Chapter 71
A spaceship is approaching Earth?
The faces of the several leaders changed instantly, and they all crowded around.
“Chief…”
The top leader pondered for a moment and finally said with resolve, “Keep a close watch on this spaceship’s movements. There can be no mistakes.”
Xia Anran, on the side, also felt a chill down her back. Is this a precursor to the disaster? Are the gears of fate beginning to turn?
The top leader saw her expression and knew she was a little scared. “Alright, Little Xia, you go back and prepare for the livestream first,” he said, his voice returning to its kind tone. “The burden on your shoulders is also very heavy. Go back and rest. You don’t need to worry about things here. We old men can still handle it.”
The second-in-command also said, “The material transfers and technological exchanges all need you to prepare for them. Go back and rest.”
She also understood that she couldn’t be of much help here right now, so she could only leave first with Ren Yi.
The moment she left, the top leader’s expression immediately turned serious. “Call a meeting, now.”
…
In the car on the way back, Xia Anran was still worried, a sense of unease in her heart. Ren Yi turned his head to look at her and comforted her, “Don’t worry. The Chief and the others have been prepared for this for a long time.”
“This is a matter that could end the whole world. How can I not worry?” she said, leaning against the car window.
[Hmph, I told you to be nicer to me. Hurry up and save money to buy a spaceship, and I’ll take you out of the Milky Way!]
The system suddenly popped up to crack a joke.
Xia Anran: “…”
“Behave yourself!”
…
While the Hua nation was plunged into urgent action, the interstellar era was a scene of jubilation. For a rare change, the entire StarNet was not in a chaotic argument.
[La la la la, I’m so happy!!!]
[Hehehehe, I’m so happy just thinking about seeing the fruit cultivation tutorial tomorrow.]
[@AcademyofSciences, watch carefully and learn well!!!]
[If you still can’t grow it after this, you’re really a good-for-nothing.]
[And pay attention during the scientific and technological exchange with the Hua nation! Anran is so good to us, we have to give back to her!]
[So anxious, can’t wait!]
[Hasn’t anyone suggested that the officials should make the weekly materials list public?]
[Plus one! Strongly suggest!!]
[I suggest we let the citizens vote on what materials they want.]
[Hey, the United Star System really did make the materials list public?!]
[Good news: there’s a list. Bad news: we can’t vote.]
[…I went and looked. They’ve made public the materials to be exchanged with the Hua nation next week.]
[Honey, tea, silk… wait, what are all these good things? We’ve never even heard of them!]
Regarding this materials list, after the meeting, the three interstellar parties had nearly come to blows in the conference room.
“Honey! We need honey! There must be thirty kilograms of honey!” Jeqi was just short of slamming the table.
Phileas, lounging leisurely across from him, sneered. “Thirty kilograms? You really have the nerve. Host Anran can only mail a hundred kilograms of materials at a time, and you want a third of it?”
“It’s not just for us,” Jeqi said, a little defensively, but quickly became righteous again. “We can split it three ways. That’s… ten kilograms each!” He gritted his teeth. Damn it, he wanted all thirty kilograms! Who wanted to share with them!
“Ten kilograms at most!” Phileas declared. “We need to save the rest for fruit.” He had never tasted honey and didn’t know it was helpful to both Beastmen and humans. Hearing that it was related to animals, he had assumed it was only helpful to the Beastmen. It was fine to have a taste, but to ask for so much would be a huge loss for them. His little abacus was clattering away. Jeqi was not to be outdone and was just short of climbing over the table to beat him up.
After cursing at each other for a while, the two of them looked at the leaders of the United Star System in unison, signaling for the Consul General to state his position.
The high command of the United Star System was a little speechless, watching the two of them fight. Now, whether it was honey or fruit, although they weren’t common and everywhere, they were no longer considered extremely precious things to them.
“I believe there are more suitable things for us on this list,” the Consul General said slowly.
Then, Director Li Sheng went on stage to explain the function of the items on the list. Jeqi listened with great interest. Phileas’s veins were popping. He knew it! The United Star System must have been eating alone behind their backs! They must have gotten all these things! And this idiot Jeqi was still enjoying the show!
The United Star System didn’t intend to hide it. After all, things had already developed to this point. There was no point in being secretive. Most importantly, they now had the power to protect themselves.
The situation of the Beastman race was indeed a bit special. Many of the materials that were applicable to humans were useless to them. So, in the end, after a full day of negotiations, they finally reached a result that barely satisfied all three parties.
That afternoon, Xia Anran received the list from Ye Yuxing, which clearly marked what materials were needed and their corresponding weights. She replied with an “OK” sticker and forwarded the list to Minister Wen, who was in charge of this matter.
…
For dinner, Master Guo made hot pot, with a base he had stir-fried himself. He had also gone to the market early in the morning to buy fresh beef and lamb to slice. Back in the capital, he was like a fish in water. He knew better than anyone which market had the freshest and cheapest vegetables and would ride his bicycle out to shop every morning. His hot pot base was more fragrant than any restaurant’s. Paired with fluffy, golden egg fried rice, even the slightly melancholic Xia Anran ate three bowls.
After the meal, while they were digesting, Qi Yunhan also came to the villa. She and Ren Yi were in the courtyard, discussing matters related to psychic power.
After the Qilin had returned from the military region, it had been placed in the Academy of Sciences. According to her, after the Qilin’s firm protest, not many professors came to watch it anymore. But given its status as a divine beast, the necessary research was still ongoing. It was much better than before, when the moment it opened its eyes, it would be surrounded by a crowd asking all sorts of questions.
“With the Qilin’s help, my Horn Power should have reached B-class,” Qi Yunhan said. “A couple of days ago, a female soldier named Chu Yan went to the Academy of Sciences. In just a few days, her Horn Power has already reached A-class.”
Chu Yan? Xia Anran also thought of the girl who cultivated both psychic power and Horn Power, a steel rose in full bloom.
Currently, the number of people in the Hua nation who had awakened psychic power and Horn Power was still in the single digits. Each one was a treasure. They were all gathered together for training now, except for Ren Yi. His psychic power level was the highest of them all, already approaching S-class. The top leader had placed him by her side partly to protect her. After all, with his current strength, there was nothing on Earth that could threaten her.
“By the way, I just got the news. That spaceship from the Yaxun star has been circling above Earth for some time and seems to be about to land near Country A,” Chu Yan suddenly said.
“It’s circling above Earth, and other countries can’t detect it at all?” Xia Anran asked. Many countries on Earth now had very advanced space technology. Not to mention capturing its tracks, couldn’t they even find a single clue? Was the Yaxun star’s technological level really that far ahead of Earth’s?
Qi Yunhan nodded. “If it weren’t for the detector we bought from the app, probably no one on Earth would have discovered it.”
Xia Anran was dumbfounded. “So has it landed now?”
“Not yet. But from its current position, it’s above Country A. Don’t worry, everything is still under control,” she said with a smile.
…
At this moment, the leaders’ emergency meeting had not yet ended. News of the Yaxun spaceship was being continuously relayed. The Yaxun people had arrived above Earth two hours ago, had circled the planet once, and had finally stopped in the airspace above Country A. But so far, they had not landed.
According to the historical data provided by the United Star System, the Yaxun people should have some understanding of Earth, which was why they had chosen to cooperate with Country A. This secret visit was very likely the beginning of the invasion of Earth.
“Chief, the spaceship has landed,” the personnel in charge of monitoring the spaceship’s interstellar movements quickly pushed open the door and came in.
The top leader took a deep breath. “They’re finally here. Our alien neighbors.”
…
The Yaxun people were no strangers to Earth. They had discovered this habitable planet over a dozen years ago and would occasionally peek at it. But besides coming to Earth to investigate when they had first discovered it, they had not set foot on its soil in these dozen years. Although Earth’s environment was very suitable for human habitation, in their eyes, its energy was scarce, its technology was backward, and its social development was almost in a primitive state. So, they had defined Earth as a low-level planet with a good natural environment, a tasteless discovery that was a pity to discard.
And this visit was because they finally had a final arrangement for this low-level planet.
“Your Excellency, they have landed in the state of Pennsylvania and are currently approaching the capital.”
The high command of Country A was also in an emergency meeting at this moment. Kaelen sat in the center, his gaze fixed grimly on the computer in front of him.
“Your Excellency, what should we do next…”
“Since it’s come to this, we can only wait for their arrival,” Kaelen said, opening his phone and sending a message. Then he turned it off, his gaze tightly following the movement of a green light spot on the computer screen. This was the recorder that the Hua nation had just sent over, capable of monitoring the movements of these so-called aliens.
Half an hour later, the Yaxun people secretly arrived in the capital of Country A and went straight to the High Council. They had signal-blocking devices on them and were only discovered by the guards at the gate when they arrived.
“Please stop. Entry is prohibited ahead,” the heavily armed guards said, standing ramrod straight, their voices loud as they held out their arms to block them.
A total of three Yaxun people had come to Country A this time. Their appearance, clothing, and dress were no different from that of Earthlings. They even had the deeper-set features more common in the West, a common sight on the streets of Country A.
“We want to see your leader,” the middle-aged man in the lead said, completely unafraid of the guns in front of him. He took out a black box and stepped inside.
“Please stop! If you take another step forward, we will open fire!” The guards also took a few steps forward, and soon, another team of soldiers came out from behind and surrounded the three of them.
The three of them showed an impatient expression. One of the younger men cursed under his breath, “Earthlings are ignorant and rude. Why don’t we just…”
The man in the lead shook his head. “Let’s not have too intense a conflict for now.” They were not speaking an Earth language. The guards only heard them babbling a lot, but they couldn’t understand a single word.
“The head of state has given orders. If the situation is urgent, we can open fire,” the leader of the guards suddenly said in a low voice, raising his gun. “If they take one more step forward, open fire.”
The three Yaxun people would not back down. They didn’t take these soldiers seriously at all and gave up on communication, walking straight towards the door.
Bang—!
A gunshot broke the tense standoff. The many white doves resting in the square were startled and flew up, circling the fountain like a fountain of white snowflakes. The pedestrians on the street in front of the gate also scattered. A conflict between someone and the guards in front of the council building… according to the public’s experience, there might be a large-scale gunfight soon.
The guards opened fire, but in the end, it was the soldiers who had fired who were in a panic. They had fired, but the bullets had not hit the three people. A transparent shield seemed to have suddenly appeared a meter away from them, and the bullets had been bounced back. Fortunately, the bullets had not hit them. The guards’ eyes widened, and no one dared to open fire again.
The three of them did not attack them either, but were surrounded by the guards, as if being escorted, as they walked into the lobby of the council building.
Kaelen, having received the news, had already come to the lobby under the protection of his bodyguards. “Please stop,” he said in a deep voice. “Please show your identification. Do not come any closer.”
The three Yaxun people were calm and composed. Hearing his words, they actually stopped. The man in the lead pressed something on his earlobe, and when he spoke again, it was in the language of Country A. “Hello. We are from the Yaxun star system, tens of thousands of light-years away. In your Earthling words, we are aliens,” he said, performing a special salute. “My name is Qing Xu. I am the envoy representative sent by the Yaxun star this time.” Although his movements looked elegant and polite, his tone was full of arrogance and disdain.
“Mr. Kaelen, I believe we can have a detailed discussion about cooperation,” he continued.
Kaelen’s face showed a shocked expression. “What? Aliens?”
The guards and bodyguards also looked at each other, the guns in their hands slowly lowering.
Qing Xu looked at the incredulous and terrified Earthlings and also showed a satisfied expression. Yes, this is the expression. Low-level humans should show this expression when they see them.
Kaelen quickly had everyone leave. He stepped forward alone. “What proof do you have of your identity?”
“You had the guards leave without confirming our identity?” Qing Xu asked with great interest.
Kaelen’s face was impassive. “This shows that I already believe you eighty percent.” In fact, it’s one hundred percent. Your movements have been on my computer since you set foot on the soil of Country A.
Qing Xu nodded. “You are a smart man. It seems our choice was indeed correct.”
A few minutes later, the three of them and Kaelen were in a secret room. Kaelen and his confidant, the second-in-command of Country A, Edward, met with the Yaxun people together.
Kaelen and Edward both wore a small, round earpiece. Qing Xu glanced at them. They exchanged a look. Kaelen threw up his hands and said very frankly, “I’m sorry. This is a requirement of our laws for meetings. But given your special status, I can apply to have it turned off.”
“There’s no need,” Qing Xu said, crossing his arms and lifting his chin, pointing to the small black box on the table. “It has absolute protective capabilities, both physical and electromagnetic. With your current technological level on Earth, you can’t break through it at all.” He tilted his head. “If you don’t believe me, you can try to contact the people outside with this earpiece.”
Kaelen raised his hand and pressed the earpiece. Then he took a deep breath, and his expression darkened.
Qing Xu chuckled. Their reaction was as expected.
…
And far away, on the other side of the Earth, in a conference room in the Hua nation, there was a burst of laughter.
“This thing is really quite useful,” Xia Anran said, propping her chin on her hand and listening to the conversation between Kaelen and the Yaxun people coming from the communicator. She poked her phone.
[Of course! The technological level of that Yaxun star is just so-so in this system’s opinion.]
The earpieces that Kaelen and Edward were wearing were the communicators that did not rely on electromagnetic waves that they had previously purchased from the system. After learning that the Yaxun people were about to land in Country A, the top leader had decisively activated the portal, set up a child portal in the council building of Country A, and after a phone call, had gone directly to Country A through the portal.
Facing Kaelen’s shocked and incoherent expression, the top leader had told him everything about the Yaxun star. It was unclear if Kaelen had taken it in, but he should have been truly shocked by the portal, which looked so abnormal. He now suspected that the Hua nation had already colluded with aliens! Otherwise, how could something so… completely contrary to common sense appear, hey!
Of course, the top leader had no comment on this.
He shared the real-time location tracking of the Yaxun people with Kaelen. “Three hours ago, we detected their spaceship departing from the Yaxun star and heading towards Earth,” he said, pulling up an image of the Yaxun spaceship on the computer. “Their spaceship has been specially treated and is coated with an invisible paint. With Earth’s current conventional detection methods, it cannot be detected.” The Yaxun spaceship was a shuttle-shaped, silver-white thing, similar to an airship. Its speed was about five times that of the current spaceships on Earth.
“Now, we have sufficiently powerful scientific technology to detect the Yaxun invasion,” the top leader said meaningfully. “They have chosen to land in Country A. No matter what news they bring next, the Hua nation hopes that all the people of Earth can work together to get through this difficult time.”
Kaelen had now recovered from the technological shock. The Hua nation’s usual style of doing things was humble and low-key. For them to display so much high-precision technology in front of him this time was both a show of sincerity and a deterrent. They were telling him that their current strength had far surpassed that of these Yaxun aliens.
Kaelen couldn’t help but think, If it weren’t for the Hua nation and all this, with his usual methods, would he have considered cooperating with the Yaxun people to divide up the Earth?