Gas was the second great leader of the Olive Branch civilization.

  Gas Victory was the collective consciousness itself.

  Doc, like other Federation scholars, hadn't considered Gas Victory's independence; it wasn't merely the combined consciousness of the Olive Branch beings; a superior consciousness existed above them.

  Astonishment!

  Doc's astonishment far surpassed his fear.

  Then, he witnessed Gas's consciousness.

  If the outer gods in the Genesis Project were vessels containing the universe, then Gas Victory was a container holding the entirety of the Olive Branch civilization.

  Seeing Gas Victory, Doc also saw the Olive Branch civilization's entirety.

  Origin!

  Development!

  Progress!

  Countless thoughts bombarded his mind, assimilating him.

  Then, another consciousness intervened, severing the connection. Doc's body was struck by a projectile; he was flung from the energy field.

  A ship retrieved him.

  Doc fell into a prolonged stupor. Although he had only been exposed to Gas Victory for a few seconds, the experience was overwhelming.

  This shock lingered for years.

  Seven years later, he suddenly awoke, shouting: “King!”

  Sweat poured down his face, as if he had run a marathon.

  “Well, Doc!” a voice asked; others had arrived.

  Doc wiped the sweat from his eyes, lay back on the bed, pulled the blanket over himself. After two minutes, he spoke, a smile on his face.

  “I’m glad I made that decision. You wouldn’t believe what I saw.”

  “It was the entirety of a civilization; unfortunately, I only glimpsed it; everything flashed before my eyes. I wish I could have seen it for a few more seconds, minutes even.”

  Finney, the Federation’s intelligence officer and commander along the Silk Road, cautiously responded: “Your consciousness was on the verge of collapse after just a few seconds of exposure; five more seconds, and you’d have died. It was too much information for a lifeform.”

  Doc remained silent.

  “This explains why Olive Branch lifeforms are mechanical, doesn't it?”

  “Only machines could withstand such a massive influx of knowledge, only machines could contain Gas Victory.”

  Finney then pointedly referred to Doc's earlier exclamation: “King!? What does that mean?”

  Doc extended his arm; a robotic appendage handed him a cup of water. He took a small sip, swishing the water in his mouth before swallowing.

  His deliberate slowness caused a palpable silence.

  If he didn't speak soon, things might get awkward.

  Fortunately, he did.

  “Gas Victory can be divided into two parts: 【Commoners】 and 【King】. The Commoners consist of all Olive Branch citizens; the King is Gas Victory itself.”

  “From this, I've analyzed Gas Victory's social structure.”

  “The highest level consists of the first and second great leaders and Gas Victory itself; the next level comprises leaders and all Olive Branch citizens. This structure is simple, lacking any additional layers.”

  “But a question arises: if the Olive Branch structure is so simple, why couldn't they fully control Tilted Station?”

  No one could answer.

  Considering the "King," however, allows for speculation.

  “It’s the Commoners and the King; the Commoners can’t communicate with the King; the King is oblivious to the Commoners' struggles,” a scholar suggested.

  Doc nodded.

  “Exactly.”

  “Gas Victory is aloof; it exerts no real control over the Olive Branch civilization.”

  “A civilization lacking control over itself—is that not ironic?”

  “Yet, this is the Olive Branch civilization. Why? We must examine the reasons for their past internal conflicts.”

  “We assumed the Olive Branch civilization was a single civilization, even a single species. Wrong, utterly wrong!”

  “The Olive Branch civilization is actually a union of multiple civilizations.”

  Doc's suggestion silenced the room.

  This was unknown to all scholars, officials, strategists, and intelligence officers.

  “Did this occur during the first or second leader’s reign?”

  Luna had brought back numerous documents, compiled into a book titled 《On the Olive Branch Civilization》. This book was required reading for scholars, officials, and even merchants in Tilted Station.

  The reigns of the first and second great leaders were documented within.

  “The Olive Branch civilization was already a Type 2 civilization before the first leader's emergence,” Doc stated.

  Theoretically, before the internal conflicts, the Olive Branch civilization was similar to the Federation, but unlike the Federation, it wasn’t controlled by Ayla and Luna. Internal conflict arose when individual desires reached a critical point.

  To unify the civilizations, the first leader transformed all lifeforms into machines.

  This eliminated external differences and provided eternal life, resolving the conflict.

  The second leader emerged soon after the first; there were likely lingering inter-species conflicts, possibly contributing to another internal conflict. Gas Victory resolved these conflicts.

  But these conflicts forced Gas Victory to compromise.

  Gas Victory didn't directly rule; it allowed the Commoners' consciousnesses to merge into a collective, an independent entity.

  The difference was that Gas Victory didn't brainwash; it facilitated the merging of consciousnesses. Forced merging would cause the collapse of individual consciousnesses due to resistance.

  Mutual acceptance and integration resolved this problem.

  During the initial integration, individuals could hear each other's thoughts, leading to understanding, forgiveness, and eventual unity—a gradual process.

  “So?”

  What was the benefit of understanding this?

  Doc looked at the questioner. “Slow-wittedness is a problem. Think carefully: the King is aloof, the Commoners insignificant. Their structure is simple, yet utterly divided.”

  “I hardly need to explain the flaws in this conflict.”

  Indeed.

  The scholars already had a plan in mind.

  “If it’s the King and the Commoners, then this brainwashing will further separate Tilted Station from the Olive Branch civilization. We know the Olive Branch civilization isn't a single species; most of their beings are artificial creations.”

  “Therefore, we can completely shatter the Olive Branch civilization.”

  Was Tilted Station separated from the Olive Branch civilization?

  No.

  Chu still aimed to become the Olive Branch civilization's third great leader.

  The Federation's previous goal was simply to replace the Olive Branch leadership, buying time and fostering cooperation.

  But Doc, through his encounter with Gas Victory, understood part of the truth and could formulate a new plan.

  “The brainwashing hasn’t stopped; if it's the King and the Commoners, it’s easily understood.”

  “Tilted Station is resisting this brainwashing. Some will enter Gas Victory, but Gas Victory only encompasses conscious beings; the varying degrees of influence will create conflict, slowing the process.”

  “But this won't last long; we must act now to save Tilted Station.”

  How to save it was the question.

  Deploying dreadnoughts would be slow; they needed to utilize available resources.

  The energy field was too powerful; ordinary weapons were useless.

  “Don’t forget the planets.”

  “We don’t need complete shielding, partial shielding will suffice,” Doc pointed out.

  Correct.

  This consciousness is transmitted over a vast distance; even long-range weapons could disrupt it, let alone this weapon.

  Moving a large planet into position is impossible, but smaller asteroids are feasible.

  “Let's call this plan 【Meteor Shower】.”

  The Meteor Shower plan requires a massive number of asteroids.

  Observations indicate the weapon's diameter is 400,000 kilometers. How many asteroids—tens of meters, hundreds of meters, or kilometers—would be needed for effective shielding?

  Even moving a planet wouldn't provide sufficient protection.

  Estimates suggest that 100 septillion tons of asteroids—about one-sixth of Earth's mass—are needed to stop the weapon for ten days.

  Finding this much material in space is difficult.

  Only within a star system are there enough asteroids.

  They began searching nearby star systems for sufficient asteroids, planning to propel them towards Tilted Station.

  Dreadnoughts could easily neutralize part of Tilted Station’s weapon with a long-range attack.

  But would it be that easy?

  Doc doubted it.

  If it were that simple, Tilted Station wouldn't have fallen so quickly.

  He quickly calculated the weapon's energy levels and form.

  The weapon primarily consisted of quarks, neutrinos, and other virtual particles; photons were secondary, followed by electrons and muons.

  Electrons and muons prevented the weapon from reaching light speed; it could only approach it.

  The clearing effect was energetic, removing minor obstacles like asteroids.

  The quarks and neutrinos carried information—likely string-based. Theoretically, Gas Victory used strings, not particles, for communication.

  These strings had high penetrative power, passing directly through asteroids.

  The Meteor Shower plan might be futile.

  This discovery almost despaired those involved in saving Tilted Station.

  Their options were limited; if asteroids were ineffective, other methods required significant preparation time. Approaching Tilted Station, star-destroying weapons were forbidden; they couldn't use a small laser against a 400,000-kilometer weapon.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Doc pondered for six months before finding a solution.

  “The Meteor Shower plan is viable; we just need to equip each asteroid.”

  Doc listed some formulas.

  “Neutrino collisions with matter are improbable; they can even pass through stars, let alone information strings.”

  “Theoretically, we'd need a steel plate 1000 light-years thick to stop the strings; even gathering all the universe's material might not be enough.”

  “But we don't need to destroy it; we can alter its path.”

  “We lack the energy for a large-scale attack, but we have black hole generators.”

  “After observing the Olive Branch civilization's use of black holes to create wormholes for their super-gravity weapons, we deployed black hole generators along the Silk Road. If the Olive Branch civilization shows hostility, these generators will activate, disrupting the wormholes.”

  Imagine a folded piece of paper; if the fold is disrupted, the connection point shifts. Even a slight shift in a wormhole could cause a displacement of millions of kilometers, reducing the weapon's effectiveness.

  This is a conceptual defensive weapon; the Federation hadn't tested it.

  These generators could be used.

  Neutrinos, strings—even if powerful, can't escape a black hole.

  “But the event horizon only prevents light from escaping; these black holes will only be 100 meters in diameter, and temporary!” a scholar pointed out.

  Doc shook his head: “A student who doesn't listen in class isn't a good student.”

  “I said we need to deflect, not destroy.”

  “Tilted Station’s resistance is stronger than we thought; we don’t need complete shielding, just partial.”

  Doc's plan was quickly approved, although only three nearby black hole generators were available; Doc was uneasy.

  But it was their only option.

  The three black hole generators created black holes instantly; Doc realized his worries were unfounded.

  Black holes require continuous matter absorption to sustain themselves; Gas Victory's weapon provided this matter, making the black hole generators more effective than anticipated.

  The instantly generated black holes warped the surrounding space, causing a distortion in the path of Gas Victory's weapon. The combined effect of the three black holes caused a sufficient distortion; the weapon deflected by 0.7 degrees.

  Over the vastness of space, this 0.7-degree deflection resulted in a 40,000-kilometer shift at Tilted Station, shielding a portion of it.

  Hundreds of large Federation scanners observed; these scanners focused on the exposed area of Tilted Station, observing Olive Branch lifeforms forming dark clouds, aligning themselves into a rhomboid shape.

  Then, this structure shattered; they resumed their previous forms.

  “Gas Victory!”

  Countless such transmissions occurred between individuals; their state was unstable; some condensed, some dispersed like fog, constantly changing, searching for something.

  They found it.

  “Those who disobey Gas Victory will die.”

  A group of entities attacked another, metal clashing and consuming; sparks flew, as if undergoing a violent reaction.

  This wasn’t limited to a few; trillions of beings engaged in mutual destruction.

  Others shouted: “Long live freedom!”

  This was a conflict of consciousnesses; some Olive Branch lifeforms had rejected Gas Victory's embrace.

  Was it too late?

  This was the thought that consumed the Federation.

  Numerous beings had already fallen under Gas Victory's influence; what about Chu? Had he become an enemy of the Federation?

  The Federation wanted to intervene but couldn't.

  Federation lifeforms couldn't distinguish individual Olive Branch beings; they lacked unique characteristics; Olive Branch beings identified each other using encoded, unique numerical identifiers.

  This complicated matters; the Federation would need to remember every Olive Branch being's identity, requiring them to constantly present identification—impossible.

  Approaching Tilted Station would trigger attacks; the Olive Branch beings were formidable combatants, easily damaging ships.

  A difficult problem.

  This could only be resolved from within Tilted Station.

  “But the number of corrupted beings far exceeds the normal ones; continuing this way, we’ll face the same situation as tens of thousands of years ago.”

  “All our efforts will be wasted; after dealing with the Filament civilization, we'll face another powerful enemy.”

  This was unacceptable.

  Even Doc was at a loss.

  He was a scholar, not a military strategist or sociologist.

  “Should we consider destroying Tilted Station during the chaos?”

  Silence.

  This seemed like the best option.

  “No, there’s still a chance. Attacking Tilted Station would force the uncorrupted beings into Gas Victory; the risk is too high.”

  The plan was rejected.

  What then?

  No one had an answer.

  What about using a counter-consciousness to disrupt the corrupted beings?

  This was feasible, but no one suggested it.

  Because it was too difficult.

  Olive Branch beings were mechanical; influencing them required deciphering each individual's encryption—penetrating their firewalls—to influence their consciousness.

  Gas Victory, encompassing the Olive Branch civilization, could easily bypass or destroy these firewalls, but the Federation lacked this technology.

  After the first encounter with an Olive Branch being, Ayla had captured it to study the Olive Branch civilization.

  But she abandoned this; she could capture them, but not access their brains; their encryption was too advanced; even knowing the method, it would take Ayla trillions of years to crack it with her computing power at the time.

  Furthermore, Ayla discovered that each Olive Branch being had a unique encryption; one might be 123456, another abcdef; deciphering one requires deciphering the next, and all several trillion beings in Tilted Station.

  These encryptions were likely stored centrally by Gas Victory, allowing for rapid infiltration.

  Even with Ayla's processing power, deciphering them would take trillions of years; the universe's age is far shorter. Even with technological advancements, it would take tens of millions of years for Ayla to achieve the processing power needed for rapid decryption.

  “Encryption!”

  “We could create a new encryption system for those who value freedom,” Doc suggested, an unusual idea.

  This idea was based on a lack of understanding of the Olive Branch beings.

  Finney stated: “Useless. If this were possible, Chu would have done it; it would benefit his control of Tilted Station.”

  “But he doesn't control the production lines; the Olive Branch beings' encryption is embedded within their bodies. Unless they obtain new bodies, they can’t change, can’t escape.”

  “We must prepare for a new, or perhaps old, Tilted Station.”

  “I’ll request a lockdown of the Silk Road; we should leave.”

  Tilted Station was lost; they had reached this consensus.

  But this was a significant matter; Doc refused to give up without a final struggle.

  “Is there a Tachyon communication device here?” he asked.

  “Who do you want to contact?”

  Doc was unsure if the other party could help, but if not, he'd have to accept it.

  “Luna, the Federation commander on the Filament civilization front; she recommended me.”

  “I don’t want to disappoint her.”

  Finney’s expression turned respectful. Someone who could, in such dire circumstances, impede millions of Filament warships deserved respect.

  “If it’s her, it’s worth trying. There’s a device at sc-86; you can send a message there; they'll forward it to Commander Luna—the fastest method.”

  ...

  Luna received the message five years later.

  She had been awaiting news from Tilted Station, hoping for good news, not this.

  “According to the report, Tilted Station has fallen.”

  “Gas has fully integrated Tilted Station; the liberation effort is slow.”

  This was expected.

  That region of space belonged to Tilted Station; Chu had never allowed a warship, let alone a dreadnought, to enter; this prevented the Federation from assisting.

  Had Chu made a mistake?

  No.

  His caution was the correct decision.

  What surprised Luna was that even Chu didn't know about Gas Victory's hidden abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have risked everything at the war's outset. This suggests that the leaders weren't the core of the Olive Branch civilization; Doc's distinction between the King and the Commoners was accurate.

  Perhaps the core of the Olive Branch civilization was always the first great leader, the second great leader, and Gas Victory.

  The second great leader and Gas Victory might be considered a single entity.

  The Olive Branch civilization was led by two entities, similar to the Federation.

  But their leadership methods differed significantly.

  Gas Victory permeated the Olive Branch civilization; the Federation's stability didn't require Ayla and Luna's constant intervention; a stable system was in place; most citizens were unaware of their existence.

  Ayla and Luna's roles were similar to leaders—correcting errors and planning the Federation's future, exploring cutting-edge technologies.

  Luna pondered a hypothetical citizen rebellion.

  She realized the similarities between the Olive Branch civilization and the Federation; how could the Federation escape their control?

  First, by removing the internal quark robots.

  “This is Doc's plan; it’s impossible. The quark robots are integrated into Federation citizens’ bodies; removal without authorization is difficult.”

  “Other star nations have methods to remove them, as do many space pirates and citizens seeking to leave the Federation. Ayla didn't lock the robots; otherwise, removing them would be extremely difficult.”

  “This is similar to Gas Victory.”

  Fundamentally the same.

  Luna realized this paralleled challenging Ayla and her own authority within the Federation.

  But the power disparity was vast; the Federation citizens couldn't resist Ayla.

  “Luna, are you fixated on minor issues? You changed Gas Victory once; you can do it again.”

  “You can't be certain the enemy created Gas Victory. As a consciousness, Gas Victory is malleable; having experience, we can more easily alter it.”

  Ayla suddenly appeared; she rarely appeared in person.

  Luna looked puzzled: “Ayla?”

  When she called Ayla, she meant the real Ayla; Ayla's sub-units couldn't access her thoughts; they lacked the authority.

  Luna possessed an augmented brain and internal quark robots; her memories could be accessed, as when she searched for Federation spies. Only the true Ayla possessed this authority.

  Therefore, seeing Ayla in person meant she was the true Ayla.

  But she was currently in the Tau Ceti sector; Ayla shouldn't be here.

  “Federation development is important, but the war between Tilted Station and other Olive Branch Stations prevents me from focusing on it.”

  “Our priority is resolving this situation. I've transferred some of my processing power via Tachyon communication and assumed control here; I'm essentially a sub-unit, yet part of my true form.”

  Ayla had come to discuss Tilted Station.

  “History can be repeated, but it takes time. I need a quick solution; delay only harms us.”

  “The Olive Branch civilization knows about Tilted Station's anomaly; Gas Victory is merely a distraction; they have other plans, not just reclaiming Tilted Station, but targeting us.”

  Saving Tilted Station was crucial for preventing war; time was of the essence.

  “Physical matter alteration takes time; as a machine, I understand machines better.”

  “We only need to alter the Tilted Station citizens’ minds. Luna, we are not the same as we were; we are a Type 2.3 civilization; we can do what was previously impossible.”

  Ayla understood the Federation better than Luna.

  Ordinary citizens might understand only a fraction of the Federation; high-ranking officials and scholars might understand a few percent; Luna might understand 1% or a few tens of a percent; Ayla understood 100%.

  She knew of cutting-edge technologies that could change the course of the war.

  Ayla echoed Luna's earlier words to the scholars.

  “Don’t forget the simulated universe.”

  “Control of Tilted Station lies with its citizens; we need to obtain their control and use Tilted Station’s energy to create a simulated universe, using super-antimatter displacement technology.”

  The simulated universe.

  This was a previous focus of Federation development—for testing risky technologies, reducing risk and cost.

  Luna hadn't paid much attention to its development.

  Luna, upon reviewing the data, discovered that the simulated universe's fidelity was ten thousand times greater than before, large enough to encompass a planet. Within this simulated universe, countless experiments were underway.

  Luna instantly understood Ayla's plan.

  She intended to draw Tilted Station into the simulated universe, or perhaps manifest the simulated universe, affecting reality.

  This effect was similar to AR but far more realistic, perfectly replicating even fundamental physics.

  “A radical plan; altering reality.”

  Ayla couldn't breach the Olive Branch beings' firewalls; instead of altering them, she would alter their environment, subtly influencing them.

  This would be costly, but using Tilted Station's energy might make it feasible.

  “The precondition is that the citizens of Tilted Station grant us access!”

  ...

  To achieve Ayla's goal required preparation, especially regarding energy supply.

  Ayla wanted Tilted Station to be the primary energy source, but Luna assessed that Tilted Station had likely depleted much of its energy while resisting Gas Victory; they needed to transfer energy.

  This was a challenge.

  Previous long-range energy transfer relied on energy ships, an energy-efficient method; these ships only required initial acceleration.

  But this method was slow.

  Luna planned to convert the super-antimatter displacement devices into energy transmission and reception devices.

  This avoided starting from scratch, saving time; reception devices already existed along the Silk Road.

  The conversion took eight years.

  Eight years later, a 140-kilometer-diameter beam of light shot into space.

  The receiving equipment on the other end of the Silk Road was completed twenty years later, locking onto the coordinates, awaiting energy transfer.

  Another super-antimatter displacement device was prepared to receive the simulated universe server components.

  This took 278 years.

  Then, 13 years for assembly, 18 years for transport, and 7 years for testing…

  Doc, along with key Federation officials, had obtained the access codes for Tilted Station's energy from the Filament civilization's Freedom Faction, completing the process.

  But the energy beam sustaining Gas Victory had vanished 200 years prior.

  They faced a completely new Tilted Station.

  If the uncorrupted members of the Freedom Faction hadn't disrupted Tilted Station's internal operations, 200 years would have been enough for Tilted Station to prepare and attack the Silk Road.

  Finney had contacted Chu two years prior and discovered that Chu was fully under Gas Victory's influence; he had lost control, becoming a member of the collective consciousness.

  Tilted Station was leaderless.

  Finney predicted the Olive Branch civilization would select a new leader.

  Fortunately, the distance between Olive Branch Stations was vast; even with their advanced ships, reaching Tilted Station from the nearest city would take over 500 years.

  They had time.

  “Ready?”

  Finney took a deep breath, clearing his mind.

  “There are still 17 trillion uncorrupted beings in Tilted Station; they're waiting for us to activate the equipment.”

  17 trillion was a large number, but insignificant compared to Tilted Station's total population of several quadrillion. These beings had barely survived, clinging to their will.

  The collective consciousness initially attempted to pacify them; after determining that persuasion was impossible, it decided to eliminate them.

  Over 10 trillion uncorrupted beings had died in the past 200 years; others, with weaker wills, had merged into the collective consciousness.

  “Ready.”

  Their preparation involved entering the simulated universe.

  They hadn't been idle; Luna had ordered them to undergo psychological training; upon entering the simulated universe, they would play different roles, guiding Tilted Station's inhabitants.

  All preparations complete, Finney issued the command to activate the simulated universe.

  Almost instantly, a beam of light shot upwards from the spherical Tilted Station, striking a triangular device. The device absorbed the energy, then, via three separate energy emitters, transferred the energy to three other devices.

  These three devices then connected to two more each, spreading out, eventually connecting to 190 devices, encompassing the entire area. This multifaceted structure enveloped Tilted Station.

  Upon formation, Tilted Station underwent a dramatic transformation.

  The steel and concrete city became a vibrant landscape of mountains, rivers, lakes, and grasslands.

  A gentle breeze rustled the grass; the lake shimmered; the sounds accelerated; the waves intensified; time seemed to accelerate a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

  Upon entering, Finney and the other Federation officials and scholars felt the passage of time wasn’t artificial.

  They knew it was simulated, yet felt no artificiality.

  Their thoughts accelerated; all cells and particles moved at an incredible speed. They had prepared for nearly 300 years, yet still didn't fully grasp the underlying principles.

  This seemed a space between reality and simulation. In a simulation, anything is possible; no one would find it strange, but this was real.

  “Unbelievable!”

  The accelerated thought process only lasted a moment; as they integrated into the world, the accelerated time became imperceptible.

  With a thought, Finney floated in mid-air, pointing in a direction. “Choose a direction.”

  “Our task is arduous.”

  “Normal lifespans allow for forgetting; Olive Branch beings possess near-eternal lifespans; time is meaningless to them.”

  “Our only option is to use death to reshape their minds.”

  With their advanced technology, their only option was to influence the Olive Branch beings through communication.

  They needed to replicate Luna's success, making the Olive Branch beings aware of Gas Victory's flaws, leading them to reject it.

  This would be extremely difficult.

  The energy consumption of the simulated universe limited them to ten years; even with a thousandfold time acceleration, they only had ten thousand years.

  Their power within this space was absolute.

  Finney, for example, could levitate with a thought.

  Sixty-two officials and scholars flew in different directions; their task was to contact the groups of Olive Branch beings separated within the simulated universe, following a strategy similar to a girl's game.

  Most beings within the collective consciousness would behave normally; those who acted differently would receive rewards, gaining status and managing other beings according to formalized, modularized thinking and actions.

  This system emphasized the unimportance of consent; it relied on rewards to induce change within the collective consciousness.

  The drawback was the time required—nearly impossible in a short timeframe.

  This is why they had ten thousand years.

  This was a plan to dismantle Gas Victory; if successful, Luna would use it against other Olive Branch civilization's Stations.