Chapter 676
Chapter 676 - 656: The Best News
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8 min read
"Are they all dead?"
"Yes, the frontline reconnaissance team’s camp was burned to the ground, we found traces of battle around it, and simple fire tongue gun casings. We dug out the bodies with hunting dogs, and judging from the evidence... they were Aus people."
Aus Independent State, a super large island country, but ideologically, it clearly leans towards the Western continent’s immigrant countries... or colonial countries that have killed off all the indigenous people.
Five minutes later, Colonel Qian Guozhong, the frontline commander, looked at the still burning sentry camp and the already dismembered bodies, his face ashen.
"Could it be another race, like the Grey Edge Tribe in disguise?"
"Impossible, money, watches and valuable things were thoroughly searched, even the bank cards in the soles of their shoes were not spared. Do aliens know what’s valuable?"
"Who started it?"
"It shouldn’t be us, it’s not our style. Rather, it’s more like them......"
The responding soldier also had an ugly expression on his face, but he hesitated for a moment, as some things were still too early to say and only speculation without evidence.
He hesitated for a moment, but made up his mind and turned to leave.
After a while, when he came back, his face looked even worse.
"...It’s confirmed now, our men encountered their reconnaissance team, and we took the initiative to show up and express friendliness. Then they shot us from behind..."
"How did you confirm that?"
"The deputy commander of the third battalion is a hidden Corpse Controlling Practitioner."
Corpse-control Path, once a taboo path, is also one of the Nirvana Plan’s unlocked taboo forces.
Its abilities are weird and strong, and "making the dead speak" is just the simplest one.
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"We can’t use that as evidence."
"Besides, is this important?"
Important? Of course not.
Evidence can be fabricated, reasons can be invented, in this lawless otherworldly place, only those that are alive have the right to find excuses.
Even ironclad evidence can be rendered meaningless under media supremacy, and in the end, the result is just everyone saying their own thing.
Moreover, the stuff brought out through the Corpse-control Path is not only unofficial evidence, but also can be fabricated, inherently lacking persuasiveness... But this is enough for the people on one’s side to know the truth.
Major Qian adjusted his military cap, straightened his epaulets and uniform, and issued a command.
"Find them, and kill them all."
"Have you heard? Our army got into it with the Aus people."
"...Here? Are they crazy?"
"It was the Aus people who started it... there was a frontline reconnaissance team, all six of them died."
"What for? That’s too crazy, at this time, the Aus people..."
"I heard it’s because of the mines, there seems to be some kind of mine here..."
What kind of mine? I don’t know.
Since the opening of Exotic Realm exploration, international precious metal prices have been changing daily, and more rare metals have begun to enter their original industrial and research domains.
"...Well, now that you mention it, I feel like it’s normal again, it’s indeed their style."
Earth has never been a unified whole, and instead, various nations and ethnic groups have a long history of animosity and divisions between them.
The UT (United Negotiation Organization) consists of seven permanent member states, which are also the regional and continental powers. The establishment of this negotiation mechanism is only to maintain communication and restraint on the surface—at least, to provide a venue for arguments when disputes break out behind the scenes.
Before the Eastern Country’s Nirvana Plan fully opened Exotic Realm exploration, there were UT-led joint development plans. However, during crucial moments in voting on these initiatives, there was always a permanent member state that would oppose or interfere with the process.
Why? The reasons are clear to everyone.
Large nations with the ability to do so have been secretly conducting Exotic Realm exploration and colonizing territories. This is not their first time throughout history.
Take, for example, the heinous crimes committed by the so-called "Red Sand Thief" from the Huaqi Federation in the Silent Mountain Range World. No one would believe that this is an isolated case.
These countries do not oppose Exotic Realm exploration; they simply resist sharing opportunities with other competitors or being constrained by a mechanism.
In UT’s Exotic Realm development plan, there is a clear emphasis on prioritizing peaceful exchanges, respecting the basic rights of other races, and preventing indiscriminate slaughter or looting. These are universal moral bottom lines for Earth, but they may seem "noble" compared to certain nations’ actions in reality.
As for the higher-level idea within the plan of "sending observers from various countries and implementing independent investigation and news supervision mechanisms to maintain humanity’s external image during Exotic Realm exploration" — this is something they cannot tolerate. "Doesn’t it mean that the whole world would know what we’re doing?!"
This doesn’t mean they are beyond redemption, ready to assault, kill, and rob. The majority of intelligent beings still seek peace and development. These countries just wish to have the "right to kill or rob when necessary" and to obtain "unregulated, unsupervised, unrestricted freedom."
This is strongly opposed by the Eastern Continent. Even a cursory review of history reveals what they can do when there are no constraints and massive benefits. The Eastern Country and its allies do not want humanity to become a notorious alien pirate or human trafficker race.
As a matter of fact, even among Earth’s human population, "civil wars" are no longer unusual.
"Is it the Aus people again? Sometimes, these mad dogs out there are worse than the Huaqi."
The Aus Independent State has learned its ways from the Tu Siya Empire (now the Federation), and in some sense, it has inherited a similar tradition to the Huaqi Federation’s treatment of indigenous populations. Although it is an independent state on paper, after leaving the current Tu Siya system, it has aligned itself with the Huaqi Federation.
Even in the Tu Siya Federation itself, it follows the Huaqi Federation’s lead, and its voting rights as one of the seven permanent member states are often jokingly referred to as Huaqi’s "second vote."
After all, they haven’t held different positions for at least a decade. The Aus Independent State, similarly without core voting power, is the Huaqi Federation’s most "loyal" "vassal" with a completely indistinguishable style. Especially in recent years, certain cases have exposed its surpassing of Huaqi’s already low moral standards and disregard for human rights.
In a sense, the Eastern Country’s Nirvana Plan, which is accompanied by other supportive or hostile countries, is a result of being pressured by these countries. The UT-initiated global development plan was doomed from the start, as both sides’ development philosophies fundamentally differ.
The Eastern Country’s Nirvana Plan is, ultimately, a model of clustered development aiming for mutual benefit. It’s difficult to say whether the actions of the Western superpowers ideally serve the entire country or merely certain factions or individuals.
Short-term, even shorter-term, or direct robbery—these are not just things they can do, but things they have done.
From the very beginning, their "expeditions abroad" lacked the Eastern Country’s "application" and "approval" mechanisms and were instead based on a "private enterprise" system that operated at a profit or loss.
"This means whatever they want to do is completely legal. Domestic laws won’t affect the Foreign Domain, and as far as international law goes, they won’t acknowledge it anyway," said one speaker.
This still doesn’t mean they have completely disregarded limits. Their supervisory system is highly "liberal," and large Exotic Realm explorations are mainly carried out by super companies, churches, independent states, small and medium-sized forces, village alliances, and militia organizations with diverse, "liberal" sources of troops.
The major powers might have more restrained conduct such as conducting dumping, creating colonies, or establishing plantation systems to sustain long-term exploitation. However, with no constraints or reporting requirements for those small and medium teams of mercenaries thrown into these situations, they are capable of doing anything.
As such, it’s highly likely that they have displayed their flexible moral limits in this new world as usual.
"Are we sure that we are in conflict with the Aus people?"
"A numbered regiment and two mercenary groups have already started fighting on the frontline."
For the ancient city’s official camp, this is undoubtedly bad news.
Now, they probably can’t rely on military assistance.
When abroad, only power can protect oneself...
"What is our enemy’s strength? Are they regular troops..."
"It’s hard to say, and frankly, the lines between their regular troops and civilian forces are often blurred. Uh, recent news suggests their regular troops actually display even fewer limits than the mercenaries."
"Damn it, encountering those people is really ’good news,’ isn’t it!"
The worst news spread throughout the camp, and some have already made plans to leave. Based on recent information, sometimes encountering one’s own kind in outer space is more dangerous than encountering ferocious aliens.
"The storms are shaking us..." Finally, the news reached Lu Ping’an’s side, along with cries for help.
— End of Chapter 676 —