Military satellites in space continuously relayed live images and data to the control center of the Star City... Those in the control center anxiously tracked the flight paths of the two American B-2 bombers.
After Star City-1 detonated a nuclear device, showcasing its nuclear capability, the two B-2s showed no sign of halting their advance, rapidly approaching the blockade line surrounding the Star City. Just as everyone broke into a cold sweat, fearing the situation was spiraling toward the worst-case scenario, those two B-2s on the screen abruptly executed a sharp turn, then chose to retreat along their original route, avoiding any attempt to breach Star City-1's blockade around Australia.
Simultaneously, on another monitor, the US Pacific Fleet and the formation of Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarines also ceased their forward movement. Only then did everyone in the command and control center, including Liu Hui, truly allow themselves to breathe a sigh of relief.
Although the Star City was already protected by that massive cultivation defense array—an array whose defensive power was extraordinarily formidable, fueled by astronomical amounts of demonic beast crystal cores—it could guarantee the absolute safety of the Star City even if a global nuclear war were to erupt. However, if a nuclear war were to break out, resulting in the destruction of the entire world while only the Star City survived, Liu Hui would find the outcome utterly meaningless.
Fortunately, after the Star City detonated a nuclear weapon, the US government weighed the gains and losses, choosing concession at the critical moment, thereby averting a nuclear war that would have engulfed all of humanity. Since the United States had chosen to back down, any further outbreak of war between the Star City and the US became virtually impossible, let alone a devastating nuclear exchange.
The battlefield going forward was most likely to be the negotiation table; that nuclear crisis, which had held the entire world in terror, had finally passed. It was only then that Liu Hui signaled Xiao Hei, who had been closely trailing the two Ohio-class strategic nuclear submarines, to sink to the seabed, releasing the submarines.
In orbit, the space station powered down the electromagnetic railguns equipped with super-bombs; their muzzles had previously been aimed directly at major US cities and key military bases. The four stealthy, hovering fighter jets that had shadowed the US Pacific Fleet also chose to withdraw, returning to their designated patrol sectors.
The two super-submarines lurking beneath the Pacific Fleet began to descend into the deep ocean, moving away from the fleet. One hundred kilometers off the US east and west coasts, the four super-submarines in hiding retracted their extended electromagnetic cannon barrels, canceling their attacks on the targeted cities, and chose to sink into the abyssal depths.
Liu Hui's preemptive strike plan, formulated earlier, went unexecuted due to America's final retreat. Despite appearing overwhelmingly powerful, the United States possessed no advantages whatsoever when confronting the Star City.
If Liu Hui had wished, he could have instantly neutralized over 80% of America's military strength. Even though the nuclear war was averted, Liu Hui felt a stirring of caution.
In recent years, wielding supreme authority and every action bringing immense benefit to the Star City, coupled with the continuous augmentation of his own military might, his self-confidence had swelled to an extreme degree. Now, with the Moon Base serving as an escape route, his mindset had profoundly shifted; he favored using force to achieve his objectives at the slightest provocation, exhibiting a measure of arrogance reminiscent of the sentiment: "Heaven and Earth are ruthless; they treat all creation as straw dogs." This confrontation, instigated to secure the Star City's goal of controlling global energy, had led to full-scale antagonism between the Star City and the US government, nearly plunging the Earth toward annihilation via total nuclear war.
All of this made Liu Hui realize that events were starting to slip from his control and were deviating from his original intentions. During the most intense phase of the confrontation, the personnel in the Star City's command and control center had complexions ashen and bodies trembling; they were clearly terrified by the horrific prospect of impending nuclear war.
Although these Starfolk had steadfastly supported every decision Liu Hui made until the very end—even if he had ordered them to destroy the Earth, they would have obeyed without hesitation—Liu Hui, seeing their pale faces and shaking forms, recognized a stark reality: they possessed emotions, and they understood fear and dread. As their leader, Liu Hui's responsibility was not to lead them into terror, but to shield those loyal to him from fear and apprehension.
For the Star City to develop, there was absolutely no need to use other nations as stepping stones. Having already ascended to space and established an outpost on the Moon, the Star City effectively commanded infinite resources for its development; monopolizing Earth’s energy market was entirely unnecessary.
Following this incident, and after observing the reactions of those around him, Liu Hui engaged in deep introspection. He resolved that the Star City needed to maintain a lower profile on Earth henceforth, striving to achieve its goals without resorting to force.
If they truly provoked universal hostility and were treated as public enemies by all Earthlings, Liu Hui would find no joy in possessing the wealth of the entire world. Having survived this nuclear crisis that nearly ended the planet, Liu Hui’s attitude underwent a subtle change.
In response to the sudden emergence of the Star City’s nuclear capability, the attitudes of both the US government and the Australian government also softened. First, the Star City issued a statement proclaiming: "...The Star City's decision to blockade Australia was not driven by territorial ambition for Australian land, nor was it intended to deliberately disrupt the regional balance of power, but merely out of concern that rioters who had committed violence against the Star specialty stores might escape Australia." Upon noticing the shift in the Star City's posture, the US government immediately stepped forward, stating: "The US government has always desired the maintenance of current stability and peace in the Pacific region, and our stance toward the Star City has consistently been friendly.
Therefore, we hope that the minor misunderstanding between the Star City and Australia can be resolved peacefully through negotiation." The Australian government, having been briefed by the US government, also stepped forward at the appropriate moment, declaring: "The Australian government has always prioritized the protection of legitimate enterprises. We admit that our previous efforts were indeed insufficient.
However, we have begun corrective action. We have initiated arrests of the rioters who looted, vandalized, and burned the Star specialty stores, and we are currently investigating officials within the government departments bearing responsibility for supervisory lapses.
We understand the Star City's imperative to protect its assets." Therefore, we propose that these rioters and derelict officials be tried by a tribunal jointly formed by Australia, the Star City, and the US government, to render justice to Star City-1." The Star City responded instantly: "We are delighted to see Australia's positive declaration regarding the crackdown on violent crime, and we are equally interested in the formation of a tripartite tribunal." The US then stated: "We are pleased to see this situation developing toward de-escalation. We are also very willing to form a tripartite tribunal to prosecute those rioters and negligent officials, as they are public enemies of human societal progress." The Australian side quickly announced: "We are prepared to compensate the Star City for the losses incurred during this looting and destruction incident, and we hope to consult with the negotiation team dispatched by the Star City regarding relevant matters." The Star City replied: "We find Australia's proposal very engaging and are already assembling our negotiation contingent, which will proceed to Australia for talks in the coming days.
Given the sincerity Australia has demonstrated in resolving this matter, we, the Star City, have decided to formally terminate the current blockade action against Australian air and sea passages. Aircraft and vessels traveling to and from Australia are now free to enter and exit." The US government stated: "Seeing the positive attitudes displayed by both the Star City and Australia, we have reason to believe this incident is beginning to subside.
We eagerly anticipate that the Star City and Australia will reach a settlement agreement regarding this matter and restore friendly relations. The United States government will continue to monitor this situation..." When the negotiation representatives of Star City-1 flew aboard a hovering fighter toward Canberra, the capital of Australia, the sixteen hovering fighters that had blockaded Australia for half a month returned to the hangars within the two super-submarines that had surfaced.
These two super-subs then submerged into the deep sea, left Australian waters, and returned to the Star City. With this, the Star City officially lifted its blockade of Australian air and sea lanes.
The most intense phase of the conflict between the Star City and Australia had passed. Both sides were now negotiating the details of post-conflict resolution, with the United States participating as a significant party.
Upon seeing the three parties commence negotiations, nations and regions across the globe sighed in collective relief. The most dangerous period was over; the situation was gradually calming and promised a swift, satisfactory resolution.
If everything proceeded smoothly, the negotiations would soon yield results. Australia avoided the collapse of its domestic economy; the US retained its role as Australia's protector; and the Star City moved closer to achieving its strategic objectives.
On the surface, it seemed that no one had suffered significant losses in this confrontation. Yet, every nation was acutely aware that following this event, regardless of whether they accepted it, the Star City's immense power had been fully displayed to the world, establishing them as the preeminent force on Earth, now capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States.
In all future dealings with the Star City, they would have to confront this disheartening reality. The Star City's elevated international status made its people even more confident when facing other global powers.
Those who had previously felt fear and dread toward the Star City now admired Liu Hui even more, believing it was his transcendent strategic vision that elevated their status to such heights. They were ashamed of their earlier fears.
Thus, while the world’s nations generally preferred not to mention the conflict between the Star City and Australia, only Japan, South Korea, and Panama—nations whose cargo ships had been sunk by the Star City—approached the Star City seeking compensation for their losses. However, the Star City flatly refused to entertain them, citing the fact that their ships had ignored prior warnings and forced their way through, thereby rejecting any claim for damages.
Faced with the Star City’s unyielding stance, and seeing that no other nation was willing to support them, these three countries reluctantly swallowed their pride and retreated. They had initially considered using domestic market blockades to force compensation, but the tragic state of Italy—which had once clamored to boycott the Star City but now suffered immensely—made them immediately abandon that impractical notion.
Half a month later, the Star City, Australia, and the United States jointly held a press conference to announce the agreement reached through the negotiations. First, the Australian government agreed to compensate the Star City $100 million USD for the looting, vandalism, and burning of the Star specialty stores by Australian citizens.
Second, Australia and the Star City finalized an agreement to introduce electric vehicles. Third, to mitigate the looming power deficit in Australia caused by the domestic promotion of electric cars, the Star City would supply Australia with 500 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, priced at a record low of $0.01 per kilowatt-hour.
When the agreement between Star City-1 and Australia was made public, it brought both joy and dismay. The happiest parties were naturally the Star City itself and the auto manufacturers partnering with them.
They had finally achieved their strategic goal, cracking open a vital market in protectionist Australia, thus allowing their electric vehicles access to the Australian consumer base. With Australia serving as a successful precedent, and given the dominance the Star City had just asserted, introducing their electric vehicles into other nations no longer seemed an impossible task.
Furthermore, a segment of environmentally conscious Australians were delighted. Although Australia’s vast land and sparse population meant its environment was already well-protected, the introduction of electric vehicles would further clean the air by reducing exhaust pollution, aligning perfectly with their conservationist principles.
Another group rejoicing were the owners of non-automotive factories and the general populace within Australia. Since Australia had secured nearly five hundred billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from the Star City at virtually no cost, this influx of cheap power would not only slash manufacturing overhead and boost their products’ competitiveness in the international market but also significantly enhance the quality of life for citizens by lowering the cost of living.
The US government also secured benefits: the Star City agreed to supply one trillion kilowatt-hours of affordable electricity to the domestic US market to ease their power shortages, also priced at $0.01 per kilowatt-hour. The only price the US government paid was agreeing to formally negotiate the entry of electric vehicles into the American market with the Star City.
These negotiations regarding electric vehicles entering the US market were not conducted solely between the Star City and the US government; a selected American electric vehicle manufacturing partner of the Star City also participated. With the inclusion of a domestic auto manufacturer, although the adoption of electric vehicles in the US would significantly harm the interests of American oil and automotive giants, from the US government's perspective, they would refrain from imposing groundless obstruction.
This was because whether the oil titans, the auto magnates, or the nascent electric vehicle manufacturers benefited, the ultimate beneficiary was the US government. The current difficulty for the US administration in deciding whether to aggressively promote electric vehicles stemmed only from the ongoing negotiations between the power blocs backing these giants to finalize the rules for dividing the spoils.
The final piece of information released at the press conference concerned the impending trial of the rioters and negligent officials arrested by Australia. They would be transferred to the tripartite tribunal for judgment.
However, due to the complexity of the case and the extensive coordination required among the three nations forming the court, the final verdict for these individuals was not expected for about a year. The Star City’s strategic objectives had been met, and Liu Hui was no longer much concerned with the final judgment of these individuals.
They were mere scapegoats in a larger scheme, small players in the grand game. If not for maintaining the Star City’s prestige and ensuring the play continued, Liu Hui might even have considered letting them go.
Following this press conference, the outcome deeply disappointed a certain segment of the early observers—namely, the international oil speculators and established automakers. They now clearly understood that this entire conflict had merely been a maneuver by the Star City to force through the adoption of its electric vehicles and bring about the end of the age of petroleum-fueled automobiles.
When they witnessed the US government’s forceful initial response, issuing nuclear threats against the Star City, they had celebrated wildly, believing they saw the possibility of suppressing the development of electric mobility. But events had taken an unexpected turn.
When the Star City suddenly detonated a nuclear device, demonstrating its arsenal, the US government yielded under the threat of global nuclear war. Subsequently, the stance of all three parties softened, concluding the crisis—which could have irrevocably altered the fortunes of these speculators and manufacturers—through negotiation.
Moreover, judging by the final accord reached, the Star City’s electric vehicles were not only gaining ground in the Australian market, but the US government's initial rigid posture against electric vehicles had also relaxed, as they had formally entered negotiations with the Star City. For these oil magnates, speculators, and automakers, this entire outcome spelled bad news.
The market reacted swiftly. On the crude oil futures market, prices resumed a steep decline, plunging from $q a barrel down to $ a barrel—and even at that level, no buyers were willing to take the contracts.
The stocks of the oil giants plummeted as well, hitting historic lows. Yet, even then, no one wanted to take ownership of their shares, as everyone understood that the doom of petroleum was finally at hand.
Oil prices were destined to revert to their intrinsic value range, with no further volatility, making the bankruptcy of the oil titans inevitable. Beyond the oil speculators and giants, the stock values of petroleum-powered vehicle manufacturers also began a sharp freefall.
Although their decline was not as catastrophic as that of the oil stocks, they too hit their lowest recorded points. Through this nuclear crisis, people understood that the era of the electric vehicle had arrived irrevocably.
If the petroleum auto giants failed to adapt to the electric age, they would inevitably be abandoned by the market. While their stocks hadn't yet reached the point where no buyers existed, failure to adapt proactively to the electric era in the future would see their companies follow the path of the oil behemoths.
... In New York City, headquarters of the Dream Group.
Heirs from powerful Hong Kong families, like Young Master Huo and Young Master Bao, walked out of Wei Chao’s office with complexions ashen. When Wei Chao initiated his speculation on oil futures, they had eagerly entrusted him with their entire family fortunes, asking him to manage the investments in what seemed certain to be a guaranteed financial windfall.
Previously, Wei Chao had made an operational error during the Indian Ocean nuclear detonation, resulting in massive losses on their investments with him. Misled by external media reports, these individuals believed that Wei Chao’s era as the "Financial Demon Child" was over, and they consequently severed their cooperative ties with him.
Wei Chao had indeed withdrawn from the financial markets for a time, but upon his return, he began to savagely short the American economy. Just as everyone was mocking Wei Chao for this manic behavior, that massive earthquake struck the United States, followed by severe domestic financial turmoil that allowed Wei Chao to reap extraordinary profits amid the chaos. At that time, they had chosen the opposite side, betting heavily on the U.S. economy, which resulted in staggering losses, threatening their standing within the family hierarchy.
Therefore, these second-generation heirs deeply reflected on their failure, concluding that Wei Chao truly deserved the moniker "Financial Demon Child" for always seeing more than the ordinary person, and that entrusting their capital to his management was the only secure path. Thus, swallowing their pride, they sought out Wei Chao again. Only after a round of sincere apologies, coupled with the presentation of several stunning women, did they finally secure passage once more aboard Wei Chao's formidable vessel.