Emergency Meeting
"As people get older, their hearing doesn't improve. What did you just say, young man?"
The old man's expression had visibly stiffened, and upon closer inspection, one could notice his lips trembling unnaturally.
"Um."
Lu Bai repeated, "I destroyed a Mona people interstellar warship."
The old man's head snapped back, and the medical team members standing behind him surged forward again.
They skipped the vital signs check and went straight to providing first aid to the elderly person.
The medical staff were each performing their duties, occasionally uttering a professional term, which left Lu Bai bewildered.
The One-Eyed Dragon also rushed forward anxiously, prepared to take the elderly man to the intensive care unit immediately should the problem become serious.
Lu Bai also wanted to go forward and take a look, but all the fully armed soldiers around him raised their guns and pointed them at him. Even the hidden sentries, in this sudden situation, could no longer hide themselves and hurriedly revealed themselves.
It is quite obvious that the old man in front of me holds a very important position in Shelter No. 9.
Lu Bai was already awaiting sentencing after committing a crime. If his words led to the death of an elderly person, things would likely not end well.
Fortunately, after nearly ten minutes of emergency first aid, the elderly man finally recovered.
He raised his hand to wave away the medical personnel blocking his way, and looked at Lu Bai with a very complicated expression.
After observing for a long time, he sighed softly and said, "Young man, could you please tell me everything that happened after you left the shelter in detail? Don't leave anything out; it's very important."
Lu Bai thought about it and did not refuse.
He had originally intended to explain the situation in detail as well.
This makes it easier to decide what to do next based on the other person's reaction.
"When I first encountered the humans in the settlement, I noticed that they didn't have a very friendly impression of the shelter..."
"... The doors of the secluded elevator opened, I stepped out, and you probably know what happened next."
The old man listened patiently to Lu Bai's story, then slowly nodded, clearly pondering something.
Finally, the old man made a decision, turning to the One-Eyed Dragon beside him and saying, "I need you to immediately notify Zhu Taihong, the head of the Security Defense Department of Shelter No. 9, and give him the recording of the conversation. He will know what to do."
At the same time, contact the current standing committee member of the city council, who will then extend the notification to City Councilor, and all relevant personnel at all levels need to respond quickly.
The old man had spoken so much in one breath that he had to stop and catch his breath.
But he didn't pause for long before immediately adding, "Also, notify Huai Ruohe, the director of the Research Institute of No. 9 Underground City. We need him to explain exactly how big the gap is between our technological level and that of the Mona people."
"All the personnel mentioned above are required to arrive at the meeting venue within one hour. As for the meeting content, it is tentatively set as -- a contingency plan for a possible full-scale invasion by the Mona civilization."
Lu Bai's expression shifted slightly.
Judging from the content of this meeting, the old man in front of me doesn't seem to have any intention of surrendering directly.
The old man looked at Lu Bai: "Let's go. You definitely have to attend this meeting. Let's go first."
Sizzle~
Tires screeched against the ground as an armored car came to a stop in front of a heavily guarded building.
The car door opened quickly, and a member of parliament in a suit got out and hurried toward the building.
He saw many familiar faces along the way, but judging from the messages he received, the situation was urgent, and now was clearly not the time for pleasantries.
The legislator quickly passed through the identity verification at the door and entered the huge conference hall.
The Conference Hall was already more than half full, with over a hundred people, all of whom were experts in various fields within the Underground City.
If a missile were to hit and wipe them out, it would almost physically replace the entire leadership of Shelter No. 9.
Lu Bai sat in the first row of seats, which was convenient for him to explain when he went on stage later.
The old man sat beside him, resting with his eyes closed.
This whole ordeal was indeed quite strenuous for the elderly.
Lu Bai had been staying with the old man and knew that he had privately communicated with the main responsible persons of relevant departments and exchanged opinions. This meeting was more for notification purposes.
The current member of the city council's standing committee, who was on duty this month, was still looking down at the documents in his hand. He would take the stage to preside over the meeting once almost all the attendees had arrived.
Soon it was time for the meeting to begin, and the signal jammers in the Conference Hall were activated.
The heavy doors to the Conference Hall slammed shut.
A team of staff walked to the door and assumed a straddle stance, while outside the door, more fully armed soldiers were carrying out security work.
The Standing Committee member walked to the podium and coughed twice as a symbolic gesture, which quickly silenced the noisy discussions in the room. All the attendees looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
"The situation is urgent. Please check the equipment in front of you so that you can have a preliminary understanding of the situation."
The device in front of the seats was playing a video of Lu Bai talking to the elderly man, of course, a version with the first aid content edited out.
It is worth mentioning that a significant portion of the attendees did not previously have access to the truth about the shelter, let alone know about the existence of the Mona people.
Therefore, this information was provided before playing the conversation between Lu Bai and the old man.
As the video played, the previously quiet discussions resurfaced; no one can remain calm about something like this.
It's unbelievable that one day you suddenly discover you've been living under the captivity of an extraterrestrial civilization.
This matter must be handled with great care. With so much information being received at once, many attendees didn't even know where to begin.
The truth from four hundred years ago is laid bare, proving that it is impossible for humans and the Mona people to achieve a win-win situation through political and diplomatic means.
It is easy to tell from the Mona people's attitude that they do not regard humans as beings on the same level as themselves.
Once the video had finished playing, the city council member scanned the entire room and tapped his finger on the podium.
"Now, let's discuss the incident of Lu Bai's contact with the Mona civilization."
A military spokesperson stood up and asked, "How does the Mona people's technological level compare to ours?"
The Standing Committee member glanced at the document and calmly stated the harsh reality. "In Dean Huai's assessment, the situation is overwhelmingly favorable."
"Let me explain next."
Huai Ruohe Ruhe leaned slightly forward into the microphone and added, "Our technological path is similar to that of the Mona civilization, with a gap of about three generations. However, the gap in material foundation is too large. Once war breaks out, we will be unilaterally suppressed."