When the discussion turned to choosing a site for the research base and training superpowered individuals, everyone joined in enthusiastically, putting forward one idea after another.
But after getting the discussion started, Li Xianfeng fell silent.
He had awakened the ability of a "Reincarnator" himself, and was secretly wary of those with unusual powers.
He had no idea what changes all those strange, unknown superpowers would bring to the world.
Even he was hiding things, so what about everyone else? What if a supervillain like Yuri, Loki, Ultron, or Magneto emerged?
Yet the march of the times would not bend to anyone's will. Those who failed to adapt would only fall behind.
The nation could not possibly give up such an opportunity.
Neither could the rest of the world.
At that thought, Li Xianfeng felt a faint, inexplicable sadness.
Could he escape the current of his times?
He could not. How many people in this world truly rode the crest of the wave? You thought you were the helmsman, the pioneer, the chess player, but in reality, you were merely drifting with the tide.
The times had chosen a direction for humanity, and this great ship could no longer turn around.
Once the discussion ended, Li Xianfeng suppressed his conflicting emotions. "Everyone, we need to find suitable locations near the Mysterious Zone to build five enormous offshore floating platforms with truss structures."
"Using these floating islands as logistical bases, we can transport thirty to fifty thousand soldiers into the Mysterious Zone every month to awaken superpowers."
"These slots can also serve as bargaining chips to rally the surrounding countries. Giving them a few thousand slots each month would be a considerable benefit."
"The diplomatic pressure right now really is enormous... South Korea and North Korea might start a nuclear war."
The subject inevitably stirred unease.
One young researcher asked, "Could a nuclear war really break out?"
War seemed so distant, yet somehow right at their doorstep.
With the arrival of the supernatural age, however, everything had changed.
Li Xianfeng sighed. "In the past, Earth could theoretically feed twelve billion people, yet famines still occurred frequently. Now, with sea levels rising and the land area shrinking drastically, it can only feed six billion. If anything else goes wrong in the future, that number might fall to three billion..."
"Let's assume the Earth of the future can feed three billion people. By 'feed,' I mean everyone would be hovering around subsistence level, just barely avoiding starvation. Would you be willing to work hard all day just to fill your stomach, with an Engel coefficient approaching a hundred percent? After a whole day's work, you couldn't afford anything beyond enough food to eat."
"You wouldn't, would you?"
The researcher opened his mouth, but no words came out. His young face immediately fell.
"You'd certainly want a better life. More people always want to live a little better. That desire is natural, and it's a fundamental cornerstone of human society's development. If everyone wanted to do nothing and coast through life, humanity would never advance. Desire and competition are precisely what have driven the development of our world."
"But living better means consuming more resources, which reduces the total population Earth can support."
"And so, the so-called middle class emerges."
"Beyond this so-called middle class, another group stands at the top of the pyramid. They possess the vast majority of resources and hold power over the world."
"The arrival of a new age may merely replace some of those at the top. One percent of the population controlling eighty percent of the resources-that's hardly out of the question, is it?"
"So tell me, how many people could Earth still support?"
The room fell utterly silent.
Academician Ge, the oldest among them, also shook his head gently.
Li Xianfeng tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "That's enough of that digression. Living in a major power is a blessing."
"Give some thought to the specific locations for the floating islands and draw up a few proposals."
"I'll go speak with the Americans about the rescue operations in the Mysterious Zone."
The meeting ended there. Carrying a stack of documents, Li Xianfeng headed for the communications room.
"Xianfeng, you've been under a lot of pressure lately, haven't you? You always seem distracted." Academician Ge walked over with a genial smile.
Li Xianfeng gave a bitter smile as he switched on the communicator and dialed a number. "How could I sleep before we bring Zhang Ming back?"
"If the other two teams are brought back to Earth, and the only mirage left in the sky is Zone 16, with everyone in the world watching, what would that make this..."
"The focus of the entire world?"
Academician Ge spread his hands helplessly. "Zhang Ming was aboard a plane flying through the sky, while the others were on ships traveling across the sea. The extent of their displacement differed enormously."
"If the others were displaced by one unit, he might have been displaced by a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand!"
"Besides, the other two teams each have a fully equipped ship that can keep transmitting distress signals."
"Zhang Ming doesn't have any electronic equipment. How is anyone supposed to find him?"
"I know that too," Li Xianfeng said.
Academician Ge rubbed the white hair at his temples. "Whatever the case, we still have to do everything we can to rescue those two stranded teams. Not just to reduce the outbreaks of disasters on Earth, but because there are people from our Great Xia in both teams."
"As for Zhang Ming... sigh, we'll think of something later. He's feasting on meat and fish every day, playing scientist over there and researching some Faraday Cage. He's not going to die anytime soon!"
Li Xianfeng could only nod helplessly.
The screen soon lit up. Once the satellite connection was established, Professor Peter Greer's familiar face appeared.
Political factors aside, they got along quite well personally.
"Oh, oh, are you discussing Zhang? Zhang Ming of Zone 16, that remarkable man?"
Professor Peter said eagerly, "Actually, he's incredible! He's getting stronger every day, by leaps and bounds!"
"Compared with the beginning, when he struggled just to fight a crab, he handles them effortlessly now."
"He's definitely the strongest human being! He may possess some special ability, or he couldn't digest the flesh of so many mutated creatures! An ordinary person would die from eating that much monster meat!"
"That's true." Li Xianfeng smiled wryly. "He hardly hunts crabs anymore. Maybe he's sick of eating them... Honestly, mutated creatures are terribly scarce here, while over there he's eating them until he wants to throw up."
Professor Peter clapped his hands and said excitedly, "No, no, no, Li Xianfeng, you underestimate how powerful Zhang
is."
"I once asked an old friend abroad. He's trekked across the Amazon and spent sixty days alone on a deserted island."
"Guess what he said?"
Li Xianfeng perked up his ears. Indeed, there were far more wilderness survival enthusiasts courting death abroad than there were at home.
Professor Peter did not keep him in suspense. Speaking fluent Chinese, he said, "My friend told me that sixty days on a deserted island was more grueling than trekking across the Amazon. He never wanted to do it again."
"When he trekked across the Amazon, he had guides and teammates. Optimism could be shared. During those sixty days on the deserted island, he was alone, without social contact. Once negative emotions arose, it was very difficult to vent them."
"Now Zhang is in an even more difficult situation, facing a supernatural world alone, yet he's completely in his element... My guess is that his ability is very complex, enhancing every aspect of his physique and mental state. He might even be what exists only in theory..."
"A multi-ability user!"
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