Chapter 405: The Lone Boat on the Great Lake

North District 3, Deep Snowy Sky Lake.

The deep blue lake on the ground reflects the clouds in the sky like a mirror. A small boat slowly sails across the lake, leaving a trail of ripples.

Near the rudder, the roar of the engine continues, and the waves form white foam, floating on the water. Two men lean against the guardrail and talk.

"Further ahead is the location of the hidden base, Qiao Long." The dark and thin young man flipped the record board in his hand and said casually.

"Oh, it seems to be at the bottom of the lake. Does that tell me?" Qiao Long was wearing a black T-shirt at this time, leaning on the steel plate of the hull. His back was a little hot, but this temperature was the same as warm water for him.

"You have been in the organization for two years, and coupled with your recent meritorious service, everyone thinks you are trustworthy, so this time we bring you to the hidden base." The dark and thin young man closed the checked record board, and then hung it on the wall on one side, and temporarily leaned on the guardrail to look at the scenery and relax.

"The wind here is really comfortable." Qiao Long also looked up at the sky.

"It's very comfortable, yes." The dark-skinned young man answered, but his words were a little absent-minded.

"Because this is the last mercy before the rainy season." He stood up and looked at the blue sky above his head.

"Is the rainy season troublesome?" Qiao Long asked casually, took out a pack of cigarettes from his waistband, and handed one to the dark-skinned young man.

"I don't smoke, but the rainy season is indeed troublesome." He sighed.

"You can't go out to fish during the rainy season because the rainwater is very corrosive. The fish that can still survive in the lake have the habit of diving and hibernating during the rainy season."

"Even if some fish float up, they will soon die from the corrosion of the poisonous rain. If they are salvaged, they will not be sold because of excessive toxins."

"There are no high mountains to block the North Third District. The rain always comes very quickly and suddenly. The buildings on the ground are easily corroded and damaged. They must be painted with special anti-corrosion paint every year. Those things are not cheap."

"Then why don't you live underground?" Qiao Long took out the cigarette he had just taken a puff of and blew out a smoke ring.

"It's not good underground either. North District 3 is not like North District 7 where you were born, which has good geological conditions. The underground soil here is sandy, the structure is loose, and there is a lot of saline underground water, which is not suitable for underground construction."

"The only thing to praise is that there is a big lake here, and you can fish for half a year after the rainy season ends. Light is also a small advantage. There are many solar power stations built, so electricity will be cheaper." In the interstellar era, electricity is a very cheap resource and cannot bring high economic benefits.

"I grew up in the underground city of North District 7. I hardly see the sun a few times a year. Although the underground is not disturbed by the poisonous rain, it is also very dull, like a huge cage." Qiao Long said with a little reminiscence.

"That's not bad either. At least it's extra safe. You don't have to worry about the changes in the outside world. It's like a fortress." The dark and thin young man said enviously.

"It looks great to you, but I didn't think so before. I just felt that the life of the lower class was hard." Qiao Long smoked slowly and spoke a few words.

"It's hard everywhere at the bottom. Fishing on the lake, although you can see the sun and the scenery, you will get tired of these things as long as you stay there for a month." The dark and thin young man commented.

"That's right." Qiao Long stopped talking and just smoked silently.

The two looked at the water foam and the sky going away at the stern of the boat. They were silent for a long time, and then the dark and thin young man spoke again.

"Why did you think of joining us? With your ability, you can go anywhere."

"Nowhere is bad... In fact, there is no place, only the Federation and the shadow corners under the Federation." Qiao Long sighed.

"There are not so many choices. The investigation agency of the Federation is equipped with super AI. It is too easy to find a person. Although this kind of power and inescapability have protected many people, it is also extremely depressing. Even I have to be careful to avoid it."

"I didn't think too much about joining the organization. I just wanted to survive and live a better life." Qiao Long flicked up the empty cigarette and watched the cigarette handle fly up, spin in the air, and then fall into the lake.

"Then you are really unlucky. Our organization is not a paradise for peaceful retirement. Instead, every step is jumping on the edge of extreme danger." The dark and thin young man grinned.

"Since I asked you, I'll also talk about the opportunity to join the organization."

"Yes, I do hate the upper echelons of the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region, a group of people who only care about profit and income and don't care about the lives of the people below, but this kind of emotion is just a complaint of young people. The real reason that pushed me to join the organization is because I have a sister."

"She is not as stupid as me. She has been very smart since she was a child and has always longed to go to school in a big city."

"I want her to get what she wants, watch her fly, leave this poor and backward place, and not repeat the life of her parents."

"It's a beautiful wish." Qiao Long responded simply.

"However, there are also those very pure people in the organization. I have always admired them." The dark and thin young man shook his head.

"For example, the commander, he looks a little old. When he was young, he was also a rising star in the army. He was promoted to 'Major' very early, but because of his upright character, he was not promoted smoothly later. He was awarded the rank of 'Lieutenant Colonel' before he retired."

"Even so, it is a very high title, and he can enjoy a lot of subsidies and benefits after retirement."

"But the old man still took the risk, slowly gathered a group of people, and created an organization."

"Why?" Qiao Long was curious.

"'To teach those guys a lesson!' That's what the commander said. He has entered the upper and middle levels of the army and knows some of the inside story of the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Domain."

"So, does he hate Saint Ingo?" Qiao Long asked.

"Yes, if there was no Saint Ingo, the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Domain would not have stagnated for so long." The dark and thin young man shook his head.

"Well, I don't know if the Jade Skirt can recover even without Saint Ingo, but at least the possibility will be much greater."

"In this state, they have made a lot of profits by managing the corrosive environment, selling protective materials, special rainproof paint, various isolation and purification devices, etc., and naturally don't want the rain to stop."

"When it rains, everyone is crying, but the umbrella seller laughs."

"These guys make money too easily and have no conscience. It makes people uncomfortable and painful. They must be taught a lesson and make them feel pain and pricking, so as to prompt them to stop such behavior." The dark and thin young man said the commander's thoughts.

"It's a great idea." Qiao Long answered slowly.

"From your tone, it seems that you don't agree." The dark and thin young man turned around.

"I don't disagree, but I think it's too difficult to accomplish this." Qiao Long is not the hot-blooded young man in front of him. He is very familiar with the violent means of the upper class and the cruelty of reality.

In the past, the organization was hidden in the dark, just making some profits, not directly showing up. This model has low risks and everyone can accept it. But if it is to turn to open struggle, he doesn't think many people really have such a pure and lofty ideal.

The lower the people are, the more easily they are disturbed by some short-term interests, because they really lack and desire.

The rich are more likely to stick to long-term benefits. This is not because they are born noble and excellent, but because they have more resources in their hands, so they don't need to worry too much. They can easily stick to it until the benefits are realized, and they also have the strength to make the benefits realized.

If the struggle is victorious, it will benefit the entire Emerald Skirt. After the environment is improved, the income of residents in the northern region will be greatly increased, and they will live happier.

Such things are beautiful, but also very far away, making ordinary people feel out of reach, far less direct and real than the 100,000 federal coins in front of them.

The commander has a generous retirement allowance from the Federation, and can pursue some ideals regardless of interests, but many members of the organization still have to worry about supporting their families. It is a luxury and difficult thing for you to convince these people to pursue pure ideals.

Listening to Qiao Long slowly telling his views, the dark and thin young man slowly calmed down.

"Yes, you are right, it is really too difficult." He actually knew that the organization he belonged to was far from being a force that could change the situation in the star field.

But do they have any other choice? It is almost impossible to expect those guys to stop one day because of their conscience. Even if one family stops, someone else will soon take this position to maintain the current situation.

Because maintaining the current situation can make a lot of profits.

The conversation between the two fell into silence again until the boat gradually came to the center of the lake and slowly stopped.

"We are here." The dark and thin young man stepped forward, adjusted the coordinate position in the control room inside the boat, and asked the boat to stop temporarily.

"Come in." He called Qiao Long to enter the boat, and then opened a hatch at the bottom of the boat. The lake water immediately spread in, but then stabilized, probably because the hulls on both sides supported the weight of the boat.

"Enter the water from here and go straight down. Someone will pick you up." The dark-skinned young man pointed to the hatch at the bottom of the boat that was constantly creating waves.

After listening, Qiao Long jumped down, first stepped on the edge of the opening, tested it, and then dived in.

His ears were filled with the sound of water bubbles. Under water, Qiao Long glanced at the small square opening above his head. The dark-skinned young man waved to him and seemed to say something.

After that, Qiao Long turned around and sank, heading towards the dark bottom of the lake below. Although he couldn't see the dark water in front of him, since the dark-skinned young man said so, there should be an underwater base and someone would pick him up. If they just didn't trust him and wanted to kill him, there was really no need to go through so much trouble. There were too many opportunities during the transfer.

Looking at Qiao Long disappearing under the water, the dark-skinned young man paused for a moment, heard the voice coming from the headset, and then pulled the hatch up and closed it.

"Even though you didn't think we could succeed, you still jumped in without hesitation, Mr. Qiao Long."

"Like the commander said, people always do irrational things, so dazzling, and so stupid."

(End of this chapter)