CHAPTER 135: CHAPTER 135: COMPETITIONS

The air within the grand chamber of the Beijing Imperial Palace was a heavy, suffocating blanket of dread, far removed from the petty human politics it typically hosted. President Zhi Jin Ming, his impeccably tailored suit a stark and vulnerable contrast, knelt amidst a dozen of China’s most influential corporate giants and patriarchs of elite families. These were individuals who commanded vast empires of wealth and wielded immense power in their own right, yet here, they were reduced to trembling, utterly subservient figures.

Seated upon thrones carved from dark, gleaming obsidian, draped in opulent robes of silk embroidered with golden, coiled dragons—a macabre twist on human royal regalia—were the Harvest Leaders. Krill Shen, a male, loomed sixteen feet tall, his dark purple scales absorbing and reflecting the ambient light with a faint, oily sheen. A silent, predatory stillness emanated from his massive form.

Beside him, Krill Kai, his female companion, was a comparatively smaller, though no less intimidating, fourteen feet of coiled reptilian power. Both radiated an oppressive aura of ancient dominance, an instinctual fear that pressed down on the kneeling humans, forcing their heads ever lower to the polished marble floor. Along each towering pillar, ten-foot-tall Krill guards stood like living, armed statues, their powerful frames rigid, exotic spears held ready.

President Zhi Jin Ming, his voice a practiced deference that barely masked his fear, broke the strained silence. "Your Majesties," he began, his gaze fixed on the floor, "our country’s monthly harvest has exceeded expectations. Two point three million units have been prepared for transport."

Krill Shen’s massive head tilted slightly, his reptilian eyes assessing the human with a chilling detachment. "Good, " his voice rumbled, a sound like shifting tectonic plates, resonating through the very stone of the chamber. "You serve us well." With a casual flick of a clawed hand, a cascade of shimmering silver vials, each filled with liquid light, rolled down the steps before the kneeling humans. Their eyes widened with desperate avarice. Each snatched a vial, quickly, almost frantically, consuming the precious fluid. The silver light briefly pulsed beneath their skin, a fleeting warmth promising extended life and enhanced vitality, a temporary reprieve from the relentless march of time.

Krill Shen then shifted his gaze back to the President, the fleeting satisfaction in his voice quickly fading into a cold, strategic query. "Is your human technology now capable of competing with the sector controlled by Krill Khian and Krull’kahn? The American zone?"

President Zhi Jin Ming hesitated, a flicker of genuine anxiety crossing his face. "Your Majesty, we are still... catching up. However, we have gained critical intelligence." He gestured, and a secure data slate shimmered into existence, floating towards Shen. "We have discovered that the American black sites, particularly those associated with their DARPA program, have developed various advanced technologies. Much of it remains on the surface, civilian-facing, but our intelligence strongly suggests they completed anti-gravity technology a long time ago. Furthermore, their advancements in military applications and artificial intelligence are proceeding at an alarming rate."

Krill Shen received the slate, his sharp eyes scanning the data, a low, guttural growl rumbling in his chest. Khian and Kahn. Those insolent, fallen bastards. Their zone, the US, is clearly planning to escalate a global conflict. His own zone, China, was barely catching up. Chancellor Shuha’dar, in his twisted wisdom, had not established a rule preventing Harvest Leaders from invading other zones. This meant the entire planet was a ruthless, silent competition. If one faction could monopolize the Anu-blood supply, it would ensure less hassle for the distant Krill Imperial family, who, in turn, would reward the successful Harvest Leader immensely.

Shen’s fury at the Emperor, Krill Mainu, was a constant, simmering heat beneath his scales. The Emperor callously hoarded sixty percent of the Anu-blood for himself, leaving the rest of them, the nobles, to scrounge for meager scraps, with only pathetic rations trickling down to the citizen Krills. He was also mad at the emperor but, the Emperor was on their side. These greedy bastards! he thought the picture of Krill Khian and Krull’kahn controlling the planet, his gaze momentarily flicking towards Krill Kai, who remained impassive, her own calculations doubtless mirroring his.

Many Harvest Leaders, him included, were engaged in the risky but necessary practice of smuggling their monthly harvest, underreporting half of what they actually collected, all to build their own private stashes of human blood. His family had been specifically tasked by the Emperor to secure control of this planet through this brutal, zero-sum competition. Each zone, each human country, was theirs to manage as they pleased, provided the quota was met. But they were also explicitly free to invade other zones.

He remembered the human timeline, their "late medieval ages," when zone invasion was frequent, a chaotic free-for-all until human technology developed enough for them to adapt a new societal rule, a fragile peace where no one could freely invade without overwhelming justification. But now... now those fallen noble craps, Khian and Kahn, are advancing! With their technologically superior garbage! It’s not a matter of time before they initiate a full invasion on every zone and kick every harvest leaders out of this competition!

Krill Shen slammed a massive fist onto the armrest of his throne, the sound echoing ominously throughout the chamber, rattling the very bones of the kneeling humans. "Hear my decree, humans!" he commanded, his voice vibrating with barely contained, ancient anger.

The Chinese leaders bowed lower, trembling violently. "Do all that is necessary to protect our country from the western bastards! Steal their technology! Disrupt their economy! Influence their beliefs! One day, they will invade our lands, and we will be helpless without your advancements. Develop our technology, surpass theirs! One day, China will stand at the precipice of galactic influence, and you, my loyal servants, will each be rewarded with ten longevity vials for your progeny!"

A wave of ecstatic cheering, tinged with a desperate edge, erupted from the human leaders. Visions of extended lifespans for their children, of future power and influence, eclipsed any lingering moral qualms. "Now go," Shen dismissed them, his voice cutting short their zealous celebrations. "My faithful servants."

The humans scurried out, leaving the two towering Krill Harvest Leaders alone in the opulent, now-silent chamber. Krill Kai turned to her brother, a sneer twisting her reptilian features. "Disgusting, gullible humans. I can’t believe you can stand smelling these pesky humans, brother. They don’t deserve to talk to us. They don’t even deserve to stand in front of our eyes."

Krill Shen leaned back against the cold stone, a dark amusement flickering in his eyes. "Their smell and presence is what put us at the top of the harvest rankings, sister. But you are correct. For now, we’re so far behind on zone defense. Those fallen bastards, Khians and Kahn... they may be lower than us in monthly harvest rankings, but their military advancements are deeply concerning.

They can invade our zones whenever they desire. That is why we must endure further. The Emperor has granted our family a specific favor by increasing all Harvest Leader’s quotas. If they fail to reach their quotas for three consecutive periods, their zones will be given control to the highest harvest rankings, which will be us. When those bastards Khians and Kahn fail, their zones will be given to us as well as their petty human technology, and then we will be able to invade the rest of the zones easily."

Just then, a lean Krill advisor shimmered into existence near the throne, bowing low, his movements swift and deferential. "My lords," he began, his voice raspy, "I believe I have an effective solution."

Both Shen and Kai turned, their full attention on him, their predatory eyes fixed. "Speak," Krill Kai commanded, her tone a low hiss.

"The zone of USA," the advisor began, his voice gaining confidence, "their human population is quite... volatile with their beliefs. We can subtly influence them through something they call ’gender freedom.’ Fortunately, their people are so sensitive when it comes to this ’gender’ concept; it’s quite bizarre, truly.

But when it comes to societal disruption, it is remarkably effective. A divide in their population can be created around an ideal belief that there is more than one gender. With their standard conservative beliefs clashing violently against liberated beliefs, it will disrupt their zone greatly. This is fueled by their foundational values of ’Respect for the Individual,’ where they recognize the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and ’Tolerance,’ where they accept and respect different viewpoints and beliefs. These very tenets, while seemingly beneficial to them, ironically create the fertile ground for internal fragmentation. We can also subtly empower their ’feminine movement.’ With that, their reproduction rate will be more significantly lowered."

He continued, his words painting a chilling picture of societal decay. "With men and women fighting against their very ’gender beliefs,’ we can introduce an even stranger element: women who want to be men, men who want to be women, and other, stranger gender beliefs. They will unite as one, challenging the traditional beliefs, thus creating a profound divide in their reproduction. It will become exceedingly difficult for them to procreate families, thereby reducing their overall population growth rate. The Chancellor will have no choice but to give the zone control to you."

Krill Kai, though intrigued, narrowed her eyes. "Won’t that belief backfire on our own slaves here? Our Chinese humans?"

The advisor bowed again, a faint, predatory smile touching his lips. "No, my lord. Our humans here are... more disciplined. Their society does not champion the chaotic and odd notion that everyone is free to create their own belief systems, as their ’democracy’ does. Therefore, this disruption will not spread beyond their borders in any meaningful way."