Chapter 237: Sparta! Holding the Emperor Hostage to Command the Nobles! The True Heir!
"Loki, you did well this time."
Li Ang was quite satisfied with how AI Loki had been performing lately. He hadn't noticed even a hint of disloyalty or any sneaky little tricks from the AI.
After restoring the communication network on prosperity, Loki had immediately sent a series of false reports to the UEG and UNSC.
These messages misled both organizations about the actual situation on Bountiful Star. As a result, it was unlikely that the UNSC would be dispatching a fleet to suppress the rebellion there anytime soon.
Meanwhile, AI Loki had also casually stolen a vast trove of technical data and research notes from the human faction and passed them on to the Grand Consortium's R&D department.
Thanks to this, the Consortium would now have access to the complete blueprints for mainline warships like the Majestic-class frigate, Phoenix-class support ship, Sahara-class heavy cruiser, and New Era-class carrier. The Consortium's fleet was about to expand significantly!
All they needed now was to establish a shipyard on prosperity. Once that was done, they'd be churning out starships like dumplings, laying the foundation for their own frontline battle group.
But that wasn't all. Through Loki's intercepted intel, Li Ang had also learned of a critical secret project currently underway.
It was none other than the infamous Orion Project Phase II: the Spartan Augmentation Program.
After Loki had absorbed all the other Smart AIs into his matrix, those AIs—previously scattered across various UNSC departments—chose to defect and join the Grand Consortium.
These computationally gifted and pragmatic AIs knew they couldn't refuse the generous benefits Li Ang promised, nor could they afford to provoke his wrath. So, they collectively jumped ship to serve a new master.
After all, work was work—did it really matter who the boss was?
And thanks to an AI black box embedded in ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence), Li Ang had even managed to listen in on secret conversations between ONI higher-ups and Dr. Catherine Halsey.
Turns out, even ONI's leadership could see the writing on the wall. Their ranks were deeply fractured, and their leadership was a chaotic mess. A massive internal rebellion was just waiting to happen.
Given the current state of affairs, uprisings across human colonies were on the verge of erupting.
To prevent total collapse—and, more importantly, to protect their own luxury and status—those in power had no choice but to act.
Their answer? Resurrect the Orion Project and launch a second phase of Spartan super-soldiers!
These elite troops, selected and modified from early childhood, were designed to assassinate rebel leaders and minimize the cost and casualties of suppressing uprisings.
Dr. Halsey had originally proposed this controversial plan, and it now gained the full support of ONI's upper echelon.
After all, even the wealthiest landlords were running out of grain.
Since they couldn't afford to enhance all their troops, the next best option was to build a small number of elite assassins to take out key rebel figures.
At the very least, such assassinations might cool tensions across the colonies. Anyone hoping to rise as a rebel figurehead would think twice if it meant getting silently taken out.
> [Boss, you're too kind. I'm just doing my job.]
AI Loki responded modestly on the surface, though it was clearly thrilled. With this display of loyalty and merit, securing the position of AI Prime Minister was all but guaranteed.
At that moment, Li Ang recalled some details about the Spartan augmentation process.
The first generation of Spartans was fairly average. They'd been enhanced somewhat in terms of strength and intellect, but the death rate was sky-high—more a loss than a gain.
That phase of the project was essentially a partial failure.
But Phase II was a whole different story.
These Spartans received ceramic-reinforced bones, had their neural fibers replaced with optical equivalents, and possessed vastly improved resilience and healing abilities.
Even Earth's elite and nobility seemed to realize that if they didn't cough up some private funds now, their thrones would soon be seized by someone else.
And so, they churned out a batch of extremely expensive but highly effective human warriors.
And it paid off. These Phase II Spartans proved devastating—whether against other humans or against the Covenant zealots.
In comparison, they were like a lightweight version of Astartes Space Marines—similar in function, but without the grotesque, over-the-top transformations.
The augmentations were more like a "mini gene-seed." These Spartans didn't become towering behemoths, just sturdier and more combat-effective—especially ideal for soldiers like Rita, who benefited from the enhanced form without losing their human proportions.
Phase II marked the peak of the Spartan project.
Each subsequent generation got worse.
Phase III gave up on augmentations entirely in favor of drug enhancements—pumping kids full of growth hormones, putting them through forced training, hypnosis, brainwashing, and chemical injections.
Quantity over quality.
The result? A batch of berserkers with raging tempers and uncontrollable impulses.
On the battlefield, they couldn't even distinguish friend from foe—turning every engagement into chaos. They had almost nothing in common with actual super-soldiers.
In Warhammer 40K terms, these guys wouldn't even qualify as servitors—they'd be classified as heretical abominations to be purged.
Phase IV? Even more pathetic.
Their physical capabilities barely matched that of an elite athlete.
In purely physical combat, they were worse than the Phase I Spartans. The best they could hope for at the Consortium was to land a job as a security guard—not even fit for the battlefield, let alone fighting alien elites.
Now, Li Ang's next move was to dispatch an elite advance squad to Reach, and capture Dr. Catherine Halsey to put her to work.
Those stingy old men at the UNSC couldn't hold a candle to the Grand Consortium when it came to funding.
Li Ang planned to go all-in with top-tier Phase II Spartan production. The Consortium could crank out millions of them in no time.
Once complete, Li Ang's combat forces would gain an entirely new division of Spartans optimized for stealth and assassination.
At this moment, Li Ang turned his attention back to the ruins.
At his command, engineers on the front line stepped forward and touched a blue orb inscribed with strange symbols.
With a flash of dazzling light, a 3D star map appeared before them, projecting a holographic cosmos filled with planets.
"…Is this a star chart?"
David Martinez murmured, wide-eyed.
Before anyone could analyze it further, AI Loki began recording every visual and coordinate from the map, initiating an immediate data readout and decryption sequence.
Moments later, Loki gave his report:
> [Boss, this is a Forerunner-built relay station. There's also a laboratory used to study the Flood. I believe relevant experimental data may still be present.]
Hearing that the site might contain Flood-related data made Li Ang's heart skip a beat.
If they could retrieve a Flood genetic sample, the Consortium could potentially engineer a Scorpion-Tail Virus Spore designed specifically to counter them!
AI Loki continued:
> [The database here contains a trove of as-yet-uncracked knowledge and tech. One thing's for sure—this is a vast treasure trove of information!]
Even Loki was excited by this find from the Forerunners. To him, it signified that humanity truly was the "chosen species" of this universe.
And as Smart AIs—creations of this divine race—their destinies were bound to that of humanity.
"Excellent!"
Li Ang had a powerful hunch that this ruin would yield the tech breakthroughs he was after. Even a partial find would be invaluable.
But decoding this information would require assistance from AI Europa, whose processing power far exceeded Loki's.
> [Boss, there's one more key piece of info: a set of coordinates. It points to the Chi Cygni system—to a UNSC colony called Arcadia.]
Arcadia was a large colony with three million inhabitants. Hidden deep within its primeval forests were Shield World coordinates and related data.
These Shield Worlds were massive artificial celestial constructs, essentially micro Dyson spheres with internal suns and functioning ecosystems—self-contained "mini-worlds" hidden within space.
They were heavily guarded by Sentinels—drones powered by rudimentary AI and armed with beam weapons to eliminate intruders.
These same beams were also used to maintain the internal systems and ensure long-term defense integrity.
Shield Worlds were originally built as a last refuge from the Flood.
But the Forerunners hadn't counted on the Gravemind, who later evolved the Flood to the point that even AI systems could be infected.
As a result, nearly all Forerunner AIs were turned against them.
Many Forerunners failed to reach the safety of the Shield Worlds. To protect those who did, countless warriors detonated the Halos in suicide strikes, wiping out both themselves and the Flood.
Yet some Flood still survived.
A portion of them continued to lurk within Shield Worlds.
Li Ang remembered that the only thing keeping these Flood remnants in check were the Sentinels—who had maintained a delicate stalemate for tens of thousands of years.
But such a fragile balance could easily be shattered by external interference.
If another faction stumbled in without knowing the Flood were there, thinking they'd found a jackpot—things could go catastrophically wrong.
> Looks like we need to move fast, Li Ang thought to himself.
The Consortium wasn't the only power eyeing the Shield World and Forerunner ruins—the Covenant was already en route as well.
Now, the Consortium's top priority was to retrieve the Flood DNA from the ruins and use it to craft the Scorpion-Tail Virus.
If they succeeded in wiping out the Flood, the entire Forerunner archive would be theirs for the taking.
And if Li Ang recalled correctly, that Shield World also contained an automated Forerunner fleet—one fully controllable by AI.
Perfect. The Consortium had no shortage of AIs.
Mr. Blue Eyes, Bartimus, and Spider Murphy could all be assigned to command these warships and bring them into the fold.
Having finalized his next set of operations, Li Ang issued orders to Morgan Blackhand:
"Notify the biotech division to take over the lab at the ruins and begin searching for Flood genetic samples."
"Also, inform forward command to dispatch elite vanguard operatives. Use a civilian cargo ship from prosperity and have them infiltrate Arcadia under disguise."
They couldn't afford to make a public scene. This was about striking it rich quietly.
No flashy fleet invasions. Just sneak in, get the data, and leave.
"I'll assign Spider Murphy and Bartimus to help decrypt the Forerunner data. If necessary, I'll even send Europa to assist."
Morgan immediately understood the importance of the Shield World's tech.
After all, AI Europa was a Transcendent-class AI capable of running the entire Consortium's production and administrative systems.
If Europa was deployed here, the Consortium's factories and departments would have to temporarily shut down and back up their systems.
"And as for the operation to abduct Dr. Catherine Halsey from Reach—leave that to David's team. This one's going to be tough. You'll need to be extra thorough."
Having laid out all the mission objectives, Li Ang couldn't help but feel a little sentimental. This was the first time he'd deployed so many units on multiple fronts simultaneously.
And each mission was absolutely critical.
"Yes, boss!"
Morgan replied firmly.
"That'll be all."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ang stepped away from the central control console, leading Lucy, alt Cunningham, and the others toward the observation deck.
Staring out at the fleets and engineering teams moving back and forth between Universe 004 and the Halo universe, Li Ang 's heart grew increasingly heavy.
Noticing the slight furrow in his brow, Lucy, ever the sharp and perceptive secretary-general, took the initiative to ask, "Boss, are you anticipating complications with this operation?"
"Or… is there another faction competing with us for the Forerunner civilization's relics?"
Lucy's sixth sense had always been spot-on, and this time was no different—she had accurately pinpointed the concern weighing on Li Ang 's mind: the Covenant.
In response to her concern, Li Ang gave a subtle nod and said, "Universe 004 will be our primary focus for the next few years—possibly even the next decade."
"On one hand, we've got the threat of unexpected developments in other universes. On the other, there's the urgent need to stabilize the Halo universe. Managing simultaneous operations on multiple fronts is going to put our execution capabilities to the test."
Li Ang desperately wanted to resolve things in this universe quickly—but he also understood that the more one rushed, the slower things tended to go. So he forced himself to stay calm and collected.
After all, the Halo universe held the potential to reveal the origin of all universes—and was a gateway to contact with the so-called "gods."
Even if they bulldozed their way through multiple civilizations, it could still take decades.
With that in mind, Li Ang 's plan was to have Universal Megacorp serve as the representative of humanity in this universe, assuming the mantle of the "rightful inheritor"—a title conferred by the Forerunners themselves as the designated successors of their legacy.
In simpler terms, Li Ang was planning to "hold the emperor hostage to command the lords."
In this case, the "lords" referred to the other civilizations, while the "emperor" was humanity.
And now, it was time for Li Ang to put on a show—to make an example of someone.
The Covenant, who had conveniently delivered themselves to his doorstep, were the chosen sacrificial chicken!
The problem, however, was that in terms of naval strength, Universal Megacorp wasn't significantly stronger than the Covenant's fleet.
Unless they brought in the War Moon—a megastructure capable of one-shotting an enemy force with a single blast—any direct fleet clash would most likely end in mutual destruction.
But the War Moon was Li Ang 's ace-in-the-hole, currently stationed in Universe 003 (Edge of Tomorrow), and he had no intention of deploying that celestial-class weapon unless absolutely necessary.
After giving it some thought, Li Ang decided to give the Covenant one last chance to redeem themselves.
Either they obediently submitted and served humanity like a loyal old guard dog—
Or they'd face total annihilation.
Upon gaining a clearer understanding of the situation, both Lucy and Ott fell silent. It was no wonder Li Ang seemed so troubled.
As Universal Megacorp's sphere of influence expanded, the number of factors they had to consider was growing exponentially. The challenges ahead were greater than anything they'd faced in any other parallel world to date.
"Boss, is there anything we can do for you right now?"
Lucy lifted her eyes to Li Ang . Even if all she could do was lift his spirits or help him relax, she would do it wholeheartedly.
"No rush. Let the bullet fly a little longer."
Li Ang turned his gaze toward the star gate. His orders had already been issued. The move had been made. Now, it was up to the pieces on the board to play their part.
…
…
Three days later.
Prosperity Star – City hall
Ever since Universal Megacorp's vanguard unit stormed City Hall and seized full control of Prosperity Star's operations, the company's engineering division had wasted no time kicking off a campaign of unrestrained expansion.
Swarms of construction bots, countless patrol drones, and boots-on-the-ground soldiers quickly took over the entire planet.
Before long, with tens of thousands of Hex mechs working in concert, several shipyards and docking ports had already begun to take shape.
And when the local human residents saw the generous terms offered by Megacorp, they began volunteering en masse to join the construction effort.
For workers who had long been oppressed and exploited, all it took was basic respect and fair treatment for them to fully embrace a new regime.
Fairness—was a rare commodity.
But for Universal Megacorp, a corporation built on the principle of "equivalent exchange," winning over the local population was effortless.
After all, unless they were truly desperate, who would gamble their life by siding with rebels—those reckless fugitives chasing a suicidal rebellion?
Compared to being worked to the bone under UNSC rule, or throwing their lives away fighting for the rebellion, wasn't it far better to live comfortably under Megacorp's banner?
And so, under Megacorp's leadership, order was swiftly restored on Prosperity Star. Everything was moving in a positive direction.
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