What are you saying?!
Manison stared at Han Xiao, his biggest secret trump card suddenly exposed, and his heart was filled with turbulent waves.
He had never told anyone the secret of developing the Virtual Mutiny Virus on his own until today. How did Black Star find out?
Could it be a prophecy? But that doesn't make sense. I always set up Information State concealment devices during my research. Outsiders can't even predict where I am, let alone discover that I'm researching this technology.
Could they be trying to trick me?!
At this moment, Han Xiao slowly added:
"Don't pretend. Since I brought this up, I naturally have solid intelligence. As the president, I need to have a good understanding of the important members. What you think is a secret is not a secret in my eyes. Moreover, I know you have already made progress in your research... This matter is related to the evolution of the situation, so you must tell the truth. It's very important."
Looking at Han Xiao's confident expression, Manison felt a chill run down his spine. For a moment, he lost his composure and a long-forgotten sense of dread arose within him, as if all his secrets were laid Nowhere to Hide before Han Xiao.
Even when the situation was critical during the invasion, he didn't show much emotion. But now, after only exchanging a few words with Han Xiao, he broke down, his calm demeanor instantly shattered, and his mind wavered.
That bastard Black Star... he's truly my nemesis.
Manison gritted his teeth inwardly.
He was conflicted, wanting to stubbornly keep it a secret, but after much internal turmoil, he finally decided to be frank and have a heart-to-heart talk, and slowly began to speak:
"Now that you know, why haven't you interfered with my research?"
What research could I possibly stop you from doing...? Besides, I have better options.
Han Xiao secretly grinned.
The Virtual Mutiny Virus that Manison concocted himself was only a half-finished product, while the original [Domino Virus] that he obtained after completing the [Intelligence Plague] mission with Grade S rating was incomparable to the imitation created by Manison.
"But there's no need to tell Old Manison about this," Han Xiao coughed lightly, "It's just because it's unnecessary."
Upon hearing this, Manison immediately started imagining things, and his eyes narrowed instantly.
"Hmph, I get it. Actually, you wanted this insurance too, but you were worried about inheriting the chairmanship, so you deliberately let me do this hard work. You didn't object to us having this unacceptable technology, but it didn't benefit your 'face'."
"You can think whatever you want."
Han Xiao's lips twitched slightly. To be honest, he quite enjoyed chatting with these people who were good at making up stories. He didn't even need to think of a reason; the other person would come up with one for him. It was incredibly effortless.
"Hmph, we really are birds of a feather." Manison sneered.
Han Xiao simply went along with his assumptions and said sternly, "But I still disagree with your original plan, that hasn't changed."
Manison instinctively wanted to refute, but after thinking about the Sanctuary Revival brought about by Han Xiao, the effect was indeed much better than he had expected, so he had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Seeing this, Han Xiao paused, then continued in a deep voice, "The Virtual Mutiny Virus is a deadly weapon against interstellar society, capable of shattering the existing order and plunging the entire Explored Universe into chaos. I personally crushed the virus's core back then, and in the eyes of the world, this dangerous technology disappeared forever, putting their minds at ease. But if the Three Universal Civilizations learn that this technology has reappeared, the situation will be different."
"I think the Three Universal Civilizations will be even more wary," Manison said dismissively.
"If you still want to go down this path to the bitter end, it's very difficult to turn back..." Han Xiao said helplessly.
Despite the current standoff between the Association and the Three Universal Civilizations, which is merely a deterrent in terms of armed forces and a check and balance, the emergence of the Virtual Mutiny Virus will be seen as a threat to the entire interstellar society. Even if the Association has no intention of releasing the virus, the nature of the conflict will change.
After all, the power of Virtual Mutiny Virus is terrifying. It can destroy the order of interstellar society and turn into a cosmic disaster. When this technology is controlled by an individual and becomes a programmable virus weapon, the threat level increases exponentially. They can easily evolve countless generations of viruses in the laboratory and then release them directly to crush the average level of intelligent technology in interstellar society.
Without a doubt, the Three Universal Civilizations would absolutely not allow outsiders to master this deadly weapon, which would be tantamount to handing over the power of life and death in interstellar society to others.
Moreover, this situation will also Implicated Han Xiao himself. Everyone outside thought he destroyed the virus, but now that it has been discovered that the virus was created by Manison, even if Han Xiao has little to do with it, conspiracy theories will prevail, making the outside world believe that Han Xiao only put on a show, pretending to destroy the core of the virus, and actually secretly cooperated with Manison.
In this way, the image will be completely reversed, and the association will truly become the enemy of the universe, which will also bring disaster to the association... As the Three Universal Civilizations resisting the oppressed side, that is called resistance, which can gain a lot of support. However, by coercing the interstellar society to force the Three Universal Civilizations to submit, the nature of the association changes, and the number of people supporting the association will drop sharply.
"There's no going back anyway," Manison said slowly. "You're always thinking about deterrence and checks and balances, when will it ever end? Unless we completely extinguish the ambitions of the Three Universal Civilizations, they will never give up controlling the scale of their individual power. Without mastering the balance of strategic deterrence, it's difficult to maintain stability. Wouldn't it be better to let the Three Universal Civilizations know that we have the ability to quickly destroy interstellar society?"
Han Xiao rubbed his temples and said, "Interstellar society is important, but when their dominance is severely threatened, the Three Universal Civilizations are willing to pay any price to eliminate their enemies. Although establishing an interstellar society is not easy, it can at least be rebuilt. If they lose their dominance, the Three Universal Civilizations Three Universal Civilizations would rather destroy everything and Restart the war. Don't be fooled by their current timidity and fear; once they cross the line, they have the courage to rebuild from the ashes and will not accept coercion. This is not what we want to see either."
Having spent so many years in the Galaxy, he has come to understand it very well. The productivity of the interstellar age is extremely astonishing. When the social production chain does not require much participation from the masses, for some advanced civilizations, the population is just a relatively inexpensive renewable resource. Valuing the masses means valuing the various functions they play, not the masses themselves.
Most of the time, the more advanced and powerful a civilization is, the less it needs to care about the will of its people, because it can no longer cause any trouble. The Three Universal Civilizations and the supercluster civilization have actually reached this level, but they have not done so. On the one hand, it is due to their inherent culture and system, and on the other hand, it is simply to ensure that society operates in a virtuous cycle. In fact, this is not their Achilles' heel.
Therefore, Han Xiao did not doubt that the Three Universal Civilizations would overturn the table if pushed too far. To them, dead people were no big deal; they were just unwilling, not unable.
"Heh, if it were before, perhaps you were right, but now you've brought the Association the guarantee of the Sanctuary Revival, coupled with the deterrent effect of the Virtual Mutiny Virus, I don't think the Three Universal Civilizations still have such audacity... Anyway, I kept this technology hidden to cover for the Association. Since you're the president now, you handle it."
Manison remained noncommittal, and said quietly:
"The principle behind this technology is in my mind; those intruders couldn't steal it. However, they did steal some related experimental records and logs. Although there's no direct technical description in them, I don't know if they could connect the experimental data to the Virtual Mutiny Virus."
"... Tell me honestly, did you do this on purpose?"
"The deed is done. Does it really matter whether it was intentional or not?" Manison said calmly. "Holding this trump card was more about a desperate last stand. Since the association wants to maintain balance, it's much better for the other side to know we have this trump card from intelligence rather than us finding out after we use it. At least everyone has some leeway."
"... You're really something. I thought you genuinely respected my position as the president."
Han Xiao gave him a deep look, then turned and left.
Manison watched Han Xiao's figure disappear from sight, his lips seemed to move, but he quickly stopped and turned back to continue focusing on repairing the firewall.
Black Star Palace, Legion Commander's Office.
As consciousness returned, Han Xiao slowly opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them.
"The Mechanic Emperor... what a bastard."
Whether the Three Universal Civilizations stole it themselves or Manison deliberately leaked it, there's a significant chance that the existence of the Virtual Mutiny Virus will be discovered by the Three Universal Civilizations. As a result, the association has no choice but to passively accept the situation.
Although he has now collected the second Sanctuary Key and is planning to engage in a direct confrontation, he wants to postpone this step as long as possible. He originally thought that the balance of power could last for a long time, but this unexpected event has disrupted the pace and probably accelerated the process significantly.
"I'm afraid I have a prophetic tongue; I just prayed that the Three Universal Civilizations wouldn't play with fire, and this immediately happened..."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered.
Regardless, the changes have already occurred, so all we can do is prepare in advance.
The Three Universal Civilizations' leaders' joint conference room.
"Oh? Mornisa succeeded on her end, not bad, not bad."
Louis read the report and nodded in satisfaction.
"There's nothing to be happy about. It would be strange if our main AI couldn't handle a Mechanic Emperor even if we joined forces," the leader of the Arcane Cult said calmly.
"That's true." Louis glanced at the remote projections of the Beyond Grade A mechanics in front of him and asked in confusion, "Where's Mornisa? Why isn't she here?"
"She was severely injured by the Mechanic Emperor and is currently recuperating. She doesn't have the energy to deal with other matters at the moment," [Guardian] Rama said in a deep voice.
"Hmm, give her my regards." Louis waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind her for now. How was the harvest this time?"
"All the data has been sent to the Academy of Sciences, where they are piecing together and reassembling the information. We should have results soon," Rama replied.
The information fragments they stole from the Manison database were all out of order. After all, it was a brute-force intrusion, and a significant portion of the data was incomplete. They needed to be sorted out like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and the different files needs to be organized in order to understand what they had actually gained.
Louis nodded, about to speak, when suddenly an urgent report popped up on the virtual screen on the table, clearly from the Federation Supreme Academy of Sciences that they had just been discussing.
"You responded so quickly?"
Louis raised an eyebrow, glanced at the report, and suddenly his expression changed drastically.
The report contained incomplete experimental records of Manison's development of Virtual Mutiny Virus. The Academy of Sciences is still working hard to piece together the subsequent information, but judging from the test results in the current experimental records, Manison has already achieved some results.
Seeing that his expression was off, Mabrus and the leader of the Arcane Cult both turned their heads towards him, looking puzzled.
What did you see?
"... You two take a look too." Louis, veins bulging, sent the report to the two of them.
The two men glanced at each other, their expressions changing instantly, their faces darkening with barely concealed anger.
Rama and the other direct descendants of the Beyond Grade A cultivators exchanged glances, secretly becoming curious.
What intelligence did the Academy of Sciences glean from the stolen data that could cause the expressions of three leaders to change drastically at the same time...?
At this moment, Louis closed his eyes, calmed himself down, glanced at the curious mechanics, waved his hand, and turned off the remote projection, leaving only the three leaders in the room.
Seeing that the outsiders had left, Mabrus, his face ashen, said coldly, "Well, the Mechanic Emperor really hasn't given up its evil intentions. They're still researching Virtual Mutiny Virus, and they've even made some progress... I wonder if Black Star was just putting on an act when he crushed the virus's core back then."
"If it weren't for this intrusion into the Mechanic Emperor's database, we don't know how long we would have been kept in the dark." The leader of the Arcane Sect said, barely suppressing his anger.
Louis glanced at the two of them and slowly spoke:
"The nature of the situation has changed. We must prepare for the worst. You two... let's begin war mobilization."