Chapter 310: A New Era of Civilization! The Perfect Unification Is Achieved!

Chapter 310: A New Era of Civilization! The Perfect Unification Is Achieved!

Before long, under the watchful gaze of the entire world, the Secretary-General of the Megacorp, Lucy, made her appearance first. With silver hair and pink eyes, her expression was cool and detached.

Closely escorted by Lucy, Li Ang ascended the steps slowly and made his way to the very center of the ceremonial platform!

To mark this solemn occasion—the coronation of the God-Emperor—Li Ang wore a luxurious golden silk robe identical in style to what the former Emperor Saddam had once donned. At first glance, it made him look like a Western-style High Pontiff.

Still, the robe retained some distinctive elements of the Universal Megacorp. For instance, the sleeves were embroidered with the Megacorp's logo.

The main reason Li Ang chose to wear such an ornate and cumbersome outfit was to respect the aesthetic preferences of the local commoners.

After all, wearing a sleek, tailored dark suit might have felt more comfortable, but it certainly didn't look like something befitting a grand and solemn God-Emperor.

To the average citizen in the Dune universe, dignity and solemnity were what a true God-Emperor should embody.

For Li Ang, if one is to put on a performance, it must be the full production. Besides, outward appearance—no matter the era—is critically important.

The right attire and dignified presentation can subtly reinforce one's authority and make people more willing to accept your words. There's a reason the saying goes, "Fine feathers make fine birds."

A shrewd Megacorp Governor like Li Ang would never miss any opportunity—however minor—to reinforce the stability of his regime.

At that moment, as God-Emperor Li Ang arrived, a peculiar hush fell over the square, which had moments before been abuzz with anticipation.

Everyone instinctively held their breath and stared wide-eyed at Li Ang's face. For many of them, this might be the only time in their lives they could see the supreme leader of the Megacorp from such a close distance!

It was nothing like seeing him speak on the usual holographic broadcasts.

Li Ang paused in silence for a few moments, allowing his presence to gradually emanate outward and giving everyone time to focus and quiet themselves in preparation for what he was about to say.

This little technique was something he'd learned from a German friend with a passion for painting—thanks to it, that friend had become the most popular speaker in the local beer hall.

Then, with a deep and commanding voice, Li Ang finally addressed the crowd:

> "My fellow citizens, the rebirth of the Galactic Empire does not belong to one man alone—it belongs to every warrior who fought on the frontlines and helped bring down the dark tyrant, Saddam."

The unspoken message behind this statement was clear: rewards for merit.

Those deserving of promotions would be promoted; those owed money would get paid. On this day of coronation, everyone would receive their share!

> "The empire's prosperity today is the fruit of our collective effort. From this moment on, let us rebuild a new Galactic Empire together—one that walks toward a future filled with hope and brilliance."

> "Onward, to a new era of civilization!"

Li Ang's ceremonial words were eloquent and stirring, but the leaders of the major families below all understood what he really meant.

Now that the Universal Empire had been established, everyone had better know their place—who's boss and who's subordinate. There was no room for confusion.

Stick with the Megacorp, and you'll feast. Betray it, and you'll end up like the Corrino family.

> "ROAR—!!"

As his words echoed through the square, a massive Flame Phantom Beast suddenly soared across the skies above the imperial capital, letting out a deafening, majestic roar that chilled the soul.

As a ceremonial beast of the Universal Megacorp, this Flame Phantom had undergone genetic modifications by the corporation's Biotech Division, now infused with DNA from the Chrysanthemum Behemoth.

Its scarlet skin veiled a bloodstream of glowing, toxic blue—a mesmerizing yet intimidating presence, like something out of a fairy tale dragon legend.

With the Megacorp's current power, it no longer needed such beasts for combat. Most of the time, they served as trade commodities or ceremonial display creatures.

Their main function was to make grand appearances at events like this—bolstering the Megacorp's prestige and impressing the provincial lords and family heads, many of whom had never seen such power up close.

Of course, this particular beast's "aura" was still relatively modest. Li Ang had long considered, once he unlocked the Dragon Raja universe, capturing the King of Bronze and Flame to use as his personal mount.

> "For the Universal Empire!"

Among the crowd, Megacorp employees—specially assigned to stir up the atmosphere—began chanting, fists raised high. Their cries were soon echoed by tens of thousands of onlookers in unison.

The coronation ceremony reached its climax. The heads of all the major families applauded enthusiastically—each had already been granted a formal post and generous benefits from the Megacorp.

Who wouldn't support the God-Emperor?

To match the excitement of the crowd, Li Ang raised his right hand and smiled, returning the salutes from the soldiers, nobles, and citizens.

Despite the thunderous spectacle unfolding before him, Li Ang remained internally calm. This coronation ceremony was, for him, little more than a formality to sign off on his acquisition of the Dune universe.

He was simply going through the motions. Everything after this would be handled by Song Zhaomei. His role was limited to making an appearance and saying a few words.

---

Six Months Later

Universal Megacorp – Ideal City, Headquarters in Night City

Ever since the coronation, Li Ang had turned his focus to unifying the next multiverse and overseeing institutional reforms in Universe 005 (Dune), including the reconstruction of the planet Kaitain.

The former imperial capital of Kaitain would certainly need to be rebuilt—and Li Ang had already decided to develop it into a second Universal Metropolis, serving as a central hub for the new Empire.

After a thorough analysis by the Megacorp's Research Division, it was determined that Universe 005 (Dune) likely harbored other advanced civilizations. Unlike the Halo universe, where unifying the galaxy brought relative peace of mind, here that was far from guaranteed.

There was always the lingering threat from the ancient AI war ten millennia ago—there could well be surviving humans or AI lifeforms that had evolved into even more advanced powers.

With the Megacorp's territory expanding rapidly and more civilizations joining its interstellar trade network, the original Ideal City alone could no longer handle the ever-growing diplomatic and economic workload.

In this context, the new Kaitain would function as a second Ideal City—both as Li Ang's secondary palace and as a gateway hub for allied civilizations.

To construct this one-of-a-kind metropolis, Li Ang had drawn from the entire history of global architecture—Chinese palaces, Western European castles, Middle Eastern estates—all were included.

It could rightly be called a modern-day Epang Palace.

However, with Kaitain still in its reconstruction phase, it wouldn't be operational for at least another three years.

> "This unification task turned out to be much easier than I expected. Who knew being a hands-off boss could feel this good?"

At that moment, seated alone in his study, Li Ang let out a sigh of satisfaction. He now only had to focus on the top-level designs, leaving all the implementation work to his subordinates—now that was efficiency.

He briefly reviewed the full bounty harvested from the Dune universe. From tech points to territory and influence, it wasn't all that much.

Aside from the Spice and ancient AIs, which were at least somewhat interesting, he wasn't impressed with the rest of the technological advancements. Things like ornithopters? He'd had those half a century ago.

Speaking of Spice—its most remarkable trait was its ability to grant users precognition.

But even that wasn't unique within the Megacorp. They already had tools capable of "foresight" thanks to the Edge of Tomorrow universe, developed by Omega—the FTL communication device.

Using a four-dimensional perspective to foresee the outcomes of specific choices, while not suitable for frequent use, still allowed for precise prediction when necessary.

The prophesied endings revealed through spice visions could, in fact, be altered—it's just that in the original Dune series, people placed too much faith in prophecy and ultimately chose to fulfill them through "self-fulfilling" actions.

What could have been a tool to avoid disaster and seek fortune became something no one dared to use. They simply watched as every foretold outcome unfolded exactly as predicted.

But for Li Ang, he didn't care one bit whether prophecies could supposedly be changed or not. If he saw a bad outcome, he'd immediately act to avoid disaster and seize any opportunity for good fortune.

As a result, the Sisterhood Division under the megacorp established a new position—State Oracle. These Oracles would use spice to peer into the future and help Li Ang foresee potential endings at any given moment.

After wrapping up everything in Universe 005—the Dune universe—Li Ang finally turned his attention to the system panel he hadn't looked at in quite some time.

Upon carefully reviewing and tallying the remaining enterprise credits in his account, he was surprised to find that he still hadn't saved up enough to unlock the [Infinite Divine Engine].

Seeing the data displayed on the system interface, and realizing he still had some ways to go before reaching his desired goal, Li Ang couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

But thinking it over, it made sense.

After all, the difficulty of consolidating the Dune universe hadn't been particularly high. Even though he successfully took control of the entire Galactic Empire, the time and effort it took was far less than what he'd spent on Halo.

The tech points and other resources he gained also didn't compare to what he got from crushing the Forerunners and Precursors.

"What a shame."

Looking at the number of credits still required to unlock the [Infinite Divine Engine], Li Ang estimated he'd need to complete one more level-2 mission to reach the target.

Clearly, as the unlock level of the Universal Megacorp template increases and its capabilities grow, the resources required to unlock each feature are also rising exponentially.

Even completing a level-2 mission might no longer be enough for Li Ang to unlock a new megastructure template after every consolidated multiverse.

Inflation's hitting everything—even megastructure unlock costs! So frustrating!

"Should I go for a level-3 mission and challenge a higher-difficulty world...?"

Li Ang furrowed his brow, beginning to weigh the options.

When he upgraded from level-1 to level-2 missions, he didn't hesitate much—he knew the megacorp's strength and foundation were already solid.

Most of the sci-fi universes generated by level-1 star gates were just primitive local civilizations—some hadn't even made it past their near-earth orbit.

At that time, the Universal Megacorp already possessed endless-class carriers and a vast array of cloning factories—fully capable of interstellar colonization.

For a civilization already in the interstellar age, crushing primitive societies was a one-sided slaughter with zero challenge.

That confidence was why Li Ang dared to open level-2 star gates and take on higher-tier universes.

But moving from level-2 to level-3 star gates... was a whole different story!

Just one level-2 gate had already generated a high-difficulty instance like the Halo universe. If he relied purely on overwhelming force, Li Ang would have had to squeeze every last drop of the megacorp's combat power and resources.

Even then, completing the mission wouldn't have been guaranteed!

Who knew what kind of wild, bizarre, and even more challenging multiverses he might encounter at level 3?

In level-1 universes, the Universal Megacorp was an absolute higher-dimensional demon—a force that steamrolled all opposition.

But in level-2 universes, there were quite a few worlds that could go toe-to-toe with the megacorp.

The only reason the megacorp succeeded in its consolidation missions was because of Li Ang's behind-the-scenes micromanagement, always guiding them toward the optimal strategy.

Now, facing the possibility of a level-3 star gate universe, Li Ang knew he couldn't claim full confidence.

Until he had world-ending weapons that could serve as true insurance, entering a level-3 universe would mean either braving it head-on with no retreat—

—or abandoning the mission entirely, lying low, and waiting for tech to catch up.

Because once a star gate universe is unlocked, there's no turning back. It can't be refreshed or reset. Only after the consolidation mission is complete will a new universe open.

Sure, the megacorp currently had the [War Moon], neutron annihilation weapons, and large-scale doomsday tools like the Halo array—but in higher-level sci-fi universes, there was no guarantee he wouldn't encounter civilizations wielding reality-breaking weapons.

Take the Three-Body universe, for example—even two-dimensional foil weapons were tossed around like chewing gum. The current Universal Megacorp had nothing in its arsenal capable of countering such things.

If they ran into a Song civilization flinging dimension-reduction devices, their only option would be to fire up FTL ships and beat a hasty retreat.

And if they landed in the Warhammer 40K universe, Li Ang wouldn't have much confidence either—not on the enemy's home turf, facing off against monstrous gods and nightmarish chaos beings.

Unless he unlocked even more advanced Stellaris-level tech—like using Ether Phase Engines to drain the Warp, leaving the Chaos Gods with nowhere to hide...

Or amassed a new wave of even more powerful fleets and weapons, becoming an even scarier higher-dimensional demon who could give the God-Emperor and the four Chaos kiddos a real taste of corporate horror.

Right now, the Universal Megacorp was an interstellar warfare powerhouse, but not yet on the level of a universal overlord.

Li Ang currently ruled six universes—but to be precise, he only had control over most of the Milky Way in each. Only in the Halo and Dune universes had he achieved full galactic domination.

Also, most of the advanced technologies inherited from the Forerunners and Precursors in Universe 004 (Halo) were based in [Neurophysics]—a theoretical system the current megacorp still couldn't fully grasp.

It's not that the megacorp's R&D division was slacking—it's just that such advanced systems required a solid foundational knowledge base to even begin understanding.

It's like trying to build a photolithography machine from scratch: without all the necessary optical carving equipment and ultra-precise machinery, you won't get far no matter how detailed the theory is.

Without someone to walk them through it, just trying to recreate those technologies from raw theory would take a very long time.

So far, the most complete tech the megacorp had managed to replicate from its knowledge bank was the reassembly machine for the Prometheus Legion.

At the current reverse-engineering pace, catching up to the peak Forerunner civilization would take at least thirty years!

For someone like Li Ang, with an extremely long lifespan, thirty years would pass in a flash—but for an average megacorp employee, that's their entire career.

Just waiting wouldn't cut it. There's no way they'd live to see the day when humanity masters [Neurophysics] and reaches a whole new level of civilization.

It had already been half a century since the megacorp evolved out of the cyber world.

In those sixty years, aside from a few lucky individuals who joined the upper ranks and gained extended lifespans, most of the older folks in Night City had long since entered their coffins.

Even the ones still alive were practically halfway there.

For instance, the once-renowned fixer Songko, and Hans from Dogtown—they both retired after the megacorp consolidated the cyber world.

Though they were still doing alright, they weren't part of the megacorp's internal structure and couldn't get the best gene treatments or top-tier cybernetic implants to prolong their lives.

When the time came, they still had to say goodbye.

Thinking of this, Li Ang instinctively glanced at his system interface, staring at the star gate's upgrade option and debating whether to spend the remaining enterprise credits on an upgrade.

If he could risk a major operation, maybe he could unlock two megastructures in one go and rapidly accelerate the megacorp's development!

Just then, as his eyes drifted downward, Li Ang suddenly noticed that the experience bar for his star gate had mysteriously increased quite a bit—it was now just one consolidation mission away from reaching level 3.

It wasn't until he closely reviewed the upgrade rules that he realized: every time he achieved a "perfect consolidation," he received bonus star gate XP.

And to qualify as a perfect consolidation, three conditions had to be met: finish the task within 13 years, keep combat losses below 13%, and control at least 87% of the galaxy.

And in every previous mission, Li Ang had achieved all three—earning the glorious [Perfect Consolidation] achievement each time!

This mechanic helped speed up the star gate's upgrade process, designed to prevent players from lingering in low-tier universes, steamrolling weak enemies without ambition.

Now, with the Dune universe consolidated, the level-2 gate was only one mission away from becoming a level-3 gate—one step closer to unlocking the high-difficulty multiverse challenges.

Realizing this, Li Ang couldn't help but sigh at fate's arrangement. Since he only needed one more mission to upgrade the gate, there was no need to rush into a higher-difficulty universe just yet.

At that moment, Li Ang had a strange feeling that his efficient progression was being subtly guided by the system all along.

The faster he consolidated the multiverses, the sooner he might uncover the whole truth.

"At this point… may as well do a spin on the prize wheel first…!"

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