Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

444 Win-Win

“I’m afraid they came out of the ground.”

Qin Mengjin’s voice revealed a trace of uneasiness.

Kang De exhaled softly, “What’s the exact situation? How far are the surrounding towns? What did the higher-ups say?”

Before Qin Mengjin could answer, Kang De felt a slight vibration in his shoulder. Xiaoman raised her head in a daze and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and revealed a painful expression as she touched her neck.

!!

She said in a confused tone, “What time is it?”

Kang De reached out and pressed her thin and warm neck. He said to the phone, “Wait.”

Qin Mengjin paused for a moment before saying, “You just woke up?”

“I haven’t slept.”

Sister Qin completely stopped talking. God knew what she was imagining.

Kang De pinched Xiaoman’s face. “Go to bed and sleep.”

Xiaoman was still in a daze and fell into Kang De’s arms.

Helpless, Kang De picked her up by the waist and wrapped her in the air conditioner in the living room. He opened the door and came to Xiaoman’s house. He entered the password and sent her to the bed and covered her with the blanket.

The girl rolled under the blanket, wrapped her legs around it, rubbed her face, and fell asleep.

Kang De looked at her for a moment before leaving Xiaoman’s room filled with figurines and posters. He closed the door and came to the Wang family’s kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and took out eggs and roasted sausages and flour.

As he mixed the paste, he turned on the speakerphone of his phone and placed it on the table. “Tell me.”

Qin Mengjin immediately replied, “I’ve already sent you the map. The towns with large populations that have disappeared are about 15 kilometers away from Banjul. They’re all satellite towns around the capital.”

Kang De frowned and said, “There was no evacuation?”

The liaison officer said indifferently, “That’s Africa, and it’s Gambia. Moreover, it’s Gambia where the national government disappeared. The rich can drive away, and the poor don’t even know where to go.”

Kang De sighed softly.

When Qin Mengjin heard this sigh, she immediately comforted him, “Don’t blame yourself too much. This is not your fault…”

“Ah?” Kang De said in surprise, “Of course, this is not my fault. Why would you say that?”

The liaison officer was also stunned. “No, I mean, ah, it’s good that you think so…”

Kang De also understood the other party’s kindness, but this staff member of the national agency did not understand his life. He smiled and said, “Thank you for your kindness, but Miss Qin, I don’t believe in words like greater ability carrying larger responsibility. If I wanted to feel guilty and blame myself for all the helpless things, I would have gone crazy long ago.”

If he had gone to the battle of Red Maple City earlier, could he have saved more Goethe people? If he did not leave Valentine, would more people have been spared from death? If he had done more in the battle of Moroni, would more people in Comoros not have died?

If he did not understand these things, he would have long shut himself up.

If he tried his best, he would not have any regrets. He would only be responsible for his actions and only let his morals and soul endure all the results and practice his will and beliefs.

Therefore, he could not tolerate criticism, forgive criticism, or take his anger out on others.

On the other end of the phone, surprise appeared in Qin Mengjin’s eyes. She was a little caught off guard because Kang De’s personality and answers were unexpected, causing her to modify her evaluation again.

As she communicated with Kang De, she used her mind to type a sentence on the computer.

“His morals match his ability. They’re mature and stable. His otherworldly heart is like stone. Or rather, his heart is like a diamond, hard and dazzling. There’s a certain danger because such a person won’t compromise on principles and will adopt the most radical strategy when necessary, such as what he did when he saved his father.”

Every new discovery would be reported to Kang De’s personal evaluation file.

As she wrote, she chatted and was in the mood to secretly complain.

Be it ability, personality, or glorious deeds, Kang De was clearly the most dangerous.

They could not motivate and rope him in from his mind and beliefs. It was not safe to only use money and materials. Moreover, he was an old fox. He sounded like he had experienced hundreds of battles, but he was also extremely dangerous. From the file, he was a harmless, helpful, and responsible young man. In the end, he went crazy after losing his father in Comoros.

He started a massacre, and it was cruel torture. If his only goal was not to eliminate the enemy, he could use it to extort a confession, intimidate, and even vent his anger. At the scene, it was evaluated by his colleagues who finished it later as “an extremely serious antisocial personality from the scene. It’s recommended to contain him immediately.”

However, such a person could actually stand up for innocent civilians in Moroni when they encountered a calamity.

She had always felt very strange about this. Humans were complicated creatures. Only now did she understand that this young man who had only recently entered the eyes of the country already had mature and stable morals and beliefs in life and would not be moved by external things.

She really did not know where a young boy in his early twenties like him had honed such a temperament.

She gathered her spirits and continued to answer Kang De’s question.

After asking about the range of the victimized town and slightly confirming the range of the locusts’ activities, Kang De immediately asked the next question, “When will the troops of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council set off?”

—Look, old fox.

Qin Mengjin curled her lips.

After hearing this, not only did he not blame himself, but he also did not immediately rush to the scene to think of a way to make up for and search. His first reaction was actually to ask when the five hooligans’ fighter team would be in place.

Shouldn’t heroes save the world alone?

Qin Mengjin did not know whether to laugh or cry. She thought to herself that he was quite clear-minded.

However, he did not understand the essence of politics.

She sighed. “The news has just been sent over. It’s said that there’s going to be a leader-level emergency conference call, but it’s still very difficult to reach a consensus…”

Kang De frowned and said, “Why? The locusts have already begun to spread. There will be more and more victims.”

“But it’s Africa after all and is thousands of miles away from everyone’s territory, right?” Qin Mengjin said indifferently. “The interests of the various countries are above all else. Interfering in the unforeseen events in Gambia, how to cooperate, how much to invest, what weapons and methods to use, how to unify and dispatch, who will take the main responsibility, who will bear the most, who will be the commander, and how to coordinate… These things will argue for at least a month.”

In a month, West Africa would be eaten completely.

However, only when West Africa was eaten up and could not be hidden anymore would the countries that were fighting among themselves and wary of each other truly unite… After all, the countries on this planet were different in terms of geography, race, and language. They had never really united to do something.

Instead, they were still plundering, hostile, oppressing, scheming, and causing pain.

It was no different from thousands of years ago.

It was just more efficient.

...

If they really united to do something… Heh, if they could do it, humans would have long colonized Mars.

Qin Mengjin continued, “Moreover, compared to the dilemma of Gambia, the various countries care more about other things.”

“What?”

“How to explain this,” the liaison officer said helplessly. “Be it firing a nuclear bomb at Gambia, bombarding it with long-range firepower, or even sending troops to clean it up, this matter can’t be hidden. Although Gambia is a backward African country, Banjul is a tourist city. More than a thousand tourists are also missing. If this matter blows up and the news spreads, how will the government explain what happened in Gambia to the people?”

“A mutated man-eating locust appeared and ate an entire city? This will cause panic worldwide… You should understand the consequences.”

“Or should we directly say that our world has changed recently?”

“This will also cause greater panic and a series of unknown and uncontrollable turmoil.”

“After all, you know. Humans are good at certain things. Firstly, they let their imagination run wild. Secondly, they scare themselves. Thirdly, they blindly obey… Although it’s a little bad to say this, the less they know, the better. After all, ever since the birth of a mechanism like the government, be it Western or ancient times, their duty has been to maintain stability.”

Kang De reminded, “I’m here to check the water meter.”

The atmosphere became a little lively. Qin Mengjin smiled and said, “We’re the only ones who can check other people’s water meters.”

Therefore, Kang De said in surprise, “Can I investigate too?”

...

“If there’s any news, we’ll inform you.”

“Why does this sound so much like the perfunctory words of an interviewer during a company recruitment?”

“Sigh, why did you say it out loud?”

Just based on Kang De’s performance in Comoros… they did not even dare to let him easily investigate.

If he hated evil and took action alone, he would be unhappy and unruly if they scolded him. But if they let him act alone, it would be impossible to resolve and both sides would be upset.

They could not let him interfere.

Although this short chat alleviated some of the dreary atmosphere, the threat of the locust plague still existed. Sadly, the tradition of human internal strife and the political confrontation of the world pattern were wasting time.

The situation was not so bad that the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council had to abandon all their hostility and cooperate sincerely. Therefore, they were still arguing about the details, because everyone was waiting for a responsible country to jump out and take over this matter.

Originally, the Americans considered themselves the world’s police and should not shirk their responsibilities.

However, the Americans were smart. Hollywood blockbusters were simply lies. They would fly aircraft carriers, throw missiles, send B-2s, and send militia. Not only did they have to spend money, but they also had to bring their excuses. If they bombed the territory of a sovereign country, they would flatten the capital of a sovereign country. If they hurt innocent people, they would start a massacre.

Then, it was to defend the peace of a small African country and the lives of its people.

They were so free.

Black lives were precious? How naive. How were African black lives precious? Be they dead or alive, there was no significance in their existence. What kind of black lives were precious? The ones that were living on another continent.

If the United States were unwilling to do it, China would naturally not do it. If they did, the United States, Britain, and France would move their stools to wave the flag and cheer for them. They would watch the motherland save the world and throw accusations like bombing the territory of a sovereign country and hurting innocent people after that.

Kang De sighed. “Is there any other way?”

“There might be, but it takes time.” Qin Mengjin comforted him, “The biological research institute is dissecting and analyzing the locusts you brought. We can try to use the research results to prove the danger of such a worm and urge the various countries to take action immediately… It can’t be helped. The larger the country, the slower it moves, because there’s a lot to consider, not to mention the internal strife and argument between the countries.”

“There are only two ways to speed up this process.”

Kang De asked, “What?”

“Firstly, make the various countries feel an imminent threat.”

“Secondly, let them feel that it’s profitable.”

Kang De was silent when he heard this.

Qin Mengjin slowly said, “Kang De, I know you care more about the lives of Comoros. You proposed a large migration plan and gathered the people of Comoros in the capital, Moroni, because you wanted to protect them.”

“However, with the destructive power, mobility, and concealment of the locusts, I’m afraid I have to say that it’s very difficult for you to do it alone. It’s very difficult to make the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council move quickly.”

“Therefore… what you want to do, you have to do it as soon as possible.”

Kang De was first stunned, then he slowly revealed a cold smile, “This is your goal?”

“We’ve always valued win-win.”

Qin Mengjin’s voice was calm and indifferent, “We’ll ensure the safety of your family. We can even send a private plane to save your father, the King of Comoros, and even a small number of Comoros, but that’s all. You’re Chinese. You should know that it’s completely impossible to let your motherland take the risk and international pressure to support a small African country with all its might or even directly use force to protect it.”

Kang De nodded and said, “I understand. This is very reasonable. That’s indeed the case.”

“It’s great that you can understand,” Qin Mengjin said sincerely. “In the current situation, you can either make plans early, wait, or take the initiative to do something. What you did yesterday was very good. We won’t be stingy with our returns, but if you want more, you have to do more… We want to know more information.”

“For example?”

“For example, what’s under Banjul… We want to see.”

Kang De described his experiment and guesses in detail yesterday.

The locusts gnawed on inorganic things and collected food. They were all sent to the ground. The digging ability displayed by the locusts last night clearly indicated that this kind of worm could move freely underground. He even boldly made a guess. Perhaps the people who disappeared overnight had not become food for the insects.

However, this was only a guess. Seeing was believing.

Clearly, every government was very curious about this strange insect and the secret hidden behind it, and the Chinese government was no exception.

However, China had developed late and lost the forerunner of the global layout in its early years. The impact in Africa, especially on the coast of West Africa, was limited. After all, West Africa was France’s West Africa. The coast was the coast of the Atlantic, and the Atlantic was the bathtub of the United States… It was very difficult for China’s power projection to reach here.

Regarding the secret underground in Banjul, the French, Americans, and even the British could relatively quickly and efficiently release firepower and even the army and think of a way to carry out research and detection.

Regardless of whether it was successful or not, he at least had the ability.

Now, China lacked this strategic delivery ability, especially to the countries on the West African coast, and it could not even catch up to the United Kingdom.

China’s greatest advantage was that Kang De, one of their own, was in Comoros.

Moreover, he had the ability to enter Banjul and come and go as he pleased. His methods were extraordinary and he appeared and disappeared unpredictably.

This was the only advantage and opportunity to obtain the initiative.

In fact, it was also through this advantage and opportunity that the British, American, and French countries obtained the locust specimen a few hours in advance and quickly began experiments… This was a win-win situation.

Qin Mengjin said seriously, “If you need anything, just ask. We want to see more.”

“The weapons and equipment I asked for earlier?”

“Apart from the specially customized ones which are still in the testing phase, the others are ready.”

“You’ve already seen the parts blueprints I asked Uncle Wang to make, right?”

“Yes. After all, you’ve also told Mr. Wang that there’s no need to hide it from the country.”

“Help me build it with the best alloy as soon as possible, okay?”

“There’s no problem at all. The Aerospace Group has taken over.”

“Okay.”

Qin Mengjin tactfully did not ask why Kang De wanted those parts.

In any case, professional engineering experts would analyze it.

Kang De had already cut up the scallions, carrots, and other side dishes. He rolled up this egg pancake and placed one of them in the microwave to keep it warm. He picked up a piece and took a bite.

He gently opened the door of Xiaoman’s bedroom. The girl was sleeping soundly.

Kang De smiled and closed the door, along with his calm and leisurely life.

Why was he so hardworking on Earth?

He took a bite of his breakfast. “Then I’ll go take a look first.”

When he left Gambia, he left a coordinate. At this moment, he directly appeared there. 30 kilometers west was Banjul. According to the map, he planned to go to a few villages and towns that had lost a large number of people to take a look.

Be it capturing or eating them, if they crawled out of the ground, there should be traces.

He released the Hima Eagle and flew for about 20 minutes. Under his feet was the town furthest from Banjul. Looking into the distance from the air, he could see the silver light refracted by Banjul City. After eating for a day and night, that city had probably been eaten a lot… If this was a game, it would at least be broken.

Looking down with the Phoenix Vision, there was already no one below. It was unknown if they had all disappeared, or if a portion of them had fled in fear… The low khaki building was dilapidated and ancient. At this moment, it was empty.

There was only desolation.

Kang De flew down and casually found a house to enter. He went to the kitchen and walked around. He did not discover any food. It was clean, and even the stains had been eaten clean.

It was Big Bob Cleaning Company.

Kang De squatted down and pressed down on the ground. His mental strength seeped out and he could sense many soft parts. They were different from the surrounding soil. The worm had clearly been dug over from here.

It was a good opportunity.

In Banjul, in order to avoid alerting the enemy, he did not extract or dig down to see what was inside, because it was the nest of insects. If he was not careful, he would be discovered and be eaten.

However, it seemed to be more secretive to investigate from here.

He supported his chin with one hand and began to think.

After all, extracting so much soil was physical work.

Then the problem was.

Could his iron son’s brain that could move freely turn into an impact drill and dig all the way down?

This old father could not hoe the ground anymore. His son had to be filial, right?

…