Chapter 226: A Horse Grows Fat in the Wild—The Matthew Effect Between Civilizations!
"Ideal City, Science Nexus, Matter Decompressor, Ringworld, War Moon…"
Li Ang silently counted off the current mega-structures under the MegaCorp's control, while also taking quick inventory of the worlds he had already brought under his command.
The main universe's Pandora Planet, Earth-001 from Specter, Earth-002 from Pacific Rim, and the remnants of the Precursors.
Earth-003 from Edge of Tomorrow, the Reaper civilization, dozens of vassal alien civilizations, and colonial territories spanning over a hundred star systems!
Granted, most of those star system colonies were desolate and remote, far less resource-rich than the Solar System.
But they still had ample basic mineral resources—it just took a massive labor force to extract them.
Thankfully, this mining labor was almost entirely outsourced to the alien vassals that had joined the Galactic Union. They provided cheap manpower and raw materials.
In exchange, they gained access to MegaCorp's weapons, DreamTech devices, industrial goods, gene-engineered monsters, and other products.
All MegaCorp had to do was receive these raw materials at minimal cost, feed them into the factories, and then mass-produce goods to sell off at inflated prices.
Money can always be earned again—but lose your conscience, and you can earn even more!
Of course, Li Ang considered himself a benevolent and just administrator, a righteous Executor of the Galactic MegaCorp tasked with spreading "love and peace" across Universe-003.
He couldn't bear to see his alien bros toiling away in hardship—mining all day, then trekking across the galaxy just to deliver resources. So the MegaCorp thoughtfully offered them some FTL (faster-than-light) engine units.
As for the cost of those handy tools? Well, the aliens could always trade some of their population, or their remaining trade rights, as part of a "fair and equitable" exchange.
And in order to improve their resource transport efficiency, most of these alien vassals did end up choosing to trade for the FTL engines.
Not that they had much bargaining power anyway.
On top of that, all these new colonies and territories now absorbed into MegaCorp's sphere of influence—along with the mega-structures—brought in a massive flow of corp-credits for Li Ang.
As of now, the corp-credit output from MegaCorp's various resource zones had jumped tenfold compared to five years ago!
It was the perfect example of "a horse can't fatten without wild grazing, and a man can't get rich without windfalls." Grinding high-level missions and plundering alien civilizations' resources and territories was way faster than slow, organic development.
And with these corp-credits, Li Ang's options instantly expanded.
Currently, the second Matter Decompressor had already been built in Universe-003. Construction was completed, and it had officially gone online.
Thanks to that structure, human civilization on Earth-003 could now accelerate its development by another giant leap!
Li Ang's strategy remained consistent: in times of resource scarcity, prioritize the strong over the weak. Let the prosperous uplift the lagging.
Once he had two fully mature colonial Earths up and running, he'd then launch a series of support campaigns to assist Earth-001 and Earth-002.
In addition, Li Ang had spent some of his corp-credits to upgrade the Science Nexus, drastically speeding up scientific research.
After the upgrade, he finally acquired the technology he'd been eyeing: the Hyperspace Drive Module.
With this in hand, Li Ang could now mass-produce his own line of Infinity -class dreadnoughts and build a homegrown fleet of FTL warships!
And from here on, dedicated shipyards for the Infinity -class vessels would begin rising up across the stars.
"I just hope the Antimatter Cloud Barrier gets developed soon… It'll be one more layer of insurance."
Switching over to the Science Nexus panel, Li Ang checked on the research status of the [Antimatter Cloud Barrier] tech node.
After acquiring the hyperspace engine, he hadn't rushed into researching the [Planetary FTL Suppression Field]. Instead, he had locked in on this antimatter-based defense.
This was what the MegaCorp really needed right now!
After all, the planetary FTL suppressor was simply too advanced—a luxury well beyond MegaCorp's current capabilities.
It was a massive undertaking, both in time and expense. Without control over several hundred star system colonies, it was basically unfeasible.
In contrast, the Antimatter Cloud Barrier had relatively low cost and shorter development time. It could establish solid defense lines around the resource zones to ward off space pirates.
And during wartime, it could serve as a strategic buffer, slowing down enemy fleets' advances across star lanes.
After spending corp-credits to unlock the War Moon, build another Matter Decompressor, and upgrade the Science Nexus, Li Ang still had a decent stash of credits left.
But he chose, as usual, to hold onto them instead of spending everything at once.
The reason was simple: any smart decision-maker always leaves room to maneuver.
Especially when it came to resources!
As the MegaCorp expanded, the amount of corp-credits required for further development would only keep rising. Stockpiling now meant having the means to unlock critical tools or mega-structures later, rather than scrambling when the need hit.
More importantly, corp-credits weren't just consumables for unlocking and upgrading structures.
They were strategic stockpiles!
Corp-credits could be used to instantly produce Infinity -class dreadnoughts or large-scale weapons like cruisers.
When interstellar war reached its peak and both sides had depleted their fleets, Li Ang could dip into his corp-credit reserves to instantly deploy a brand-new armada—and become the last one standing!
Sure, MegaCorp had now developed the ability to mass-produce Infinity -class ships. But they still required huge inputs of manpower and material.
If war broke out, it wasn't guaranteed that a massive fleet could be rolled out in time.
So stashing away some corp-credits for emergencies was absolutely essential.
"Can't believe those 200 Infinity -class dreadnoughts I exchanged for over twenty years ago… are already running short."
Li Ang shook his head and chuckled.
Looking at the holographic screen's layout of the MegaCorp's territory, he could clearly see—
Between colonies, resource zones, defense forces guarding mega-structures, and garrisons stationed at Ideal City, there were too many places that needed fleets stationed for protection.
In reality, he could only spare about twenty Infinity -class dreadnoughts for mobile operations—barely one-tenth of the total.
He had no choice. Too many areas to defend meant he had to leave enough ships behind to guarantee security.
Still, ten Infinity -class dreadnoughts and a War Moon mega-ship were more than enough to keep the alien vassals of Universe-003 in line.
Granted, MegaCorp's current military strength was more than capable of launching an extermination campaign—obliterating every alien faction on their blacklist, once and for all.
But starting such a large-scale, protracted interstellar war would inevitably derail the corporation's development momentum.
The ultra-long logistics supply lines were stretched to their limits, supporting not only Ideal City's needs but also the production zones on various Earths—all for the sole purpose of sustaining the warriors on the front lines.
This approach was absolutely detrimental to the long-term development of a megacorporation.
The Universe Conglomerate that Li Ang had founded had indeed risen to prominence across the multiverse by selling weapons, manipulating warfare, and launching one military campaign after another.
But Li Ang had never considered war to be his primary method. Even when holding an overwhelming advantage, his first instinct was always to negotiate, to communicate.
The logic couldn't be more straightforward.
War is merely an extension of politics. If something can be obtained through negotiation or the threat of force, there's no need to resort to actual violence to settle matters.
After all, the cost of war is always looming.
From the depletion of manpower and materials to postwar compensation, the appeasement of various parties, and the redistribution of benefits—all of it consumes massive amounts of time and energy.
That cost would be far better spent on development.
As a top-tier Paradox Interactive-style war criminal known for his efficiency and cunning, Li Ang's greatest strength lay in calculating costs.
He knew exactly when to draw blades and initiate a real war, and when to resort to alliances, intimidation, or suppression.
The current military strength and scale of the Universe Conglomerate were just enough to suppress alien heresies and defend its core industrial zones.
Recently, several alien envoys had publicly declared that their civilizations would remain eternally loyal to the Universe Conglomerate—but Li Ang understood the truth.
True loyalty only rests on a foundation of benefits and deterrence. You must have both rewards and force prepared if you want your loyal underlings to stick with you.
And Li Ang wasn't particularly worried about those underlings turning on him or playing the long game to one day pull off a miraculous "three thousand soldiers toppling Wu" kind of comeback.
In reality, that kind of underdog reversal is virtually nonexistent among civilizations.
The strong stay strong. That's all there is to it.
The first-mover advantage lies in the accumulation of resources—whether in technology or development.
As long as the pace is maintained, even the tiniest lead can result in a sustained advantage from beginning to end!
It's the classic winner-takes-all Matthew Effect. It doesn't just apply to humanity—it holds just as true in the vast universe among interstellar civilizations.
At the highest level of civilization conflict, the margin for error is razor-thin, just like in pro-level matches in video games!
One misstep leads to another, and the opponent will snowball their slight lead into an overwhelming advantage.
By the time you reach the late game, you're left with nothing but complete suppression—no hope in sight.
Only in low-tier matches do you find those inspirational stories of enduring humiliation to survive, then pulling off a miraculous reversal.
Of course, even in the low tiers, true turnarounds are rare—because the advantage of a first-mover is so massive it's hard to even comprehend!
Even in the human world, "ten years of study" can't compare to "three generations of wealth and strategy." So what chance is there in the competition between spacefaring civilizations?
Once a civilization falls into a disadvantage, it's like plunging into an abyss—utterly hopeless.
Because all the enemy needs to do is avoid mistakes, and they can steamroll their way to a guaranteed victory.
It's harsh and cold, but that's the truth.
Li Ang tread so cautiously with every step precisely because he understood how vital it was to build up advantages and avoid missteps!
Fortunately, at this moment, the grand strategy had settled into place.
After completing his first Level 2 Stargate mission and executing so many operational maneuvers, it was finally time for Li Ang to unlock a new corporate template and see what kind of megastructures awaited!
[Universe Conglomerate Phase III — Matter Decompressors constructed. Current count: 2.]
[Universe Conglomerate Phase IV — War Moon constructed.]
[…]
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