77: Towards the Future

On the other side, after the communication with Faleim Civilization ended, Lei Wen felt all the strength in his body drained away in that instant.

He could no longer maintain the image of "the guide" who appeared steady, calm, and strategic in front of Earth's high-ranking officials and alien civilizations.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, his legs went soft, and he collapsed directly into the command chair, which was filled with a sense of futuristic technology.

Then, he performed an action that left Grey Wind, who was watching him on the screen, dumbfounded.

He slid right off the chair and sprawled out on the cold, smooth metal floor of the underground command room.

Then, like a maggot that had just hatched and gained its freedom, he twisted and turned on the floor, completely abandoning his image, twisting and turning...

A foolish, uncontrollable smile hung on his face.

It was a pure joy that came from releasing all the fear, anxiety, responsibility, and loneliness that had been suppressed in his heart for seven long years in a single instant.

It was over.

Everything was over.

That Sword of Damocles, which had hung over his head and the head of the entire Human Civilization for seven years, had finally disappeared completely.

He no longer needed to wake up every day to that cold countdown.

He no longer needed to rack his brains and tread on thin ice for an unknown future.

He no longer needed to carry this heavy secret alone, a burden capable of crushing anyone.

He had won.

He had won this war that hadn't even begun in the most dramatic and perfect way, a way he himself had never anticipated.

It was just like finishing a seven-year marathon; at the moment of crossing the finish line, he just wanted to completely empty himself, to think of nothing and do nothing.

Just lying there, like a carefree salted fish.

Squish, squish...

"Pfft..." An irrepressible chuckle came from the side, interrupting his salted fish time.

Lei Wen turned his head and saw Grey Wind on the screen, her hands cupping her chin, her azure blue eyes filled with unconcealed mockery and teasing.

"I say... if your long-eared subordinates saw you like this right now, would the image of the great, glorious, and correct 'the guide' in their hearts instantly collapse?"

As she spoke, she reached out a slender finger and poked the screen, as if poking Lei Wen's cheek from a distance.

"Like a slug just released from a salt jar, twisting and turning on the ground, and laughing so disgustingly, tsk tsk tsk..."

Mocked by Grey Wind like that, Lei Wen's old face couldn't help but turn red.

He quickly scrambled up from the floor, patted the dust off his body (even though it was spotless here), and resumed his "inscrutable" image.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, trying to regain the dignity he had just lost, "I was just stretching my muscles."

"Oh—" Grey Wind drew out the tone, her face clearly saying, "I believe you, my foot."

However, she didn't continue to dwell on this issue.

She looked at Lei Wen's face, which, despite his best efforts to conceal it, still couldn't hide his joy, tilted her head, and asked: "So, are all the troubles solved now? Can we go on vacation? Let me tell you, I just did a full scan of your planet's network, and there are so many fun games I haven't played yet! And there are so many anime that look super interesting, we..."

"No, Grey Wind." Lei Wen interrupted her chatterbox mode that was about to start up again.

His expression became serious again.

"The trouble has only just begun."

"Huh?" Grey Wind was stunned.

Lei Wen walked back to the giant holographic globe.

His fingers lightly traced over it.

Although the Earth Council had been established under the immense pressure of the "Faleim Declaration," and the prototype of a unified World Government had been formed.

But Lei Wen knew very well that this unity, forced together by a common external threat, was extremely fragile.

What if this external threat disappeared?

What if he announced to the whole world that Faleim Civilization was no longer an enemy, but our potential ally?

Lei Wen could almost imagine the consequences.

Those countries and political entities that had just reluctantly handed over their power would immediately reignite their own selfish agendas.

Geopolitical maneuvering, the rise of nationalism, the infighting to seize dominance in the space age...

All those base human traits that had been temporarily suppressed would instantly flare up again.

The Earth Council, established with such difficulty, would likely revert overnight into that United Nations that only knew how to hold meetings and bicker.

The entire Human Civilization would once again fall into the quagmire of internal friction.

A Human Civilization without a common threat is very difficult to truly unite.

This is a tragic reality written into human genes.

And Lei Wen would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

He had finally managed to steer this giant ship named "Human Civilization" back from its deviated course, letting it move in the right direction.

He absolutely could not let it run aground again because it lost external pressure.

"So..." Grey Wind looked at Lei Wen's face, which had become grave again, seemingly realizing something, "Are you planning to find them a new enemy?"

"No," Lei Wen shook his head, "not find a new one."

"It is to take the original one and continue to play it out in a different way."

He wanted Grey Wind to direct and act in an interstellar war that could be called "epic" for humanity.

"You mean..." Grey Wind's eyes lit up, a look of excitement on her face as if she feared the world wouldn't be chaotic enough, "Let me pretend to be those long-eared ones, and then have a grand, spectacular fight with you Earthlings?"

"That's right." Lei Wen nodded.

He began to explain to Grey Wind in detail his grand plan, which was filled with deception and lies.

"First," he pointed to the Kuiper Belt on the outskirts of the Solar System on the holographic Star Map, "in two days, you need to make your giant mothership appear there."

"Then, detach a fleet that is not large in scale but appears to have a very high level of technology, simulate the style of the Faleim People, and launch a probing attack on the Solar System."

"The target of this attack is not Earth, but our bases on Mars and the Moon, as well as the Babel Space Station."

"The intensity of the attack must be controlled just right—it must demonstrate the technological superiority of the Faleim People, letting the Earth Defense Force feel immense pressure, but it cannot actually cause a devastating blow; it must give them the illusion that 'if we try our best, we might still be able to fight'."

"Oh oh oh! I get it!" Grey Wind clapped her hands excitedly, "It's that kind of villain character that looks very powerful but is actually just a paper tiger, specifically used for the protagonist to grind experience and level up, right?"

"You can understand it that way." The corner of Lei Wen's mouth twitched.

"Then what, then what?"

"Then it will be a war that lasts for years, or even decades." A coldness appeared on Lei Wen's face that he didn't even notice.

"In this war, you need to play an enemy that is powerful and cold, but not completely invincible."

"You will occasionally launch fierce attacks, destroying a few of our insignificant warships, letting humanity feel the cruelty and losses of war."

"And occasionally, due to internal supply issues or strategic adjustments, you will temporarily retreat, leaving us room to breathe and develop."

"You need to be like the most skilled shepherd, using the whip in your hand to drive the flock of humans to keep running forward, not daring to have the slightest pause."

"And finally," Lei Wen took a deep breath and stated the core purpose of this plan, "at the end of this long war, we need a decisive, epic final battle."

"In that final battle, the Earth Defense Force of humanity, after paying an extremely heavy price, will achieve a pyrrhic victory in an extremely tragic and heroic way, successfully repelling your invading fleet."

"We want all Earthlings to believe that we won this war of civilization defense by relying on our own courage, wisdom, and unity."

"We want all humanity, in this baptism of common blood and fire, to completely melt away all narrow-minded national and ethnic concepts, and build a truly unified civilization with 'Earthling' as the sole identity."

"And that threat from Faleim Civilization," a flash of cunning crossed Lei Wen's eyes, "will not disappear because of this victory; it will be like a sword forever hanging over our heads, constantly reminding us that we cannot have the slightest slacking, and must constantly move forward and become stronger."

This plan was so grand, so interlocking, and filled with deep insight into human nature and historical laws.

It would exchange a false war for the true unity and rebirth of a civilization.

This might be deception.

But it was also the deepest and most helpless love that "the guide" could offer to protect his children.

Just as Lei Wen was planning the "script" for the next few decades for the entire Human Civilization, the voice of "white flower" sounded in his mind at the right time, bringing good news from the real world.

"Father, the first batch of finished products from the blood orchid pharmaceutical project has completed the final phase III clinical trials and is ready for large-scale mass production and sales at any time."

This news made Lei Wen's mood improve again.

"How were the test results?" he asked.

"Perfect." "white flower" replied, "The 【Holy Healing】 series gel, with the SO-G1 gene as its core, showed 100% effectiveness in clinical trials. For all physical trauma—from ordinary knife wounds and burns to severe severed limbs, it can achieve perfect, scar-free healing within 24 hours."

"The 【fountain of youth】 series oral liquid, with the SO-M2 protein as its core, can effectively slow down the human body's cellular aging rate by 5 to 7 times with long-term use, and can significantly improve the body's various basic qualities. Currently, no side effects have been found."

"And the improved SO-N3 neural enhancer 【Enlightenment】, when used with our dedicated inhibitor, can allow the user to enter an overclocked state with a 300% increase in thinking speed within 12 hours while ensuring absolute safety. This will have a revolutionary impact on all fields requiring high-intensity mental labor, such as scientific research, military, and education."

"Very good." Lei Wen nodded, "According to our previous plan, start supplying the primary raw materials to major cooperative pharmaceutical companies globally, and supervise them to release them to the market at the lowest possible price."

"Yes, Father." "white flower" replied, "Additionally, as you instructed, I have reserved a few vials of 100% pure original medicine for you personally, without any dilution."

"Their effects might far exceed your imagination."