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The Heavenly Realm, eminently mysterious, was home to an infinite number of unheard-of, high-value resources.

The Protoss were mostly wielders of supernatural power and had individual strengths beyond the pale.

The two things above represented business opportunities. They could provide a huge pillar on which one could cling.

For those who were looking for business opportunities and change, it was entirely normal to become lapdogs at the thought of obtaining benefits. Therefore, there would surely be many brown-nosers out there. Countless could be drawn up with just a wave of the hand.

However, the families and organizations on Earth that were already at the top were immediately caught in a dilemma and a disturbance.

Should they humble themselves toward the Protoss and show respect to them? Should they offer them some sort of benefits and fawn upon them? This was, in truth, a tough choice to make.

After all, a supreme king would never bow his head to another king. At the very least, they had to place themselves at the same height. It was unlikely that they would forgo their pride and self-esteem. For instance, the Chens would definitely not make themselves into lowly bootlickers.

“So... what are you going to do? How do you plan to deal with this?” Chen Jin asked, wanting to understand their thoughts.

“Dad... you created this home, and everything in it is yours. It should be us asking you what to do,” said Chen Xing Yue, feeling speechless. Her father was always this way—he didn’t treat them like a family.

“Yeah, Dad, it’s better if you decide,” said Chen Jin’s second daughter, Chen Xiao Yue.

“Nah...” Chen Jin waved his hands. “It has been so many years since I handed over the wheel. The company’s shares, the free cities, the space cities—all of them are in your hands. This is all about what benefits you. You both must have some thoughts and ideas on your minds. I just want to hear you out.”

What Chen Jin had said was actually the truth. Their previously massive company, Xing Hai Technologies, had been partitioned into several parts and were separately inherited. He had nothing to do with it any longer. The only things that were still left in his hands were the Knowledge Bank and Milky Way Games. Moreover, the trillions of dollars in profit generated by the Knowledge Bank were all channeled into Milky Way Games in order to provide a living for tens of millions of professional gamers. Therefore, generally speaking, Chen Jin had no money, and he bore none of the pressure of wealth.

But his wife, Su Yun, and his daughters, Chen Xing Yue and Chen Xiao Yue, were definitely three women at the pinnacle of the pyramid of wealth for the entire solar system. They owned companies worth more than a few billion, approximately 100 free cities on land, more than 50 free cities in space, and more than 50 extraterrestrial free cities on the surface of the moon, Mars, and other planets. Their combined wealth was difficult to even represent in numbers.

Among the internet communities on Earth, they even had the title of “The Queen Trio.” If “The Queen Trio” colluded and concentrated their resources into taking some big action, it could sometimes cause even the largest nations to tremble. If it weren’t for the fact that these three queens did not seem to be very monolithic on the surface, with both cooperation and competition going on between them, even the Federation government would have felt threatened by the Chen’s combined power, and thus would have adopted some measures to restrict them.

The Chens... calling them the top family in the solar system was not at all an overstatement.

But the door of time and space to the Heavenly Realm had opened.

The Protoss, higher in ranks and greater in power, were coming. They would requisition huge amounts of land. An enormous amount of funds had to be expended to make the proper arrangements. In the future, it would inevitably affect the interest of the Chens to some extent.

If it were only about money, the Chens, without a doubt, had an infinite amount of that at their disposal. They would still classify even a hundred trillion dollars as “pocket money.” The more important issue was still land. As the biggest “landlords” in the solar system, the Chen’s “Queen Trio” owned hundreds of free cities on the surface of Earth.

The Protoss were coming over, and they would occupy a lot of area. Should the Chens, then, contribute some of their land? Should they forgo their status as a “local tyrant” and make a good impression in the Protoss with some degree of sincerity?

In other words, it had essentially become a question of whether or not they should act like lapdogs.

Hearing Chen Jin’s question, Su Yun, Chen Xing Yue, and Chen Jiao Yue all displayed a distressed expression.

“Dad, we also have a headache over this question.”

“The Federal Speaker sent me a newsletter a few days ago. He hopes that our family will be the first to show some goodwill by freeing up 30 free cities with better living conditions and give them as a gift to the Protoss. In return, the Federation will give us some sort of reward.”

Chen Xiao Yue instantly became annoyed and said, “At that moment, I wanted to ask if he was sick. 30 free cities—moreover, the most valuable free cities on Earth—and he expects me to give them away, just like that! Was he daydreaming or something? Do they think of our family as a fat-a*s sheep that can be slaughtered at will?”

Her eyes were emitting a fiery, murderous aura. In fact, the Chens were by no means a “fat sheep.” On the contrary, most of the elites from the federal army—out of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who retired each year—had been recruited, in accordance with their performance in the armed forces, into the Xing Hai security company, which provided a favorable welfare. In addition, Xing Hai Military Industrial Group was the fourth largest military equipment manufacturer in the solar system. Fighters, tanks, warships, rockets, interstellar spacecraft... They could build all of these. Their range of products was so comprehensive that they were able to provide a complete defensive weapons system for some small countries.

“The Chens—the invisible third superpower.” This was the conclusion drawn by many netizens in one forum.

It was absolutely unimaginable that a family like the Chens would give up a huge portion of their resources and make themselves a lapdog for the so-called Protoss. However, if the Chens did not bear some responsibility, it was rather unlikely that the federal government would be able to free up one-third of the land without their cooperation. Therefore, just the topic of land acquisition itself was likely to stir up massive turmoil.

Su Yun added, “I’ve worked in the government for more than 20 years, and I know how they run things in the political sphere. If we do not give them our cooperation and turn a deaf ear to all appeals, nothing but public criticism awaits us. Besides the Protoss, even the Federation might stand against us. Later on, they would try to collect some evidence that is unfavorable to our family and to devour us—a fat sheep, in their eyes—whole.

“In recent years, our family has, indeed, been too dazzling and too powerful. On the internet and in the political field, there are always some extreme voices that target us. They have made it seem that, if they can just manage to maim our family, it will alleviate all social contradictions, and the world will become fair... In the eyes of many, the Chens have become a demon lord.”

But, in fact, this “demon lord” was the one who was upholding justice. They did not cause trouble for others. They accumulated their fortune steadily and surely, one step at a time, just to have a tall castle and a warehouse full of jewelry. Those supposed “brave warriors,” lifting the banner of justice and attempting to take everything away from the “demon lord” through violence, were nothing but despicable robbers. But, because they were in different classes, the “demon lord” and the “brave warriors” were destined to always oppose one another.

They only way for the Chens to be freed from becoming targeted by various forces would be if they took the initiative and dispersed most of their wealth, earning themselves a good reputation. But giving up 30 free cities, and, more importantly, losing dignity and face, would make them seem very wimpy in the eyes of others. In certain hot-blooded novels, when confronting such a situation, the protagonist would usually “man up” and show some balls! Whether a god or a demon, only one thing awaited those who dared to provoke him—death.

However... did the Chens have the capital to do this?

The Protoss were of unknown strength and origin. It was still unclear, for the time being, how powerful their forces were and how strong their destructive power would be... they had very little intelligence.

On Earth, many forces gave the evil eye to the Chens. It was highly possible that they would attempt to trip them up by subterfuge. In order to maintain a state where they could resist the Protoss and reject the Federation, in the future, they might plummet into passiveness, or even become a “sacrificial lamb” at whom everyone took aim.

Otherwise, everyone in the living room was an adult, with an average age of more than 80 years. They had gone through their youthful, feverish age long before, and were all rational beyond compare.

“30 free cities, huh,” Chen Jin muttered to himself. “Money cannot measure the value of these. The Federation did say that they would give us a little reward, but, in fact, it would be little more than a small spiritual comfort. In truth, it would be exactly the same as if we gave out 30 cities for free.

“But, until we get to the bottom of things regarding those Protoss, it seems like we can only agree to the Federation’s request.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xing Yue’s eyes grew wide. “Dad, what about our appearance? Even claiming that we sold the cities to the Federation would do a number on it. We could let the federation sign a 300 trillion IOU and ask them to pay us off slowly. Even if they do not want to pay us, we could say that they’ve borrowed those cities from us, and that they still have to return them to us in the future.”

In short, they must not appear to be making any concessions.

“Well, I do not think that appearance is all that important.” Chen Jin shook his head and said, “Giving, selling, and borrowing might sound different, but they are basically the same thing. After the Protoss immigrants arrive, the 30 cities would no longer belong to our family, at least in the short term. The outcome is exactly the same.

“As for appearance—the Chens want it, the Federation wants it, and those Protoss want it even more. If we fight to save face in this way, even after giving up 30 cities, odds are that nothing good will come of it for us, and we might even provoke the other two parties... It is likely that we’d continue to make ourselves targets in the future.”

“Hence, it is better for you to not fight for appearances in this way, and keep your conduct ambiguous. Just say that you are willing to take out 30 cities, without mentioning any of the words “give,””sell,” or “borrow.” Just brush off all those public comments, and let bygones be bygones.”

Chen Xiao Yue got the idea and opened her mouth to speak: “Isn’t this the so-called ostrich tactic? Or a ‘spiritual victory’?”

Chen Jin gave her a black look. “Talk less, and everything will be fine.”

“Dad, this is similar to what we were planning to do, as well. Those Protoss are too much of an unknown to us. We can only abide by them for now... Nevertheless, it’s still very embarrassing. But, after listening to you, we can at least feel a little better. After so many years, our pride has almost gotten into our bones. But you, Dad, on the other hand, are still just as modest as before. You have never changed,” Chen Xing Yue said, looking at Chen Jin. She recalled her father’s teachings from back when she was young. The word ‘modesty’ had always been on his lips.

Chen Jin, however, smiled bitterly. “Stop taking a dig at me. Those Protoss are anything but good guys. Even if I had known them thoroughly beforehand, and even if the Federation stayed idle, we, the Chens, would still have to amass some forces and charge right into that Heavenly Realm to have a look. It might just be another great chance for our civilization to erupt with progress. Our choice to shrink down into this state now is mainly for the sake of humanity’s security.”

“Dad!” Chen Xing Yue raised her voice out of shock. “Have you been regarding the Protoss as enemies since the very beginning? Didn’t you think about any other possibilities, like inclusion, coexisting, or something?”

“As far as inclusion goes, we should be the ones to accept them, not the other way around. In this universe, we are the greatest masters,” Chen Jin said, his eyes brimming. “In the future, the focus of our family shall be studying those ‘celestial particles,’ deciphering their secrets, and harnessing their maximum potential in order to develop some relevant weapons... As we continuously grow stronger and bulk ourselves up, the question about who should be the true master and who should be the obedient guests... will then be answered.”

Chen Xing Yue’s pink lips moved as she muttered, “Dad, we haven’t dealt with the Protoss before, and you have branded them as enemies so early on.”

“Whether it’s of an enemy or a friend, one should always make a rough judgment at the beginning. The biggest error is to be vague and indecisive about things. Instead of fantasizing about a happily-ever-after, it is better to prepare for the worst right from the start,” said Chen Jin solemnly.

“Now that’s my dad.”

Chen Xing Yue and Chen Xiao Yue had stars in their eyes, and their faces glowed with adoration.

Chen Jin was suddenly speechless.

...

After deliberation.

For the time being, the Chens gave away those 30 free cities that belonged to them, just as planned. Their loss was immense, as was the blow to their appearance, even if it went unmentioned).

However, Chen Xing Yue also found a business opportunity in the meantime.

“At the moment, the total population on Earth has reached 15 billion. When the Protoss migrate over and take up a third of our land, it is estimated that at least three or four billion people would have to migrate off of this cramped Earth and go settle down in the free cities in space, or the extraterrestrial free cities.

“Since each city can accommodate only 10 million people, there will be a demand for at least three or four hundred new cities in the future.

“We can seize this opportunity to invest in building more space cities and extraterrestrial free cities to resettle our excess population.

“If we can provide the means of living for even half of those three to four billion people, the benefits it would bring us in the future will far exceed those 30 free cities.

“From this point of view, no one can deny that what we are encountering now is an opportunity. Land is priceless, but it is people who create wealth. With enough human beings comes infinite wealth.”

Chen Jin and the others nodded. This was indeed a good business opportunity. The population of 15 billion people had long exceeded Earth’s carrying capacity.

However, on top of this opportunity, Chen Jin had another good idea.

He said immediately, “Since most humans will have to leave Earth and go into space, why don’t we go directly out into the universe and kickstart the era of interstellar colonization? We should send some of our own to other galaxies.”

“Moving to other galaxies?” Chen Xing Yue shook her head. “Dad, the fastest spaceship we have right now only goes 0.1 times the speed of light. Even a trip to the nearest galaxy will take 40 long years. Our current cryonic freezing technology isn’t that mature, either... It is still a little too early for an interstellar colonization era.”

In the past few years, the technology on Earth had developed rapidly, but it was still at least a few decades behind planet Haierfa... of course, the two were basically the same on a theoretical basis, but, as a lot of inventions were too expensive to actually realize, they had been developing very slowly.

“Too early?” Chen Jin looked at them. “If we bring out our mature anti-gravity technology, warp engine technology, and all other capabilities that are necessary, and create a spaceship capable of flying 20 times the speed of light within five years... could the interstellar colonization era still not dawn upon us?”

Besides—considering that the Protoss would be coming soon, their solar system was no longer particularly safe. Going to other galaxies which didn’t have the Protoss, opening up bases, and preparing “routes of retreat,” was, in fact, more or less necessary.

What?

Upon hearing his words, the three women looked at him with some surprise.