Chapter 707: 707

Chapter 707: A Win-Win Deal

Wu Haibo told Meng Chao that if he had the time and energy, he could actually consider staying in the ancient ruins and conducting tests for more black technology research projects.

At present, there was a shortage of testers for the hundred or so projects in the ancient ruins research center, which had delayed the progress of many research projects.

Even if the researchers were willing to roll up their sleeves and fight in person, most of them were weak and feeble scholars who had injected all their spirit energy into their brains. How could they be as strong as Meng Chao, the “youngest Heaven Realm expert in Dragon City”?

Actually, that was not the case in the early years.

Going back twenty to thirty years, exploring and testing in the ancient ruins was very popular.

At that time, the people of Dragon City had not yet established a complete theoretical system for spirit energy cultivation, and their understanding of extraordinary power had still been very shallow. Most of the time, only by venturing into the ancient ruins could one awaken a deeper level of extraordinary power.

Of course, there were dangers, but at that time, Dragon City was also very dangerous even though it had been on the ground. Was it not still a narrow escape from death when they fought the most ferocious monsters in the ruins?

Since they had their heads attached to their belts, they naturally had to take a big gamble.

Many forty- or fifty-year-old senior experts in Dragon City had all been lucky people who had walked out of the ancient ruins back then.

At that time, there had been no shortage of researchers, explorers, and testers in the various projects. In fact, for the sake of a spot, experts from all sides had to fight with each other until their faces became bruised and swollen.

However, the present was different from the past. With the improvement of the spirit energy training system, the strategic situation on the ground had become greatly beneficial to Dragon City. The new generation of superhumans did not need to go deep into the ancient ruins at all. They could receive a complete academic education in the vocational training centers of universities, research institutes, and mega corporations. After graduation, they would also have a clear and stable path to upgrade.

Human nature always sought advantages and avoided disadvantages.

How many people would be driven by a sense of crisis and be driven into a dragon’s den and a tiger’s den like Meng Chao when they could train and fight in a relatively safe and relaxed environment?

In addition, it was the mega corporation that controlled Dragon City.

When the scale of the enterprises expanded to a certain extent, there would be a “path dependence” and a “big enterprise disease”. Simply put, they were afraid of taking risks and ignorant of long-term interests. Instead, they wanted to seize short-term, immediate, and certain interests.

To be specific, the mega corporations would rather invest resources in the periphery of Dragon City and occupy Monster Mountain Range, as well as the wider Other World, rather than invest in the exploration and development of the ancient ruins.

After all, the former was certain. With one point of investment, they could build a forward base and plunder one more point of profit for their own enterprises. It was fair and just.

The latter’s investment return cycle and rate of return were full of uncertainty.

If they encountered a big explosion like Project 109 and lost their entire investment, it might even drag down the parent company’s stock price, causing the mega corporations to be greatly weakened and unable to recover.

As a result, the best talents of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic generations in Dragon City often fell into the arms of mega corporations’ that paid well and had rich resources.

Since the pay at the ancient ruins research center was not high, it was very difficult to attract outstanding top talents.

Even the older generation of researchers and testers could not resist the temptation of the times. They jumped to the mega corporations one after another or changed from basic theoretical research to more practical projects.

Those who still had the same original intentions and gritted their teeth to persevere could only mock themselves for their sentiments.

In fact, similar things had been common in the Earth era.

In the past, many organizations that developed aerospace technology had sounded high-end and classy. They could even send astronauts to the dark side of the moon, prompting people to dream of working there. Even the owner of the cafeteria had a monthly salary of at least ¥100,000 to ¥80,000. So, they should have also been allocated housing or something.

In reality, however, that had not been the case at all. The monthly salary of the average R & D personnel of many cutting-edge organizations had been so low that it made people cry. They had also been bound by various rules and confidentiality agreements. For personal interests, it had really been better to work in the private sector or simply become a small captain at sea!

In a word, it was better to sell tea eggs than to build an atomic bomb.

Such was an absurd drama that could occur on any planet and any era, especially in the past few months.

With the great battle victory in Dragon City’s periphery, the Survival Committee had issued a series of decrees that were equivalent to land acquisition orders in order to “pursue the outlaws bravely”. They also wanted to stimulate the mega corporations and superhumans’ enthusiasm to the greatest extent.

In the next year, any enterprise, institution, civil society, or individual that could establish a new forward base and colonization point in the depths of Monster Mountain Range and resist the counterattack of the monster remnants, according to the scale of the base… the development rights and interests within a radius of a few kilometers or even underground would all belong to the builders. The development time had been tentatively set at 100 years!

The land acquisition law had caused a stir in the circle of superhumans.

All the superhumans seemed to be on stimulants and could not wait to venture into the depths of Monster Mountain Range to ride horses and surround the land. Even the teachers in Meng Chao’s university were not in the mood to teach and were eager to try.

How many people in the ancient ruins research center could still endure the loneliness?

“In short, the gap in the testing of the institute’s various projects is very large.”

Wu Haibo said to Meng Chao, “It’s not that no one is willing to do it. The problem is that our work is not something that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can do!

“Although the pay isn’t very high, there are quite a lot of requirements. Not only must you have a certain amount of strength and actual combat experience, but you must be able to remain calm in the face of any situation. You must also have a strong enough willpower to withstand the ancient summoning and the risk of spirit energy deviation. In addition, you must also be loyal and reliable, and you must not reveal the secrets of the black technology that is being tested. It’d be best if you have the endorsement of a big shot and a certain amount of wealth to ensure your stability and not be tempted by the outside world.

“Isn’t such a person rare?”

“So, Meng Chao, as long as you’re willing, you’ll definitely become the most sought-after person in the entire institute!”

Meng Chao contemplated it for a moment. If he could speed up Dragon City’s analysis and replication of the immemorial black technology, he could increase Dragon City’s overall technological strength and combat strength.

Under the premise that his own cultivation was guaranteed, it did not matter if he tested a few more projects.

This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org

However, there was one thing that he had to figure out. “Well, Team Leader Wu, regarding the ‘pay isn’t too high’ part, how low is it?”

“That’s my main point. For other testers, the pay won’t be too high, but for you, Meng Chao, the situation is completely different. If it weren’t for the full benefits, I would have been embarrassed to introduce this path to you.”

Wu Haibo told Meng Chao that first of all, he was the youngest Heaven Realm warrior and blood medal holder in Dragon City. That meant deep within his cells, there had to be an incredible power. At least, when negotiating the pay, the price for him to conduct the test… should not be the same as ordinary testers.

Of course, considering that the budget and resources for various projects were extremely tight, talking about money, crystals, and monster materials was too tacky.

However, let’s talk about technology, connections, and business!

The staff of the ancient ruins research center often worked in the relevant research departments of various universities, other research institutes, and mega corporations. Their connections and business opportunities were abundant.

Many former researchers who had left the ancient ruins research center to seek other jobs also held deep feelings and felt guilt toward the institute. Hence, they were willing to do something to make up for it.

The institute and Meng Chao’s Superstar Resource Recovery Company, Broken Star Club, Blue Home, and Lair Reconstruction Committee would definitely be able to create a large amount of sparks and deliver rich benefits to each other.

As for the researchers themselves, they might not be very strong, but they were proficient in all kinds of support techniques. They could give Meng Chao massages, create gene potions, modify weapons and equipment, and custom-make a few sets of power armor. It was definitely not a problem to give him a few runic machines that were equipped with ancient black technology.

Next and most importantly, Meng Chao could ask the various project teams to pay him with time to use the large-scale research equipment for his test work.

Although the various project teams of the ancient ruins research center had a high degree of independence and confidentiality…

There were many large-scale and super-large-scale types of research equipment that only consisted of one or two units in the entire institute. Hence, they had to be shared.

For example, the super-large spirit acceleration device that surrounded the entire underground space was said to have taken a full ten years to build. Every year, additional construction resources were added, causing two senators to suffer from myocardial infarction. It was then embedded into dozens of ancient ruins and excavated. It only came to an end after the construction of the key units could not be analyzed and duplicated for the time being.

Faced with such a divine weapon and nearly one hundred research projects, who was not clamoring for food?

The question of who could use the super-large spirit acceleration device on the frontlines and how long it would take to use it became a fatal question.

Many researchers were willing to sweep the floor and hug each other’s thighs and call each other daddy in order to compete for the order and time of the use of the large-scale research equipment.

In the end, the order and time of large-scale research equipment usage became the “common currency” that was used for trading within the ancient ruins research center.

After all, the value of many black technologies that were being analyzed, researched, and replicated there could not be measured with money or crystals. Every piece of technology was priceless.

The project was stuck at a certain key node. What was the use of any more money and crystals?

If only they could obtain a higher priority and more time on the super-large spirit acceleration device and other large-scale research equipment just like Project 101. Not to mention the short-distance transmigration on the planet’s surface, perhaps even the entire transmigration technology that could cross the sea of stars could be put out in advance.

What was the value in money?

Of course, Project 101 would not let Meng Chao work for nothing.

Wu told Meng that if he could really help the project obtain a higher priority and more time to use the large research equipment, it could be converted into a deposit and priority purchase rights for the transmigration device.

“With the development speed of Superstar Resources Recovery Company and the many fields you have invested in, the scale of your forces in the future will definitely be limitless. It could even be comparable to the nine mega corporations, right?”

Wu Haibo was very confident in Meng Chao. “If you want to extend the tentacles of Superstar Resources Recovery to the entire Other World, the transmigration device will definitely give you wings like a tiger.

“Business is like a battlefield. Whoever can establish a super logistics network for instantaneous transmigration will be the first to seize the opportunity and be invincible.

“Due to the constraints of raw materials and production technology, our initial production capacity is quite limited. The Red Dragon Army and mega corporations have long ordered the first batch of commercial transmigration devices. Other small and medium-sized enterprises can forget about it in the next three to five years.

“However, if your help can speed up the project’s progress, we will insert Superstar Resources Recovery into the middle of the Red Dragon Army and the nine mega corporations. The reason will be justified.”