The 2019 Celestial Trade Outer Space Resource Development Plan was like a giant rock tossed into the middle of a quiet lake.
Investors from different countries flocked in along with the immigrants. Xin welcomed its third immigration wave, and the scale was far greater than the previous two waves, even surpassing the sum of the previous two.
More houses were being built in Celestial City, but the city still couldnât catch up to the population growth.
With the increase in the development of space resources, new industries were born and new gadgets appeared in the market in this city floating around the synchronous orbit every day. Those who originally held a pessimistic view of the commercial value of the space elevator put down their dignity and poured into Xin.
Anyone could see the business opportunities and broad prospects.
If Xin was only an ideal immigrant country a year ago, it was now a paradise for immigrants.
Talents from all walks of life could find a suitable job in Celestial City, even if they didnât know how to do anything before. After half a year of training in the Astronaut Training Center on Ange Island, they could even pilot a spacecraft on the geosynchronous orbit.
These immigrants were not only from Hua but also from the other side of the globe such as Canada, the United Kingdom, nearby Southeast Asia and distant Russia. Police drones helped to maintain order. These immigrants from all over the world didnât ruin the security of Xin. Instead, they brought their culture to the new country and contributed to the diversification and compatibility of the countryâs diverse culture.
It wasnât just grassroots movement but also international capital.
After the development forum, private companies already had a taste of the opportunities available. With approval from their government, public institutions linked to the aerospace sector also joined in. They had begun to develop their own space technology with the help of the space elevator platform.
Everyone wanted to participate, and no one wanted to lag behind in the undeveloped?space.
Zhang Yaping didnât have time to feel bothered by election campaigns. Actions were always stronger than words. Celestial Trade took control of his election work and instead, he spent all day with the diplomats of different countries to obtain more benefits for Celestial Trade.
While he was busy, his days were quite enjoyable. He just attended the banquet of the Russian Embassy the day before. Today, he was chatting with the UA ambassador in a private hall.
On the evening of April 20th, a private jet landed at Moscow International Airport under the mask of night.
There was no grand ceremony and there were no crowded reporters, but the Kremlin welcomed this special and distinguished visitor with the highest diplomatic etiquette.
Surrounded by several burly and hairy men, Jiang Chen sat in a black long limousine. He couldnât tell the name of the vehicle from the outside, but the lavishness inside made him think about purchasing one for himself. While pondering it, a security department agent had already respectfully opened the door for him.
Other than the Russian Foreign Minister, Jiang Chen also saw an unexpected person.
âOh? You came to pick me up. I thought you were doing damage on the Russian border.â
It was Natasha. She was wearing a ladyâs suit, her long blond hair was tied into a ponytail and she looked quite formal. The only thing that wasnât too âformalâ was probably her bulging chest. Jiang Chen had only not seen her for half a month, yet he felt it already got bigger. The buttons on the white shirt seemed to be crying in agony, ready to explode at any second. But for some odd reason, her waist still looked so thin.
Eastern Europeansâ body proportions always amazed him.
Natasha didnât care about Jiang Chen staring at her chest, but she expressed a considerable degree of dissatisfaction with his first sentence, and she retorted back, âLet me correct one point-intelligence gathering and causing destruction are two different things. Please donât take the nature of my work andâŠâ
âAhem.â
The Russian who was sitting directly across from him coughed, and Natasha quickly closed her mouth.
Jiang Chen sat next to Natasha and examined the man across from him. Of course, he knew the identity of the Foreign Minister. But what alerted him was that from his attitude, Natashaâs identity didnât seem so simple either.
At least, unlike ordinary intelligence agents.
âWelcome to Moscow, Mr. Jiang. My full name is very long. According to the language habits of the Han people, you can call me Sminov.â Unlike his burly appearance, the voice of Mr. Sminov was courteous, and his standard Mandarin was good enough for him to be an announcer. He seemed to be a natural at diplomacy.
âI am Jiang Chen.â
Jiang Chen smiled, shook his hand, and began to chat.
The two didnât discuss any work in the car and just chatted about all things. Sminov was an interesting person. While he didnât talk much, he could talk about many topics. They discussed football, gold, then went on about fishing. Even if Sminov didnât know some of the things, he could use clever language techniques to not make Jiang Chen feel bored.
And Natasha, sitting next to Jiang Chen, just felt invisible. Maybe it was because of her identity, but aside from her first sentence, she didnât speak anymore.
It wasnât until the car was parked at the door of a five-star hotel that Sminov mentioned the important affair.
â⊠In addition to the special security team of the Russian Security Service responsible for the peripheral work, on this trip in Moscow, Miss Natasha will be your security consultant. Whether itâs in life or work, if you encounter any inconveniences, you can consult her.â
âDonât be polite; this is my job.â Natasha squeezed her eyebrows at Jiang Chen. It was the second sentence she said.
âDonât worry. I wonât be polite with you.â
Youâve been drinking and eating at my house for so long. If I donât bother you, Iâll be missing out on an opportunity big time!
Natasha grinned. Jiang Chen then looked at Sminov again. âI donât know when youâre going to start the official discussion with us; Iâm free any time, but I hope itâs not too late.â
âIn three days at the latest. We will arrange for you to meet with an important person as soon as possible. Itâs because heâs currently on the front lines and canât come back immediately; I hope you can understand,â Sminov replied.
âNo hurry. I will stay here for a while; Iâm always free.â
After a few words, Sminov said goodbye to Jiang Chen.
Accompanied by Natasha and security personnel, Jiang Chen stepped into this five-star hotel. However, at the door of the presidential suite where he was staying, only Natasha followed behind him.
Jiang Chen took off his suit and tossed the tie aside. He then languidly took some champagne from the fridge and nonchalantly asked Natasha, âCan you tell me what youâre planning to discuss with me?â
âIâm sorry, I donât know the exact details. This is top secret⊠I can only reveal one point and itâs related to the situation in Europe.â
Jiang Chen nodded and didnât make it difficult for Natasha.
He then headed to the bathroom door. As he was about to take off his clothes to take a shower, he suddenly stopped and looked at Natasha on the sofa.
âIâm going to rest soon. Youâre not going back to your room?â
She was amused by Jiang Chen and her bright red lips grinned. Natasha was leaning on the sofa drinking and didnât have intentions to move at all. She gracefully crossed her legs.
âMy room? Itâs here.â