Chapter 84: The Fugitive Fund_1

Space engineering was originally a marginal project, with only a small budget allocated to it each year.

Now, it has transformed into one of the most important projects in the world, with governments wishing they could put all their annual income into space endeavors.

In meetings like those of the Star Defense Department, it was natural to invite the most cutting-edge experts in aerospace, and Dr. Hong Haifeng was one of them.

He adjusted his glasses and continued, "Therefore, I believe that constructing a Space City is imperative, while Moon City can be built gradually over time."

Jiang Yu said, "Could we consider building a larger space station first? Postpone the near-Earth orbital Space City."

Hong Haifeng asked, "Why? With an early entry into Space City, we could enter the space age sooner!"

"The construction timeline of Space City highly coincides with that of the space elevator," Jiang Yu analyzed. "That's why I suggest building a city on the Moon.

"During the proofing phase for Moon City, we prioritize building the space elevator.

"Once the space elevator is finished, some technological bottlenecks should be broken through, then why not go all out to build a lunar colony city?"

Hong Haifeng waved his hand dismissively, "We have too much work and the tasks are too urgent; they must be carried out in parallel."

Someone else said, "According to the intelligence obtained from the Three-Body Game, the Trisolarans also built a near-Earth orbital Space City first, which then led to rapid development in their space business."

Jiang Yu laughed, "You didn't need to bring it up, but now that you have, it makes me even more determined.

"I suggest that we all adopt a highly skeptical attitude when it comes to the intelligence provided by the Trisolarans.

"Yes, they don't lie to people, but that doesn't mean they won't lead us into a ditch!

"The Solar System and the Three-Body Star System are very different; the Trisolarans' development method may not necessarily suit us."

The two sides debated for a long time, but no conclusion was reached on this issue.

Luckily, this plan wasn't too pressing and they could organize experts from the relevant fields to evaluate it further.

At the end of the meeting, Chief Ji added, "Comrades, the negotiations on the public ownership of technology are at a standstill. However, the Foreign Ministry believes this proposal is almost impossible to pass.

"Prepare yourselves mentally, and don't harbor any illusions about 'world harmony' or the 'Earth Federation'; some things we may have to do on our own."

After the meeting was over, Jiang Yu paced back and forth in his office, elated.

In over two years since he had crossed over, he gradually discovered that the performance of humanity in the Three-Body world was even worse than in the original novel.

It had taken him two years of hard work to bring everyone back to the standard of the original work.

Now that the Wallfacer Project was in planning, it signified that humanity's spirit of resistance had been awakened, and the initial plans of resistance were finally on the right track.

Just as Jiang Yu was celebrating for all of humanity, Shi Qiang suddenly came in to notify him, "The chief has asked me to take you to an urgent meeting."

Jiang Yu was startled, "Didn't we just have a meeting?"

Shi Qiang said, "I don't know either, the chief already left for the airport in his car."

Jiang Yu was even more confounded, "A meeting out of town? Oh, Feng Yi, get ready..."

Shi Qiang interrupted him, "The chief made it explicitly clear that only you are qualified to attend the meeting, and you are not allowed to bring any personnel."

Jiang Yu was stunned for a few seconds, unable to comprehend what kind of meeting it was. He turned to Di Fengyi and said, "I'll give you a break, come back to work after I return.

"And remember to follow up on the task I gave you this morning."

Jiang Yu would occasionally attend some high-level meetings, and Di Fengyi didn't take it to heart, simply agreeing before helping Jiang Yu pack his briefcase.

Jiang Yu took a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, received the briefcase from Di Fengyi, and followed Shi Qiang onto the car, heading to the nearby military airport.

As Jiang Yu looked at Shi Qiang, before he could even speak, Shi Qiang said, "Don't ask me, I don't know anything."

Jiang Yu forced a smile, "Da Shi, I have a bad feeling about this, and my premonitions are usually pretty accurate.

"Do you think if I jump out of the car and run now, they'll beat me to death?"

Shi Qiang laughed, "They wouldn't do that, but with your skills, you'll definitely get killed hitting the curb."

...

Meanwhile, Di Fengyi watched Jiang Yu leave and, having a rare half-day of leisure, thought it had been a long time since he last visited his parents. So, he drove home to pick up his wife and daughter and went to his parents' house for a visit.

The delay on the road meant that when they arrived at his parents' home, the old couple had already gotten off work.

The family had a joyous dinner together, and during the casual post-meal conversation, Father Di asked Di Fengyi, "You've been working with Mr. Jiang for so long, how many quotas have you got?"

Di Fengyi's family all revered Jiang Yu like a god, always referring to him as "Mr. Jiang".

"What quotas?"

Father Di looked frustrated, "Of course, it's the quotas for the escape spaceships!

"With such good conditions you have, you should get one or two more quotas. I've heard they're selling for hundreds of thousands now!"

Di Fengyi looked helpless, "Dad, I've already told you over the phone, don't believe that, all those escape funds and such are scams!"

Father Di became somewhat angry, "I know you have a secrecy order and can't disclose some secrets to us!

"But you still should give me some insider information. If I haven't got any quotas yet, I need to hurry and buy escape funds to secure a lifeline for our family."

Di Fengyi said perplexed, "What is it with you, what kind of spell have those fund sellers cast on you? How come you believe anything they say?"

Mother Di chimed in, "My child, do they even need to say anything? The news is broadcasting it every day, they've even determined the direction of our escape now!"

Di Fengyi, both angry and amused, asked, "So, what are the directions they're talking about?"

"They say there are three directions. One is to find a new planet," Mother Di replied. "The second one is to live on a spaceship generation after generation, and the other, oh? What was the other?"

Father Di added, "The last one is to wait outside the Solar System. Maybe one day the Trisolarans will agree to coexist with us peacefully, and then we can come back."

Di Fengyi sighed, "Nonsense! I'm telling you, none of you is allowed to buy any escape funds. People are getting scammed every day; you need to be careful too."

Father Di and Mother Di didn't believe Di Fengyi's "nonsense" and even blamed him for being too dedicated to his job, not willing to share any insider information even at his own home.

The family parted on bad terms.

On the way home, Di Fengyi's wife suddenly said while holding the child, "I'm thinking of lending the money we'd set aside to pay off the principal for our mortgage to my sister to help them out in an emergency."

Still sulking, Di Fengyi asked with a frown, "What's up? Did your brother-in-law's business take a loss?"

"No," his wife said, "they're pooling money to buy escape funds."

Then she complained, "I don't have your high principles, willing to ignore our own family's needs! You can actually get in touch with the escape funds, yet you refuse to share any inside info!"

Di Fengyi felt quite angry, why didn't anyone believe what he said?