Chapter 11: A Hundred Billion—I’ve Never Seen So Much Money!

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In the world of The Wandering Earth, Interrogation Room 710.
The interrogation room had undergone a major transformation and now resembled a comfortable parlor.
Even the once dreaded “regret chair” had been replaced by a soft sofa.
When Fang Jing arrived, he almost dropped his jaw in surprise.
“Heh, took advantage of this time to give it a makeover,” Zhou Zhezhi said leisurely as he brewed a cup of tea. Seeing Fang Jing suddenly appear, he smiled faintly and raised his cup.
“Has the problem been resolved?”
After consulting with Zhao Guangyao and the others, Fang Jing decided not to reveal anything about the work *The Wandering Earth* from their universe, so he kept silent.
“The uninvited guests here have been driven away. The ones arriving now are friends.”
Zhou Zhezhi raised his cup, took a sip, and sighed, “Excellent tea!”
Fang Jing imitated him and took a sip as well.
Though he couldn’t discern much about tea, the mellow fragrance lingered long after the first sip, suggesting its fine quality. He nodded and added,
“It truly is good tea.”
“Alas, every sip is one less for our descendants to enjoy.”
Zhou Zhezhi sighed, set down his cup, and pulled a document from his briefcase, handing it to Fang Jing.
“This is our number one’s paperwork. Please take care of it.”
“No problem, it’s my honor.”
Fang Jing accepted the document.
“How do you like my gift?”
Zhou Zhezhi waved his hand, signaling Zhou Weirong to enter and face Fang Jing.
“Very impressive, thank you, sir.”
Fang Jing sincerely admired Zhou Zhezhi.
He had admired him while watching movies, but meeting him in reality only deepened his respect immeasurably.
This was a man difficult to harbor ill will toward; his magnanimous gaze warmed the heart.
“Heh, tell me about your Huaguo over there, I’d love to hear all about it.”
Zhou Zhezhi poured more tea for Fang Jing.
“Our Huaguo began with the Xia Dynasty…”
Fang Jing spoke at length, from the Xia Dynasty to the present day. When recounting the century of humiliation in modern times, his eyes welled with tears; when speaking of the struggle for survival, he grew passionate and stirred; and when describing Huaguo’s fight for resurgence, he felt as if he were living it.
After listening, Zhou Zhezhi nodded silently and repeatedly exclaimed,
“Our Huaguo, no matter where or when, always rises reborn from the ashes, always creates miracles.”
Hearing of the otherworldly Huaguo, Zhou Zhezhi felt a deep resonance.
The histories of the two Huaguos were not so different.
The greatest difference lay in the technological and power gap after entering the new century.
“Yes, Elder Zhou, we always create miracles, and in the future, we will surely create more!”
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Fang Jing spoke with absolute confidence.
“Tap tap tap tap—”
As they talked, hurried footsteps echoed outside the corridor.
Cheng Dayun burst in anxiously.
“Elder Zhou, bad news! The Digital Faction suddenly launched an attack on the space elevator. The United Nations is asking for your mediation!”
“What?”
Zhou Zhezhi’s expression darkened, and he hurriedly asked, “Is the space elevator damaged?”
“No, the planes have been intercepted. The attack failed!”
“Phew…”
Relieved that no major incident occurred, Zhou Zhezhi let out a breath.
He looked apologetically at Fang Jing and said, “We have an emergency here. Please forgive me for not being able to host you properly.”
“But don’t worry, my son Zhou Weirong is now fully in charge of your matters. Moreover, Class-D technology is completely open to you; you may use it freely.”
“If you have questions, you can also contact scientists here through Weirong.”
After saying this, Zhou Zhezhi forced a smile and told Fang Jing, “Trust me, Class-D technology alone will keep you busy for a long time.”
“All right, I must take my leave now.”
“No problem, your matters are important. Take care, Elder Zhou.”
Fang Jing initially felt somewhat disappointed that only Class-D technology was available.
But after hearing Zhou Zhezhi’s words, his eyes suddenly brightened.
Once Zhou Zhezhi left, Fang Jing immediately asked Zhou Weirong, “Is there any aerospace tech in the Class-D technology?”
“There is, but it’s mostly old chemical rockets.”
Zhou Weirong opened the Class-D technology catalog and handed it to Fang Jing.
Fang Jing browsed through it, eyes practically glued to the pages.
The corners of his mouth curled wider and wider—almost reaching his ears.
“Hahaha! With these technologies, who cares about America? Let it burn and feed the dogs!”
…
By the time Fang Jing returned, he was familiar with the routine.
After handing over the documents and technical materials to Zhao Guangyao, he called his parents and was immediately pulled out by Zhou Yuan for training.
Brother Zhou was a reliable man.
His teaching method was straightforward: train together with Fang Jing!
Whatever he commanded Fang Jing to do, he followed suit.
Fang Jing respected him greatly.
He was a tough guy.
After training, the two would often play games and chat casually.
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“Brother Zhou, I noticed a wound on your calf during training. How did you get it?”
Fang Jing’s character threw a left hook in-game, then seeing the wound on the avatar, casually asked.
“Oh, I got it from a drug dealer while patrolling the border. That dealer shot me.”
Zhou Yuan’s character performed a perfect block as he answered nonchalantly.
“Luckily it was a through-and-through wound. No amputation needed, just a few stitches.”
“Brother Zhou, you’re a real man. I salute you!”
“Heh, young man, if you don’t believe me, come run ten kilometers with me. I’ll make you believe.”
“Hey, hey, let’s not. It’s rest time now.”
Fang Jing was embarrassed.
Zhou Yuan laughed heartily, that kid chickened out!
…
While Fang Jing rested, the documents reached Number One, and the technical files were delivered to the Military Academy.
After reading the documents, Number One sighed deeply and turned to Elder Zhu.
“The other side is seeking our help, saying they’re willing to provide technology but need us to prove we can maintain a stable passage for human transit. That’s the basis for cooperation.”
“Having only one Xiao Fang obviously makes them uneasy; that’s normal.”
Zhu Jincheng smiled slightly, understanding their demand well. “After all, they need to operate for 2,500 years. If there’s only one Xiao Fang, who can guarantee safety a century later?”
“So, Elder Zhu, this is why you pushed so hard for the moon landing?”
Number One picked up another document and wore a bitter smile.
“You know your ‘Concentrated Moon Landing’ plan was labeled as ‘the most extreme among the extremists’ by the Space Administration?”
“I know.”
Zhu Jincheng was unfazed and continued, “But this is an opportunity. Didn’t we just obtain the technology as well?”
“Next, you just have to approve the funds. With this tech, not only the moon but Mars too, no problem.”
“I can only approve 100 billion yuan, squeezed out from the military and planning commission using exoskeleton technology. Go make a big splash!”
A fiery light sparked in Number One’s eyes.
Under his tenure, Huaguo would achieve the moon landing and establish a lunar base.
This was his chance to make history!
“Good, that’s more than enough!”
One hundred billion yuan—while the usual annual budget of the Space Administration was only 10 billion.
Ten Space Administrations combined with ready technology meant no problem at all.
Elder Zhu stood excitedly, waving his hand enthusiastically.
His lobbying had worked.
“I’ll bring those old-timers from the Aerospace Department over right away. Tomorrow, we shut down the old projects and start building rockets directly. Let’s get to work!”