"Let's pick up where we left off, Administrator. We need unity," said sociologist Norris Barry.
"You mean, like a name or a title?" Tang Xiao nodded thoughtfully. "I've actually been thinking about that."
"Not just a title," Norris replied. "We need a history!"
"A history? What kind of history?"
"Our history. Your history. Everyone's history! And it has to be great. Only then will people stand tall and proud in this new world." Norris's eyes gleamed with conviction. "And more importantly, our past shapes our present values. That's a critical tool for guiding people."
"Can't we just build our values step by step?" Tang Xiao asked.
Norris shook his head. "That's not nearly enough. You can't control what happens in the present. There will always be surprises and problems. But history… history can be controlled."
Tang Xiao's eyes lit up with realization. "You're saying I should… make one up?"
"It's absolutely necessary, Administrator," Norris leaned in, speaking in a hushed tone. "Nobody wants to be a nobody. People care deeply about their past—it's the most precious thing they have. So if we don't have a past… then we create one."
Tang Xiao nodded slowly and leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and said, "I have a rough idea. Let's discuss it. I'll wake up a few people to help you out."
He selected five writers and five sociologists from the wake-up list—nothing fancy, just common-tier citizens, but enough for now. With Norris Barry at the lead, he established a Department of Societal Culture and handed them the plan to begin compiling—well, creating—the history.
That afternoon, Tang Xiao visited Dr. Guan Yan's department to witness the infrared laser weapon test. The test was a success—the laser weapon destroyed the target drone from 20 kilometers away.
This kind of weapon far surpassed the electromagnetic cannons currently used on Blade-class fighters and Arrow-class scouts. It drew power directly from the engine's energy core, removing the need for bulky ammo bays.
Once equipped, even a junky Blade-class fighter would at least have a fighting chance.
Next up, Dr. Guan's team needed to upgrade the mothership's production lines to mass-produce the infrared lasers—a task that would take about a week.
Later that day, Tang Xiao attended a temporary class to learn Galactic Basic. The teachers were none other than Dubrac Quinto's group, along with Wirt and some new staff from the education division.
Ever since crossing into this Star Wars universe, learning the language became a priority. Galactic Basic would be a required course for all citizens, no exceptions.
Fortunately, it wasn't too hard to grasp. Like English back on Earth, it used an alphabet, and the pronunciation was pretty simple. Strangely enough, ever since awakening the Force, Tang Xiao felt sharper—smarter, even. He used to struggle with English, but now he was picking up Galactic Basic at an impressive pace.
A good brain makes all the difference.
Otherwise, how else could he have come up with brilliant ideas like poop-powered electricity or the crap-dam?
…
The next day, Norris Barry returned with the entire Department of Societal Culture, all of them sporting dark circles under their eyes from an all-nighter. They came with a plan in hand:
The Fourth Civilization Project.
They had taken Tang Xiao's initial concept and developed it into a full-fledged historical epic.
According to the story, in a distant star system known as the Solar System, nestled in the fourth spiral arm of the galaxy, there was once a brilliant and powerful civilization on a planet called Earth—Earth Civilization.
This civilization was unimaginably strong and once occupied at least a quarter of the galaxy.
But the good times didn't last. A terrifying species known as Void Demons appeared from the abyss, spreading death and destruction. In response, Earth Civilization formed an alliance with other galactic races and launched a war that lasted a century.
After tremendous losses—70% population wiped out, countless industrial worlds destroyed—they finally crushed the last Void Demon stronghold and brought peace back to the galaxy. Earth Civilization then led the remaining galactic races in rebuilding.
This catastrophe became known as the First Calamity, and the era was remembered as the First Era.
To replace their lost population, Earth Civilization developed advanced AI and robotics. But as machines gained emotion and creativity, conflict emerged between organic and inorganic beings.
Then came a signal from the void—a relic of the past: the Purge Protocol. This ancient AI sought to annihilate all organic life in the galaxy.
Under its influence, robots and synthetics rebelled, sparking another galaxy-wide war. Once again, Earth Civilization led the charge.
Hope seemed lost until they discovered an ancient artifact—the Hyperspace Core. With it, they developed warp-jump technology that didn't require predefined lanes.
Using this tech, Earth Civilization launched a daring assault on the Purge Protocol's mechanical world, wiping it from existence and ending the war.
This became the Second Calamity, marking the Second Era.
But peace remained fleeting. Misuse of the Hyperspace Core tore a hole in space-time, allowing higher-dimensional beings known as the Shabanash to descend upon the galaxy.
In one final stand, Earth Civilization led the resistance. But it failed. Every known civilization fell. Earth was shattered. The last fleet was annihilated.
In the end, Earth Civilization built a massive mothership using the Hyperspace Core. It carried the last embers of hope—tech archives, knowledge banks, and embryo pods—and jumped blindly across space…
…until it landed here.
The invasion of the Shabanash was called the Third Calamity, ending the Third Era.
Tang Xiao read through the "history" like he was flipping through a blockbuster sci-fi novel. He couldn't help but slap the table in awe.
It was brilliant—tight logic, epic storytelling, and unforgettable characters. There were heroes like High Templar Artanis of the Starborn, Master Chief who held off a Zerg siege on Distant Star, and Commander Shepard who died with his fleet to destroy the Purge Protocol's armada.
And the best part? Tang Xiao's own family were the leaders of Earth Civilization—the ones who fought off all three apocalypses.
Compared to this grand, sweeping history, that hack "Lord Jing" might as well go cry in a corner.
Even the diverse technologies found in the mothership's tech archive now made perfect sense—each one a gift from fallen civilizations, entrusted to Earth Civilization in their final moments. Of course, that detail wouldn't go in the history books—wouldn't want to attract unwanted attention to the tech vault.
"This history is… not bad," Tang Xiao said with a sly smile. "You guys did a great job reconstructing it. Now go fill in more details—fabricate some historical records or something."
He kept reading, but his grin slowly turned into something… weird. Suddenly, he looked up at Norris Barry with an unsettling glint in his eyes.
"Uhh… Administrator, is there something wrong with the file?"
"Oh, there's definitely a problem," Tang Xiao said slowly. "A very big one."