Half an hour later.

A brief but humiliating surrender ceremony was held in front of the former site of the National Assembly building, which had been reduced to ruins.

The highest-ranking surviving Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, representing Higashitsu, trembled as he signed his name on a surrender document unilaterally drafted by the Kingdom of Stars, with extremely harsh terms.

Subsequently, the war machine of the Star Kingdom, in the manner of a victor, marched into this megacity that had lost all will to resist.

The massive "Tyrant" main battle tank left deep tracks as its tracks rolled across the bustling streets of Ginza.

Imperial soldiers, clad in black power armor, in small groups and heavily armed, took control of every major thoroughfare and important facility in the city.

Black flags embroidered with black dragons were planted atop Tokyo Tower, at the entrance of the Imperial Palace, and on every iconic building that once belonged to Japan, fluttering in the wind with the arrogance of conquerors.

Lin Feng landed on a clearing cleared by Imperial soldiers. Qin Lan, leading a group of high-ranking generals, was already waiting there.

"Welcome, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! With the might of Heaven, all nations submit!" Qin Lan knelt on one knee, her eyes filled with fervent worship.

"Welcome, Your Majesty!" The generals behind him also knelt on one knee in unison, their shouts as loud as the thunder.

They had witnessed the miraculous scene firsthand, and felt nothing but awe for their king.

"Get up," Lin Feng said calmly.

He surveyed the city, his eyes gleaming with greed.

This is a treasure trove.

A vast treasure trove with tens of millions of highly skilled people, the most advanced industrial technology of the old era, and countless riches and resources.

"Relay my orders." Lin Feng's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"Starting immediately, the 'relocation' will begin."

"Relocation?" Qin Lan was taken aback, not immediately understanding the meaning of the word.

A cold smile appeared on Lin Feng's lips.

"Yes, relocate. Empty this city, leave it to me."

"Leave nothing behind: all industrial equipment, all precision machine tools, all scientific research data, all gold reserves, all art treasures, and everything of value."

"I want to turn this city back to the Stone Age in the shortest possible time, from a jewel of the Industrial Age."

Qin Lan's heart clenched painfully.

She finally understood.

Her Majesty has no intention of conquering the city.

He wanted to dismember and devour the city completely, like dissecting prey! Not even a bone fragment would be left!

How domineering and cruel this is!

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Qin Lan didn't dare hesitate for a moment and immediately replied loudly, "Your Majesty, I will immediately organize the engineering corps and logistics troops to carry out your orders!"

Lin Feng's will quickly spread to every corner of the city through the occupying forces.

When they learned that these conquerors not only wanted to occupy the land, but also to plunder everything they depended on for survival, the citizens of Dongjin, who had just been awed by the divine might, had their resentment and anger reignited.

Scattered resistance began to emerge.

Some young men, armed with sticks and stones, rushed toward the Imperial soldiers who were dismantling factory equipment.

Some skilled workers attempted to sabotage the precision machine tools they had guarded their entire lives, unwilling to let them fall into the hands of invaders.

Some scholars, filled with grief and indignation, burned the culmination of their life's research.

However, these futile attempts to stop the chariot appeared so pale and powerless in the face of the empire's iron-fisted rule.

"For any rebels, or anyone who attempts to destroy the 'Kingdom Property'..."

Lin Feng's command was cold and concise.

"Kill without mercy."

A bloody crackdown began.

Facing the young men wielding clubs, the Imperial soldiers mercilessly unleashed beams of death from their blaster rifles, instantly turning them into a cloud of blood mist.

Faced with the technicians who attempted to sabotage the equipment, the power armor's massive iron fist easily crushed their heads like watermelons.

Faced with those scholars who refused to yield even in the face of death, the flamethrower reduced them, along with their documents, to ashes.

Over the next seventy-two hours, Dongjin became a living hell.

Cries, gunshots, and explosions filled the air.

Blood stained the streets and formed streams.

Faced with absolute, bloody violence, all will to resist is utterly crushed.

All that remains is numbness and fear.

After suppressing all resistance, an unprecedented, organized, and infuriatingly efficient looting campaign officially began.

Countless enormous, mountain-like anti-gravity transport ships flew from the homeland of the Star Kingdom to the skies above Dongjin.

Under duress, the soldiers of the engineering corps and the conscripted engineers from Yingzhou began to frantically dismantle everything in the city.

In the shipyard, the unfinished hull was broken down into pieces of raw material by a huge laser cutter and transported onto the transport ship.

On the automobile production line, the most advanced industrial robots are carefully disassembled, packaged, and numbered.

In the cleanroom, the lithography machine for manufacturing chips was cut off from the foundation and transported to the Kingdom's Chengtian Academy of Sciences.

The bank's underground vault was violently breached, and tons of gold, silver, and various precious metals were shoveled into shipping containers like garbage.

The Ueno National Museum, the Louvre's Oriental branch, and countless other halls housing treasures of human civilization were looted.

From ancient bronze artifacts lost from China to masterpieces by Impressionist masters, all valuable works of art were packed up and taken away by the empire's "art appraisers."

Even ordinary houses were not spared.

Squads of soldiers stormed into civilian homes and took away everything that the Star Kingdom considered valuable "old-era industrial products," such as televisions, refrigerators, and air conditioners.

The entire Dongjin is like a giant cake being devoured by countless ants, being emptied out at a visible speed.

These transport ships, laden with spoils of war, returned to the Star Kingdom in an endless stream.

Lin Feng also returned to his "Nine Heavens Moon-Embracing Palace".

He sat on his throne, looking at the lists, a satisfied smile on his face.

He issued new orders.

"All the 'old-era industrial products' seized this time, such as televisions, automobiles, and home appliances, will be distributed to the ordinary citizens of the kingdom as 'loyalty rewards'."

"Distribute all the captured gold, jewelry, and works of art to officials at all levels of the kingdom and to meritorious soldiers."

"Have the Ministry of Agriculture immediately take stock of Dongjin's grain reserves. Keep only the minimum amount that will keep them from starving. The rest should be transported back to the kingdom to replenish our strategic reserves."

This order plunged the entire Star Kingdom into a frenzy of celebration.

When the first trains laden with spoils arrived in Chengtian City, countless citizens surged into the streets, erupting in thunderous cheers.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire!"

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

They watched as brand-new cars, huge LCD TVs, and all sorts of luxury goods they had only seen in "old-era footage" were distributed to them as gifts.

Everyone's face was beaming with happiness and pride.

This feeling is wonderful!

Their king, by merely launching a trivial "punishment war," has brought them such immense wealth!

Their admiration for Lin Feng reached a new peak.

They genuinely believed that their emperor was the wisest and greatest monarch in the world.

Everything he did was for the sake of enabling his people to live a better life.

As for those spoils of war, where did they come from? And how much blood and tears are stained behind them?

Nobody cares.

In this world where the strong rule, it is only natural that the victors possess everything.

The looting continues.

As time went by, Dongjin became more and more like a ghost town.

Factories shut down, businesses withered, and urban functions were nearly paralyzed.

The most deadly thing is food.

The Empire moved more than 80 percent of Dongjin's food reserves. The little left was simply not enough to feed the nearly ten million survivors.

Hunger began to spread.

Soon, Lin Feng's third order reached Dongjin.

"Effective immediately, a food rationing system will be implemented throughout the entire territory of Dongjin. All food will be distributed uniformly by the Empire."

"The only criterion for allocation is 'contribution'."

This order completely choked all the survivors of Yingzhou.

They became utter lambs to the slaughter. Their lives and deaths rested entirely on Lin Feng's decision.

However, no one expected that this was not the end.

A week later, when hunger had driven countless people to eat tree bark and grass roots, Lin Feng issued his fourth, and most cruel, order.

This order was repeatedly broadcast through the city's broadcasting system in broken Yingzhou dialect.

"A Letter to All Citizens of Dongjin"

"By order of His Majesty Lin Feng, the Supreme King of the Kingdom of Stars."

"To promote cultural exchange between the two countries and enhance the 'friendship' between the two peoples, starting from today, every Dongjin family must send one unmarried woman aged between sixteen and twenty-five as a 'cultural exchange ambassador' to live in the Kingdom of Stars."

"Families that actively cooperate and present their 'messengers' on time will receive the highest level of food rations and priority in work."

“Anyone who refuses, resists, or attempts to conceal will have their entire family stripped of all food rations and will be punished for ‘treason’.”

"This is the king's grace. I hope you will all act accordingly."

This order was like a bombshell, exploding in the already lifeless Dongjin.

Everyone who heard the broadcast was stunned.

They couldn't believe their ears.

What's this?

This is not "cultural exchange"! This is blatant human exploitation!

This is to take away their daughters, their sisters!

After a brief silence came a deafening, powerless, desperate, and furious outburst.

Countless families erupted in heart-wrenching cries.

"No! My daughter! I will never let her go!" A white-haired father held his trembling daughter, tears streaming down his face.

"Devils! You are devils!" A mother rushed into the street and cursed the patrolling imperial soldiers frantically.

Her response was a cold, explosive beam of light.

The crackdown has begun again.

But this time, the Imperial soldiers didn't even need to lift a finger.

In the face of hunger, humanity becomes incredibly fragile.

In order to survive and to ensure that other family members have food to eat, some families, after a painful struggle, ultimately chose to give in.

They personally sent their daughter to the "Registration Office for Exchange Envoys" established by the empire.

Those families that resolutely resisted soon perished under hunger and oppression.

When the first family received a precious bag of rice for handing over their daughter, the defense line completely collapsed.

"I'm sorry, Miyuki... Daddy, you have to let my little brother live..."

"Yukiko, forgive your mother... Mother can't watch the whole family starve to death..."

One human tragedy after another unfolded in every corner of Dongjin.

Countless young girls, crying and screaming, were half-pushed and half-forced by their own relatives into the hellish registration office.

There, they were stripped naked and treated like livestock, subjected to examinations by the empire's "medical examiners."

They were numbered and branded with a mark representing "the kingdom's property".

Then, like cargo, they were stuffed into airtight transport ships.

This process lasted for a full month.

In the end, a total of five million young and beautiful women from Yingzhou were transported away from their homeland and sent to the Star Kingdom, which was completely unknown to them.

When they arrived at the Kingdom of Stars, they were met with Lin Feng's fifth order.

“These five million women from Yingzhou will be distributed as ‘spoils of war’ and ‘gifts’ to all eligible male citizens of the empire who are unmarried or wish to have more children, as their ‘concubines’.”

"A concubine has no rights and cannot get a divorce. She can be sold, and if she is killed, the perpetrator must pay compensation."

"Furthermore, women from any kingdom cannot be concubines; they can only be principal wives."

“All assigned Yingzhou women must learn and use Chinese. Anyone who dares to use Yingzhou language in public will have their tongue cut out.”

This order once again plunged all the male citizens of the kingdom into a frenzy.

For them, this was an incredibly joyous occasion!

Women are a scarce resource.

Now, His Majesty is actually giving them wives! And not just any wives, but women from Yingzhou, known for their gentleness and obedience!

Countless bachelors wept with joy, their gratitude towards Lin Feng beyond words.

The empire's cohesion reached an unprecedented peak through these repeated "blessings."

As for those Yingzhou women who were treated like commodities and assigned to the homes of strange men, their fate was no longer in their own hands.

They have no right to resist, not even the right to grieve.

All they could do was accept it.