Chapter 26

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Chapter 26: Birth

Planet Nico, Friendship Hospital, Obstetrics and Gynecology

"Shenhe, I have something to tell you about your wife’s prenatal check-up."

"What? Doctor, go on." Lin Shenhe looked confused.

"First of all, congratulations, you have twins," but the doctor looked serious, not a hint of smile on his face. "Nico people usually only have 2-3 babies in one pregnancy, twins are rare, so either it’s two daughters or two sons." But the real issue lies right here.

"However, Nico people usually only give birth to one child because the fetuses compete for nutrients at 6-7 months of development. Only the strongest one survives, while the others become nourishment for the victor."

"So…" Lin Shenhe became nervous, "Is there any way, doctor…"

"But as a mixed-blood, your two children won’t fight each other or harm their siblings." "Phew~" Lin Shenhe sighed in relief.

"Don’t rejoice too soon, this also means your wife will endure double the nutritional pressure. If lucky, the babies will develop smoothly, but your wife may not survive long after childbirth. In harsh conditions, Nico people prioritize the babies by breaking down the mother’s organs and tissues if necessary. If unlucky, your wife might not survive due to excessive physical strain, leading to triple tragedy."

"You have three choices: the first one is to save the mother and abandon the babies. Lilu is still young and can have more chances in the future. We might find a solution for Nico people with research, perhaps through medication or physical treatment. If you choose this, we will induce labor soon to minimize lasting effects." "……"

"The second choice is to keep one sister and find a way to terminate the other, allowing the mother’s body to absorb the deceased fetus as nourishment for the surviving one." The doctor paused, "And the last resort: leave it to fate, take a chance. We’ll enhance the mother’s nutrition supply, use dialysis, injections, and slow-release implants to relieve her pressure, ensuring both babies’ birth as much as possible. However, failure is a possibility, and even success brings unknown risks due to mixed heritage."

"Can I have some time to think?"

"Of course, but it’s best to decide soon, delaying could lead to more serious consequences." Unforeseen yet understandable situations arose from the first encounter of humans with another species without much reproductive isolation, accomplishing childbirth on an alien planet, facing such a dilemma even before birth was beyond imagination.

Finally, Lin Shenhe chose the third option. To avoid putting too much pressure on Lilu’s bones and organs, the medical team ordered a special oxygen-rich water chamber from Earth. They let Lilu float in the liquid, providing oxygen and nutrients externally to support the baby’s growth and reduce the strain on Lilu’s organs and pelvic bones as the baby developed rapidly. (Nico babies weigh much more than humans, so the mother’s body undergoes a lot of pressure.)

As for the upcoming birth, they were preparing for a cesarean section to minimize the mother’s pain and pressure. Afterwards, the baby would be placed in a special incubator for observation and care to address any strange genetic diseases or birth defects that might arise due to being mixed-race. The whole medical team quickly became extremely busy, prompting them to recruit more help from Earth.

Experts from the biology and chemistry departments of the research team were partially transferred over to analyze and monitor Lilu’s physical condition using instruments inside the water chamber. They provided timely support and advice as needed. Several targeted research projects were launched, and after multiple rounds of infrastructure assistance, the research base facilities were quite well-developed. In terms of research institute configuration, both personnel and equipment had reached top-notch levels on Earth.

As a result, some chemistry, pharmaceutical, and biology-related research projects had long been transferred here for research, which was much safer than on Earth. There was no need to worry about issues like extreme environmentalists or animal rights activists protesting against perceived inhumane treatment. As for whether the United States, appearing democratic and free on the surface but actually totalitarian at heart, regretted deceiving people with universal values – well, opinions varied.

Regarding China… China’s style was, "Can you see this cotton ball in my hand?" *tosses it in the ear* "There, you can say whatever you want, I can’t hear you," *whistles.* In reality, if styles were classified based on leaving Earth, China epitomized a pure tendency — placing the highest value on human life within nature. Resorting to harming humans to obtain anything was seen as putting the cart before the horse. Whether it was environmental conservation or animal protection, the ultimate goal was to protect humans. In cases of conflict between the two, the inclination was undoubtedly to sacrifice animals to protect humans, regardless of how precious or cute they were.

(Thinking this through, the United States favored using machines over humans due to the high value of human life, while Europe was misled towards a harmonious path, provided they didn’t forget the first rule of natural law… Otherwise, it wouldn’t be harmony, but a self-moving food delivery machine. Most predators preferred not to hunt humans for food simply because humans appeared larger.)

Throughout thousands of years of history, the instinct left by the terror of being hunted by upright apes reminded them that these creatures were not to be messed with unless absolutely necessary. Most predators wouldn’t choose humans as prey, but if you showed a smile, indicating you had no sharp teeth and offered a sweet taste…

In reality, the main reason Nico people received preferential treatment was because they could intermarry and looked human-like, making them resemble a minority rather than a different species according to China. Contrasting them were the Imperial people, who were reproductively isolated and didn’t resemble humans. Even when China dealt with them more leniently, there was no hint of class friendship.

(PS: If the United States was superficially democratic and free but internally totalitarian, then perhaps China was the opposite – superficially totalitarian but internally democratic. That’s evident from the behavior of public intellectuals, pseudoscience promoters, as well as the misled, naïve, and foolish. In the USA, they would have been taken away by the FBI or shot by the police long ago. The FBI has a history of monitoring citizens’ letters, emails, and packages, along with incidents of labeling journalists as mentally ill and forcibly treating them, or simply taking them away with a bullet, which is commonplace. However, in China, they still hop happily around.)

Just like how the revolution in the empire is getting stronger, thousands of tons of raw cotton and cotton yarn are pouring into the empire, creating a new chain of benefits. Many nobles, wealthy merchants, and local governors are benefiting from this chain, making lots of money. Some traditionalists may resist, but they are quickly drawn in by the shiny rewards and join the feast. The voices of the feudal nobles are becoming weaker, while the voices of the industrial and business elite are getting louder. In a way, the empire is speeding up its transition from the feudal era to the modern capitalist era.

Many farmers growing silk and herdsmen raising woolen animals are going bankrupt. The last traces of primitive handicrafts are being swept away by the wave of commerce. The third victim is the energy and mining industry as people on Earth start selling electric spinning machines and solar panels. They explain that these panels are made from a special mineral/plant, something that the empire’s primitive scientific research can only understand as converting the sun’s heat and light into electricity to power the spinning machines. How this material is made remains a mystery – too advanced technology is no different from magic.

To the empire’s warships, human radars, fire controls, and laser weapons are considered as Psychic Divination, magical fire control, and mysterious weapons. They cannot comprehend how these things appear silently and then discover themselves millions of kilometers away, turning into torches without explanation. They haven’t seen missiles yet, but if they do, the bending of bullets would definitely be attributed to "witchcraft."

From a third-party perspective, the empire’s level of civilization is actually rising. By reducing coal usage, the Imperial Capital welcomes bright sunshine and rare clear skies for the first time. Rows of dark blue solar panels outside factories reflect a topaz-like gleam, amazing the nobles living in the upper district. Although these power-generating devices are a bit expensive, they are more cost-effective than coal. With the opening of electronic factories on the Nico Star planet, refined gas lamps and old-fashioned light bulbs gradually enter the lives of the empire’s people.

For the city-dwelling citizens, the environment is noticeably improving, making life more comfortable. Employment is becoming easier, even for the most pitiful working class. They feel the effects of the cost reduction brought by new energy sources. Factory owners have slightly increased wages and reduced working hours due to some level of automation even in the most outdated electric production equipment.

However, for miners and mine owners, life is not as rosy. With decreased ore sales, mine owners are forced to drastically lower prices or cut miners’ costs. The exploitation of miners and mining slaves has reached inhumane levels. It is foreseeable that another powerful group will join the rebellion to overthrow the empire.

Even though the city-dwelling citizens and factory management seem unaffected now, when the Nico Star planet rebels erupt, the sudden cut-off of dried fish, goods, and raw materials will cause the country to collapse. When almost all classes and people are anticipating its demise, nothing can pull it back from the brink — similar to the fall of the Soviet Union.

Sadly, except for the Earthlings and the Nico people who have some understanding due to long exposure, no one else realizes the underlying intricacies of the situation. The empire, with its high stamp taxes and poll taxes, remains ignorant of the dreadfulness behind this supply pattern. They only see increasing gold income and seemingly smoother exploitation of colonies, leading them to invest more capital and enthusiastically support in spreading technology and goods for the Nico people to consume.

"So, this case tells us: using guns for robbery and conquest is the lowest form of exploitation and plunder, lacking any technical prowess and often yielding little. A slightly better method is using guns as intimidation and then continuing to exploit through taxes, low-cost contracts, and similar means for continuous extraction of wealth, which brings more stable and abundant returns compared to the first method."

"A better way is to control the opponent’s industry through high-interest loans, continuously cutting off their economic development with huge interest. But this can easily lead to the opponent defaulting, so guns are just a backup." Cui shrugged, "So sometimes, you don’t need to use guns and bullets to make the enemy completely collapse."

"But big sister, does this mean weapons are useless?" "Who said that?" Cui shook her head, "Weapons, military strength are what ensures you won’t be retaliated against by the enemy. Just using productivity to suppress isn’t enough to prevent the enemy from resorting to violent means. The simplest way: the empire only needs to destroy our factories in the colonies. Even the so-called governors can’t guarantee they won’t act with selfish motives. But because they can’t defeat us, can’t ensure they can take over, that’s why they cooperate with us."

"Furthermore, even if the empire raises tariffs, increases anti-smuggling forces, as long as we have human help or military strength as powerful as theirs, we can use warships to break through their blockades, easily eliminating their patrols to smuggle goods in. What can the empire do? Hire pirates to intercept us?" The resistance army burst into laughter, many of them were former pirates who switched sides, knowing that pirates may sound romantic, but given the chance, they would not hesitate to join the regular navy for a stable job and salary.

"Or are they going to confront us head-on forcibly? They can’t do any of that, so their only choice is to either bravely face us head-on, or slowly perish in this sweetness… or surrender control."

"So, when armies occupy, you will hate those who deprive you of wealth, life, and freedom. But if they occupy through economic means, you will welcome those who bring you high pay, jobs, and a comfortable life – that’s the difference."

"Wait, Sister Cui, are those humans doing the same thing?"

"Yes, they are doing the same thing, and they’ve never hidden it." Cui nodded, "But it doesn’t conflict with our goals. What are we fighting for? Can someone tell me?"

"Probably to not be bullied by the empire’s army, to not become slaves on plantations?"

"Um, does being able to eat full meals count?"

"Hmm, so who is willing to establish an independent country and unite the whole Nico tribe to create a unified kingdom? Does anyone want the Nico people to be completely free and govern themselves?"

Everyone looked at each other, this idea had never crossed their minds before. Without the oppression from the Imperial Army, people from different city-states would never stand together.

"Apart from the fact that we are all Nico people by birth, do your parents, relatives, friends, or the common folks in the villages share any other sense of common identity with us?"

After learning a lot about Earth knowledge, Cui realized the reason why these people did not disperse after understanding their goals. Nico people have never awakened to the concept of national will and unity. They have never had the idea of a country, and naturally would not fight to become an independent nation. Maybe some members of the resistance army have vaguely had this idea, and gradually coalesced into a foundation for a new country as the pressure from the Imperial Army increased.

However, this process was interrupted and is hard to resume, because Nico people have always lived in city-states. It’s common for small city-states to merge into larger ones. In other words, they lack even the foundation to resist the gentle annexation practice of humans.

Fortunately, these humans are much kinder compared to the Imperial people. They are willing to teach Nico people knowledge of resistance and rebellion, and fearlessly include phrases like "where there is oppression, there is resistance" in their teaching materials, making sure every member of the resistance army knows it. This shows that they did not initially view Nico people as conquered lower-class individuals or slaves.

In their own tradition, such confederation (referring to one or more cities merging into a larger city through treaties, etc.) is normal, as long as they do not exploit or oppress themselves like the Imperial people do. In a confederation, residents of both cities enjoy the benefits and treatment from both sides, are citizens who can join the military, work, become nobles or bureaucrats, without discriminating against each other.

[Referring to ancient China, where changing dynasties did not matter to whom soldiers provided food – it’s just that the colonial practices of the Imperial people made the locals feel unable to survive and thus resist. There are also budding national consciousness among them – however, they did not awaken fully like in China. Therefore, there is not much resistance consciousness towards humans eventually occupying and integrating into the Nico planet through economic means – in other words, there is no grassroots rebellion.]

However, the Empire was different. The Empire used violence to loot and suppress, and treated Nico people as laborers and slaves in slave plantations. Discrimination was rampant, leading to the rise of a rebel army whose initial goal was to eliminate the corrupt officials of the Empire and stop the mistreatment.

On the other hand, this method wouldn’t work in the empire because they already have a unified kingdom with national pride and awareness. If humans tried to directly take over using this approach, it would lead to endless resistance. Of course, they could suppress it if needed, and by treating the citizens kindly like their own, they could eventually take over completely. However, it’s not necessary because humans are expanding, not providing warmth. Therefore, a divided empire with mutual hostility that can continuously benefit humans is considered a good empire.

However, the Nico people are seen as a delicacy that needs to be savored slowly and enjoyed.

[Note: Nico people are a subspecies with exceptional physical and intellectual abilities, considered a variant of hairless bipedal beings. Some scholars believe that their special subspecies may have resulted from atavism among them. They have significant biological advantages, being faster, stronger, and more robust than humans. Yet, these creatures in human society typically make a living by looking cute and are reported to live well. – "Records of the Dark Millennium War: Research Manuscript on the Hairless Demons"]