Chapter 262: You

Qin Feng's "information disturbance" targeting global public opinion was like dropping a depth charge onto the dark web; its chain reactions far surpassed the pitiful defamation launched by "Pandora." Intelligence agencies of various nations, secret laboratories, and even some deeply hidden ancient organizations all stirred like disturbed beehives, frantically attempting to trace the source of those mysterious messages and decipher their possible meanings. Suddenly, international undercurrents surged wildly, and few paid attention anymore to "New Era's" so-called "negative news."

Pandora's public relations offensive had not yet gained momentum before it collapsed on its own, leaving only Lilith raging helplessly at headquarters.

Yet this high-dimensional contest remained distant to the overwhelming majority of "New Era" members. What they felt more acutely was the significant improvement in their quality of life, brought about by the large-scale distribution of points and Qin Feng's "open-source" policy, as well as… an astonishing sense of "wealth."

This "wealth" did not refer to a sudden surge in personal fortune, but rather to the near-infinite resource mobilization and technological realization capacity demonstrated by the entire "New Era" community.

Under Qin Feng's approval and heavy resource allocation, Phase Two of the Undersea Cultural Center—including a large cinema, concert hall, and virtual reality experience pavilion—rose at an astonishing speed, its interior finishes and equipment standards even surpassing those of top-tier venues in many old-era international metropolises.

After Guanlan Yuan, the higher-standard Star Harbor District residential project had already begun preliminary design; once the concept renderings were released, the futuristic community planning, comprehensive supporting facilities, and promised personalized customization services left every resident yearning for it.

Not to mention the limited-access "premium customization services" now open to high-point holders—personalized accessories crafted by the Material Laboratory from derivatives of Obsidian Type-C, possessing weak energy affinity; personal flight devices or smart home systems provided by the Engineering Department, improved from obsolete technologies and far outperforming commercial products; even extremely cautious and limited genetic optimization consultations offered by the Biology Department…

Each item required an astronomical amount of points to redeem.

Yet surprisingly, items on the redemption list were almost always sold out within a short time—especially those bearing "New Era's" unique technological labels, which were priceless and unavailable.

Behind this lay the staggering volume of points held by "New Era" members, and their unwavering confidence in the future and in this city-state.

One day, at a newly opened drink shop in the residential zone specializing in rare fruits grown via hydroponics and environmental simulation systems, several young engineers just off shift sat together.

"My god, Old Zhang, you actually redeemed that Obsidian bracelet?! How many points did that cost?!" a young man with glasses exclaimed in envy, staring at the sleek, dark band glowing with a deep luster on his companion's wrist.

The engineer called Old Zhang proudly waved his wrist: "Saved up nearly a year's project bonuses, plus extra rewards from a few previous tech breakthroughs—barely scraped together enough. Supposedly it helps regulate bioelectricity; wearing it to sleep really does make you feel more at ease."

"Man, trading a year's bonus for that… you're way too rich!"

Old Zhang smiled and pointed out the window at the rapidly advancing construction site of Cultural Center Phase Two: "What's this to me? Look over there—look at the upcoming Star Harbor District—and then check the internal system for those premium items that require astronomical points just to preview… I just realized our 'New Era' is seriously, damn rich."

He sighed: "Back when I worked for multinational corporations, I thought I'd seen the world. But here—pouring resources into infrastructure without counting costs, handing out massive bonuses to members, and continuously producing these black-tech products for internal use… this depth, this scale—it's simply unimaginable!"

"Yeah," the glasses-wearing young man agreed, "I heard the Energy Department is already planning a new fusion reactor just to support Star Harbor District and future deep-space exploration experiments. The resource investment is like it's free."

"The key is, Sir never seems to worry about resources?" another lowered his voice. "Look at Assistant Su—busy as she is, every time Sir approves a project, it's always swift and decisive. Never heard of any delays due to funding or resource shortages."

"Of course! Who is Sir? He's the kind who can conjure things out of thin air… uh, I mean, he controls techniques beyond mortal comprehension! To him, resources are probably just sand on a beach."

"Now that you say it… it actually makes sense! The points we use are just a form of credential recognized by Sir. The fact that he can create so many priceless things for us to redeem proves his 'wealth' is an astronomical number we can't even imagine."

"Now that you put it that way… I suddenly feel my little pile of points isn't that impressive anymore…" Old Zhang looked at his bracelet and suddenly found it less appealing.

All of them laughed, but their smiles were filled with pride and belonging.

"Who cares! As long as Sir is rich, 'New Era' is rich! Following Sir, our future is limitless!"

"Right! Cheers! To 'New Era'!"

"To Sir!"

Similar conversations and reflections quietly unfolded across every corner of "New Era." People gradually realized that the leader they followed possessed not merely money or resources, but an almost infinite capacity for creation and unwavering certainty about the future.

He seemed to possess fingers that could turn stones to gold, transforming ordinary materials into treasures, and viewing the vast stars as a journey.

This realization further solidified Qin Feng's near-divine status and elevated the cohesion of the entire "New Era" to an unprecedented height.

When Su Wenqian reported these grassroots exclamations of "You're way too rich" as amusing anecdotes to Qin Feng, he merely gave a noncommittal reply.

Money? Resources?

In his eyes, these were merely tools to achieve his goals.

His gaze remained fixed on something far more distant.

There lay unbroken alien signals, a deep space mothership awaiting launch, the unresolved threat of the Star Ring, and… the girl in Kunlun Mountain who called him "brother," soon to return with the answer.

Compared to these, so-called "wealth" was merely the tiniest speck of dust beneath his feet.