Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

A month later.

[Earth] Inside a meeting room.

The council members sat quietly on either side of the conference table, as if waiting for something.

"Congressman Hong."

Albert's voice suddenly broke the silence of the conference room.

"Why hasn't the Speaker of the Council arrived yet?"

Hong Qiming sat in his seat with his eyes downcast and his mind at peace.

His expression remained unchanged in the face of Albert's question.

"The election meeting hasn't started yet; the speaker probably has other things to attend to."

The meeting room fell silent once again.

A few minutes later.

Albert let out a long breath, stood up from his chair, and said in fluent Mandarin, "Congressman Hong, time is almost up."

"Is the Speaker of the National Assembly still able to come?"

Hong Qiming slowly closed his eyes, trying to hide his inner anxiety and unease.

"Why do you ask that?"

He did his best to maintain his composure and asked in a calm tone.

Albert didn't speak, but stared intently at Hong Qiming's face, trying to glean some information from his expression.

Clearly, he failed.

Albert kicked his chair away in frustration.

"Congressman Albert!"

"Maintain order!"

"This is Parliament, not your office!"

Hong Qiming raised an eyebrow, suddenly opened his eyes, and stared intently at Albert in front of him.

Albert paused.

"Associate Hong, I remember we were on equal footing, weren't we?"

"Have you already decided to make yourself the second speaker of the council?"

Faced with Albert's provocation, Hong Qiming's expression grew even calmer: "Congressman Albert, please watch your words."

"I was just trying to be helpful, so that things wouldn't get messy when the Speaker of the Legislative Council arrives."

Albert's expression froze.

He turned his head and stared gloomily at the seat directly in front of him.

Speaker of Parliament...

Since the establishment of the People's Federation, this old man has been a heavy burden on his head.

No, to be precise, it was before the establishment of the People's Federation.

Thinking of this, a hint of annoyance flashed in Albert's eyes.

The meeting room returned to calm.

A hint of worry flashed in Hong Qiming's eyes.

Yesterday's memories resurfaced in his mind.

……

yesterday.

The office of the Speaker of Parliament.

Inside the vast medical pod, the councilor's eyes were slightly closed.

He was in a deep sleep at that moment.

This can ensure the legislator's physical functions as much as possible, provided that cells and growth enzymes are functioning normally.

Thin, long catheters connect to the legislator's long blood vessels.

Inside the duct were countless silver-white nanorobots.

These nanorobots worked tirelessly inside the senator's body.

This scene has been going on for a whole month.

"Professor, will the Speaker of the Congress be able to wake up tomorrow?"

Hong Qiming's eyes were full of worry as he asked Lü Yongchang in a low voice.

Lu Yongchang glanced at the various indicators displayed in the medical pod, hesitated for a moment, and slowly shook his head.

"I have no idea."

"You know the Speaker's health; he's reached the point of near death."

"The growth enzyme cannot be made effective simply by being injected."

"At the very least, it requires time to synthesize and repair telomere material."

"Moreover, we also need to use nanobots to clean up various impurities in the Speaker's body."

Hong Qiming sighed softly.

"But the election rally is tomorrow."

……

Inside Lü Yongchang's office.

"Speaker, are you really not going over there yet?"

Lu Yongchang looked at the old man sitting in the chair in front of him with his eyes closed, and asked in a low voice.

Compared to a month ago, the old man's spirits have improved significantly.

The old man glanced at the image in the hologram and replied in a low voice, "It's not time yet."

"This is a rare opportunity for training."

Lü Yongchang shook his head with a wry smile.

Well, the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is.

He should just stay a quiet observer and watch the show.

……

Albert glanced at the hologram.

The timing is perfect.

"Congressman Hong, it's time for the election rally."

Albert looked at Hong Qiming with a gloomy expression: "Why hasn't the Speaker arrived yet?"

Hong Qiming took a deep breath.

A bad feeling flashed through his mind.

Could it be... that it failed?

He turned his head to look at the holographic projection.

The ticking of the second hand seemed to tug at his heartstrings.

"Councilor Hung Chi-ming!"

Having received no response, Albert stood up from his chair again.

"I haven't seen the Speaker of the House of Representatives for more than a month."

"Based on the information I have, it seems that you have been doing the work of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the past month."

"I have reason to doubt the Speaker's health!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the meeting room erupted in uproar.

Most of the members of parliament stared wide-eyed.

A mix of unease and surprise turned to Hong Qiming.

Some of the lawmakers did not show any surprise at the news.

Clearly, they had also guessed the situation to some extent through their own channels.

Despite the gazes of the congressmen, Hung Chi-ming remained firmly seated in his chair.

"Congressman Albert."

"Since your intelligence is so thorough, why don't you tell everyone here what the Speaker has been doing for the past month?"

Albert's expression changed slightly.

I've been checkmated.

He really didn't know what the Speaker of the Legislative Council had been up to this past month.

A faint smile appeared on Hong Qiming's lips.

He believed in Zero's abilities.

On the Earth, no one will ever be able to cross the limit of zero.

"Congressman Albert."

There is an old saying in the Xia Dynasty.

"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

Have you heard of it?

Hong Qiming slowly stood up and looked around.

"Everyone, please wait a little longer."

"I believe the Speaker was simply delayed by something."

……

Inside Lü Yongchang's office.

The speaker of parliament looked at the image on the holographic projection and a smile appeared on his lips.

He nodded in satisfaction and slowly rose from his chair.

"Now, the time has come."

……

Time passed second by second.

Just as Albert was about to get up and say something again, the conference room door quietly opened.

A sprightly old man stood quietly before the crowd, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Speaker of the council!"

Hong Qiming was overjoyed!

He instinctively tried to stand up, but was held in place by the electromagnetic attraction device.

He hurriedly unplugged the electromagnetic adsorption device, then stood up and walked towards the Speaker of Parliament.

As for Abbott and some members of parliament.

The old man chuckled softly as he met the gaze of the congressman.

"What's wrong?"

"Can't an old man like me be late even once?"

As he spoke, his expression turned serious.

"I hereby declare the election for the second Speaker of Parliament to begin."

"I propose that Councilor Hung Chi-ming serve as the second Speaker."

"Who's in favor, and who's opposed?!"