1261 Another Piece of Memory

Mars colony.

Near Mine 071.

Near the long-abandoned mine, there were a few new tire marks.

Two armored vehicles and a reinforced engineering vehicle were parked by the sand dunes about 100 meters away from the mine. The overturned rover was not far away, and traces of the Devil Worms' bite marks were still visible on the chassis.

Zhang Hai looked out the window, then pressed a button on his helmet and got in touch with the coordinator on the Expedition.

"...we have reached the target area, requesting airstrike support."

"This is the Expedition, the airstrike request has been approved, please place the airstrike beacon within 30 seconds."

"Roger that."

Soon, the top cover of an armored vehicle popped open, and a soldier leaned out half of his body, took a flare gun, and pulled the trigger at the dune on the other side.

The red beacon plunged into the sand dunes and transmitted coordinates to the missile that was falling from the synchronous orbit.

Soon, a black spot that dragged a long flaming tail gradually appeared in the sky.

Before the black spot became clear, the soldier got back into the vehicle and closed the top cover with force.

"BOOM——!"

The tremor was sent up from the ground into the vehicle.

The howling gravel blew the sands hundreds of meters away and covered the entire convey with a thick layer of sand.

Soon, from deep underground, there was another muffled noise.

The bursting flame engulfed all the tunnels inside and completely flushed out the area.

The convoy continued to move forward for about ten meters.

The engineering vehicle stopped first. The staff inside operated the robotic arm, took out a four-meter-long pyramid, and placed it on the sand. The two armored vehicles surrounded it while the electromagnetic pulse cannon on top carefully watched the surrounding for possible threats.

Their task today was very simple.

There was a total of four pyramids that must be pushed into the ground, then their mission would be completed.

"Are you sure this thing is really useful?" Inside the vehicle, Zhang Hai looked through the sight glass and watched the mechanical arm slowly push the pyramid into the ground inch by inch, as he couldn't be convinced by the usefulness of this action.

"It is useful in theory."

Wang Qiang, who sat across from the Marine Corps Captain, looked at the tablet in his hand, and while he browsed the manual data on the screen, he casually responded, "They are like bats at night, and all we have to do is get a few high decibel speakers, bury them into the ground, and make noise into the ground ten kilometers below without interruption for 24 hours. If I am those bugs, I will definitely not want to stay here."

Celestial City Research Institute explained that the latest task of the front-line researchers was to find this frequency through trial and error.

These pyramids were originally used to survey and map the geological information of the mantle circle. After several researchers' modification, they turned into a seismic wave transmitter used to make "noise" at different frequencies.

The nuclear fusion battery built into the "pyramid" could work till next year. The next step was to throw a life signal detector into the mine to detect the Devil Worms nearby. Therefore, they could detect the frequency of noise those bugs responded most violently to...

In addition, in order to prevent the bugs from destroying them, the construction vehicle also had to reinforce a few steel bars.

It's that simple?" the Marine Corps soldier next to Zhang Hai asked with clear uncertainty in his tone.

He was a newcomer named Koenig, an immigrant from Italy, with the rank of corporal. He served as a commando in the team and replaced the wounded Sergeant Miller.

When they were on the Expedition, they used the training program in the Phantom helmet to simulate combat with the Devil Worms. In the simulation training, they were taught that any contact with the ground was fatal.

"It's that simple." Wang Qiang replied without much change in his emotion while his fingers quickly clicked on the tablet, he then looked at Zhang Hai, "Can I trouble you to move closer to there? There may be solar wind outside, my signal is terrible."

"No problem."

Zhangh Hai pressed on his helmet and ordered the soldier driving, and soon the armored vehicle drove next to the engineering vehicle.

The four-meter-long pyramid had been completely submerged in the sand, and only a platform less than a foot high was visible on the surface. In order to prevent this thing from being completely buried under the sand, the engineering vehicle also inserted a Xin flag on top of the platform as a marking

"Are you done?"

When Zhang Hai saw the robotic arm that started to retract, he asked Wang Qiang.

"One is not enough, we need about four," Wang Qiang set the parameters on the tablet, and then pressed the start button, "We need to enclose the mine into a square, and then emit shock waves at the same time. We will use it collect the data.

"This thing is really that useful? Are you sure? I don't feel any change at all." Koenig doubted his remark.

"Because it emits ultrasonic waves, and because you are standing on top of the shock wave, the impact you'll feel is at most your heart rate becoming half a beat faster," Wang Qiang pursed his lips, then he put away the tablet. "If you stand directly under it, you will feel what is worse than death."

...

At the first underground floor of Future Building.

After Jiang Chen walked out of the elevator, he followed Dr. Amos and they made their way to the lab.

"After you were in a coma that day, I lost the connection with the drone. At first, I thought the drone was broken, but then I thought about it, and the more I thought about it, the more I felt something was wrong. If the memory of Gaia civilization used our drone as a springboard to communicate with you, there is no reason it would destroy the drone."

"So?" Jiang Chen asked.

"So, I wonder if the Gaia civilization made a small modification to the communication frequency of our drone's communication chip through some special means. After all, our research on Klein particles is only at its infancy, but their technology was quite mature. If you want to plug the USB into a computer before 1994, you have to make a conversion interface or simply upgrade the hardware."

Dr. Amos took out his ID card from his pocket, swiped it on the door and welcomed Jiang Chen in, "Sure enough, after more than a month, I found the frequency... Honestly, I was so close to giving up."

Dr. Amos walked up to the computer, tapped a few times on the touchpad, opened the holographic screen, and showed a PowerPoint presentation ito Jiang Chen.

"This is?" Jiang Chen asked with a slight frown.

"Another piece of memory, but what I found is somewhat different from the one you encountered." Amos shrugged. "It's very short. If you saw is a history of that world, then this is just a diary. Or memoir. After reading it, I made a slide show based off of my memory."

"A diary?" Jiang Chen looked at the image on the holographic screen and asked, "Whose diary?"

"The last Gaia," after a pause, Amos continued, "The one who died in that ruin."

Chapter 1262 The Concern Millionsof Kilometers Away

My neighbor left.He left the key to me before he left.

Now I'm the last Gaia to guard the tomb of our civilization.

When I die, our civilization will officially end.

There is still a "Flower of Memory" in my hand, and it has only a trace of energy left, but I think I may be able to leave something for myself...

Perhaps the latecomers will be confused as to why we went from prosperity to extinction.

I have thought about this question countless times, until I took this last Flower of Memory in my hand, I finally understood the problem.

It is not disaster, but despair, that destroyed our civilization.

When the apocalypse arrived, hundreds of millions of our people died in front of us.

Some died from the disaster itself, but more died from our vulnerability to disasters.

We have considered thousands of possibilities, including immigration to the still infant earth and flying to further galaxies to continue our civilization. I believe that we can survive on the unknown land, but in the end, we chose to leave a tombstone that still contained our last dignity.

Very unexpectedly, I felt somewhat liberated to have such an ending.

Maybe I have some regrets as I can't smell the wonderful fragrance anymore nor can I sense the intoxicating spiritual rhythm anymore... But this is just a regret for my remaining 3,000 Mars days, not for our civilization itself.

There is no regret for our civilization.

Maybe this ending is not so bad after all?

In the last moment, we chose the most democratic way of voting to decide our own destiny.

It was probably the fairest vote we have ever had.

The result was a unanimous agreement.

Everyone chose to stay.

We placed the key on the spacecraft and watched it go.

Ironically, we obviously never placed hope in the cold starry sky. But at this moment, we imagined that one day there will be another spirit, or soul, to write our story in another language...

...

"Like a poem."

Jiang Chen made an evaluation after reading through the memory.

"The popular narrative method of Gaia civilization was not in the form of words, but to communicate directly through the spirit. I believe that you have experienced that feeling, the feeling is not easy to describe with words, I just wrote it down based on my memory." Amos shrugged. "But the most critical part is not the beginning, but the ruins he mentioned about."

About the ruins?

Jiang Chen frowned slightly and looked at Amos.

"Why?"

"Their ruins are divided into three parts, part of which is the living area, which is the part you had seen. The second part, is the database which can be opened by the key, and the data inside is stored in a kind of flower called 'Flower of Memory'."

After Amos said that, he had a rare look of eagerness.

"If I didn't guess wrong, that should be the thing we encountered! It can connect directly with the spirit of a person, and then directly input the knowledge stored in it into a person's brain! God... I dare to say that if this is unearthed, scientists all over the world will go mad!"

Transfer knowledge directly through the spirit, or neural connection?

Jiang Chen's eyes showed a moment of shock.

It works like this?

It was not like he did not see anything similar, for example, the virtual reality learning system readily available in the apocalypse could also achieve rapid literacy. However, the mechanism of this system was only to extend the time in the virtual reality system to allow the user to experience a deep sleep state of two hours or more in a real time of one hour.

In the deep sleep state, people's knowledge acceptance would accelerate while the load on the brain would be reduced to a minimum...

However, a premise still existed for this particular learning method, that was, people must spend the energy to learn.

According to Dr. Amos's description, the Flower of Memory could completely abandon the learning process, rather, it could teach through empowerment. It would be similar to the idea described in martial arts or Xuanhuan novels in the passing of power... You're too weak? No worries, let me give you tens of thousands of years of cultivation!

"You mean, that Flower of Memory can turn an idiot into a scientist?"

"That is too much of an exaggeration. Even if ordinary people possessed the memories, it would be useless if they can't digest them. However, if you let a scholar with a certain foundation, or at least someone with scientific thinking, touch the Flower of Memory, he or she undoubtedly will become the most knowledgeable person in the world! Because that person will inherit the knowledge of a higher civilization! Even if it's only a part of it!" Amos gazed directly at Jiang Chen and his eyes bloomed with enthusiasm. "So, I'm confident to say that, this, once unearthed, will make scientists around the world go mad!"

No physical object could withstand more than three billion years of time, perhaps hadron materials could, but only one existed after all. Therefore, the Gaia civilization chose to store all the memories of its own civilization in the Flower of Memory. It doesn't possess any physical existence, but rather used the spirit of an organism as a vessel.

But Jiang Chen grew more confused.

So, what is the Flower of Memory?

Why can it exist for more than three billion years?

Perhaps this question can only be answered when the ruins are uncovered.

Jiang Chen returned from his thoughts and exchanged eye contact with the zealous Amos. Then, he suddenly realized something and smiled.

"Don't worry, after the ruins are unearthed, I'll definitely reserve one for you," Jiang Chen said with a smile.

He patted Amos' shoulder and responded to his hope and fanaticism.

Amos looked gratefully at Jiang Chen.

"Thank you, I really don't know how to thank you."

"Don't thank me, your contribution to Future Group is worthy of this reward," Jiang Chen said.

Judging from the description of the Flower of Memory of the Gaia civilization, there must be more than one. After all, the legacy of civilization could not be simply inherited by one person, not to mention that a person's brain could only hold so many things.

After all, it was a technology from a civilization that dug through the core of a planet and its advanced nature should not be doubted. While not all technologies could be beneficial to human, even the tip of the iceberg would be enough to allow a little-known scientist stand at the top of the field.

Therefore, it should not benefit any outsiders. Jiang Chen simply did not intend to disclose this at all.

As a distinguished researcher of Future Group, a part of the Flower of Memory should be his.

"Right, you said that the ruins are divided into three parts, what is the third part?" Jiang Chen continued.

"The third part is the specimen library." Amos replied with a positive tone.

"The specimen library?" Jiang Chen frowned.

"Yes, and it's a specimen library that was damaged," Amos nodded. "If my guess is accurate, the Devil Worms we met on Mars escaped from the specimen library. Other than that, according to that memory, in dealing with the apocalypse, the Gaia civilization scientists synthesized an oxygen-producing fungus that can grow in extreme environments, but for some unknown reason, the project was never completed."

"Therefore, the oxygen-producing fungus specimen we found on Mars is..."

"It may be an unfinished product. Of course, this is just my guess," Amos shrugged. "They have been in disrepair. The spores of the oxygen-producing bacteria have spread from the specimen library to the outside world. They have adapted to Mars through the evolution of hundreds of millions of years and modified the atmosphere. Later, the species such as Devil Worms ended their hibernation, left the damaged specimen library and created the current underground ecosystem."

"...that is to say." Jiang Chen suddenly had a bad feeling.

"I'm afraid it's not just Devil Worms and oxygen-making fungus. There are a lot of things we haven't seen before," Dr. Amos took a deep breath. "In fact, I thought it was odd, but how much luck does a food chain need to sustain through hundreds of millions or even billions of years of evolution?"

Chapter 1263 Variables

Not just Devil Worms.There could be other species deep in the mantle.

Jiang Chen tried to search for figures other than Devil Worms in the memory of the Gaia civilization, including the species that Gaias were trying to get rid of, but unfortunately, the light ball did not contain any of the names?

But it made sense.

If human civilization one day had to set up a tombstone for itself, it would probably not spend too much ink on the irrelevant topics. Or at most, use powerful creatures like tigers or lions to prove itself to the future civilization on how the human civilization stood out among the species and came to the top of the food chain.

Dr. Amos's findings were included in the database, labeled as the highest confidential level. and tagged as a part of Project 071. After he hesitated for a second, Jiang Chen decided not to disclose the details of these species to the researchers in the Devil Worms research team.

After all, he couldn't explain why he could be so sure that there were Mars creatures other than Devil Worms, on the planet tens of millions of kilometers away in the absence of specimens,.

It was related to the memory of the Gaia civilization.

The memory of the Gaia civilization was classified the top secret within Celestial Trade, even more confidential than the Klein particles...

After Jiang Chen left Dr. Amos's lab, he returned to the office.

His assistant reported that while he was away, President Zhang Yaping's assistant had been here.

"President Zhang's assistant? What is he looking for?" Jiang Chen asked.

"He left a letter. I put it on your desk," his assistant replied respectfully.

Jiang Chen found the letter of his desk, glanced through the letter, then placed it at the corner of his table.

It was an invitation letter.

Tomorrow evening, in the banquet hall of the Heart of the Sea, there would be a national celebration dinner. The protagonist was the Liberal Party Leader, the first president of Xin, Zhang Yaping. The purpose of the dinner was to celebrate the victory of the election campaign, to thank his campaign sponsors, and to communicate with the different sectors and communities within Xin.

To be able to attend a banquet of this level, the person must be a political figure at least in the cabinet minster and parliamentary speaker level. In addition, outstanding entrepreneurs, representatives from communities, and even international bankers... were all part of the guest list. With the current international influence of Xin, Jiang Chen would not even be surprised if a leader of another country showed up.

As a supporter of President Zhang, Jiang Chen naturally would be present to support him.

After all, for those eligible to be invited to the banquet, they all understood what happened behind the scene.

They understood who is the biggest winner of this election.

...

After work, Jiang Chen returned home.

Jiang Chen was about to take a shower when he found Natasha was at the entrance of the living room. She looked at him, somewhat embarrassed.

After she woke up from the hangover, Ayesha had told her what had happened last night. This included her drunken state, and how she puked all over Jiang Chen...

"Hey, sorry about last night."

Natasha blushed, crossed her arms before she scratched her cheeks in awkwardness and looked away.

"Don't worry about it." Jiang Chen rolled his eyes and put on his slippers.

What else could he say?

After all, he was partially to be blamed for what happened last night. If it were not for the fact that he tried to tease her, nothing would have happened.

But to be frank, he did not expect she would suddenly get so serious and refuse to admit defeat even after being so drunk...

Natasha saw how quiet Jiang Chen was and revealed an awkward smile as she said shyly.

"Also, I remember you said that it was a draw, right?"

"..."

Without caring for the girl that constantly bothered him about who actually won, Jiang Chen went and took a shower

After he changed into pajamas, Jiang Chen came out of the bathroom. Since there was still time before dinner, he went to the office.

As he walked in, he saw Ayesha waiting for him on the sofa in the room. So, he walked over with a smile and sat beside her.

"The Morgan Consortium and the Rockefeller Consortium may have joined forces." Ayesha took out a document she was holding and placed it nicely on Jiang Chen's knees ,then she gently rubbed off the water droplets on his neck.

"Joined forces?" As he enjoyed Ayesha's caress, Jiang Chen was intrigued by the document in his hand as he flipped open the first page, "I thought they were out."

"They would rather have a person who claims he will kill Wall Street come to power than to accept a dovish president," Ayesha whispered. "This is the original words of Penny, she obtained the information from the informant."

Jiang Chen looked at the document and his expression began to turn serious.

Morgan and Rockefeller joined forces?

He probably had a hunch. Morgan bet on Kerry, and Rockefeller kept the chip on Hill as always. The two consortiums were both members of the military-industrial complex. The victor in the gamble would only affect the distribution of interests.

Obviously, theMorgan and Rockefeller believed that if Joseph Kennedy rose to power, it would inevitably affect their common interests. After all, Mr. Kennedy mentioned a lot of issues concerning the UA military, defense budget, and diplomatic strategy.

And the military-industrial complex was unwilling to concede on these issues.

"Be prepared for the worst." Jiang Chen sighed and said after a moment of thought, "Even if Joseph came to power, I'm afraid there will be resistance. We must guarantee that at all time, the initiative is on our side."

Ayesha sat quietly and waited for Jiang Chen's instructions.

"How is the situation in South America?" Jiang Chen asked.

"Which element are you referring to?" Ayesha tilted her head and asked.

"Global Power Grid," Jiang Chen responded. "It has been more than a year and our salesmen has just cracked the door to Ecuador. The transmission corridor to Brazil is still not open. I want to know about the progress on that side."

Ecuador may be the only country in South America willing to open its doors to Celestial Trade, because Celestial Trade more than once hinted at the possibility of another space elevator on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Considering the particularity that space elevators could only be built on the equator, Ecuador had a natural competitive advantage.

On the one hand, the country coveted the huge economic benefits that the space elevator would bring, and on the other hand, the country also faced many challenges such as energy shortage. Ecuador naturally did all it could to court Celestial Trade by giving land, policy, money... well, they did not have money.

Since last year, the UA exported nuclear power technology to South American countries to contain Celestial Trade's plan to promote the Global Power Grid. Since the UA historically had a strong influence in the region itself, the cable that Celestial Trade built across the ocean to Ecuador, could not gain any distance further to Brazil on the east.

Peru and Colombia were two big mountains that blocked the passage, and these two countries were traditional UA allies. So, of course, they chose to side with the UA.

"This year is the year of the UA election. In the past, the UA typically adopted a conservative policy in the election year. This is our opportunity." Jiang Chen's fingers tapped on the arm of the sofa, "If, Colombia and Peru continue to maintain a non-cooperative attitude, I allow you to use special means."

The special means referred to the act of providing weapons to the anti-government armed forces, providing funds to the opposition, and so on. This also included any means that may lead to a war in the country.

"We are supporting Joseph Kennedy. Is it okay to do this at this time?" Ayesha asked.

"No problem, just don't let the UA know what we're doing underneath the table." Jiang Chen laughed. He took out an invitation from his pocket and handed it to Ayesha. "Do you have time tomorrow night? Join me for a banquet?"

"Isn't Sister Xia Shiyu here? She is more suitable than me to attend such an occasion..." Ayesha's expression looked slightly odd as she didn't know why Jiang Chen changed the topic.

She attended a dinner once with Jiang Chen, but she did not participate in other ones after that one time.

The restrictive feeling of the gown made her feel very constrained and uneasy, and she was not good at drinking or chatting. Even if she attended, she could not offer any help since she often remained silent.

"Because we have to solve this problem as soon as possible." Jiang Chen shook the document in his hand, "and the best way to solve the problem is at the banquet tomorrow."

1264 That Is Not My Hometown

On the top floor of the Heart of the Sea, the semi-open arc dome was brightly lit.

It was the most luxurious banquet hall in the entire Xin, and it usually hosted the most prestigious events of the country. In addition to state banquets that were usually sponsored by Future Group, private functions or business functions must pay a daunting twenty million Xin New dollars to rent the venue.

Based on the current international influence of Xin and the Earth Defense Alliance, the banquet held here at this moment was probably one of the most influential events in the world. It was even comparable to a state banquet of the Capitol. Perhaps the dishes available were not the finest delicacies, but outside the dinner itself, the decisions made at the event dictated the future direction of the world.

"Haha, President Zhang, congratulations!" A man in a suit came forward and congratulated him.

"It seems that God is destined to let Xin continue to prosper, because every citizen of Xin has made the right choice." In a black evening gown, a representative of a community raised her glass with a smile and offered her congratulatory words.

President Zhang smiled humbly to the praising words and leaft the most graceful image he could to the honorable guest. However, the corner of his mouthed curved up and the flush on his face showed off the proudness in his mind.

This victory came very easily and could even be described as expected.

However, even knowing this point, the little vanity in people's minds was still fulfilled.

Who would have thought that the person who lived in exile in New Zealand four years ago turned out to be the revolutionary leader of Xin, and he was pushed to the throne of the president?

Of course, obviously not everyone was satisfied with this result.

The oppositions that were invited stood at the corners of the banquet hall. They gazed at Zhang Yaping, who received all the compliments in the world, with envy and jealousy in their eyes. They whispered and mocked.

"You just found the right person. What's there to be proud of."

"Just a puppet..."

"Humph! When I become president, the first thing I'll do is to end the monopoly of Future Group on Xin's economy. The second thing I'll do is to take back the national defense and intelligence power from Celestial Trade. An enterprise is running the country, how dare..." The more extreme voices were gnashing their teeth while spewing their political aspirations to the members of their party.

Occasionally, the guests that heard their words would just laugh and joke.

"That's why you will never be president."

The man's face turned red with anger, but he looked away instead.

Obviously, when he said these words, he also clearly knew that.

As long as Xin continued to prosper, these claims would only be a reality in his dreams...

In addition to the few complaints, the main theme of the entire banquet was positive and uplifting.

The melodious symphony echoed in every corner of the hall, and the courteous waiters walked through the seats to pour wine to the goblets on the long tables.

There was commotion at the entrance of the banquet hall from time to time, and the guests in the banquet hall would cast their attention to the door from time to time.

In addition to those that were important and distinguishable, the ambassadors of some superpowers, the ministers of a member state of the Earth Defense Alliance, the generals and presidents of the vassal states of Moro, Country F, and Madagascar were all invited... ...

To the visiting guests, the people welcoming and the people being welcomed were all quite grand. Since the visit would set the foundation for the two countries' diplomatic relations for the next four years, the extravagance was justified.

"Welcome, Mr. Kerry." Looking at the man who just entered hall, Zhang Yaping's expression looked slightly surprised, but soon he smiled naturally and extended his right hand, "it's an honor of the UA to have such an outstanding secretary of state like yourself."

"Thank you," Although Kerry was not pleased with such praise, he still responded with a smile. "On behalf of the UA government, I congratulate you on your election. I hope to work with you to safeguard the peace of the world in the next four years, and cooperate in a wider field..."

After he finished the lines he wanted to say, Kerry smiled and politely bowed to President Zhang. The crowd applauded around him as he let go of President Zhang's hand and walked into the hall.

...

On the elevator to the banquet hall, Jiang Chen gently held Ayesha's hand. He looked at the bustling crowd, as well as the anchors stopped by the police and army on the lawn outside the floor-to-ceiling window, then recited.

"If Paradise be on this earth, Damascus 'tis and none but she;

If in the heavens, from her derives its air and its amenity."

"Are we not going to solve the South American problem?" Ayesha awkwardly twisted her petite body in the evening gown, looked at the crystal high heels, and whispered, "What does it have to do with Damascus."

"International issues have never existed in isolation. These two problems can actually be solved together." Jiang Chen shrugged and pointed from the floor-to-ceiling windows at a man being escorted in headscarves through the parking lot. "Did you see it? That is the king of Saudi Arabia. He should have a glamorous princess next to him, but he did not bring her"

"What does he have to do with us?" Ayesha asked.

"Of course, in simple terms," ​​Jiang Chen laughed, "We solve the Syrian problem for Russia, and the KGB will 'replace' the president of Colombia for me. I just happen to be friends with someone in the Middle East who can introduce me to a Syrian General and provide a shortcut in avoiding the UA's military informants at the Persian Gulf."

Because of the Ares incident, the relationship between Xin and the UA suddenly took a ninety-degree turn from a state of cold war to an ambiguous relationship. How long this relationship could last would be dependent on the next person giving orders in the Capitol.

During this time, the UA would not be on the aggressive front with Celestial Trade, but Celestial Trade should also not agitate the UA. Maintaining this relationship with Joseph Kennedy until his accession to the throne could perhaps add another member to the Earth Defense Alliance.

The option to avoid war should be the preferred option.

Not to mention...

Jiang Chen paused and smiled at Ayesha.

"And, don't you want to help your hometown?"

Holding onto Jiang Chen's arm, Ayesha shook her head gently and smiled softly.

"That is not my hometown, your shoulder is where I belong."

The gentleness hidden in the sapphire-like eyes, even inadvertently touched, made his heart melt.

However, in the unreserved gentleness, Jiang Chen still could not feel eased.

When he first pulled her away from that desert, took off her tattered headscarf, and brought her into a secularized society, it allowed her to enter another world she had only seen in fantasies. It also converted her to atheism...

However, even after so many years, she did not completely heal from the trauma of her hometown

After all, it was too much for a fifteen year old girl to see her parents die, and then get decapitated by militants in front of her. She traversed through hunger, disease and death... The word cruel is pale compared to what she experienced.

She always chose to forget about her past and instead, filled the missing part of her heart with a tall, confident figure.

For five years.

Jiang Chen did not intend to remind her of those bad memories. He just wanted to do something for her.

Even with the power of the Gaia civilization, he could not bring back the dead.

Perhaps a peaceful and prosperous hometown could make her feel a little better.

It was also the only thing he could do for her.

Now, the time was ripe.

Jiang Chen caressed her brown hair, approached her ear, and said softly.

"Just consider it as something for me."

The little hand gently covered the warm big hand. Her eyelids were half-closed as she nodded meekly.

"Okay."

Chapter 1265 Exchanges of War

It had been three years since their last meeting, and Yerif appeared more mature.Whether it was the beard or his face, everything was quite different from the handsome prince before, and he seemed to be getting a beer belly.

The old king was aging day by day, and he, the crown prince, was gradually being pushed forward as the representative of the country to the world. As he worked to become a qualified heir, the edges and corners on him were gradually being erased through all the different meetings and negotiations.

"Long time no see, my dear friend!"

Yerif greeted Jiang Chen with open arms and gave him a warm hug.

"Long time no see," Jiang Chen smiled, and gestured to the room next to him, "Please this way."

There were many people in the banquet hall, which was not suitable for discussions.

Before they entered the banquet hall, Jiang Chen invited this old friend to the reception room downstairs in the name of catching up.

"I'm taking a big risk in doing this for you." Yerif gestured to the bodyguards next to him and motioned them to stand at the door. After the door was closed, he lowered his voice and said, "You don't understand the grievances between our sects. If you have understood, you should know that we and the Syrians have feuds. We wish that Bassar would step down immediately, instead of supporting him and his stupid teachings with the Russians."

Although Saudi Arabia and the UA were reluctant to admit it, they were the perpetrators that gave both monetary and weaponry support to the "monster", IS, in Syria.

But it did not matter?

This was a decision made by the Saudi royal family and it did not mean Yerif agreed with this.

"But I think you will be an enlightened king who will bring some different changes to your country and your world. You should be very clear that any religion will eventually usher in secularization. If you can't adapt to this new age, then you will be run over by the wheels of time," Jiang Chen said softly.

"I don't want to talk about faith with an atheist," Yerif said sternly, "and my father."

"If I offended you, I do apologize," Jiang Chen said softly.

Jiang Chen knew very well that although the young prince Yerif was a Sunni like his royal family, he was more enlightened. For example, he never put a headscarf on his princess when he hosted parties abroad and he could sit here with a heresy without faith and chat, or even become friends.

This may be related to his early experience of studying abroad, or it may be due to frequent contacts with some Western capitalists.

In short, he and Jiang Chen had no obstacles in communication.

It was also the reason Jiang Chen was willing to be friends with him.

"...Listen, you refused to let us build a temple here, and even used a... a tree that can produce oil to crush our oil prices. In short, you and your company are not popular in the Persian Gulf, at least not you're not welcomed by the royal family. If your freshwater was not irrigating the gardens of our holy city, my father would not send you an ambassador as a sign of friendship like he is now," Yerif stared at Jiang Chen and said.

"So what?" Jiang Chen smiled, as if he didn't take what he had said seriously, and said emotionlessly, "If you stand on my side, we may be able to make your desert into a grassland."

Turn the desert into a grassland?

Yerif was obviously taken aback.

"...what you said is true?"

"For us, this is not a difficult task. Or, do you think it is more difficult to grow grass on the deserts on Earth than it is to grow grass on the seabed or even on Mars?" Jiang Chen subtly showed off his achievements before he continued, "Don't digress. We can wait until you become king to discuss the matter of 'terraforming Earth'. We are now discussing another issue."

Yerif controlled his breathing, leaned back against his chair, and quietly waited for Jiang Chen to continue.

"I have a batch of weapons in my hands and a group of well-trained South African mercenaries. I need you to help me send them from the Persian Gulf into Syria and ensure me a supply channel that can travel from the Persian Gulf to the Syrian border. Don't say it's impossible, I know you have your ways," Jiang Chen said seriously as his eyes fixated on Yerif.

The mercenaries that came out of the Madagascar slums were cheap cannon fodder. They were the historical legacy left behind when Celestial Trade competed with the Freemasonry for control of Madagascar. They were contractors in Celestial Trade's corporate military system.

They were well trained and large in number. Even without a kinetic skeleton, they were a force to be reckoned with.

"But why should I help you? What can you do for me?" Yerif spread his hands and smiled, "Money? You know I don't need that thing."

At the negotiating table, especially at this level, friendship was not enough to be a bargaining chip.

And Jiang Chen did not expect to let him do this favor based on the favor of creating a "robot" for him in the first place. After all, as Yerif said, he would take a big risk, to the point that if this leaked, he would risk being exiled by the royal family. If it weren't for that favor, he would probably not be sitting here in the first place.

Jiang Chen smiled and slowly said as he looked at Yerif.

"I can give you the bottom line. The mercenary group I plan to send to Syria is about ten thousand people. They are proficient in using drones and are good at operating various modern vehicles. Originally, these people worked for Arrow but were later incorporated by us to fight against Freemasonry. After the Syrian problem is resolved, I have no plans to continue to support these people. I can transfer them to you."

"Ten thousand people?" Yerif also laughed, then shook his head. "What can ten thousand people do? I advise you not to get involved in the desert. No matter what deal you made with the Russians, it was a wrong decision."

Ten thousand people; all of them infantry.

If it were the orbital airborne soldiers of Celestial Trade, the proposition could still be a discussion, but based on Jiang Chen's tone, these ten thousand people were both without the protection of kinetic skeleton nor the support of main battle tanks. To throw them into this swamp known as Syria, they probably wouldn't even make a splash.

You know, the regular army of Bassar exceeded three hundred thousand.

However, Jiang Chen maintained his confident smile after Yerif finished his sentence.

"Then what if I told you that the combat power of these ten thousand people is comparable to fifty thousand?"

The room suddenly became quiet.

Yerif's fingers clasped tightly onto the armrests, he gulped and looked at Jiang Chen suspiciously.

"That's impossible. How sure can you be sure that their combat effectiveness is comparable to fifty thousand people?"

"Nothing is impossible." Jiang Chen shrugged. "These people once served in Arrow of the Freemasonry, and later accepted our reorganization. One is the most powerful military company in the old era, and the other is the most powerful private military force in the new era. These ten thousand people are not mobilized soldiers or volunteers drawn from the reserve. They are a group of monsters with power compared to special forces. Their hands are blood-stained by soldiers only as powerful as them, and not from unarmed civilians."

In order to avoid revealing their identity, this group of foreign mercenaries would not be equipped with kinetic skeletons.

But even without the kinetic skeleton, they still possessed the genetic vaccine!

A shot of E-grade genetic vaccine was compared to a mini superman after half a month of physical training. Even without the kinetic skeleton, their reaction and survivability were far superior to that of the ordinary person. Other than the regular force of Celestial Trade, there was no other force on Earth that could field an entire infantry division with special forces.

Yerif was silent.

From the outside world, he was a supporter of the Sunni, but deep in his heart, he did not agree with this status quo. As Jiang Chen said, secularization was the ultimate future of all beliefs. Dubai next door was the perfect example, even with the pitiful amount of oil, it was more prosperous than his hometown.

However, change was not that simple.

Even as the crown prince of the country, or even as the future king, he could not have free reign in his country. He could be playful, incompetent, or spend all the money with the royal family, but if he dared to start a religious revolution in the country, the army that supported the religion would even turn their weapons on him and push his uncle or brother to the throne.

The condition that Jiang Chen offered was very attractive.

A division of mercenaries.

After they solved the problems in Syria, this powerful force would become a private force loyal to him only.

If he wished to push for change in his country, then he would need a force absolutely loyal to him. And this force would be supported by Celestial Trade, which would become his biggest trump card to bring change for his kingdom.

And, a group of heretics that didn't question right or wrong, and never hesitated in the killing was his best choice...

Chapter 1266 A Lavish StateBanque

With a bright smile on his face, Yerif shook Jiang Chen's hand and then exited the room.Ayesha walked up to Jiang Chen and asked him in a whisper.

"It's over?"

"Almost. At least half of it is done," Jiang Chen said.

"Why don't we send the mercenaries of Madagascar directly to South America? Their capability is enough to sweep Colombia." Ayesha said. "Getting involved in the Middle East may touch the sensitive nerves of the UA more."

"This involves a problem of adapting to the local conditions. Compared to South America, the chaos in the Middle East is more suitable for us to intervene without reservation." Jiang Chen shook his head and said softly, "If you send them to South America, we probably can't even hide a brigade, let alone a division. We will turn a peaceful country into hell under the eyes of the international community."

"And the Russians will not?" Ayesha rebutted.

"Of course not," Jiang Chen smiled. "The KGB left a rich political legacy in South America in the Soviet Era. Venezuela will help them with their plans... At least that's what Natasha said."

"And, the most important thing is that we can solve both problems at the same time."

"Our Global Grid Plan is not just for South America. The entirety of Europe is waiting for us to tackle it. Now, our submarine cable has crossed India and landed in the UAE. It's only a matter of time before it enters Saudi Arabia. A troubled land is in front of us. After we cross there, we can then finally cross the intersection that lead to Constantinople and Paris."

"Russia can't freely operate in the Mediterranean. However, we may just have the conditions to help them solve this problem once and for all. In exchange, Russia can help us solve the troubles of South America. So, for both of us, all of our troubles are solved. This is fair," Jiang Chen said with a smile.

Yes, this is fair.

...

The melodious and elegant symphony reverberated in the banquet hall. As more and more guests entered, the atmosphere of the banquet gradually rose to a peak.

When the appetizers were removed from the tables, a dazzling array of food was served, followed by resounding exclamations that could be heard from time to time in the hall.

"This is probably the most luxurious banquet I have ever seen," A man in a suit sat at the long table and looked at the palm-sized omelet on his plate and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

After the omelet was cooked to golden perfection, it was placed on top of the fried potato and sprinkled with ten ounces of caviar. The small portion meant it could be finished in just a few bites, but the price tag was as high as one thousand dollars. Just the color and shape made people drool, and it was no doubt a masterpiece made by a 3-star Michelin chef.

Food could make people high.

This sentence was not a joke at all.

In addition to this palm-sized omelet, there was also a small bowl of soup served to the guests.

In the thick, golden-like broth, there were a few strands of chicken breast floating on the surface. A tiny, thin slice of mushroom floated on the creamy soup. If the person did not recognize the ingredients, they would most likely scorn at the soup. Isn't this just chicken soup? How can this be considered a Michelin dish with just some butter added to increase the thickness of the soup?

However, when the soup was served to the guests, it caused quite a stir.

Not because of anything else, but because the tiny piece of mushroom slice floating on the soup was the world's most expensive mushroom – giant white truffle!

The price of this ingredient was difficult to determine because it was basically an auction item. The most recent transaction price was 307,000 pounds for a total of 1.1 kilograms. Now, the auction item along with previously auctioned items were made into a truffle chicken soup and then served to the guests in exquisite porcelain bowls...

The white truffle floating on the broth was only the size of a thumb.

But the value of this piece was much more than the soup itself.

Even Yerif could not help but feel excited.

Celestial Trade is simply too rich!

It was not that he hadn't eaten this kind of food. There was no food in the world that he hadn't tried before. But even he would not serve over a thousand guests a dish with ingredients costing up to a couple hundred thousand pounds.

A beautiful little card was placed on the plates and labelled the food ingredients. No matter whether or not the guests recognized the ingredients, they could all enjoy the knowledge of what they were eating...

Sitting at the table, even Kerry was astonished by the series of high-quality and expensive ingredients.

A government supported by the nouveau rich. Even a state banquet can be so lavish.

However, he did not display this astonishment. After all, he represented the UA government. What's more, the state banquet was never about the food, but rather, the diplomatic achievements that can be achieved at the banquet.

Kerry glanced at his watch, moved his focus away from the dazzling food collection, and began searching the room.

He was looking for Jiang Chen.

However, so far, even with the food served, and he did not see the man appear at this place.

"Late?"

Kerry frowned slightly.

He felt something was off, but he could not tell where the hunch came from.

It was not just him that felt the same way. Many people's eyes moved subtly to search for Jiang Chen. Without a doubt, the most worthwhile person in the entire event was the man who did not show up yet.

Many people had already thought about their plan; how to naturally approach and talk to him. Many well-known and shrewd actresses were planning on creating an unexpected but beautiful encounter. It would be even better to ask him for a dance.

What's more, a rich man with a big belly was debating how to subtly introduce his daughter, who did not look like him at all, to that man.

However, the most anxious was Zhang Yaping.

He felt awkward.

There was only five minutes left before the start of the banquet.

If it was someone else, he could leave the person aside and leave the main entrance to go somewhere else. However, it was Jiang Chen that had yet to arrive. Even if he offended all the guests, he could not leave that man out at the door.

Many of his opponents were looking at him to see how the situation would turn out.

Zhang Yaping pulled his assistant aside and whispered to him.

"Can you call and ask why he is not here yet?"

"I have already asked. The security guard in charge of the parking lot told me that Mr. Jiang arrived half an hour ago." The assistant was also anxious, but his reaction was not as obvious.

"Half an hour ago?" Zhang Yaping hurriedly asked, "Where did he go? Or did he already enter the banquet hall from the side door?"

"I heard that he and his old friend have been talking for a while, and he should be here soon—"

Before the assistant could finish, two figures appeared at the main entrance.

The assistant opened his mouth and quickly pulled at the sleeve of the president while lowering his voice. Then he said in a voice full of joy.

"They're here."

At the moment that Jiang Chen stepped into the venue, he clearly felt that all the eyes were gathered on him.

He nodded with friendliness to the guests in the venue. He looked at Zhang Yaping, who was walking toward him, and extended his hand apologetically.

"Sorry, I'm a little late."

Chapter 1267 We"ll just get ridof i

"You're finally here." Zhang Yaping shook Jiang Chen's hand and revealed a relieved smile."Hopefully I'm not late?" Jiang Chen smiled apologetically.

"No, there are still two minutes before the dinner starts. Please, come this way." Zhang Yaping gestured toward the venue behind him and then led Jiang Chen inside.

The dinner started on time.

After the main courses, there were desserts, cold drinks, champagne, and red wine. As the rhythm of the symphony gradually became more melodious, it marked the start of the ball. The waiter took away the empty plates and placed bottles of champagne on the long tables.

The guests left their seats one after another and went after their target. Whether it was just for a dance, or for a contract worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, or a chance to reach their dream, or just a one night stand...

All the needs of the upper class could be fulfilled here.

At the center of the venue, Jiang Chen looked at Ayesha, who was on his left, with a gentle smile. She was moving the cherry on top of the ice cream with a silver spoon in boredom.

Although the dance had already begun, he did not intend to go mingle. For one, he was not interested in being surrounded by a large group of people, and for two, in his position, it was no longer necessary to deliberately make friends.

He had two purposes for attending today's event.

One, to agree on the deal with Yerif, and two, to appear here.

Now, he achieved both of these goals.

Just then, a white man in a suit sat down on his right-hand side, took a glass full of wine, and said.

"Can I sit here?"

"Of course." Jiang Chen looked at Kerry with some surprise.

He remembered that just a month ago, the secretary of state was someone else. He didn't expect this guy to renege from Hill's camp and participate in the party's primaries, but now, he once again returned to Hill's camp.

Although Jiang Chen did not have a lot of goodwill toward the UA government, he felt highly about the ability of the secretary of state.

"You are very surprised?"

"Of course," Jiang Chen smiled. "I didn't expect you to return to the position of secretary of state immediately, instead of being sent to somewhere for retirement."

"That's because you don't know the Capitol." Kerry took a sip of the wine and seemingly hinted at something.

"Is that so?" Jiang Chen shrugged. "Maybe. Just like you have never known us."

Kerry smiled and placed the glass on the table.

After a pause, he looked at Jiang Chen and lowered his voice.

"When did you get on the same boat as the B City Consortium?"

"As early as two years ago. We had extensive cooperation in the freshwater business. They also helped Future Bank go public in the UA." Jiang Chen laughed.

"Don't pull this on me, you know what I mean." Kerry's lowered voice was mixed with a trace of hoarseness, and the hoarseness revealed a hint of reluctance and unacceptance, but he cleverly hid all of this behind an indifferent expression, "To be honest, if you didn't help, we wouldn't have even considered that little guy as a contender..."

"Is it really good to talk about your candidate on this particular occasion? Mr. Secretary of State?" Jiang Chen laughed and said innocently, "And what do you mean, did my hacker hack your voting machine? Or did you outsource the election to my company without me knowing?"

"Don't act stupid." Kerry shook his head. "Do you know what you got yourself into? You are against a giant interest group, a military-industry complex that was established before the outbreak of World War One—"

"Giant?" Jiang Chen also picked up the glass and smiled slyly when he heard what Kerry just said. "Is it bigger than Rothschild and his Freemasonry?"

Kerry opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"My attitude has always been clear. If you are willing to cooperate, we are happy to open the door, just as we have worked with the Rothschild family before." Jiang Chen shook the red wine in the glass and stared at the bloody red liquid before he whispered, "But if you still think that you are the center of the world, hold the belief that everyone must surrender to you, and you wish to continue to go down the wrong path..."

With one hand holding her delicate and beautiful chin, Ayesha, who was stilling playing with the cherry out of boredom, stopped. Kerry sensed the sudden change in the atmosphere and quickly glanced the girl on the other side before he swallowed his words.

The wine in his hand tilted slightly as if it made some kind of announcement, then Jiang Chen said softly.

"We'll just get rid of it."

...

"...a creamy ice cream made from twenty types of cocoa is surrounded a thin layer of delicate curd. Small pieces of truffle chocolate are sprinkled on top and the entire thing is placed in a fine crystal cup. I once tried it in a high-end restaurant in New York, but that one was slightly smaller compared to this. The cost was about 17,000 dollars, and I needed to book two days in advance... Do you not want to try this?" With a charming smile on his face, the man in a white suit revealed his white teeth and courteously spoke to the woman next to him.

A beautiful woman with an oriental face stood facing him. She was in a pale yellow evening gown, dignified yet elegant, and the soft ribbon gently wrapped in front of her waist added a touch of brightness to the fullness in front of her chest.

Although the standards of beauty remained different between the West and the East, some things remained the same.

However, the beauty who stood there showed a glimpse of impatience or repulsion.

"Sorry, I have no appetite," Liu Yao shook her head and said.

"No appetite? That is a big problem," Felix smiled and gracefully extended his right hand. "Maybe you need some exercise, like dancing with the rhythm of the music. Beautiful lady, do I have the pleasure to be your partner?"

"No need," Liu Yao refused.

The graceful smile froze on his face, and a hint of anger appeared but also disappeared quickly in Felix's eyes. His emotions were hidden behind his dark green pupil.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. That's my mistake."

Felix retracted his hand, took out a business card, and placed it between his two fingers.

"I hope you can think about it again. This is my business card. I'm the manager of Warner Bros. Asia. I've been focusing on the South Asia market, hoping to discover some promising talents for the parent company." Felix passed the card in front of Liu Yao and smiled. "If you are interested, I can take you to Hollywood. You have the ability to become famous around the world."

He understood female stars too well, especially Asian actresses.

Hollywood movies had been doing all they could to enter the Chinese market, but the second and third-tier stars, or even premium stars, had been desperately trying to get into Hollywood, even just for two seconds on the red carpet.

Countless women packaged themselves to his bed for this opportunity.

However, Liu Yao simply felt angry and thought it was comical when she saw the name on the card.

Just as her lips formed a curvature, and she was ready to take his business card and toss it into the trash can, a woman in a black evening gown walked in their direction.

When Felix saw the person, his eyes narrowed.

Chapter 1268 Can I please inviteyou for a dance?

Emma stopped beside the two. She first looked at Liu Yao, then looked at Felix. She had an idea as to what happened before she sneered at the sight."Mr. Felix, let me guess, you're fooling people again with your business card, am I right?"

"What do you mean by fooling? Please pay attention to your words, Ms. Watson." His hooked-nose pointed directly at Emma as a hint of disgust quickly flashed across Felix's eyes.

A typical movie star would not be qualified to speak to him like this, but Emma was different. She somehow managed to become the brand ambassador for nutrient supplies. Despite Future Biology not being a core asset within Future Group, she was still under the Future Group umbrella.

Among the second-tier stars in Warner Bros' portfolio, she was the only untouchable one.

He could offend anyone but Future Group.

After all, Future Technology was starting to replace Industrial Light and Magic in Hollywood. VR filming technology not only could save on cost, but the box office of VR theatres became one of the most dominant channels for film producers.

Of course, even if he did not dare to offend the giant corporation behind her, it did not mean he could not scold her.

"What's wrong? Ms. Emma, do you want to ask me for a dance?" Felix sneered. "I heard that the Women Rights Organization that you're a part of is discussing removing you, is that true? I heard that it's accusing you of being a bit*h hiding under the symbol of Social Justice Warriors, and actually worked for a boss who did not respect women's rights."

As an executive of Warner Bros., he knew Emma's pain points. In her early years, in order to brand herself into a "model woman with high education qualifications", she even put aside her acting career under the advice of her agency, and frequently advocated for equal rights, and even spoke on behalf of an organization at the United Nations...

However, her branding could be described as a failure, or rather, she did not synchronize her perspective with the person responsible for "branding" her. A voice of doubt always existed that questioned if she truly advocated for equal rights since the end of Harry Potter.

"Felix, let's not discuss my issues. You should worry about your situation first," Emma took a deep breath and watched Felix with a grin, "Before you try to hit on someone, why not try and learn about the other person's background?"

Felix's expression changed slightly, and then he stared directly at Liu Yao.

After a closer examination, this woman seemed familiar.

But he could not recall why she looked familiar.

To be honest, he could not distinguish the difference between Asian faces like most international executives sent to Asia. Other than extremely popular celebrities with distinctive features, or those he worked with frequently, he could rarely recognize someone immediately.

"Sorry, may I ask you for your name?" Felix barely maintained his calmness as he politely asked Liu Yao.

"Liu Yao."

Liu Yao...?

Never heard of it... wait.

Suddenly, Felix's expression changed drastically and droplet of sweat started to appear on his forehead.

When he was sent to Asia, he heard a rumor. A film invested by Future Technology held a premiere at Nippon, and the son of a real estate mogul tried to force himself onto an actress.

He didn't know what happened in the middle, but he did hear about what happened in the end. The real estate company worth trillions of Yen vanished. Both the father and son were thrown into jail. The rumor also said the Sumitomo Consortium was behind the scene, and Sumitomo was the biggest partner of Celestial Trade's energy export project...

Sweat dripped down from Felix's sideburn, he swallowed down and finally understood the situation he got himself into.

The CEO of a trillion Yen company was uprooted overnight, and as an executive of a subsidiary of Warner Brothers, what was he worth.

Liu Yao may be that man's...

Without paying attention to Felix, who left after he was scared by his own thought, Liu Yao looked at Emma Watson with slight confusion.

Although she knew some stars in Hollywood, their interactions were limited, and they at most spoke a couple of sentences.

"Thank you."

"No need, it was nothing," Emma smiled and slightly raised her goblet. "If he continues to bother you, you can tell me. This is my card."

Continue to bother me?

Liu Yao did not think that the man would dare to bother her after learning about her identity.

But she graciously accepted Emma's kindness.

Because they worked together in the same field, and previously cooperated together in the film co-invested by Warner Bros. and Future Group. After exchanging business cards, they went to the side to chat.

One lady had a face of an angel and the figure of a vixen while the other possessed the temperament of a noble British princess. The two beautiful women standing together naturally attracted the attention of countless people, but no one came to interrupt them.

After all, at this type of event, there were only a few idiots like Felix. The majority of the people here would use their brains to think about the potential cost of their behavior.

The two got along surprisingly well.

The topic quickly changed from the entertainment industry to gossips. Then the topics quickly changed to themselves.

The fact Liu Yao bluntly admitted that she was Jiang Chen's lover caught Emma by surprise, but she did not comment on it.

She was not surprised by Liu Yao's identity as it was no longer considered a secret. She was most surprised about how open Liu Yao was. The average person would refrain from discussing this topic, and Emma was also very considerate in not discussing this topic, but Liu Yao did not seem to mind and directly acknowledged this fact.

"Don't you want to dance with him?" Looking toward the center of the banquet hall, Emma asked.

"No need." Liu Yao gently shook her head.

"Why?"

"Because the reason why I'm here is to see him, and I have already done that." Liu Yao smiled.

"And that's enough?" Emma asked.

"That's enough."

Emma's expression revealed her confusion, but she did not say anything more.

"To be honest," Liu Yao looked to the center and let out a sigh and whispered. "I thought about trying to catch up to him a long time ago, but what I didn't expect was that he had already gone an unreachable distance."

Perhaps in her mind, she enjoyed her life in Wanghai in the past.

However, she was also very aware.

It would be impossible to go back to the past.

Emma bid farewell with her as the ball approached its end.

Standing alone on the side of the dance floor, while enjoying the champagne in the glass, Liu Yao quietly admired the men and women, hugging. She revealed a sweet smile. From time to time, someone would come forward and invite her to dance, but she rejected the invitation one after another, until when the last song began to play, and the ball was gradually coming to an end.

She returned back to the hall.

The figure sitting at the long table was gone.

No longer searching, Liu Yao sighed, and headed out with the crowd.

The sea breeze blew in through the windows of the corridor. In the distant sea, the waves splashed and the Moon had cast its cool and beautiful light into the quiet night.

Immersed in the beauty outside, she did not pay attention to her path and accidentally bumped into someone.

She let out a shout.

Liu Yao, who lost her balance, fell backward.

Just when she closed her eyes and thought she would for sure get hurt, one arm wrapped around her lower back.

Their chests were almost stuck together, and the tip of her nose could even feel the warm airflow.

With a frown, the blushing Liu Yao was about to become enraged, but she then noticed the face belonged to that man...

She could no longer suppress her tears.

"Beautiful lady, can I please invite you for a dance?" His empty hand gently combed back the hair in front of her forehead. With his eyes fixated on the beauty in his arm, Jiang Chen said with a smirk.

Chapter 1269 A Path Ou

How could he not know that Liu Yao came?Although he did not send the invitations, every name that entered through the border at Coro Airport would appear in the Ghost Agents' server. What's more, Liu Yao's name was on the protection list of the "foreign dignitaries". When her name appeared on the entry list, Ayesha told Jiang Chen immediately.

When the dinner was about to end, Jiang Chen left first to set up his "ambush".

Jiang Chen brought Liu Yao into the presidential suite at the Hilton Hotel downstairs and shut the door behind him. The two hugged together at the entrance against the cabinet on the wall.

"Where did Ayesha go?" With her back against the wall, Liu Yao was panthing and her eyes quickly swept across the room. When she responded to the invasive eyes staring at her, she asked with a little hoarseness. "Wasn't she still here with you?"

"She went back to have some time off."

"Time off?"

"Yes, I will be here for the next three days," Jiang Chen said while smirking.

Liu Yao understood the meaning of the smirk. She lowered her head and whispered.

"My flight is tomorrow morning."

"Then cancel it," with one hand slammed on the wall, and the other hand gently lifted her delicate chin, Jiang Chen had an irrefutable tone, domineering, "My private jet can send you back."

"You're bad," Liu Yao escaped the restless fingers and slammed her head on Jiang Chen's chest. Her cheeks were red but there was a joyous smile on her face. She said in a spoiled voice, "Be careful, I'll call the police and say you're illegally detaining a famous celebrity."

"Go, the police station in Coro belongs to me. I want to see who is going to catch me." With that same smirk, Jiang Chen said, "Right, I just happen to miss a pair of handcuffs and a whip, they can send them to me."

"Why do you want those things?" Backing up against the walls, Liu Yao acted afraid.

"Of course to interrogate you," his index finger was gently placed under her gorgeous face as he said softly, "Why didn't you tell me before you came? I could have picked you up."

"I," She gently gasped and suppressed the feelings that were about to overflow, then whispered, "I wanted to give you a surprise."

Staring into her captivating eyes, Jiang Chen grinned.

"The police officer concludes that you are lying."

Liu Yao laughed out loud.

"Didn't you say before that you couldn't recognize whether my words were true or false?"

"You also said that that was before," Jiang Chen acted mysteriously and closed his eyes. "But now, an ability of mine suddenly awakened, called Mind Reading. It can tell me if you're lying."

Liu Yao covered her mouth as she giggled, then charmingly rolled her eyes and teasingly said, "Then why don't you just read my mind? Why bother interrogating?"

"Because I want to hear you say it."

The atmosphere in the room was becoming more and more lucid.

"Come and work in Xin?"

Liu Yao shook her head.

"Why?"

"My current state is good."

"Really?" Jiang Chen asked.

"You already have a lot of wives, but you only have one lover," She gently placed her jade-like fingers against Jiang Chen's heart, and sweetly smiled, "At least I have a unique place there."

As Jiang Chen fixated into her watery eyes full of emotion, he sniffed the jasmine scent in her hair and then quietly said.

"You'll make me feel guilty."

"Shouldn't you feel guilty? You bad person..."

Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled the face that she longed for everyday closer.

Her red lips moved down along the side of his head before her teeth gently nipped at Jiang Chen's ear lope. It was like tasting a jelly as her tongue explored the soft outline.

She felt the heat pressed against her thighs.

Her warm breath blew into his ear as she whispered out the words she had always wanted to say.

"Feed me..."

...

After the ball, Yerif returned to the hotel in Penglai by yacht.

Lying flat on the lounger on the roof, Yerif enjoyed the massage by the beauty behind him; his eyes gradually closed as he was no longer focused on the bustling night. With his muscles relaxed, he began to appreciate the skillful massage.

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

This sentence came from a book written by a pagan, which he happened to read when he was studying abroad.

However, no matter how many times he recalled this phrase, it always gave a different understanding each time.

If the sentence was applied to his country today, changing the "dust" into "sand" shall vividly state the fate of the desert kingdom.

Oil prices continued to fall, even without Future Biology's oil crops, the breakthrough in shale gas forced oil production into a strange circle – "the more they extracted, the more there are; the more they extracted, the poorer they become."

In some countries, it was not so evident, but a few years ago, many countries whose oil prices were regulated by the market, showed that the price of one liter of gasoline was cheaper than one liter of mineral water.

A very ironic reality.

The "black gold" that once stirred the exchange rate and futures markets had fallen.

The unfinished buildings in the desert had already illustrated many problems, and the ambitious plan to build a second Dubai was no longer feasible. How long could the black gold support the extravagance of the Saudi royal family? Even Yerif, who was enjoying all of this, was uncertain.

But he was convinced about one point.

That is, if they don't want to become like their neighbors in the north, they must learn from the neighbors in the east.

With that thought in mind, Yerif's eyebrows furrowed together and his fists closed shut.

They must change.

Before the world forced them to change.

"Did I hurt you?"

The beauty massaging asked softly.

"No." His eyebrows relaxed as Yeirf smiled, "You can use a bit more force."

"Okay," the beauty smiled, and used more strength. "In fact, you can be more relaxed."

Yerif licked the corner of his mouth without speaking, then closed his eyes once again.

When he heard the price of Jiang Chen's offer, he immediately agreed to it, but he still felt hesitant about the dangerous deal.

Ten thousand mercenaries.

For the chaos in Syria, it was only a small number.

However, for him, it was not a small number.

Jiang Chen was right, he did in fact have connections with key people in Syria. A general who was loyal to President Bashar and a Russian businessman who only recognized money. In partnership with these two people, he could easily send a batch of fuel processed into finished products and weapons bought from Western countries, passing through the Saudi border, through the Jordanian Eastern Corridor, into the hands of the Syrian government forces, in exchange for US dollar on overseas private accounts. Although his family was very rich and never mistreated the soon-to-be-king, every expense was recorded and no money truly belonged to him.

It was this reason he felt constrained developing his own force. Disregarding training mercenaries, the property in Penglai and the yacht in his private dock were all under the name of the royal family.

His father's time was running out, and some things must be prepared early.

He let out a sigh, then picked up the satellite phone from the table next to him and made a "you can stop" gesture to the beauty behind him. He turned over and called a number.

The phone quickly went through.

A low, hoarse voice picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Oh? The respected future King of Saudi Arabia, you will take the throne soon. At that time, everything in Saudi Arabia will belong to you. Are you still lacking pocket change?" There was suppressed laughter from the other side.

After a few moments of silence, Yerif said.

"Let's discuss a deal."

"Now the government forces are well equipped, they'll not be willing to pay a lot of money to buy fuel and weapons from you. I suggest you wait patiently."

"This time we are not smuggling fuel and weapons," Yerif said.

The man hesitated, then asked.

"What is it then?"

"People."

"People?" The man's eyes narrowed slightly. "How many people?"

"Ten thousand people," Yerif said. "And their equipment, supplies."

There was a gasp on the other side of the phone, then there was no response for a long time.

Yerif waited quietly.

He was well aware that his partner from Russia would be afraid and be hesitant, but he would not refuse the dollar. He felt more than once that the man was more similar to the Jews than the Russians.

"What's the offer?" Sure enough, the man asked.

"We have been working together for so many years, you should know how much money I have in that account," Yerif said with a smile.

Originally, this "private money" was to be used to establish his own force to help him stabilize the country after his succession, and to ensure the reform and implementation plan could be carried out smoothly. Now, it seemed that he no longer needed that much money.

Just like the man said, after he took the throne, the entire country would belong to him.

As long as he could sit on that seat.

"You didn't touch a penny?" The man was shocked.

"You can interpret it like that." Yerif nodded. "If you do this for me, successfully, I can give you half of the money in that account."

Instantly, the man's eyes turned red.

Greed.

Almost without any hesitation, he accepted.

"Deal!"

Chapter 1270 This is fine

Good times were always short-lived.Jiang Chen spent the three days traversing between the streets of Coro with Liu Yao. He took her to all the attractions across Xin to re-experience the ever-changing country.

Because of the holographic camouflage system, both of their appearances were modified so that they would not need to worry about reporters. It was also one of the few times Jiang Chen once again experienced his past way of living.

"What do you think of this place?"

"...It's hard to make the connection with the small island it was a few years ago." On top of the cliff, looking at the high-risers in the distance, and the countless magnetic levitation vehicles moving, Liu Yao sighed and expressed her heartfelt feelings, "It feels like I'm living in a dream."

"Will you stay?" Jiang Chen smiled.

Liu Yao smiled back with sweetness, but didn't respond, instead, she tipped-toe and kissed him on the lips, then winked playfully.

Jiang Chen understood the meaning behind the kiss. He just smiled and no longer mentioned this matter.

The next morning, Jiang Chen sent her away at the airport.

As he gazed at the Gulfstream G650 accelerating into the horizon, he moved his mouth, then touched his lips. After he stood still for a moment, he then left with his bodyguards.

...

A week had passed since the banquet, and soon it was mid-April.

The election of Xin had already ended, and the Zhang Yaping government smoothly transitioned into the next four years. At the same time, the UA election was now in the fierce debate period. Joseph Kennedy was already prepared to use his conservative approach against Trump's aggressive attack.

He understood that it would be bewildering to even think that he could win with words.

So no matter how Trump attacked him personally in the debate, his response was just a calm smile.

If he could not display the aggressive side of the voters, then he should demonstrate his tolerance and calmness.

It was extremely effective. Although the strategy did not allow him to gain an advantage, he was not put in a disadvantageous situation... Though he would curse out in the lounge after every single debate...

According to the latest polls, Mr. Kennedy's poll was slightly higher.

Already excluded from the election campaign, the Hill government's policies had gradually become conservative.

In any case, she stood with the Democrats.

"We are winning," Loki said in excitement on the phone. "According to the latest polls, we are only one step away. If everything goes smooth, the victory in November will belong to us!"

"Is that so?" Jiang Chen grinned and leaned back in his chair, then he quietly spoke. "According to the information we have collected, Morgan seems to have joined forces with Rockefeller with the plan to push Republican's candidate, Trump, onto that position... Are you really able to withstand the pressure of going against Rockefeller and Morgan who almost have complete control of Wall Street?"

"You know too?" Loki was somewhat surprised.

"We have been paying attention to the situation in your country." Jiang Chen said.

Since the fall of Rothschild Bank, the Jewish forces were completely eradicated from Wall Street, and Wall Street welcomed a unified stage that had not been seen for more than a century. However, this kind of unification was only superficial. If the external pressures disappeared, the internal struggles would intensify.

Originally because of the Jewish Consortium, the Anglo-Saxon family had to be united, but now this external cause disappeared. Although Celestial Trade remained a threat, its "aggressiveness" was low in comparsion.

The conflict of interests was forcing the WASP alliance to gradually split.

This election was nothing more than a poor excuse...

"The actions of Morgan and Rockefeller are also somewhat expected," Suppressing the joy in his tone, Loki sounded more serious, "But we have kept the risk under control. The security level of Joseph Kennedy was upped to the level of the president, and their chance of assassination is almost zero."

"Need us to help?" Jiang Chen smiled. "Our bodyguards are world class."

"No need," said Loki as he shook his head with a smile. "If our candidate's private bodyguards become Celestial Trade's Orbital Airborne soldiers, our story will appear on the headlines of the Washington Post the next day. "

That makes sense.

That is the correct political choice to make

How could a presidential candidate use a foreign mercenary as a bodyguard? Especially if it was the "notorious" Celestial Trade.

After their conversation ended, Jiang Chen looked at the clock on the wall. It was dinner time, so he went to the living room.

Natasha came in just as Jiang Chen sat down on the sofa.

She also brought back news from Russia.

According to her, the KGB began its operation in South America. The CIB caught onto their actions, but did not manage to collect sufficient evidence, the counter-measurement was to strengthen the security of the Colombian president.

The panicking Colombian president shut himself in the room, reduced travel, and also mobilized a brigade to the nation's capital.

The well-trained Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, entered the country from Venezuela and began to push forward from the northern provinces of Colombia. At the same time, an assassination plan to hunt down the president was also in full swing.

From six months to at most a year, the opposition party would force the Colombian president to step down with the support of the KGB and the Venezuelan government.

At the same time, Yerif also sent good news from Saudi Arabia...

"The people on the Russian side have already started, what about you? My father asked me to bring a message to you, why haven't they seen any movement?" Natasha asked while swaying her beautiful blonde hair. She sat down across from him while she drank a cup of freshly brewed coffee; she was already in her pajamas.

"Ten thousand mercenaries have been assembled in Madagascar. Once the insiders in Saudi Arabia clears the route, we can ship them in a cruise and then disembark them on the coast of the Red Sea. We can pass through Saudi Arabia territory without anyone knowing."

It was the safest route.

Apart from this route, only two other routes remained. One option would be to bypass South Africa and cross the Strait of Gibraltar from the west coast of Syria. The other option would be to pass through Turkey. The former risked being discovered by the NATO fleet, and the latter wasn't even an option to begin with. Turkey was one of the supporters of the opposition in Syria.

"Is it okay to only have this many people?" Natasha thought while sipping her coffee. "I thought you would use your orbital airborne brigade."

"You and someone asked the same question," Jiang Chen shrugged and shook his head. "To deal with a bunch of fools, orbital airborne troops are not necessary. Our 'reserves' are more than enough. As for the number of people, you'll see once they arrive."

"Since you are so confident," Natasha smiled, put down the coffee cup, and said, "Our Air Force can support you after the operation begins."

"Then please." Jiang Chen said.

Although it wouldn't matter, it was a good jesture regardless.

"So, can you give me a rough timeline? I have to respond to my father," Natasha said.

"October." Jiang Chen opened his watch and glanced at the calendar on the holographic screen as he said nonchalantly, "The closer the date to the UA election, the less risk and resistance we face."

"October... Well, that's my answer," Natasha said.

"Right, there is one more thing. You can also inform the Kremlin," Jiang Chen looked at Natasha who was on her way upstairs.

"What?" Stopping on the stairs, Natasha looked back.

"We have named the million-ton ship Enovy-class, so we won't refer to your opinion."

"Just this?" Natasha rolled her eyes. "I thought you wanted to tell me that you already built it."

"That's the third thing I'm going to tell you," enjoying her surprised expression, Jiang Chen grinned. "On May 7th, remember to let your people know to attend Envoy-class Starship's ceremonial ship launching."