Civilized Expropriation

The Cretan Empire came to Earth and declared that all human physical laws were their "interstellar patents." You have to choose between paying back a century-old "knowledge tax" or being "erased by technology." Just when the world was in despair, translator Chen Nuo opened a high school physics textbook. "'Copying knowledge for educational purposes is not considered infringement.' - According to your own laws, one billion students are taking classes legally. Not only should you not collect taxes, but you also have to pay us dissemination fees." From this moment on, a game begins with civilization as a bet and rules as weapons. Financial harvesting, genetic tracing, cultural penetration... Every dimensionality reduction attack by alien hegemony was countered one by one by a group of seemingly weak earthlings with wisdom and strategy, until the opponent was dragged into a trap they had never seen before. It was a victory for the underdog and the ultimate demonstration of the battle for rule-making authority.