Chapter 209 - 205: Interstellar Deserted Star Farm Woman 16

Chapter 209: Chapter 205: Interstellar Deserted Star Farm Woman 16

After leaving Wa Star, Dai Lixing’s only thought was to get back. But the farther he traveled from the planet, the more intense his feeling of loss grew.

He had thought that returning to the Main Star meant he would be back in control of everything, but when he actually set foot on its soil, a familiar yet alien sensation washed over him.

The Main Star was as prosperous as ever. Interstellar warships cruised through the sky, and people bustled through the various spaceports, yet he felt completely out of place amidst it all.

When his family members learned of his return, they all came to visit.

Dai Lixing knew perfectly well that the visits were a pretense. Their real purpose was to find out how he had survived.

To this day, he still couldn’t remember how he had survived. His mind held only a vague impression of falling to his death and then a sudden rebirth.

His memories were fragmented, impossible to piece together.

"Marshal, your second uncle and eldest cousin are here to see you. Shall I show them in?"

The Attendant Officer stood at the door, respectfully addressing Dai Lixing, who was seated by the window.

His back to the door, Dai Lixing watched the streaks of light left by interstellar warships outside the window. His voice was as even as the faint hum of the room’s climate control. "Let them in."

The Attendant Officer nodded slightly, then stepped back and opened the door.

Dai Weiyuan, the Dai Family elder most skilled in the art of political intrigue, stood shoulder to shoulder with Dai Lixing’s eldest cousin, Dai Tiangang. A palpable aura of authority, unique to those in power, emanated from them. The moment they stepped through the door, the very air in the room seemed to freeze.

Dai Weiyuan sized up Dai Lixing, his eyes like those of a collector appraising a valuable yet flawed artifact. He was the first to speak. "I hear you’ve returned from some remote planet. A smooth journey, I hope? After all, when the confirmed report of your fall arrived, we had already made many arrangements. Your survival is, shall we say, quite unexpected."

His words were barbed, probing for the story behind Dai Lixing’s survival.

Dai Tiangang snorted, his hand tightening around a metal buckle. Its cold touch seemed to feed his impatience. "You’re hard to kill, Marshal. But the Main Star is rife with undercurrents. Have you considered what might happen if you were to have another... accident?"

Dai Lixing turned slowly, his eyes like black holes drawing in all light and reason. "Second Uncle, are you questioning how I survived? Or are you probing to see if I’m aware of certain... behind-the-scenes operations?"

His tone was light, almost teasing, but his posture was as straight as a spear. He was enveloped in the immense aura unique to a Federation Marshal—an authority forged in the crucible of countless life-and-death battles and refined in the maelstrom of politics.

A cunning glint flashed in Dai Weiyuan’s eyes, and his lips curved into a knowing smile.

"You worry too much, Marshal. The Dai Family may have its faults, but we haven’t stooped to harming our own flesh and blood. It’s just that with your return, there are some old matters that must be brought up."

"The news of your fall just so happened to arrive at a critical moment for the great families’ proposal on optimizing the commoner gene pool. The families have fought long and hard for their advantages in genetic selection; they would never allow commoners to interfere. And yet you, you come back alive and dare to speak for them. The politics on the Main Star are far more treacherous than on some remote planet. One wrong move, and the Dai Family..."

"Is that what you’re afraid of, Second Uncle? That the Dai Family’s interests will be damaged, dragging down all the other families with us?"

Dai Lixing slammed his hand down on the armrest. The metal screamed under the immense force. His expression grew unnaturally calm, but his voice was like ice. "But have you ever stopped to think? The families’ monopoly on genetic selection has pushed the commoners to the breaking point. Those people toiling in interstellar factories, those struggling to survive on deserted frontier stars—their children don’t even get the most basic chance at optimization. The future of the Main Star holds one of two things: an abyss of turmoil or the dawn of change. And I choose the latter!"

Dai Tiangang could no longer hold back. The metal buckle in his hand went CLANG. "And you’re so certain you can give the commoners a choice? The families have spent thousands of years building their power. We hold all the resources, all the technology! Commoners are insatiably greedy. Give them an inch, and they’ll devour everything! They won’t hesitate for a second when it’s time to snatch resources!"

"’Greedy?’ It’s desperation, born from being backed into a corner!"

A sharp glint lit up Dai Lixing’s eyes, as if he were locking onto an enemy target. "If the families didn’t maintain their technological monopoly, commoner children wouldn’t start life so far behind. Their parents risk everything, resorting to crude gene-editing that creates abominations, just so their children might survive in harsh Star Domains. And all the while, you families sit on high, reaping the benefits and sneering at their desperation. My fleet, Dai Lixing’s fleet, is good for more than just showing its might on the battlefield. It can also guard the flame of this just reform!"

Seeing the situation escalate, Dai Weiyuan raised a hand to silence Dai Tiangang before turning back with a placid expression.

"Marshal, perhaps you aren’t aware, but it’s not that we’re completely denying commoners access to genetic selection. It’s merely been... postponed. We must wait for the technology to mature to avoid a catastrophe of genetic degradation. The families are even preparing pilot programs for public optimization stations. It’s just that controlling the pace of this rollout requires..."

"...requires the families to compromise on their vested interests?"

Dai Lixing scoffed. With a slight shift of his body, a powerful spiritual power radiated outward, causing the lights in the room to flicker.

"Second Uncle, if the Dai Family thinks it can play the same old games and just wait for the commoners to break, you are sorely mistaken. I’ve already drafted a proposal. Option one: we ban all genetic selection and return to a level playing field. Option two: we grant the right of choice to the commoners. If the Dai Family stands in opposition, don’t forget that a Marshal’s decree can mobilize three Guard Fleets. I trust the Dai Family’s assets on the Main Star couldn’t withstand any... ’collateral damage.’ Consider your options. I don’t want to hear these same excuses at the council meeting tomorrow."

With that, Dai Lixing strode towards the adjoining rest area, leaving Dai Weiyuan and Dai Tiangang to stare at each other in stunned silence.

Dai Tiangang gritted his teeth. "He’s insane! Does he really think his Marshal’s decree gives him the power to move heaven and earth? The foundations of the families won’t be shaken by a few bold words!"

Dai Weiyuan waved a hand, his expression grave. "Tiangang, his resolve is absolute. I’m afraid he’s had this planned for some time. Send word to the other families. Say the Dai Family is willing to lead discussions on new regulations for genetic selection. We need to stabilize the situation first. It’s just... Dai Lixing... your seat as Marshal can no longer abide the original sins of the families, it seems."

As light and shadow played across the room, Dai Lixing leaned back in his chair, a slight smile on his lips. A resolve as brilliant as distant stars shone in his eyes. ’It’s time for the Main Star to be illuminated by the light of true justice.’

Dai Lixing had read his history. Tens of thousands of years of it provided clear examples: once a class structure becomes fixed, the common people will inevitably find a way to rise up and tear it down.

When that day came, it would no longer be the families making the choices.

Even ants can topple a great tree. He never underestimated the power of the common man.

’Besides, what’s the point of backing the commoners into a corner?’

’Giving them hope is also a way to ensure social stability, isn’t it?’

’When genetic optimization was first introduced, it was meant to advance the evolution of all peoples.’

’Who could have predicted it would only end up benefiting the great families and the Federation’s high command?’

Dai Lixing sank deeper into the soft lounge chair, the starlight in his eyes turning exceptionally cold.

He recalled a secret message he had received just before his crisis. In the genetic black market of the Ashes Star Domain, a frontier region of deserted stars, a virus called "Dawn" was circulating—one that could break the families’ Genetic Locks. The source of this virus, the message had hinted, pointed to the abandoned genetic labs deep within the Main Star, labs the families themselves had long since forgotten.

Just then, the voice of his Attendant Officer came through the door. "Marshal, the council chamber is ready."