I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

A senior politician from the Chinese delegation engaged in a protracted battle with them, stating his position from the outset.

For a time, the meeting room was filled with lively chatter. The conversation went on for more than an hour without a moment of quiet. Everyone's voices were hoarse from talking, the bottles of water on the table were empty, and they would cough occasionally while speaking.

Just as Yan Ziming had expected, this battle without gunfire was the most intense she had ever witnessed, with both sides sticking to their own arguments and refusing to back down.

She also discovered that even if she wanted to chime in, she simply didn't know where to begin.

These seasoned veterans, who have been specializing in negotiations for decades, have several traps in every word they utter, waiting for others to fall into them. If Yan Ziming, a young man who is inexperienced in the ways of the world, were to interrupt carelessly, he might end up dragging the entire Chinese delegation into trouble.

After talking for so long, Yan Ziming roughly understood why the negotiations had been deadlocked for so long.

In the United States, there are those who agree and those who disagree; the problem lies with those who disagree.

It's normal to have people who disagree, but once it reaches a certain point, it becomes distorted.

Because those who opposed it were like they were on flaming gunpowder, their words and actions were fierce, and they glared angrily at the Chinese delegation, especially at Jiang Lan, making Yan Ziming want to gouge their eyes out!

"Who are those guys? I don't think they're negotiating at all, they're trying to sabotage us!"

Yan Ziming asked Jiang Lan, who was standing beside her, in a low voice. She was referring to the few people who had voiced the most vehement opposition.

The other party seems to have no intention of negotiating at all, or rather, they want to completely derail the negotiations!

Jiang Lan explained to her, "The reason the negotiations have lasted so long is because of them. Let me put it this way: they are big shots in the United States' oil industry!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Ziming finally understood why this technology exchange, which was clearly a good thing for them, had been dragged on for so long, and also understood why those few people had opposed it so vehemently.

It all boils down to the word "profit"!

Chapter Seventy-Four: Parting on Unhappily

One of the major advantages of crystal nucleus new energy technology is that it can greatly alleviate energy shortages.

While it can't quite compare to nuclear fusion technology, which can fundamentally solve the energy problem and make energy truly zero-cost, turning it into the cheapest thing in the world, it's only a step behind.

After all, the true value of Crystal Core New Energy lies not in this, but in the emergence of a series of new industries that it can drive.

This is a good thing for the whole world, but for oil capitalists who make their fortunes from oil energy, it's like a magnitude 12 earthquake!

They would rather a magnitude 12 earthquake cause countless deaths and injuries than see this new energy technology, which could cut off their lifeline, come into existence.

So when they first heard from others that China had mastered this technology, the feelings of many oil tycoons were indescribable...

It was as if a sharp knife had pierced their hearts and was still churning inside, causing them to let out heart-wrenching screams.

Once this technology is widely adopted, a large portion of the oil industry will be wiped out, and their decades of wealth and prosperity will vanish overnight.

This is unacceptable to them.

Once you've tasted the sweetness of money and power, no one will ever be willing to spit it out again. Nobody!

Even though many people readily agreed to this negotiation, they were simply unwilling to proceed. However, their influence was so great that it was impossible to bypass them.

It's not that no one in the United States has proposed researching technologies similar to nuclear fusion energy, hoping to benefit society. However, shortly after the project leader and several key scientists put forward this "dangerous" idea, they were silently disappeared by numerous oil tycoons, demonstrating their apprehension and fear of such technologies.

Fortunately, what we have now is not nuclear fusion technology, so their survival options have not been completely exhausted. Otherwise, they would have incited Congress to start a war and resolve the issue by force.

That's why they were so violent, like they'd swallowed gunpowder, and when they occasionally looked at Jiang Lan, their eyes were practically fixed on a dead person.

Given the capitalists' habit of disregarding human life, they must have arranged some dirty tricks behind the scenes, right?

Yan Ziming has already made her decision—she will accept it all!

As for the cost of doing such a thing, that depends on whether they can afford it.

However, the negotiations must succeed, because Jiang Lan said that China urgently needs the technology of protective shields, and we must obtain it!

At this point, the negotiations were nearing their end, and someone left the room. The person who left was the most powerful of the oil tycoons, who slammed his fist on the table and walked away.

Li Haoyi sorted through the documents in his hand, shook his head helplessly, and sighed deeply:

"That concludes today's meeting. Let's prepare for the next round of negotiations and hope to reach an agreement before the end of the Civilization Cup."

How often are the meetings held?

“One or two days. We just talked about it yesterday, and the result... just like today, the talks broke down,” Jiang Lan explained.

"With those troublemakers around, it's impossible to reach an agreement! Maybe we should just..."

At this point, a fierce glint flashed in Yan Ziming's eyes.

She will show no mercy to these capitalists who exploit the people, live off the suffering of others, and whose very being is imbued with the blood and tears of the people.

"Are you stupid?!" Jiang Lan chopped Yan Ziming on the head with a light chop, as if it were a gentle slap. "If we really kill them, the meeting will really be unable to continue, and the United States' retaliation will come like a storm."

"This stalemate isn't going to work! With those troublemakers around, how long will we be talking?"

Jiang Lan also sighed: "I don't know either. Let's hope something unexpected happens..."

"..."

The negotiations ended in this way, with both sides parting on bad terms, once again reaching a stalemate, and it is unknown how long it will take to reach a complete agreement.

Yan Ziming grew angrier the more she looked at it, but she also understood that China's patience was not limitless.

If negotiations continue without results after one or two more rounds, the Chinese delegation will not be so eager to engage in such a cold-hearted approach. Those who should leave will leave, and those who should disperse will disperse. In any case, once Jinghe New Energy is successfully applied in China, they will turn around and beg for exchanges with China.

"Is there a deadline for the Chinese delegation?" Yan Ziming asked.

"The deadline given by the higher-ups is before the end of the Civilization Cup. By then, regardless of whether a deal has been reached, Academician Jiang Lan will have to return to China with a group of people with superpowers."

Li Haoyi was one of the candidates to protect Jiang Lan, so he naturally followed along and answered Yan Ziming's question.

"It's all because of 'interests'! There's internal discord, and the one opposing it is a powerful figure. It's going to be difficult for the United States Congress to pass the bill."

"internal......?"

Yan Zimo thought of the mandala.

She had already learned about the status of the Lofeel conglomerate online in the past few days, and the reality was indeed as she herself had said.

In the United States and even the world, the Lofeel family wields immense power, controlling most of the companies in many small and medium-sized countries. Even in China, some companies are controlled by the Lofeel family, although the shareholding percentages are not very large.

Such a large conglomerate family must have members holding positions in politics, and these members are likely veteran politicians on par with the oil tycoons. If we could get them to lobby on this matter...

Before that, she had an idea she needed to confirm.

"Hey, Li Haoyi, to what extent have capitalists gained control over the United States?"

There are often reports online that the United States is a country controlled by capital, and the president is only the nominal supreme authority.

In reality, numerous financial giants, the CIA, and other special agencies are the true behind-the-scenes decision-makers of the United States.

Yan Ziming wanted to ask them the extent of their control over the United States, in order to judge whether the Lofiel conglomerate was capable of helping her.

Although Li Haoyi is from the military, he's a seasoned veteran with a broader perspective than she does, so asking him is definitely the right thing to do.

"...Let me put it this way: in China, even if the fifty richest people banded together, they couldn't interfere with the central government's decisions, but in the United States, any one of the top five capitalists could influence the decisions of Congress."

After receiving a definite answer, Yan Ziming was already mentally planning how to get Mandala's help.

"You have a way?" Li Hao had a guess in his mind when he saw Yan Ziming's appearance.

"Yes, we've recently gotten involved with a certain conglomerate, but it depends on whether they agree to it."

"I see... I have high hopes for you. Work hard and achieve great things!" Li Hao said happily.

He didn't ask who Yan Ziming was involved with; such matters were matters of personal privacy. He was content with the fact that Yan Ziming's existence was a blessing rather than a curse for China.

"So, what exactly is Uncle busy with?" Yan Ziming asked.

"It seems the Marshal himself said he was going to do something of immense importance..." Jiang Lan's words were full of suspense, and Yan Ziming couldn't help but feel a sense of longing.

If even a powerful expert at the Sequence level considers this a momentous event, how much of an earthquake must it cause on the land of the United States?

Chapter Seventy-Five Visit

After the meeting ended, it was already evening when Yan Ziming handed over his shift to Yan Shan. During this time, Ye Qianxue called several times to inquire about Yan Ziming's safety.

After Jiang Lan got into the Lincoln, Yan Shan rolled down the window and asked:

"How did today's meeting go?... Never mind, I shouldn't have asked. It's pointless to ask anyway."

Yan Shan slapped his forehead, helpless against the ugly faces of those capitalists.

"Uncle, why do we urgently need that protective shield technology?" Yan Ziming asked, puzzled.

The reason why the Chinese community has been patient and negotiated with them for so long is largely because of this; otherwise, they would have simply walked away when the first meeting failed.

Yan Ziming simply didn't understand why this technology was so urgent for China.

The mutated species didn't make much of a move, the twelve military administrative districts were impregnable, and there was even an extra Sequence-level powerhouse. Why was this 'shell' so necessary for protection?

"Isn't it all because you're always causing trouble!" Yan Shan suddenly rebuked him heavily, though his face didn't show anger, but instead added a touch of authority.

Yan Ziming cried out that she was innocent, how did she get dragged into this again?

You can't stand not blaming her when things go wrong in a relationship, right?!

"Figure out the reason yourself. I have other things to do, so I'm leaving."

Yan Shan offered no explanation, gave Liu Mengxian a deep look, slammed on the gas, and sped away.

"I'm so angry—!" Yan Ziming cursed, refusing to even tell her the reason why he had been wronged for no reason!