50: Cooperation Plan

When the conclusion that "the moon is the true Eden for the blood orchid" was confirmed by the powerful computing power of white flower, a grander and more far-reaching blueprint quickly took shape in Lei Wen's mind.

He didn't want to establish a secret cultivation base on the moon to carefully nurture these few precious "miracle drugs".

He wanted to turn the moon into a massive biopharmaceutical factory.

He wanted the blood orchid, a plant that should only exist in myths, to be produced continuously in an industrialized, standardized, and large-scale manner.

Not the kind of panacea that only a few powerful elites could enjoy.

It should be a health supplement that could be placed in every ordinary family's medicine cabinet, as cheap and ubiquitous as aspirin or bandages.

He wanted to fundamentally improve the quality of life and survival potential of the entire Human Civilization in this way.

However, ideals are full, but reality is full of complex conflicts of interest.

Lei Wen knew very well what a devastating impact it would have on the existing global medical and pharmaceutical system once finished products of the blood orchid were pushed to the market in large quantities and at low prices.

That wouldn't be a commercial competition; it would be a one-sided massacre.

The SO-G1 in the blood orchid's sap, which possesses "intelligent gene repair" capabilities, was enough to turn 99% of the surgical drugs, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and even most targeted anti-cancer drugs currently on the market into meaningless waste.

The SO-M2 in its leaves could strengthen mitochondria and delay aging, which would deal a dimensional blow to the entire health supplement industry and anti-aging industry.

And the SO-N3, which could temporarily overclock the brain, would cause countless manufacturers of psychiatric drugs and functional beverages to go bankrupt overnight.

When a drug could cure most diseases, delay aging, and even improve intelligence, what value did those bottles and jars of chemical pills have?

The global pharmaceutical industry worth trillions of dollars, along with the massive interest community behind it composed of countless scientists, doctors, sales representatives, and capitalists, would be completely crushed in front of this little red flower.

Lei Wen did not want to see such a result.

He didn't need destruction; he needed integration and upgrading.

He didn't want Paradox Technology to monopolize everything for Human Civilization.

The powerful R&D capabilities, mature clinical trial systems, and global sales networks possessed by those large pharmaceutical companies were still a valuable asset to Human Civilization.

He could not destroy these assets completely just because of the appearance of the blood orchid.

He needed to give them a way out, a way that would allow them to continue to exert their value in the new era.

Thus, a more ingenious plan was born.

He decided that after the blood orchid cultivation base on the moon was built, he would supply the blood orchid itself as a cheap primary raw material to all pharmaceutical companies on Earth willing to cooperate at a price close to cost.

He would only provide the raw materials.

As for whether these raw materials would eventually be made into special drugs for treating cancer, health supplements for delaying aging, or super soldier serums used in the military field...

These specific R&D, production, and clinical trial tasks would all be left to these professional pharmaceutical companies to complete.

Paradox Technology would only play the role of the most upstream, irreplaceable raw material supplier.

This plan could maintain the existing R&D capabilities and market status of major pharmaceutical companies, allowing them to transition smoothly from the old era to the new era.

It could also firmly grasp the lifeline of the entire Earth's life sciences in its own hands by controlling the core raw material supply.

This was a conspiracy in the open.

A conspiracy in the open that no one could refuse or resist.

To ensure this plan could be implemented smoothly, Lei Wen had white flower send a secret notification regarding the blood orchid research results and subsequent plans to the several major power centers on Earth—the leadership of the Federal United States, China, Russia, and the EU—in the capacity of a "spokesperson" for Paradox Technology.

In addition to a simple introduction to the magical effects of the blood orchid that could subvert cognition, the content of the notification also clearly stated the future cooperation model of Paradox Technology.

And at the end of the notification, white flower proposed a hard requirement in an unquestionable tone.

"... The blood orchid is the common wealth of all mankind."

"We hope that the final sales price of all drug products developed based on blood orchid raw materials must be kept within a range that ordinary people can afford."

"Our goal is to achieve an overall improvement in the health level of all people, not to create new privileges for a few wealthy people."

"Any behavior that attempts to profiteer through monopoly and malicious price hikes will be regarded by us as a challenge to the common interests of all mankind."

"At that time, we will reserve the right to cut off its raw material supply and personally step in to take over all its markets."

Faced with this notification, various national governments were actually quite helpless.

Just as Paradox Technology said, they had no choice but to accept it.

...

Just as Lei Wen was laying the tracks for the "evolution" path of Human Civilization, that long-brewing cruel civil war that would determine the fate of the old hegemon finally broke out in full force less than a month after the blood orchid research report was completed.

February 5, 2031.

After weeks of military standoff and public opinion warfare, the Miles interim government in Washington finally lost all its patience.

At 4:00 AM, while the entire North American continent was still immersed in sleep, a lightning raid codenamed "Hammer" officially kicked off the Second American Civil War.

Hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles, like unsheathed sharp blades, were launched simultaneously from the Federal Second Fleet located in the Atlantic and various air force bases in the central region.

They dragged long tail flames, tore through the darkness before dawn, and dived precisely toward dozens of important military targets located in core states of the Alliance such as California, Texas, and Nevada in a low-altitude penetration posture.

Air bases, naval ports, radar stations, and those important factories of the Nikola Group and General Electric...

All were subjected to devastating strikes at the first moment.

For a time, the territory of the Alliance was ablaze with fire, and explosions followed one another.

The Federal United States attempted to use a surgical precision strike to completely paralyze the Alliance's military counterattack capability within the first hour of the war.

Immediately afterward, the Federal Army armored divisions that had already gathered at the border, under the cover of the absolute superior air force F-35 and F-22 fighter groups, marched forward like two huge steel pincers from the east and center toward the hinterland of the Alliance.

In the initial stage of the war, the situation was completely one-sided.

The Alliance side, due to insufficient preparation, was beaten back repeatedly and suffered heavy losses.

In the war room in Washington, President Miles and Senator McConnell looked at the front-line footage of constant victories on the screen, revealing cruel and smug smiles on their faces.

They seemed to have already seen the dawn of victory.

They thought this "rebellion" would be completely crushed by their powerful war machine in just a few weeks.

However, such an advantage did not last long.

Just as the Federal ground forces were marching forward and about to break into the core area of the Alliance, a strange thing happened.

Their battlefield suddenly went "black".

...

"Eagle's Nest! Eagle's Nest! This is Ground calling! We have encountered fierce counterattacks from enemy electromagnetic cannons! Requesting air fire support! Repeat! Requesting air fire support!"

In a desert in Arizona, the commander of the 1st Marine Division was roaring hoarsely at the vehicle-mounted communicator.

His tank cluster was being pinned down by the electromagnetic railguns provided by Paradox Technology, which the Alliance had deployed based on favorable terrain.

However, only bursts of sizzling current noise came from the communicator.

The sky above his head, which should have been firmly controlled by his own fighter jets, was empty and terrifyingly silent at this moment.

What he didn't know was that at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters, those arrogant F-35 and F-22 fighter groups were scurrying around in the air like headless flies.

"Calling AWACS! We have lost the GPS signal! All navigation systems have failed!"

"My radar screen is full of snow! I can't see anything!"

"Damn it! I've lost contact with my wingman! Can someone tell me where we are?!"

It wasn't just the fighter jets.

From the GPS satellites responsible for providing global positioning services in the sky, to the Keyhole reconnaissance satellites responsible for battlefield surveillance, to the military communication satellites responsible for communication relay...

At the same time, all in-orbit satellites belonging to the Federal United States lost contact with the ground completely, as if someone had pulled their power plugs.

In the Joint Space Operations Center of The Pentagon, all screens turned blue in an instant, representing signal interruption.

The technicians responsible for monitoring satellite status discovered in horror that their proud global military satellite network, which cost trillions of dollars to build, had turned into a pile of expensive space junk floating in space in an instant.

They had completely lost contact with the "eyes" and "ears" in the sky.

Immediately afterward, even more terrifying things happened.

It wasn't just the satellites.

The Federal Army's global C4ISR command and communication network was also completely paralyzed for unknown reasons.

From the highest commander in The Pentagon to every soldier on the front line, the communication chain between them was completely severed by an invisible force.

They could only command the limited troops around them through tactical local area networks with extremely limited communication range.

And for those front-line officers and soldiers who were deep behind enemy lines, the situation was even worse.

They were surprised to find that the smartphones, tactical tablets, and even the smartwatches on their wrists in their pockets had turned into useless bricks at this moment.

All signals had disappeared.

They seemed to have been completely isolated from the Earth in the era of the entire information network in an instant.

This was just the first means by which white flower restrained the Federal United States.

A gentle, one could even say benevolent, means.

She did not directly destroy the Federal military forces.

She just temporarily took away their "cheat code".

She forcibly "downgraded" this battle, which was originally an information-based war of the 21st century, into a steel collision relying on flag signals and shouting to command during World War II.

And in this "fair" duel that was most primitive and tested the grassroots organization and fighting will, the Alliance army, high in morale and fighting to defend their homeland, began to show their true strength.

In various cities in California, countless people spontaneously organized and picked up weapons, cooperating with the Alliance's National Guard to launch a crazy counterattack against those Federal troops who had lost their air support and intelligence advantages.

Elon even personally drove a modified Nikola electric pickup truck to the edge of the battlefield to show off.

The scales of war began to gradually balance.

And in the underground of Tianqiong City, after Lei Wen finished listening to the front-line report from white flower, he thought for a while and said to her.

"I think the nuclear arsenal held by the Federal United States is still too dangerous. It is necessary to destroy their nuclear forces."

"I am temporarily powerless against some nuclear launch bases that are not connected to the command network and nuclear submarines that have already been deployed, but we can launch armed satellites specifically used to intercept long-range intercontinental missiles. This can ensure that the Federal United States' nuclear weapons cannot affect areas outside the North American continent."

"In that case... that will do."