Chapter 325 These guys from Dragon Country did it on purpose.
Gu Yun's words were like dropping a bombshell into a calm lake!
Everyone present was stunned by what they heard!
This included the netizens in the live stream; for a moment, the comments froze for several seconds, and the entire internet seemed to fall into a brief silence.
After about a few minutes, a comment slowly drifted across the live stream, breaking the eerie silence.
"Good grief! So, in the end, it was the Eagle Sauce who lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet!" As soon as this comment appeared, it was like opening the floodgates. People snapped back to reality, started to carefully ponder the reasons behind it, and couldn't help but sigh at the Eagle Sauce's self-inflicted misery.
The high-level officials of the Eagle Sauce heard the resounding words of the Dragon Kingdom's person in charge, Gu Yun, and for a moment, they looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief!
The entire conference room was filled with an atmosphere of confusion. President Biden widened his eyes, looked around, his face flushed red, and he asked loudly in a fit of rage:
"Did we ever issue such a treaty???"
"Which bastard issued such a moronic treaty! Tell him he doesn't need to come to work tomorrow!"
The other high-level officials looked at one another, all of them wearing blank expressions!
It was clear they were not very familiar with this treaty.
However, Musk frowned, a trace of helplessness appearing on his face, and he spoke slowly:
"There is indeed such a treaty."
"At that time, the Dragon Kingdom's aerospace technology was still in its development stage and was not as powerful as it is now. Out of concern that they would steal key technologies after cooperation, we issued such a treaty. Furthermore, the regulations were very strict, almost cutting off all forms of cooperation between us and the Dragon Kingdom in the aerospace field. I didn't expect it to become a rope that traps us today."
Upon hearing this, President Biden's brow furrowed even deeper. He subconsciously looked at the live stream comments, and upon seeing them, his face instantly turned even uglier.
The trend of the netizens' comments had once again made a 180-degree turn, with all kinds of mockery and accusations pouring in like a tide.
"Sorry, Dragon Kingdom, I misunderstood you just now. I didn't expect that this time it was the Eagle Sauce who caused trouble for themselves. This really is lifting a rock only to drop it on their own feet; they brought this upon themselves!"
"Eagle Sauce is truly a fool to have issued such a short-sighted, self-destructive treaty. Even if they want the Dragon Kingdom to give them a hand in the future, it won't be possible. What kind of situation is this!"
"They were even worried about their technology being learned by the Dragon Kingdom. With that little bit of technology you have, is it even worth showing off? Any scientific achievement the Dragon Kingdom casually brings out is enough to keep you chasing for a long time. It's absolutely ridiculous!"
"Exactly, exactly. Any bit of technology the Dragon Kingdom scrapes together is something they can hardly surpass. Now it's great; they've blocked their own path. Poor those three astronauts, being screwed over so badly by their own country. They are simply victims of the great power game!"
"You can't blame the Dragon Kingdom either; if you want to blame someone, blame that idiot President Biden!"
"Eh? It seems that treaty has nothing to do with President Biden! Hahahaha, anyway, the Eagle Sauce's move is too baffling; it's stupid to the extreme!"
Now, the three astronauts trapped on Mars, whose hearts were already completely desperate, felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, their hearts turning cold.
They looked at each other, their eyes filled with bitterness and helplessness, yet they had no intention of blaming the Dragon Kingdom. They knew very well in their hearts that, in the final analysis, they only had their own country's short-sighted decision to blame!
In the end, weren't they just innocent victims of this great power game now? Their hearts were filled with sorrow and bitterness.
However, just when this desperate atmosphere was about to drown everyone, Gu Yun suddenly spoke again. His steady voice seemed to carry a certain implication, making everyone's heart instantly jump.
Only to hear him say to the three astronauts:
"You don't have to be too desperate; actually, there is still a way!"
"It just depends on whether you, or the country behind you, are willing."
As soon as these words were spoken, a flash of surprise suddenly appeared in the eyes of the three astronauts, which had previously been as dead as ash. It was as if a drowning person had grabbed the last straw, and the flames of hope were rekindled in their eyes!
Their voices were trembling with excitement:
"Really? Does your country mean that you are willing to help us?"
Gu Yun waved his hand, signaling them to calm down first, and then said unhurriedly:
"Don't be in such a hurry to be happy. Whether it works or not still depends on the country behind you."
President Biden, hearing Gu Yun's words in the command room, immediately became alert. He seemed to smell a hint of conspiracy, his face became increasingly gloomy, and his brows were tightly knitted together.
The other high-level officials also frowned, holding their breath and listening carefully to what Gu Yun was about to say. The entire conference room was so quiet that only the slightly rapid breathing of everyone could be heard.
Only to hear Gu Yun continue unhurriedly:
"We can temporarily set aside the rift that the treaty has caused between both sides and send you home!"
"But you need to pay a hefty fee, roughly the cost of your round trip!"
"That is... 50 billion USD!"
As soon as these words fell, the three astronauts on Mars were stunned for a moment, and then they hugged each other in excitement. Their excited appearance seemed as if they had already seen the scene of themselves safely returning to Earth.
"As long as the country pays 50 billion USD, we can go back. This is great!"
That female astronaut even shouted excitedly at the live broadcast camera, tears of excitement sparkling in her eyes,
"Mr. President, did you hear that? You just need to take some money from the national treasury, and we can go back!"
"Oh my god! I'm so excited!"
But while they were happy on their side, the high-level officials of the Eagle Sauce were completely numb, as if they had been doused with a basin of cold water from head to toe, feeling cold all over.
President Biden was so angry that his face turned blue, and he said through gritted teeth:
"I knew the Dragon Kingdom had no good intentions. Wanting us to pay? Keep dreaming!"
Musk was also full of displeasure and chimed in from the side:
"The cost of us launching a rocket with a return capsule is only 10 billion USD. His 50 billion USD is way too expensive. This is simply highway robbery. The Dragon Kingdom is really ruthless!"
The Secretary of State also frowned and said with worry:
"The guys from the Dragon Kingdom are doing this on purpose. If we don't pay this money, the crime of killing these astronauts will be pinned on us!"
"Then we will suffer global public condemnation, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"
"And this is only secondary. Most importantly, we will lose the trust of our citizens. In the future, wanting to select astronauts will be full of difficulties, and the entire country's aerospace industry will suffer a heavy blow!"
"In other words, this 50 billion USD might just completely destroy our entire aerospace industry!!!!"
President Biden was stunned after hearing the Secretary of State's analysis. He sat blankly in his chair, unable to speak for a long time. After a long while, it was as if all his strength had been drained; he waved his hand helplessly and said weakly:
"Alright, alright, stop talking. I'll agree to them, okay!!!!"