The Iridium Star Chancellor exposed to the world the unsettling truth that humans were being manipulated by Brain Worms, and further revealed the creator of the Brain Worms: the Cannibalistic Civilization of the Teizene Empire from the Box Star Territory had obtained the coordinates of Earth and was dispatching a mighty army towards it, putting Earth at risk of annihilation.
This wasn't just a case of a stone stirring up a thousand ripples—Bai Zhongqi's declaration was like dropping a nuclear bomb into a volcanic crater, sending shockwaves trembling through the entire planet.
The "Extermination Operation" initiated by the Star Alliance caused even more significant shocks. Governments in over forty nations had coup d'états or were destabilized, with the disturbances in the western nations led by the Lighthouse Country being among the most severe. Two hours after Bai Zhongqi's announcement, Camason made a televised address from the White House, claiming that the Lighthouse Country would restore order from chaos, encouraging the people to rise up and reclaim their rights from the Brain Worms.
The Brain Worm identification program developed by Iridium Star was now available for free download across the globe. In fact, Bai Zhongqi had even expanded the coverage of the Sky Net to the entire planet, offering the extermination software for free and, in the process, essentially squeezing out all of the global communication service providers.
The misfortune that befell global telecommunication companies seemed like a significant event, but amidst the chaos that had engulfed the world, it didn't seem to matter that much anymore.
Camason declared a state of martial law across the Lighthouse Country, undertaking a thorough purging of the Brain Worms and prosecuting and dealing with the "accomplices" who had exploited and oppressed humankind under the influence of the Brain Worms. Many Western countries followed suit, with the political forces supported and nurtured by the Star Alliance beginning a fierce crackdown on the Brain Worm factions.
There was an indescribable fear of these brain-eating parasites in everyone, and coupled with some zeal for defending their nation and Earth, the slaughter and cleansing of the Brain Worms was both widespread and intense.
Soon after, the Star Alliance Council issued another crucial notification—the Star Alliance would invite representatives from all countries and regions worldwide to convene at a summit in Zhubei City on Spratly Island. The theme of the summit was the further expansion of the Star Alliance as well as a global defense and anti-invasion strategy.
Zhubei City, originally just a small reef in the Spratly Islands, became a sci-fi city, as its name suggests, after its development. The city's architecture, mostly in shades of cyan, emerald green, and azure, matched the crystal-clear, jade-colored sea, giving Zhubei City aesthetic superiority over even the special district capital Tai Ping City.
Bai Zhongqi had designed many tourist and vacation facilities here, initially planning to turn this place into a new model of tropical tourist destination. Now, despite having only a few hundred residents, it had already become an international conference center.
Representatives from around the world looked upon this entirely Iridium Star-ized city with curiosity. The convenient and advanced civilian technology from Iridium Star that was widely used here made this Earth city entirely different from any other modern city ever built. The perfectly placed holograms, handy service facilities and artificial intelligence, streets free of any vehicles and instead the sight of floating cars on invisible magnetic rails in mid-air—the city of Zhubei could be seen as the future of many Earth cities.
However, to ensure such a future would come to pass, people had to fight for it.
From within a skyscraper soaring over three hundred meters, Xu Lanzhou looked out through the glass windows at the scene outside, where representatives from various countries in varying attire swarmed in, reminding Xu Lanzhou of the feeling from the First Universe, when citizens from different races under Iridium Star and allied nations gathered together.
Du Peng stood not far from Xu Lanzhou, adjusting his attire in front of an electronic mirror. He spoke, "Although I personally do not agree with the idea of waging war against Teizene, I have to admit, His Majesty's tactics definitely reach the level of a first-rate politician. He's made the Brain Worms and Teizene into targets, even using the Brain Worms as Teizene's pawns for the invasion of Earth, and in one fell swoop, he has brought down political systems around the world, whether they were involved with the Brain Worms or not, rallying a group of people with a fondness for Iridium Star or idealists with impractical dreams of world unity. Regardless, if we follow His Majesty's blueprint, the Star Alliance will from now on harness the power of almost all nations on Earth, becoming the true government of this planet."
Xu Lanzhou turned around, her expression one of natural assumption, and said, "His Majesty of course is incisive and far-sighted. He possesses extraordinary wisdom that the rest of us do not have, which is why he has been able to lead Iridium Star to continue growing until today."
A subtle smile crossed Du Peng's face, but he said nothing. The refined Imperial Prime Minister thought to himself: "To say His Majesty knows everything is clearly impossible. Sometimes, he seems just like an ordinary person, capable of making mistakes and experiencing mood swings, and sometimes he seems less like a scheming politician and more like an idealistic, ambitious young man. Yet, an ordinary young man could not achieve what he has done; merely turning the tide as he pleases and manipulating global affairs to develop in the most favorable direction for the Star Alliance is evidence of his capabilities."
At this moment, Xu Lanzhou said, "His Majesty has instructed me to work on the expansion of the Star Alliance recruitment. Assuming we set a construction goal of six hundred starships in two years, we'll need at least six hundred thousand qualified Universe Warship officers and sailors, and one million personnel within the Universe Army for various coordination, logistics, and other related tasks. This is just one batch—in order to face even greater challenges, we'll need at least three batches of soldier recruitment. His Majesty's intention is to completely dissolve the current military structures of nations on Earth and unify them into the Star Alliance Universe Army and the Earth Defense Forces Command, optimizing the force structure and improving efficiency on a planetary scale."
With a sigh, Du Peng said, "This is no easy task. Though the Extermination Operation has severely damaged the political structures of many countries on Earth and helped us nurture a set of pro-Star Alliance political forces, to actually accomplish this step remains extraordinarily difficult."
Xu Lanzhou's pretty face turned frosty, breathtakingly beautiful as she said resolutely, "At this time, the Star Alliance cannot afford to compromise with these people. If they disagree, the Alliance must strike at them until someone willing to cooperate emerges."
Du Peng shook his head, knowing that there was little he could do with this general who was always prone to violence. He said, "Therefore, His Majesty's instructions to me were to combine kindness with severity, using both approaches. While highlighting the dangers the Earth is facing, we must also show the nations the future of the Star Alliance—a peaceful, prosperous era where people truly realize their life's worth and freedom."
Xu Lanzhou said, "That's something you, Prime Minister, need to explain to those Earthlings, while all I need to do is keep the blade held high."