Galaxy Domination Guide

Through humanity's public network, the people of Iridium Star had collected almost all the information they needed. More conveniently, the language of Iridium Star was almost identical to the language known as Chinese on this planet, except for some minor usage and idiomatic expressions, the rest were amazingly similar. The phonetic and usage similarities between Iridium Star Standard Language and Mandarin Chinese were even less than the differences between dialects from two places in China. The computing core on board United Empire warships possessed an extremely potent capability for handling massive amounts of big data, and AI systems were highly effective in managing information systematically. Thus, merely ten hours after deploying the Dragonfly drones, Xu Lanzhou and other fleet senior staff on the Sacred Falcon had essentially mastered the specifics of Earth.

"The same language and script, even similar allusions; it couldn't all be a coincidence," Nan Ma marveled, seemingly filled with interest in this journey.

The incident also alleviated some of the confusion felt by the fleet members about being suddenly lost in a parallel universe. Xu Lanzhou even became quite excited, her attractive eyebrows raised as she spoke in a tone trying to seem serious yet unable to hide her excitement, "The Chancellor must be guiding us."

Naturally, no committee member took the Fleet Commander's declaration seriously; only Nan Ma, who always seemed oblivious to his actual thoughts, chuckled along.

All the committee members of the fleet were seated in levitating chairs in front of the long conference table. These lightweight chairs had no legs and floated stably in the room, allowing users to pull them wherever they chose to sit and adjust the height by raising or lowering the chair. Iridium Star culture had a special preference for styles that were simplistic, straightforward, and functional. Especially in exploration fleets like this, the conference table was made of molecular composite materials and included various functional modules. The levitating chairs had no cushioning either; their material adjusted moderately based on the natural pressure of the body, ensuring they were neither too soft nor too hard. Naturally, within the constant temperature inside the vessel, all equipment was also at a suitable temperature for touch.

Du Peng, the Administrator, held an information board resembling a transparent glass (akin to a tablet computer) and, reviewing some of the data now in their possession, offered his opinion, "This civilization is still extremely limited, a planet rich in resources that hasn't been disturbed by alien civilizations, capable of developing a predominant intelligent species population of over seven billion, is something we have never seen. However, this also presents a challenge for us; our R19 exploration fleet has limited manpower, and although we have the capability to manufacture a large number of AI robots in a short period, the Empire has no historical experience assimilating a planet with a population of over seven billion into part of the Empire with such a small force."

Xu Lanzhou then said, "The nation referred to as China shares the same language and script with us. If we can absorb this force for our use, ruling this planet would become feasible."

As the Administrator, Du Peng had a considerable say in matters like these, so he continued to shake his head determinedly, "Even with the same language and script, we cannot be sure that we can make this ethnic group obey us."

Xu Lanzhou clenched her fist, her face filled with fervor, and said, "Then let's show them our power, make them submit to our might, and if not, we shall bring them destruction!"

The committee members present couldn't help but shake their heads. The Fleet Commander's talent and skill in military affairs might be rare among the armed forces, but when it came to politics and administrative strategies, she was significantly lacking. Everyone believed that destroying Earth would be a mere matter of flexing their muscles for the R19 fleet, but the people of Iridium Star, while warlike, were not needlessly belligerent. No committee member thought it appropriate to destroy a planet and kill millions of lives on a whim.

Of course, there was another, more fundamental reason: the members of the Fleet actually did not have much interest in colonizing this planet, at least not as passionately as Xu Lanzhou had shown. Perhaps, lost in a parallel universe, the members of the Fleet did indeed need a safe and stable home, but they did not think it had to be Earth. For them, the situation on Earth was far from ideal; it was a planet that had been overly exploited, with virtually all of its more habitable areas occupied by humans. Even for the people of Iridium Star, dealing with the native affairs would be a troublesome matter; they desired to settle down, but first, they would have to conduct a wave of militarized violent evictions, which, while not impossible, was bothersome. If possible, they would prefer to establish a home on a habitable planet that was a blank slate, rather than to go through the effort of tearing down and then building an Administrative Star.

Du Peng could understand the committee members' thoughts, and on behalf of almost everyone, he proposed his own plan, "Referring to the United Empire's past colonial experience, purchasing land from the natives, or reaching certain leasing agreements, are both viable options. Rash military operations, even against a civilization with limited scientific and technological power, are not appropriate. Moreover, there are numerous secrets on this planet that may have connections with Iridium Star and might even help us unravel the reasons behind our traversal. I suggest prudent action. Firstly, conducting a comprehensive investigation of Earth, moderate probing, as well as preliminary contact, are what we need to do right now."

The logically tight plan made all committee members nod in agreement, and Xu Lanzhou also concurred with Du Peng's opinion. Like the other members present and the entire Fleet, Xu Lanzhou too was confused and even fearful, but she could not show it as that would hurt her leadership and the morale stability of the Fleet. Thus, Xu Lanzhou had set her sights on one thing she hoped to carry through. The mission of the R19 Exploration Fleet was to explore new Star Regions and carry out small-scale colonization; therefore, Xu Lanzhou wanted to accomplish this and unite everyone with a command.

However, unlike most Fleets, the R19 Exploration Fleet was not composed exclusively of military personnel, not everyone valued military orders. Hence, the members of the Fleet did not wish to carry out the orders they had received before the traversal, much less blindly engage in military conflicts and killing because of those orders.

Everyone was a normal person, and no one used killing to calm themselves down.

Xu Lanzhou had also calmed some of her feelings and understood this. She was not a stubborn person and was willing to listen to correct opinions, so she asked, "Then, how do we proceed specifically?"

With an unwavering face, Du Peng, who was always steady, hence trusted by people, replied, "We need to send out more reconnaissance forces and gather more intelligence. If necessary, we can dispatch personnel to land for on-site investigations. According to our understanding, Earth's several major countries have already become aware of the presence of our main Fleet, which is unavoidable, as we do not have the capability to hide. So, before official contact, as you, Commander, have mentioned, it is necessary for us to demonstrate a bit of our power. As the Chancellor

teaches, 'The strong yet gentle have the most convincing power.' Intelligence shows that the United States of America is the foremost military power on Earth. We can slightly test them and show the hand of the United Empire."

This was an extremely clever fellow who not only steered the Fleet's policy in the direction he desired but also deliberately catered to the slightly militaristic tendencies of the young Fleet Commander. This would neither hinder the Fleet's actions nor affect the commander's perception of him, and might even increase his guard.

Sure enough, Xu Lanzhou decisively said, "An extremely pertinent suggestion. Order the Insight reconnaissance squadrons to double their efforts, and dispatch a Banshee Fighter to fly in a visible manner over the bustling areas of the United States of America for a deterrent patrol. If necessary, small-scale engagement is permitted. The intelligence obtained through reconnaissance is not intuitive. We need to assess just what level the Earth's foremost military power truly is."

No one opposed this command; the people of Iridium Star did not like senseless slaughter, but they had no qualms about showing off their military prowess. For the people of Iridium Star, displaying their strength was a routine matter.