327: Chapter 328 The Heartless Mentor Who Teachs People to Fish

Inside the simple command post in the D-3 Region.

Zhao Shouzhen stood in front of Lin Qi.

He held the "Unlimited Material Requisition Order" stamped with the red seal of the Federal Supreme Command in his hands.

He had just received it from General Luo Zhenbang.

He appeared even more respectful than when they last met, his waist bent deeply.

Lin Qi sat on a chair that had been casually cobbled together, fiddling with a mechanical part.

It was a scrap piece removed from the array pillar.

"Mr. Lin, regarding the matter of moving the deep pit in Area S-17..."

Zhao Shouzhen carefully phrased his words.

"The Federation's intention is that no matter the cost, as long as that piece of land can be transported over, it will suffice."

Lin Qi raised his eyes to look at Zhao Shouzhen.

"Transporting?"

"Your line of thinking is truly novel."

He casually tossed the part onto the table, making a crisp sound.

"I am a researcher, not an earthworks contractor."

"That deep pit is twenty kilometers in diameter; you want to haul it over with trucks?"

Zhao Shouzhen's expression stiffened, and beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.

"Yes, yes, we thought too simply about it."

"I ask for Mr. Lin's guidance."

Lin Qi stopped playing coy; he stood up and walked to the open space in the center of the camp.

He extended a finger toward the air.

A faint light shone at his fingertip, which then condensed into a complex rune.

The rune hovered in the air, causing the surrounding space to fluctuate.

Instructor Su Qing stood to the side, staring intently at the rune, her eyes filled with a hint of surprise.

She could feel that the principles contained within this rune exceeded the cognitive system of this world.

Lin Qi flicked his fingertip; the rune did not disappear, but instead floated in front of Zhao Shouzhen.

"This is called 'Space Encapsulation Technique'."

Lin Qi's tone was very flat.

"It's not for you to move the soil, but for you to compress that piece of land into a ball for me."

"Compress... a twenty-kilometer deep pit into a ball?"

Zhao Shouzhen's throat went dry; he felt his perception of reality being assaulted.

"Is it difficult?"

Lin Qi looked at him with a playful expression.

"No, no!"

"As long as it can be transported here, nothing is a problem!"

Zhao Shouzhen wiped his sweat and hurriedly responded.

"I'm giving this to you, but I won't be going personally."

Lin Qi pointed at the rune.

"But activating it consumes a lot of energy."

"Without enough Materials, even if you poked a hole in the sky, you wouldn't be able to move that plot of land."

As Lin Qi spoke, he tossed a written list to Zhao Shouzhen.

The handwriting on the list was very messy, exuding a sense of sharpness.

Zhao Shouzhen took the list with somewhat trembling hands.

"Main Materials: Void Realm Stardust, 300 kilograms; the purity must be guaranteed at 99.99%."

"Auxiliary Materials: Earth Core Magnetic Source Stone, 100 tons; it must maintain a complete connection to the earth's veins—don't bring me any that have lost their Qi."

"Stabilizer: Living neural centers of deep-sea 'Subspace' jellyfish, ten."

"Energy Source: 'Heart of Gaia' companion crystal, one."

With every line he read, Zhao Shouzhen's heartbeat grew heavier.

Every item on the list was a strategic resource kept at the very bottom of the Federal treasury.

Some things, even he, a Rank 5 Expert, had only seen in top-secret files.

This wasn't paying tuition; this was clearly meant to hollow out the Federation's foundation.

"Mr. ... Mr. Lin."

Zhao Shouzhen's voice was somewhat dry.

"This 'Heart of Gaia' companion crystal, we only have half of one..."

"And it is still maintaining the Spirit Gathering Array of Longya Academy..."

Lin Qi glanced at him.

"That is your business."

"If you can't do it, don't come bother me."

"I have given you the solution to the problem; as for how to gather the Materials, that is the Federal government's task."

He clapped his hands, sat back down on the chair, and stopped speaking.

"Understand?"

Zhao Shouzhen looked into Lin Qi's calm eyes, and only one thought remained in his heart.

In this person's eyes, the survival of the Federation might truly just be a transaction.

"Understood."

Zhao Shouzhen nodded forcefully and tucked the list into his coat, his movements very careful.

"I will return now, mobilize all the Federation's power, and guarantee that everything will be prepared within two days!"

He dared not linger and turned to walk quickly out of the camp.

Lin Qi watched his back, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

Instructor Su Qing stepped forward, looked at Lin Qi, and spoke softly.

"Boss, with this move of yours, I'm afraid it will take the Federation a long time to recover."

"Won't be able to recover?"

Lin Qi smiled and leaned back into the chair.

"They should be grateful that I am still willing to teach them."

"If it were anyone else, that deep pit, along with their Eastern Theater Command, would have already been filled by me."

He looked toward the distant sky, his gaze seemingly piercing through the clouds.

"This is just the beginning."

"To survive in this world, having a life alone is not enough."

"These Materials are just enough for me to thoroughly organize the earth's veins in the D-3 Region and forge this place into a true bastion."

As for Zhang Wei, that guy should be getting tossed around quite a bit in the research institute.

I hope he has made some progress when he returns.

"Oh right, Instructor Su Qing."

Lin Qi asked casually.

"Is there any news from Fatty?"

Instructor Su Qing shook her head.

"According to the report sent from over there, he has already failed over a dozen times in the virtual environment of 'Extra-vehicular Activity at the Space Station'."

"His current state is that as soon as he closes his eyes, he shouts, 'I am an accessory!'"

After hearing this, Lin Qi laughed out loud.

"Alright, he's more tenacious than I imagined."

"As long as he hasn't gone crazy, keep training him."

"The butler by my side doesn't have to be strong, but he must stand firm."

The wind and sand whistled outside the command post, but it was very peaceful inside the camp.

Zhao Shouzhen had already boarded the private plane returning to the Federal Headquarters.

In the cabin, he gripped the list tightly and issued one instruction after another to his accompanying secretary.

"Notify the Academy of Sciences! Activate all sealed S-rank mineral deposits!"

"Send an order to Longya Academy to dismantle the Spirit Gathering Array and remove the crystal!"

"Tell the military, no matter what means they use, even if they have to go to the deep sea to catch them alive, they must not damage a single tentacle of those jellyfish!"

Although the secretary was confused, seeing Zhao Shouzhen's unprecedentedly serious expression, he gritted his teeth and agreed.

This transaction was destined to be costly from the very beginning.

At this moment, on the edge of the deep pit in Area S-17.

A group of Federal engineering personnel were waiting anxiously, looking at the massive deep pit with dazed eyes.

Who could have imagined that this "big pot" would eventually depend on a young man under twenty years old to pack up and take away using an unheard-of method.

This world is truly becoming more and more incomprehensible.

But regardless, as long as the problem can be solved, there is hope.

Zhao Shouzhen looked through the plane window toward the direction of Tianhai City.

"Lin Qi, just how many more methods are you hiding?"

He muttered to himself, his tone mixed with awe and expectation.

"As long as you truly stand on the side of humanity, even if the Federation... is emptied out, it will be worth it."

Night fell.

The lights in the D-3 Region of Tianhai City turned on.

Lin Qi walked alone on the construction site of the fortress.

He held a freshly polished cornerstone in his hand, his gaze deep and far-reaching.

He knew that the Federation's actions had only just begun.

And he was waiting for the opening of this grand moving performance that he had directed.

Before that, he still needed to confirm one thing.

How to utilize these Materials to completely seal off this space and create a private Forbidden Ground that would absolutely never be detected by the outside world.

"Materials are only auxiliary; the most core element..."

Lin Qi spread his palm, a wisp of Qi energy flickering, and the air was compressed to the extreme, emitting a faint hum.

"Is still 'breaking all laws with sheer force'."

He accurately embedded the cornerstone in his hand into a groove.

With a click, the earth shook once, then returned to tranquility.

This night was destined to be one where no one could sleep.