All the major logistics companies on the three planets received orders to stuff a small promotional flyer, similar to cheap flyers, into all packages.
The flyer contained the full text of the "Spiral Star Immigration Management Regulations," along with two lines highlighted in red:
"A reward of 500 credits, with no upper limit, will be given for information leading to the hiding place of stowaways."
"If you are a stowaway trapped in a gang, run to the police station and report it at all costs. The police will provide you with safe food and lodging."
Every household saw this flyer when they unpacked their express deliveries.
The trash cans in the express delivery stations of some companies and schools were filled with identical flyers.
Traces of these flyers were also found near city garbage dumps.
Some stowaway gangs also purchased daily necessities through various channels. Upon opening the packages, they saw the flyers, which inevitably stirred their thoughts.
Several food companies also cooperated with the campaign, launching brand-new packaging that directly printed the full text of the "Spiral Star Immigration Management Regulations" in small print below the ingredient list. These foods, covering puffed snacks, cheap bread, instant noodles, soda drinks, nuts, and more, were quickly sold to all corners of the planet within weeks, entering the public's view.
Street distributors in major cities also handed out flyers. A total of 75 billion flyers were produced, intended for continuous distribution over several months, with each person receiving several flyers on average.
In areas with a high number of stowaways, even propaganda vehicles were deployed. At nine in the morning and three in the afternoon, these vehicles would drift slowly through the city skies, broadcasting the "Spiral Star Immigration Management Regulations" at high power, audible to anyone who wasn't deaf.
Many stowaways in prison or temporary shelters were also assigned propaganda tasks. Each was given a mobile phone to frantically chat with former acquaintances or bombard stowaway groups with messages. Since effective propaganda could earn money and moderate sentence reductions, the stowaways worked desperately to promote the regulations online every day.
The large-scale, all-out propaganda campaign began to show results after a few days.
The number of stowaway spacecraft dropped by 70%, and some so-called tour groups also suspended their operations.
Police stations across the regions were swamped with stowaways lining up to register as Spiral Star citizens.
Many major city police stations even had over 100,000 people queuing daily, creating an impenetrable crowd, a scene more spectacular than the storming of the Bastille. Cities had to mobilize military vehicles to transport the stowaways in batches to nearby hotels for accommodation.
Concurrently, the number of immigration applications for Spiral Star surged, with tens of millions of applications per day.
Jiang Ye breathed a sigh of relief; the stowaway tide had finally eased.
However, given the current situation, Spiral Star would soon be overcrowded.
The think tank had established a mathematical model indicating that in about six months, the number of people with Spiral Star citizenship would exceed 10 billion. At this population level, it would no longer be suitable to send more people to Spiral Star, as normal reproduction would cause the population to expand to its maximum capacity.
In other words, a new solution had to be found within six months, or the stowaway tide would erupt again in half a year.
Jiang Ye was overwhelmed. Even in his dreams, he could see endless seas of people, an infinite number of heads crowding and surging forward, the wind blowing through their hair like rolling black waves.
He recalled how, in the past, no one came even when they desperately spent money to attract alien immigrants. Now, even with the police force apprehending them, the stowaway tide could not be stopped. Truly, times had changed, and the world had transformed.
One morning, Jiang Ye was busy in his office.
A pop-up window suddenly appeared in the lower-right corner of his desk screen: "Cen Yemeng invites you to a holographic projection call."
Jiang Ye clicked to accept.
The office curtains instantly drew shut, and various lights turned off, plunging the office into darkness like a cave.
Jiang Ye felt as if he had gone blind.
Immediately after, light flared, and his vision returned. A bright balcony appeared before him, revealing a lush green lawn below and the brilliant midday sun. Cen Yemeng sat in a rattan chair on the balcony, wearing a soft, flowing pink gown that accentuated her graceful curves. Her face was illuminated by the sun, appearing as white and bright as jade.
"The effect of this holographic projection is exceptionally good this time," Jiang Ye exclaimed in surprise. "It feels like I could reach out and touch you."
"I changed my equipment. The previous model was too old," Cen Yemeng said, her voice sounding as if she were right beside him. "Do you have time recently, husband?"
"I'm so busy I wish I could cut myself into seven or eight pieces to handle everything," Jiang Ye replied. "But if you have something important, I can still make time."
"Netizens on the Exile Star hope to have a phone-in program where the planet's leader can answer some questions," Cen Yemeng said. "We used to do this program, and it's been a while. It seems there's no reason to refuse."
"The leader of the Exile Star isn't me, is it?" Jiang Ye said. "Why don't you and Isabel go on?"
"I want my husband to join too," Cen Yemeng pouted. "Come on, let's go on the program together."
"These kinds of programs are such a waste of time," Jiang Ye scratched his head. "You're already a mature planet leader. Do you really need me to accompany you?"
"Yes, yes, you do," Cen Yemeng insisted. "Come on, husband."
"Time?" Jiang Ye asked with a helpless smile.
"The night after tomorrow at eight o'clock," Cen Yemeng replied. "Come early, I miss you."
The couple chatted for a few more minutes before ending the call.
Jiang Ye immediately arranged for a spacecraft to the Exile Star, departing the very next morning.
...
Half an hour before the program began.
In the backstage dressing room, Cen Yemeng and Isabel sat elegantly before bright makeup mirrors, tilting their faces for the makeup artists to touch up their makeup.
They were both dressed in formal attire. Cen Yemeng wore black, while Isabel wore dark blue. Both were in long-sleeved pants and high heels, with their long hair tied up.
Jiang Ye, however, was dressed in a plain, unremarkable light gray tracksuit, wearing an inconspicuous black watch, and even sported extremely casual cloth shoes on his feet, revealing a section of his ankle.
He sat quietly to the side, slowly sipping from a glass, the green tea leaves swirling within. His entire demeanor resembled that of a soon-to-be-retired senior official.
"There are already over two billion users waiting in the online live broadcast room, and the number is still increasing rapidly," Jiang Ye said, glancing at his phone. "You two have great prestige to have so many people waiting to watch the program."
"It's not just the two of us; the program preview mentioned you would be coming," Isabel said.
"I'm just here to fill a spot. The people of Exile Star probably don't recognize me much," Jiang Ye chuckled. "My presence won't make much difference to this program."
"You can't say that. The people of Exile Star know you're the real boss," Isabel smiled. "With you here, the program's credibility is much higher."
"Not at all," Jiang Ye smiled. "You two continue your preparations. I'll go check out the venue."
Jiang Ye stood up, holding his cup of green tea, and left the dressing room. Accompanied by guards, he walked through the corridor, ascended a flight of stairs, and arrived at the program venue.
A temporary high platform in the center of the stadium.
Audience seats were arranged on all four sides. The front rows were already full, and people were still filing into the back rows.
Cameras were set up below, and numerous reporters were on standby, all media teams dispatched from various planets. This program would be broadcast on over a hundred planets.