Chapter 73 Press Conference

When the special operations ship carrying the "ghost" silently sailed into the secret military port, the entire harbor had already been placed under martial law.

Lin Yuan's consciousness detached from the "ghost" and returned to the connected cockpit in the underground base.

The helmet slowly lifted, and he let out a long, heavy breath.

An unprecedented sense of exhaustion, mixed with immense excitement, surged up simultaneously.

"Click."

The cockpit door opened.

The first things that came into view were the faces of Chen Weiguo and Academician Wang, filled with excitement and concern.

"Comrade Lin Yuan! Are... are you alright?" Academician Wang rushed forward in a single stride, supporting the still-swaying Lin Yuan, looking him up and down carefully, terrified that he might be missing a single hair.

"I'm fine, Academician Wang, I'm doing great." Lin Yuan grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"Good! Good lad! Well done!" Chen Weiguo stepped forward, without any extra words, and simply gave Lin Yuan's shoulder a heavy pat.

The approval and pride in his eyes surpassed a thousand words.

"Reporting to the Chief! I have fulfilled the mission!" Lin Yuan straightened his back and gave a military salute that wasn't standard, but was full of strength.

"Hahahaha!" Chen Weiguo looked at his comical appearance and finally couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.

His laughter infected everyone present.

"The hero is back!"

"Welcome home, hero!"

The entire Command Center erupted once again into thunderous applause and cheers.

This round of cheering was different from any that had come before.

It was no longer just the relief of surviving a disaster, or the ecstasy of acquiring new technology.

It was a cheer of victory from the bottom of their hearts, a moment of feeling proud and elated!

Li Na stood in the crowd, watching that young figure surrounded by the crowd, scratching his head in slight embarrassment, and her eyes moistened once again.

But this time, the tears that fell were of joy and pride.

...

A "trophy" handover ceremony was held secretly in the core laboratory of the base.

The "ghost" had already been transported back and was parked in the very center of the laboratory. Its surface still carried the cold moisture of the deep sea and a faint, lingering scent of salt.

Surrounded by the crowd, Lin Yuan operated it himself, opening the "ghost"'s "subspace storage module."

"Hum——"

With a slight spatial fluctuation.

Three things appeared out of thin air before everyone.

The first was that pigeon-egg-sized, pitch-black, with the surrounding space slightly distorted... "void crystal core."

The moment it appeared, all the most precise instruments in the laboratory emitted ear-piercing alarms!

"Quick! Activate the 'absolute zero magnetic field prison'! Seal it up immediately!" Academician Wang, as if he had seen some peerless treasure, or perhaps some terrifying source of plague, let out a hoarse, desperate roar.

Several experts wearing heavy protective suits immediately rushed forward, using "pliers" made of a special force field to carefully pick up the "void crystal core," and then quickly transported it into a huge metal container that looked like a hibernation pod from a science fiction movie.

"Click."

The container closed, and the alarm finally stopped.

Everyone let out a long breath, feeling as if they had just walked through the gates of hell.

"This... is this... the core of space?" A physicist muttered to himself, looking at the huge metal container, his eyes filled with awe and obsession.

The second thing was that piece of "deep blue star," larger and more energy-pure than the previous one.

As soon as it appeared, it was surrounded by experts from the energy and materials groups as if it were a treasure.

"It's so beautiful! So pure! This is simply the perfect bio-battery!"

"Quick! Perform a spectral analysis! I want to know its crystal structure!"

The experts' enthusiasm almost melted that "crystal."

And the third thing...

When Lin Yuan took it out from the subspace.

The entire laboratory went quiet.

It was a Rising Sun flag, folded neatly and squarely, carrying the scent of mud and seawater...

Lin Yuan took it and walked in front of Chen Weiguo.

"Chief, the 'souvenir' you wanted, I have brought it back for you."

Chen Weiguo looked at this flag and fell silent.

He extended his hands, calloused from years of holding a gun, and took it.

Then he laughed.

First a smile, then a loud laugh.

"Hahahaha! Good! What a great souvenir! What a great souvenir!"

His laughter echoed in the empty laboratory, filled with an indescribable sense of gratification and boldness!

Everyone present, looking at that flag and the smile on Chen Weiguo's face, couldn't help but laugh along with him.

They laughed until they swayed back and forth, laughing until tears streamed down.

Over the past few months, they had endured too much pressure and experienced too many life-and-death tests.

And now, all the grievances, all the hard work, and all the sacrifices were released in this moment, in the most exhilarating way possible!

Academician Wang laughed, wiping away tears while pointing at the flag, and said to Lin Yuan: "You lad! You lad! Do you know that this tattered flag you brought back is even more precious than that 'void crystal core'!"

"The 'void crystal core' can make our technology lead the world by a hundred years."

"But this flag," Academician Wang's eyes became incredibly bright, "it can allow our nation to straighten the spine that was trampled underfoot a hundred years ago!"

...

The next day.

Great Xia Country Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regular press conference.

The venue was packed. All cameras were aimed at the podium.

A reporter from the Little Sun Country Kyodo News Agency was the first to seize the opportunity to ask a question.

He stood up and asked in a tone full of provocation and questioning: "Your Excellency Spokesperson, regarding the series of unexplainable 'paranormal events' that occurred yesterday around our country's 'deep sea 20000' scientific research ship, especially the mysteriously missing flag, may I ask if the Chinese side has any explanation? Is this some sort of unknown and dangerous retaliatory act taken by the Chinese side against our country's peaceful scientific research activities?"

This question instantly made the atmosphere of the entire venue tense.

The whole world was waiting for Great Xia Country's answer.

The spokesperson on the podium, who was always known for being calm and elegant, listened to the question, but a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

He slowly pushed up his glasses and replied in a leisurely, slightly playful tone:

"Regarding the so-called 'paranormal events' you mentioned, we are not aware of them."

"However, I would like to remind your country of one thing."

"Our ancestors once said something."

"The East China Sea has, since ancient times, been a sea area full of 'legends.'"

"Perhaps..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the venue, and finally landed on the face of that reporter from Little Sun Country, his smile becoming even brighter.

"Some things that don't belong there have been taken away by the 'dragon king lord'!"