Although Xu An had long anticipated this outcome, she still felt a shock when Chu Yu voiced it.
"Then what is the characteristic of the southern base?" Zhou Haimei asked curiously.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be military strength."
Qin Chuan also joined the discussion at this moment.
Although he spoke of it as a guess, his tone was a definitive statement.
Since Chu Yu had already revealed so much, he had no intention of withholding further information.
He let out a long breath and continued, "That's right, I am Chu Yu, the commander-in-chief of the vanguard team of the first base of the former Huaxia Nation."
"Back then, in the face of disaster, the Central Government entrusted the affairs of the Lighthouse entirely to the four then-chief executives. However, the Central Government also kept a close eye, maintaining complete control over the Lighthouse base, which was the sole entity possessing pure military strength. You must understand that at the time, everyone involved with the Lighthouse held a secret key, and only by activating everyone's key could the four Lighthouses be pieced together."
"The Central Government never imagined that 'Shuguang' would defect. Their sole focus at the time was how to relocate the vast population. Some proposed a lottery system. Despite our best efforts to expand the Lighthouse's area, it was still insufficient to accommodate over a billion people."
"But just as the Central Government was in a frenzy, 'Shuguang' took the lead in destroying the secret keys, abandoned the associated Lighthouse that provided energy, and unilaterally altered the activation program, causing 'Shuguang' to completely vanish from everyone's sight."
"But if what you say is true, since 'Shuguang' defected, why did they still accept the public?"
Chu Yu looked at Qin Chuan. "Do you really think the people in charge are fools? They simply didn't want to be controlled. That doesn't mean they are stupid. Such a massive Lighthouse requires hundreds, even thousands, of people just to operate. Why would they set up Morse code? Some of it was indeed for screening, but also, if you think about it carefully, whose families would possess the means to receive Morse code?"
"You don't actually believe, so naively, that 'Shuguang' was genuinely selecting highly intelligent talents, do you?"
Upon hearing Chu Yu's words, Qin Chuan, Xu An, and Zhou Haimei exchanged glances.
"You mean..." Zhou Haimei still found it hard to believe and spoke with doubt.
"Being able to understand Morse code proves that someone in the family has an interest in it. While I don't deny that some girls possess exceptional talent, it's mostly men who would be interested in such things. After the natural disasters broke out, in a family that still has young and middle-aged men capable of decoding messages, and where the household still possesses radios or antennae equipment to receive these signals, what else could they be?"
"Workers!" the three said in unison!
Of course, this "worker" was not the ordinary kind.
It referred to individuals with a foundation in scientific and technical knowledge and proficiency.
"Yes, the Lighthouse was merely finding operational workers for itself in disguise. Only fools like you would believe it was a talent selection. Why would talent selection involve decoding an advanced Morse code?"
In an instant, Xu An's sense of order began to crumble. She hadn't been moved when they spoke of 'Shuguang's' defection, nor did she show any reaction when they said the southern base was the central base.
However, it was only when the topic of Morse code came up that she froze.
The reason was simple: in her past life, she had always believed she was ignorant of Morse code. After meeting a certain boy later, she had constantly regretted her carelessness and ignorance, feeling that it had led her to suffer so much hardship.
She had never imagined that this was not her fault at all.
It was simply because millions like her, the "ordinary people," were never options for 'Shuguang'!
"But if the Central Government knew 'Shuguang' defected, why didn't they apprehend them?"
"I'm also very curious about that. 'Shuguang' seems to have divine assistance. They seem to be able to accurately predict the arrival of natural disasters. They also took to the skies precisely three days before the true descent of the natural disasters. At that time, the government was busy with emergency repairs and couldn't spare any attention. Moreover..."
Chu Yu seemed to be looking beyond Qin Chuan into the distant future.
And those were his comrades.
Regardless of what they chose the opposite path to their own for, the Central Government at the time did harbor a shred of goodwill towards the defecting 'Shuguang,' showing leniency.
Otherwise, with the military might of the southern base, even at the cost of mutual destruction, it wouldn't have been impossible to shoot down 'Shuguang.'
But later, when 'Shuguang' occupied the official rescue channels, disseminated the landing locations of the Lighthouses, and took in a large number of people.
Even at that time, the Central Government, knowing what 'Shuguang' was doing, still tolerated this behavior.
It wasn't for any other reason than the fact that those were all Huaxia people. Although 'Shuguang' was no longer the 'Shuguang' it once was, and they had taken divergent paths, whether for the operation of the Lighthouse or for other reasons, they had genuinely taken in and rescued tens of millions of people.
The Central Government could only turn a blind eye, maintaining a policy of non-interference.
However, the Central Government had never given up on regaining control over 'Shuguang,' which was why a special vanguard team like Chu Yu's existed.
But these were Chu Yu's classified secrets and were not suitable for sharing with others.
After hearing the secrets, the three sat in silence, processing what they had learned.
Xu An also understood why, in her previous life, no official large-scale shelter bases had been discovered on land.
In her previous life, in their despair, they had all believed they were abandoned children of the nation.
Everyone wept and despaired.
They gradually became numb, like wandering souls in the desert, without a home or direction.
But if what Chu Yu said today was true, it meant that the country had never abandoned any of its citizens from the very beginning.
And they too were children with a home.
It was just that, without their knowledge, their home had been destroyed by people with ulterior motives.
A sense of pent-up frustration in Xu An's heart quietly dissipated.
Although she had never been one to blame fate or others, who would willingly be a homeless, nationless wanderer?
At this point, the three had also roughly guessed Chu Yu's purpose in being on the Lighthouse.
However, none of them were willing to speak first.
How could they put it?
The Central Government would certainly not give up on seizing control of 'Shuguang.'
'Shuguang' was not only the only Lighthouse capable of independent flight but also the center of the four Lighthouses. Only by controlling 'Shuguang' could they gradually regain control of the other two Lighthouses.
Only by fully mastering these resources could the Central Government protect more people.
Qin Chuan and Zhou Haimei had received orthodox military training since childhood.
Obey orders and follow commands!
This phrase was almost ingrained in their very bones.
But now, someone was telling them that the "people" they had been following commands from were themselves in the wrong.
The shock of such a collapse of faith was something no one could truly understand.
In a sense, they actually hoped that the Central Government could regain control of the Lighthouse.
After all, with a government dedicated to the people in power, the lives of the populace would likely not be too difficult, unlike the current 'Shuguang,' which was essentially another form of class disparity.
However, usurping power was an extremely dangerous undertaking.
Even a slight misstep could implicate not only Chu Yu but also potentially ignite a war between two factions.