Lin Ao and Anton followed Helena into the building. To Lin Ao's surprise, he did not see the imaginary crystal chandeliers, marble columns and other decorations that rich people like. Instead, he felt like he had walked into a large warehouse. . Both the floor and the walls of the lobby of this building are made of white metal. There is nothing else in the lobby except the reception desk in the center and a few sofas. The overall atmosphere is very cold.
However, just as Lin Ao's feet stepped into the hall, the transparent voice suddenly remembered, and the ceiling began to play dazzling pictures, cooperating to introduce the history and great achievements of the Moore Chamber of Commerce. Lin Ao had not seen many large-scale performances since he was a child, so he was shocked by this sudden advertisement.
"Mr. Lin, this is a big place, please follow me." Helena urged.
Lin Ao reluctantly left the hall. If he could, he would like to enjoy this acoustic and electronic performance for a while longer. He was at the age of curiosity.
The three of them made "pattering" footsteps on the metal floor, and took the elevator together to reach the top floor. Helena turned around and said: "In addition to our president's office, there is also the museum of the Moore Chamber of Commerce on the top floor. As usual, it is hosted by I’ll show you around.”
Unlike the lobby, the top floor seems to have been carefully decorated for distinguished guests, but it is also luxurious and not too showy. It is not even as impactful as the splendid appearance of the building.
"The collection mainly contains information on various important cooperations reached by our chamber of commerce over the past 200 years, souvenirs related to the 'New Earth' project, as well as gifts from many celebrities and dignitaries to past presidents, etc."
As soon as Helena finished speaking, Sergeant Anton excitedly ran to the center of the exhibition hall, pointed at an exhibit and said, "This! This is the 'Marco Polo'!? Is it authentic?"
The exhibit Anton is referring to is a 20-meter-long spaceship. Although it is displayed here, the hull is full of various scars and damages. It has no repairs or decorations. Even if it is bought directly as scrap, it cannot be sold. How much does it feel like.
Helena came over and said with a smile: "Yes, it's the 'Marco Polo'."
"Wow! This ship is actually collected by your Chamber of Commerce!"
"Mark... Polo?"
Lin Ao read this name that was a bit unfamiliar to him. Anton looked at him with disdain and said, "No, didn't you say that your parents are both teachers? You don't even know about the Marco Polo? This is the only one so far." Each spacecraft has flown out of the solar system and returned, but it is still a ship from more than 200 years ago!"
Helena nodded and said: "The sergeant is right. More than 200 years ago, it was the time when countries on earth were preparing to expand the universe. Marco Polo gathered top technologies and talents from various countries to explore the boundaries of the solar system. The creation of our Moore Chamber of Commerce Jack Mohr is one of them."
Anton said while admiring the Marco Polo: "Unfortunately, the ship suddenly lost contact after spending 6 years flying to the edge of the solar system. At that time, people thought it was in trouble and would never be found again. Unexpectedly, ten Years later, Jack More piloted this scarred ship back to Earth. He was the only one to survive out of a dozen crew members, and the crew members only brought back two bodies. Jack More claimed that they encountered aliens. Attack, but given that Jack Moore had been wandering alone in the universe for ten years and was mentally disturbed at that time, no one believed his lies. They all believed that the tragedy of the Marco Polo occurred because of the crew's operational error. But thanks to him, Conspiracy theories about aliens outside the solar system are very popular.”
Lin Ao asked with some confusion: "Wait a minute, if Jack Mohr was insane, how did he establish the Mohr Chamber of Commerce?"
Helena answered this question: "After the first president returned to Earth, he received treatment for many years. After recovering from the illness, out of sympathy for his plight, he received donations from all over the world, and the president himself was a big chaebol. The successor, the first-generation president used various resources to establish our chamber of commerce.”
"No, Jack More is still a playboy. After the treatment, he was over fifty and had more than ten wives. There are many romantic stories!" Sergeant Anton suddenly started gossiping.
"Ahem, Mr. Lin, the president asked me to take you in. Please appreciate our collection later. Sergeant, please wait here."
"No problem." Anton said.
Lin Ao followed Helena nervously out of the exhibition hall. What appeared in front of him was a magical corridor. Real-time scenes from the universe were played on the floor of the corridor. Lin Ao did not dare to step on it.
"It's okay, these are just sights. Even if this building collapses, you won't fall into the universe."
After all, he couldn't make a fool of himself in front of a beautiful woman. Lin Ao emboldened himself and walked through the short corridor with half-squinted eyes. But when Helena pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, Lin Ao almost fainted. The floor, walls and ceiling of President Thomas's office are all projected with real scenes of the universe, which is much more exaggerated than the corridor!
"Can...can you turn off these scenes? I'm a little dizzy..."
"It's okay, just get used to it. Look, our president is already waiting for you."
In order to welcome Lin Ao, President Thomas specially prepared a glass dining table and sumptuous dishes in his office, but in this kind of room, the dishes on the glass dining table seemed to be floating in the universe. Lin Ao secretly reminded himself to stay calm and never do anything embarrassing, and then slowly walked to President Thomas.
When the plump President Thomas saw Lin Ao, his eyes were filled with joy. He took the initiative to shake hands with Lin Ao and said, "Mr. Lin Ao, I have been waiting for a long time! I am Thomas J. More."
"H-Hello, my name is Lin Ao, thank you... Wow wow wow!!!"
Lin Ao suddenly screamed. It turned out that the "sun" on the right wall was about to "fly" towards him. Thomas smiled and clapped his hands, and the whole room transformed into another cosmic scene.
Lin Ao blushed and said in shock, "I'm sorry... I really didn't expect it to be so scary."
"Hahaha! It doesn't matter, many people don't perform as well as you after coming in! Lin Ao, are you drinking?"
"? No, no, I'll just drink water, thank you."
"Okay, Helena, please go out first. Lin Ao, don't be restrained, sit down, and eat whatever you want."
Thomas didn't have the pressure of a big shot and acted amiably, which made Lin Ao's heart relax a little.
"Well, on behalf of the Osiris, I would like to thank you for your assistance to us. Thank you very much!"
"It's nothing. I admire your courage to fight against HER alone. As a businessman who manages a large chamber of commerce, there are many things I want to do but can't do, but I can still try my best to help you."
"Thank you. I am personally very grateful to you. The body developed by your chamber of commerce has always been in my possession. Instead of going back, you provided me with a series of equipment." Lin Ao said sincerely.
Thomas had just finished a sip of red wine, wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, and said: "Ten Swords machines, the significance of the experiment is greater than who is in their hands. As long as the data of the machines can be provided, it is actually the same for anyone to use them. Moreover, if you hadn't snatched them, After leaving Unit 2, I will hand it over to HER..."
Having said this, President Thomas smiled mysteriously, leaned back in his chair and puffed out his belly and said, "Actually... I'm not surprised that Unit 2 was snatched away by others, because I arranged it."
"Um?!"
Seeing Lin Ao's surprised expression, he continued: "In order to win over and contain HER, the directors proposed to hand over Unit 2 to them, but I was not willing to do so, so I sent someone to contact people on Earth under the banner of the Star Alliance. The guerrillas stole or destroyed Unit 2, and it happened that your captain accepted this task... I heard that you were the only survivor of your guerrillas, which makes me sad, but you completed this task brilliantly and avoided HER has been given a weapon, please accept my respect."
President Thomas raised his glass to Lin Ao and drank it all in one gulp. Lin Ao felt mixed emotions in his heart. The culprit for everything I have experienced is the man in front of me. If it weren't for him, he would still be living a secluded but peaceful life in the canyons of West Asia, where he could continue to cook for the refugees living together. Bashar and the others will not die, and Hafi will not be disabled... But think about the people he has saved along the way. If he had not piloted Unit 2, would they have escaped?
Lin Ao was immersed in conflicting thoughts. President Thomas suddenly coughed and said, "Lin Ao, let me ask you, how do you think mankind is developing in the universe now?"
"Huh?" Lin Ao came back to his senses and replied: "That's right. I grew up on Earth, and the development of colonial satellites is really beyond my imagination."
"No, no, no..." Thomas shook his head vigorously and said seriously: "If you ask me, it's too bad! You don't want to make progress! 200 years ago, humans created the first colonial satellite 'Eden'. Logically speaking, The people of the world should unite and continue to work hard, and expand step by step outside the solar system! But they did not unite, and formed the major forces today for their own interests, short-sightedly competing for the resources of the earth's circle to alleviate population pressure and resource needs... In the past 200 years, hundreds of colonial satellites have been established within the Earth's circle, but so close to Mars there are only scientific research stations of various forces! Even the exploration of the outer universe is only that of Marco Polo 200 years ago. Operation No. 1! The direction of scientific research is completely directed towards how to live more comfortably on colonial satellites. Today's human beings are too short-sighted and greedy for pleasure. At the beginning, they went to the universe as one to seek a new living space, but they have only just taken a few steps. , found that the resources of the Earth's sphere were enough to enjoy themselves for a while, and immediately forgot their original vow! When the resources of the Earth's sphere are exhausted, human beings will only continue this process, and will be short-sighted in the orbit of Mars for another 200 years or even longer! At this rate If you go down, there will be no future for mankind!”
"Um...I think that human beings have not yet evolved to fully adapt to the universe, and it is not good to expand too radically."
"No, Lin Ao. Evolution requires external stimulation, and we cannot wait until the time of extinction to change! If humans were braver, 200 years would be enough to change a lot!"
"But, Mr. President, I don't understand. If you hate mankind's complacency, then what is the 'New Earth' that you strongly support? In my opinion, the 'New Earth' is just a large colonial satellite. "
"No, you are wrong. The 'New Earth' is not just mankind's Noah's Ark when the earth comes to an end. It is the cornerstone of mankind's progress into the broader universe! It does not require the sun to provide temperature, nor does it require tens of thousands of years of geology Changes can produce various resources.”
"But if it can really do this, wouldn't humans also be greedy for pleasure? After all, there is no shortage of anything."
President Thomas sighed: "You are right, it is possible. Maybe the 'New Earth' created by me and my ancestors will make human beings less enterprising. However, the current situation of the earth is not optimistic. We can only Build an ark first for long-term considerations. Exploring the vast universe can only be promoted in the future...Lin Ao, do you understand the 'legend'?"
Lin Ao nodded vigorously, not only knowing that there was a relic from the "legendary" era on board the Osiris.
Thomas continued: "I have been thinking, why do the various 'legendary' records discovered now all end with wars within the Earth's circle? What happened next? Where did the humans or other intelligent creatures in the past go? Were they all dead? Or have they left the solar system? I am very worried that we are following their old path... Why should I make the Ten Swords and entrust them to test their technology? It is ridiculous to say that these weapons are the greatest scientific and technological progress of mankind after colonizing satellites. A Alloy Photon technology and photon technology may be technologies used by humans in the past. By studying them, I may be able to find a way to get rid of reincarnation. Lin Ao, you don't want us to become a 'legend', but can we continue to perpetuate it, right? "
"Um!"
"That's great! Thank you for agreeing with my point of view! What I lack most is a close friend. In order to realize my ideal, your help is indispensable."
"Eh? Me?" Lin Ao was surprised.
"I'm just an ordinary person. I haven't received a complete education. I can only drive humanoid weapons and... cook. I don't have the ability to help your great ideals."
Thomas changed his seriousness and sadness, and laughed: "Don't worry, Lin Ao, I've always been very accurate in judging people! You haven't even noticed your abilities yet. After meeting you today, I'm even more sure that you can help." My people.”
Lin Ao was embarrassed by the praise and said, "Well, I still want to follow the Osiris and continue to fight against HER, but I don't want to yet..."
Thomas waved his hand: "You misunderstood, I'm not asking you to stay now. Although I'm sure you have potential, you still have to explore it yourself. One day in the future, I will invite you again. Okay, let's talk After eating so much, I'm thirsty, so don't hold yourself back, the food is getting cold."
After Lin Ao enjoyed the delicious meal, he saw that Thomas seemed to have nothing to say, so he just waited for Thomas to say goodbye so that he could leave. But Thomas didn't move for a long time. He raised his head to look at Thomas and found that he was looking at him with a strange look. To be precise, Lin Ao noticed that Thomas was sizing him up as soon as he walked in, but Thomas's sizing was even more exposed while Lin Ao was eating.
"Um...did you specially invite me here for dinner today just to talk about the topic you just talked about?" Lin Ao asked.
"No, I have another gift for you."
"A gift? What gift?"
Thomas didn't answer, but stood up and walked to the door, beckoning Lin Ao to follow him.
…
Seeing that Lin Ao actually followed President Thomas back to the exhibition hall, Sergeant Anton didn't know whether to ask Lin Ao to come back. He wanted to say hello to President Thomas, but Thomas just smiled at himself. Seeing the secretary Helena behind Thomas, she motioned for her to follow, and followed them into the elevator.
After entering the elevator, Thomas did not press the floor. Instead, he let the camera scan his eyes, and the elevator started to move on its own.
"Which floor are you going to?" Anton couldn't help but ask.
"Underground, the secret factory of our Chamber of Commerce."
The elevator door soon opened again, and the corridor that appeared in front of him was obviously different from the commercial building on the ground. It seemed that this was indeed a factory.
Thomas led them through the corridor, and the guards and people in work clothes here took the initiative to step aside when they saw him. When the door at the end of the corridor opened, Lin Ao blurted out:
"Unit 2? Why are you here?!"
What appeared in front of Lin Ao was the head of Unit 2 that looked like an evil god. It turned out that there was a huge hangar underground in the building.
"Lin Ao? Sergeant Anton? Why are you here? Oh... President Thomas, long time no see."
Dr. Hohenheim is also here. It seems that he came here with Unit 2 not long after Lin Ao left the Osiris.
Thomas shook hands with Hohenheim and said, "Long time no see, Doctor. Welcome back to work."
Lin Ao asked: "Doctor, are you going back to work here?"
Dr. Hohenheim nodded reluctantly. Thomas turned around and patted Lin Ao on the shoulder and said: "Lin Ao, the gift I give you is the new equipment of Unit 2. No, it is the complete form of Unit 2. ! Dr. Hohenheim, is the installation completed?"
"It's done, the installation process went smoother than expected."
Lin Ao lay on the railing and looked at Unit 2 carefully, but did not see any new equipment. Thomas nodded to Hohenheim, who spoke through the headset to the technicians on the hangar floor: "Show me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw two new arms stretching out from behind Unit 2! Unlike the main body's thick arms, these two arms are as slender as a skeleton, but the palms are the same size as before.
"My body...has turned into four hands?"
"That's right! In fact, this is the true form of Unit 2 - Fudo Myooh! Initially, Unit 2 was to be designed to have six hands like the mythical Chi You, so that he could use the many melee weapons developed for Unit 2 at the same time. Weapons. But normal people can't operate so many arms at the same time, so they have four arms and are equipped with AI to assist the operation. Now the development of the deputy is finally completed and it has been equipped on your body. I believe you can use it well. , Lin Ao!"
"Fudo Myooh...Unit No. 2's original appearance."
Looking at Unit 2 with four hands in front of him, Lin Ao suddenly raised his head and stretched his arms upward, as if he was grasping something invisible. Unit No. 2, which was originally still and didn't understand, also raised its head, and its four arms were also grabbing something.
No one understood the meaning of Lin Ao's action, not even himself. Everyone was frightened by the sudden movement of Unit 2. Only President Thomas’s eyes lit up in surprise, and he said to himself: “That’s great, that’s great Lin Ao, the synchronization rate can actually reach this level, my vision is indeed correct!”
