Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 299 Procedural Justice! We Must Negotiate Actively! (Please Subscribe)

Among all known creatures, the more intelligent a species is, the more cruel it will be to its fellow races that challenge its authority or attempt to seize its rights.

The gorillas kill any wolves that dare to challenge or steal their mates, while the she-wolves and hounds kill and drive away the old and weak wolves.

Not to mention the praying mantis eating the male praying mantis.

Humans initially thought the dwarves would simply beat up the dwarves who stole their food, or perhaps use some means to intimidate them.

However, what people who have lived in the modern world for a long time and received modern education witnessed was an extremely cruel scene.

This book's first release is officially recognized, making it super convenient and providing you with a reading experience free of errors and disordered chapters.

"Even the savage humans of the far north expel their own kind who disobey! No wonder these guys have been able to rule the dwarves for so long. Their civilization is getting worse and worse."

After watching the drones and various monitoring devices show the dwarves' cruel treatment of the starving dwarves who dared to eat human food, Bi Shengli, who was originally just thinking of temporarily occupying the place and then negotiating, had a completely new idea emerge.

More than a hundred years ago, the older generation witnessed too much darkness and cruelty, and had enough of those who called themselves civilized but actually committed barbaric acts.

They organized themselves for a shared belief, risking their lives to accomplish many of the impossible in history.

"Has the message been reported?" Bi Shengli asked his adjutant beside him.

"It's already been reported! Based on current assessments, if we continue to do good deeds as originally planned, it might backfire."

Bi Shengli lit a cigarette: "Yes, so we need to take the initiative."

"Although we are not the same race as the dwarves, their oppression without their awareness has ignited a fury in my bones. I wish I could send those guys to meet their ancestors!"

The adjutant whispered, "Given the strength of that mysterious ancestor, if we act rashly, something might happen."

Upon hearing this, Bi Shengli thought of the mysterious teleportation method by which Gaizur appeared and disappeared.

He pursed his lips, suddenly not wanting to speak.

"Damn supernatural power! Damn time-space teleportation! How can there be something so overpowered?"

"We are ultimately too weak! We are weak in overall combat strength! We are weak in firepower, and our individual soldiers are weak!"

Perhaps it is impossible for extraordinary individuals to make the forces to which they belong grow stronger together and for everyone to live similar lives.

However, the extraordinary system can crush the societies it governs. And when encountering hostile forces, it will behead any malicious enemies.

This is precisely what makes extraordinary individuals so powerful and fearsome.

Those top-tier superhumans are like nuclear weapons; once they are deployed, they will inevitably cause damage.

Nuclear weapons lead to the destruction of everyone, while superhumans are there specifically to eliminate enemies who dare to harbor certain thoughts.

Isn't this a special kind of balance?

Unfortunately, this balance hindered the pioneering teams' dream of achieving a world of harmony.

"I wonder what the command center is doing!"

On the other side of the time portal, at the headquarters of the reclamation team in Zhuhe, is Li Weiguo's office.

Li Weiguo rubbed his temples as he looked at the latest information he had gathered.

"I have seen light and I have seen darkness, but I have never seen anything so cruel and dark."

"Their behavior has long exceeded the limits of traditional rules."

"These beasts! They don't even consider the dwarves at the bottom of the social hierarchy as their own kind! They're just making an example of us to intimidate others. If we don't take action, our work absolutely cannot begin."

Wang Kaixuan said this through gritted teeth. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned slightly white from the force, and his chest heaved violently. The image of him being hanged on the screen was extremely distressing.

If humans hadn't treated those dwarves with kindness, perhaps they wouldn't have died.

He was sad, angry, and also blamed himself.

Because his intellectual contributions were involved in those project proposals.

"Perhaps this is how they maintain their rule." Li Weiguo picked up the cup of strong tea on the table, blew on it to cool it down, and said, "A cruel world requires even crueler methods to intimidate people. Different worlds require different approaches!"

"This kind of intimidation? This is systematically destroying the dwarves' right to say no to others. Mr. Li, didn't the dwarves have a glorious history? How did they become like this? How could they willingly become like this?"

Li Weiguo put down his teacup with a soft thud that was particularly clear in the quiet office.

He looked at Wang Kaixuan and remained silent for a long time.

"Mr. Li, I'm sorry, what did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong! We all underestimated the dwarves' cruelty towards their own people. As for the history you mentioned?" He chuckled, "Whoever controls the present controls the past. Those so-called glories are probably just a distorted version of history!"

Wang Kaixuan was taken aback, then realized: "You mean—history has been embellished?"

"Otherwise what?" Li Weiguo pointed to the dwarven patrol team on the screen, who were carrying three-eyed muskets and wearing runic armor. After executing some people, these guys had gathered a force and started patrolling the area to maintain order.

What appears to be a means of maintaining stability is, in the eyes of humans, nothing less than a clownish act and a declaration of sovereignty.

"Knowledge, superhuman strength, and opportunities for upward mobility beyond individual grasp—the power to interpret history—are all in their hands. This structure of rule has somehow allowed the dwarves below to maintain a remarkably [good] attitude."

This structure still has some merits in terms of people's lifestyles.

"Uh, Mr. Li?"

"Wang Kaixuan, don't look at things from only one perspective! You see, the dwarves' order is full of oppression, but it is precisely this privilege that allows the selfish nature of intelligent life to be released to the fullest extent! Without external intervention, it might be as solid as a lump of iron!"

"They should have resisted."

"Yes, there must have been some resistance, but even if there was resistance, it probably couldn't even make a ripple before it was wiped out completely."

Li Weiguo sighed complexly, paused, and then his tone carried an ambiguous meaning: "A once incredibly powerful interstellar civilization couldn't possibly lack an advanced system of institutions. But now they don't even dare to face their own history, and they have no idea how many hardships these civilizations have endured!"

"We must try our best to obtain historical information about the dwarves! They are of extremely high value to us."

"good!"

"Are you confused?"

Wang Kaixuan took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision: "President Li, President Su suggested that we should fully intervene! Rescue those poor dwarves and get them to come with us willingly! We have the capability!"

His voice grew increasingly excited: "Isn't this our opportunity? Let's use Tranquil Harbor as a model, overthrow these old-world vampires, redistribute the spoils, and let them live a good life too! We can extend this model to the entire Dwarf Kingdom!"

Li Weiguo did not answer immediately, but just looked at him quietly, his eyes deep, as if he could see through the flames burning in the young man's heart.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke, extending his finger not to point at the map, but to Wang Kaixuan's heart.

"You've crossed the line!"

"Crossing the line?" Wang Kaixuan asked, puzzled.

"Long ago, our elder brother also firmly believed that he was absolutely right. Their ideal was the whole world, the galaxy and the sea." Li Weiguo's voice was calm, but filled with reminiscence. "But what happened in the end? That great ideal became a whip lashing at everyone, an uncontrollable tyranny."

His words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing most of Wang Kaixuan's enthusiasm.

He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute.

"But—Mr. Li, are we just going to stand by and watch? So many innocent dwarves—" His voice trailed off, filled with resentment and confusion, "We'll only take some embers, what about the rest? Are we just going to leave them to suffer in hell?"

Silence fell in the office once again.

Seeing Wang Kaixuan's expression, which looked like she was about to cry, Li Weiguo's serious face suddenly disappeared, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You, Xiao Wang, how many times have I told you to avoid arrogance and impetuosity, and to think things through before acting! Don't look at problems one-sidedly."

He leaned back in his chair, leisurely picked up his teacup, and looked completely at ease.

"When did I say we weren't going to help those dwarves?"

"Huh?" Wang Kaixuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide like copper bells, his face full of question marks.

Looking at his silly expression, Li Weiguo added another sentence, a sly smile spreading across his face.

"And who told you that helping out means we have to take the initiative ourselves?"

Li Weiguo picked up the thermos and refilled the empty cup in front of Wang Kaixuan. A layer of white mist instantly appeared on the glass.

"Let me test you!"

"Mr. Li, please go ahead."

"How many dwarves do you think are actually hoping for our arrival?"

This question invigorated Wang Kaixuan. He straightened his back and answered almost without hesitation: "The power structure of dwarfs is a standard pyramid structure."

"Based on current findings, I'm certain that 70% are the lowest strata of the population, 28% are the core ruling class and vested interests, and the remaining 0.2% are those of noble birth who truly hold power. I believe that at least 60% of the lowest dwarfs yearn for a savior to appear and completely change their dire situation!"

His voice carried an undeniable certainty.

"wrong."

Li Weiguo uttered a single word, which completely extinguished Wang Kaixuan's burning passion.

"At most 10%! Maybe even less than one percent."

Wang Kaixuan was stunned, his mouth half-open, his mind unable to process what was happening for a moment.

Li Weiguo picked up his teacup and slowly blew on the steam: "Kaixuan, you can't just look at the data alone when analyzing problems. You need to analyze them carefully, from a higher perspective!"

"First, who are we? We are outsiders! Do you think they are hoping we will liberate them, or are they afraid we will take their jobs? Intelligent races have the nature of not airing their dirty laundry in public! This principle applies to every world."

"Secondly, the dwarven civilization has never been interrupted; they have their own pride. If you, an outsider, go there and point your finger at them, saying you're living a miserable life and I'll teach you how to live," do you think they'll kowtow to you or hit you with a hammer?"

"Third, they have long lifespans. A race that can live for hundreds of years has a tolerance for suffering far beyond our imagination. Oppression? They're used to it. Change, on the other hand, means risk."

"For them, the poor stability of being ruled by their own people is better than the unknown and brutal turmoil of being ruled by foreigners."

"Anyone can offer sweetness. The dwarf isn't driven to the brink. How can he expect to rely on you for a lifetime after just one meal?"

Li Weiguo put down his teacup, looked at Wang Kaixuan who was speechless, and threw out the most crucial point.

"They have a way out, they haven't been driven to the brink of despair?" Wang Kaixuan muttered to himself, then lowered his head in frustration.

"Yes, he wasn't driven to the brink! Li Zicheng, who once completely ended the corrupt Ming Dynasty, even after being dismissed from his post, never considered rebellion. After experiencing despair time and time again, he still hoped to have a stable life!"

Wang Kaixuan was dealt a critical blow!

"People won't think of tearing a hole in the sky unless they're starving to death. Those dwarfs were exploited and oppressed, but they still survived. As long as they can survive, most people will choose to endure."

"Unless pushed to the very last resort, who would be willing to admit that the place they've lived since childhood is a tragedy that has destroyed their life? That requires the courage to break their bones and grow back. How many people have that?"

A dead silence.

Wang Kaixuan felt his cheeks burning. The more confident he had been just moments before, the more helpless he felt now. The logic he thought was unbreakable had been shattered into pieces by Li Weiguo's few words.

Li Weiguo tapped the table, his tone softening: "Kaixuan, your enthusiasm is good, it's valuable, but you need to use it wisely. Here's what we'll do: go to the other world, investigate thoroughly, learn more about the dwarves, and gather all the clues. Start from the very bottom."

He looked at Wang Kaixuan, who seemed quite dejected, and smiled: "You have good judgment and a pure heart. Your enthusiasm is commendable, but you lack a down-to-earth quality and have too little grassroots experience."

"Mr. Li, thank you for your guidance," Wang Kaixuan took a deep breath, then deflated like a punctured balloon, and asked listlessly, "So—what should we do?"

Li Weiguo leaned forward slightly and said, word by word, "We need to contact that dwarf ancestor, at least, we need his tacit approval, or even—authorization!"

Wang Kaixuan suddenly raised his head, his eyes widening as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind.

Yup!

They are outsiders; direct intervention would be an invasion! But if they receive "authorization" from the dwarves, who are "one of their own," and from that ridiculously powerful ancestor, the nature of the situation changes completely!

"Snapped!"

With a sharp crack, Wang Kaixuan slapped himself hard, his face turning red.

"I—Mr. Li, your insight is brilliant! I completely forgot about the importance of having a legitimate reason for our actions!"

Li Weiguo waved his hand, indicating that Wang Kaixuan could leave: "Go ahead and get back to work."

"Yes, Mr. Li!"

Wang Kaixuan nodded emphatically, turned and left, his steps much more steady than when he arrived.

Li Weiguo was left alone in the office. The gentleness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a deep, sharp look. He walked to a corner of the room, wiped his hands, and then turned on a black terminal.

The screen lit up, and a text prompt appeared.

The ID you are following is not online.

Li Weiguo was not surprised at all, and just muttered to himself, "I knew you were a very busy person."

Last time, the other party made a shocking demand for several man-portable nuclear missiles, and we agreed, but also gave them this specially made chain terminal.

Ostensibly for convenient communication, it is actually for positioning and investment to build good relations.

Those individual nuclear bombs are specially made; they have the ability to detect special energy particles from other worlds.

A nuclear bomb will only detonate if a faint, special energy particle is detected.

This measure is to guard against the possibility of nuclear weapons being dropped here.

As it turns out, human investment has proven to be incredibly profitable.

Whether it was the previous Pangaea Fortress or this Tranquil Harbor, it was thanks to the terminal and intelligence support provided by that mysterious person that the pioneering team's actions were as precise and efficient as a surgical operation.

Otherwise, once the dwarves' command system is restored and they are plunged into brutal street fighting, even the robot legion that humanity is so proud of will inevitably suffer a terrible loss.

Li Weiguo tapped his fingers on the virtual keyboard and typed a message.

【Hello, mysterious friend. I am Li Weiguo. The dwarven civilians of Tranquil Harbor are in dire straits, and we hope to do something for them. We would like to hear your suggestions.】

The message was sent but disappeared without a trace; there was no read status, let alone a reply.

Li Weiguo didn't care; it was just a procedural step.

He turned off the terminal, picked up another encrypted phone, and dialed Zhong Mengyao, who was far away in Shanghai.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Old Li." A crisp, clear, and sweet female voice came from the other end of the line.

"Mengyao, get ready to take on a mission." Li Weiguo said succinctly, "I'll send you an outline later. Have someone polish it. Contact that person under the name of the sponsor, [Script Exchange and Customization]. The theme is—The Suffering Dwarves Need the Iron Fist of Justice!"

"Pfft—" A soft laugh came from the other end of the phone. "Received. I promise to write more about the plight of the lowly dwarves in the script's background. Make it so moving that he'll feel guilty if he doesn't answer."

That's all.

Li Weiguo hung up the phone, sat down at the computer, and then turned on the microphone.

Title: A Civilization Crying in Flames

He spoke softly, and words poured down like a waterfall on the screen in front of him.

As people get older, their fingers can't keep up with their thoughts, but this speech-to-text device gives them a significant advantage.

The cursor blinked faster than those sixteen-year-old esports kids who boasted about their hand speed of over 10,000 and dreamed of becoming professional players.

He wasn't writing a report; he was weaving a story outline—a tear-jerking story outline with a touch of humor.

A dozen minutes later, the email was sent successfully.

In an office in Shanghai.

Lin Li hung up the phone, his fingertips tapping the phone lightly on the table.

The expression on his face was somewhat amused.

Sponsorship channels and script customization.

They still intend to take action against the dwarves.

He forwarded the email from Zhong Mengyao to the head of the content writing department at the company, adding only a brief sentence.

[This was specifically requested by the client, urgent!]

After finishing all this, Lin Li stretched, got up and walked out of the office, intending to check on the employees' work.

In the spacious office area, the sounds of keyboard typing and mouse clicking intertwine to create a busy symphony.

Lin Li, with his hands behind his back, strolled over to the art department like a lion king surveying his territory.

He immediately spotted a young female graphic designer who was engrossed in her work, quietly moved behind her, and focused his gaze on the screen.

"Xiao Li, there's something wrong with the highlights you've applied." Lin Li's voice suddenly rang out from behind.

"Ah!" The pretty and young female graphic designer was startled. Turning around and seeing it was her boss, her cheeks instantly turned red. "B-husband—boss—boss!!!"

"Look, the client is asking for something sacred and majestic. You're shining this light like a flashlight, a beam of light pointing straight down. It achieves the sacredness, but where's the majesty?"

Lin Li pointed to the details on the screen.

"It needs to be spread out, it needs to have a sense of layering, understand? Like—like consecrating a sacred image, have you ever seen someone consecrate it with a flashlight?"

"But, boss, the reference drawing provided by the client looks like this—" Xiao Li argued softly, looking aggrieved.

"What does the client know about design?" Lin Li waved his hand, exuding domineering aura. "Listen to me, change it! Change it exactly as I say! If he's not satisfied later, tell him to come to me directly, and I'll personally teach him a lesson."

"Huh? This...isn't that inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with that?" Lin Li raised an eyebrow. "I'll give you guys a raise!"

The employees who had been eavesdropping nearby immediately perked up.

"Thank you, boss!"

"Boss, you're brilliant! We'll stay at the company tonight!"

Lin Li nodded in satisfaction, then strolled over to another female illustrator who was working on the details, and they exchanged artistic insights with a smile.

The male employees not far away watched with envy and jealousy, and only a little bit of hatred!

"Look, look, the boss is using his damn charm to direct the work again," a programmer muttered to his colleague.

"I can't be envious. We just don't have the boss's face or his confidence," my colleague sighed. "But seriously, last time, that weird client who wanted a rainbow of colors in black—if the boss hadn't personally stepped in and berated him until he was depressed, we would have been driven crazy! Just for that, the boss is like a brother to me!"

"That's true~"

Linli's employees are well paid, have good benefits, and even help take the blame for others.

Such a wise and impartial boss is fair in rewarding and punishing.

Let him talk to whomever he wants, as long as he doesn't mistreat them.

They were unaware that Lin Li's actions at that moment were merely a cover-up.

On the surface, he was chatting and laughing with his young employees, giving them advice and appearing as a dashing young boss.

In reality, his incredibly powerful consciousness had already split off and, through his unique high-dimensional perspective, began to observe the enemy forces where the pioneering team was located.

The reports from Li Weiguo's side, the struggles of the lower-class dwarves in Ningjing Port, the brutality of the Ningjing nobles and their methods of maintaining stability—scenes flowed clearly through his mind.

A cold, unnoticed curve appeared at the corner of Lin Li's mouth.

He never expected that the image of the ancestor Gaizur that he had casually fabricated for the sake of convenience would be regarded as a lifeline by Li Weiguo and his group!

"Is your teacher famous?"

Yeah.

That saves me the trouble of finding a pretext to intervene.

The identity of our ancestors is indeed the sharpest knife.

Lin Li's self-illuminating gaze fell upon the hanged, impoverished dwarf.

"The rotten throne is already teetering on the brink of collapse, and since no one dares to overthrow it—"

"Then I'll smash it to pieces myself!"

In another world, in the tranquil harbor of the dwarves, in the office hall of the temporary governor of the port.

The heavy oak doors were tightly shut, keeping out the noise, hunger, and stench from the other side of the harbor.

Inside the hall, a dozen dwarves with beards adorned with ornate gold rings raised their glasses, the air thick with the rich malty aroma of dark beer and the smell of roasted meat.

The dwarves outside are starving, but the food inside can feed at least dozens of people.

If these things end up in the mouths of the Grumon, it might just be the dwarf version of "the rich feast while the poor freeze to death."

The position of governor became vacant after his corrupt colleagues failed in their frenzied killing spree and were subsequently eliminated by the humans led by his ancestors.

As the saying goes, a snake cannot function without a head, and a harbor cannot be without a master for even a day.

In a society like the Dwarfs' where bloodlines and lineage are highly valued, finding an elder with a long beard among those with short beards became the most urgent matter.

Gael Mithril Hammer, born into the Mithril Clan, was originally a mid-level law enforcement officer in Tranquil Harbor. Due to injuries sustained during his recovery, he was fortunate enough to escape being killed and sacrificed by the Corruptors, and thus became the interim governor of Tranquil Harbor as expected.

"After killing those sixty-odd starving bastards, Tranquil Harbor finally regained its former peace!"

The dwarf nobleman downed his glass of dark beer in one gulp and roughly wiped his mouth.

"That's right! By eliminating those short-sighted individuals, we'll have greater stability when negotiating peace with humanity in the future!"

"A toast to Lord Gale's wisdom!"

"Cheers!"

Surrounded by the crowd and seated at the head of the table, Gale, whose beard was nearly white, slowly finished his drink, a composed smile on his face, but his voice carried a hint of gravity: "Fellow countrymen, the problem is only temporarily masked. We are severely lacking in food, and it won't be easy to feed so many people."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over his colleagues present.

"To reiterate, once we have control over the dwarves, we must continue to purge the corrupt and their families in front of the humans! At the same time, we must ensure that we can purchase appropriate relief supplies from the humans."

"Gail, you're overthinking it! Those mysterious humans haven't attacked us immediately, probably because they're afraid of our power! Don't worry, we can just ask for what we want."

"Let's hurry up and build a defensive line inside the cave. We must seize this opportunity to accelerate equipment production and increase our chances of self-defense!"

"Yes, we want them to see our determination to starve rather than accept food offered to us!"

"But so many of your fellow dwarves are starving! Have you forgotten your sacred oath?"

"I haven't forgotten! I just wanted to mobilize our ships to fish!"

"But we're out of staple food too!"

Before the words were even finished, an impatient dwarf retorted, "Mart, you're overthinking it! Our 20,000-strong army will arrive in a week at most! And that's a fully armed dwarf legion!"

"Yes, when that time comes, let alone mere humans, even a dragon legion will have to think twice!"

Upon hearing this, an older dwarf who had been silent beside Gale spoke up quietly: "The corrupt bastard Mazast of Tranquil Harbor once thought his defenses were rock solid. The trash of Pangula Fortress, Rais, thought his military base was impregnable."

The hall fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

None of the dwarves present dared to claim that their military talent surpassed that of Mazast.

In terms of noble bloodline, elite soldiers under the demons, and mastery of technology and rune knowledge, no one can compare to Rice!

But they all failed.

Although they were corruptors who deserved to die, before that, they were all well-known mid-to-high-ranking figures in the dwarven kingdom.

Of the survivors present, who dares to confidently claim that they are stronger than those two?

Moreover, what do they have in their hands right now?

A bunch of greenhorn warriors who haven't been drinking warrior potions for long and can't even use various tactics skillfully? Plus some old guys who should have retired long ago?

What can we use to fight those brutal humans who can easily wipe out Mazast and Rice and their legion of assistants?

Maybe the winner is the shorter one?

Seeing that everyone's faces had darkened, Gale continued unhurriedly, "Humans are incredibly powerful, far beyond what we can easily handle. Fortunately, our ancestor Gazul appeared! The fact that they are so benevolent towards us is probably related to our ancestor."

"Therefore, we must not provoke them any further, and we should even extend our goodwill and bring out some of our treasures to facilitate the purchase of food from them later."

"This is a good method!"

"What a load of rubbish! I'm more afraid they're ambitious and want to control Peace Harbor!"

"This is our territory, and dwarves don't trust humans!"

"What if they use magic?" someone asked worriedly, "like large-scale memory manipulation or mind control—"

"Heh heh." Gale laughed. "Gentlemen, have you forgotten the runic technology we dwarves have passed down through generations, specifically designed to counter soul and memory magic?"

"I'm not afraid of us, I'm afraid of those lowly dwarves." The man lowered his voice. "You know, those guys don't have it easy. A hungry person will listen to anything. We have ways to resist, but we're too poorly equipped! Those runic equipment and consumables are too expensive to make!"

These words caused the nobles present to frown.

Upon hearing this, Gail burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

He pointed to himself, then to the crowd, and finally to the slums below the tranquil harbor outside the window, a place they wouldn't even deign to set foot in.

"They are our people, and the blood of dwarves flows in their veins."

"Who else can they trust besides us, their noble clan leaders?"

"Do you believe in humans of unknown origin?"

Gail's tone was full of unquestionable confidence and arrogance.

"Don't forget, it was they who led them to take root in this land, and whose surname represents glory and order!"

"They had no other choice."

Bang bang bang!

"What's wrong?"