Chapter 333: The Future They Fought For

"I still can't believe it... Such a powerful enemy could be defeated like this... This world is truly..."

In the base Pei Guang had constructed, Elysia gazed at the defeated Doomsday Beast and the severed head Pei Guang had dragged back, speaking with a mixture of awe and disbelief. For Earth, defeating a creature like this required a life-or-death struggle, but for Pei Guang, it was no more than a plaything.

Though the Doomsday Beast had been dealt with, Elysia understood all too well that this was only a fleeting respite for Earth. Beyond the planet, the Solar System was still crawling with Voidrangers, additional Doomsday Beasts, Calamity Vanguards, and even the terrifying Lord Ravagers.

For now, humanity was safe—but only temporarily.

Seeing Elysia lost in thought, March 7th lightly patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry! This is Ah Guang's territory now. There's no way he'd let those bad guys mess it up."

Elysia nodded, though her expression remained pensive. Welt chimed in as well. "This galaxy has seen countless civilizations destroyed for various reasons. Compared to those, this planet has been lucky."

Elysia nodded more firmly. "You're right. Without Ah Guang, humanity wouldn't last more than ten years..."

The Antimatter Legion's attacks had only slowed, not stopped, and Elysia knew their strategy well: wait for humanity to resist more fiercely, to rekindle hope, and then snuff it out completely. It was the signature aesthetic of destruction practised by the Lord Ravagers they served.

Pei Guang, however, remained unfazed. "That's no problem. The worst storyline I've had to deal with before had the world ending in a couple of years. Ten years? That's a luxury! Plus, on this planet, I don't even need to go full survivalist mode."

He shrugged with an almost casual confidence.

March 7th tilted her head curiously. "But what's next? You mentioned there's still a galaxy full of enemies. What's your plan from here?"

Without hesitation, Pei Guang drew out his trusty wooden sword. "First, we clean the house at the top! I said it before—those high-level scumbags have to go. All of them!"

He practically vibrated with excitement at the thought. For years, he'd played games where the corrupt, useless high command constantly interfered and sabotaged efforts. Finally, he had the chance to bring justice, to enact his long-awaited revenge.

Granted, the people in this version of Earth's leadership were completely different from those in the games he'd played—different backgrounds, cultures, even personalities. But that didn't matter to Pei Guang. A villainous high command was a villainous high command. Skulls for the Skull Throne!

Wait, 'Skulls for the Skull Throne'?!

Pei Guang suddenly felt something was off. Was he really about to set up a "Skull Throne" here on Earth and start collecting heads for it? He paused, reconsidering the idea. Nah, not worth it. Heads? Too messy. I'll pass.

March 7th watched him, her face filled with concern. "Uh... Ah Guang, don't you think this might be a bit much? I mean, sure, some of them might deserve it, but taking out all of them—"

Before she could finish, Pei Guang turned to her with an incredulous look, as if she were the fool here. "March, do you think I'm some kind of idiot? Impulsive, reckless, no thought to my actions, just charging in headfirst? I'll have you know, I'm incredibly clever!"

March 7th instinctively nodded before immediately shaking her head vigorously. "N-no! Of course not!"

Pei Guang's eyes sparkled with the light of intellect as he addressed everyone:

"While I do want to get rid of them all, wiping them out without reason would only lower happiness levels and spread fear. This game mode is just a side quest we unlocked along the way; there's no need to make it overly complicated. Let's use what we've got, yeah?

Take these high-ranking officials, for instance. We'll have Silver Wolf dig up all their information and then use the laws of this planet to judge them. Perfect, right? For those with blood on their hands—straight to execution. The ones just sitting on their hands? Fire them all. And for the ones actually doing their jobs? Keep them on and make good use of them!"

Of course, Pei Guang was clearly underestimating just how many people he'd have to deal with in the future—it was far more than he imagined.

Stelle threw her hands into the air triumphantly: "Ah Guang is amazing! Let's celebrate! A round of applause for his unbeatable idea!"

Pei Guang glanced at Stelle, a little exasperated. "Keep it low-key! Keep it low-key!"

Stelle shot back with a grin: "Low-key? Why? High-key! Let's go all out!"

Pei Guang looked at Stelle suspiciously. Why did she seem to be getting more and more rebellious? Where had she picked that up? Oh, wait—him? Never mind then.

Listening to Pei Guang's earlier suggestion, Elysia's eyes lit up. Truth be told, she had long been fed up with the human leadership. While she wouldn't interfere with humanity's choices and behavior, that didn't mean she found their actions acceptable.

Pei Guang's solution was practically a dream come true—it was ideal in theory. But there was a catch: under normal circumstances, gathering that much evidence was nearly impossible, and even if it was obtained, enforcing justice could be even harder.

But Pei Guang wasn't like anyone else on this planet. The tools and resources he controlled were practically a form of dimensional superiority over the locals.

Elysia smiled. "I think Ah Guang's idea is excellent. The people of Fire Moth will definitely support you~"

Pei Guang grinned. "Good! Then I'll leave the selection of new administrative personnel to you!"

Elysia froze. "What?"

Patting her shoulder with a sly smile, Pei Guang reassured her. "Good luck, my dear adjutant! I believe you'll handle this perfectly."

March 7th tilted her head curiously. "Wait, Ah Guang, you're not going to take charge yourself?"

Pei Guang shook his head. "How am I supposed to run things here and follow the main story with you all? Even a peaceful transition would take weeks at minimum. If I remember correctly, the Astral Express departs seven days after docking. Wouldn't it be way more fun to head to a new planet and explore new storylines instead of staying here watching bureaucrats mope around?"

Elysia stared at him, exasperated. "So you're just going to dump all of this on me?"

"Absolutely!" Pei Guang declared with pride. "That's what being the boss is about! Don't worry—just think of it as your way of fighting for a better world. As the big boss of this territory, my job is to outline the objectives. How you achieve them is up to you. If anyone dares mess with my land, I'll make sure we hit back hard. Simple as that!"

With his hands on his hips, he puffed out his chest proudly. After all, he was just an ordinary player at heart. He knew his limits—adjusting policies, setting strategies, and playing around with his version of "no-damage clears" were all well within his comfort zone.

But politics? That was a different beast altogether. It wasn't that Pei Guang couldn't handle it—he simply found it too cruel. With so many cute girls around him—soft, warm, sweet-smelling, and even a little sugary to the taste when kissed—he had no desire to immerse himself in cold-hearted schemes.

Yes, Pei Guang freely admitted it: he was swayed by beauty! And he was proud of it. If strategy games had included positive reinforcement from beautiful characters back in the day, most players would've turned their territories into intergalactic utopias within the first few runs.

Of course, he knew some Stellaris players who leaned into extremist isolationist or xenophobic runs when playing with ship-girl mods. After all, who would want to see their beloved ship-girls sold on a slave market?

Pei Guang and March 7th shared the same principle: loyalty to their own people above all else.

Elysia stared at him speechlessly—not because of his hands-off approach, but because he was dumping the entire responsibility on her. If she took this on, would she ever get a peaceful moment again?

But after a moment's thought, she realized Pei Guang's instincts were sharp. She was, in fact, the perfect person for the job. The saying "know a person's face but not their heart" didn't apply to her—she could see the light in people's souls.

To Elysia, many people possessed a simple, unadulterated kindness that was crushed under the weight of reality. If given a chance to change that cruel reality, she was more than willing to take it on.

Especially after Pei Guang's last words.

She sighed softly, her voice carrying a playful tone: "Ah~ We've barely known each other for a few hours, and yet you've already sweet-talked me into taking on such a huge responsibility. Fighting for a better world... I really hope the world becomes more beautiful."

March 7th chimed in enthusiastically, "Don't worry, Ah Guang said it, so it has to happen, right, Ah Guang?"

Stelle followed up with a grin, "Exactly! If Ah Guang says so, then it's set. Ah Guang, just tell me what you need me to do. Doomsday Beasts in the universe? Let this Galactic Baseballer teach them a thing or two about being decent."

Though Doomsday Beasts weren't human, Stelle's unwavering determination suggested she'd keep hitting them until they either admitted to being human or ceased existing altogether. As she pondered, she mused that if she could truly "teach" a Doomsday Beast humanity, it might be a great cosmic merit.

Pei Guang nodded confidently. "Of course. I don't know what others define as 'better,' but my idea is simple: in my domain, everyone has enough to eat and drink, access to education, meaningful work, and the freedom to spend their earnings however they please. A bit ambitious, sure, but not impossible. At least for the next few millennia, resources shouldn't be an issue."