Local Residents Launch a Protest

"We refuse to allow nuclear research."

"Get nuclear power out of Shimen County! We don't need it!"

"A nuclear leak will wipe out our descendants! For the sake of our children, we will never agree to nuclear research."

"For future generations, tear down the Research Base!"

As the villagers of Shimen County gathered and headed toward the Maglev Research Base, Zhang Hongxing was discussing a minor detail of the Flight Array with Pan Qiwu.

After spending some time together, Pan Qiwu's talent for scientific research had begun to shine, especially in his study of arrays. His progress was nothing short of extraordinary.

Even compared with Zhang Hongxing, he was every bit as talented, if not more so.

If Zhang Hongxing hadn't had over fifteen thousand years of experience, and if Pan Qiwu hadn't been unable to cultivate...

Pan Qiwu might well have surpassed him one day.

"Director Zhang, something's wrong!"

A young researcher rushed in.

"O-outside... outside... a huge crowd has come! They're carrying protest signs and saying we have to tear down the Research Base."

"All right, I understand. Pan, keep working on the research with the others. I'll go take a look."

Zhang Hongxing reassured the researcher, then headed outside.

Nearly three hundred people had gathered outside the research base's main gate, most of them elderly. The sprawling crowd made quite a spectacle.

"Who sent you here, and who told you I was conducting nuclear research?"

Zhang Hongxing's shout rang out even louder than a megaphone. Before coming outside, he had already focused his attention and sifted through their conversations.

"You're the person in charge here?"

A somewhat younger old man stepped forward.

"That's right."

"Beat him to death! He's the one doing that nuclear research!"

"That's right! Beat him to death!"

Seeing the crowd about to charge, Zhang Hongxing widened his eyes and prepared to act.

"Who's causing trouble here?"

The sudden booming voice interrupted Zhang Hongxing and cowed the villagers. Looking toward its source, they saw a convoy of five military vehicles rumbling toward them.

The voice had come from the loudspeaker on the lead vehicle.

Once the vehicles drew near, a white-haired but vigorous old man stepped out. He was Elder Qian.

At the sight of Elder Qian, the potbellied man and Zhang Chu, who had been hiding in the crowd, immediately went over to greet him.

"Elder Qian, you're finally here."

"What's going on here? Why are so many people gathered outside?"

Elder Qian frowned as he questioned Zhang Chu, but before Zhang Chu could answer, the potbellied man cut in.

"Elder Qian, you have no idea how much trouble Zhang Hongxing causes. Before you even arrived, he was making a big show of saying he would work with you on some Nuclear-Powered Maglev Train. Once the local residents heard about the nuclear power, they organized a protest on their own."

"He really said that himself?"

Elder Qian's question made both Zhang Chu's and the potbellied man's eyes light up. His words had indirectly confirmed that the Nuclear-Powered Maglev Train project was real.

"Of course he did. If he hadn't said it, how could we possibly know? How could these villagers know?"

"It seems this Zhang Hongxing is still too young."

Elder Qian let out a long sigh. In his mind, this trip was already off to a bad start.

"Elder Qian, that man is Zhang Hongxing. You've been here all this time, but he hasn't even bothered to come greet you. Do you really want to work with someone like that?"

Picking up on Elder Qian's words, Zhang Chu continued trying to poison his opinion of Zhang Hongxing.

Zhang Hongxing wasn't far away and had actually heard their conversation, but he had no interest in paying them any attention. At that moment, his thoughts were entirely on the hundreds of local residents before him.

He was considering how to stop them if they really charged forward and started destroying things.

Should he force them back with his overwhelming strength?

Or should he set up a Defensive Grand Array to keep them out?

"Everyone, I am Qian Zhong. I know you're all opposed to nuclear power, and that's perfectly understandable. But there's one thing you don't know: no research involving nuclear power has actually begun here."

"I've come here only to conduct a scientific investigation. Even if we do agree to collaborate, we won't carry out that collaboration directly at this location. I can promise you that."

Qian Zhong neither lashed out at Zhang Hongxing because of the two younger men's remarks nor stormed off. Instead, he patiently explained the situation to the hundreds of local residents.

"Elder Qian researches nuclear power himself! We can't trust anything he says!"

"Exactly! A nuclear power expert is already here. How could this possibly be false?"

"Charge! Tear down the research base!"

Several ringleaders emerged from the crowd. Under their incitement, Elder Qian's attempts to reason with the villagers became a joke.

Zhang Hongxing had already decided to beat them back first.

But before he could act, another booming voice rang out from a loudspeaker in a different direction.

"Who dares cause trouble here?"

The voice was followed by another convoy of military vehicles.

There were five military jeeps in all, packed with twenty short-haired men in black camouflage uniforms.

"Lin Kui of the Black Panther Special Forces, reporting for duty!"

"Wang Biao of the Black Panther Special Forces, reporting for duty!"

"Lin Dong of the Black Panther Special Forces, reporting for duty!"

"Wu Fan of the Black Panther Special Forces, reporting for duty!"

After each shout, a man jumped out of a military vehicle and gave Zhang Hongxing a military salute.

The appearance of these twenty men instantly intimidated the villagers.

Both their discipline and the murderous look in their battle-hardened eyes were enough to make anyone shrink back.

"Boss, we're here."

Once everyone had gotten out, Lin Kui jogged up to Zhang Hongxing.

"You couldn't have arrived at a better time."

Zhang Hongxing made the teasing remark, then pointed to the research base behind him. "From now on, I'll be leaving security here to you. Sorry for the trouble."

"Don't worry, boss. Without your permission, I guarantee not even a fly will get in."

After grinning and trying to win Zhang Hongxing's approval, Lin Kui turned and barked at the nearly twenty soldiers.

"Black Panther Special Forces!"

"Present!"

"Split yourselves into three teams and guard this base around the clock!"

"Yes, sir!"

The men quickly divided into three teams. Two spread out along the Research Center, one to the left and the other to the right, while the remaining team guarded Zhang Hongxing's flanks.

The local residents had never seen anything like this, much less with all these men carrying weapons.

"Don't be afraid, everyone! Soldiers of the Xia Kingdom would never bully the people of the Xia Kingdom!"

"That's right! Keep charging!"

"For future generations, tear down the Research Base!"

The troublemakers in the crowd spoke up again. Zhang Hongxing pointed, and several soldiers swiftly charged forward. In no time, the three most vocal agitators had been hauled before him.

"Tell me. Who sent you?"

"No one sent us. We came of our own accord."

"Exactly! You're allowed to conduct Nuclear Power Research, but we're not allowed to oppose it?"

"You people have no regard for whether ordinary people live or die! You don't deserve to be scientists!"