"It's fine," Jing Mingqiu said calmly, "With me holding them down, they can't possibly cause any trouble."
Seeing Jing Mingqiu's confident demeanor, the highest leader of Longguo's anger subsided, replaced by confusion. "Mingqiu, Longguo has 1.4 billion people, and we're not lacking in talent. Why must you use those people from the United States?"
"To speed up research."
Jing Mingqiu explained casually, but seeing that the highest leader was still bewildered, he had to elaborate.
"Boss, Longguo indeed has many talented individuals, but they already have their own research directions. While abruptly changing their research focus could indeed accelerate the nation's technological development, it would also betray the hard work of their lives."
"Science requires constant trial and error; truth is born from mistakes. Research that proceeds smoothly is like a flower in a greenhouse; once it leaves, it will be easily withered by storms."
"Moreover, the research directions I propose are definitely correct, but that doesn't mean the research directions of those Longguo scientists are wrong. They might be different paths leading to the same destination..."
Hearing this, the highest leader of Longguo gradually came to understand. "I get it now. Mingqiu, you intend to let our scientists continue their own projects, ensuring the continuity of Longguo's technology, and have those American scientists responsible for bringing the super high-level technologies you possess into reality."
"Precisely," Jing Mingqiu raised an eyebrow. "What science fears most is not failure, because even failure yields data and eliminates a wrong answer. What it truly fears is knowing the 'what' but not the 'why'."
"With superficial understanding, one doesn't know how to replicate or where the problem lies. Such science is a castle in the air; if I stop providing information, they will be helpless to continue their research!"
After listening to Jing Mingqiu's explanation, the highest leader of Longguo was completely at ease. He changed the subject, "Mingqiu, a large number of scientists are coming this time, covering various fields. What projects are you planning to have them responsible for?"
Jing Mingqiu pondered for a moment and then held up two fingers.
"I plan to have these fellows research aerospace engines and artificial biospheres. It's time to prepare for interstellar migration."
"No, isn't that a bit much?" The highest leader of Longguo was a bit taken aback. "Although Earth's resources are a bit tight now, they are sufficient for the short term."
"You know, we haven't even fully explored Earth ourselves, nor have we harvested the vast resources buried beneath the oceans. We don't need to rush into interstellar migration research!"
Jing Mingqiu frowned deeply. "Boss, after I developed the controllable nuclear fusion device and upgraded our energy, Earth's existing resources were indeed sufficient for all seven billion people to live for over a hundred years."
"However, the world is never short of deranged individuals, especially the Western powers. Seeing Longguo rise, they cannot contain it. To prevent them from destroying everything in a desperate act, they might want to destroy the world and drag all of humanity down with them."
"We must prepare in advance!"
The highest leader of Longguo subconsciously wanted to say that Jing Mingqiu was worrying unnecessarily, asking why one would court death when one could live.
Suddenly, the image of Japan recklessly discharging nuclear wastewater into the sea flashed in his mind, and he recalled the United States extensively using Agent Orange in South Vietnam, which could induce cancer and birth defects...
At this thought, the highest leader of Longguo sighed deeply. "Mingqiu, you're right. We do need to be prepared to prevent them from resorting to desperate measures. Whatever resources you need, just ask, and I will fully support you."
Jing Mingqiu scratched his head. "I haven't quite figured out the specifics yet, Boss. Could you set aside some land for me first? It doesn't need to be too large, a million square meters would be enough to start."
"A million square meters? And you say that's not large?" The highest leader of Longguo chuckled in disbelief. "You know, the Forbidden City, where emperors lived, was only over 700,000 square meters. Yours is a size and a half larger. With only a thousand people, do you really need that much space?"
Jing Mingqiu spread his hands, unconcerned. "Although there aren't many people, the experimental equipment is large. Not to mention the supporting equipment required for the aerospace engine, just the artificial biosphere."
"To build a complete biosphere, we need to include various terrains to accommodate the survival and reproduction of more species and to enhance the stability of the internal cycle. It definitely won't work if it's too small."
The concept of an artificial biosphere was not first proposed by Jing Mingqiu. Decades ago, the United States had already constructed Biosphere 2 for research into artificial ecological circulation systems.
The reason it was called Biosphere 2, not Biosphere 1, was not because previous research had been conducted, but because Earth, as the home that sustains human life, was the undisputed Biosphere 1.
At that time, the United States proposed this project to prove whether a closed ecological system could operate independently and sustain normal human life.
The goal was to explore whether humans could establish a stable ecosystem after leaving their home planet!
After all, whether for interstellar travel or extraterrestrial colonization, artificial biosphere technology was an indispensable prerequisite.
However, at that time, the United States' artificial biosphere was less than 20,000 square meters. It introduced only over 4,000 species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, yet forcibly crammed dozens of different natural environments such as grasslands, deserts, swamps, and oceans.
But was a desert where it rained every day truly a desert! Was an ocean spanning over a thousand square meters still an ocean!
Due to the vast difference between the real environment and the simulated one, the number of animal species in the artificial biosphere sharply decreased. Furthermore, they hadn't anticipated that the concrete used for isolation underground would absorb a large amount of carbon dioxide, leading to the collapse of the biosphere's carbon cycle.
Oxygen also rapidly depleted due to the excessive microorganisms in the soil, pollinating insects went extinct, tropical rainforests expanded rapidly, and the scientists conducting experiments inside became extremely emaciated.
Ultimately, the United States' Biosphere 2 project was officially declared a failure when external personnel had to inject pure oxygen into it.
The scientists who led the project, after summarizing the lessons learned, wanted to restart the experiment, but the funders were unwilling to waste more money.
They built 1,500 houses and a resort hotel within the Biosphere 2, turning it into a tourist attraction that anyone could visit for a fee.
Upon recalling this, the highest leader of Longguo's expression became very complex. As a member of humanity, he deeply regretted that such a great research project, crucial for humanity's future, had been halted.
However, as the highest leader of Longguo, seeing other countries voluntarily abandon high-end technological research, he couldn't say he was pleased, but he certainly wasn't saddened.
After all, the stronger the United States became, the greater the danger to Longguo.
Now that Jing Mingqiu was preparing to research artificial biospheres, the highest leader of Longguo could not find any reason to object.
However, one million square meters of land was indeed too vast. Although land reclamation technology was now available and land was not scarce, considering the need to restore terrain and seal the entire biosphere, it would inevitably consume enormous resources.
Shrinking it was out of the question; the highest leader had interacted with Jing Mingqiu many times.
He knew very well that although Jing Mingqiu was usually frivolous, he would never speak carelessly on such critical matters.
Just as the highest leader of Longguo was contemplating how to mobilize so many resources, Cang Yue, who had been sitting quietly on Jing Mingqiu's shoulder, pretending to be mere decoration, suddenly had a string of complex code flash through her eyes.
Immediately after, Cang Yue showed an anxious expression and jumped up abruptly!