Long Fei suddenly slapped his forehead.
"How could I be so muddleheaded? Since the Minovsky Super Energy Thermonuclear Reactor was developed for MS units, one had to be developed for warships too. Otherwise, Albion, that Pegasus-class MS Carrier, simply couldn't fight entirely with energy-type weapons."
Long Fei first halted work on superconducting communications and began developing a Minovsky Super Energy Thermonuclear Reactor for MS Carriers.
A notification suddenly sounded on the tablet table, displaying a line of text. The visitor was Li Jiaming. Knowing Li Jiaming must have business with him, Long Fei gathered up and put away all the blueprints.
The office door opened, and Li Jiaming entered. He sat down and reported to Long Fei.
"Boss, this is the list of newly recruited members."
Li Jiaming handed a thick stack of folders to Long Fei.
Long Fei took them and quietly flipped through the files of the new members. Some of the information made him curious.
"Some of the new members fled from asteroids? What's going on?"
"It's like this, Boss. Residents living on colony satellites in many countries have to pay all kinds of taxes—residency tax, housing tax, income tax, consumption tax, air tax, and so on. Many residents who can't afford them are thrown onto asteroids to do hard labor. Calling them asteroids sounds nicer. Put bluntly, they're just large meteorites that have been modified into factories and the like. Of course, some asteroids serve other purposes. Getting back to the point, the asteroid residents who want to join us have mainly suffered too much exploitation. They don't have enough to eat or wear, and more importantly, those asteroid residents joining us all come from unregulated asteroids. There's no government there, only gangs, mercenary groups, and all kinds of mixed forces. Shootouts break out from time to time. The local residents can barely survive from one day to the next. Forget a full meal—even a peaceful night's sleep is a luxury. They want to join us because, compared to the asteroids where they live, this place is practically heaven. And there's more..." Li Jiaming explained everything to Long Fei in detail.
After listening to Li Jiaming's fifteen-minute explanation, Long Fei understood the situation. He had spent more than three years developing in space, yet this was the first time he had heard of such things.
"Commander-in-Chief, I understand road taxes, housing taxes, and income taxes, but what exactly is an air tax? Do people have to pay just to breathe?"
Long Fei looked at Commander-in-Chief Li Jiaming with a puzzled expression.
"Boss, while our current technology can produce air without issue, the materials and machinery required are very expensive. That's why many colony nations collect air taxes. As for how much they charge, that depends on each colony nation."
"Can't those residents buy oxygen generators?" Long Fei asked with a frown.
"Most colony nations don't allow it. Otherwise, they'll arrest you on criminal charges."
"It seems that for the people in many colony nations, even managing three meals a day and a peaceful home is difficult. Soon, even breathing will become a luxury."
"Boss, it's not just the colony nations. Earth is about the same. There was an international war more than ten years ago, and even now, many regions still have wars between nations. The people at the bottom are the ones who suffer."
"To put it bluntly, we still need to worry about feeding ourselves first. Uh... but speaking of which, I haven't heard of the Mika'ang Kingdom or its neighboring countries imposing an air tax."
"Like I just said, many colony nations collect air taxes, but a small number don't. Although the Mika'ang Kingdom is a small country, as are the surrounding nations, they're all small countries on the fringes. They're relatively much more peaceful than other nations, and their people can still live and work in peace."
"In this day and age, being able to live peacefully is already something worth celebrating. But Commander-in-Chief, I just went through these files and noticed that some of the people you recruited from the asteroids are still children. Adults and children alike have sallow faces and haggard expressions. They look malnourished. Is it really okay to recruit employees like this?"
Long Fei shook the folder in his hand.
"Boss, they're only malnourished because they haven't been eating enough. As long as they can get full meals and some vitamins and vitamin supplements, they can undergo training."
After hearing that, Long Fei continued flipping through the files. Looking at the teenagers and children in the photos, he felt sorry for them, but he did not want to be a saint, nor did he think he could be one.
"Commander-in-Chief, the refugee teenagers and children signed voluntary contracts, but the teenagers and children from the asteroids didn't sign voluntary contracts. They signed contracts selling themselves into servitude instead. Is that really okay?"
"Boss, in the Earth Sphere, whether it's the voluntary contracts or the contracts of servitude you just mentioned, it's illegal for children and teenagers to sign them. But in the colonies, legal protections in this area are extremely weak. Some countries have even legalized it. For those driven onto asteroids or made into refugees, trafficking and selling themselves into servitude are common occurrences. These problems have existed in the colonies for many years, but no related laws have been amended. Mainly because this is one of the sources of wealth for the powers behind the colonies, and the profits involve an enormous industrial chain. No one knows how many people are involved in it. Even if laws were amended or new laws were enacted, these people would find loopholes. Besides, the people we bought from those unregulated asteroids weren't traded within any nation's sphere of influence. Not only do their contracts of servitude fail to protect the rights of those sold, but we, the buyers, receive recognition and legal protection from the various space colony nations."
Long Fei listened, thought for a moment, and felt that the space colonies truly hid layer upon layer of dark secrets.
"Then how did you buy those children and teenagers from the unregulated asteroids? They're a source of labor for the local forces. Would those forces agree?"
Li Jiaming made a money gesture. "As long as their parents agree, and the local forces controlling the area are paid, it can be done."
"Once these teenagers and children are trained and educated, it should be easier to make them loyal to our Skywing Mercenary Group, right?"
"Yes, Boss. These children were already living in despair. We gave them some hope. Then we only need to teach them and let them know that we are their saviors. Educating and cultivating their loyalty to us won't be too difficult."
"All right, I'll leave this matter to you, Commander-in-Chief."
"Yes, Boss. There's something I'd like to discuss with you, Boss."
Long Fei pushed the folders back to Li Jiaming and asked, "What is it?"
"It's about the War God Armor Battle Suit."
"You want to know why I suddenly ordered production halted, right?"
"Yes, Boss."
"Mainly because I've already developed a Directed Energy Laser Weapon for suppression troops, and it's currently being prepared for testing. According to my simulation tests, the War God Armor Battle Suit can't defend against directed-energy weapons. Even its Stonewall function can barely block a single hit before failing. So I have to improve the War God Armor Battle Suit again, or perhaps develop an entirely new battle suit."
Li Jiaming could hardly believe that his boss had developed a Directed Energy Laser Weapon for suppression troops. Many major powers around the world were still in the research stage.
Hearing this, Li Jiaming finally understood why his boss had halted production of the War God Armor Battle Suit.
"Boss, I understand. Then I'll get back to work."
"Wait." Long Fei stopped Li Jiaming.
"Boss, do you have any other instructions?"
"That princess—send her back in the next few days."
"Yes, Boss."
Before you continue