Chapter 1782: Chapter 1782
1782: Chapter 1778: Guarding Against Whom?
1782: Chapter 1778: Guarding Against Whom?
The region of Southeast Asia is the most severely affected area in this Plane War.
On the one hand, it’s because they are unbearably weak, and on the other, their coastline is absurdly long… Most areas consist of islands, or even entire countries formed of archipelagos.
Complete annihilation or turning into a human purgatory—this is the current state of that region.
Most national systems have already been destroyed, the jungle rules have returned to reality, and it has become one of the most chaotic regions in the world… The moral bottom line, including human trafficking, continues to be breached in that area.
The survivors there have either become Flesh People or live lives worse than dogs.
In such an environment, if a major power could sweep in as a savior of humanity, restore order from chaos, and even unite Southeast Asia, it could potentially become a superpower occupying a vast region.
Right now, the population is sparse but the land is vast.
As long as the banner of Great Justice is raised and the territory is seized, after a few decades, when a new wave of baby booms occurs and a dozen years of education are implemented, wouldn’t they fully become the masters of this region?
And that superpower is—well, cough, the Stammon Federation!
This is quite a peculiar nation; describing its peculiarity could take days.
But it did survive this catastrophe, albeit at the cost of dropping from the world’s most populous nation to just within the top ten.
Even so, it still maintains the confidence to swallow the world whole.
The relatively intact Mountainous Kingdom and the great Stammon are both targeting the entirety of Southeast Asia, and even South Asia.
In fact, they are fiercely competing across various fronts, both aiming to become the beacon of humanity and the Lighthouse of salvation in this region.
If there must be something they agree on, it may be that both nations have been beaten by the Great Eastern Nation in history and now harbor deep wariness towards it.
Even though the Mountainous Kingdom was just recently rescued by the Eastern Country, this does not deter their ambitions…
“They don’t dare to launch a frontal assault, so instead, they harass the shipping lanes to obstruct the Eastern Country’s influence in Southeast Asia?”
Lu Ping’an found it amusing at first, but then he felt a tinge of sadness.
At this point, with people in Southeast Asia on the brink of extinction, are they still clinging to their so-called hegemony?
Forget the lofty starry sea above; even focusing on individual developmental dreams within modern civilization feels more sensible than engaging in this kind of grouped competition for supremacy.
“The gate opened by the Nirvana Plan was blocked back into place amidst the Plane War…”
Faced with pressing realities, gazing at the stars or thinking about the future becomes foolish when tomorrow’s food supply is still a problem.
The conservatives took power directly, as regional hegemonies offer the safety net most needed by the anxious.
With reality looming in front of him, even though Lu Ping’an found it laughable, there was nothing he could do.
“Your vision is far too shortsighted.
The Eastern Country has no interest in Southeast Asia or South Asia.
We only plan to consolidate nearby areas and develop the economic belts Outside the Domain.
Obsessing over sea domination in nearby regions is meaningless.
On the bridge of Redemption No.2, Lu Ping’an stood face to face with a rather unfortunate captive.
He found the person vaguely familiar, likely someone he had encountered during the Mountainous Kingdom campaign.
It seemed to be a rogue adventurer… Covered in scars, with missing limbs and an eye, his injuries were badges of honor for a warrior.
But sneaking along shipping lanes and being caught red-handed seemed rather disgraceful.
Lu Ping’an wasn’t trying to convince him.
He even knew that this Mountainous person wouldn’t admit affiliation with the Mountain Official authority even if thrown into an execution ground.
He merely found it incomprehensible why the Mountainous Kingdom was still stirring up trouble at this point.
If the Eastern Country could clean up the environment, and everyone could collectively gaze at the stars, wait for a new wave of baby booms to replenish the population and combat power, wouldn’t the human race thrive?
When the time comes, whether to maintain national boundaries or play the Earth Government’s human unification game, everything could be negotiable.
“…The Eastern Country is already drained simply handling nearby matters and has absolutely no interest in far-off Southeast Asia.
There is no need for this.
Baseless hostility will only invite hostile responses…”
If possible, Lu Ping’an didn’t want to kill anymore.
This planet has already shed enough blood.
The era should now be one of post-war recovery, where everyone works together, has children, and replenishes the population.
Even while being blockaded and slaughtered by visitors from the Foreign Domain, must humans still kill humans?
“…We don’t believe you.”
The foreign warrior, remarkably not a professional intelligence officer, actually responded to Lu Ping’an’s questioning.
“I can directly contact the Eastern Officials to confirm that the Eastern Country has no interest in ruling Southeast Asia.”
Lu Ping’an was earnest.
Although he knew the chances of success were low, there was no harm in trying.
“We know there’s a high probability that the Eastern Country isn’t interested in Southeast Asia…”
The warrior’s words startled Lu Ping’an somewhat.
He didn’t believe much in the power of persuasion…
If words and trust were effective, wars wouldn’t be necessary.
“…But even if the Eastern Country isn’t interested, can you guarantee the Eastern people aren’t interested in Southeast Asia?”
The restrained warrior looked at Lu Ping’an calmly.
But from his tone, Lu Ping’an sensed a numbness born of despair—an emotion akin to watching a truck bear down on you, utterly helpless.
At this, Lu Ping’an found himself at a loss.
He sighed, realizing the futility of further conversation, and gestured for the person to be taken away.
The truth was, the individual understood the situation more clearly than Lu Ping’an, an outsider.
The biggest obstacle to their dream of uniting Southeast Asia wasn’t the Eastern Country—it was the Eastern people.
It might seem like the same thing, but it’s fundamentally different.
If the Eastern Country wanted to, the chaotic mess of Southeast Asia couldn’t stop them.
A few fleets could sweep through, a few key military regions could be set up, and within mere months, the whole situation could be decided.
The problem was, the Eastern Country simply didn’t want to do this.
Partly because their reputation would be completely ruined, and partly because it’s evidently a losing proposition.
“A province-level Legion would crush them…
No, even without a regular army, a few Proper God Church or Quasi-God Private Armies could settle it directly.”
The Eastern Country has no interest, but the Eastern people…
those of the Proper God Church, large domestic corporations, and independent Eastern Strongmen, certainly might.
Even the displaced Sakura Islanders consider Southeast Asia a savory meat chunk they could sink their teeth into.
In truth, the humanitarian crisis here has become a convenient opportunity for occupation…
As long as they perform marginally better than the previous “lords,” they can earn the survivors’ support and affection, eventually transforming the territory into their own “assets” over time.
It would be absurd to ask Lu Ping’an to guarantee those people wouldn’t act.
Even the Eastern Country couldn’t ensure it.
How could they stop individuals from acting in their self-interest?
And besides, if the Eastern Country truly didn’t want to see Eastern territories sprouting up all over this region, Lu Ping’an wouldn’t have been assigned this transport mission in the first place.
Ultimately, the post-war balance of power has been thoroughly demolished.
The Eastern Country retained far too much strength, while other nations were utterly devastated.
Even the residual, discarded forces from the Eastern Country could reshape the global situation.
And in the long run, this might not be a bad thing, at least for the Eastern Country.
For those two ambitious “regional powers” aiming to unify this sea, however, it’s likely the complete opposite.
They are forced to confront a grim reality…
They might not even be able to compete with the private companies of the Eastern Country.
I should just stick to doing the grunt work honestly.”