Before oil resources were depleted in the Common Era.
Angus Gale, who worked at the Academy of Sciences, was suddenly invited to the Kremlin Palace to attend a highly classified meeting.
He had assumed it was another meeting about revitalizing the nation's industrial chain, but to his surprise, the moment he entered the Kremlin Palace, he was led into a small Meeting Room.
The people seated inside surprised him. They were all leading figures in the global scientific community, their names practically household names.
What puzzled Eggers Gale even more was that there had clearly been no international scientific gathering in Moscow recently, yet the attendees included people from China, the United States, and the European Union.
Chinese scientists appearing in the Kremlin Palace was hardly unusual, but American and European Union scientists being here was rather strange.
After all, the war was still ongoing, as were the sanctions from Europe and the United States.
Eggers Gale briefly greeted everyone and took an empty seat. At that moment, a tall colonel with sharply defined features entered carrying a folder and walked to the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, you have been invited here because we have made a major geological discovery and require your expertise for further research."
The colonel spoke English, so there was no need for an interpreter.
He continued, "Foreign nationals in particular—since you are here, you should understand the urgency of this matter, as well as your countries' concern and attention toward it.
"So, you must first sign a nondisclosure agreement before I can tell you the truth."
An American scientist joked, "Did you find dinosaurs underground?"
Several scholars beside him chuckled along, but only briefly. The colonel's expression was grim, as though they really had discovered dinosaurs.
The American scientist awkwardly cleared his throat and gestured