From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 780 So I chose not to slay the dragon

"We have to unload this batch of supplies within 5 minutes! Hurry!"

Om's voice echoed over the makeshift refugee distribution point. A team of soldiers wearing white combat exoskeletons with the Atlas logo, assisted by "worker bees", quickly unloaded boxes of medical supplies and food from the transport vehicles.

This was the third refugee point they took over today. The situations in the previous two places were not optimistic. Most of the civilians driven out of the underground shelters were concentrated here. Once the number of people increased, the consumption rate of drinking water, food and medicine increased exponentially. Even the problem of going to the toilet for these thousands of people took a lot of effort to solve.

The management of large and complex personnel, especially group activities, has never been a worry-free project. Even with a lot of contingency plans in place, it is very easy for things to go wrong.

Atlas Group has suffered a lot in this regard, but these lessons will be quickly absorbed and updated into the plan.
And compared to the area controlled by the Renaissance Alliance that Om and his team passed by before, this place is already a paradise.

After all, under Atlas' supervision, these civilians don't have to worry about becoming the target of the 'victors' anger in the next second.

"Captain, there's another situation." A soldier's slightly angry voice came from the communication channel, "The people from the Renaissance Alliance are driving away the refugees again in the C7 grid in the western area, saying that they want to requisition that area for military purposes."

Om's ram head turned around, and a trace of anger flashed in his animal eyes. He took a deep breath and patted the adjutant beside him: "Leave the rest of the work to Barrett. You take the guard platoon and follow me to the West District."

"Yes, sir!"

Along the way, Om kept seeing similar reports from other forces in other regions on the comprehensive information exchange channel - a unit under the Renaissance Alliance broke into a medical station to drive out the wounded, and another unit injured rebellious residents while searching civilian homes.

Even worse, some even executed civilians accused of being "federal agents" on the streets without even bothering to fabricate evidence.
"This is the 17th conflict today," Orm's adjutant, a minotaur, whispered, "We don't have enough manpower even within the mission area assigned to us, let alone supporting other brother troops."

Om thought for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said: "Even if we are short of manpower, we must do our best. We are all Roma. Ask yourself from the bottom of your heart, can you sit back and do nothing about these things?"

After hearing what Om said, the Minotaur lieutenant's eyes suddenly became more determined.

When Om and his adjutant arrived at the West District with their guard platoon in an armored infantry fighting vehicle, the situation had escalated into a standoff.

A team of Renaissance Alliance soldiers were driving away dozens of refugees with their weapons raised, while the Atlas team in charge of this area had already protected the refugees behind them, and the two sides were on the verge of a fight.

"These people need to leave! This area has been requisitioned!" A lieutenant from the Renaissance Alliance said loudly and unceremoniously, "Even if you are from the Atlas Group, don't interfere in our business!"

Om jumped out of the car and walked towards the center of the confrontation. "According to the agreement we signed with the General Command of the Renaissance Alliance, this area has been designated as a refugee resettlement site. Requisition requires 48 hours' notice and the provision of alternative sites."

"What agreement? I didn't receive any notification!" the lieutenant roared.

"That's not our problem," Om's voice was calm and firm. "Please stop the eviction immediately, or we will report this violation to your superiors."

The lieutenant narrowed his eyes and rubbed his finger on the trigger: "Who do you think you are? The Federation just fell, and you, the Atlas Group, want to be the new master?!"

The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense, and soldiers on both sides readied their weapons for firing.

Om could see the frenzy dancing in the other's eyes - a look he had seen too much recently and was too familiar with.

That is the unique demeanor of people who have finally gained power after experiencing long-term oppression. They can't wait to make their former oppressors suffer, even if the targets are innocent civilians.

"I'm warning you one last time that Atlas Group has zero tolerance for violations of this agreement."

Om deliberately amplified the sound and signaled his deputy to record the whole process. This was also what Amber often emphasized when she inspected or reviewed the troops before: "Keep records and traces of what you do."

"As long as we are not in the wrong, we will record the entire process of the conflict. If the negotiation escalates to the group level, we will have evidence~" Amber's words seemed to float past Om's ears again.

Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, a heavy engine sound attracted everyone's attention. Three heavy armored vehicles slowly drove over, with the logo of the Renaissance Alliance painted on their bodies.

When the lieutenant saw the man leaning out of the commander's seat, his face changed and he immediately saluted: "Colonel Dax!"

The officer who got off the armored vehicle looked around with a gloomy face: "I received a report that there was a conflict here, it seems to be true."

Then he turned to the lieutenant and looked him up and down.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The lieutenant straightened his back and said, "Sir, I am following orders to clear this area and prepare to set up a temporary command post."

"Whose orders?" The colonel's voice was emotionless.

The lieutenant was speechless: "Yes, it was the battalion commander who said that you gave the order."

The colonel's eyes swept across like a knife: "I have never issued such an order."

"Ah this."

Without waiting for the lieutenant to reply, Colonel Dax looked at Orm and the identification tag on his chest armor plate. "Major Orm, I'm sorry to have such an unpleasant incident with you. It seems that someone acted on his own."

Om nodded. He knew that this was just the other party's superficial words, but at least it showed their attitude - the top leaders of the Renaissance Alliance did not want to have a head-on conflict with Atlas for the time being.

This actually conveys a message that is worthy of vigilance. There are still smart people in the Renaissance Alliance. They know that now is not the time to completely break off relations with the Atlas Group.
After the lieutenant of the Renaissance Alliance was taken away, Orm watched Colonel Dax leave, but his uneasiness did not diminish in the slightest.

"Report today's situation, especially the conflict just now," he said to his adjutant. "We need to let the higher-ups know that the situation is deteriorating."
-
Above the ruins of the federal capital, the sun shines through the broken walls, outlining a strange scene of interweaving shadows and light.

Amber stood in front of the observation window of the command cabin vehicle, tapping her fingers on the window sill, looking out at the black smoke drifting over the city in the distance. The reports coming from the communication channel almost never stopped.

On the other side of the quarantine vehicle, Norton II sat aside, leisurely holding a cup of warm coffee in his hand. As an advisor in charge of imperial affairs, he did not need to care about these things, so he was free at the moment.

However, the former regent had witnessed hundreds of similar conflict reports with Amber. Every time the Renaissance Alliance tried to commit inhumane acts against prisoners of war or refugees, they were stopped by the Atlas Group's troops. The way Amber handled these incidents also made him think.

"Another conflict?" Norton II asked. "It's the 127th conflict today, right? I thought the people from the Renaissance Alliance would calm down a bit by the evening."

Amber shook her head and smiled bitterly. "On the contrary, evening is the most dangerous time. After a whole day of fighting, the tense nerves relax and the beast in our hearts is most likely to be released."

Norton II took a sip of coffee and stared at Amber's back with burning eyes. He had been observing the head of the Atlas Group for a whole day, and now he suddenly felt as if he had discovered something.

"I noticed that your troops seem to be very familiar with this kind of 'humanitarian aid'." Norton II put down his coffee cup, "Especially those Roma officers. They handle this kind of affairs so professionally that I wonder if they have been specially trained for it."

Amber turned around and leaned against the window. "For the Roma, this is not only the result of training, but also the continuation of racial memory. As a race that was once on the verge of extinction, they have an innate sympathy for the 'survivors.'"

As soon as he finished speaking, the communicator rang again. This time it was the voice of the person in charge of the entire ground force:

"Boss, just now our people intercepted a group of Renaissance Alliance soldiers who were preparing to 'liquidate' the families of federal officials on Democracy Avenue. They were drunk and threatened to 'let these high and mighty masters suffer'. We stopped them, but..."

"Is the exchange of fire finally happening this time?" Amber asked, even with a hint of anticipation in her tone.

"We really had no choice, Boss." The ground force commander's voice was apologetic, "They opened fire first, breaking the armor plates of two of our members. Then our people launched a moderate counterattack and disarmed them. They are now being detained in a temporary detention point."

Amber pondered for a moment and said, "Notify the ground command of the Renaissance Alliance and inform them of the situation, but stick to our position - in all areas that have been taken over by us, no form of illegal liquidation or retaliation will be allowed."

"I understand, Boss."

After the communication ended, Norton II couldn't help but chuckle: "It's really funny."

Amber raised an eyebrow and looked at him: "What's interesting?"

"Boss, you are so funny."

Norton II looked directly into Amber's eyes, like a scholar who was about to find the ultimate answer.

"In other words, Boss, your series of actions are so interesting. I initially thought it was just a show by the Atlas Group to gain better bargaining chips after the war, but now."

He stood up and walked to the tactical screen, which marked dozens of areas controlled by the Atlas Group. Each area had detailed personnel rescue data and resource allocation.

"I'm beginning to believe that you're really trying to prevent a disaster." Norton II's voice was filled with surprise. "This is not just for publicity, is it?"

Amber looked at Norton II deeply, then nodded: "You are very sharp, Mr. Consultant."

After receiving Amber's affirmation, Norton II's eyes became sharper: "Then Boss, I would like to ask you, what role does the Atlas Group play in this conflict? Because from everything I have seen, you don't seem to be a true ally of the Renaissance Alliance, or even a participant in this war, more like..."

"An interferer and observer?" Amber took over the conversation, with a smile on her face. Norton II was slightly surprised, then nodded to confirm: "That's right. The Atlas Group, or you, the boss, are like an outsider, monitoring every move of the Renaissance Alliance. I even began to suspect that if the Atlas Group hadn't existed, this city might have already turned into a sea of ​​blood."

He paused, and continued: "You foresaw all this, right? You knew that the Renaissance Alliance would start this kind of retaliatory behavior after the victory, so you deployed these "humanitarian aids" in advance, which was actually preventing a large-scale massacre."

Amber walked to the console and called up several sets of data: "In fact, there have been such signs within the Renaissance Alliance since Rubion V, but the power was not strong enough at the time, and Franklin was able to suppress it quickly. But as time went on, this situation gradually increased. I knew that there was a huge hatred within the Renaissance Alliance, and once this emotion found an outlet, it would become uncontrollable."

The screen displayed a large number of records of similar incidents - in other galaxies controlled by the Renaissance Alliance, there had been violent purges of federal officials and wealthy people.

"So you intervened at the end of this war in the name of 'humanitarian aid'." Norton II suddenly realized, "You not only won reputation for Atlas, but also actually prevented a disaster."

Amber smiled but did not respond directly, but Norton II suddenly became serious: "But this is just the beginning, right? Your goal is not just to stop the massacre in front of you."

"I'm curious, Mr. Consultant, what do you think is the ultimate purpose of Atlas Group or me in doing all this?" Amber asked.

Norton II thought for a moment and took a deep breath: "After this war, the Renaissance Alliance will inevitably become the new master of the Federation, but from everything we have seen today, they have begun to degenerate."

Having said that, he couldn't help but shook his head with some regret, then looked at Amber again.

"The dragon slayer will eventually become an evil dragon. So you want to replace them? Use the momentum you have gained among the people to let the Atlas Group take over the Federation before the Renaissance Alliance is completely corrupted?"

Amber chuckled, then slowly walked to the tactical screen, her fingertips brushing across the flashing dots of light, each of which represented an action point of the Atlas Group on the capital planet.

"I don't want to be another dragon, Mr. Consultant." Amber's voice was low and firm. "Since 'a dragon slayer will eventually become a dragon', why not try a completely new path?"

Norton II frowned: "What road?"

"I won't slay this dragon. I'll be a 'dragon trapper'." Amber turned and looked Norton II in the eye. "Let the Renaissance Alliance control the Federation, but let the Atlas Group monitor them from behind and become the invisible check and balance force."

Norton II stood there in a daze, with a flash of shock in his eyes: "This..."

His voice stopped abruptly, as if he had difficulty digesting this concept for a moment, and then he slowly sat back in his chair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrests, his brows furrowed.

Amber gave him time to think and turned back to continue observing the city scene outside the window.

"Not slaying the dragon, but trapping it," Norton II muttered to himself, with a kind of shock of enlightenment in his voice, "This is a perspective I have never considered."

He stood up suddenly, walked to Amber, and continued as if talking to himself: "Human history seems to always repeat a cycle - the old rulers are corrupt and overthrown, and then the new revolutionaries gradually become what they once hated, like an unbreakable curse."

Amber nodded. "Yes, that's right. Countless great people have tried to solve this problem, but they have never found the answer. The essence of this problem is that it happens in human society, and humans have bad natures. When power is concentrated in the hands of any organization or individual, corruption is basically inevitable. It's just a matter of whether it comes early or late."

The look in Norton II's eyes brightened a little more: "And your solution is to let an organization that seems to be in power become the superficial ruler, and then put the real balance of power in the hands of another organization that does not directly rule?"

"In short, yes."

Amber patted Norton II on the shoulder. He was very happy that the other party could understand what he meant so quickly. So far, Norton II was the only one who could understand this.

"As the new master of the Federation, the Renaissance Alliance will stand in the spotlight and bear all the praise and criticism, while the Atlas Group——"

"I will monitor everything from behind the scenes." Norton II continued Amber's words, "Eliminate the corrupt elements within the Renaissance Alliance and ensure that they do not stray from the right path."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "In this way, the Renaissance Alliance has gained a supervisor who will never compromise, a third party who is not influenced by personal feelings and cannot be bribed. And because the Atlas Group does not rule directly, it avoids the corruption brought by power."

"But how can we control the Renaissance Alliance?" Norton II asked, "Just military force?"

Amber shook her head: "Of course not. There are also economics, technology, information and so on. Do you think that Atlas Group's massive acquisitions during this period are really just to expand the scale of the industry?

Of course, the most important thing is the people's hearts. Did you see the expressions on the faces of the refugees and prisoners of war? When the Renaissance Alliance soldiers approached, they flinched; when the Atlas soldiers appeared, they breathed a sigh of relief. This is the source of strength. "

"You mean, by winning the hearts and minds of the people?"

"Hold the banner of 'justice'," Amber added, "and let the Renaissance Alliance know that if they act improperly, Atlas can change its position at any time. We don't need to be the ruler in the open, we only need to be the supervisor behind the scenes."

A trace of admiration flashed in Norton II's eyes: "This is much more difficult than conquering a country."

“But it’s also much more effective~”

Amber pointed out the window, her thoughts racing.

"Look at the commanders of the Renaissance Alliance. They have begun to worry about our existence. Every time they want to carry out some radical actions, they have to consider Atlas's reaction. This is checks and balances. And this is only the initial stage. After the situation is completely stabilized, I will use other methods to further transform their internal affairs. In this way, even if problems arise within Atlas, it will not immediately affect the operation of the entire human society. There will be enough buffer time for us to solve internal problems."

Norton II stopped, his eyes full of admiration and amazement: "This is the craziest and most likely to succeed idea I have ever heard of."

He walked to the window and looked at the city outline in the distance. "This is the first time I've heard of the 'Dragon Trapper' theory. It's not about destroying the dragon, but about taming and monitoring it, so that it can play a positive role instead of becoming a new source of disaster."

Amber stood next to Norton II, and the two looked out at the scarred city side by side.

Outside, the troops of the Renaissance Alliance were still moving around the city, searching for the last resistance; while the white-painted armored vehicles of the Atlas Group were shuttling between various areas, rescuing the wounded and distributing supplies.

The two forces are intertwined like light and shadow in every corner of this city.

"But there is a premise to this plan,"

Norton II said suddenly, his eyes became very serious.

"That is, the Atlas Group must remain pure and not be corrupted by power. Otherwise, who will supervise the supervisors?"

Amber took a deep breath. "This is the biggest challenge. I have established a strict internal monitoring mechanism within Atlas, and at the same time, I have tried my best to reduce the chances of the group directly participating in politics. Of course, the biggest 'insurance' is myself."

"Yourself?" Norton II was a little confused.

Amber nodded. "A great pioneer once said that revolutionaries always have two guns, one pointing at the enemy and one pointing at themselves. I am the gun pointing at 'myself'."

Norton II certainly understood what Amber said. The "self" in his words actually referred to the Atlas Group, but he was still a little confused.

"Why do you think you can be this 'safety'? Aren't you yourself likely to be corrupted?"

"Hahahahaha, Mr. Consultant~ You're such a smart person, why haven't you thought of this?"

Amber laughed, a very happy laugh.

"Think about it carefully. If all this really happens according to my idea, who else in this world can corrupt me? Are there any material things, power and other mundane things that can affect me?"

Norton II was stunned. He realized that he had indeed overlooked this point.

If the theory of the 'Dragon Trapper' is really realized, and the Atlas Group really controls the Renaissance Alliance or the entire human society behind the scenes, then Amber will actually become the 'uncrowned king'.

By that time, facing Amber who had already gotten rid of the "low taste", Norton II found that there seemed to be really nothing that could interfere with his decision.
But how easy is it to achieve all this?
Amber could see that Norton II seemed to find all this difficult to do, but he was not surprised, nor did he expect that the 'natives' of Norton II's universe could fully understand him in such a short time.

As a citizen of a great country in another universe, Amber, like many hot-blooded people, also wants to fully realize the goal of the pioneer.

Now, with the help of Lilith and a lifespan that is almost immortal, I have the initial ability to do all this.
Under the circumstances, Amber couldn't think of anything else that could tempt her to give up the pursuit of this great ideal.

Just like when the pioneer appeared in front of him, smiled and waved to him and said: "There is grief and blood everywhere, but I just want to save the people. Little comrade, are you willing to follow me?"

Amber didn't think anyone could say no.

On the other side, Norton II pondered for a moment. Although he still didn't understand why Amber was so confident, he suddenly laughed:
"Boss, you know what? I used to think that the thousand-year rule of the Star Dragon Empire was the pinnacle of human history, and that dictatorship and centralization were the most stable forms of rule. But now it seems that it is just another variation of the same cycle."

He turned to Amber. “And you, you want to break this cycle not through revolution, not through war, but through a complete restructuring of the way power works.”

Amber smiled slightly: "There is still a long way to go. So Mr. Consultant, do you want to see all of this?"

"It's my pleasure, Boss."

(End of this chapter)