Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 178 Fear of Power, Not Gratitude

Chen Hang was deeply shaken, as if a raging storm had been unleashed.

He had not only heard of it, but the name was also a household name in England today, especially among survivors like them who were closely watching the situation and longing for stability.

He never expected that the person accompanying A-Yu would be this important figure.

Moreover, A-Yu's tone when introducing himself was so natural and familiar.
However, his profound experience forced him to suppress the immense shock.

Chen Hang showed no emotion on his face. He simply bowed slightly to Elizabeth and greeted her respectfully, "Miss Elizabeth, I have long admired your name. Thank you very much for taking care of Ayu."

Elizabeth remained calm and nodded slightly in return: "Mr. Chen, you're too kind. Chen Yu is my classmate and good friend. We help each other and make progress together."

Her gaze swept between Chen Yu and Chen Hang, carrying a hint of barely perceptible gentleness.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Hang could no longer suppress the confusion that had been churning in his heart for so long.

He looked at Chen Yu again, his voice carrying a hint of bewilderment caused by the information gap.

"Ah Yu. During this period, information has been scarce in England. We can only hear snippets of news from the outside world through intermittent broadcasts, mostly official documents."

"But it's only been four months, yet it feels like forty years have passed? Everything has changed so drastically. What happened to you? What's the situation back home now?"

His question revealed the biggest mystery in the hearts of countless people trapped in information isolation in foreign countries during these short few months.
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While the English side was working diligently to help Chen Yu find his third uncle and arrange follow-up matters, Lin Yi did not stop.

The dark blue Starburst fighter jets, like silent ghosts, traversed the skies of various countries, delivering carefully selected principals of Dongfeng branch schools to their respective posts.

Thanks to the formidable reputation established by Frankish, Junkers, and Ross in eliminating large and even star-core level abyssal beasts, as well as the enormous potential demonstrated by the "Blue Star Community" and the "Merit Exchange System," Lin Yi's visit was met with the highest level of hospitality and unreserved promises of cooperation.

The establishment of overseas branch campuses is progressing at an unprecedented pace.

His next target was America, the final stop on this global mission.

Unlike other countries, America's attitude toward the initial "Blue Star Community" concept was quite ambiguous, and one could even say she had little interest in it.

Lin Yi was not surprised, because this is closely related to its unique national conditions.

At the time, the apocalypse struck and the global order collapsed, but America's large number of guns and deep-rooted "self-defense" culture made its self-organized resistance forces exceptionally tenacious in the initial chaos, and the losses were relatively controllable.

Subsequently, America's leadership quickly reacted, leveraging its still-powerful state apparatus and technological foundation, and emulating the Xia Kingdom's model, rapidly integrating resources and establishing settlements to preserve national strength to the greatest extent possible.

It can be said that if America hadn't fallen far behind Xia Guo in the research and application of the "first technology" that determines the future—the source energy system—and hadn't had to relinquish the leadership of the "Blue Star Crisis Response Alliance," given America's consistent style of doing things, she would never have been willing to be second to anyone.

However, the recent high-level meeting of the consortium became a crucial turning point.

When Li Zhenguo, representing the Xia Kingdom, officially announced that Lin Yi had successfully killed a Star Core-level Abyss Beast and demonstrated the existence of the [Star Source Initial Evolution Fluid], while also clearly stating that the merit system would be gradually opened to member states of the community, providing exchanges for various rare resources, including the evolution fluid, a violent shock occurred within the upper echelons of America.

With an absolute disparity in strength, coupled with the shortcut to individual evolution and longevity right before them, any strategic considerations seem pale and powerless.

America's top management made a complete 180-degree turn in attitude.

They not only submitted a formal application to join the "Blue Star Community" at the first opportunity, but also, fearing that their sincerity was insufficient, took the initiative to invite Dongfeng Military Academy to set up a branch school there, promising to provide the most favorable conditions and comprehensive support.

Given America's complex national situation, the intricate web of various forces, and its powerful conventional military, Lin Yi carefully considered his options when choosing a branch school principal and ultimately selected Zhou Yuxuan. At this moment, the Starburst fighter jet was cruising steadily over the vast Atlantic Ocean at cruising speed.

Inside the cabin, Lin Yi and Zhou Yuxuan sat facing each other.

"Yuxuan, what are your initial teaching ideas for the America branch school?"

Lin Yi's voice broke the silence in the cabin. He looked at Zhou Yuxuan with a questioning gaze.

Zhou Yuxuan had clearly given this question a lot of thought after learning that he would be sent to America.

“Principal, America’s situation is rather special.”

He analyzed clearly, "First, because of the immediate civilian resistance, their civilian energy base is relatively strong. At the same time, after promptly adopting our country's response strategy, the government also has organized energy forces."

"But within this group, there are numerous factions and a wide variety of cultivation methods. Our Dongfeng faction is the largest of them."

"Therefore, my approach is: not to pursue quick results, but to focus on laying a solid foundation and establishing standards."

"Specifically," Zhou Yuxuan continued, "In the early stages of teaching, I will focus at least 70% of my energy on the most basic energy guidance, control training, and physical fitness development. Using the virtual helmets that will be allocated later, I will help them deeply understand the importance of collaborative combat, resource management, and sustained defense."

"After that, we will use its existing system to exert influence through infiltration."

A glint of light flashed in Zhou Yuxuan's eyes. "America values ​​data and strength. I will regularly organize public strength assessments and data comparisons to demonstrate the superiority of the Dongfeng system over their original unorthodox methods in the most intuitive way."

"At the same time, we will prioritize establishing good relationships with official or non-governmental energy groups that are willing to cooperate and have an open attitude. By helping them solve practical problems in their spiritual practice and improve their strength, we can gradually build our prestige and expand our influence."

His thinking was clear, pragmatic, and strategic, perfectly suited to America's complex situation. It demonstrated his sincerity in teaching while also implying a long-term commitment to cultural and systemic output.

After listening, Lin Yi nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.

Zhou Yuxuan's calmness, rationality, and strategic planning make him the best candidate to handle America's affairs.

"That's a good idea, let's do it your way."

Lin Yi affirmed this, then changed the subject slightly, his tone calm but meaningful, "However, in America, 'sweet dates' alone are probably not enough."

Zhou Yuxuan's gaze sharpened as he listened intently.

Lin Yi's gaze fell upon the boundless sea of ​​clouds on the panoramic display screen, and he slowly said, "The previous deterrence they received was mostly indirectly felt through the videos and images we released, lacking the most direct impact. Some impressions need to be deepened for them personally."

During this period, he did not slack off in his cultivation. He has now broken through to the third level of the Stardust level, and his source energy level is stable at 13100 points.

After all, he was different from others. He didn't have the bottlenecks at each stage of the Stardust level. As long as he accumulated enough source energy, he could break through immediately.

With the increase in total energy resources, some methods that previously required caution due to insufficient energy resources can now be used more readily.

“We’ve already given them enough sweet dates.” Lin Yi’s voice was calm, yet it carried a hint of inexplicable sharpness. “Some countries fear power but do not appreciate virtue. It’s time to let them see with their own eyes what an insurmountable ‘big stick’ really is.”

(End of this chapter)