Abolishing the Special Aviation Tax
One in the afternoon.
At his desk, Professor Wang Zhong, who was over eighty, read an official document.
The farther he read, the worse his mood became.
Notice on Abolishing the Special Aviation Tax
"The Special Aviation Construction Tax will officially be abolished as of December 31, 2264. This is hereby announced..."
"So it's finally come to this."
The Special Aviation Tax was a form of support from the United Government for the Deep Space Project. Every participating country paid this tax each year.
Now, however, the tax was going to be abolished.
Professor Wang Zhong let out a long sigh. As he thought it over, the wrinkles on his forehead deepened into furrows.
In this era, advances in medical technology—especially the advent of 3D bioprinting for organs—had pushed the average human lifespan to 110. Those in better health could even live to 140. But eighty was still rather old, and his waning energy was making it harder for Wang Zhong to keep up with his research.
Still, as a member of the Academy of Sciences, even in old age, his intelligence far surpassed that of ordinary people.
He was the sort who couldn't sit still. Even at his age, it was good to put his remaining abilities to use. Supervising a few master's students was no problem, and he could also take care of some administrative work.
As a scientific adviser to the Deep Space Foundation, he had more work than he could handle every day.
The more he read the newly issued document, the more discouraged he became.
Time waited for no one. If he were twenty or thirty years younger, he would have argued his case at the meeting, even if it wouldn't have made much difference...
Wang Zhong made a call, trying to keep his voice as mild as possible. "...Do they really not know that the Earth Era needed support from Jupiter Base to accelerate to seven-thousandths the speed of light?"
"Building a laser pathway over such a vast distance will cost a fortune!"
A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end. "Professor Wang, tax cuts are the trend of the times. There's nothing the few of us can do to stop them. This decision has been under discussion for a long time; it wasn't made on a whim. Chairman Lin of the foundation has also..."
Wang Zhong said indignantly, "If the ship can't reach seven-thousandths the speed of light, do you know what will happen? It's a 3,000-year journey! Any change could set off a chain reaction like a line of dominoes..."
"Professor Wang, we're working on a solution. Don't worry. Even if we have to sell off a large portion of our assets, we'll raise the money."
Wang Zhong hung up and sighed again.
That was true. To politicians, the Earth Era had already been built, so of course the taxes collected from the public for it ought to be abolished. After all, people had been complaining bitterly about this additional tax for more than forty years.
But...
Where the follow-up funding would come from remained a major problem.
The Deep Space Foundation was wealthy and owned a great many businesses, but without funding from the United Government, it couldn't bear such enormous expenses. Selling off assets wasn't a wise choice. Dumping them recklessly on the capital market would only benefit the financial sharks. The market was a bloodless killer: the more urgently they sold, the lower the prices buyers would offer.
Besides, the Deep Space Foundation's goal wasn't merely to launch one colony ship. It was to launch ten, twenty, even a hundred. Those assets were the foundation's very roots!
Just then, there was a soft knock on the office door.
"Come in!" Wang Zhong said, pulling his thoughts back to the present.
A young woman walked in. She was his student, Xu Yunjing.
"Teacher, there are a few reporters outside who'd like to interview you. They're foreigners. Do you know them?" she asked softly.
"Foreigners?"
"They seem to be from the Humanities Association... They want us to donate to impoverished regions."
"I'm not accepting interviews. Tell them I'm not here!"
At the mention of money, Wang Zhong raised his eyebrows and his voice. "You could figure out what they're here for with your eyes closed! Our foundation may own a lot of businesses, but money doesn't grow on trees. It was created by all our scientists!"
"...Don't ever deal with reporters like that again, especially foreign reporters. They love setting traps for you. One careless remark, and they'll blow it out of proportion and publish all sorts of false reports!"
Xu Yunjing was left chastened. It was clear that her teacher was in a terrible mood.
Xia was a net exporter of energy, and electricity at home cost just three cents per kilowatt-hour. It was practically a social benefit.
But the electricity they sold abroad was another matter. The labor of Xia's people couldn't be sold off cheaply; the electricity had to turn a profit.
Depending on how much each country had contributed to the development of nuclear fusion, some paid eight cents per kilowatt-hour, while others paid thirty cents.
Take it or leave it.
The reason was simple: the monopoly on controlled nuclear fusion. This immensely difficult project brought together nearly all of humanity's most cutting-edge technology. It wasn't something every country could manage just by deciding to give it a try.
Xu Yunjing thought for a moment, then spoke with some hesitation. "Teacher, if you refuse the interview, could it leave a bad impression?"
"Bad impression? What bad impression? Will people starve if they don't have electricity? Is thirty cents per kilowatt-hour really that expensive? All that talk about human rights is obviously just an excuse to get cheap electricity!"
Wang Zhong snapped, "...They didn't contribute much during the research. What gives them the right to swoop in now and claim the prize?"
"This is in the national interest!"
"If they want cheaper electricity, they should send representatives to negotiate with the government, not sneak around and launch a media campaign to win sympathy from our people!"
Wang Zhong knew that the more he said, the more likely he was to make a mistake. He couldn't be bothered to argue with those reporters, so he took the opportunity to teach his student about the need for "political awareness."
Whatever you did, you needed to have some tact.
"Especially you girls. Don't let your bleeding hearts make you generous with other people's money!"
After that scolding, Xu Yunjing stopped thinking about the matter. Then she added awkwardly, "Oh, and... Senior Brother's son wants to visit you. Do you have time?"
"Senior Brother? Which one?"
"Um... Senior Brother Zhang!" Xu Yunjing gestured with both hands.
Wang Zhong was taken aback, but quickly understood. His expression softened, and a trace of warmth crossed his face.
Zhang Qiming was his most brilliant student, the one who had designed the main control system for the Earth Era. All his students, whether doctoral or master's candidates, called Zhang Qiming "Senior Brother."
As for... his son?
He didn't think he'd heard about him.
Well, he had, but he'd long since forgotten. Everyone knew about Einstein, but few people cared to remember his son.
Remembering that Zhang Qiming had already passed away, Wang Zhong sighed at the thought of a white-haired father sending off a black-haired son. "Sigh. Bring his son in."