"Syria, a land of magnificent beauty, where American soldiers ride in Humvees; I'm so proud to be an oil thief, wearing a steel helmet and roaming the world..."

Wang Zheng couldn't help but laugh when he saw the little face covered in colored markers on the caller ID.

This photo was taken secretly after he lost a game with Bai Meixi and Chu Xiaoman, and he then set it as his contact avatar.

After listening to the original soundtrack ringtones he had specially paid to download twice, Wang Zheng readily answered the phone.

As soon as the call connected, Xiaobai's impatient voice came through.

"Wang Zheng, where are you? Why aren't you here yet? I've been waiting for you for ages!"

Let me tell you, this new game, Spray Warrior 3, which just came out last week, is so much fun! You have to come over, let's dominate the battlefield together!

"I'm already at the foot of the mountain, I'll be there soon, don't worry."

Hearing that the little guy was still so enthusiastic, lively and playful, Wang Zheng looked out of the car at the many soldiers on duty that were there more than the last time he came.

His heart clenched for no reason. Because of the trouble caused by the demon king in Yunnan, the control over the area under Zijin Mountain had become even stricter. If it weren't for the observation permit he applied for through Elder Gu, it was uncertain whether it would have been approved.

It's important to know that the troops stationed at the foot of Zijin Mountain are not just from the Jingnan Military Region; they also include personnel from the capital and Shanghai. Even Wang Zheng's influence might not be enough.

Yes, Wang Zheng has now arrived at the foot of Zijin Mountain. As for his negotiations with the Imperial Capital Military Region and the research institute, that was yesterday.

After Tang Guoan and Huo Lianrong sent back the video recording of the power test of the "spiritual energy grenade" and the report on Grandmaster Yan Hao's firsthand experience, the capital city immediately launched a heated discussion.

Of course, research is definitely necessary, and no one can deny that. Faced with absolute interests, whether Wang Zheng is willing to go to the capital becomes irrelevant. If he doesn't come, then they can just form an expert team to be stationed in the Southern Beijing Military Region.

As long as you don't do anything reckless and run around outside, what danger could you possibly face while staying in the military region?

Hmm... Tang Guofu has been dragged out again as a negative example and whipped to death.

The biggest controversy, of course, is Wang Zheng's exorbitant demands.

In response to this situation, the military headquarters and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the superior unit of the Imperial Capital Research Institute, have had more than one argument.

After learning that this new energy weapon was so powerful and that it originated entirely from Wang Zheng's special flames, the combat-oriented members of the military region immediately turned against him.

Because they knew how much protection these "spiritual grenades" could provide for their soldiers once they were put into official use, and how many excellent soldiers could be spared.

Not to mention that Wang Zheng wanted these resources to help his principal recover from his injuries, not because he had any selfish motives.

As for Chu Tianxing's injuries, both the military region and the Chinese Academy of Sciences had already conducted discussions on them.

If there weren't absolutely no other solutions, and even investing the Demon King's inner core couldn't guarantee a full recovery, they would have already gone to win people's hearts and minds; they wouldn't have waited until now.

However, now that they have a more important national weapon, what do a few inner cores matter in the eyes of the hot-blooded men of the military region? They can always kill them later.

If the problem of the alien beasts is completely solved, then becoming the Demon King will only be a matter of time.

In contrast to the more emotional and practical military leaders, the opposing side consisted of experts represented by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Although they do not go to the front lines, every kind of material will be verified by them after it is transported back to the capital. Therefore, they value strategic materials such as the Demon King's Inner Core, which have great research significance, more than anything else.

In their view, although liquid spiritual energy is precious, the country already has stable channels for obtaining it. Compared to the inner core of a demon king, it is nothing, but ten tons is still too much, and it is definitely impossible to give that much.

As for ten demon king cores, that's even more of a pipe dream.

It's important to understand that unless you're ambushed, surrounded, and instantly killed, obtaining the Demon King's inner core is absolutely impossible.

Under normal circumstances, it would be extremely difficult to retain the inner core of even one out of ten demon kings hunted.

And is the Demon King really that easy to kill?

More importantly, the results won't be immediate after these resources are provided. This is just the purchase of a research qualification; who knows how much time and effort will be required afterward?

Who knows if current technology can suppress that volatile spiritual energy crystal? And even if it can be suppressed, will the spiritual energy content and black flames inside disappear over time during long-term preservation?

Even disregarding these factors, we still need to consider the actual situation. Currently, the entire treasury of China only holds a total of about 20 Demon King Inner Cores.

With the combined efforts of the entire nation, these are the few remaining items that have been well preserved over the past 20 years.

While the "spiritual energy grenade" is certainly important, who can accept that someone would ask for half of the national treasury's inventory so readily?

So the experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences immediately retorted to the "roughnecks" from the military region.

"A bunch of reckless fools! They really don't know the value of money until they're in charge of the household. They've squandered all the national treasury's resources. How are they going to make a living?"

"If the benefits of ten inner cores are properly distributed, 10 to 20 grandmasters can be cultivated within three to five years. Have you thought about how many difficulties there are in the development of the spirit energy grenade from its current state to the finalization of its specific technology?"

What happens to the resources invested if the research project fails?

This is the rational approach that prioritizes cost-effectiveness and reasonableness.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!