Chapter 313: The Lonely One Who Remains Clear-Headed

“For now, that seems to be the case.” Taking over the president’s words, that government official spoke with a face full of bitterness. “The masses are always ignorant. In normal times, they’re usually just a loose pile of sand, unable to pose any threat to us. But this time is different. They’ve already been effectively unified and are being manipulated in someone’s hand. So, we have no power to resist Trolor, whether it’s real or not.”

“Discussing this question is meaningless.” Another government official stood up and said, “Even if Trolor didn’t use this method and instead seized our homeland directly by force, we still wouldn’t have the power to resist. That’s why I suspect that this Trolor’s true objective might be us. We know nothing about the real situation of the universe. Is it possible that intelligent life is very valuable in the cosmos, and that by occupying us through violence, it would lead to massive population loss? So it used this method to occupy our planet without shedding a drop of blood?”

“That is very likely.” The president nodded slightly. “Then, what should we do?”

“Still, unconditional obedience.” That official said helplessly, “No matter how powerful it is, when facing a population as large as ten billion, it will inevitably need native beings to serve as its administrative assistants, and no one is more suitable for that role than us. So, trust it without reservation and obey it. Even if its aim is to sell all our people into the universe, at least, it won’t choose to sell us. Our interests can still be preserved.”

“We can still live lives of luxury that ordinary people could never even dream of. Over our people, we will still have the power to take whatever we wish. The price we must pay is that, when this being calling itself Trolor wants to slaughter our people, not only can we not stop it, but we must even actively provide it with the butcher’s knife…”

The president’s hand began to tremble slightly.

“At least, for now, it appears to be benevolent, doesn’t it? This worst outcome might not necessarily happen.” The president tried with great effort to keep his voice from shaking as he spoke.

“No, it isn’t benevolent. Or rather, even if it is benevolent, it still harbors intentions toward us, and not as it claims, that it descended in person to save our people.” That official spoke, “Looking at it as a whole, every step of its actions seems to have been meticulously planned. With its level of technology, if it didn’t want us to discover it, how could we possibly have detected it? Since we did discover its fleet, there’s only one explanation: it deliberately let us discover it.”

“Yes, it must have let us discover it on purpose.” Another official continued, “That’s one aspect. And the other aspect is that asteroid that suddenly changed its trajectory and came crashing toward our planet. The astronomers’ data shows that the asteroid’s albedo reached the level of a mirror, do you understand what that means? It means it was essentially impossible for it to be a natural object. You have to know, even an ice mass made entirely of pure water wouldn’t have such a high albedo. Then its behavior is easy to explain. Through these two incidents, it made our people panic and threw society into turmoil. Then it descended suddenly in the name of a true god, giving hope to the despairing masses. This way, it swiftly gathered the people’s hearts. And by fighting this so-called demon, it demonstrated its supposed benevolence and overwhelming power, making our people submit to it from the bottom of their hearts without even realizing it.”

“After that, everything becomes simple. In the name of the final judgment, it will kill all those who remain clear-headed and refuse to submit. Everyone else will become its playthings. Whether it wants these people to die or to become slaves, there will be no resistance at all.” Yet another official summarized coldly.

“We… we…” The president’s lips quivered, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

“Either choose to be traitors to our own kind, and we can still keep our current wealth and glory, or choose to be lonely clear-headed ones and be killed by it under the pretext of the final judgment. Two choices, pick one.”

“Actually, sometimes, I really envy those ignorant masses. They can’t figure all this out, so they don’t have to endure such agony when making choices, and when they do wrong, they don’t have to bear the torment in their hearts.” The president spoke slowly, as if in that moment, he had aged several decades. “I can’t be considered a good man. Over all these years, to maintain my position, I’ve done many wrong things, killed many who shouldn’t have been killed. Although before killing them I always wrapped it up in layers of legal and moral disguises, I still knew that underneath that disguise, it was filth all the same. But… but I never thought of betraying the interests of our entire species in exchange for my own personal wealth and glory. I don’t know what to do. Let me think. Let me think…”

The president lowered his head in pain.

“Sigh.” A few of the officials who held the highest power on this planet exchanged glances and each let out a sigh. In each other’s eyes, they all saw profound exhaustion.

No one had seen what was happening here, but Xiao Yu knew. The invisible unmanned probes belonging to Xiao Yu had long since spread across the entire planet. Coupled with the omnipresent surveillance systems on this world, Xiao Yu could learn about any event happening here at any time.

Xiao Yu had clearly heard their conversation, but made no response. He only felt some emotion in his heart. “In any civilization, there will always be countless outstanding individuals. To reach their positions, whether they are good or bad, is ultimately proof of their abilities. These people are all brilliant scientists of psychosocial disciplines. If I were to modify them, their future accomplishments might not fall below Luka Two.”

“But in the end, toward them… I suppose I am still malicious. They were originally a freely developing species, but after my intervention, they have become slaves under my command, their life and death at my disposal, stripped of the freedom to explore the stars, and left with nothing but to contribute to my technological progress…”

“Let them choose for themselves.” Xiao Yu finally made his decision. “Let them decide whether to submit to me or to be lonely clear-headed ones. As an outsider who has taken all your wealth, I grant you this freedom. However… if you are clear-headed yourselves, but try to awaken other intelligent beings, then for my own interests, I will have no choice but to strike ruthlessly and kill you.”

After making this decision, Xiao Yu suddenly felt a little more at ease. Then, he turned his gaze to the Level 4 Alien Beast still locked in combat with his fleet not far away.

“That’s enough.” For no reason, Xiao Yu felt a surge of disgust. “Once I have stabilized everything, the first thing I will do is produce a Negative Matter Cannon with power on the level of a Stellar Cannon. I must kill you.”

The time for acting had ended. Xiao Yu had already given the people of this planet enough of a sense of belonging. Xiao Yu believed that with this incident as the foundation, he could soon make them willingly submit to him.

“Then, get away from me.” Xiao Yu issued a new order.

The firepower of hundreds of thousands of ships surged again. Countless projectile weapons and beam weapons rained down, blasting innumerable eruptions of blood across the Level 4 Alien Beast’s body.

Its tentacles, like severed strands of hair, drifted and fell under the planet’s gravity. The sight held a peculiar kind of beauty.

The Level 4 Alien Beast roared loudly and struggled desperately, its thick tentacles and massive tail thrashing wildly in all directions. But at most, it only managed to destroy some Town-Class small ships. It couldn’t even touch a single large vessel.

In overall strength, Xiao Yu was still superior to it. When facing a large-scale coordinated offensive, it had no advantage. And Xiao Yu had always fought with overwhelming force.

“Awoo!” After a miserable cry, the Level 4 Alien Beast finally chose to flee. As it retreated, it also transmitted a message. “I will kill you. I swear it!”

“It’s finally over.” Xiao Yu sighed. As for that message dripping with hatred, he chose to ignore it.

At the same time, this news, together with the impassioned voices of the reporters aboard the Qingdao, spread to every corner of the planet.

“The true god has defeated the demon! The demon has fled!”

“The true god has triumphed! Trolor is invincible!”

“We have won! Under the protection of the true god, our homeland no longer needs to fear destruction!”

At this moment, across the planet, countless intelligent beings embraced each other in excitement, shouting and laughing, venting their elation in every possible way. Many more intelligent beings knelt on the ground, prostrating themselves in worship toward the unseen Xiao Yu.

Countless bars offered free drinks, countless restaurants chose to provide free meals. Everyone was celebrating in rapture.

Every city was flooded with cheers. This planet had become, in the truest sense, a world of joy.

Amid this boundless wave of jubilation, in the most prosperous city, at the center of its tallest building, the aging president silently watched the live broadcast on the television. There was no expression on his face, no way to know what he was thinking.

There was no one else in the room.

He suddenly let out a soft sigh, picked up a pen, and swiftly wrote a few lines. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he took a sharp dagger and pierced his own circulatory organ.

He died.

“I am clear-headed, but I have no right to force others to be clear-headed too. Let them keep on enjoying life in their slumber.”