Chapter 301: Luring Illumination
Prime Minister’s Mansion, Secret Chamber.
“Is Mai Er’s identity confirmed to be no problem?”
“No problem, Prime Minister. Among the intelligent lifeforms of our Hans Civilization, each individual bloodline has a unique genetic code. Mai Er is the real person, not an imposter.”
Mai Dao bowed with his head lowered, a strange expression flickering in his eyes.
And sitting opposite him was Prime Minister Mai Si, who after many days apart seemed to have even more wrinkles on his already aged face.
“What did he say?”
Mai Si’s hoarse voice slowly emerged, his facial expression somewhat grave.
“Mai Er supports cooperating with them.”
“Reasons!”
In the quiet Secret Chamber, Mai Dao slowly raised his bowed head and said softly: “If my guess is correct, they should be the Fox Civilization.”
“Impossible! They were exterminated by the Sirius Civilization in the civilization war 500 years ago!”
Hearing this news, Mai Si was so shocked that he forgot his own question, staring incredulously at the trusted nephew before him.
A helpless expression crossed Mai Dao’s face; he had thought it absurd too.
But during this meeting, all the signs shown by the other side pointed toward that long-extinct Fox Civilization.
“No, we should now call them the Fox Pirate Group. Prime Minister, we have clearly underestimated the resilience of intelligent civilizations in this universe.”
As his words fell, Mai Si opposite him did not respond immediately; his aged face furrowed deeply in thought.
“Fox Pirate Group—they only had one heritage Dreadnought Flagship and a few cruiser-level ships, didn’t they?
No, if I remember correctly, over a hundred years ago there was news that in one plunder, their few cruisers were also annihilated, and then they went silent again.”
Mai Si recalled the information in his mind, his gaze fixed tightly on Mai Dao before him, as if trying to read the slightest micro-expression on his face to judge something.
“Prime Minister, it’s clear we were all misled. This was all a ploy they threw out to confuse the Sirius Civilization.”
“Impossible. The only outward passage from the Centauri α Star Domain is through Sirius Prime Star. How did they accumulate the funds for a Titan-class Warship?”
His meaning was clear: during the previous interception battle, the way their fleet entered could only be achieved by a Titan’s strategic delivery.
But the star system conditions in this star domain were all known.
Where did they get the funds to gather all these war reserve materials?
Mai Si could not figure this out.
Regarding this question, Mai Er had not given a clear answer during the previous meeting.
But Mai Dao had pondered this on the way back; in his view, the only explanation was the heritage left by the former Fox Civilization.
After all, no matter how you look at it, in the context of that time, the Fox Civilization had already reached the level of a Third Level Civilization.
By the standard of a Third Level Civilization being able to independently build a Dreadnought Flagship, the Fox Civilization must have had vast resources to support their war against the Sirius Civilization.
And after the war, though they lost, it was inevitable they left some heritage behind.
The current Fox Pirate Group might have inherited the heritage left by the previous Fox Civilization, developing to this point.
But there was one point he also could not figure out.
In 500 years, how did the Fox Pirate Group stay hidden so deeply, with not a single bit of information leaking out?
It was truly unbelievable.
“Right, perhaps this is the real reason why these damn pirates in the universe can never be completely eradicated.”
Mai Si seemed to have figured it out, nodding in realization, cursing with his mouth but unable to hide the envy in his eyes.
That Pirate Group Boss, if not using hibernation to extend life, would have surely exceeded the average 300-year lifespan limit of a Third Level Civilization long ago.
Even in a Third Level Civilization, not every intelligent lifeform enjoys the privilege of drugs for the next stage’s lifespan extension beyond 300 years.
The cost of billions of Star Coins is no small expense even for a Third Level Civilization.
“If that’s the case, cooperating with them might be a good choice.”
A light gradually came into Mai Si’s eyes.
Compared to the Sirius Civilization, though the Fox Pirate Group lacked in strength, one thing particularly caught Mai Si’s attention.
That was the same forbearing nature they exhibited.
Judging solely on this, in his view, the Fox Pirate Group in this state might go further than the Sirius Civilization.
Essentially, his governing style leaned toward steady transition, not like the Sirius Civilization whose entire civilization development history was a history of war.
Though they no longer waged war on low-level civilizations like them in the rear, all forces here knew that once the Sirius Civilization accumulated enough strength, they would absolutely declare war on the Third Level Civilizations ahead at their level.
This was why the Sirius Civilization was called a Warring Civilization.
Compared to that, the emergence of the Fox Pirate Group suddenly gave him a choice without so much entanglement.
“Do you know anything about their military reserves, technological strength, or economic strength?”
Mai Si’s expression softened, asking in a flat tone.
Hearing this, Mai Dao shook his head: “In this meeting, apart from leaving a covert contact method, they provided no other useful information. The only valuable info is that Mai Er’s personal safety is now no issue.”
“Hmm, in that case, what do you think? Which side should we cooperate with?”
Hearing Mai Si’s blunt hint, Mai Dao was slightly stunned, then relaxed.
The matter of the Imperial Royal Family frantically collecting negative information on the Prime Minister was no longer a secret.
Moreover, Hans even used funds from his private treasury to bolster the Ministry of War’s armaments.
The actual control of the Ministry of War was still in Prime Minister Mai Si’s hands, yet Hans Ming showed no hesitation.
To say he had no ideas about the Prime Minister was absolutely impossible; their current relationship was like fire and water.
Mai Si was the same; though he appeared silent, his covert control over the Ministry of War showed no relaxation.
Everything awaited the completion of assembly for the final 20,000 Battleships; at that time, Hans Ming would absolutely not allow this situation to continue.
By then, it would surely be a bloody storm over the struggle for military power.
Even as Mai Si’s trusted nephew, he truly could not fathom what trump card His Majesty the Emperor had to ensure the army would obey his orders and declare war on Human Civilization.
However, now it seemed everything had become unimportant again.
“Prime Minister, my opinion is to cooperate with them.”
“Elaborate.”
Mai Si smiled and nodded slightly, as if testing him.
At this moment, he seemed like a kind elderly person at home.
But Mai Dao knew that if he truly believed that, he might be the next Mai Er.
Unbidden, Mai Er’s final response surfaced in his mind, and he felt an inexplicable sadness like a hare dying and a fox grieving.
“Whether it’s the Sirius Civilization or the Fox Pirate Group, the former is a true Third Level Civilization, while the latter was long exterminated but clearly preserved some strength.
The gap in technological strength levels cannot be bridged by tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Battleships—this you know better than I.
Compared to them, the role we play is actually of very low weight.
By my estimation, with the Fox Pirate Group’s current strength, they definitely have the absolute capability to swallow our civilization, but because of the Sirius Civilization’s existence.
Perhaps—no!
They would inevitably have to pay a greater price to have a chance to swallow our civilization.
And there’s one more point, the most crucial one!”
Watching this most outstanding nephew of the Mai Family analyze so logically, Mai Si’s smile deepened.
Mai Dao took a deep breath and continued: “The most crucial point is that due to their pirate nature, the Fox Pirate Group lacks the conditions to openly rule our civilization.
After taking our civilization, they would still need a proxy to rule it.
Though this seems similar to the Sirius Civilization, there’s an essential difference.
The Sirius Civilization has more choices, while the Fox Pirate Group has only us as a choice.”
In the dark chamber, applause rang out—clap clap clap—as Mai Si smiled, his face full of gratification, as if this trusted nephew had satisfied him completely in this instant.
“Very good, excellent. You haven’t wasted the cultivation I’ve given you these years.”
As his shoulders were lightly patted by a pair of aged hands, Mai Dao, still bowed, smiled on his face but felt no joy in his heart.
Accompanying a lord is like accompanying a tiger; though the Mai Si before him was not the lord, the power he controlled far surpassed that of King Hans Ming.
“Prime Minister, the Emperor’s side has been making quite a stir lately. Is there anything you need me to arrange?”
Mai Dao seamlessly changed the topic, his tone full of respect.
Mai Si smiled and shook his head, unconcerned about the recent sharp decline in his reputation within the Empire.
“Let him be. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the last moments of the Hans surname in this universe.”
With that, Mai Si waved his hand lightly and left the Secret Chamber; in this instant, his steps seemed suddenly lighter.
Galactic Calendar 9432.
Ross 154 Star System, Hidden Base.
In the dark starry sky, when the light from the red dwarf star at the system’s center shone on the neatly arrayed 10,000 Punishers, it reflected off their originally rust-colored hull paint, flashing a scarlet gleam.
In the distance, 100,000 Young Dragons were divided into two formations, also arrayed prominently.
Among them, nearly half of the Young Dragons had completed the electromagnetic railgun system modification; from now on, they would shed anti-air duties and serve as high-speed fire strike ships.
Not far on the other side of the starry sky was a patch of space that appeared transparent but visually distorted to the naked eye.
The Peregrine Falcon, equipped with the latest invisibility gear, could now achieve naked-eye detection range within 10 kilometers.
This was the most valued military application assembly by Fan Ren to date.
But no matter how much he invested in effort and resources, after all these years, he still hadn’t found a way to expand the invisibility range.
Space Technology, even with the System’s aid, was hard for him to grasp.
Even so, the frigate-level Spaceships now before his eyes could fully play an unbelievably effective role on the battlefield.
If not, in this operation plan, Fan Ren would not have intended to commit the Conqueror at all.
But now, with this absolute stealth guidance platform, the Conqueror could fully follow into the target star system for covert ambush.
This way, whether for any possible emergency retreat later or guarding against unexpected war equipment the Hans Civilization might deploy during combat, they would have a perfect backup.
It could be said that in the entire Galactic Alliance today, the doomsday weapon of a Titan Warship was the strongest destructive equipment, bar none.
In the Conqueror’s Command Room, Fan Ren sat silently still in the Nano Buffer Cabin.
Beside him was Liu Shengzhan, now returned to middle age.
Now, with Fan Ren sparing no expense to purchase lifespan-extension drugs, Liu Shengzhan’s lifespan had reached 300 years.
The cost was 1 billion Star Coins.
For this operation, Liu Shengzhan was responsible for overall battlefield central coordination; the rest remained unchanged.
Li Jian led Azure Phoenix Legion Teams 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to handle the Hans System Space City battlefield.
Team 6 Captain Li Dagang led 1,000 Punishers and 10,000 Young Dragons equipped with electromagnetic railguns to attack the Hans Civilization’s main elite fleet stationed at the Hans Star Gate.
The other four teams were assigned to corresponding attack zones.
If before cooperating with Mai Si, Fan Ren had some worries about operational failure or excessive battle damage even in victory.
But now, with Prime Minister Mai Si’s help, Fan Ren believed that with their absolutely superior tech equipment and technology, complete preparations, and the element of surprise.
They could absolutely catch the enemy off guard.
There was no reasoning in wars between civilizations.
He felt no guilt in his heart.
If not for learning the intelligence in advance, in a few years, this scene might have played out in Human Civilization’s Solar System.
At this moment, the fleet voice channel resounded with Legion Commander Li Jian’s passionate pre-battle mobilization.
Fan Ren watched the time, his heart uncharacteristically unable to calm amid Li Jian’s resounding voice.
Per the plan, in 5 minutes, a guidance signal would light up at Hans Civilization’s Gas Giant Planet 6.
And that would be the moment the entire fleet charged into battle.
“Boss, predetermined guidance signal detected. Frequency matches the agreed one.”
In a daze, A’dai’s voice sounded by Fan Ren’s ear.
Fan Ren’s voice instantly became utterly steady.
“Open space channel. Peregrine Falcon, enter!”
As his words fell, an orange-red glow unique to space technology lit up once more before the Conqueror’s massive hull.
Per the plan, after Mai Si’s prepared guidance signal lit up, the Conqueror would open the delivery channel.
Then, 100 Peregrine Falcons would enter first, and after confirming the target star system safe, they would activate guidance signals for several other battlefields on the predetermined channel.
And at that time, the Conqueror would directly deliver the fleets before it one by one to their respective battlefields.
