#71 - Chapter 71 The First Signal Tower
To Mei Wenhua's surprise, Tian Gang and Qian Luo returned alive, but the zombie he had raised was dead. After Tian Gang discovered something was amiss, he eavesdropped on Mei Wenhua's conversation and learned that the Tier 2 zombie he had killed was none other than Mei Wenhua's son, Mei Xiangnan. Mei Wenhua, upon learning that the person who killed his son had a gun, did not dare to act rashly, and the matter was temporarily put aside.
But not long after, Yun Que sent another message that three enforcers from the Red Robe Sect in Huaizhou were coming to deal with you. You haven't been in Meilin for very long, and logically speaking, you shouldn't have any enemies. Why would the Red Robe Sect want to deal with you? I suddenly remembered that you had just received a batch of laser guns a few days ago, so I guessed that there might be a connection between the two.
"So, you suspect that Mei Wenhua found out I had a gun and mistakenly thought I killed his son?" Niu Xingwang asked.
"Yes, so I used your name and went to the Suiyang resettlement camp to find Mei Wenhua. If Mei Wenhua reacted to your name, then it would mean the guess was correct. Conversely, if Mei Wenhua didn't recognize you, then it would mean I guessed wrong," Dongfang Chen said.
Niu Xingwang nodded.
"As expected, Mei Wenhua recognized you. So, I took care of him," Dongfang Chen said.
"Mr. Dongfang went to Suiyang alone to take a risk for my sake. I, Niu Xingwang, really don't know what to say!" Niu Xingwang was very moved.
"Xiao Chen, in the future, can you discuss such actions with everyone in advance?" Brother Zhang said after listening.
"The reason I didn't tell you in advance is that I was afraid you would act without authorization and complicate things. If you really want to ensure my safety, then you must act according to the plan," Dongfang Chen said seriously.
"Yes!" Everyone obeyed.
"Okay. Brother Niu, has anything special happened on your side these past few days?" Dongfang Chen changed the subject.
"No, everything is normal here," Niu Xingwang replied.
"How are the preparations for the Mercenary Guild going?" Dongfang Chen asked.
"The place has been cleaned up, and we are discussing some details with Tian Sha these days," Niu Xingwang replied.
"Well, the sooner the better. Our time is tight, so we must pay attention to efficiency," Dongfang Chen instructed.
"Okay, I will hurry," Niu Xingwang obeyed.
"By the way, Tian Sha, you must be vigilant these days. Both the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild must arrange for people to patrol 24 hours a day. The Red Robe Sect's enforcers may arrive at any time, so we must not be careless," Dongfang Chen said to Zhang Yuankui.
"Okay," Brother Zhang nodded.
Afterward, Niu Xingwang arranged temporary accommodation for everyone. Everyone rested.
… …
January 8, 2055 AD. Morning.
Kyoto, Parliament Building.
"Honorable members, we have been discussing the emergency plan for almost half a month. Everyone's thoughts and suggestions have been basically summarized. Does anyone have anything else to add?" Speaker Baili Ji asked.
No one spoke.
"Since there are no additions, then the Legal Affairs Department will begin drafting the draft plan. Councilor Pang, how long will it take to draft the draft?" the Speaker asked.
Councilor Pang, Pang Lejia, member of parliament, current Director of the Legal Affairs Department.
"About a week," Councilor Pang thought for a moment and replied.
"Alright. After the draft is completed, we will discuss it again in the meeting. Meeting adjourned!" the Speaker said.
… …
Mozhou, Meilin Resettlement Camp.
Early in the morning, a large truck drove into the resettlement camp and stopped at the entrance of the Mercenary Guild.
"Boss, what is this?" Shen Wengang asked.
"A signal tower," Dongfang Chen replied.
"Does that mean we can use our mobile phones here soon?" Shen Wengang asked.
"No," Dongfang Chen replied.
"Ah?" Shen Wengang didn't understand.
If there is a signal tower, won't the mobile phone have a signal?
But Shen Wengang didn't care. Anyway, they could make calls directly through bone mics.
This signal tower is not used to connect to mobile phones. The positioning of the Mercenary Guild and the Huatong Chamber of Commerce is to cover all future survival bases as much as possible, so data authentication, item transactions, and personnel identification all need to be carried out electronically. And all of this requires signal towers to provide information transmission services, which is a very important part of the Firefly Project. So why not use satellites? Because after the real ecological crisis arrives, the molecular light film outside the atmosphere will greatly affect the communication between the satellite and the ground, and the reliability is not high. So, the safest method is to build a network matrix with many such signal towers, supported by a supercomputing center.
There is another reason: Dongfang Chen must comprehensively monopolize information. Absolute monopoly means absolute control, and absolute control can ensure the success rate of the plan.
In this world, there will be betrayal if there is cooperation, and there will be disputes if there are interests. Mountains will fall, and water will dry up. So, what does it mean to be duty-bound? That is, in the face of absolute crisis, do not trust anyone, do not place hope on anyone, dare to stand up, and control everything that can be controlled. Only in this way is it possible to live.
