Chapter 149: Fishing_1

Bill was a bit puzzled, "Are we going to colonize Mars so soon? Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves?"

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "With a top-secret plan like this, it's less talk, more action. You'll understand the purpose of the Mars spacecraft later.

"Later on, go find Feng Yi to sign a confidentiality agreement, he'll brief you on some of the details.

"Oh, and you still need to keep overseeing the 'Moon City Project'.

"You have to provide the residents of Moon City with an affluent lifestyle and the best educational resources!

"Slogans alone won't kickstart the space era; we need to give them tangible benefits!"

Bill left Jiang Yu's office somewhat blankly. He was supposed to discuss the Moon City Project, but how had he gotten wrapped up in a top-secret project so bewilderingly?

After Bill and the others had left Jiang Yu's office, the room fell into a quiet that seemed eternal.

Suddenly, Jiang Yu said to a corner of the room, "Teacher, you must be pretty confused, right? What exactly am I up to?

"When you tie all these far-flung plans together, it's going to be a huge surprise for you!"

After saying that, Jiang Yu leaned back in his chair with a very happy smile.

Once Jiang Yu had set up the preparations for "Plan Zero," he found himself with little to do for a short while.

He wasn't able to go into another round of hibernation just yet; he had too little experience with the Hibernation System for now. The doctor suggested that Jiang Yu wait half a year after coming out of hibernation before entering the next cycle to avoid causing any unknown damage to his body.

Moreover, there was still one thing Jiang Yu needed to do, which meant he had to patiently wait.

So, taking advantage of the free time, Jiang Yu went back home and stayed for over a month.

Then he went off to hang around at Yang Dong's workplace, mooching meals and drinks, and flaunted his love life in front of everyone.

Eventually, the base leadership had to ask Jiang Yu to be mindful of his behavior.

They did not dare to drive a Wallfacer away, but they asked Jiang Yu not to disturb Yang Dong during work hours, so as not to affect the workflow.

Jiang Yu then bought a set of fishing gear and went fishing every day at a small reservoir not far from the base.

He would only return to the base in the evening, and upon Yang Dong finishing work, he'd find new ways to cook fish for Yang Dong.

Fried, stewed, braised, sweet and sour, they nearly tried them all.

In three months, he had effectively fattened Yang Dong by several pounds.

During this time, Jiang Yu also purchased a "Venus Resource Distribution Map" from the Wallfacer's Shop.

The whopping lie he told at Tyler's funeral had made his Deception Points quite plentiful again.

Although it was still a long way from exploiting Venus, it was always good to stock up, especially since Deception Points tended to increase at intervals—it was more cost-effective to buy early.

Soon after, "Jupiter and Its Moons Resource Distribution" appeared in the shop, with the price jumping to five million Deception Points.

Jiang Yu exclaimed that it was too expensive for him to afford.

And so, Jiang Yu's life went on, uneventfully yet comfortably, and before he knew it, the end of summer had arrived. Because he fished every day, his skin had darkened considerably.

Having not worked for a while, Jiang Yu felt his mind and body had become quite peaceful.

On this day, it was somewhat hot and a little overcast. Jiang Yu looked at the two fish in the bucket and wondered if he should call it a day, go back, and enjoy the air conditioning and a shower?

Just then, the grating sound of a motorcycle's engine grew from distant to near, and the armed police around him immediately became alert.

As the sound approached, Ding Yi could be seen riding an old motorcycle quite awkwardly toward them.

There was a path next to the reservoir that cars couldn't travel on; if one didn't want to walk, they had to ride a motorcycle.

This motorcycle belonged to a janitor at the base, Uncle Zheng, who lived in a small mountain village more than thirty kilometers away.

Because there's no bus service at the base, Uncle Zheng always rides his motorcycle home when he has days off.

Some joke that whenever Uncle Zheng leaves home to go to work, people at the base can hear the sound of his motorcycle.

Others joke that there were two spies preparing to infiltrate the base, but they heard a sound that instantaneously crushed their psychological defenses.

The spies thought that this was a new achievement of the base and had already caused them great harm, so they didn't dare to infiltrate and left.

In fact, it was just Uncle Zheng finishing work and riding home.

Jiang Yu saw Ding Yi also carrying fishing gear and called out from a distance, "Come here, there are more fish on this side!"

Ding Yi came over with his bucket, awkwardly preparing the bait and casting the line.

Jiang Yu asked, "Isn't your research group really busy? You're the leader; how do you still have time to fish?"

Ding Yi, eyes fixed on the float, replied, "The theoretical part I'm responsible for is basically finished. I'm not very good with the application side; just staying at the base would mean giving pointless orders.

"I saw you caught so many fish yesterday and got a little jealous. I thought I might as well come here to kill some time," he added.

He glanced at Uncle Zheng's motorcycle, "I just have to find a different mode of transport if I come fishing again."

"Yeah, riding such a broken bike doesn't suit a PhD like you; it's too degrading!" Jiang Yu joked as he pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Ding Yi.

Because of the emotional issues with Yang Dong, Jiang Yu always felt a bit guilty towards Ding Yi in his heart.

But Ding Yi was very open-minded and never blamed Jiang Yu.

Ding Yi waved his hand, pulling out his pipe, then filled it with tobacco, "Congratulations, I heard Yang Dong agreed to marry you."

Jiang Yu was lighting up his cigarette and suddenly didn't know how to respond.

Was Doctor Ding genuinely congratulating him, or was it insincere? He wouldn't send blades in the wedding invitations, would he?

However, thinking of Ding Yi's personality, Jiang Yu let it go, "Thank you."

Ding Yi sighed, "In this regard, you are more successful than me. Yang Dong never intended to marry me, nor did she ever open up her heart to me."

The cigarette in Jiang Yu's hand suddenly became burdensome to light.

Was it really okay for Brother Ding to talk like this? Weren't ex-boyfriends supposed to avoid such topics? Why keep bringing it up non-stop?

After a few seconds, Jiang Yu lit the cigarette, "I must tell you, Yang Dong hasn't opened up her heart to me, either."

If it were anyone else tossing out such heavy topics, Jiang Yu would've suspected an ulterior motive, but he felt Ding Yi was different.

In Jiang Yu's memory, Ding Yi spent most of his time thinking and wouldn't waste energy on such trivial matters.

Taking a drag on his cigarette, Jiang Yu continued, "Recently, I came across someone who wanted to commit suicide, and I realized I couldn't talk them out of it."

He paused before adding, "Before, I thought I had convinced Yang Dong not to commit suicide with my persuasion.

"It wasn't until recently that I realized I had overly simplified the reasons for Yang Dong's suicide. By some fluke, she did find hope to live in what I said.

"But... she's still living in hardship now. I can feel the torment in her heart, but I can't help her."

After hearing Jiang Yu's words, Ding Yi took a few puffs in silence, "I've never understood why so many physicists could have their beliefs so easily shattered by the Trisolarans.

"Later, I realized that Yang Dong thought deeper than I did.

"I've seen the intelligence you stole from ETO, 'Miracle Project.' Actually, the Trisolarans never anticipated the dark side of the universe that the project could bring to life.

"Turkeys and bullet holes! If Trisolaran civilization can influence our observation of physical rules, could there be civilizations that influence the universal laws themselves?

"Are the universal laws we have summarized real laws? Or are they what an advanced civilization wants us to see?

"Heh, a sharpshooter's bullet holes on the target!"