Chapter 276: Expedition of Thought

He and the Sirius Civilization were merely a piece on the opponent's chessboard, a pawn that could be casually eaten.

That Yanhuang Civilization had been concealing its strength from the very beginning.

Yet he foolishly sent his own lackeys to their doorstep.

"Your Majesty!"

The National Defense Minister's voice pulled Bijialie back from shock: "We... what should we do now? Should we immediately dispatch the Empire Fleet to...?"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because Bijialie slowly raised his hand.

"No need."

His voice returned to its usual calm, but beneath that calm lurked a raging fury and... a hint of apprehension he himself refused to admit.

"The war is over."

"The Sirius Civilization is finished."

"From now on,"

In Bijialie's eyes flashed a cold light: "Raise the threat level of the Yanhuang Civilization to the highest."

"Immediately, cut off all official contact with them."

"At the same time, issue the highest-level warning to the entire Eastern Front and all Third-level Civilizations subordinate to us."

"No civilization may have any contact with the Yanhuang Civilization; violators will be deemed traitors to the Empire."

"We must isolate them! Blockade them!"

I will make them a lone island adrift in the universe! I will make them live forever in fear beneath the shadow of our Empire!

Bijialie's decision was cold and resolute.

Before fully understanding the principles of their strange weapons, any direct military action would be foolish.

Now, all he can do is use the hegemony of his Fourth-level Civilization to wage a comprehensive economic, diplomatic, and informational... campaign against the Yanhuang Civilization.

Cold War!

And in the distant Yanhuang Civilization Strategic Command Center.

Old Luo watched the screen, where a surrender signal from the Sirius Fleet flew in like snowflakes, yet his face showed little joy.

He looked at Qin Hao.

"Xiao Qin, what reaction will the Biteen Empire have?"

Qin Hao's gaze seemed to pierce endless void, seeing the majestic palace floating above the nebula.

He smiled, a hint of reassuring confidence in his smile that put everyone at ease.

"They will be afraid, they will be angry, they will blockade us."

"But they dare not come."

"Because they are lofty gods. And what gods fear most is falling from their altar."

"And we barefoot have never feared the shod."

The downfall of the Sirius Civilization was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up towering waves across the Eastern Front of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The Biteen Empire, hegemon that had ruled the Eastern Star Region for millions of years,

suffered, for the first time, such a great dumb loss before an obscure emerging civilization.

The civilization they had carefully chosen to probe was almost humiliatingly wiped out right at the opponent's doorstep.

Yet they dared not utter a single harsh word.

They could only hastily issue a sternly worded blockade order, trying to use the dignity of their Fourth-level Civilization to regain a shred of face.

【Warning! Yanhuang Civilization, a dangerous source full of unknown thought viruses! Its existence already poses a serious threat to the peace and stability of the Milky Way Galaxy!】

【Effective today, the Biteen Empire will impose a comprehensive information, trade, and diplomatic blockade on the Yanhuang Civilization!】

【Any civilization belonging to the Eastern Front that has any contact with the Yanhuang Civilization will be regarded as an open provocation and betrayal of the Empire! The Empire reserves the right to take any necessary measures to uphold front order!】

This overbearing and unreasonable proclamation, transmitted via the Biteen Empire's official channels, instantly spread to every corner of the Eastern Front.

For a time, winds sounded and cranes cried.

Those civilizations that had just established preliminary trade relations with the Yanhuang Civilization, such as the Auma Civilization, immediately panicked and severed all cooperation, withdrawing all diplomatic personnel.

The entire Yanhuang Civilization seemed, overnight, to become an island abandoned by the world.

Being called a "virus" by a powerful Fourth-level Civilization and urged to have all neighbors isolate you.

Such pressure is enough to make any ordinary Third-level Civilization feel suffocated and hopeless.

Yet, inside the Yanhuang Civilization, the atmosphere was completely different.

In the Command Center, Old Luo looked at the sternly worded blockade order, his face showing no worry at all, but instead a hint of a smile that his scheme had succeeded.

"Xiao Qin, you played this 'kill the chicken to scare the monkey' trick beautifully."

He looked at Qin Hao and praised: "We not only crushed the Sirius Civilization, but also happened to pull down the Biteen Empire's pants."

"Just a paper tiger that's strong outside but weak inside."

Zhou Shaoqing beside them sneered, "They shout fiercely but lack the courage to step onto the field themselves. What blockade are they talking about? Do they think we developed by doing business with others?"

"The more they do this, the more it proves they are guilty and afraid."

Zhang Xianzhong calmly analyzed: "They fear our thoughts, they fear our development speed. They want to use blockade to strangle us."

But this, precisely, gives us the most precious time to develop in peace behind closed doors.

Everyone knows that the Biteen Empire's blockade order looks imposing but is actually a show of strength masking weakness.

This instead creates a relatively safe external environment for the Yanhuang Civilization.

At least in the short term, the Biteen Empire dares not act rashly.

And this period is enough for the Yanhuang Civilization to fully digest and absorb the benefits of this war and the technology "packed up" taken from the Biteen Empire.

However, we also cannot afford to be completely careless.

Mao Xin Yang put forward his opinion: "The blockade, although it gave us time,"

But long-term isolation will likewise limit our development; we cannot remain an island forever.

Comrade Xin Yang is right.

Old Luo nodded. "We cannot passively wait. We must do something to break their blockade."

"How do we break it?" Zhou Shaoqing asked. "We can't just sail our fleet out and force others to do business with us, can we?"

"Of course not."

Old Luo laughed, his gaze turning to the star map, to the vast territory of the formerly Silicon-based Union that had just been liberated.

"The Biteng Empire blockades us, but they cannot blockade thought."

"Next, our work focus must undergo a major adjustment."

Old Luo stood up and walked to the star map.

"Militarily, we will temporarily shift to strategic defense. The Heavenly Sword Fleet and the Vanguard Army will undergo rotation and rest, while we accelerate the digestion and absorption of technology and prisoners from the Sirius Civilization."

"Technologically, the Academy of Sciences must exert all efforts to swiftly convert the fourth-level civilization technology we obtained from the Biteng Empire into our own productivity and combat power."

"And most importantly," his eyes flashing with wisdom, "we must launch a brand-new expedition."

"An expedition of thought!"

He pointed to those on the star map that had once been enslaved by the Silicon-based Union, now in chaos and confusion—second-level and even first-level civilizations.

"Comrade Mao Xin Yang, Comrade Brother Han."

Old Luo looked at the two of them.

"Next, your two departments must engage in deep cooperation."

"Your task is to replicate the model of our Yanhuang Civilization onto these liberated civilizations!"

"We will go to help them rebuild their homes, develop their economies, and establish order."

"We will go to educate them, guide them, so they understand what true freedom is, what it means for the people to be masters of their own house."

"We want none of their resources, none of their taxes. We want only one thing."

Old Luo paused, then spoke word by word.

Just then, an urgent message arrived: "【Currently, due to the little black house, updates must be paused.】"