Chapter 324: The Unit Is Billion, You Know

Xia Wan's speech was like a powerful stimulant injected into the hearts of everyone present. It was not merely a display of power, but a declaration of belief, a beacon pointing the way. The endless applause and cheers reflected the people's hearts and utterly shattered G. S. C.'s attempt to disrupt the venue and undermine the New Era's prestige. The Advisor, amid looks of contempt or mockery, left the hall in disgrace, hastily dragging his injured subordinates along, too ashamed to proceed with the planned follow-up harassment.

The atmosphere of the annual meeting reached its climax. The subsequent segments—including demonstrations of cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements, the announcement of deep-space exploration plans, and the signing of strategic agreements with global partner institutions—all proceeded with exceptional smoothness. Everyone was infected by a soaring, future-oriented passion.

Lei Dong, as Commander, was especially elated, moving effortlessly among the guests, handling every interaction with ease. Yet deep within him, one matter still weighed on his mind—the matter of "profit sharing," something that filled him with both anticipation and unease.

During the lunch break of the annual meeting, guests mingled freely, the mood relatively relaxed. Lei Dong spotted Qin Feng sitting alone in an unobtrusive corner of the banquet hall, before him a few delicate pastries (clearly specially prepared by logistics staff to the highest standard), which he was slowly savoring, utterly out of step with the surrounding bustle.

He took a deep breath, straightened his collar, glanced at Xia Wan several yards away, surrounded by several esteemed scientists and engaged in lively conversation, gathered his courage, picked up a glass of wine, plastered on his face the most sincere and respectful smile, and walked toward Qin Feng.

"Mr. Qin," Lei Dong bowed slightly, "today's annual meeting has been a great success, thanks entirely to you and Xia Wan holding the line, deterring villains and uniting hearts. On behalf of the New Era, I toast you!"

Qin Feng lifted his eyelids, glanced at the wine glass in Lei Dong's hand, made no move to raise his own, and merely murmured a soft "Hmm."

Lei Dong felt no embarrassment; he drained his glass himself, then sat down casually in the empty seat opposite Qin Feng, adopting an extremely humble posture.

"Mr. Qin, having you attend this meeting is truly our honor. If there's anything about the venue setup, catering, or anything else you're dissatisfied with, please say so—we'll fix it immediately!" Lei Dong began his groundwork.

"Acceptable," Qin Feng replied succinctly, his attention seemingly more focused on the intricately shaped pastry before him.

Lei Dong rubbed his hands, his smile unchanged, his tone now even more cautious as he steered toward the main topic: "Mr. Qin, your assistance to the New Era is nothing short of a rebirth. Take, for instance, that oil field coordinate you casually mentioned the other day…"

As he spoke, he carefully observed Qin Feng's expression. Seeing no reaction, he continued:

"…G. S. C. has confirmed it—reserves are staggering, quality is exceptional! According to our intelligence and their internal evaluation reports, the preliminary estimate of the field's potential total value…"

He paused, as if to emphasize, or perhaps to steel himself, lowering his voice but enunciating with crystal clarity:

"…could exceed three trillion, Earth currency."

As he uttered this number, his own heart gave a violent jolt. Three trillion! A figure terrifying enough to drive any nation or conglomerate mad!

Yet Qin Feng's expression didn't change. His pace of chewing the pastry remained utterly unchanged, as if he'd heard not three trillion, but three yuan.

Lei Dong swallowed hard, forced a smile, and spoke the most crucial sentence:

"Mr. Qin, regarding this… this… 'profit' generated by your guidance… uh… the 'dividend'… how do you think we should… how should we handle it?"

He finally said the words "profit sharing." After speaking them, he felt a cold sweat break out along his back. He stared intently at Qin Feng, heart pounding, waiting for his reaction.

Would he sneer? Would he think Lei Dong vulgar? Or…

Qin Feng finally finished the last bite of pastry, picked up the pristine white napkin beside him, and slowly wiped his lips.

Then he raised his eyes, looking directly at Lei Dong for the first time—hands clammy with nervous sweat.

His gaze remained calm, devoid of any emotion, as if he were observing a subordinate reporting on work.

Under Lei Dong's anxious stare, Qin Feng spoke, his voice as flat as if discussing the weather:

"Only three trillion?"

Lei Dong: "!!!"

He nearly thought he'd misheard!

Only… three trillion?!

Sir, you call three trillion "only"? That's three trillion! Not three hundred million, not three yuan!

Lei Dong's mouth hung open, utterly at a loss for words.

Qin Feng, seeing his stunned expression, seemed to feel the need to clarify, and added softly:

"The unit is billion."

Lei Dong: "…"

He felt his brain had completely crashed, his CPU burned out.

The unit is billion…

Those five light words struck harder than the earlier "only three trillion."

So… the sir didn't mishear the unit—he truly thought… three trillion… was too little?!

What kind of perspective and vision does he possess?!

Lei Dong felt his entire lifelong conception of wealth and value had just been utterly pulverized into dust.

Watching Lei Dong's expression—as if struck by lightning—Qin Feng seemed to lose interest in continuing the topic. He stood, smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles on his coat, scanned the banquet hall where human elites were loudly discussing and dreaming of the future, then returned his gaze to Lei Dong, his tone still flat:

"Keep those mundane things for yourselves."

"Build the Mother Ship as soon as possible."

"And,"

He paused, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of obstruction, gazing into the depths of the stars, where darker, more terrifying shadows seemed to stir.

"Prepare for war."

With that, he turned and left the banquet hall without further delay, his back still tall and solitary, as if the exchange about "three trillion" had been a trivial footnote.

Even after Qin Feng's figure vanished through the door, Lei Dong remained frozen in place, motionless for a long while.

His mind kept echoing Qin Feng's final words.

Mundane things… keep them for yourselves…

Build the Mother Ship as soon as possible…

Prepare for war…

So, in Mr. Qin's eyes, the three-trillion fortune that could shake the world and drive G. S. C. mad was merely… a "mundane thing"? Fuel to accelerate their own development?

And what he truly cared about was the Mother Ship capable of carrying humanity into deep space, and the inevitable… interstellar war!

Lei Dong slowly exhaled a long breath, feeling his heart still pounding.

He suddenly realized how laughable and insignificant his earlier obsession with "profit sharing" had been.

Before the true stars and war, money might truly be the most negligible "mundane thing."

He lifted his head, gazing out the window at the blue sky, his eyes gradually growing as deep and resolute as Qin Feng's.

Yes, they must hasten.

To face the unknown war, they must race against every second.