Shen Yanming laughed heartily, "A colony, my foot! What's the difference between your proposed plan and leasing land?"
Bi Qiaoan pouted, "It's the same if it's the same, as long as we get something in return."
Shen Yanming patted her head. "Alright, we don't need to worry about these things. The alliance leaders will take care of them. They've been immersed in international relations for many years, so they'll definitely think more and more comprehensively than we do!"
Bi Qiaoan nodded, deciding to stop thinking about these brain-taxing things.
----------
Imperial Capital Green Alliance.
The Li Cheng General Alliance official has recently received many calls for help, all asking to borrow grain.
You said that in times of peace and prosperity, it's fine to lend money and not have to pay it back.
But now, in this apocalyptic world, Qinghua Kingdom is barely able to take care of itself, so how could it dare to lend out grain?
But they argued that they had lent it to Yu Jingguo last year.
What could Li Zongmengguan say? He said that someone tipped him off, saying that locusts were coming, which saved most of Qinghua Kingdom's food, and that he only took a portion to repay the favor.
If such words were spoken, where would that leave the other person?
It was a natural disaster, beyond human control.
But those with impure motives will hold a grudge. They'll say, "Why did you remind Qinghua Kingdom but not theirs?"
But in reality, if it weren't for the disaster, who the hell would know where the locusts would fly?
Besides that, there's the concept of a "community with a shared future for mankind."
Even General Li had to admit that the other party was right. After all, if everyone died, it wouldn't make sense for the citizens of Qinghua Kingdom to live to be a hundred years old.
But we can't let him abandon the people of Qinghua Kingdom and go to provide relief to other countries.
How is this any different from betraying one's own people?
So, it's actually quite difficult.
They held countless meetings to discuss how to politely decline without hurting feelings.
But this topic is so heavy that it's difficult to reach a conclusion.
Seeing that they were all listless, General Li decided to change to a more "light" topic.
"Has there been any progress in the research on that abscess disease?"
"No. The research institute has only found an inhibitor that can effectively control the abscess from worsening, but it cannot completely cure it. Moreover, the inhibitor is still in the clinical trial stage. It can only be officially launched on the market after it is confirmed to be harmless to the human body."
How much longer?
"At least half a month!"
General Li sighed.
He didn't have any pustules on his face because he got up to work before dawn and went home to sleep after dark every day, which successfully prevented them from forming.
More than half of those present were in the same situation as him.
But the people below them not only had long working hours, but also had to go out every day, and nine and a half out of ten of them got abscesses.
To keep those dozen or so big shots from getting into trouble, everyone was bundled up tightly in the sweltering summer heat. They were afraid that if their boils burst, the infection would spread to them.
It was really tough for him, and it pained him to see it.
Seeing the pained expression on General Li's face, the higher-ups below were unsure whether to continue their reports.
Seeing everyone hesitate, General Li waved his hand and said, "Let's continue. We should have known that human power cannot defy the heavens."
One of the bigwigs, surnamed Mao, pursed his lips and hesitated for a while before finally deciding to report the anomaly discovered by his subordinates.
Instead of saying it directly, he sent the data for the past two weeks to everyone.
"This was discovered by my men; the sea level is dropping. Although the drop isn't significant, it's happening every day without exception."
General Manager Li rubbed his temples. "Is it year-on-year or month-on-month?"
"That's why I find it strange."
"Is it possible that the hot weather is causing increased evaporation?"
Mao Mengguan nodded. "That's possible, but not necessarily. I hesitated just now because I was worried that I was overthinking things."
General Lee smiled and encouraged them, "Even if it turns out to be a false alarm, it doesn't matter. As long as there are any abnormalities, we need to report them. This way, everyone can make better preparations."
There are many phrases to describe our current state, such as "ready for battle," "vigilant at all times," "prepared for any eventuality," and "constantly prepared." Clearly, the wisdom of our ancestors should not be underestimated.
“Yes, you’re right!” Mao Mengguan said.
"So, besides the weather, do you have any other opinions?"
A dozen or so bigwigs were whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
Once the meeting room quieted down again, Qi Mengguan asked, "Mengguan Mao, besides seawater, have there been any unusual changes in other water resources?"
Mao Mengguan flipped through the documents in his hand and said with great certainty, "No. The melting rate of glaciers is in sync with usual. The water levels of rivers and lakes are also almost the same as usual. Groundwater resources have hardly changed, except for a significant drop during the global drought."
The bigwigs breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that freshwater resources were unaffected.
One of them, who didn't seem to care much, said, "Maybe it's just temporary, and things will return to normal in a couple of days. Anyway, there's plenty of freshwater now, so it's good that it hasn't affected people's production and lives."
"Yes, the last earthquake destroyed several desalination plants by the sea, and the rest are left vacant because there is no shortage of fresh water. As long as there are no major problems, we can put it aside for now and there is no need to investigate it now."
Li Zongjun knew that the discussion would not yield any results, so he could only instruct Mao Zongjun: "Record everything at any time, and let's observe for a while longer."
Mao Mengguan nodded: "Okay, I will make the arrangements. Also, record the water resources on land and underground so that we can make comparisons."
General Li smiled with satisfaction and expressed his appreciation.
Although they all had their own agendas, every single one of them was thinking about the greater good of the country.
They rarely had conflicts in daily life, but they worried about the future of Qinghua Kingdom every day.
Similarly, the rewards received were enormous.
The people of Qinghua are grateful for the efforts of their leaders and always cooperate actively when the alliance issues instructions. It is because everyone is united that we have the current situation of chaos abroad and great harmony at home.
Therefore, no matter how hard or tiring it is, they are happy to do it.
Just as General Li was mentally energizing himself, a powerful figure timidly said, "I have a rather unreliable guess..."
"Hmm? Tell me about it!" General Li said, snapping out of his reverie.
"Exactly, is it possible that the last earthquake created a crack in the seabed, causing seawater to flow towards the Earth's core, which is why sea levels are continuously dropping? As for why the data isn't obvious..."
The official hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It's because there's too much seawater, and the ocean is too vast."
General Li was startled, then fell silent.
The other bigwigs also fell silent.
After a long while, someone finally spoke up: "You're thinking way too far. Haven't we already researched it? The Earth's core is a giant furnace, filled with magma."
If that's the case, how could the inside be empty?
"You say you're filling it with seawater? I think you're just daydreaming."
This big shot thought he was joking to ease the tension, but he didn't expect it to make things even more awkward.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
