Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

"In a revolutionary war, there's no such thing as a bystander. You either oppose the regime or support it. Choosing a middle ground means supporting the latter—no doubt about it." Xiao Yue pointed out the harsh reality.

"The veil of rules humans abide by exists to ensure we don't wipe ourselves out in the process. When one side no longer cares about that while the other continues to restrain itself, those with restraint will always lose in the years to come. That's what I've learned from the history I've read so far.

"Of course, if you want to garner international support, playing by the rules and appearing civilized helps. But there's a cost to that as well.

"Either way, the death toll isn't necessarily different. One is swift and immediate; the other is a slow death through economic turmoil, famine, and displacement.

"Naturally, which one is better is uncertain since nothing in life is ever certain."

"But Xiao Yue, even violent means cannot guarantee victory," Tang Ziyi rebutted, hoping to dissuade her lover.

"It would also cost you international support and legitimacy," Ahmin added from the side.

"Legitimacy my ass," Xiao Yue interrupted.

"Let's speak from the civilian perspective. During turmoil, do civilians care about so-called legitimacy? Has so-called legitimacy ever stood firm against the tides of time and national interests?

"It just means losing some connections with the outside world.

"Even the so-called terrorists—the Taliban—have nations willing to cooperate with them and overlook strict principles."

Ahmin: "..."

Tang Ziyi: "..."

This girl's arguments were so uncomfortably convincing that it was suffocating to argue against them.

Thinking from that perspective, everything was a compromise.

The only question was which compromise you preferred and were willing to live with.

And she was right.

"Not to mention..." Xiao Yue added before pausing and shooting both women a wink. "Isn't an isolated faction a better target for our assistance and intervention?

"The more enclosed and distant they become from the world, the more they have to rely on us.

"In the face of such benefits, are you really going to refuse?"

Tang Ziyi gulped and quickly tried to remember whether she had done anything recently to offend her little lover.

This was far too chilling.

From planning to foresight to benefits, Xiao Yue was slicing up the pie and taking every piece for herself. She knew Xiao Yue was the former warlord and should be better at strategy and perspectives than her.

However, the chasm between the two proven by the fact before her eyes were wider than what she estimated.

Gosh, it seemed like she might be more stupid than that little bastard with surnamed Ling.

Ling Qingyu: Enough! Surnamed Tang.

Meanwhile, Ahmin inhaled sharply.

She suddenly wished she had never started this conversation and learned so much about the organization.

"What?" Xiao Yue asked with an innocent expression. "Why are you two so quiet?"

Tang Ziyi and Ahmin rolled their eyes.

Did that even need to be asked?

Wasn't it obvious whose fault it was?

"Forget Commander Ahmin. She doesn't know us well yet. But Sister Tang," Xiao Yue said, "don't you realize how much potential we have? The research tree, industrial output, logistics management—although everything is just a seed right now, can't you see where it's heading? What about Athena?"

Right.

Tang Ziyi thought about it.

She couldn't truly discern the economic and research details behind Ling Qingyu's carefully woven network, but militarily, she had been at the forefront of its development, especially with Athena's assistance.

Based on that alone, she knew where this group of confidantes was heading.

Powerful.

Influential.

Tang Ziyi relented and stopped trying to dissuade Xiao Yue further.

Every move, whether good or evil, was merely a means to achieve something.

And Xiao Yue would never stoop so low as to abandon the minimum standards a human being should uphold.

"Alright. We hope Commander Ahmin can open a pathway for us to establish a stronghold inside Country I. Leave the rest to us," Tang Ziyi decided.

"What about delivering it to our boss?" Xiao Yue asked with an amused expression.

"She can afford to wait anyway. Perhaps she's busy admiring foreign beauties," Tang Ziyi shrugged.

Ling Qingyu: Yeah, male beauties. Almost made me vomit.

"Wait, hold on. Tang Ziyi." Ahmin bit her lip and stared at the latter. "Are you actually agreeing with her? To commit terrorist acts?"

"Hey, Commander Ahmin, you're exaggerating." Xiao Yue spoke before Tang Ziyi could respond. "We know our limits and the rules we abide by. We're explicitly talking about planning and supporting a fierce insurgency. Calling it terrorism might be going too far. After all, we aren't targeting civilians at all."

"Yeah, Commander Ahmin. You should trust Sister Xiao's judgment," Tang Ziyi chimed in from the side. "With her leading it, the insurgency will probably succeed."

Tang Ziyi honestly believed that.

Athena was simply too omniscient by the standards of this era.

A pure dimensional advantage.

Her existence solved one of the core problems that many rebellions and insurgencies had struggled with throughout history and still could not fully overcome.

Divided elements operating under a unified strategic command.

Commander Ahmin: Do you even realize what you are trying to say? Or don't I even exist when you two discussed terrorism?

At the same time, Tang Ziyi realized that although Xiao Yue was cold-hearted and ruthless in her strategic thinking, her lover possessed more restraint and understanding than she did when it came to utilizing the tools at their disposal.

She shouldn't worry too much.

Instead, she should support her as much as possible.

However, she still reminded Xiao Yue.

"We still need to inform our core sister about your plan."

"No worries. I'll do that," Xiao Yue replied with a smile.

Her core strategy still aligned with Ling Qingyu's request—to establish parallel governments and a vast interconnected network around the world.

Wasn't ruling an entire country from behind the scenes even better?

Of course, the plan to remain hidden from public view remained unchanged.

"In fact, Sister Tang, I think we should remind these barbaric regimes and nations that they have no place in the civilized world," Xiao Yue said. "And that sometimes, they should also fear what could happen if they push ordinary people too hard. Let's remind them that people have anger that will burst forth, and that not even a terrorizing regime can survive the bloodshed and coming reckoning."

With that, Xiao Yue smiled and walked away.

Ahmin parted her lips several times and still hadn't recovered from the special speechless strategic operation.

Watching her expression, Tang Ziyi laughed and patted the commander's shoulder.

She understood how this woman must have felt. Perhaps a little regret had appeared after the cooperation. But time would tell; it was her and her militia's luck that Ling Qingyu had sought them out.

Talking too much was a waste.

In fact, listening to Xiao Yue's words, Tang Ziyi remembered her past world. The plan reminded her of the actions of superpowers in the name of hegemony.

Other nations blamed those superpowers, and she too had believed that narrative to some extent. Perhaps a little too much.

In humanity's pursuit of national interests, all rules eventually broke loose.

She felt enlightened today.

Those rhetorics of shifting blame should end.

It was simply a matter of perspectives and choosing the lesser evil in this world. People feared evil more than the righteous.

She chuckled.

Xiao Yue's actions totally resembled a CIA or MI6 textbook.

Meanwhile, she recognized Xiao Yue's latter point.

Setting an example.

What an achievement.

Like the French Revolution, ordinary people's anger never ended well when pushed to the brink. From then on, ruling parties began to slightly consider the effects their decisions had on ordinary people, fearing a repeat of such events. In this world, many nations had undergone the same process.

However, not one had returned terrorizing tyranny back to a terrorist regime yet.

It seemed their actions would become the first, so that future tyrants would think twice before repeating the same mistakes. Especially those who gambled on the conscience and restraint of the other civilized side.

After all, terrorism was the new norm, still very nascent at the moment, barely 60 years old or so. Contemplating from this angle, Tang Ziyi instantly comprehended the deeper meaning behind Xiao Yue's ruthlessness.

It was understandable for Xiao Yue to express her disgust toward modern terrorists, not those arbitrarily labeled as such because of politics. Simple assassinations and collateral damage didn't count.

It seemed her warlord girlfriend had other plans on the agenda and liked to fix the cracks.

She didn't know she was so close to the truth of Xiao Yue's mindset. As a ruler, Xiao Yue understood the danger of terrorism, particularly groups with cult-like beliefs and ideologies that wreaked havoc as soon as disagreement popped up, far beyond the aftermath of political and security storms.

No, this small threat could rise to the level of an apocalypse if the civilized world failed to unite against it. If nations merely looked at short-term interests, it might seem fine, but this relied on the generosity of terrorists. What if their blind ideology led them to embed themselves within civilization and bide their time before exploding all at once? By then, everything might be too late.

She was simply nipping it in the bud.

Too many such examples had occurred throughout history. Everyone slept, failing to notice the growing threat.

The Mongols—weren't they merely a collection of nomadic tribes at the beginning? What happened next?

Yeah, entire civilizations were nearly wiped out because they remained busy wrangling with one another when the devil grew. Terrorism wasn't any different. Not that it couldn't happen, but such a threat couldn't be ignored.

Although the comparison was far-fetched, history had always provided reminders, yet people continued to forget.

Xiao Yue merely thought of one example. She didn't want to experience and see a second cleansing of the world population.

Wasn't Genghis Khan also pursuing grand conquest because of the idealistic goal of becoming the greatest conqueror by any means necessary?

Was the pursuit of the Caliphate any different here? Both were prepared to use any means necessary.

What about Athens being mowed down by Spartans? The same logic.

Every existential threat starts small.

Every civilization believes it has more time.

Every generation assumes somebody else will solve the problem.

Since Xiao Yue had seen clearly and couldn't unsee any longer, she would solve it at her convenience.