37: Division and opposition

After the deep blue tail flame of the Thunder-1 transport ship disappeared into the deep night sky, global celebrations continued to ferment.

People were immersed in the immense joy of Human Civilization stepping into a new era; optimistic emotions swept across every corner of the world like a warm ocean current.

However, beneath this seemingly calm ocean, an undercurrent capable of overturning the entire world order was surging wildly within the United States—the former world hegemon.

To outsiders, the United States seemed to be experiencing an unprecedented renaissance.

Under the framework of the dome accord, it had shaken hands with its greatest competitor, ending its astronomically expensive global military deployments.

With the support of the "divine" technology from Paradox Technology, it was erupting with astonishing vitality in the fields of industry and energy.

But for those on the inside, they could clearly feel that the country was sliding toward an unprecedented, massive division with an irreversible momentum.

The core of this division was no longer the traditional left-right dispute, nor was it a racial issue or cultural conflict.

It was a more fundamental and cruel battle for survival.

A life-and-death struggle surrounding future energy and industrial patterns.

The opposing sides were distinct, with strict barriers.

On one side were the traditional energy giants who had once held sway in the old era.

Oil oligarchs like ExxonMobil and Chevron, along with traditional high-tech companies that had direct business conflicts with Paradox Technology.

For example, Intel and Qualcomm, which had been beaten back step by step in the chip field by the perfect single-crystal silicon technology of Paradox Technology.

They had united with the most sensitive and cold-blooded financiers on Wall Street, attempting to further control the U.S. government through their massive capital and deep-rooted political influence.

They aimed to forcibly reverse the future dominated by fusion energy and new materials, which was increasingly unfavorable to them.

This vast conservative force controlled almost all the political power of the Democratic Party, and their spokesperson was that Senator John McConnell, who was slick and ruthless in Congress.

On the other side was the "New Aristocrats Alliance," which had risen rapidly by relying on the brand-new production chain of Paradox Technology.

Their leader was an old industrial giant like General Electric.

Relying on its status as the sole designated agent for Paradox Technology in North America, this company had completed an astonishing transformation over the past two years, with its stock price soaring to become the absolute hegemon in the fields of new energy and new materials.

Surrounding them were a large number of new energy companies that had fully embraced fusion energy, as well as commercial aerospace companies that had made a fortune in the space craze brought about by the dome accord.

A representative figure was that tech fanatic known for being high-profile and maverick—Elon. His Nikola Group had developed extremely deep cooperation with Paradox Technology and had even sold quite a few shares to Paradox Technology.

Now, the Nikola Group was one of the only two companies in the United States that had mastered controllable nuclear fusion technology.

These "New Aristocrats" were the most generous behind-the-scenes donors for most Republican Party congressmen.

The two forces, representing vastly different interests and futures, were engaged in increasingly intense conflicts at every level of American politics, economy, and society.

On Capitol Hill, the budget bill regarding whether to continue increasing investment in the dome project became the focus of the struggle between the two parties.

Democratic Party congressmen obstructed it in every possible way, citing "fiscal deficits" and "prioritizing people's livelihood."

Republican Party congressmen, however, refused to yield an inch in the name of "national security" and "future opportunities."

In the financial markets, the capital crocodiles on Wall Street used the leverage tools at their disposal to crazily short the stocks of General Electric and the Nikola Group.

Meanwhile, Elon raised his arms on social media, calling on his tens of millions of fanatical followers to launch a vigorous defense of retail investors.

At the level of social public opinion, the discourse power controlled by traditional media giants began to crazily smear the space program and new energy technologies, portraying them as a scam that wasted money and manpower.

Emerging online media and tech bloggers, conversely, portrayed Elon and the mysterious founder of Paradox Technology, StarRiver, as "prophets" and "messiahs" leading humanity toward the future.

This opposing sentiment quickly spread from the elite class to the general public.

Blue-state voters who supported the Democratic Party took to the streets to protest against the government wasting money on "ethereal space dreams."

Meanwhile, red-state citizens who supported the Republican Party drove their newly purchased Nikola cars to form massive motorcades for rallies in support of the great cause of space exploration.

The public on both sides attacked and cursed each other online, and were opposed and alienated from each other in reality.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this country, which once prided itself on being a "melting pot," was facing its most serious division crisis since the Civil War.

And the flashpoint of this crisis was ultimately focused on the position with the highest power.

The current president, Donald, came from the Republican Party.

Although he was not a staunch "space faction" member himself, under the general trend and the immense pressure from party donors, he still firmly stood on the side of the dome project and the "New Aristocrats Alliance."

This caused the Republican Party to temporarily hold the advantage in the current political landscape.

And for Senator McConnell and the traditional forces behind him, this situation was intolerable.

The next presidential election was still a long way off, and they knew very well that if they could not reverse the increasingly unfavorable situation as soon as possible, what awaited them would be the fate of being completely wiped out by the waves of the new era.

Thus, on a deep autumn rainy night.

In a heavily guarded, completely isolated private estate on the outskirts of Washington.

A conspiracy that would determine the future fate of the United States was quietly brewing.

...

The main conference room of the estate was unlit.

Only the dancing flames in the fireplace illuminated the few blurred figures sitting around the long table.

Their faces were hidden in the darkness.

One could only tell from the profiles occasionally illuminated by the firelight that they were all elderly, high-ranking people accustomed to giving orders.

They were the true masters of this country—the controllers of various traditional monopoly capital groups.

Senator John McConnell sat at the head of the table; his face, which always wore a hypocritical smile, looked particularly gloomy in the flickering firelight.

"Things cannot go on like this, gentlemen." His voice was hoarse and low, like a viper flicking its tongue. "That idiot Donald has been completely brainwashed by General Electric and that damn Elon. He is betting all of our futures on that damn space gamble."

"We tried to stop him in Congress, but with little effect." A voice representing oil interests sounded from the darkness. "Every budget hearing turns into a farce. Those lunatics in the Republican Party keep talking about alien threats and the future of humanity, inciting public opinion, making it impossible for us to veto them procedurally."

"We are also at a disadvantage in public opinion." Another voice belonging to a media tycoon was full of helplessness. "People nowadays would rather believe the gibberish from tech bloggers on social media than watch our carefully produced news programs. Their brains have been completely corroded by those fantasies about the sea of stars."

"The most critical thing is time." A financier from Wall Street analyzed calmly. "According to our models, in at most two years, when the cost of fusion energy drops further, and when Paradox Technology's new materials begin to fully replace traditional materials, our industrial advantages will vanish, our stocks will turn into a pile of waste paper, and by then we will truly be meat on the chopping block."

The conference room fell into a long silence.

The wood in the fireplace made a "crackling" sound, as if mourning their dead end.

"Since conventional methods are no longer useful..."

McConnell finally spoke again, his voice carrying an undisguised ruthlessness and determination.

"Then we can only use some... unconventional methods."

Everyone's eyes were focused on him.

McConnell slowly took something out of his pocket and placed it gently on the table.

It was a bullet made of brass.

The firelight from the fireplace shone on it, reflecting a cold and deadly glint.

"Donald's term has more than two years left." McConnell's voice was like a whisper from hell. "If he unfortunately ends his political career early during his next public speech due to the impulsive behavior of some mentally unstable gun enthusiast..."

"Then according to the Constitution, the Vice President will immediately take over his position."

"And we all know, Vice President Miles..." He looked around at everyone present, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth, "is our dog."

The air in the conference room seemed to be sucked out in that instant.

Everyone was speechless, shocked by McConnell's crazy and bold plan.

Assassinating the president.

This was the ultimate high-stakes gamble that could overturn the entire country and even trigger a civil war.

"John, are you crazy?" The oil tycoon's voice was a little hesitant. "Do you know the consequences of doing this? Once exposed, we will all be doomed."

"Exposed?" McConnell sneered. "Who will be exposed? The executor will be a perfect lunatic. He has a history of mental illness, he has posted countless anti-government remarks on social media, he is even a staunch supporter of the Earth-first philosophy; his motive is flawless."

"And us," he pointed to everyone present, "even if someone knows we did it, so what? No court would dare to judge us."

"After it's done, the Vice President takes office. He will immediately announce the suspension of space cooperation with China in the name of national security, re-examine the dome accord, list Paradox Technology as an unwelcome enterprise and ban its products from entering the country. He will revive our traditional energy industries, he will make those military orders fly in like snowflakes..."

"Everything we lost will be taken back twofold."

McConnell's words were filled with demonic temptation.

He looked at the shadows stirring in the darkness, knowing they were already tempted.

Greed is the most powerful driving force in this world.

"I need your support," he finally said. "I need your funds, your intelligence, your friends in various departments to provide a little convenience for our lunatic."

"This is a gamble that stakes the future of all of us."

"If we win, we are still the masters of this country."

"If we lose..."

He did not continue.

Because he knew they had no way out.

Under the light of the dancing flames in the fireplace.

One by one, invisible hands were slowly raised in the darkness.