Chapter 231 - 97: We Lost

The executives of Starlink Company sat in silence in the conference room. On the screen was a stark declaration of war.

A declaration of war from Luminous Heavy Industry.

The message was simple—just two words: "Come, fight!"

Despite the cringeworthy content, it conveyed a powerful sense of dominance and unshakeable resolve.

Upon receiving the war declaration from Luminous Heavy Industry, the president of Starlink Company found it utterly absurd.

’First of all, I haven’t provoked any of you!’

’Second, are you *really* sure you want to fight us?’

’So you beat Sinful Corporation, and now you think you’re tough enough for us?’

In the conference room, the ten executives surrounding the president looked at each other, completely unable to understand why Luminous Heavy Industry would target them.

After all, Starlink Company’s position on this planet was utterly transcendent.

They were the equivalent of guardians for the Level 9 Citizens, controlling 37,200 satellites in the sky. Among them, 3,100 were armed satellites capable of raining down heavenly punishment on any location on the planet.

Funded by global financial allocations, all they had to do was continuously launch satellites into the sky. They had no competitive relationship with other corporations.

Moreover, satellite weaponry was the most terrifying weapon in this world. Satellites in outer space were impossible to attack, while Starlink Company could launch satellite strikes against any position on the ground.

Furthermore, they had their own internal communication system, solar-powered satellites providing an endless supply of energy, and cultivation pods in their space stations to create new physical bodies. This allowed them to survive completely independent of the surface.

So, what on earth did Luminous Heavy Industry want?

Besides, we’re in the sky. How could they possibly fight us?

Their imaginations were far too poor to conceive of how this war could even be fought.

Even when they ran simulations on a supercomputer, the conclusion was that their probability of failure was only one in ten thousand.

Just as the group of executives was discussing the matter lightheartedly, the president of Starlink Company tapped the table. "Do not underestimate them."

That single sentence silenced the entire room.

The president of Starlink Company held absolute authority. As the second-in-command under the Level 9 Citizens, his influence over the company, and indeed the world, was second to none.

The president was an expressionless middle-aged man. His facial features were unremarkable, save for his exceptionally round eyes.

Although he rarely smiled, his smile was actually quite distinctive. Whenever he did, the corners of his mouth would slowly stretch open, stop at a fixed angle, hold for precisely 3.2 seconds, and then slowly return to their original position.

This smile was described as a Demon’s smile. It sent a chill down the spine of anyone who saw it, leading them to suspect that the president was, in fact, an artificial intelligence.

After confirming that everyone had fallen silent, the Starlink president spoke in his usual voice, as placid and emotionless as lukewarm water. "They just defeated Sinful Corporation and subdued their Werewolf. I do not believe this was a coincidence."

An executive chose his words carefully before speaking cautiously, "Then, you believe it to be..."

"Corporate wars were established by the Level 9 Citizens to resolve conflicts between corporations. Since they wish to initiate a war, we have no choice but to accept the challenge. What are their victory conditions?"

"They have to defend something for one hour. We win if we destroy that item within the hour. If we can’t, we lose."

"Acceptable. But add a supplementary condition: they are not allowed to hide the item. It must be placed somewhere we can see."

The president’s proposal was quickly approved. After both presidents confirmed the terms, a countdown to the start of the war appeared, indicating that both sides had entered a state of combat readiness.

Normally, the president would have remained here to oversee additional deployments.

This time, however, he simply handed the preparations over to his subordinates, went to a private room, and opened a special communication line.

"Is Lord Zero available? I wish to speak with him."

"Connecting. Please hold..."

A thin, electronic voice sounded, but the busy signal never stopped, indicating his call request was not being accepted.

Disconnecting the call, the Starlink president sat down cross-legged, meditating like an Ascetic Monk.

His long years of Cultivation had granted him an inner peace as serene as a Buddha’s, but this sudden development still left him with a sense of unease.

Something he couldn’t quite comprehend was happening, but he would not back down an inch.

As a guardian of the Level 9 Citizens, he was determined to fight to the death.

He waited quietly until the countdown ended. The enemy’s target location lit up, indicating that the attack could begin.

Without hesitation, he gave the order. In outer space, the armed satellites began to channel their power. A world-destroying laser descended from the heavens, hurtling toward the target on the ground—Duan Fei.

Watching the light that could tear the sky asunder above him, Duan Fei gave a confident smile, raised the Crowbar in his hand, and threw it out before turning to flee.

That was no ordinary Crowbar.

It was the Indestructible Crowbar.

Since *The Abyss* designated it as Indestructible, then it was truly Indestructible. Nothing and no one could change that.

If it broke, Duan Fei had every right to go find the dev team and make them give him an even better crowbar.

Moreover, inside this Crowbar was a Summoned Creature called forth with Substitute.

Sensing the white light overhead, the Shadow Person from Duan Fei’s first dungeon cried out in terror, "Big Brother, no! I don’t think we can fight that thing! I’m sorry, it was my mistake to call you guys small fry before, but I really don’t think I can stand up to that thing!"

No one answered it.

The laser descended from the sky. Thousands of armed satellites began to bombard the Crowbar relentlessly. Countless beams of light battered it over and over, yet they failed to cause the slightest bit of damage—they couldn’t even scratch its surface.

In a distant metropolis, the president of Luminous Heavy Industry watched the scene on a monitor and remarked with sincere admiration, "That thing is a work of art. If only Luminous Heavy Industry knew the principles behind it, that would be amazing."

Duan Fei, who had just returned, glanced at him. "Want to know? It involves quantum theory, the strong nuclear force, and..."

Duan Fei casually recited some of the content he had seen before. Without caring whether the other man understood or not, he turned his head and refused to answer any more questions.

’Doesn’t matter if you get it. My posturing was on point.’

The armed satellites bombarded for an hour, and the Shadow Person inside the Crowbar screamed for an hour.

The entire process was live-streamed by ’Rice Cooker.’ The Crowbar was described as a new weapon from Luminous Heavy Industry, causing their stock to soar once again and pushing Duan Fei’s profits to a new high.

Forget the previous 500 million; Duan Fei felt he could pool another billion together with the Lone Ranger and use it to get himself some high-tech upgrades.

After an hour, the satellite bombardment ceased.

An image of the president of Starlink Company appeared in mid-air. He stated, expressionlessly, "Very good. We have lost."