19 Cancellation of Special Aviation Tax

One o'clock in the afternoon.

Professor Wang Zhong, who was in his eighties, was currently reading a red header document in his office1 and as he read on, his mood gradually turned for the worse.

<Notice on the Cancellation of Special Aviation Tax>

It is hereby announced that the special aviation construction tax will officially cease on 31 December 2264…

"Sigh, what is meant to come will eventually come."

The special aviation tax was a type of support the coalition government had for the Deep Space Project. All participating countries would have to pay this tax every year but right now, it was about to be canceled.

Professor Wang Zhong released a long sigh and was deep in thought. The wrinkles on his forehead were similar to deep hills and valleys.

In this current day and age, with the progress of medical technology in particular the emergence of 3D organ printing, the average lifespan of humans had increased to 110 years. Those who were healthy could even live up to 140 years old. However, he was already considered old for someone in his eighties and his energy had been in a steep decline. It caused Wang Zhong to feel that his ability was falling short of what he wished to accomplish in terms of scientific research.

But even so, he was an academician of the Academy of Sciences and his IQ still far surpassed normal people no matter how his energy had declined.

He had a restless personality and now that he was older, it was also considered good for him to do something within his abilities. It did not pose a big problem for him to lead some research students while handling some administrative work at the side.

As a scientific advisor for the Deep Space Foundation, he had a mountain load of work to complete every day.

When he saw the document that was recently passed down, he got angrier the more he read on.

Time waited for no one. If he were younger by twenty or thirty years, he would definitely contend on strong grounds in the conference, even if such arguments would not produce any significant result…

Wang Zhong made a call and tried to make his tone sound gentler. "… could it be that they are unaware that for Earth Age to travel at one seven thousandths the speed of light, we require the support of Jupiter Base. Additionally, the construction cost to build ultra-long-distance optical paths would cost a hefty sum of money!"

A middle-aged man's voice sounded from the other end. "Professor Wang, tax reduction is the current general trend and it's not something a few of us can stop. This decision has been considered for quite some time and it's not an impromptu decision. President Lin of the Deep Space Foundation has already…"

Wang Zhong said unwillingly, "Do you know what are the consequences if the traveling speed cannot reach one seven thousandths the speed of light? It's a journey of 3000 years. Any single variable could result in a domino chain of reactions…"

"Professor Wang, we are currently trying to find a solution. You can rest assured that even if we have to sell a large portion of our assets, we will definitely gather the required amount."

Wang Zhong ended the call and released another sigh.

In the politicians' point of view, Earth Age had long been completed and this portion of the tax levied on the citizens should be relieved. To be reasonable, that additional tax has been ongoing for more than four decades and the citizens have already been raising complaints for a long time.

However…

As for where the follow-up funds would come from was another big problem.

Even though the Deep Space Foundation was huge and was involved with numerous businesses and industries, it was impossible to withstand the massive funds requirements without the financial support of the coalition government. Selling their assets was not a wise decision because randomly selling them in the market would only benefit those capitalists. People killed without shedding blood in the market, so the more anxious they were to sell, the lower those capitalists would quote.

Moreover, the purpose of the Deep Space Foundation was not only to launch a single colonial spaceship, but to launch ten, twenty, or even a hundred ships in the future. These assets were their roots!

Just then, there was a knock on his office door.

"Enter!" Wang Zhong recollected his thoughts and said.

A young girl walked in and she was one of his students, Xu Yunjing.

The girl softly asked. "Teacher, there are some reporters outside who wish to interview you. They are also a group of foreigners. Do you know them?"

"Foreigners?"

"I think they are from some humanities association… and they want us to donate to the poorer areas."

"Reject them, tell them that I'm not around!"

When it came to the question of money, Wang Zhong's eyebrows twitched and his voice became louder. "Even no brainers would know their motive for coming here! Even though our foundation has numerous businesses, our money doesn't drop from trees. They are all generated from the efforts of scientists!"

"In the future, ignore those reporters and in particular, foreign reporters. They love digging a hole for us to jump in and if we slip up in the slightest, they will cause a big fuss and publish all sorts of bulls*t articles!"

Xu Yunjing could see that her mentor was in a bad mood from how she had been lectured by the professor.

Xia Country exported energy to other countries. In their country, the domestic cost of electricity was 3 cents per kWh which could be considered a type of social welfare.

However, it was a different matter for the energy sold outside their country. The labor costs of their citizens could not be sold cheaply and there needed to be profits.

Based on their contribution in the research of nuclear fusion power, some countries only had to pay 8 cents while some countries had to pay 30 cents per kWh.

In any case, it was their choice if they had wanted to use it or not.

The reason behind the difference in cost was due to the monopoly in the controllable nuclear fusion project. The project was extremely difficult and when it was accomplished, it had almost become the most cutting-edge technology humans possessed. It was not something every country could achieve with a few brains working together.

Xu Yunjing thought for a moment and awkwardly asked, "Teacher, if we reject interviews, won't it look bad on us?"

"Look bad? To hell with that! Would they die if they stop using electricity? Is 30 cents per kWh very expensive? What bullsh*t human rights are they fighting for? They obviously just want to use electricity cheaply!" Wang Zhong angrily scolded, "They didn't even give us a single lick of help during the research phase of the project, so on what basis do they have the cheek to enjoy the fruits of our labor?"

"This involves our country's interest! If they want a cheaper price, they should send representatives to negotiate with the government instead of secretly engaging in a war of words to be on the offensive of public opinion and win the sympathy of our people!"

Wang Zhong knew the principle of having a slip of the tongue when one talked too much so he could not be bothered to argue with that group of reporters. He only used this instance as an opportunity to educate his student to have political sensitivity.

People needed to have some EQ regardless of what problem they encountered.

"Especially for you. Don't become soft-hearted and generous at the expense of others!"

After Xu Yunjing received a lecture, she no longer considered the issue of the reporters and awkwardly spoke up again, "Oh, also… a senior's son wishes to visit you. Do you have time now?"

"Senior? Which senior?"

"It's that senior, Senior Zhang!" Xu Yunjing made a gesture with both her hands.

Wang Zhong blanked out for a second, but he soon recovered his senses. His expression gradually loosened, and a trace of gentleness flashed past his face.

Zhang Qiming, his most talented student and the person behind Earth Age's main control system. Among all his students, be it doctorate or master's degree holders, they had all addressed Zhang Qiming as their senior.

And as for his son…?

It seemed like he had never heard of him before.

Oh, it was not that he was unaware of him, but he had forgotten about Zhang Yuan's existence long ago. It was similar to how everyone knew about Einstein, but no one remembered his son.

When he recalled that Zhang Qiming had already passed away and the scene of one's student dying before himself, Wang Zhong sighed and said, "Bring his son here."

...