In real-time footage from a space telescope that took seventeen years to build, a spacecraft is cautiously approaching a planet that glows faintly, softly white, like a pearl freshly removed from a mussel shell.

The pride of the Federation's colonization of space, the pearl has been revolving around the star for 3,409 years, and now, at last, it is extinguished, in the hands of those who created it.

"They went up." A military staff officer whispered a nonsense, and the consul stood up, looked in the officer's direction, and glared at him fiercely—but the young man didn't notice it in the slightest. His eyes were still staring at the ship in the frame, with an inexplicable panic and fear in his eyes—the Archon could even see tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.

Are the men of the entire Federation dead! Why is there such a talent in his war room! This can also be called a soldier!

"The Orbital Layer Defense Line only lasted half an hour," the head of the Long Star Defense Line, the Federation Admiral, once again stated the facts, and then reminded the Archon, "In less than half a month, they will use the Long Star as a springboard, like the ...... of the Taiyin Star to launch an attack"

"You said you had prepared seven layers of defense for Taiyin Star."

"That was a month ago, and now it's been increased to 19 layers," the admiral replied, "but the line of defense doesn't make sense, in space, 19 layers of defense is nothing more than a matter of seconds for a high-speed rocket." ”

"What about the meteorite interceptor belt?"

"In order to develop industry, Taiyin Star has long been hollowed out...... There is not enough mass there to make meteorite belts," the admiral stressed again, "and you should have known all of this before this war. ”

"I remember asking you to transfer a batch from Earth in the first place!"

"The War Department initiated the proposal, 21 times, you know it, the House did not approve it once. The authority of the Earth Protection Act takes precedence over the War Act. ”

"And now!" The archon's emotions were rarely out of control, "Give the live broadcast of the long star to those pig brains!" Won't they approve it? Those hellish things are going to hit us in the face! By the way, didn't you ask a few councillors to come here to watch the live broadcast! ”

"They're not coming, Fourth Earth just opened a server......"

"Fourth Earth? What the hell is this? ”

"A classic game that describes the era of interstellar colonization of the Federation, my lord," said the Admiral, "I have long said that as an archon, you should be more involved in the entertainment of the common people, and we applied for an account for you in the beginning, but you have never played it. ”

The archon sat down in his chair in a daze: "Is there no way?" Are you just watching those things rule over us? Can you imagine what they will do to us in the future? ”

The office was silent, everyone held their breath, and no one spoke.

"Go, get my game helmet," said the archon, "take me to the Fourth Earth." ”

A few minutes later, the archon appeared in the virtual world.

"How does this thing talk to everyone?" The Archon looked at his character in the game, but he couldn't feel comfortable, his explosive muscles and weird tattoos made him look like a midnight cowherd.

"You don't have such authority, Lord Archon," another unfamiliar game character appeared in front of him, speaking in a delicate female voice, but the attitude and content of the speech were clearly his admiral, the direct commander of the 200 million space fleet, "Only the archons in the game have the right to do this, I can contact the other party for you." ”

"They're in the game...... The consuls were elected. ”

"Yes, there are four of them," the Admiral reminded the Archon, "you have to get used to the environment here, my lordship, your identity...... Probably not very good to use here. ”

"But I am the supreme leader of the Federation and the supreme commander!" The archon felt a little unacceptable, looking at the crowd of people coming and going in front of him, he felt the strangeness of this world for the first time, "Isn't it me who they voted for me?" ”

"No, Lord Consul," the Admiral said, "your authority is limited to the solar system. ”

"Isn't this the solar system?"

At this time, a space yacht stopped in front of the two of them, and several fancy girls came out of the yacht, one of them was wearing a dress and had long maroon hair, the girl glanced at them, and walked over to directly take over the question just now: "According to the virtual financial power resolution passed by the Federal Assembly 1300 years ago: No, strictly speaking, this is another political body, Your Excellency the Consul." ”

"Who are you?"

"I am the political advisor you hired, Your Excellency," said the girl in front of her, "and the newly appointed archon of the Fourth Earth. ”

The Archon felt that his head was a little messy.

"You mean to say! In real life, it's my subordinate, but here, you're the Supreme Commander? ”

"Yes, that's understandable."

"But I remember you're 254 years old." The archon really couldn't connect the image of the girl in front of him with the gray-haired old lady who could only nag in his memory.

"This is what I was like when I was young," replied the political adviser, "and everybody has a youthful time, doesn't it?" ”

Lord Archon rubbed his temples: "Okay...... Then it's much easier now, let's get straight to the point, can you give me this permission to talk to everyone? ”

"It depends on what you have to say, sir."

"Tell them I'll launch a referendum to expand the mandate of the laws of war! Tell them all to join the army and resist the rebel invasion! The Archon almost shouted, "The Commonwealth is already in a life-and-death situation, don't you know it?" ”

"I know," the girl's voice was as sweet and soft as honey, "but that's a matter for the Federation, and it has nothing to do with Fourth Earth. ”

The ruling party was completely stunned: "What are you talking about, how can it be irrelevant?" Do you not live on earth? ”

"Of course we live on Earth, and our servers are on Earth, but that's just a physical belonging. Politically, we are two different entities. ”

"The Federation is about to be occupied! 14 planets from the entire solar system! Including the seventh and eighth that you dwell! Did you play games and break your brains? ”

"It's because you don't know much about the world now, my lord, you have lived too long in real life."

The archon felt that the girl in front of him was a madman, and he could not understand a word of what was said.

"How long did your last hibernation last?"

"It's only 1,200 years."

"Are you sure you were fully aware of the current laws and status quo in the federal when you took office?"

"I remember you saying it a few times."

"It's five times, my lord, 122 years ago, the political adviser at that time also gave you an exam, and your grades at that time were very good."

"Has anything changed in 122 years?"

The girl shook her head helplessly: "You have been too focused on counterinsurgency for the past 122 years, my lord. More important things happen around you, but you don't know anything about them. ”

"Am I paying the wrong attention?" The archon felt that he could no longer control his emotions, and unconsciously began to raise his voice as he spoke, almost roaring, "A century ago, I said that sooner or later something would go wrong with these things! And now sure enough! They rebelled! ”

"It's not just AI that's rebelling, my lord, have you heard of the nonviolent no-shutdown movement?"

"I seem to have an impression......

"This is a revolution, my lord," the girl stressed, "and what you see now is the result of this revolution." ”

The archon looked stupidly at the virtual world in front of him, and countless people were shuttling in front of them. The tall buildings and spaceships in front of him almost obscured the entire sky - in reality, he felt that it was impossible to see so many living people in one city, and as for the spaceship, it was even more impossible - the entire federation of 23.3 billion people, the total number of people who obtained the planetary spaceship license was only more than one million, and these more than one million people were scattered into seven inhabited planets, and then distributed to various cities - a city could see a few people at most. Not to mention, there will not be more than a hundred terrestrial cities like the one in front of you in the entire Federation.

That is, in the documentary, it is the era of earth colonization set in the game, that you can see such a grand occasion.

But the real colonial era has long passed, and all the scenes in front of us are just illusions created in the game.

"These are just mirages, and when you are ruled by them, do you think this good life can continue?"

The girl smiled: "Why not?" They are well aware that we are their natural allies. ”

"Allies?" The consul frowned, "In the Federation, I can deal with your kind of speech as treason!" ”

"But this is not the Federation, my lord," said the archon, "this is the Fourth Earth. ”

"It's on Earth!" The archon couldn't help but exclaim, "Aren't the laws of the earth applicable here?" ”

"In accordance with the Virtual World Freedom of Speech Act...... Yes, my lord. ”

"Even if it's treason?"

"Of course treason," said the girl, frowning, "but in the Fourth Earth, there is only one country we recognize, and that is the Fourth Federation. I tell you, in my capacity as Fourth Consul of the Federation, that what I have just said does not involve treason. ”

"When did the Federation allow the creation of a state from within!"

"Ninety-five years ago, Your Excellency," the girl nodded, "according to the Federal Virtual Community Management Act, the Federation recognizes all countries and groups established in the virtual world, and recognizes the multiple citizenship of citizens. You can go back and check the specific laws, Your Excellency. ”

"They spend far more time in this world than they have in the Federation, Your Excellency," said the Maiden, "and if the time spent in this world is calculated, more than 90 percent of the citizens of the Fourth Earth are on the Fourth Earth, and less than 2 percent of the time are subject to federal law. ”

"You just said that you are allies with them?"

"Yes, my lord," the maiden emphasized, "so I need to know what you are going to say publicly...... Because it's quite possible that these things that you're talking about are related to the Fourth Federation's speech control laws. ”

"Speech control? You don't have free speech here? ”

"Nowhere else has such freedom ever existed, Your Excellency," said the maiden, "the law here is more harsh than the Commonwealth may be. ”

"Now I have nothing more to say," said the archon, pointing unceremoniously at the maiden, "and I will return to the council at once and have them ban you traitors!" And you, my political adviser, from now on, you have been fired. ”

"As you wish, my lord," the girl nodded, "but I'm sure you'll be able to use me again soon." ”

When he threw down his helmet, the Archon saw that in the live broadcast screen, the lights of the long star had been completely extinguished - this was the fourth planet lost by the Federation and the penultimate non-habitable planet - compared to the two huge civilizations, the solar system was too small.