352: Chapter 352 I Will Not Fail My Mission

Seven o'clock sharp in the evening.

In thousands of households across the Xia Kingdom, television screens lit up right on time with that highly recognizable blue opening sequence.

The rousing melody echoed simultaneously in countless living rooms, cafeterias, and even on large outdoor screens on the streets.

Two hosts in formal attire sat upright before the camera, their expressions solemn.

"Good evening, dear viewers."

The male host's voice was deep and resonant, with clear and precise enunciation.

"At two o'clock this afternoon, the 'National Seventh-Generation Communication Base Station Upgrade and Renovation Project,' led by the state and jointly promoted by multiple departments, was fully completed across the nation."

"The project took twenty-eight days to complete the iterative upgrade of over ten million communication base stations nationwide, achieving signal coverage without dead zones across the country's 9.6 million square kilometers of territory, completely eliminating the final network blind spots."

The female host followed up, her pronunciation clear and her voice bright.

"Following extreme condition tests by the highest-level technical acceptance team, all core parameters such as data throughput and signal latency for every base station have met or exceeded design standards, and they are officially ready for operation as of today."

"This marks that our nation has fully entered a brand-new era in fundamental communication infrastructure construction, laying the most solid physical foundation for the implementation of subsequent major scientific and technological strategies!"

The broadcast was extremely concise, without flowery language or deliberate sensationalism.

Yet, this mere one-minute report sent the entire cyberspace into a frenzy.

"It's the state news! The state has personally stepped in to seal the verdict on this fact!"

"I saw posts from local netizens this afternoon and didn't believe it, thinking it was only finished in our area. I didn't expect it to actually be a nationwide completion! One month! This is an epic-level project spanning the entire country and involving ten million base stations!"

"Forget about engineering miracles, brothers! What does it mean that the base stations are built? With the base stations ready, the infrastructure for the second world is in place. The highway is paved, and now we're just waiting for the car to start!"

"The grand blueprint that God Lin sketched out at the press conference is really coming! I'm so excited my whole body is shaking; I can't even type on my keyboard steadily!"

The refresh rate of the comment section was too fast for the naked eye to capture; one could only see a blur of white scrolling wildly across the screen.

Meanwhile, on overseas internet forums on The Other Side of the Ocean, the atmosphere was a completely different scene.

Smart translation software synchronized the content of the Xia Kingdom's News Broadcast in real-time, word for word.

Overseas netizens stared fixedly at the irrefutable official news on their screens, and comments filled with bitterness and disbelief began to spread wildly.

"Building a seventh-generation network covering the entire country in one month? Are they performing magic? Or did they use alien technology?"

"No, they don't have alien technology; they are simply pushing forward at all costs under a nationwide system. Meanwhile, our parliament argues for three years over the budget just to repair an interstate highway. That is the gap."

"So, are they really going to create a virtual universe in such a short time? God, we are still arguing over ridiculous votes and environmental issues, while they have already started creating worlds like creators!"

"I hope the Xia Kingdom can open access to the second world to the whole world. I'm willing to pay a high monthly fee; even if I have to sell my house, I want to enter that perfect world!"

"Wake up, friends, and put away your naive fantasies. They don't even sell hair growth medicine or fat-burning medicine to us first; do you expect them to open up this era-defining virtual world to the outside world first?"

The clamor from the outside world reached the heavens, and the attention of the entire Blue Planet was focused here.

Yet, at the very center of the storm, the Ziguang Pavilion in Jingzhou maintained its unique tranquility and solemnity, as if the raging storms outside could not shake this place in the slightest.

A black official car drove smoothly into the special passage and stopped silently in front of the office building.

Lin Yuan pushed open the car door and proceeded without obstruction to the door of Elder Long's office.

The door was left ajar, revealing a sliver of warm yellow light.

Lin Yuan raised his hand, knocked twice—neither too lightly nor too heavily—and then pushed the door open to enter.

Seeing Lin Yuan enter, Elder Long put down his fountain pen. A gentle smile appeared on his originally stern face, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

"You're here."

"Sit."

Lin Yuan walked to the sofa and sat down directly.

His posture was extremely relaxed, without a hint of unease, as natural as visiting an old friend's house.

Elder Long walked out from behind the large desk, sat down on the sofa opposite Lin Yuan, picked up the purple clay teapot on the table, and poured two cups of hot tea unhurriedly.

The aroma of tea curled up, dispelling the chill of the night.

"The base stations were just fully accepted today, and the News Broadcast just finished airing; you came running over on the heels of that night."

Elder Long pushed one of the cups of tea toward Lin Yuan, his voice as steady as an abyss, carrying the composure of someone who sees through everything.

"It seems you are already prepared on your end?"

Lin Yuan picked up the teacup, gently blew on the floating tea leaves and steam, and met Elder Long's gaze with a slight nod.

"Yes."

"The base stations have finished upgrading, and the first batch of connection devices for entering the new world has already been packaged and stored in the underground warehouse at Xishan Base."

"Even the social architecture blueprint that the national think tank spent the last month working until their hair turned white to deduce, I have already converted into its underlying logic and embedded it flawlessly into the virtual universe's physics engine."

Lin Yuan set down the teacup, his voice steady and resolute.

"In other words, the second world has fully met the conditions for an official launch."

Hearing this, the office fell silent for a moment.

Then, Elder Long gently placed the teacup on the table, making a very faint, crisp sound.

"Good."

A single word, yet it felt as heavy as a thousand jun.

"This game has ultimately been pushed to its climax by you."

Elder Long looked up, his gaze deep as he looked at the young man before him.

The young man who single-handedly pulled the Xia Kingdom out of the quagmire and pushed it toward the stars and the sea.

"The 1.4 billion citizens have been waiting for this day until their eyes turned red."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's lips curled into a faint arc.

"Since the citizens' expectations have been raised to the peak and their emotions have been brewed to the extreme, we naturally cannot let them down."

"So, I came over tonight to confirm the next step with you."

Lin Yuan leaned forward slightly, his burning gaze fixed on Elder Long.

"After all, everything is ready now; all the infrastructure and equipment are in place. My thought is that there is no need to hide anything, nor is there a need to pick an auspicious date. There is even less need to worry about any red tape."

"Why not take advantage of this momentum and start it directly!"

Hearing this, Elder Long did not hesitate in the slightest and nodded heavily.

In that action was absolute trust and unconditional support for Lin Yuan.

"Let us see together just how magnificent this brand-new era you have single-handedly created truly is!"

Lin Yuan smiled slightly.

There was not a hint of fear in his eyes, only anticipation for the impending carnival.

"I shall not fail the mission."