The year 2020 had passed, and 2021 officially dawned.

Throughout 2020, the economy of "Star City" continued its meteoric ascent, achieving a total GDP of twenty-two trillion Star Credits for the entire year. Meanwhile, the American economy, which had begun to weaken, surprisingly started a slow recovery, spurred by massive procurement orders from "Star City." Their annual GDP reached 1.1 billion Star Credits, yet even with this rebound, America’s GDP lagged behind "Star City's," managing only half its output.

Not only had the gap with the US widened irrevocably, but "Star City's" GDP now decisively dwarfed every other nation worldwide. Its current output accounted for over 40% of the world's total GDP; "Star City's" economic dominance was now an unstoppable tide.

The global economy could no longer function independently of "Star City." Driven by the vastness of its orders, the world managed to shake off the downturn inflicted by the previous financial crisis, displaying gratifying signs of recovery.

In 2020, nearly every nation on earth saw significant growth in its GDP, and almost all of this growth was intrinsically linked to "Star City." As these nations' economic situations improved, domestic social conflicts decreased substantially, indirectly stabilizing the ruling foundations of these countries.

As a result of this economic stimulus from "Star City," the international arena enjoyed a rare period of peaceful development, with a rapid decline in various international conflicts—a scenario previously unimaginable. This incredible outcome left world leaders uncertain whether to resent "Star City" for exploiting their monopolized products to plunder their national wealth or to thank it for breathing economic life back into their economies through colossal purchasing power.

However, Liu Hui no longer concerned himself with what others thought of him or "Star City." His entire focus had shifted to the terraforming of Mars, for Mars alone held the key to "Star City's" future development. The entanglements with nations and rivals back on Earth held no weight in his eyes; they were no longer rivals on the same plane. He could crush them with a mere flick of a finger.

With the 2021 Lunar New Year just concluded, the fifty-thousand-strong Martian construction army, fully assembled and ready in "Star City," departed in batches via interstellar transport vessels after a solemn Oath of Blood Brotherhood ceremony sanctioned by Liu Hui. They set course for distant Mars to commence their grand undertaking of building a new world.

Liu Hui himself accompanied this construction wave. He once again embarked on his monumental interstellar transport effort, ferrying a staggering ten billion tons of supplies to Mars to ensure ample material backing for large-scale construction. In the end, even Alexander’s colossal super-warehouse could not accommodate this massive influx of materials, forcing them to pile the supplies within the Great Canyon. Fortunately, Alexander had intensified security around the canyon, preventing any mishaps, and all the material was ultimately transported safely to Mars.

This contingent of fifty thousand construction personnel quickly landed on Mars. After a brief familiarization period at the Martian base, they were assigned their specific tasks by the supercomputer, collected their mandated tools, and began their Martian construction journey.

Far removed from Earth and no longer constrained by concerns over secrecy, all of "Star City's" cutting-edge technological breakthroughs were unveiled on Mars. The construction tools fashioned from these advanced technologies dramatically accelerated the pace of Martian development. Once "Star City" unleashed its full potential, the progress on Mars manifested as a staggering leap in construction speed—a pace that greatly satisfied both Liu Hui and An Qi.

After successfully delivering the ten billion tons of supplies, Liu Hui remained on Mars for three months. He dedicated this time to helping various bases set up large-scale energy formations and left behind vast quantities of Demon Beast crystal cores before returning to Earth.

Upon his return, the very first thing Liu Hui did was propose marriage to the women in his life, followed by hosting a magnificent, large-scale wedding broadcast across the entire world. At this ceremony, he simultaneously took An Qi, Liang Jingyue, and Shu Yan as his wives, finally bestowing formal status upon the women who loved him so deeply.

Furthermore, Liu Hui and Liang Jingyue's son, Liu Xiaobao, was officially announced as Liu Hui’s heir, designated as the second generation successor of "Star City." The news of Liu Hui having a son immediately reassured all Star Citizens; at least they no longer had to worry about their interests should anything happen to Liu Hui.

With this event, Liu Hui finally concluded the romantic entanglements with his several women. From that point forward, he resolved to settle down, never again to flirt or leave a trail of admirers wherever he went. This decision, however, disappointed many women who harbored feelings for him, leaving them to nurse their silent grief.

In adherence to "Star City's" laws concerning polygamy penalties, Liu Hui decided to pay the required fine. However, the annual salaries from his several roles within "Star City" were not excessively high, and the resulting fine was relatively small. Therefore, Liu Hui proactively transferred 20% of his shares in the Star Group to become jointly owned assets of "Star City," belonging equally to all its citizens.

Although this transfer felt somewhat like moving assets from one hand to the other, Liu Hui's voluntary display of self-discipline greatly pleased the Star Citizens and halted the attempts of some parties who had been testing the legal authority of "Star City." As long as Liu Hui stood at the helm, the majesty of "Star City's" law would remain inviolable.

In January 2021, "Star City's" genuine virtual reality game, Gods and Demons, officially launched its open beta test with an initial group of ten million players. Upon entering Gods and Demons, these pioneers were driven wild by the game's realism and sheer playability. Compared to previous flat-screen computer games, Gods and Demons represented a revolutionary upheaval in every conceivable aspect.

Gamers who failed to secure access to the Gods and Demons beta watched enviously as posts detailing gameplay experiences flooded the internet, leaving them itching with anticipation for the game's full commercial release.

Amidst this agonizing wait, Gods and Demons finally began its official operations on March 1st, 2021. The moment this date was announced, the game helmets stocked in Star Specialty Stores across the globe were instantly snatched up. Even as "Star City" continually ramped up supply efforts, it could not meet the frantic purchasing demands of the gamers.

It wasn't until April 2021, a full month after the official launch, that the intense buying craze for the game helmets began to subside. By that time, "Star City" had tallied the sales data for the helmets at 356 million units.

Each game helmet was bound to a single player; one person could possess only one helmet. This meant that at least 366 million individuals would enter and play Gods and Demons. This player count far surpassed that of any other game in the world. Having so many people playing the same game within a single server environment might not be unprecedented in all of history, but it was certainly unparalleled.

Indeed, when the game officially launched on March 1st, Gods and Demons was absolutely swamped. Hundreds of millions of players entered the game simultaneously. Fortunately, the immense processing power of the illusory matrix systems and the coordination capabilities of the supercomputer ensured that everyone experienced the entry process smoothly, without any discomfort whatsoever.

With Gods and Demons officially operational, the free exchange between in-game currency and Star Credits also commenced. In-game shops and auction houses became active, large advertisement spaces within the game's cities were sold, and real-world stores began opening virtual branches within the game—all manner of commerce found its presence in Gods and Demons.

Among this massive player base, counted in the hundreds of millions, an enormous supporting economy was inevitably generated. This colossal economic structure would complement the real-world economy, potentially even matching its scale.

On "Star City's" side, the integration between the supercomputer and the grand illusion matrices grew ever smoother. Not a single error manifested during the entire operation of Gods and Demons; even minor bugs were quickly identified and patched, ensuring the game proceeded under principles of fairness and equity.

Gods and Demons, a game destined to be written into the annals of human history, was currently demonstrating its unique allure, not only bringing recreational joy but also accumulating unimaginable profits for "Star City."

Liu Hui began acquiring new gene drugs from the Zerg. These new pharmaceuticals successfully induced genetic modifications in certain microorganisms and small animals, primarily earthworms. After modification, these organisms could rapidly devour all manner of non-decomposable or even toxic waste, converting it into vital nutrients for the soil. Following the consumption and transformation of this waste, these microorganisms and small animals would quickly perish, their decomposition adding further nourishment to the earth.

With the aid of these modified organisms, the massive amounts of domestic waste generated by "Star City" were rapidly broken down. Soon, all non-decomposable refuse was consumed and metabolized, enriching "Star City's" soil. As the waste vanished, "Star City's" natural environment grew even more beautiful, leading to a heightened sense of contentment among its residents.

Unexpectedly, upon learning of "Star City's" waste management solution, other nations suffering from the blight of unmanageable garbage immediately contacted "Star City" authorities, requesting assistance to dispose of their intractable waste. "Star City" seized the opportunity, leveraging waste treatment as another means to extract substantial profits from these countries.

To spend a mere sum of money to clear their domestic waste and provide their citizens with a clean, tidy environment seemed worthwhile to these nations. As a result, the waste disposal method not only continued to generate immense profits for "Star City" but also became its single most popular business worldwide.

In 2021, the research capabilities of the Star Scientific Research Institute advanced rapidly once more. An Qi achieved comprehensive breakthroughs in her research on the humanoid mecha. She successfully deciphered its signal propagation method and made significant progress in understanding its transmission mechanisms. Crucially, she completely unlocked the secrets of the mecha’s optical brain. Currently, the only remaining mystery was an undecipherable data packet within the brain, but all other technological aspects of the humanoid mecha had been cracked by An Qi.

Armed with this new knowledge, "Star City" made important strides in the study of spiritual energy fluctuations. After applying spatial folding technology, the propagation speed of these fluctuations reached thirty trillion kilometers per second. This meant that communication within the solar system could now be near-instantaneous, eliminating the previous delays. This greatly facilitated enhanced communication between "Star City" and Mars, solidifying Liu Hui’s absolute control over both locations.

Through her research on optical brain technology, An Qi successfully developed preliminary Artificial Intelligence. Coupled with her findings on mechanical transmission devices, she created intelligent robots. Liu Hui immediately integrated this technology into manufacturing, enabling "Star City" to rapidly transition to automated production. "Star City" began delegating massive amounts of labor to automated production units, requiring humans only to monitor and manage these systems. This development not only dramatically increased labor productivity in "Star City" but also further liberated humanity from physical toil, allowing them to devote more energy to learning and invention.

Liu Hui personally welcomed this shift. With the widespread deployment of robots and automated devices, "Star City’s" long-standing disadvantage in population numbers was completely neutralized, allowing him to allocate his limited populace to areas requiring human presence.

Furthermore, the extensive use of robots and automated systems accelerated the pace of Martian terraforming, allowing the initially projected completion goals to be met ahead of schedule, which in turn facilitated the earlier execution of "Star City’s" immigration plans.

By 2022, over half the work on Mars was being performed by robots. Under the tireless labor of these machines, Mars's natural environment underwent a fundamental transformation.

The average temperature on Mars now stood at twenty degrees Celsius, with highs reaching thirty-five degrees and lows hitting minus five degrees—temperatures highly conducive to human survival. At this point, the specialized factories dedicated to producing unique mixed gases ceased operations, halting the artificial warming efforts on Mars.

Under the influence of this average twenty-degree temperature, most of the glaciers across Mars, save for those at the poles, had completely melted. This released water formed a hydrological cycle encompassing streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans.

With the significant infusion of water, all the low-lying regions of Mars became covered by seas. Martian oceans now spanned over 80% of the planet’s total land area—precisely the area projected by the supercomputer’s prior calculations.

As Mars’s water cycle fully established itself, the state of the Martian landmass also began a dramatic shift. Washed repeatedly by rain, the arid Martian regolith became moist. Under gravity, this soil compacted downwards, slowly solidifying into firm earth. This process not only reduced the incidence of dust storms but also began to trap essential nutrients, allowing plant life to take root.

The composition of the Martian atmosphere had undergone a radical change. Nitrogen content now accounted for 78% of the air, oxygen at 21%, with all other gases making up the final 1%.

Corresponding with this massive environmental overhaul, "Star City" initiated comprehensive vegetation planting across Mars, introducing vast fields of grasses, as well as numerous trees and shrubs. Given the transformed Martian environment, these plants exhibited an extremely high survival rate, and soon, every part of Mars, save for the blue seas, was carpeted in vibrant green.

By this stage, Mars’s natural environment closely mirrored that of Earth, signaling that it was time to advance to the next phase: constructing and settling Mars.

At the close of 2022, "Star City" suddenly announced a completely new welfare package for all its citizens: upon reaching the age of eighteen, they would receive injections of the physical evolution fluid. This fluid would comprehensively elevate their physical fitness, far surpassing the average physical condition of contemporary Earthlings, making interstellar travel possible even without rigorous training. Furthermore, upon reaching the age of forty, all Star Citizens would undergo the rejuvenation treatment at the terminal illness hospitals, effectively granting them an average lifespan extending well over two hundred years.

This incredibly generous dual benefit was met with overwhelming enthusiasm from all Star Citizens, who felt their leader genuinely cared for their well-being, leading to a further surge in Liu Hui’s standing in their hearts. At this juncture, they would not refuse any request he made, having fully internalized his leadership.

Meanwhile, citizens of other nations watched the official citizens of "Star City" with profound envy. They observed that Star Citizens enjoyed not only exceptional material prosperity but also an unparalleled level of advanced physical health, fueling intense jealousy.

Driven by this dual force of admiration and envy, they reignited mass protests, demanding that "Star City" extend these two benefits to all humanity, arguing they were all Earthlings just like the Star Citizens.

However, "Star City" completely ignored these demonstrations, offering a terse reply: "Our 'Star City' serves only its own citizens. If you desire these benefits, direct your inquiries to the governments that collect your taxes."

Consequently, the protesters redirected their focus, turning their aggression towards their own national governments. Naturally, their respective nations were equally incapable of providing these two benefits. After venting their frustrations in these outbursts, the demonstrators finally resigned themselves to reality.

From that point onward, however, their allegiance to their home governments began to weaken. What worth did a government hold that could not meet the fundamental needs of its people? These individuals focused their efforts entirely on finding ways to immigrate to "Star City." As a result, by 2023, the number of people meeting "Star City’s" immigration criteria surged to an unprecedented fifty thousand. "Star City," however, welcomed all comers; anyone who met the established requirements was granted entry.

In 2023, with all preliminary preparation complete, Liu Hui finally launched the much-anticipated, large-scale Martian immigration program he had long planned.

Martian terraforming was largely complete. Except for regions where gravity arrays had not yet been deployed—areas where gravity still differed significantly from Earth’s—the Martian environment was largely comparable to Earth’s. Due to the changes in the natural environment, heavy, cumbersome spacesuits were no longer necessary for excursions outside the habitats. Within the vicinity of Mars's three major population centers, people could now move about freely on the surface.

Throughout 2023, "Star City" successfully transported one million immigrants to Mars. Combined with the initial fifty thousand construction workers, this total population of 1.5 million immigrants was distributed across the three human settlements.

Every family that immigrated to Mars was granted a fully renovated, spacious house, large enough to comfortably accommodate ten people. They also secured well-compensated employment in the newly established Martian factories, while their children gained access to high-quality education services, spanning from kindergarten through university, built on Mars. Furthermore, Star End-of-Life Hospitals began establishing branch locations on Mars, providing comprehensive medical care to ensure all residents remained healthy and free from disease.

With this, the first phase of the Martian colonization plan was officially concluded, establishing "Star City" as possessing two principal hubs: one, the current terrestrial headquarters remaining on Earth, and the other, the three major human settlements now flourishing on Mars.

By the end of 2023, Mars boasted a population of only 1.5 million, significantly fewer than the 5.5 million inhabitants of "Star City." However, in the near future, the gravitational center of "Star City" would shift toward Mars, making the Red Planet its true core.

From 2021 to 2023, over those three years, "Star City's" rate of growth accelerated so fiercely that the rest of the world's nations couldn't even keep pace, left choking in its dust.

By year-end 2023, the combined GDP of "Star City" and Mars amounted to thirty trillion Star Credits—and that didn't even account for the output from the secret factories on Mars. Even so, this figure dwarfed the thirteen hundred million Star Credits generated by the second-place United States, leaving it far behind. At this point, "Star City's" GDP accounted for over 65% of the entire world's total output, transforming it into a terrifying economic behemoth.

The rest of the world's nations had devolved completely into manufacturing facilities for "Star City." Their high-tech industries had collapsed across the board, their former vigor completely spent. The United States, in particular, saw every high-tech sector crumble, surviving only by relying on massive order placements from "Star City's" colossal machinery. Thus, even as their economy slowly recovered, their underlying strength continued to erode compared to the past.

During these years of "Star City's" meteoric rise, the world could only watch as it sprinted further and further ahead, their own technological prowess having withered completely.

When "Star City" announced the welfare benefits of the physical evolution fluid and the rejuvenation techniques for its Star Citizens, these other nations could only stand by helplessly. When their own citizens desired these advancements, they still had to pay exorbitant prices to acquire them; the disparity in treatment between a Star Citizen and a non-Star Citizen was now an unbridgeable chasm.

As "Star City" pressed forward with its colonization of Mars, these nations could do nothing but observe. They couldn't even break through the orbital barriers around Earth, let alone race to Mars to claim territory. Their jealousy burned especially fierce when they witnessed the broadcasted footage of the completely terraformed, beautiful Martian landscapes orchestrated by "Star City."

"Star City" siphoned off the various resources from these nations using products that were not only practical but also remarkably cheap, effectively trapping them into dependence. The introduction of the massive virtual reality game *Gods and Demons* three years prior was a masterstroke, captivating over nine hundred million players worldwide, whose massive dedication continually generated profits for "Star City."

Through the in-game currency exchange system, "Star City" grew obscenely wealthy. While these nations watched their domestic wealth drain away, they were lucky to skim off the scraps. This accumulating resentment eventually curdled into genuine hatred directed toward "Star City."

These long-simmering antagonisms fueled increasing dissatisfaction among the nations. Incited by certain ambitious schemers, these disgruntled countries began to secretly coordinate, plotting maneuvers against "Star City." Their aim was to eliminate the key figure, Liu Hui, and then, while "Star City" was thrown into chaos, unleash all their military might to forcibly seize control of the city and its infinite wealth.

The individuals who acted as the crucial liaisons in this conspiracy were none other than the remnants of the former Dragon Slaying Society. After their previous attempt to use a council of god-level masters against "Star City" failed spectacularly, the Society had been forced to halt all activities targeting the city, terrified of provoking a devastating retaliation.

Liu Hui had chosen to temporarily ignore the Dragon Slaying Society precisely because they had appeared to become chastened. He had never suspected that over the years, their desire to eliminate him and dismantle "Star City" had never faded. Now, they had successfully stoked the grievances of most of the world’s nations against "Star City" and united them in a colossal, secret conspiracy. They realized this was their final chance; if they didn't strike now, the opportunity would vanish forever. This was, arguably, their last gambit.

Perhaps because "Star City's" development had been so smoothly triumphant these past few years, or maybe because Liu Hui had diverted his attention wholly to the Martian colonization efforts, or perhaps due to the extreme secrecy employed by the Dragon Slaying Society—whatever the reason, "Star City" remained utterly unaware of this ultimate conspiracy just before its activation.

Many thanks to the reader ☆☆ for their support and the seven update tickets totaling 3000 words! And thanks to the reader for the two support tickets! RO