Chapter 129: A Mainstream Propaganda Film? (7/10)

The northern suburbs are the smallest district in Lai City, covering only one-fifth the area of the eastern suburbs. With a population of fewer than twenty thousand, poor transportation, and a complete lack of corporations, factories, or enterprises, this place is essentially a forgotten wasteland.

The arrival of Fantasy Technology brought life to the area. It is true that many people have found employment there and earned decent wages. The expansion of Fantasy Technology also allowed many to prosper; the first phase of construction alone saw expenditures exceeding fifteen billion.

Now, Zhu Lan has submitted plans for the second phase of expansion to the Lai City government. However, the municipal government lacks the authority to make such a decision and has had to refer it upward. Even the provincial government is hesitant; Fantasy Technology has grown large enough that further expansion could trigger complications, forcing them to escalate the matter to the central government. For over a week, there has been no news regarding this request.

Zhu Lan breathed a sigh of relief. He had found Li Hongjin’s suspicious gaze quite unsettling. Standing up, he walked into an adjacent room. The former model room had been expanded significantly.

"Lights on!"

As Zhu Lan spoke, the room’s lights illuminated. He had gradually installed smart assistant systems throughout much of the company; after all, the existence of Red Queen was already known to many. These smart systems could handle simple commands like turning lights on or off, playing music, booting computers, and operating doors. Within the Azure Base, every area utilized these systems, and Zhu Lan was now gradually rolling out this convenience to the entire company.

Zhu Lan sat in a chair, gazing at a massive model before him that contained all the plans for Fantasy Technology’s future.

"Close the physical model, open the virtual model!"

The model slowly descended, the lights dimmed, and countless beams of light converged to form a three-dimensional virtual model before him.

"Remove this section, and add Proposal 17!" Zhu Lan commanded after a brief inspection, ordering the removal of a mountain. The smart assistant system efficiently processed his request.

Proposal 17 was an electromagnetic orbital launcher. It was a massive electromagnetic propulsion device over a thousand meters long, similar to the electromagnetic catapults on aircraft carriers, but designed to propel significantly greater weights. According to Zhu Lan’s requirements, this device would be capable of launching hundreds of tons of cargo into low Earth orbit.

It was similar to the space propulsion devices seen in *Gundam SEED*, capable of pushing a space shuttle directly into low orbit, thereby saving vast amounts of resources. Using rockets required recovery, and every launch was a form of waste. Electromagnetic propulsion, however, required no such thing; it used electromagnetic force to push the shuttle into low orbit, allowing the craft to use its own power to escape Earth’s gravity and enter space.

In his future plans, Zhu Lan favored electromagnetic propulsion because it was simple and easier to protect. The alternative—a space elevator—was far too dangerous; if someone had malicious intentions, it would be extremely difficult to repair if destroyed. Moreover, a space elevator relied too heavily on specialized materials that Zhu Lan did not possess. Compared to a space elevator, he preferred electromagnetic propulsion.

"Red Queen!"

"Yes, Boss. What are your instructions?"

"Look at this. Is it possible to implement?"

Red Queen looked up. After calculating the modified electromagnetic propulsion device at the center, she replied, "Boss, there is a 17 percent probability of realization within five years, 32 percent within ten years, and 90 percent within twenty years."

Zhu Lan frowned. Although he knew electromagnetic propulsion was difficult, he hadn't expected it to be this challenging.

"If I provide similar devices as a reference, what is the probability?"

"Sixty percent."

"Sixty percent?" Zhu Lan was not satisfied with this result.

"Boss, it remains a matter of materials."

Zhu Lan fell silent. It was always the materials. Many projects had been delayed time and again because of them. He turned and walked away, unwilling to look any longer; if he kept staring, he might end up coughing up blood from sheer frustration.

"Michael?" He collided with Michael right outside the door and looked at him in surprise.

"Oh my god, Mr. Zhu, it is truly hard to find you!"

Zhu Lan shook his head. "Come inside and let’s talk."

Michael nodded.

"Coffee?"

"Just black is fine, I’ve been staying up too late lately," Michael said to Kong Yan. She nodded and turned to prepare the coffee.

"Is something the matter?"

"Oh, Mr. Zhu, there are some issues with the script. I think it’s necessary to make some modifications." Michael set the script down.

Zhu Lan picked it up, and upon seeing Michael’s notes, he shook his head. "No modifications needed."

"But Mr. Zhu, the film won't pass censorship like this!"

Michael was referring to the scene where the spatial transport device malfunctions, and the first wave of dinosaurs destroys the entire city. In that segment, Zhu Lan’s description was explicit: the city covered in wreckage, fires burning, and corpses and severed limbs scattered across buildings, roads, and trees. It could be said that the consequences of the dinosaurs’ destruction of the city were depicted perfectly.

"You don’t need to worry about that part."

"Mr. Zhu, but..."

Zhu Lan raised a hand to stop him. He looked at Michael. "Mr. Michael, you should understand that so-called bottom lines are often illusions. Can you not see the meaning behind this scene?"

Michael nodded helplessly. "Mr. Zhu, I know, but it is too bloody. It won't be good for obtaining a favorable rating upon release!"

Zhu Lan shook his head dismissively. "No, no, no, Mr. Michael, I think you have completely misunderstood. The purpose of this movie is not to make money; even if it loses money, it doesn't matter!"

Michael was stunned, looking at Zhu Lan in confusion. Five hundred million dollars—lost just like that?

"This is a political transaction. Your task is simply to film it. Whether it earns money is my business, and if it loses money, that is also my business. Your only objective is to get the movie made."

Michael began to understand. Was this a piece of state-sanctioned propaganda?

"Mr. Michael, your coffee." Kong Yan placed a cup before him.

"Thank you, beautiful lady."

Michael took a sip of the coffee and pondered for a moment. "I think I understand."

"It's best that you do. Any other questions?"

"None, Mr. Zhu. Regarding the actors, I would like to personally oversee the selection."

"Naturally. You can discuss that with Fan Xiang; he is in charge of the film's logistics."

Michael nodded. "In that case, sorry to have bothered you."

Zhu Lan nodded. "Safe travels."

"Hello, this is Zhu Lan."

"Boss, is something wrong?" Fan Xiang asked from the other end of the line, sounding puzzled.

"How many people have sent in their expressions of interest so far?"

Fan Xiang was silent for a moment. "Out of the twenty-four people on the list, six have responded. However, they haven't mentioned anything about the Chenwen Port project."

"Increase the manpower. You know how important Chenwen Port is to the company. I want to hear good news by next month."

"Yes, Boss, I will do my best!"

"Not 'do your best,' it is a requirement. If you can't do it, you can leave. The company does not need idlers."

Fan Xiang’s tone turned serious. "Yes, Boss, I understand. Next month, I will certainly give you a satisfactory answer."

Zhu Lan hung up. Just as he was about to stand, his phone rang again. He frowned, picked up the phone he had just set down, and saw the special number. His brow furrowed.

"Hello?"

"Zhu Lan, it’s me."

"Who is this?" Zhu Lan heard the voice on the other end; it sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

The person on the other end was clearly stunned by Zhu Lan’s question.

"It’s me, Qin Jun!"

"General Qin?"

Zhu Lan pulled the phone away and froze.

"Yes, what? Didn't expect it?"

"Indeed. General Qin, how do you have time to play with a small businessman like me?"

Qin Jun choked. "Enough, Zhu Lan. Stop with the snide games. I’ve come to ask you for a favor!"

"Ask me for a favor? I don't recall being able to help you with anything."

Qin Jun didn't answer. "My plane has arrived at S City. I will be at your place in about an hour. Prepare yourself! Initiate the highest level of confidentiality!"

With that, he hung up without waiting for a response.

Huh?

Zhu Lan stared at his phone and shook his head in confusion.

An hour later, escorted by several military vehicles, they entered the Azure Base via a secret road from the East Gate. The entire transport was protected by the Fantasy Technology security team—the one headed by Qin Shi.

"General Qin, what is this all about?" Zhu Lan greeted him as he stepped out of the vehicle.

"I have something that requires your smart computer to analyze."

"Analyze?"

"Is it safe here?"

Zhu Lan checked his watch. "Red Queen, open Room 6 and have these items transferred there." He turned to the general. "General Qin, please, this way."

Qin Jun nodded. Several robots emerged from the side, and a transport vehicle towed the cargo away. Qin Jun followed Zhu Lan through layers of security until they reached a massive room.

"Alright, can you tell me now?"

"Where is this?"

"This is where I test my projects. The walls are thick enough to block everything—including sound, signals, radiation, and energy."

Qin Jun nodded, satisfied. "Open it and you will see."

Zhu Lan nodded and walked to the side. A massive glass pane revealed the interior of the room. "Red Queen, open it."

A dozen mechanical arms descended from the ceiling and opened the items on the transport cart. A huge metal box was revealed. It was an alloy safe.

"The code is..." Before Qin Jun could finish, a peculiar device inserted itself into the keypad, and in less than a second, the code was cracked.

"Huh?"

Qin Jun was stunned. He had intended to provide the code, but it had been bypassed before he could even speak. He was deeply shocked—cracking a military-grade code in one second? Perhaps the intelligence system at the Azure Base was not as simple as Zhu Lan had claimed.