low and commanding.

"This means that on Earth, the Moon, and Mars, the livelihood of one person out of every few dozen is held in my hands."

"If the Nikola Group sneezes, the global economy catches a cold. If someone tries to move against me, they are messing with the livelihoods of these 150 million people."

"'Too Big to Fail'." Elon gave a scornful smile. "That is my current talisman."

"As for yielding profits?" He shook his head. "Business competition is about the big fish eating the small fish. I have technological advantages, scale advantages, why should I yield? It's only natural for those who can't keep up to be eliminated."

"Lei Wen, we are friends, which is why I'm telling you this."

Elon stood up, adjusted his suit, and looked earnestly at Lei Wen.

"You should understand that the world today no longer runs on ideals and slogans. It runs on capital, efficiency, and people like me who can integrate resources."

"The development of the New Sun System cannot happen without the Nikola Group, just as humans cannot live without air."

Having finished speaking, he raised his glass and drained the remaining wine.

"I have tens of millions of employees to feed; every bit of profit is crucial."

"Please excuse me, old friend."

Elon turned around and, surrounded by several bodyguards and assistants, left the banquet hall.

Lei Wen remained seated quietly, watching Elon's retreating figure, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.

He heard arrogance and greed in Elon's words, and even more, a challenge to the existing order.

Elon thought that controlling the economic lifeline meant he could do whatever he wanted, and that "Too Big to Fail" was a get-out-of-jail-free card.

"Too Big to Fail?"

Lei Wen muttered to himself, his finger tracing lightly across the tabletop.

"In this world, nothing is too big to fall."

"If I want it to."

He recalled his plan for Mana Star, the experiment aimed at completely overthrowing the existing Relations of Production and Social Structure.

If Mana Star was the testing ground for the new world, then the current situation in the Solar System might be the old world's final frenzy.

The class divide was too vast to bridge, and the capital leviathan had swollen to the point of beginning to devour its host.

Elon and his Nikola Group had transformed from boosters of Human Civilization into stumbling blocks hindering the civilization's evolution to a higher level.

"It seems we have finally reached this point."

Lei Wen sighed, the last trace of sentimentality for his old friend sealed away by reason.

"white flower,"

"Yes, Father."

"Record today's conversation."

"Furthermore, initiate the simulation and deduction for the Anti-monopoly and Asset Division Contingency Plan targeting the Nikola Group."

"Raise the risk assessment level to High."

"Understood, Father. Simulation program initiated."