You said mechs were going to fight monsters, but instead you're destroying stars with your bare

Chapter 170 The Abyss Spreads
Late August, Year 1 of the Crisis Era.

During this period, Li Zhe's life entered a wonderful state of unprecedented high-speed operation.

On the one hand, he used his identities as "President of Jiangdong Shipbuilding Group" and "CEO of the Third New Tokyo City Construction Contractor" to command the world from the cloud using Zero's super computing power.

By deeply integrating their own industries with the construction plan of that future fortress city, they have seized a massive amount of hidden resources.

On the other hand, he was like a tireless ghost, repeatedly leaping back and forth in the core area of ​​the Steel Empire's 0th floor, where he could do whatever he wanted.

Those elite guardian beasts that other mech pilots found incredibly troublesome have now become the perfect ingredients for his "Abyss Season 3".

His basic combat strength has steadily increased to 12.4 after this period of "nutritional supplementation" and high-intensity combat.

Improving basic combat strength as much as possible can also increase the success rate of "foundation building".

Meanwhile, his secret force, composed of "worker bee puppets," rapidly expanded under Zero's remote control and with massive resources.

They are like nanobots that have infiltrated the massive machine of the coalition government, silently taking root at every key node.

They wove a global intelligence and resource network that served only Li Zhe.

The higher you stand, the farther you can see.

When Li Zhe used this network to glimpse the turbulent power struggles within the coalition government.

An unprecedented chill crept into my heart.

That night, Zero presented him with a top-secret internal ideological analysis report that had just been intercepted from a high-ranking member of the puppet regime who had been "turned" into a traitor.

The report is not about the abyss, nor is it about war.

It explores an older, more hidden, and more deadly paradox.

After these high-ranking officials colluded with the Abyss, they delivered a report that was enough to create rifts within the United Government...
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A conqueror dynasty that rose to power through force, once it entered its mature succession phase, would fear and guard against precisely the very force it relied upon to establish and maintain itself.

Once you understand this irreconcilable internal contradiction, you will be able to see the true motives behind the seemingly bizarre and cowardly foreign behavior of all the vast nations on Earth, both now and in the past.

Following this line of motivation, we will inevitably arrive at a highly tempting ultimate solution—outsourcing violence and raising foreign troops.

The phrase "Fang commands Liang," which is revered as a golden rule by the imperial propaganda machine, is nothing more than a facade used to obscure the true source of power to any observer with even a modicum of historical common sense and political acumen.

It is not a statement of fact, but a continuous prayer and incantation imbued with deep insecurity.

The Golden Lineage (Note: a term used in the report to refer to the hereditary high-ranking officials of the United Government) knew better than anyone that the original conquerors were able to seize power not because they had grasped some irrefutable universal truth from the scriptures.

And simply because they were the most organized, had the strongest backing, were the most virtuous, and were the most ruthless ultimate victors in that brutal warlord war.

Washington was able to command the guns not because the political education of his pastors was so deeply ingrained, but because he himself was the supreme leader of all the factions. He used the fighting skills derived from the wisdom of his predecessors and from life to ensure that no military faction could challenge his supreme position.

Today's Golden Descendants are inheritors, not conquerors.

Their legitimacy comes from blood ties, inertia, writing skills, money, and administrative experience, but not from military achievements.

They failed to build personal prestige that commanded the obedience of their arrogant and fierce generals amidst the hail of bullets.

Therefore, they were in contrast to the Empire's massive, professional army...

In particular, there exists a structural, inescapable suspicion and hostility among the newly emerging mech divisions.

Theoretically speaking, every general who commands a large army and is proficient in tactics, and even every ace mech pilot with outstanding military achievements, is a potential Zhao Kuangyin or An Lushan.

Nowadays, the mech division has gradually become a beast that can only be temporarily restrained by money, propaganda, and strict political surveillance.

Rather than a battle to defend the order of Huazhou against the abyss of doom, the core objective of the Golden Descendants in dealing with the violent machine is only one: to prevent the formation of any new military aristocratic group.

Once formed, the power of this new group will come from military achievements and honors, rather than bloodlines and factional loyalty, which will directly challenge the foundation of the Golden Family's hereditary rule.

Based on the profound fears mentioned above, we can arrive at a conclusion that seems absurd but is absolutely true.

For Earth today, any small ripple that could stir up violent sentiments is an absolutely forbidden game.

What the imperial leadership feared was never losing to the abyss on the battlefield.

What they truly fear is the continuous victories they achieve against second- or even third-rate adversaries, which will create war heroes and military factions beyond their control.

Imagine if the Empire waged a limited punitive war against a secondary rift in the Abyss and won a resounding victory. What would the outcome be?
First, a group of human heroes will immediately emerge. A fleet commander or ace mech pilot, whose name will resound throughout the land, whose portrait will appear on the internet and among the people, will become an idol worshipped by countless passionate young people.

His reputation will no longer be determined by the small iron plate bestowed by the central government, but by his real military achievements.

Secondly, a unit that has been tempered by war will develop an unbreakable bond of camaraderie and a strong sense of community.

The mech pilots idolize the general who led them to victory, not the obscure committee far away in Beidu.

Finally, the victorious general will return to the center with his unparalleled prestige and a loyal army.

He will become an independent political force that no faction can ignore.

This is the price that the Golden Descendants cannot afford.

The predicament of Earth is now crystal clear...

On the one hand, its global strategic interests require the protection of violence in those chaotic and disorderly border areas.

On the other hand, it was unable to deploy its regular army due to its deep fear of internal mutiny.

This seemingly unsolvable deadlock gave rise to a solution that has been repeatedly used throughout history, one that is both tempting and dangerous.

Establish a slave army, outsource violence, and levy a blood tax...

Soon, we will see the coalition government wield its unparalleled industrial capacity and financial resources to select a few suitable proxies.

Use excess capacity to build infrastructure for them and control their economic lifeline and ideology.

The usefulness of this foreign army is immeasurable.

Of course, those who consider themselves clear-headed will immediately raise a fatal question:
Historically, all the large nations that harbored foreign troops were ultimately devoured by these very entities.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

I do not care.

If the core of this global political entity is established, this massive industrial Cthulhu, with its billions of people and the world's largest industrial capacity, will ultimately be irredeemably returned to its own historical cycle.

That in itself is eloquent proof.

That's all humanity is capable of.

Its morality has degenerated to the point that it is unworthy of continuing to exist, and it deserves to be swallowed by the abyss.

If that really happens...

Perhaps this is our destiny...
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After reading the report, which was full of dark humor and cold reality, Li Zhe remained silent for a long time.

He suddenly realized that he, his absolutely loyal "worker bee" puppet army, and the "bait city" that was quietly rising...

For some in the coalition government, this is perhaps a more terrifying, potentially enormous threat than the abyss itself.

He felt like a "gun barrel" completely beyond their control.

A super warlord with an independent armed force, an independent intelligence system, and even an independent industrial base...

Commander, it seems we need to be more careful.

Zero's voice rang out, tinged with solemnity.

Li Zhe did not respond; he merely glanced at the date displayed on his personal terminal.

Soon, it was August 20th.

This is the day that the East China Joint Defense Mech University officially began its opening ceremony and freshman combat exercise.

Li Zhe stood up and stretched.

"Let's go, Zero, let's not worry about these things."

"Instead of worrying about these things, I should go back to school."

(End of this chapter)