464: Establishment of Xili Group

The black-robed creature, known as the "General," turned around, a low hum emanating from beneath its hood, carrying a hint of imperceptible excitement.

"A planet with a civilization? Have you confirmed it? Is it an independent low-level civilization, or a colonial outpost of a higher civilization?"

Their civilization had always only dared to target ownerless, primitive planets. They would never dare to touch the subsidiary territories of a higher civilization, even if it was just a fringe Galaxy—the lesson from the last time they mistakenly trespassed into a level 5 civilization's protected area, where their fleet was almost completely annihilated, was still etched into their genes.

"It has been repeatedly scanned three times, General."

The black-robed creature reporting spoke with certainty, its tentacles rapidly sliding across the control panel, pulling up a string of data.

"The planet's technological level is only at level one; it doesn't even possess interstellar travel capabilities, and no starship or markings of any higher civilization have been found within a fifty-light-year radius. It can be confirmed that it is an ownerless, primitive planet."

"Level one civilization..."

A ripple of emotion stirred in the General's voice, and a faint sound, like bones rubbing together, could be heard from beneath his hood.

"Very good."

He raised his arm, and his black robe slipped, revealing a segment of his scaled wrist.

"First, accelerate the extraction progress here. After we finish, the entire army will turn towards that blue planet."

"If it's truly as you say..."

The General's eerie green eyes lingered on the projection for a moment, flashing with greedy light.

"Then this time, we're really going to hit it big."

The black-robed creatures in the command cabin all let out low hums, like suppressed roars of excitement—a low-level civilization meant resources and labor with no ability to resist. For them, it was undoubtedly a fat piece of meat delivered right to their mouths.

Outside the starship, the light from the mining lasers grew even more intense, tearing deeper fissures into the gray-yellow planet's crust. Meanwhile, light-years away, the people on the blue planet remained oblivious, still living their own peaceful daily lives...

Nearly a year had quietly passed since Li Yang's accidental crash landing on this blue planet.

On the top floor of the "Star Dome Tower," which pierced the clouds in West City's city center, the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked a dense cityscape. Sunlight streamed through the glass curtain wall, casting warm patches of light on the floor.

Qi Yu, dressed in a well-tailored cream-colored pantsuit, gently pushed open the chairman's office door, a document with a gilded cover in her hand.

She walked to the desk and stood still, her gaze falling on the man who had his back to her, looking out the window. Her voice was clear and professional.

"Chairman, at three in the afternoon, the Oulan Country Vice President's aide sent a communication, hoping to discuss the details of the last energy ore transaction with you in person. The other party has adjusted their schedule to match your availability."

The man slowly turned around; it was Li Yang.

He wore a custom-made dark gray suit, having shed the aloofness he had at their first meeting. His brow now held the composure of a business leader, but his eyes, which had seen through interstellar storms, remained so profound that one dared not look directly into them.

"Qi Yu..."

He leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the desktop, his tone carrying a familiar hint of helplessness.

"It's just the two of us here. There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Brother Yang."

Qi Yu lowered her head slightly, tidied the edges of the document, and said softly,

"In a work setting, using titles is more appropriate."

Over the past year, she had grown from the ordinary girl who was flustered by gold bars to a capable presidential assistant. She had long been accustomed to approaching work with a professional attitude, even if the person was "Brother Yang," for whom she always held respect.

Li Yang chuckled, no longer insisting. He changed the subject, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

"Tell the Vice President to wait; I don't have time to deal with him. Oh, by the way, how is the starship construction progressing at the base?"

...For the first two months, Li Yang had indeed lived in an almost leisurely state.

He always felt that the Empire's rescue wouldn't take too long. After all, with the Empire's technological level, even if they only knew his approximate coordinates, they would eventually find him.

So, he temporarily set aside his previous way of doing things, spending each day with Qi Yu and her brother, familiarizing himself with the customs of this blue planet, and experiencing the mundane life in the markets and alleys. He even developed a sense of ease, a feeling of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Until that afternoon, when Qi Yu walked into the study with freshly brewed tea and saw Li Yang once again lost in thought, staring at the black sphere AI. She finally couldn't help but speak.

"Brother Yang, you've been here for over two months, and there's been no sign from the Empire..."

She paused, looking at Li Yang's slightly stunned profile, and bravely added,

"Since you can't wait for rescue, why don't you find a way to build a starship yourself?"

These words struck Li Yang's thoughts like a bolt of lightning.

He abruptly turned to look at her, his eyes swirling with surprise and sudden realization.

Yes, how could he have forgotten? Instead of sitting idly by, it was better to take the initiative. With the Empire's database in the AI, even on a level one civilization planet, building a planetary-class starship, which is a second-level civilization starship, was not a difficult task for him at all.

"You're right."

Li Yang stood up, his previously quiet eyes instantly brightening, and his aura suddenly became sharp.

"I can't wait any longer."

Without further ado, Li Yang immediately called upon the basic technological data stored in the AI, selecting only "gadgets" that could be achieved with a slight breakthrough from the planet's current technological level—a new type of battery that could increase energy utilization by 30%, biodegradable biological materials with strength comparable to alloys, medical diagnostic instruments with nanometer precision...

He registered a company named "Xi Li Civilization Group Co., Ltd." and directly bought a building in West City to serve as the company headquarters.

The siblings Qi Yu and Qi Fang also became the first employees. Li Yang's business expansion was astonishingly fast.

With the help of the AI, in just one year, "Xili Group" transformed from a small company into an industry giant spanning multiple fields such as energy, medicine, and military.

The covers of financial magazines changed repeatedly, but they always featured the surprisingly young founder—Li Yang in the photos wore a simple white shirt, his eyes calm, as if he had just done something perfectly ordinary.

At this time, although Xili Group was still nominally an enterprise, its influence already rivaled that of several top nations on the planet.

Politicians from various countries vied for meetings, and even the most authoritative scientific journals published special features on the "Xi Li Phenomenon," analyzing its reshaping of the global technological landscape.

The speed of "Xili Group's" rise was too astonishing. The technologies far exceeding the current era, the monopolistic advantages across multiple fields, and the composure and foresight of its founder, Li Yang, which were inconsistent with his age, eventually aroused suspicion.