The aircraft passed through the entrance and exit passage leading to the top floor and arrived near Miller’s private residence. Apart from the ground floor, there were many such passages on each floor, but most of them were built at transportation hubs, and only privileged individuals could have private passages near their homes.
After flying over a large lawn, the garage door of the villa in front opened, and the aircraft flew directly into the villa.
Shen Siwei remembered that the last time he visited Miller’s private residence, there were many servants carrying oxygen cylinders.
This was because Miller’s house was at a higher degree, and the oxygen concentration in the air was not suitable for the normal civilian household staff.
However, this time Shen Siwei noticed that the oxygen concentration in Miller’s house was at a normal level. As a result, the servants did not carry oxygen cylinders. It was apparent that they were considerate of Shen Siwei.
Not long after, Shen Siwei was taken to Miller’s office.
A large round table occupied the center of the office. Miller sat at the end facing the door and said to Shen Siwei, “Please have a seat, Captain Shen.”
Shen Siwei consciously took a seat next to Miller. However, what he didn’t expect was that as soon as he sat down, the room darkened, and three-dimensional projections of seven or eight people appeared in other positions.
“The meeting continues,” Miller said to those projections.
It seemed that when Miller received the coordinates sent by Amor, he was in a meeting with those high-ranking officials discussing the agreement.
The high-ranking officials were all Mag people, including organizational officials, press officials, secretariat officials, and others. They were the ones deciding the future of the Tree of Life.
“The results have just come out,” someone said, looking at the tablet in their hand. “73% of the civilians believe that the agreement is real.”
“It won’t be long before it reaches 100%,” Miller said coldly. “How did this situation escalate so quickly?”
“Because when the refugees spread this news, the authorities previously denied the existence of the agreement. However, Nightingale immediately produced a photo of the signed agreement, and public opinion quickly changed.”
“So, as a press official, should I have denied it?”
“Perhaps you could have discussed it with everyone before speaking on it.”
“There have been so many rumors circulating in the Tree of Life, even if we discussed it, wouldn’t the result still be the same?”
“Fine!” Miller impatiently interrupted them. “Now is not the time to argue.”
Shen Siwei remained seated on the side observing. He couldn’t help but admire Leizhe for coming up with this method, using a face-slapping approach to ignite public opinion. By now, most civilians should already know that the Mag had signed an equal agreement with the civilians.
“I remember from the previous public opinion survey that over 90% of the civilians were satisfied with the Mag’s leadership,” Miller said. “So, the reason this issue has become such a big deal is not about equality but about our deception.”
“Which means,” someone interrupted him, “if we had been open from the beginning, the civilians might not have reacted this negatively.”
“That’s right,” Miller said. “So what we urgently need to address is not the issue of inequality but to eliminate the distrust among the civilians. Do any of you have any ideas?”
“How about issuing a public apology statement? We can say that some staff in the news department were not aware of this matter.”
“What staff? Are you trying to push me out to take the blame?”
“Someone has to come forward and take responsibility. Otherwise, do you think public complaints can be easily resolved?”
Miller impatiently slammed the table, silencing the argumentative individuals.
“There is one person suitable for issuing the statement,” Miller said at this point, looking at Shen Siwei beside him. “Captain Shen, what are your thoughts?”
Shen Siwei furrowed his brow and said, “Me?”
Someone spoke up and asked, “Who is he?”
“He’s Chief Engineer Shen’s son and a representative of the civilians.”
“I see.” The news official who was under fire visibly sighed in relief. “He is indeed more suitable.”
Shen Siwei didn’t understand politics, but at that moment, he realized that this was a game of strategy. First, Shen Siwei’s mother was the designer of the power station and represented the civilians in signing the agreement. If they had to select a representative from among the civilians, politicians were naturally unsuitable. People like Shen Siwei’s mother were the best choice.
However, Shen Siwei’s mother had already passed away, so this responsibility fell on Shen Siwei.
If Shen Siwei could come forward to appease the civilians and express their stance, then perhaps this crisis could be safely overcome.
“General Miller,” Shen Siwei pursed his lips, knowing that Miller wouldn’t like what he was about to say, “since you’re pushing me forward as a representative of the civilians, shouldn’t I listen to the opinions of the civilians?”
Miller raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly surprised that Shen Siwei had other thoughts.
“Do you want to complicate things even more?” he asked. “If this continues, the Tree of Life may experience unrest.”
“As long as you comply with public opinion,” Shen Siwei paused, “it won’t happen.”
Miller silently scrutinized Shen Siwei and then let out a scoff. “Captain Shen, do you really think you’re a negotiator? Representing the civilians to negotiate with us?”
“If you don’t want to negotiate, that’s fine,” Shen Siwei said indifferently. “But don’t expect me to issue a statement.”
“Well, tell me, how should we comply with public opinion?” Miller said with a mocking tone. “If we open up the energy supply, it won’t be long before we encounter another energy crisis. Do you want to see that happen?”
“Don’t pretend, General Miller,” Shen Siwei glanced at everyone in the room. “We all know that the deep-sea power station can still operate. It’s just that you can’t access the deep sea and control the energy it provides.”
Upon hearing this, Miller’s face changed slightly. “How do you know about this?”
“Soon, all the civilians will know. Do you think they would still be willing to live with power restrictions after 8 p.m.?” Shen Siwei calmly said. “So, perhaps you should really listen to the opinions of the civilians.”
“Do you think the civilians will believe it if we release this information?” Miller frowned.
“At other times, the civilians might think it’s a conspiracy theory,” Shen Siwei said, “but don’t forget, the credibility of the Mag has hit rock bottom.”
Miller didn’t respond further and called the guards through the communicator, having Shen Siwei escorted out of the office.
Since leaving Miller’s villa, Shen Siwei had already revealed that he would have difficulty breathing during action. Therefore, the guards were careful and half-dragged him to a guest room on a floor far from the office building.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guest room, there were vast lawns, and warm ambient lights emitted a tranquil glow, adding value to the night view of the lawn.
Standing by the window, Shen Siwei couldn’t help but feel a sense of irony. At this point in time, the lower-class civilians didn’t even have public transportation, while the upper-class Mag used their energy to decorate their homes.
Looking at the time, Avis should have already arrived on the lower level. Shen Siwei wondered if he had met up with Klet and the others.
If the negotiations went smoothly, Shen Siwei should be able to leave soon, but…
Based on past experience, things couldn’t be thought of too simply.
While Shen Siwei was lost in thought, someone suddenly knocked on his door.
He said, “Come in,” and the voice-activated sliding door automatically opened, revealing an unexpected figure.
“Captain Shen, good evening,” Adolf said, dressed in black silk pajamas, holding a bottle of red wine and two tall glasses, and sat down on the double sofa by the decorative fireplace.
“Care for a drink?” he uncorked the bottle and poured an equal amount of wine into the two glasses.
Shen Siwei stood by the window without moving. “Is there something you need at this late hour?”
“Of course,” Adolf rested his elbow on the back of the sofa, spinning his glass, and looked at Shen Siwei. “Something very important.”
Shen Siwei temporarily sat down next to Adolf but didn’t pick up the glass from the coffee table.
“First of all, thank you for finding Amor,” Adolf took a sip of red wine, seemingly lost in thought. “I heard he was imprisoned by Moran. That was unexpected.”
Shen Siwei furrowed his brow slightly. “Is that what you consider important?”
“Don’t be so hostile towards me,” Adolf chuckled softly, set down his glass, and casually crossed his long legs. “I heard that Father intends for you to take Moran’s position.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Siwei had a rough idea of Adolf’s intention and lowered his guard slightly. “So, you’re here as your father’s messenger?”
If that were the case, Shen Siwei didn’t mind chatting with him.
“No, no, no. I don’t involve myself in politics,” Adolf shook his head. “I can make decisions regarding our family business, but when it comes to politics, I simply follow the orders.”
Now Shen Siwei couldn’t help but feel puzzled. He furrowed his brow and asked, “So, why did you come to find me…?”
“I heard that we are facing a significant public opinion crisis this time.”
“Yes,” Shen Siwei said, “So if you don’t want it to affect your business, you better persuade your father.”
“He won’t listen to me,” Adolf shrugged, wearing a helpless expression. “I also heard that the Public Relations Officer has come up with a solution.”
Shen Siwei immediately realized that this was the “important matter” Adolf wanted to discuss.
He asked calmly, “What’s the solution?”
“It’s simple, shift the focus of public opinion,” Adolf interlocked his fingers and leisurely placed them on his leg. “Currently, the civilians are unhappy about the lies told by the Mags. Their focus is not on equal rights. So this matter can be easily resolved by creating another major event that demonstrates the sincerity of the Mags.”
“A major event?” Shen Siwei furrowed his brow.
“Marrying a Mag and a civilian,” Adolf continued, “This has never happened before. It’s enough to create big news and ease the dissatisfaction of the civilians.”
Shen Siwei’s brows furrowed tighter. These Mags really knew how to stir up trouble. If such big news were to break out, it might even overshadow the deep-sea power station issue.
“In fact, this move is quite effective,” Adolf said, picking up the glass of red wine once again. “The news of the marriage has already been released, and public opinion is exploding right now.”
Shen Siwei was cut off from outside communication and had no idea about the situation outside. He hadn’t expected such a big commotion to occur while he quietly stayed in the room.
However, he suddenly thought of something, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.
There were many civilians working in the upper levels of the Tree of Life, and many of them were willing to become the Mag’s lovers, even without any formal status.
If the Mags were to marry civilians, there would certainly be countless civilians willing to step forward. But most of these individuals were ordinary employees on the upper levels. Could they really cause such a huge sensation with their status?
Shen Siwei pressed his lips together, suppressing his inner anxiety, and asked, “Who is marrying whom?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Adolf brought the wine glass close to his lips, slightly curling his mouth. “You and me.”
Shen Siwei: “…As expected.”
It seemed that someone in the lower levels was about to go crazy.
