"The eternal winter didn't break us, the Fragmentum didn't fell us, we even survived the greatest cataclysm… But now, over something like this, all of Belobog has been brought to this point…"
Bronya sat limply in her chair. Just a moment ago, a director from the Corporation named "Topaz" had met with her to discuss the future of Belobog.
Should she hand over Belobog's future to the Corporation, allowing this planet to become its vassal? Or… should she choose to resist the Corporation and find another way?
The woman's almost sincere attitude had initially swayed her. After all, returning Belobog to the era before the Eternal Freeze was a dream cherished by so many. Right now, this place had nothing but wind and snow… The children didn't know what the sea was, nor what a pier looked like…
But then, news from Seele in the Underworld had solidified her resolve. A group of Corporation employees wielding advanced weapons had practically seized and sealed off the entire Great Mine, under the guise of an "asset assessment."
There were many such Corporation employees in the Overworld as well, and they showed no regard for the Silvermane Guards whatsoever.
It made sense. They had the capital to be arrogant. Their advanced weaponry and formidable combat strength were far beyond anything Belobog could match…
Right now, Qlipoth Fort was in an uproar. The ministers were divided into two factions. One believed that accepting the Corporation's demands would allow Belobog to reclaim its former glory, while the other believed they should fight to the very end…
She… what choice was she supposed to make?
---o---
"Director Topaz, we've reported the specific details of the other planet to corporate headquarters. Their recommendation is that we proceed to the newly discovered planet to investigate the situation. What are your orders…?"
A team leader from the Corporation spoke softly to Topaz, who was still engrossed in her new mobile game.
"Mm, in that case, let's go conduct a survey. It won't take much time. Just think of it as a little relaxation from work."
Looking at the results screen on her phone, where Kiana was giving her a confident smile, Topaz exited the game with satisfaction. She put away her phone, stood up, and looked at the light screen projection before her.
Displayed on it was a projection of miHoYo Planet.
"Director, this planet's magnetic field seems a bit unusual. Our radar can't penetrate the atmosphere, and the life detectors are also unusable due to some kind of interference," the crew member in charge of ship reconnaissance reported to Topaz.
"Then attempt to hail them. If there's no response to the hail, have the Strategic Investment Department's advance team prepare for landing operations with me."
When it came to discovering a suspected "uninhabited" planet, Topaz had her own unique experience. All they needed to do was prepare and go take a look. Although the risk was a bit higher, what investment didn't come with risk?
"Yes, ma'am. Initiating the first round of hails to the target planet. Attempting to establish contact."
---o---
Ding-dong…
Stelle, who was lying in the first-floor lobby playing a game, suddenly heard a notification from her phone. A message then appeared on her screen.
Sender: Unknown
Content: You there?
"?"
Stelle tilted her head in confusion.
"You got it too? Me too."
March 7th, seeing Stelle's baffled expression, brought her own phone over. The content on her screen was identical to Stelle's.
"Uh… Is this some kind of spam message? Should we even reply?"
March scratched her head. Could they really receive scam texts in such a remote star system? It seemed they really needed to strengthen their cybersecurity awareness!
"Hmm…"
Stelle pondered for a moment, then chose to play along with this "suspected online scammer."
Sender: Unknown
Content: Not here, get lost!
"Uhh…"
Aboard the ship, the Corporation employees looked at each other in dismay after seeing the message Stelle sent back. Because the sender was anonymous, they couldn't see each other's names, so Topaz didn't recognize that it was Stelle.
Sender: Unknown
Content: No water meter, don't pay for gas, dug our own well, didn't order takeout, no deliveries, don't owe on electricity.
"Huh?"
Looking at this new reply, Topaz suddenly felt her brain short-circuit.
Why did this feel just like the deadbeats she had to deal with when she first started her job?
The person who had edited that message was, of course, Wende. He was currently on an open patch of land on miHoYo Planet with Dan Heng, discussing whether they should plant something. After all, with such a large plot of land, leaving it empty was a waste. Just looking at it sparked an urge to fill it with all sorts of crops! Perhaps this was the farming instinct etched into his DNA…
Dan Heng, who hailed from the Luofu, didn't quite understand but shared the feeling that it was a pity to leave the land bare.
And so, the two began a discussion on what to plant. It was only when they received that inexplicable message that the discussion about miHoYo Planet's "future" in agriculture came to an abrupt halt.
"Is this some kind of interstellar scam?"
Wende was completely baffled. How could he receive a scam text even after putting the planet in such a remote location? Have scammers started using interstellar-grade signal transmitters just to meet their year-end quotas?
"Whatever, I'll just mess with them a bit."
Following the principle of "when you can't figure it out, just relax," Wende, amidst Dan Heng's expression that clearly said, "You've been infected by March too," casually used his Chaos power to conjure two chairs. He then began his own "anti-scam" journey.
"Um, Director Topaz… this…"
"What's wrong with this? At least it shows they're open to communication. All we need to do is state our identity and see their attitude. If they let us down, we land. If they don't, we just report it to the Corporation, and the rest will be up to those guys in the Market Development Department to pester them relentlessly."
Topaz seemed unconcerned. Discovering this planet was just a side task anyway. As long as she reported it, she could wash her hands of most of the trouble.
Thus, the crew member in charge of communications drafted a formal message and sent it through the same frequency.
Sender: Unknown
Content: Greetings. We are from the Interastral Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department. We have discovered that your esteemed planet is not currently on our Corporation's Star Rail Partnership Network. May we have permission to land on your world to discuss the possibility of joining our Star Rail Investment Plan? The Interastral Peace Corporation operates on the principle of mutual benefit, and all partners who cooperate with us will enjoy various benefits provided by the Corporation. Please consider our proposal.
"Hmm, they're pretty slick with their wording. Looks like they've had plenty of practice with this kind of scamming."
Wende looked at the new message and chuckled, completely unfazed.
He wondered, weren't they afraid of being caught by the real Corporation for impersonating them and running a racket?