Let's Go All In, Friend!

Outside the Qlipoth star system, aboard the massive flagship 'Noctiluca' of the Firefly battle group, surrounded by sleek, sci-fi silver warships, the punk-styled, silver-grey-haired girl leaned against the wide armrest of the throne—a seat that looked specially customized.

Chewing bubble gum and blowing a pink bubble, she mumbled indistinctly, "Hey, why'd you give them time to think? I say we just use that big thingamajig to launch their fleet onto their own heads until they surrender, just like with those company branches. Way easier."

And seated on the throne, naturally, was none other than the great Glamoth Empress, Her Majesty [Firefly]!

While somewhat exasperated by Ms. Silver Wolf's strange habit of preferring to lounge on places not meant for sitting despite other comfortable seats being available, Jiang Qiao decided it wasn't worth fussing over and didn't pay it much mind.

Addressing Silver Wolf's question, he replied softly in this body's gentle girlish voice, "Conquering the Corporation is not difficult for Glamoth."

"Avoiding violence and bringing this war to a close is the best way."

For Jiang Qiao, for Glamoth, destroying the warships arrayed in the stars was an effortless task. But not all Corporation employees were evil. As a commercial organization, the Corporation was mostly filled with ordinary workers earning meager salaries, trying to make a living, and those 'debt-ridden' individuals forced to 'sell themselves' into servitude to gain freedom.

While showing mercy to the enemy might not be tactically sound from a purely military perspective, Glamoth was not fighting an unjust war against the Corporation.

Therefore, adopting a gentler approach could only be described as the magnanimity of the strong. Of course, Glamoth's warriors seemed more inclined to interpret it as Her Majesty's benevolence.

"Furthermore, the blood of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry should never be wasted in such unnecessary places," [Firefly] added, resting her cheek on her hand, gazing calmly at the newly selected 'New Glamoth Iron Cavalry' clad in Firefly armor. "Glamoth is not the Swarm. The citizens of Glamoth are not, and will not be treated as, cheap, disposable 'weapons.' This is my promise to them as their Empress."

Honestly, this wasn't very Swarm-like, perhaps not even very Propagation-like. But the silver-haired girl's dignified—well, actually just very calm—words resonated deeply with Pheebe, the captain of the guard, and Brunhilde, causing them to feel captivated.

"...Kinda cool," Silver Wolf muttered under her breath after 'peeking' at [Firefly] in this state. "Think those company folks will surrender?"

"There is no shortage of people within the Corporation who can see reality."

"However, there is also no shortage of gamblers within the Corporation willing to risk it all."

The non-committal answer accurately reflected the current situation within the Corporation.

---||---

At the Board meeting, factions had clearly formed... though their original stances were already murky.

The faction led by Zai Tian argued for attempting peace talks with this unknown power, the Glamoth Empire. "From their current performance, the strength of this entity called the Glamoth Empire has exceeded the Corporation's expectations," stated Zai Tian, Director of the Traditional Projects Department and a member of the seven-person Board. (He Director Before Arita)

He was a gentlemanly, white-haired old man with round glasses. "I believe we should consider the opponent's proposal and abandon unnecessary resistance."

"What do you mean, 'unnecessary resistance,' Director Zai Tian? Has the opponent merely shown a few tricks and already scared you witless? Right, I suppose that's expected from Traditional Projects," a sharp female voice interjected, causing Zai Tian's face to flush instantly.

It was Madame Scar-Eye, Director of the Business Consolidation Department.

Responsible for receiving the fruits of the Market Development Department's efforts and consolidating business afterward, her department had the closest ties to Osvaldo's Market Development.

This cemented her as Osvaldo's undeniable political ally, a staunch hawk within the Corporation. Zai Tian, on the other hand, headed the Traditional Projects Department—responsible for entertainment and recycling unsold products—a department widely known within the company as the 'retirement home.'

Zai Tian himself was a conservative dove, lacking ambition and known for his extremely amicable nature.

"Looking at the current situation, the department responsible for intelligence gathering made severe misjudgments, leading to the Corporation's current predicament. I believe it necessary to hold the department and individuals who provided faulty intelligence accountable."

Hearing this, Diamond's expression instantly darkened. The primary intelligence regarding the Glamoth Empire came from Pearl, a senior cadre in his Strategic Investment Department. Madame Scar-Eye was blatantly using this as an opportunity to attack!

A lazy, steady voice spoke up. Taravan, the portly Emanator of [Preservation] and Director of the Material Logistics Department, waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, alright, what's the use of assigning blame now? If we're really going down that road, shouldn't we investigate Osvaldo and his subordinate's arbitrary actions that led to this unnecessary war...?"

"The most important thing right now is clearly to discuss a reasonable solution first." Although he, like Diamond, had shared Preservation Emanator power with Osvaldo's subordinates, that was purely a 'company task.' Taravan himself wasn't a follower of Preservation, but he got along reasonably well with the Stonehearts.

Thus, he intervened to steer things back on track.

Otherwise, given Madame Scar-Eye's sharp tongue, they probably wouldn't reach any conclusion before the Glamoth Empire's deadline ran out.

"What's there to discuss? They merely caught us off guard!" Madame Scar-Eye retorted coldly. "Thinking they can make the Corporation surrender with those petty tricks? Surrender to two little girls? Absurd! The Corporation hasn't suffered such humiliation since its founding!"

As a hawk, Madame Scar-Eye undoubtedly viewed Silver Wolf's call for surrender with contempt. After all, her implementation of the [Angel-type Debt Release Automaton] project showed that while not as radical as Osvaldo, she was unequivocally a 'gambler.' And would a gambler fold before the cards were even dealt, just because the opponent's hand looked stronger?

Even Diamond couldn't agree with that. He frowned. "The Corporation is not without the means to fight back. Therefore, I also disagree with Director Zai Tian's talk of surrender."

Surrendering meant total defeat. As the head of a department like Strategic Investment, even though Diamond disliked Osvaldo, he couldn't possibly endorse Zai Tian's weak stance.

"I believe we should attempt to negotiate peace with the Glamoth Empire."

"By offering sufficient concessions, I believe Her Majesty the Glamoth Empress will surely make the correct choice. Even if the Corporation suffers some losses, they would be within an acceptable range."

"Director Diamond, your remarks seem no different from Director Zai Tian's," Osvaldo's sarcastic voice cut in. For the Corporation, this war basically had only two outcomes... no, only one outcome! Victory!

Whether negotiating peace or surrendering, the practical consequences were the same: either total defeat or utter, humiliating defeat.

"Setting aside whether peace talks can succeed, even if they do, the Corporation's reputation will inevitably suffer greatly... Besides, who knows what kind of conditions these damned barbarians, these primitives, will demand, and what concessions the Corporation will have to make."

"I advocate fighting these rude, despicable villains to the bitter end!" Peace talks? What a joke! If they actually made peace, the Corporation would surely hold him accountable for triggering the incident afterward! Osvaldo glared venomously at Diamond, pushing the scales towards battle.

"Indeed, we must admit our despicable enemy possesses some unexpected technological advantages. But honorable directors, doesn't the current situation prove this was a long-premeditated conspiracy against the Corporation?"

"If that Glamoth Empire wasn't prepared long ago, how could they possibly capture all of the Corporation's branches across the universe in such a short time?"

"You know, even using the Star Rail left by the Trailblaze Aeon couldn't achieve such speed... In my opinion, that so-called Glamoth Empire must have been secretly coveting the Corporation's wealth for a long time, deliberately ambushing a high-ranking Corporation cadre on Glamoth's old star, brutally murdering our precious operative, all to intentionally provoke conflict, and then strike us unprepared while we were unaware!"

"Can such despicable tactics defeat our will of Preservation? Against vile characters like these, contemptible villains, the Corporation must strike them hard with the hammer of Preservation, show that Glamoth Empire, show all those covetous scoundrels eyeing the Corporation's precious wealth across the universe, that the Corporation is not something these vermin can casually challenge!"

"Under the radiance of the Amber Lord, we shall surely achieve final victory!"

Osvaldo waved his arms as if conducting a violin concerto, his expression fervent, his words filled with unseen persuasive power. This highly inflammatory speech stirred the blood of the directors present; even a Preservation Emanator like Diamond felt an impulse to just go fight.

It had to be said, Osvaldo's rise to Director of Market Development and star of the Corporation in such a short time was certainly due to his skill.

Fortunately, the Corporation's directors were all seasoned veterans who had weathered many storms. They quickly regained their composure. But their contemplative expressions showed that Osvaldo's words had indeed resonated.

Perhaps... that entity called the Glamoth Empire really was just some upstart faction that had mastered some advanced technology, spied on the Corporation in secret, and caught them off guard?

Honestly, this line of thinking was extremely dangerous, based mostly on Osvaldo's conjecture rather than solid evidence. But [Firefly]'s assessment of the Corporation seemed to be proven right at this moment.

There is no shortage of people within the Corporation who can see reality.

But there is also never a shortage of gamblers.

And everyone seated here, every director of the Corporation, including the conservative Zai Tian from Traditional Projects—their pasts undoubtedly involved being 'gamblers.' Otherwise, they could never have secured their current Board seats amidst the Corporation's intense internal competition.

Therefore, their gambler instincts awakened by Osvaldo, an inescapable thought now swirled in their minds.

What if we win....

Within moments, with unprecedented efficiency and consensus, the Corporation completed the vote.

Agreeing with Osvaldo's proposal: Madame Scar-Eye, Osvaldo...

Abstaining: Diamond, Zai Tian, and Taravan.

Opposing: None.

Thus, the resolution to fight to the end passed with a majority in favor, a few abstentions, and no opposition... practically unanimous.

---||---

The virtual screen displaying the results was clearly visible—undoubtedly, the Corporation's decision had been shown live to Jiang Qiao and Silver Wolf without reservation.

"Those ungrateful fools!" Aboard the main flagship, Pheebe's azure eyes blazed with fury. "To treat Her Majesty's mercy with such contempt!" The girl's ample chest heaved rapidly, and heat radiated from her body—clearly, anger had unconsciously activated the unique 'light and heat emitting organs' of the [Mercy's Bane] lineage.

"These company folks are really addicted to gambling... I lost!" Ms. Silver Wolf, having bet incorrectly on whether the Corporation would surrender, grumbled irritably, then reluctantly tossed her 'imported candy' to [Firefly].

Clearly, a single piece of candy had been the wager. However, Ms. Silver Wolf had unethically sampled her potential winnings beforehand.

Ignoring Silver Wolf's pointed peeking, Jiang Qiao casually popped the slightly damp 'second-hand candy' into his mouth.

"Ahem... What now? Blast them directly? Wanna try out this [Planetary Pacifier] weapon?" Retrieving her scheming gaze, Silver Wolf ignored Pheebe's murderous glare and looked somewhat excitedly at a particular weapon displayed on the virtual screen.

"Unnecessary."

[Firefly], chewing the overly sweet candy, raised an eyebrow slightly. Gazing at the Corporation warship carrying the 'surrender envoy,' he said softly, "Since the Corporation wishes to 'pay a visit,' if we don't show proper hospitality, others might say we are poor hosts."