We Can Establish a Special Zone in the Wandering Marsh

Dawn City. The main avenue leading to the Alliance Building. Even before noon, the street was already bustling with activity. An occasional vehicle drove past on the widened roadway, but most traffic consisted of pedestrians or cyclists. Looking at the crowded throngs on both sides of the street, Yang Kai, standing at the edge of the crowd, couldn't help but frown slightly and subconsciously stopped in his tracks. Having spent years in laboratories or research vessels, he disliked crowded places. On one hand, crowds meant noise and clamor; on the other, the air was laden with an aerosol mist of respiratory droplets. Seeing her mentor stop, Jiang Xuezhou, walking alongside him, explained softly: "This is Dawn City's Central Avenue, right next to the bustling North Street. It's said that long ago, Alliance soldiers fought against marauders of the Bone Chewer tribe here and dug quite a few trenches... Later, as refugees migrated in and the trading post developed, those trenches were gradually widened into sewers, paved over with bricks, and houses were built on top." Ye Shi had told her all of this. However, her mentor was clearly not very interested in this settlement's past. He simply kept a stiff face and said coldly: "Too many people." Knowing that her mentor disliked crowds, Jiang Xuezhou explained in a low voice: "After all, over a hundred thousand people live in this settlement." Yang Kai chuckled dismissively. "A settlement of a hundred thousand, yet planned into such a crowded mess." By comparison, settlements under the jurisdiction of the Science Committee were far more scientific. People worked in an orderly fashion and were managed scientifically. Even a settlement of hundreds of thousands would never be this chaotic and disorganized. And most importantly, they eliminated the waste of resources. People obtained the supplies they needed efficiently without wasting time picking and choosing, allowing them to devote more time to meaningful endeavors. Jiang Xuezhou actually rather liked the liveliness here, and couldn't resist murmuring: "It might be because the celebration is about to be held... Usually, there aren't this many people on the street." "Celebration?" "To celebrate the end of the Tide. The Alliance plans to make this day a statutory holiday... It's in the preparation stage now. The fireworks display and festivities will take place on the third day after the Tide ended—which is the day after tomorrow," Jiang Xuezhou whispered. Yang Kai's brow furrowed, then relaxed after a moment. After mulling it over for a long while, he offered a fair assessment. "Mm... That really is something worth celebrating." Frankly, he hadn't expected those wastelanders, relying on pieced-together equipment, to actually defeat the broodmother single-handedly when even the Post-War Reconstruction Committee had failed to do so. Having watched from the sidelines throughout the entire process, he could hardly believe his eyes. Everything that had happened here could only be described with one word: miracle. However, whether it was a miracle or not, for the Academy—which cared deeply about the wasteland—this was undeniably an enormous and welcome surprise. There were vast numbers of undeveloped ruins within Qingquan City, previously sealed off under the control of slime mold fruiting bodies. Among them were not only pre-war research facilities, but also various production plants, as well as army and aerospace military equipment from the People's Federation era, among other things. Now that the Alliance had taken the downtown broodmother, those resources once occupied by the slime mold could finally see the light of day again! Not only was the Academy intensely interested in the trump card the Alliance had used to defeat the downtown broodmother, but it also harbored a deep interest in the development of Qingquan City. Of course, the Academy wouldn't take benefits from the Alliance for nothing. Yang Kai had communicated with his superior over the phone, and his superior's intention was to use a "Cooperative R&D Agreement" as a bargaining chip. The Academy would open up some of its data to the Alliance, foster the Alliance's development of technology-intensive industries, and upgrade various laboratory hardware. According to the assessment of the Department of Foreign Affairs, at the Alliance's current stage, the technological support the Academy could offer was far more attractive than the economic support the Enterprise could provide. If push came to shove, transferring a few D-grade or even C-grade technologies was also acceptable. As long as the Alliance pledged not to turn around and sell those technologies to potential competitors of the Academy, such as Ideal City or Triumph City. In addition to matters regarding the joint development of ruins, Academy leadership also hoped to establish an office in the Alliance—an embassy, so to speak. Just like the embassy the Enterprise had established in the Alliance, making it convenient for both sides to exchange views in a timely manner regarding southern affairs and mutant slime mold research. In principle, diplomatic work was the job of the Department of Foreign Affairs; such matters shouldn't be handled by someone from the Department of Research like him. However, in an Academy where rank trumped everything, having specialists handle specialist tasks was merely a guideline. Yang Kai certainly wasn't going to let such an effortless, massive merit slip from his resume. Besides, he had plenty of reasons to convince his superiors. First, he happened to be right near Qingquan City; second, he was currently executing a support mission related to the Alliance. And so, through a bit of maneuvering, the job that originally belonged to the Department of Foreign Affairs was snatched up by the Department of Research. Yang Kai was full of confidence about this meeting. After all, from any reasonable or practical perspective, he couldn't think of any possible reason for the Alliance to refuse... The two proceeded along Central Avenue for a while. After crossing into the northern suburbs of Qingquan City, it didn't take long before they spotted that boxy building. The entire building wasn't tall, only a few stories high, but it occupied a large footprint and was constructed quite spaciously. He had heard that most of the time, the Alliance's Administrator handled official business inside the shelter, while those stationed here were mostly ministers and mid-to-high-level staff of various departments. From the bicycles and electric scooters filling the parking lot, it was easy to see that as the Alliance grew in scale, the organizational structures matching it were also steadily improving. Yang Kai looked up at the sky. A few Hummingbird drones were patrolling above the building; the entire area fell under the Alliance's surveillance coverage. This was likely the most tightly guarded place in the entire Alliance, and its importance to the Alliance went without saying. The corners of Yang Kai's mouth quirked with a bit of smugness. It seemed that, just as he had expected, the Alliance's Administrator attached great importance to this meeting. A smug, floating pride crept onto his face. Noticing Yang Kai and Jiang Xuezhou standing at the entrance, the guard on duty beside the guardhouse stepped forward, rendered a military salute, and asked: "Hello. May I ask who you are?" "Academy Class-B Researcher, Yang Kai." Yang Kai flicked his index finger lightly in the air, pushing an expanded holographic window in front of the guard, and continued: "This is the invitation letter from your Administrator." The guard paused for a second looking at the holographic window, but upon hearing his name, reacted with a smile: "Ah, Mr. Yang. The Administrator left instructions regarding you. Please follow me!" In high spirits, Yang Kai nodded, then turned to Jiang Xuezhou: "Walk me just up to here. Find somewhere to pass the time; I'll call you when I need you." For an opportunity with zero risk where he could show off his prowess, having an assistant by his side would diminish his stature. Besides, it would prevent someone from undermining him later by saying he dumped the work on his student again while hiding far away himself. Looking at her confident mentor, Jiang Xuezhou was still a little uneasy and couldn't help asking softly: "Are you sure you don't need me to come along?" "No need, no need," Yang Kai waved his hand. "I've met that Chu Guang quite a few times. I can handle it alone." With that, he looked at the guard. "Lead the way." The guard replied politely: "This way, please!" Following behind the guard, Yang Kai stepped into the Alliance Building. After walking along a spacious corridor for a while, he entered a wide meeting room. Opening the door to the meeting room and ushering him inside, the guard said: "Our Administrator is currently meeting with a representative from the Enterprise. Please wait a moment." "A representative from the Enterprise?" Yang Kai froze slightly, frowned, and subconsciously checked the time. It was 1:40 PM. There were still twenty minutes before their scheduled meeting time; it indeed hadn't arrived yet. However, he hadn't expected that guy wouldn't be waiting for him in the meeting room, and that there would be another meeting right before his. And with the Enterprise, no less—an entity that had never seen eye to eye with the Academy. The guard nodded, conveying the situation truthfully according to the Administrator's instructions: "Yes. A lot has happened in the Qingquan City area recently, as you've probably heard. Parties including the Enterprise, the Great Rift Valley, and many survivor factions still plagued by mutant slime mold are very interested in the results we've achieved." An experienced diplomat might not have taken this posturing bluff to heart, but Yang Kai ultimately lacked extensive diplomatic experience. He suddenly felt that the surefire achievement had become less certain, and panic fluttered in his chest. "What are they talking about?" The guard was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this guest to ask such a blunt question, and didn't know how to respond for a moment. Yang Kai also gradually realized his slip of the tongue and cleared his throat softly to cover his embarrassment. "Never mind... Pretend I didn't say anything." Asking a state official about the contents of high-level talks with a third party was undoubtedly rude and presumptuous. Yang Kai cursed himself internally; such rash behavior was completely unbecoming of him. Seeing his awkwardness, the guard smiled and bailed him out: "No problem. But regarding your question... I really can't answer, nor do I know. If you're interested, I suggest asking our Administrator." Yang Kai rubbed his nose awkwardly. "I will." Perhaps snatching this task from the Department of Foreign Affairs hadn't been a good idea after all. He suddenly realized that not only was he bad at handling such occasions, but he also had mild social anxiety. Face-to-face conversation was completely different from communicating via holographic projection. You couldn't pause or go AFK at any time, sip coffee while contemplating what to say next, and you had to deal with the awkwardness and surprises that could pop up in any situation. Yang Kai suddenly regretted leaving his student outside with so much confidence. If he really messed up, he wouldn't even have someone to take the blame... Unaware of Yang Kai's inner turmoil, the guard nodded to a nearby attendant, gesturing for him to pour a cup of tea for the researcher, and then stepped out of the room. Yang Kai took a random seat and waited for a full twenty minutes in nervous apprehension. With no sign of the Administrator, just as he began to grow restless, footsteps finally sounded in the corridor outside the meeting room. Right on the dot at two o'clock, the meeting room door swung open, and a man clad in azure-blue power armor strode in. Almost reflexively, Yang Kai sprang up from his seat with a whoosh, but used so much force that he knocked his chair over. The embarrassment didn't stop there. His face flushed red, and after stammering for half an eternity, the word that popped out of his mouth was: "Welcome!"—leaving Chu Guang, who was just about to welcome him, utterly bewildered. "Ahem, I'm the one who should be saying welcome..." Seeing his face flush redder and redder, Chu Guang cleared his throat and said in a teasing tone, "Welcome to the Alliance. I hope you haven't been waiting long. Besides, relax a bit. While this might be our first time meeting face-to-face, we've seen each other quite a few times before." Did researchers from the Academy all have such eccentric personalities? Chu Guang couldn't help thinking of Li Ke, who had wished him a Happy New Year at the gates of Falcon City... This fellow's clumsy, flustered demeanor completely shattered the profound and enigmatic impression he had previously cultivated. Or could it be... He was simply terrible at "offline" communication? The nearby attendant wanted to laugh but didn't dare, keeping a straight face as he stepped forward to quietly set the researcher's chair upright. Yang Kai nodded stiffly, watching Chu Guang as he forced a smile onto his face: "Indeed..." Walking up to the conference table, Chu Guang pulled out his dedicated chair, sat down, and looking at the researcher visiting on behalf of the Academy, continued: "Well then, since this isn't our first time dealing with one another, let's not waste time on formalities and get straight to the point." Yang Kai nodded, seeming like a completely different person from his holographic self, speaking with extreme brevity: "My thoughts exactly." With that, he flicked his index finger lightly in the air to bring up a holographic screen, then took a projection pen from his chest pocket and placed it on the table. "Qingquan City belongs to the People's Federation, and its legacy rightfully belongs to all descendants of the People's Federation. Our side hopes to dispatch a scientific research team of fifty to a hundred people to be stationed in Qingquan City long-term to conduct observational surveys of the local ruins. Those ruins and the findings within them will belong to you, while a copy of the digital data we acquire will be shared with you..." Having rattled off this explanation in one breath, Yang Kai checked his thoughts to make sure nothing was missed, then took a deep breath and continued: "Additionally, we will send a research team to your location to provide you with certain technological assistance, as well as help you procure some specialized research equipment... All of this is outlined in the Cooperative Research Agreement before you." As Yang Kai gave this brief overview of the agreement, Chu Guang browsed the document on the holographic screen while observing the expression on his face through it. Honestly speaking, this guy was truly an amateur when it came to diplomacy. Still, considering he was a leader from the Department of Research and diplomacy wasn't his area of expertise, being a bit amateur was understandable. Normally, people would start with outrageous demands and then make mutual concessions during negotiations. Yet he did the exact opposite. As if terrified that Chu Guang would refuse, he started by preaching grand principles and then immediately laid all his bargaining chips on the table. In all honesty, the chips he laid out were indeed very attractive. Chu Guang admitted that his heart had already been stirred halfway through listening. However, this behavior was practically equivalent to slamming a bulging wallet onto a counter and telling the shopkeeper, "Decide the price yourself." Reaching the end of the agreement, Chu Guang suppressed the urge to crack a knowing smile, cleared his throat lightly, and spoke: "...Our side places great value on our relationship with your esteemed party, and we are very interested in the Cooperative Research Agreement you mentioned." Hearing Chu Guang's words, Yang Kai felt a surge of joy, thinking his worries had indeed been unnecessary. Yet before he could fully relax, Chu Guang shifted his tone and continued: "However, regarding certain terms in the agreement, we have objections." Hearing this ambiguous phrasing, Yang Kai immediately grew tense. "What objections? Please, go ahead." Chu Guang flicked his index finger in the air, moving the holographic screen aside, and looked directly into his eyes: "Qingquan City belongs to the People's Federation, and its legacy rightfully belongs to all humanity. But we are the ones in actual control, and we are the ones who solved the problem. For your side to demand that we share these fruits won through the sacrifices of Qingquan City's survivors—isn't that a bit ungenerous?" Seeing the displeasure on Chu Guang's face, especially meeting those eyes, Yang Kai panicked completely and hurriedly explained: "I did not ask you for the ruins of Qingquan City! I said it would only be observational surveys; ownership of the ruins still belongs to you! Furthermore, we understand your sacrifices, which is why we are willing to offer you assistance in technical recovery. This isn't for free—" "That is precisely where my objection lies," Chu Guang looked at him and continued. "You mentioned in the agreement that you would dispatch at least one hundred researchers to Camp 101 to establish an Academy branch and engage in exchanges with our researchers. But in my view, one-way communication isn't true exchange." Yang Kai was stunned. He hadn't expected Chu Guang to raise an objection over this matter. After all, when the Free State of Bugra begged them to send people to assist with their research, the Academy hadn't agreed. Now that they had taken the initiative to offer, the Alliance actually... had objections? "What do you mean..." Looking at the bewildered Yang Kai, Chu Guang continued thick-skinned: "The scope of exchange is entirely in your hands, isn't it? Even if you send over some incompetent researchers just to pad the numbers, there's nothing we can do. The same goes for the research equipment. We don't expect you to transfer your most cutting-edge instruments to us, but if you fob us off with phased-out rejects—" "How could we possibly do such a thing!" Yang Kai's face turned crimson as he interrupted Chu Guang mid-sentence. Yet his voice lacked conviction. To be honest, people from the Department of Foreign Affairs might actually pull something like that off; after all, cutting costs for the Academy was considered an accomplishment. The Academy's promotion system dictated that most mid-level and even upper-middle-level researchers, when making decisions, leaned toward short-term gains. If the Academy could achieve the ascension of their dreams within a hundred years, there was nothing wrong with that approach. Chu Guang, however, had no intention of being a sucker. It had always been him reaping other people; the idea of someone reaping him was preposterous! "I never said you would do that, but we have to ensure it won't happen, right?" Seeing Yang Kai unable to refute him, Chu Guang patiently continued: "This issue is actually very easy to resolve. We have people internally who are from the Academy—ahem, I mean, people who understand the Academy. I hope our side can refine the details of the agreement. For instance, creating a specific inventory listing the types, models, parameters, and most importantly, the prices of the transferred equipment. That way, we can guarantee you won't suddenly remember a batch of surplus inventory you want to clear out and dump on us when we don't even need it." Yang Kai bit the bullet and nodded: "Fine..." This request wasn't excessive. If the Alliance asked for instruments they couldn't provide, such as research equipment related to graviton research and FTL engines, at worst they could explicitly refuse in the agreement. At least this list was negotiable! Chu Guang smiled and nodded, pushing his advantage: "Another issue is the personnel matter I mentioned earlier." "Naturally, we support the freedom of academic exchange, but such exchange should be reciprocal, not one-sided... Aside from your side sending people to us, our side also wants to send people over to your side for exchanges." Yang Kai was taken aback and said immediately: "That's impossible! Only researchers can enter the Academy! Other survivors can at most move around settlements under the Science Committee! We cannot design a separate system for you... Don't push it too far!" The Academy internally implemented the K-point and G-point system. In the Academy, everything from basic travel to acquiring daily necessities was inseparable from these two scores. Outsiders had virtually no room for survival in the Academy. Although Chu Guang didn't think this was very difficult—in his view, they could just be flexible and add a special identity of "diplomatic personnel" into the existing system. As for the consumed resources, the Alliance would foot the bill. However, seeing Yang Kai's resolute expression, Chu Guang knew that pressing this further likely wouldn't yield any results. And so, Chu Guang made a slight concession: "Then let's meet each other halfway. Our personnel won't enter the Academy proper, but will conduct academic exchanges with you in settlements managed by the Science Committee... Of course, it must be a settlement designated by us." The Academy's talent wasn't entirely cultivated within the Academy itself; there were also a few settlements tasked with operations like artifact sorting and data processing. The living standards in these settlements were generally higher, and daily life wasn't as frugal as in other settlements. Moreover, because they had contact with the Academy's core operations, many children grew up influenced by what they saw and heard, producing prospectors and researchers at a much higher rate than other settlements. Many families of mid-level Academy researchers lived in these settlements as an accommodation, since they couldn't live directly inside the Academy. This was something Chu Guang had heard from Yin Fang, and what he fancied was precisely the potential of these settlements. If he could send Alliance personnel there to study, not only could he train a batch of skilled prospectors or even researchers, but perhaps he could even lure a few naive suckers back with them. The more Chu Guang thought about it, the more brilliant he found his own idea. As for having his people lured away? Out of the question. The Wandering Marsh wasn't any more attractive than Ideal City. Chu Guang knew very well what those researchers truly needed. If someone was really lured away, it simply proved that they weren't cut out for the Alliance anyway. Good riddance. Yang Kai pondered for a moment, then said with difficulty: "This isn't within the rules... Some settlements aren't open to outsiders. We can't just let you into whichever settlement you want to visit." Expecting him to say that, Chu Guang's face lit up with a smile as warm as a spring breeze, and he said pleasantly: "Then let's designate this settlement together. We can establish a special zone in the Wandering Marsh." Hearing this term for the first time, Yang Kai was startled: "A special zone?" "That's right," Chu Guang nodded, continuing with a smile, "The visiting researchers we send will only operate within the special zone and conduct exchanges with your researchers inside it... Don't think I'm joking. You'd better not underestimate our ruins excavation technology. We've recovered quite a few ruins over the years; we can completely learn from each other." Yang Kai curled his lip inwardly, not taking that "learning from each other" seriously at all. The Academy had delved into the field of ruins recovery for over two centuries, digging through ruins that had already been turned inside out. He didn't believe the Alliance had anything worth learning from. However, Chu Guang's words did tempt him. After all, this request truly didn't sound excessive. The settlements under the Science Committee were not the core areas of the Academy. Even if researchers' families lived in some settlements and research facilities directly affiliated with the Academy existed there, those facilities only engaged in non-core work. With that in mind, Yang Kai nodded: "Fine... I think there shouldn't be a problem, but I still need to discuss this matter with my superiors." Watching Yang Kai, who had been fiercely opposing him just a second ago, do a complete hundred-and-eighty-degree turn the next, Chu Guang was momentarily stunned. Even though he had anticipated that the guy had no reason to refuse, he hadn't expected him to agree to everything so quickly. Business was concluded. Yang Kai rose and took his leave decisively, taking his projection pen and hurrying out of the meeting room as if fleeing the place. Watching Yang Kai's back disappear through the doorway, Chu Guang couldn't help falling into thought. Who knew that Academy researchers were actually unexpectedly easy to deal with? Doing things cleanly and decisively, far more straightforward than the dilly-dallying Supreme Council. Could it be that he had misjudged them? Just as Chu Guang was pondering this, hurried footsteps sounded outside the meeting room. A moment later, an unexpected face appeared at the door. Seeing Old Charlie appear at the entrance, Chu Guang, who was in a good mood, pushed back his chair, stood up, and walked over to him with a smile: "What wind blew you over here?" Old Charlie still served as the president of the Merchant Guild. Although the Merchant Guild was a direct subordinate organization of the Alliance, it leaned more toward service than administration. Therefore, its office was not located in the Alliance Building, but in a separate building on the former site of the outpost base beside Ling Lake. For a time in the past, Chu Guang's office had been there as well. "...Never mind what wind it is, take a look at this first." With an anxious look on his face, Old Charlie shoved a newspaper into Chu Guang's hands. Chu Guang took the newspaper and glanced at it. When he saw the large, bold headline, his eyebrows involuntarily shot up: "The Qingquan City Broodmother Has Not Fallen! Kept in Secret Captivity by the Administrator!" Beneath the headline was a subhead— [Qingquan City Daily Reveals to You the Shocking Conspiracy Hidden in Qingquan City's Eastern District!]