71: Chapter 71 The First Signal Tower

“What surprised Mei Wenhua was that Celestial Fiend and Qian Luo returned alive, but the zombie he had raised died. After Celestial Fiend realized something was amiss, he overheard Mei Wenhua's conversation. It turned out that the Tier 2 Zombie he had killed was Mei Wenhua's son, Mei Xiangnan. Mei Wenhua learned that the person who killed his son had a gun, so he didn't dare to act rashly, and the matter was temporarily put aside.”

“But not long after, Yun Que sent another message that three Enforcerss from the Red Coat Sect in Huaizhou were coming to deal with you. You had just arrived at Meilin Settlement, so logically, you shouldn't have any enemies. Why would the Red Coat Sect want to deal with you? I suddenly remembered that you had just picked up a batch of Laser Guns a few days ago, so I guessed there might be a connection between the two.”

“So you suspect that Mei Wenhua, after discovering I had a gun, mistakenly thought I killed his son?” Niu Xingwang asked.

“Yes, so I used your name and went to Suiyang Anbu to find Mei Wenhua. If Mei Wenhua reacted upon hearing your name, it would mean the guess was correct. Conversely, if Mei Wenhua didn't know you, it would mean the guess was wrong,” Oriental Chen said.

Niu Xingwang nodded.

“Sure enough, Mei Wenhua knew you. So I took care of him along the way,” Oriental Chen said.

“Mr. Dongfang went to Suiyang Anbu alone for my sake. I, Niu Xingwang, truly don't know what to say!” Niu Xingwang was deeply moved.

“Xiao Chen, next time you plan such an action, can you discuss it with everyone in advance?” Brother Zhang said after listening.

“I didn't tell you in advance because I was afraid you would act on your own and complicate things. If you really want to ensure my safety, then you must follow the plan,” Oriental Chen said seriously.

“Yes!” Everyone accepted the order.

“Mm. Brother Niu, nothing special has happened on your side these past few days, right?” Oriental Chen changed the subject.

“No, everything is normal here,” Niu Xingwang replied.

“How are the preparations for the Mercenary Guild coming along?” Oriental Chen asked.

“The place has been cleaned up, and we are currently discussing some details with Celestial Fiend these past few days,” Niu Xingwang replied.

“Mm, it's better to do things sooner rather than later. Our time is tight, so we must pay attention to efficiency,” Oriental Chen instructed.

“Okay, I will seize the time,” Niu Xingwang obeyed.

“Oh, by the way, Celestial Fiend, you must be extra vigilant these next few days. Both the Huatong Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Guild need to arrange personnel for 24-hour patrols. The Red Coat Sect's Enforcerss could arrive at any time, so we absolutely cannot be careless,” Oriental Chen said to Zhang Yuankui.

“Okay,” Brother Zhang nodded.

Afterward, Niu Xingwang helped everyone arrange temporary accommodation. Everyone rested individually.

...

January 8, 2055, morning.

Jingdu, Council Building.

“Fellow Councilors, we have been discussing the emergency plan for almost half a month. Your thoughts and suggestions have been basically summarized. Does anyone have anything else to add?” Speaker Bai Li Ji asked.

No one spoke.

“Since there are no additions, the Legal Department will now begin drafting the preliminary plan. Councilor Pang, approximately how long will the drafting of the preliminary plan take?” The Speaker asked.

Councilor Pang, Director-General Pang Lejia, a Council Member, and the current Director of the Legal Department.

“About a week,” Councilor Pang thought for a moment and replied.

“Alright. Once the preliminary plan is drafted, we will convene another meeting for discussion. Meeting adjourned!” The Speaker said.

...

Mos, Meilin Settlement.

Early in the morning, a large truck drove into the Settlement and stopped in front of the Mercenary Guild.

“Boss, what is this?” Shen Wengang asked.

“A signal tower,” Oriental Chen replied.

“Does that mean we'll be able to use cell phones here soon?” Shen Wengang asked.

“No,” Oriental Chen replied.

“Ah?” Shen Wengang didn't understand.

If there's a signal tower, wouldn't cell phones have a signal?

However, Shen Wengang didn't care, as they could make calls directly through their bone mics anyway.

This signal tower was not for connecting cell phones. The Mercenary Guild and the Huatong Chamber of Commerce were positioned to cover all future survival bases as much as possible, which meant data authentication, item transactions, and personnel identification all needed to be done electronically. All of this required signal towers to provide information transmission services, a crucial part of the Firefly Project. So why not use satellites? Because after the real ecological crisis arrives, the molecular light film outside the atmosphere will greatly affect satellite communication with the ground, making it unreliable. Therefore, the most stable method is to build a network matrix with many such signal towers, supported by the Supercomputing Center.

There was another reason: Oriental Chen had to monopolize information completely. Absolute monopoly meant absolute control, and absolute control could ensure the success rate of the plan.

In this world, where there is cooperation, there will be betrayal; where there is interest, there will be disputes. Relying on mountains, mountains will fall; relying on water, water will dry up. So, what does it mean to take responsibility? It means that in the face of absolute crisis, do not trust anyone, do not place hope in anyone, be brave enough to stand up and control everything that can be controlled. Only then is survival possible.