The Unknown Deep Black Curtain of the Space Colony

Long Fei suddenly slapped his forehead.

"How could I be so foolish? If the Minovsky Super Energy Thermonuclear Reactor is developed for MS, it must also be developed for warships. Otherwise, Albion, this Pegasus-class MS carrier, won't be able to fight entirely with energy weapons."

Long Fei first stopped the superconducting communication and decided to prioritize the development of the Minovsky Super Energy Thermonuclear Reactor for MS carriers.

A sudden sound came from the flat table, and a line of text appeared. It was Li Jiaming. Long Fei knew Li Jiaming must have something to discuss with him, so he quickly put away all the blueprints.

The office door opened, and Li Jiaming entered, sitting down in a chair to report to Long Fei.

"Boss, this is the list of new members."

Li Jiaming handed a thick stack of folders to Long Fei.

Long Fei took them and began to review the files of the new members, finding some of them quite curious.

"Some of the new members came from asteroids? What's going on?"

"It's like this, boss. Many colonized planets require their residents to pay numerous taxes, such as residency tax, housing tax, income tax, consumption tax, air tax, and a series of other taxes. Many residents, unable to afford these taxes, are then sent to asteroids to work as laborers. To put it nicely, they're called asteroids, but to put it bluntly, they're not much more than large meteoroids. These meteoroids are modified to house factories and other facilities. Of course, some asteroids are used for other purposes as well. Getting back to the point, the residents who want to join us from the asteroids are mainly suffering from excessive exploitation, coupled with not having enough to eat or wear. More importantly, the residents who join us are from lawless asteroids where there is no government, only a mix of forces like gangs and mercenary groups. Skirmishes happen from time to time, and the local residents can barely survive. Let alone a full meal, a peaceful night's sleep is a luxury. They want to join us because, compared to the asteroids they live on, our place is like paradise. Also..." Li Jiaming explained everything to Long Fei.

Long Fei listened to Li Jiaming's 15-minute explanation and finally understood the situation. He was surprised that after developing in space for more than three years, this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

"Commander, I understand road tax, housing tax, and income tax, but what does air tax mean? Do we have to pay for breathing air?"

Long Fei looked at Commander Li Jiaming with confusion and asked.

"Boss, although with our current human technology, producing air is not a problem, the materials and machinery required for production are very expensive. That's why many colonized countries collect this air tax. The amount of air tax depends on what the colonized countries decide to charge."

"Can't those residents buy oxygen generators?" Long Fei asked with a frown.

"Most colonized countries do not allow it. Otherwise, they will be arrested for criminal offenses."

"It seems that for the people in many colonized countries, it's not just difficult to have three meals a day, a stable home, and a happy life, but even breathing is becoming a luxury."

"Boss, it's not just the colonized countries; Earth is pretty much the same. A decade ago, there was an international war, and many regions are still experiencing wars between nations. The people at the bottom are the ones who suffer."

"To put it bluntly, we need to take care of ourselves first. Uh... speaking of which, I haven't heard of any air tax in the Mika'ang Kingdom or its surrounding countries."

"As I just mentioned, many colonized countries have air tax, while a few do not. Although the Mika'ang Kingdom is a small country, and so are the surrounding countries, they are all considered fringe nations. Compared to other countries, they are relatively more peaceful, and the people live in relative peace and contentment."

"In this era, being able to live in peace is something to be grateful for. But speaking of which, Commander, I just checked the files. Among the people you recruited from the asteroids, I found some are still children. However, both the adults and children have sallow complexions and haggard expressions, and their nutrition seems to be lacking. Is it okay to recruit employees like this?"

Long Fei shook the folder.

"Boss, they just lack nutrition and haven't had enough to eat. As long as they can eat their fill and supplement with some vitamins, they can undergo training."

After listening, Long Fei flipped through the files again, looking at the photos of the teenagers and children. Although he felt sorry for these children, Long Fei didn't want to be a saint, nor did he feel he could be one.

"Commander, the refugee teenagers and children, and the teenagers and children from the asteroids – the former signed voluntary contracts, while the latter did not sign voluntary contracts but rather indentured servitude contracts. Is this okay?"

"Boss, in the Earth Sphere, whether it's a voluntary contract or an indentured servitude contract signed by children and teenagers, it is illegal. In the colonies, relevant legal protections are very weak, and some countries have even legalized it. For those who are driven to asteroids or are refugees, trafficking and indentured servitude are very common. These problems have existed in the colonies for many years, but no relevant laws have been amended. This is mainly because the behind-the-scenes power holders in the colonies derive their wealth from it. This profit involves a very large industrial chain, and no one knows how many people are involved. Even if laws were to be amended or new laws enacted, these people would find loopholes. Moreover, the people we buy from these lawless asteroids are not traded within the jurisdiction of any national power. The indentured servitude contracts do not protect the rights of the indentured individuals; on the contrary, we buyers receive recognition and legal protection from the various countries of the space colonies."

Long Fei pondered for a moment, thinking that this space colony truly had hidden dark secrets.

"Then how did you buy these children and teenagers from the lawless asteroids? For the local powers, they are their source of labor. Would the local powers agree?"

Li Jiaming made a gesture of money: "As long as their parents agree, and the governing body of the jurisdiction is the local power, all it takes is a sum of money."

"If we cultivate and educate these teenagers and children, it should be easier to make them loyal to our Skywing Mercenary Group, right?"

"Yes, boss. These children are already living in despair. We give them some hope, and then we just need to teach them, let them know that we are their saviors, and educate them to be loyal to us. It won't be too difficult."

"Alright, I'll leave this matter to you, Commander."

"Yes, boss. There's something I'd like to discuss with you, boss."

Long Fei pushed the folder 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 a halt to production, right?"

"Yes, boss."

"Mainly because I have already developed the Directed Energy Laser Weapon for shock troops, and it's currently being tested. According to my simulated tests, the War God Armor Battle Suit cannot defend against directed energy weapons. The Adamant function can only withstand one blow before failing. Therefore, I must either re-improve the War God Armor Battle Suit or develop a new battle suit."

Li Jiaming was somewhat disbelieving when he heard that the boss had developed a Directed Energy Laser Weapon for shock troops. Many major powers in the international community were still in the research and development stage.

Hearing the boss say this, Li Jiaming understood the reason for the halt in production of the War God Armor Battle Suit.

"Boss, I understand. I'll go down and get busy now."

"Wait a moment." Long Fei called out to Li Jiaming.

"Boss, do you have any other instructions?"

"That princess, send her back these few days."

"Yes, boss."