"What should we do? Should we tell them about this?"
"Forget it, let's go back and discuss it first."
"Then let's not talk about it for now..."
Unconsciously, Amelia and Jody had already exchanged a glance.
Both of them tacitly concealed the truth behind their drastic change in attitude two days prior.
When Zhang Tianyuan returned after checking the delivery slip, both of them were in a state of turmoil, as if they had done something wrong and were afraid of being discovered, feeling uneasy and uncertain.
"How did the talks go?"
"President, I have already explained our current situation and our concerns about them to Dr. Brand and Dr. Brand."
"Yes," Zhang Tianyuan nodded, "Please forgive us, both of you. We are not deliberately making things difficult for you because of any particular stance. It's just that some issues that our various branches have faced have given us pause."
Incidentally, he also briefly mentioned various bizarre events that occurred in North America in other timelines, especially the tragedy in the timeline of "The Day After Tomorrow Spacetime ".
"Our organization is still studying and summarizing this matter internally, and we plan to come up with a detailed set of regulations and effective measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again."
After saying that, his gaze swept across Amelia and the other woman's faces, without uttering the rest of his sentence.
Perhaps this charter and these measures will be applied to you.
Amelia and Jody were completely oblivious to Zhang Tianyuan's somewhat strange gaze, as they were both engrossed in the bizarre events they had just heard.
So... there are historical reasons why they are treated differently?
Both of them felt helpless, deeply aware of the burden they were being carried by their brothers from other parallel universes.
However, they immediately changed their minds again—
They don't seem to be doing much better now!
They physically deplete their own population, intending to bomb the starving people and drive the worthless, starving civilians to no-man's-land to await their deaths...
These things don't seem much better, do they?
They seem to be the burden in the eyes of the other older brothers, right?
In an instant, both of them understood that their North America counterparts from other timelines must have felt something similar to what they had just experienced when they heard about their own story...
The third rocket was quickly launched, and operations began on site. Zhang Tianyuan instructed Amelia to take the message back to China, asking them to provide cooperative terms that would reassure the various branches.
He then left with Zhou Kun.
As soon as they left, Amelia and Jody were also asked to leave the final assembly plant.
As the two walked back to the delegation's accommodation, their minds were filled with what they had just heard.
That completely overturned their worldview.
"Should we tell anyone else about this?" Amelia asked Jody.
After a moment's thought, the other party said, "No, we must keep this information a secret. No one else can know except you and me."
Their positive and cooperative attitude over the past two days formed the basis for Zhang Tianyuan's meeting with them, but the problem is that this attitude was the result of Professor Brand's unauthorized actions.
There was no higher-level instruction involved.
This is just a castle in the air, a dam built of sand; it won't last long before it's exposed.
Therefore, whoever raises the question should be responsible for solving it.
"We need to head back immediately and tell the professor this news."
"Only he can make this decision; we have no power to influence how things unfold..."
"Okay," Amelia thought with a strange sense of pessimism, "In fact, I have a feeling this time won't go smoothly."
Jody sighed and said nothing.
After returning to their lodgings, the two quickly contacted Professor Brand via satellite phone, telling him that they had important matters to discuss with him upon their return and that it was inconvenient to mention them over the phone.
Professor Brand sensed something unusual from their cautious tone. He didn't elaborate, only saying that he would arrange for preparations to be made back home as soon as possible, and also told them to be careful.
Hang up the phone.
Jody suggested that they also needed to inform Zhou Kun about the cancellation of the visit, and that the airport's assistance was required for the plane's takeoff.
Amelia accepted the task, went outside again, and, led by the guide, arrived at Zhou Kun's office.
However, the place was completely empty.
Based on what she had seen today, Amelia already knew where he was.
She asked the guide in charge of monitoring to take her to the outside of the Mutual Aid Society's office building, which was not open to the public, and then knocked on the door.
Everything went smoothly. The security guard, who had seen her at noon, informed her and, after receiving permission, let her in.
Zhou Kun and Zhang Tianyuan were still at the holographic desk, and the holographic image had reverted to a simulation of the Solar System, seemingly indicating that the third holographic event was underway.
Discussion of rocket launch missions.
Amelia found the translation headset by the door, put it on, and, as Jody had instructed, expressed her intention to end the visit. Zhou Kun readily agreed, saying that he would have others arrange all the farewell arrangements.
Logically, we should have left by now.
But Amelia, looking at the wormhole in the holographic image, inexplicably walked to Zhang Tianyuan's side:
"May I join you?"
Zhang Tianyuan turned his head, as if he hadn't heard clearly.
Amelia repeated it.
"You can wait until your North America Branch is established before joining the Mutual Aid Society; they definitely won't refuse you."
"I..." Amelia hesitated slightly. She couldn't very well say that she felt there was no hope for the North America Branch and therefore wanted to skip it and join the North America Branch Mutual Aid Society directly, could she?
Her hesitant demeanor struck Zhang Tianyuan as odd, but he didn't dwell on it, assuming the professor was simply impatient.
"If you join the Mutual Aid Society now, your organizational affiliation will only be with this branch; you'll have to transfer it back to the North America Branch later." (Xxs-2)
"No problem!" Amelia agreed immediately. "Thank you so much!"
Zhang Tianyuan turned his head and gestured to the staff member next to him to bring over a membership agreement, explaining the obligations and rights, and guiding Amelia to sign it.
Amelia quickly signed the agreement, and all her worries and anxieties vanished.
In this way, even if the establishment of the North America Branch is thwarted, she can still participate in this new plan to save all of humanity.
Before leaving, Amelia hoped to establish a communication channel between herself, or rather, North America, and the Mutual Aid Society. Zhou Kun granted her request, giving her a satellite phone and indicating that she could contact him through the phone, as well as a team leader from the Mutual Aid Society named Yin.
Afterwards, Amelia returned to the delegation's accommodations and informed everyone of the conclusion of the visit.
Although the other members found it a bit strange, everyone was quite happy. Although the space base here looked quite modern, the living conditions it provided were far inferior to those in North America.
They were already getting impatient staying here.
That evening.
The delegation arrived at the airport, and the transoceanic passenger plane took off into the night, embarking on their journey home.