Chapter 324: Belated Gratitude_1

Scott had lost some weight since the last time but looked vigorous, "Wallfacer, please accept our belated gratitude, thank you for giving us a second chance at life, and for the wonderful life we have now."

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "The good life you have is all created by yourselves."

After a brief exchange, Jiang Yu continued with the tour.

During a break, he asked You Ze, "I've heard that most people like Scott have gone to Uranus and Neptune?"

You Ze nodded, "Yes, although most residents of Jupiter City were willing to accept them, as soon as they heard there was an urgent need for retired military personnel to drive out the pirates here, they pretty much all came."

Then You Ze explained, "This place isn't like the main asteroid belt; once you leave the range of the military fortress's attacks, you are constantly in danger of being attacked by pirates.

"Therefore, every mining platform that goes out needs two small warships for escort.

"Those who go mining are the ones who encounter space pirates the most, so many of Kuiper Belt miners are mostly soldiers or retired veterans, and these people are the backbone of these 'miners'."

Jiang Yu frowned and asked, "When will we be able to resolve the space pirate problem?"

Ai Qi, who was inspecting with Jiang Yu, said, "Being a space pirate is currently the most profitable trade. Many of Fleet International's consortiums are their backers.

"As it stands, there is no way to solve the pirate problem through diplomacy or politics.

"Instead, these backers think we are in need of their help, so they are very arrogant.

"For now, we can only deal with the pirate problem through military force. Even though the cost will be significant, by continuously shrinking the pirates' living space and after the military bases in the Kuiper Belt are completed, we will eventually squeeze them to death."

Jiang Yu nodded. He seemed to have read this report before, and for now, there was no better solution.

After finishing the activities arranged by You Ze, Jiang Yu met Scott and the others.

Upon meeting, Scott once again expressed his gratitude.

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "No need for thanks. You've also made many contributions to the Solar System State, which outweighs your thousands of words of gratitude, and it can be regarded as repaying the favor you owe to the Solar System State."

Then he said with some emotion, "Do you still remember Ding Yi?"

Scott nodded and said, "Of course, it was Dr. Ding Yi's warning that allowed us to escape catastrophe."

"Yes," sighed Jiang Yu. "I have always felt that you are the extension of Dr. Ding's will, so when I learned of your situation, I made up my mind to save you.

"Humanity is too close-minded, no longer willing to listen to different opinions."

Scott said, "Just give the word, and we are willing to lead a new interstellar fleet on another long voyage."

On their way there, they speculated about what purpose the Wallfacer had in meeting them. After much discussion, they felt their only use seemed to be venturing into deep space again to open up new colonies for humanity, as they had once resolved to venture far.

Although everyone was reluctant to leave their current life, if the Wallfacer commanded it, they would definitely carry it out.

Jiang Yu gave a slight smile and then shook his head, "Zhang Beihai once talked to me about this. After realizing that he could never return to Earth, he felt he had undergone a profound change at his core.

"Perhaps, as you say, this change was as painful as an evolution.

"Yes, 'painful' is the right word to describe evolution; if there were no changes in the environment and no sense of crisis in survival, who would bother to evolve for no reason?"

At the mention of their own changes, Scott and the others appeared somber.

Jiang Yu continued, "You've transformed from humans into space people, and now you've turned back into humans again. These two changes must have been painful, so we won't make you go through that ordeal again.

"Besides, there have already been many fleets that have embarked on interstellar migration. For migration at this time, it's about quality, not quantity.

"Don't overthink it. Within a century, the Solar System State won't undertake any new migration actions.

"Just enjoy your lives now!"

Everyone felt somewhat relieved after hearing Jiang Yu's words, which did not seem feigned.

Then Jiang Yu asked, "I've called you here today to ask if you still want to be soldiers?"

This question immediately invigorated Scott and the others. Having served in the military, the army had a unique allure for them.

Scott immediately asked, "Do we still qualify for that?"

Jiang Yu said with a smile, "Aren't you currently defending your home and country? That is the true nature of a soldier!"

Scott nodded repeatedly, "Of course we're willing to enlist!"

"Good," Jiang Yu said, "then go take part in the new recruits' assessment. Here, you have to start from the beginning."

After seeing off the excited Scott and others, Jiang Yu thought back to Ding Yi.

He didn't know why, but every time he saw Scott and the others happy, it felt as though Ding Yi would be happy too.

Initially, the Governing Council had a different opinion from Jiang Yu on how to utilize this group of people.

The Governing Council believed that since they were not natives born and bred in the Solar System State, they could not be fully trusted and should be appropriately monitored.

However, the deeds of Scott and the others proved their enthusiasm for the Solar System State, and now the Governing Council didn't have much to say anymore—after all, these people had done better than most residents of the Solar System State.

Thus, the reinstatement of their political status by Jiang Yu became a matter of course. Starting today, they could join the military and even participate in politics.

Jiang Yu spent the most time on Neptune. You Ze was quite intelligent and deeply understood the purpose Jiang Yu had for sending him there.

He had already begun constructing industrial and energy bases on Neptune, laying a solid foundation for future construction in the Kuiper Belt.

When You Ze first arrived, "Blind Zone No.1" was not yet completed, and such critical commands could only be guessed.

In the future, both Neptune and Uranus would serve as the industrial support for the Solar System State's military bases in the Kuiper Belt.

Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth Civilization Circle, on the other hand, would be responsible for providing massive amounts of funding to build the military might of the Solar System State.

The last stop on Jiang Yu's inspection was Pluto in the Kuiper Belt.

Although there were many dwarf planets in the Kuiper Belt, everyone had a special affection for Pluto.

Now, the Solar System State had built its first base on Pluto. After Ai Qi arrived here, he would stay to oversee the next phase of construction work and prepare for even more building projects.

It took Jiang Yu's fleet a full eight months to travel from Neptune to Pluto, as Pluto was quite distant from Neptune at the time.

When he saw Pluto, Jiang Yu's first impression was that it was truly desolate, and being so far from the Sun, it was mostly shrouded in dimness.

Here, the Sun was only slightly brighter than other stars, and sunlight from the Sun took five to six hours to reach this place.