Editor: Rundi
On the deserted island south of Ange Island.
Leaving the thick smoke trail behind, Celestial Trade’s rockets launched to the vast blue dome.
Accompany the accession of this rocket marked Xin and humanity’s first usage of quantum communication satellite. Of course, the public didn’t know the true functionality of this rocket and Celestial Trade didn’t offer an explanation to the
non-traditional information passage quantum communication technology
and only vaguely stated that the satellite utilized an innovative technology which would allow the latency of wi-fi connections to be limited to 20 ping and below.
The satellite will provide free wifi service to Xin as part of the citizen’s benefit. Not only did it improve Xin citizens’ view of Celestial Trade, it also drastically increased the tourism rating of Pannu Islands.
Also, because of the expansive coverage of the satellite and large amount of idling capacity available, Celestial Trade’s Aerospace Technology Center was in the process of negotiating with the largest telecommunication service provider in Atria regarding a partnership opportunity to provide paid wifi service to the eastern area of Atria.
I can’t believe I’m standing at this god forsaken place watching you play with rockets.
United Nations International Space Agency observer Henry was standing outside of the rocket launch ground with sunglasses on while watching the empty launch frame in boredom.
It was February, but Coro Island’s air was filled with the smell of summer. And the sense of summer was especially apparent on the island near the equator. Without media around, Henry took off his suit jacket.
24 launches in a year. If you’re feeling like you are making too much money, why don’t you donate to the Red Cross.
I’m personally doing philanthropy right now. As to the Red Cross … I don’t have that much money to do that,
Jiang Chen mocked.
The Red Cross’s poor reputation in Hua was no secret. Any
outside products
, whether it was advanced products or a belief, ideology will be mutated for the better or worse. So Henry only made a sound with his nose at Jiang Chen’s scorn as someone who would take out a portion of his paycheck as a Protestant.
Every time I step on this island, I have the illusion that I’m deported from the civilized society,
seeing the rockets rise and the smoke disappear, Henry muttered to himself.
You should feel lucky because this is the start of humanity, the center of the universe in the future.
Here?
Henry pointed at the bare sandstone reefs below his feet and ridiculed.
Unless humanity’s future is becoming a dried fish on the beach.
Jiang Chen could understand Henry’s frustration. If it wwew not for Xin’s entire year launch plan, he wouldn’t have to be transferred from the prosperous District to here. He also without need to stare at the trail of smoke twice a month.
But the description of dried fish somehow poked on Jiang Chen’s funny bone.
Jiang Chen patted him on the shoulder and grinned.
Then just pretend you’re taking a vacation at the east Pacific Hawaii, though the vacation might be a bit longer. You can enjoy five star hotels every day, if I were you, I wouldn’t complain this much.
Henry glanced at Jiang Chen before he turned around toward the port.
He already confirmed that the launch had nothing with ICBM therefore half of his work this month was already over, there was no need to stay on the island anymore. He just wanted to return to the hotel he’s staying out, change into clean clothes, and then have some cold beer at the bar.
The United Nations accommodation budget only permitted him to stay in the cheaper hotels, but Celestial Trade took extra care of him. Not only did they arrange for him to stay at Future Group’s building, they also covered his three meals per day, and even offered a travel subsidy of 50,000 USD per month.
50,000 USD was enough to buy a nice car!
Henry first rejected Jiang Chen’s clear intention to befriend him, but he then gladly accepted later. Since he had to write two reports a month and it was indeed tiring. As to the satellites Celestial Trade launched, he kept one eye open and one eye closed about it while saving the step of checking the key parts. He just wrote
conventional commercial communication satellite
on the report.
In his perspective, the tiny satellite could not carry any dangerous weapon modules.
And the rocket’s design had nothing to do ICBM at all.
…
It was just F that had a hostile opinion toward Xin’s launch plans before. After the MLL Island missile crisis, UA and their allies began to comment about Xin’s launch plans too.
The first thing after the peace treaty came in effect, UA used the United Nations to pressure Xin to release the number of ICBMs available and the number of missile silos under the sea.
Jiang Chen could obviously not agree and responded with corresponding conditions. Unless UA released all the coordinates of all ICBM deployment, Celestial Trade will never release any information related to the underwater missile silo.
[Do you think I’m dumb?]
[If I told you everything, how can I play the game?!]
UA then proposed new terms requesting Xin to provide concrete evidence to prove that the country held no mass destructive weapons, for example the T virus.
It was hard to prove, unless the United Nations observers took apart every warhead and examined it.
Xin’s response was direct. The virus vaccine was developed by Xin’s Future Biology – the main contributor for treating the infection against the T virus; Xin will reject any illogical allegation made by UA.
Illogical? It was indeed illogical.
Since the terms of the negotiation was confidential to the outside world, UA could not bring out solid evidence to prove Celestial Trade used the virus as a chip on the table and threatened them on the negotiation table. But even if they had evidence, UA will never admit that they chose to compromise and sold on F’s interest.
Even then, UA’s defense whitepaper didn’t include Xin as a high priority target. A country with just barely 30 thousand people was too slow. Even if it create a commotion in the local region, it didn’t influence UA’s supremacy at all.
UA was most worried about Xin leaning toward Hua.
If that did happen, their islands chain they worked hard to establish would cease to exist. But by the current looks of it, Xin didn’t have plans for this. Although they had higher than usual aerospace activity, they didn’t have plans to hide the launch which rest assured the UA Defense Department.
But assured was one thing. To a country with ICBM capability, the Rainbow Mansion still maintained the basic degree of caution. CIB’s activity on Coro Island increased by a notch to search for the non-existent weapon of mass destruction.
….
The second launch mission was successful without a doubt.
After saying goodbye to Henry, seeing it was late, Jiang Chen got rid of the idea of returning to Future Group.
On the way home, Ayesha reported to Jiang Chen about the status at the National Defense Agency.
Among the UA tourists headed to Coro Island, two are confirmed to be CIB agents or at least hired by CIB.
Is there any confirmed spy activity?
Currently no.
Ayesha shook his head.
Then keep an eye on them for now. Compared with CIB’s people, I’m more concerned with the situation in Yoto… Is there any results from the investigation on Takeda Pharmaceutical?
Currently no…
Ayesha lowered her head in disappointment,
among the employees, we didn’t’ find the name Tanaka.
Is that so? Looks like they’re doing a good job in their privacy work,
Jiang Chen stared at the scenes disappearing outside of the window as he said nonchalantly.
There were only two possibilities. One was that Takeda Pharmaceutical had nothing to do with Kurofune, but that was impossible. The other possibility was more dangerous. It was that Takeda Pharmaceutical was working with Kurofune with the Nippon government’s involvement. Since just from a privacy measure, a private enterprise with such a secure measure was odd especially considering the cost.
I will send more people—
No need.
Jiang Chen shook his head,
if I guessed correctly, they will make another move soon. Your primary mission is to ensure the national security of Xin and prevent Kurofune from infiltrating domestically. Celestial Trade’s soldiers will assist in your operation.
Understood.
Ayesha nodded solemnly.
The Spike missile as well as the virus that sacrificed a city was enough to prove the organization’s determination to kill him.
But he didn’t feel the slightest fear at all.
Funny, what kind of death didn’t he face before? In the apocalypse, not including zombies, there were countless amount of Roshans and mutated humans that died in his hands. He even faced the dangerous Death Claws. Was he going to fear a few rats?
