Galaxy Domination Guide

In the streets of the Imperial Capital, curiosity and excitement filled the air as people gazed at the ships and flying vehicles that occasionally passed overhead. By this time, the black snow that had been falling from the sky had lessened. Some shopkeepers and street cleaners swiftly swept away these dark dusty clumps, restoring cleanliness to the roadways once again.

A black sedan sped along the road, carrying Xiang Fei, who had been busy these days, in the back seat. Although it was the cold winter season, he still kept the car window down, letting in the cold yet exceptionally fresh air. Many other vehicles did the same, as encountering such clear air in the Imperial Capital was truly rare!

This year, people had suffered greatly from the smog. Some even joked that smog control depended solely on the wind. Mask manufacturers had made a fortune, but the people were suffering under the smog-laden city, not only suffering from frequent flight delays and cancellations but also seeing their health deteriorate.

Most sensible people understood that controlling smog was not about shouting slogans or the government issuing orders; it was not so simple. Many Western countries had experienced this firsthand; take London, for example, which went from the "Foggy City" of the fifties to having clean air and water in the eighties, a feat that took the British decades of effort.

For China, smog control would be a long battle.

Understanding is one thing, but inevitably, people were still paying for air pollution with their quality of life and health. In this process, many were quick to criticize the government's inaction and ineffectiveness, failing to see deeper systemic causes.

Firstly, China's main energy structure was coal-fired power, being a major coal-producing country with a long industrial tradition of using coal. Not to mention that behind this were massive coal-related interest groups. Completely cutting coal use wasn't just a matter of difficulty; it was practically impossible.

Furthermore, a significant number of businesses had expanded their production capacity blindly years ago while deliberately ignoring their environmental responsibilities. The situation of covert and improper emissions was getting worse.

Business owners, concerned with their profits, would avoid taking action on industrial emissions unless absolutely necessary, deeming every penny spent on such measures as wasted. This was also a natural reflection of capitalism's pursuit of profits.

A famous Western environmental scholar coined the term "fossil fuel capitalism"; amidst heavy penalties and costly pollution controls in the West, many Western companies offshored their factories to Third World countries, with China becoming the prime target, turning it into both the world's factory and its chimney.

Whether they were domestic, foreign, or joint ventures, all businesses benefited from China's investment environment, which favored industrial growth at the expense of social costs, further exacerbating environmental and ecological issues.

Lastly, it must be pointed out that every Chinese person, indeed every consumer worldwide, is inextricably linked to pollution. Chinese citizens are beneficiaries of the rapidly growing economy, but they are also victims of its side effects. While complaining about poor air quality, they do not consider stopping the coal-burning that heats their homes in winter.

The outputs of various heavy polluting industries also contribute to the consumer goods people enjoy in their daily lives.

For China, tackling smog and other environmental pollution issues is undoubtedly a national imperative, backed by public opinion. However, this is not something that can simply be solved by reducing excess capacity and upgrading industries. This systemic problem involves many aspects and aspects interrelatedly.

With reducing excess capacity and changing the energy structure, what happens to the workers in industries like glass, steel, coal, and chemicals? Some observatory bodies have suggested that just reducing coal capacity could lead to unemployment for three million people.

Many of these individuals hold secure positions in state-owned enterprises, often with several generations of their family having worked there. How to resettle them and guide them into new industries presents a serious challenge.

In the last two years, China has vigorously boosted e-commerce consumption, consciously using another engine of the GDP troika to stimulate economic growth, or at least create the appearance of prosperity. A large workforce has been directed towards the virtual and service economies, yet the growth of these sectors is still not swift enough, and the pain of industrial transformation is unavoidable.

If you think of it as extreme, even if this painful period lasted a decade, like Neihong Country's lost decade, it would be a win as long as the transformation is successful. However, the costs paid are tangible. Essentially, every generation in this country pays a price for national advancement and to ensure the dignity of the nation is no longer compromised.

The generation from the first half of the last century shed blood and toil; the generation after the founding of the nation created an entire industrial system and the infrastructure of a major nation in extremely harsh conditions. The third generation accumulated primitive capital through cheap labor during the reform and opening up.

The current generation must inevitably pay the difficult price of industrial upgrade and health while enjoying the fruits left by their forebears.

Overall, each generation is better off than the previous one, and through these small sacrifices and costs, a weak nation continuously grows into a globally revered power.

This is a resilient and admirable nation.

Xiang Fei's complex thoughts gradually receded as the vehicle stopped at the hotel where Bai Zhongqi, the Iridium Star Chancellor, was staying.

Earlier in the morning, Xiang Fei had received a notification that the Iridium Star side was dissatisfied with the air quality in the Imperial Capital and would take measures to address it. This made the Imperial Capital feel somewhat embarrassed, but also curious.

Unexpectedly, within half a morning, the skies of the Imperial Capital were full of Iridium Star's flying vehicles and ships. Wherever they went, the smog cleared, and after a fall of black snow, the warm winter sun touched the earth and people's faces like a gentle mother's hand.

The people of China couldn't help but marvel at the grand gesture of the Iridium Star. Some in the military were also apprehensive, realizing that those helicopter-sized flying vehicles could easily carry weapons, potentially devastating a city.

If Bai Zhongqi knew such thoughts, he could only scoff. These were merely industrial-grade drones, much more expensive than comparable-sized war machines. Bai Zhongqi could produce thousands of drones equipped with 2WM-level firepower daily, along with their powerful maneuverability, capable of sweeping any army on Earth.

Xiang Fei's visit to meet Bai Zhongqi, the Iridium Star Chancellor, was naturally aimed at reaching an agreement on smog control. The scourge of smog affected the lives of hundreds of millions in North China and indeed the entire country. Seeing an immediate solution now, China was naturally not going to give up.