Super Mothership
Virtual World – Energy Expansion Conference Site
Participants began logging in one after another. In a corner of the virtual conference room, a group of people from different countries were whispering among themselves.
“What do you all think about the meeting Atlantis Corporation is holding today?” a middle-aged white man asked after glancing around the room.
Above his head floated a nameplate: "Secretary of Energy, United States of America."
In front of the text was a golden “V” symbol, indicating he had undergone official VIP identity verification, and his account was linked to his brainwaves — making impersonation absolutely impossible.
The virtual helmet used 3D scanning technology to perfectly reproduce the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s real appearance. The avatar displayed was indistinguishable from the real person. The environment was so realistic that even the lighting shadows and the echoes in the enclosed space were authentically replicated.
If not for the floating nameplates above each person’s head, one might hardly tell the difference between this and the real world.
Thanks to the booming development of virtual laboratories, scientists — driven by the incentives of Infinite Coin — eagerly contributed real-world data to virtual technology, continuously enhancing the realism of the virtual world.
Of course, visual and sensory realism is just the beginning — the true challenge lies in simulating the laws of physics, which is the pinnacle of virtual technology!
“Your Excellency, Atlantis clearly isn’t here with good intentions! Just the name of this meeting makes it obvious that they’re targeting Earth’s energy sector!” said a man dressed in traditional Arabian attire, his face tense.
He was the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia.
Since Earth was integrated into the Prometheus Plan and connected to the solar system’s energy network, Saudi Arabia — a country that had long profited from its underground black gold — became deeply unsettled, dispatching its top leader to attend this meeting.
Though petroleum has broad applications and remains irreplaceable as a chemical raw material, most of the world’s oil consumption still comes from its use in fuel and gasoline production.
It was easy to imagine: once Atlantis Corporation began supplying massive amounts of cheap energy worldwide, global demand for oil would plummet dramatically.
That would mean the collapse of their primary industry — and with it, a national economic crisis.
Saudi Arabia was in full-blown panic. Their only hope now was for Big Brother America to take the lead in stopping Atlantis’s impending energy dumping.
They believed that since the U.S. was also an energy exporter, it would definitely not stand by and let Atlantis control the global energy supply — not from an economic or strategic security standpoint.
“They’re pushing us to the brink!” growled the Energy Minister of Russia, gritting his teeth before the American Secretary could even respond.
Russia’s domestic economy had already been struggling in recent years, relying heavily on military manufacturing and energy exports to stay afloat.
But now with the sudden emergence of the Ghost Captain, their traditional arms exports were drying up — and soon, energy would be next. Russia had every reason to look like it was ready to go all in.
“Exactly! They just acquired the four major mining conglomerates, almost monopolizing the global supply of iron ore. And now they want to dip into the energy sector too.
If they succeed, Atlantis would control everything from industrial raw materials to energy supply. That means the lifeblood of every nation's industry would be in their hands. Combine that with financial control through Infinite Coin, and it’s clear — Atlantis wants to rule the Earth!”
The Saudi Prime Minister emphasized the danger, hoping to stir up a united front.
Among those present, most were aligned in their energy interests. Four out of the five major powers were on their side. The combined force of these factions was formidable — even if they couldn’t completely stop Atlantis, they could at least stall its progress and buy time.
"Yes! We must not let them succeed!"
"That's right, we need to unite — even if it means mutual destruction!"
“…”
The Saudi Prime Minister’s words ignited the emotions of everyone present. They all voiced their agreement: they must unite to stop Atlantis Corporation’s conspiracy!
“Ahem! Everyone, please calm down!”
Seeing that the crowd had reached a consensus, the U.S. Secretary of Energy finally cleared his throat and raised his hand to settle the room.
Once things quieted down, he continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, things may not be as bad as we imagine. Let’s first hear what exactly Atlantis Corporation intends to do before we decide on a course of action.
Of course, if it turns out they truly aim to control the world’s energy system, then that would undoubtedly be a serious violation of anti-monopoly laws! As a country governed by law and democracy, the United States will absolutely be the first to stand up and oppose it!”
His words brought a measure of relief to the others. As long as the U.S. was willing to take the lead, they felt more confident.
"Whoosh!"
Just then, a young woman appeared at the front of the venue, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
She wore a familiar pure white mask — it was Chu Xiaoxiao, the mysterious CEO of Atlantis Corporation, making her second-ever public appearance.
Normally, she directed operations remotely. The last time she appeared publicly was at the Atlantis Global Summit, where she announced the company’s plans for space resource development and virtual technology promotion — a landmark event in human history.
Now she appeared again, clearly signaling that Atlantis Corporation was about to make another major move.
Everyone was instantly “refreshed” back to their seats — the sign that the meeting had officially begun.
The room fell silent. All eyes were on Chu Xiaoxiao, their expressions solemn, waiting for her to speak. What shocking words would she deliver this time?
“It’s a pleasure to see you all. On behalf of Atlantis Corporation, I’d like to sincerely wish everyone a Happy New Year!”
Chu Xiaoxiao began with a warm smile, her tone confident and composed.
Huh?
New Year wishes? That opening line caught everyone off guard.
“To celebrate, I’ve brought a New Year’s gift from Atlantis Corporation for all humanity!”
As she waved her hand, a line of bold virtual text appeared in front of everyone:
“1,000 kWh!”
Everyone stared blankly at the eye-catching red letters.
A New Year’s gift of 1,000 kilowatt-hours?
What kind of gift was that?
But many people’s expressions changed subtly. A sense of unease began to creep in.
“To celebrate Earth officially connecting to the Prometheus Energy Network and entering a new era of energy civilization, our company has decided to provide a yearly gift of 1,000 kilowatt-hours of free electricity per person to all of humanity.
As long as a country or individual joins the Prometheus Energy Network, they’ll receive a long-term benefit of 1,000 kWh of free electricity per person per year.”
“Hiss…”
Nearly everyone in the room gasped in shock.
This… was a massive move. Absolutely monumental.
They were all professionals in the energy sector — they knew exactly what 1,000 kWh meant.
For comparison: in 2017, the average residential electricity consumption per person in China was about 650 kWh. That meant if China joined the network, all residential electricity could essentially become free. Like literally free — given away.
Everyone was stunned by the sheer scale of this announcement — including Saudi Arabia and other energy powers.
They’d expected Atlantis to wage a price war — maybe offer super low rates to certain countries to hook them on cheap energy.
But nobody expected them to start off by giving away 1,000 kWh to over six billion people worldwide.
This wasn’t just a price war — this was trying to crush them with money!
That raised new doubts.
Wasn’t the Prometheus Plan supposed to be a massive interstellar-scale engineering project? Building those high-tech facilities must’ve cost a fortune in manpower and resources. How could they just give away power like this?
Was the “cost”… being absorbed somewhere else?
Of course, none of them knew the truth:
There are some ruthless merchants out there who never pay their workers a salary…
Mechanical bugs: “...” (╥﹏╥)
TL Note- Cheap Labour vs Free Labour...
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