Chapter 52 – Two Proposals 两个方案
In the past few days, Lin Yuan had been trying hard to suppress the doubts in his heart. However, every move of his mother, Ye Qingxuan, had become particularly thought-provoking. At home, she was still that gentle and decisive mother, but her occasional moments of deep thought and veiled words made Lin Yuan vaguely feel that she seemed to know some secrets that she didn't want to reveal.
That evening, a special guest came to their home, Su Ling, a good friend of his mother.
As soon as this 39-year-old woman, who looked like a high schooler, entered, she cried out in a naive, excited voice, "Ye Qingxuan, your house is huge! Wow, is this lamp motion-sensor? Amazing! And this auto-tea maker, so cool!"
Lin Yuan and Lin Wanqing stood by the side, gaping in astonishment as this "young girl" in a cute floral dress and twin ponytails wandered around the living room. If it hadn't been for Ye Qingxuan's rather helpless introduction, Lin Yuan wouldn't have been able to associate this "energetic girl" with his mother's friend, a senior advisor on energy and strategic resources.
"This is Su Ling, one of the important advisors of the Federation. Ye Qingxuan looked at Lin Yuan and Lin Wanqing and said calmly, "She may not look like it, but she's a top energy researcher."
"Top... figure?" Lin Yuan and Lin Wanqing said in unison, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Su Ling seemed to sense their surprise and winked playfully. "Don't look at me like that! I don't rely on my looks to make a living. I'm currently researching how to convert the core substances of the 'Zerg Star' into new energy. It's a huge project! But those old men in the Federation don't support my plan at all. What a buzzkill."
After that, she paused and faced Ye Qingxuan. "Qingxuan, what's your take? Is bombing the Zerg Star really that bad an idea?"
Ye Qingxuan's face darkened for a moment, then she regained her composure. "Su Ling, the issue of the Zerg Star is much more complicated than you think. The opposition within the Federation is not without reason. Direct bombing may trigger uncontrollable chain reactions and even affect the entire interstellar environment."
Su Ling pouted, looking unconvinced. "Tsk, I knew you'd say that. Well, I guess it was a waste of my breath."
Lin Yuan heard their conversation and his doubts grew deeper. He asked tentatively, "Aunt Su Ling, why do you think bombing the Zerg Star directly is best? Is there really nothing valuable on it?"
Su Ling looked up, her eyes clear and flickering with a hint of mystery. "There is something, but those things are far less meaningful to us than the destruction of the Zerg Star. Little Lin Yuan, you have to know that sometimes, for the sake of the overall interest, sacrificing a part is necessary."
Lin Yuan was about to ask something else, but Ye Qingxuan interrupted him. "Alright, Su Ling. The children don't need to know too much. They have their own things to be busy with. Didn't you come here today to talk to me about energy research? Let's go to the study and discuss it."
Su Ling shrugged and waved to Lin Yuan and Lin Wanqing. "Alright, no more of this dull stuff. Kids, go do your things. I need to chat with your mom about grown-up stuff."
...
In the conference room of the Federation headquarters, a meeting about the future of the Zerg Star was in progress. The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn, and everyone's expression was serious and complicated.
The meeting host stood in the middle and said steadily, "For dealing with the Zerg Star threat, we have two main ideas. One is to directly bomb and destroy the Zerg Star. The other is to keep watching and avoid causing more interstellar trouble. Now, let's hear your views."
The meeting room was immediately divided into two factions.
Most of the advocates of observation were conservative council members. They believed that the consequences of directly bombing the Zerg Star were unpredictable. It might trigger an unknown counterattack from the Zerg and even lead to an imbalance in the entire interstellar ecosystem. On the other hand, the small group of radical individuals led by Su Ling supported the direct bombing.
Su Ling stood up and said briskly but sharply, "We all know the Zerg Star's on a collision course. Instead of waiting for this time-bomb to hit, we should act and destroy it. The ecological balance and interstellar environment can be fixed later with tech. Do we really want to do nothing and face disaster?"
A conservative council member retorted, "Advisor Su Ling, your view is too radical. We lack sufficient data support. Acting rashly will only make the situation more complicated. Moreover, the internal ecology and resources of the Zerg Star have not been fully explored. There might be unexpected discoveries among them."
Su Ling shrugged indifferently. "That's why you old stick-in-the-muds keep procrastinating until the problem gets completely out of control."
Ye Qingxuan sat in the corner the whole time, saying nothing. Her eyes were calm, as if deep in thought.
The host tapped on the table and interrupted the argument. "Alright, let's stop here for now. We will further discuss the final decision based on the latest intelligence."
After the meeting ended, Ye Qingxuan walked alone in the corridor of the Federation headquarters with a slight frown. Her communicator suddenly rang. After answering it, Su Ling's brisk voice came through. "Qingxuan, was what I said just now too harsh? You won't hold it against me, will you?"
Ye Qingxuan stopped and said softly, "Su Ling, you know I don't judge your choices. I just hope this Zerg Star debate doesn't cost us more."
Su Ling chuckled on the other end. "Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility. By the way, your son's question the other day was quite interesting. He seems to be very interested in the Zerg Star."
Ye Qingxuan's frown deepened. "Su Ling, the children don't need to be involved in these complicated matters."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator, and then Su Ling's voice came with a hint of mystery. "Maybe they're already involved, and you just don't know it yet."
The communication ended. Ye Qingxuan gripped her communicator tightly, and a wave of unease washed over her.
======================
这几天,林远努力压下心中的疑惑,但母亲叶青璇的一举一动却变得格外耐人寻味.她在家中还是那个温柔果断的母亲,但偶尔的沉思和隐晦的言辞,让林远隐隐感觉到,她似乎知道一些不愿透露的秘密.
这天晚上,家中迎来了一位特殊的客人,母亲的好友苏灵.
这位39岁的 "高中生模样" 的女性一进门,便用那天真浪漫的语气大呼小叫:"叶青璇,你家可真大呀!哇,这个灯是感应的吗?太神奇了!还有这个自动泡茶机,哇,这也太酷了吧!"
林远和林晚晴站在一旁,目瞪口呆地看着这位穿着可爱碎花裙,扎着双马尾的 "少女" 在客厅里到处转悠.若不是叶青璇用一种颇为无奈的口气介绍,林远都无法将这个 "活力少女" 与母亲的好友,能源与战略资源的高级顾问联系起来.
"这是苏灵,联邦的重要顾问之一.别看她这个样子,她在能源研究领域可是顶尖人物." 叶青璇看向林远和林晚晴,淡淡说道.
"顶尖...人物?" 林远和林晚晴异口同声,表情都充满了难以置信.
苏灵似乎听出了两人的惊讶,调皮地眨了眨眼:"别这么看着我嘛!我可不是靠脸吃饭的.我最近正在研究如何将 '虫星' 的核心物质转化为新能源,这可是个大工程哦!不过,联邦那群老头子可没一个支持我的计划,真是扫兴."
说完,她顿了顿,转头看向叶青璇:"对了,青璇,你觉得呢?直接轰炸虫星的提案,真的就这么不可行吗?
叶青璇面色一沉,随即又恢复如常:"苏灵,虫星的问题远比你想象的复杂.联邦内的反对声并非没有道理,直接轰炸可能引发不可控的连锁反应,甚至波及整个星际环境."
苏灵嘟着嘴,一副不服气的模样:"啧,我就知道你会这么说.好吧,算我白问了."
林远将两人的对话听在耳中,心中的疑惑更深.他试探性地问道: "苏灵阿姨,您为什么会觉得直接轰炸虫星是最好的选择呢?那上面难道没有任何值得保留的东西?"
苏灵抬起头,目光清澈而又闪烁着一丝神秘: "有是有,但那些东西对我们来说,远不如虫星毁灭来得有意义.林远小朋友,你要知道,有时候,为了全局利益,牺牲一部分是必须的."
林远还想再问些什么,叶青璇却打断了他:"好了,苏灵,孩子们不需要知道太多.他们有自己的事情要忙,你今天来不是说要和我谈能源研究的事吗?我们到书房去说吧."
苏灵耸了耸肩,对林远和林晚晴挥了挥手: "好啦,不聊这些无聊的东西了.小朋友们,你们忙你们的,我和你们母亲说点大人的事."
...
在联邦总部的会议室中,一场关于虫星未来的会议正在进行.会议室内气氛凝重,每个人的表情都严肃而又复杂.
会议主持人站在中央,用平稳的语调说道:"关于虫星威胁的处理,目前有两个主要提案.一是直接轰炸,彻底摧毁虫星;二是继续观望,避免引发更大的星际动荡.现在,请各位发表意见."
会场顿时分成了两派.
主张观望的一方大多是保守派议员,他们认为直接轰炸虫星的后果难以预料,可能引发未知的虫族反扑,甚至导致整个星际生态失衡.而支持直接轰炸的则是以苏灵为首的一小部分激进派人士.
苏灵站起来,用轻快却又犀利的语调说道:"大家都知道,虫星已经进入了撞击轨道.与其等着它像定时炸弹一样威胁我们,不如主动出击,将其彻底摧毁.至于什么生态平衡,星际环境,这些都是可以通过技术手段逐步恢复的.难道你们真的希望坐以待毙吗?"
一个保守派议员反驳道:"苏灵顾问,你的观点太过激进.我们缺乏足够的数据支持,贸然行动只会让局势更加复杂.况且,虫星的内部生态和资源还未完全探索清楚,或许其中有我们意想不到的发现."
苏灵不以为然地摊了摊手:"所以说,你们这些老顽固才会一拖再拖,直到问题彻底失控."
叶青璇则始终坐在角落,没有发表任何意见.她的目光沉静,似乎在思考着什么.
主持人敲了敲桌子,打断了争论:"好了,暂时到此为止.我们会根据最新的情报,进一步讨论最终决策."
会议结束后,叶青璇独自走在联邦总部的长廊上,眉头微蹙.她的通讯器突然响起,接通后,苏灵那轻快的声音传了过来:"青璇,我刚才的话是不是太冲了?你不会怪我吧?"
叶青璇停下脚步,低声说道:"苏灵,你知道我从不评价你的选择.但我只希望,这场关于虫星的争论,不会让我们失去更多."
苏灵在那边轻笑:"放心吧,我会负责到底的.对了,那天你儿子的问题还挺有意思的,他似乎对虫星很感兴趣."
叶青璇的眉头皱得更深了:"苏灵,孩子们不需要卷进这些复杂的事情中."
通讯器那边安静了几秒,然后传来苏灵带着几分神秘意味的声音:"或许他们已经卷进来了,只是你还不知道罢了."
通讯挂断,叶青璇握紧通讯器,心中掀起阵阵波澜.