Chapter 235: Lifting Weight as if It Were Light (Bonus for Everyone's Tips!)_1

Everyone in the room watched silently as Jiang Yu entered; they had imagined he might burst in, furious as a storm, or perhaps wearing a look of sorrow. Some even thought Jiang Yu might appear utterly bewildered.

But what no one had anticipated was that Jiang Yu would walk into the conference room as relaxed as if he were strolling through a garden, seemingly unaware that most of the people there had come to usurp his power.

A robust middle-aged man sitting to the left of the conference room stood up and said, "What presence! To witness the elegance of the Wallfacer today is truly worth the trip."

Then, the man sighed, "It's a pity, though, that our era no longer requires the Wallfacer Project."

Jiang Yu, sitting at the head of the meeting table, looked at the robust man and said, "You must be Gu Cheng, huh, not bad, you do resemble your father somewhat."

On the right side of the conference room, a mixed-race middle-aged man said coldly, "It has long been established by law that the time spent in hibernation does not count as the Hibernator's age.

"We've come all the way here to discuss serious matters with you, not to chat about family or watch you be an old stick-in-the-mud."

Number Three slammed the table, "Ed Abraham, is this lack of respect for the Wallfacer the kind of upbringing your family provides?"

The man known as Ed sat up straight, just about to argue with Number Three, but he heard Jiang Yu speak first, "Weren't you all here to have a meeting? Let's talk about serious matters, then."

Gu Cheng, sitting to Jiang Yu's left, said, "Regardless, respect for the Wallfacer is necessary. No matter which city of the Solar System Federation you visit, you will be welcomed with open arms by the citizens.

"After all, you are the Creator of the Solar System Federation!

"But during this century and more of your hibernation, the human world has undergone earth-shaking changes; you will need some time to adapt to this brand new world.

"During this period, please refrain from exercising the powers of a Wallfacer, to avoid making decisions that could harm the Solar System Federation.

"At the same time, I suggest you enjoy your current life. You can travel and see the sights. Wherever you wish to settle, just say the word, and we will arrange a comfortable life for you."

Jiang Yu said to Ed, "Look at how well he speaks, even talking about finding me a place to retire is put so elegantly!"

Before anyone could react further, Jiang Yu continued solemnly, "You might not believe this, but I had foreseen today's situation before I went into hibernation.

"What I want to tell you is that everything I do today is part of my plan!

"You might wonder why I am being so explicit about this; it's because there is no one left in the world who can disrupt my plans.

"Even though I've told you so much, you will still have to proceed according to my plan afterward."

Everyone was stunned; some were shocked, while others exchanged bewildered looks.

Gu Cheng appeared contemplative, and Ed muttered under his breath, "Mere theatrics."

Number Three, sitting aside, was completely reassured upon hearing what Jiang Yu said; no wonder Jiang Yu didn't seem to care much during discussions about how to deal with everyone's power grab. He had a plan all along.

While no one had fully recovered yet, Jiang Yu added, "Let's discuss business. How about making a bet with all of you?

"About a year from now, the Trisolarans' probe will reach the Solar System; let's bet on the outcome of this war!"

The room fell silent for a few seconds before everyone burst into laughter, and even Number Three became worried.

Gu Cheng shook his head with a smile, "Mr. Jiang, as you just said, it's only a probe. How could it spark a war?"

He had thought the Wallfacer might have left some sort of countermeasure?

But after hearing Jiang Yu propose the bet, Gu Cheng completely lowered his guard, convinced that Jiang Yu was using outdated concepts and thinking to judge the current situation.

He had seen many such Hibernators before; they were nothing to worry about.

Ignoring the laughter around him, Jiang Yu asked, "So, are you willing to take this bet or not?"

There was another round of laughter, and Jiang Yu looked at them coldly, "Today's meeting is being recorded. I'm looking forward to seeing if you can still laugh so freely a year from now."

Gu Cheng smiled and waved his hand for everyone not to laugh too hard, "Mr. Jiang, then would you like to explain what the bet is about?"

Jiang Yu said, "One year later, if the Solar System State or humanity wins, I will completely renounce my Wallfacer rights.

"One year later, if the Trisolaran detectors win, you will return the powers you took from me! And we will start a new Wallfacer plan!"

He wasn't afraid that the Trisolarans would hear this bet and deliberately let him lose.

Firstly, by this time, the Trisolarans must have believed that they were holding the winning cards, and when 'The Waterdrop' arrived in the Solar System, even if Jiang Yu regained power, he wouldn't be able to change anything.

Secondly, if the Trisolarans intentionally made Jiang Yu lose the bet, then Jiang Yu would simply go all out, establish a simple deterrence system, and confront the Trisolarans outright.

However, going down this latter path meant that humanity wouldn't learn any lessons.

After finishing his statement, Jiang Yu added, "If you are willing to take this bet with me, I will travel around this year, observe, and not be involved in any political affairs of the Solar System State.

"If you're not willing to take this bet with me, sorry, I can still make things difficult for you."

Many high-ranking officials laughed and said, "Agree to bet with him! Governor! Please agree to bet with him!"

"Oh my, this is hilarious! War? He's actually talking about war erupting!"

The meeting room was in a disordered state for half a minute before Gu Cheng smiled and said, "Alright, Wallfacer, since you insist, then we'll take this bet with you!"

In fact, the main reason everyone had come all the way to Yinghuo City to challenge the authority was to prevent Jiang Yu from causing trouble after waking up.

Although most residents of the Solar System State were already reluctant to continue the Wallfacer plan, Jiang Yu's prestige was still intact; after all, he was a heroic figure in textbooks.

If Jiang Yu were to call to arms, many people would still respond to him, which could cause significant trouble for Gu Cheng and the rest.

Jiang Yu smiled and said, "It's a deal!"

He paused and then said, "Oh, there's one more thing."

While speaking, Jiang Yu gave Number Three a look.

Understanding the hint, Number Three opened his folder and took out a stack of slightly yellowed documents.

Jiang Yu pointed at the documents and said, "These are agreements I signed with the PDC member nations back in the day.

"At that time, all the countries agreed that when we contact the Trisolaran detectors, I would be the overall commander of the operation.

"Oh, I also specifically noted that various extensions of the PDC member countries' forces should also follow this agreement.

"If I'm not mistaken, you've already begun discussions with the three large fleets about who will lead this encounter with the detector, right?"

Everyone's eyes heated up as they looked at these documents, which had been confidential at the time, and unknown to them.

Just as Jiang Yu had predicted, their negotiations had indeed started.

Although there were some internal conflicts within the three large fleets, most of the time, they would join forces against the federal fleet, so the negotiations were not going smoothly.

Gu Cheng was slightly stunned, then immediately said, "I think Mr. Jiang should be the overall commander of this operation!"

Everyone then followed suit, realizing that indeed, if Jiang Yu became the overall commander of this operation, it would mean the Solar System Federation was leading the operation!

And "overall commander" was just a title after all; military power was still in the hands of the Military Commission, and Jiang Yu would only have some say in this particular operation.

Gu Cheng had just cheered up internally when, in a flash, he seemed to understand something, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on the back of his head.

Could this outcome have been part of Jiang Yu's plan all along?