Deep Space Wandering Fleet

Chapter 123: Chapter 124 Global Planning

After the meal, Zhang Yuan and several staff members cleaned up everything and carefully cleaned the kitchen once more, feeling slightly tired as he left the dining hall.

Suddenly, he felt someone patting his shoulder.

Turning his head, it was Lin Xuanyuan.

Her complexion was slightly rosy, and she seemed less troubled than at the beginning.

Lin Xuanyuan asked, “Feeling a bit tired?”

“Not really, just think of it as a workout.”

“Then, how about we take a walk in the botanical garden? I feel a bit stuffed.”

Zhang Yuan thought about it, having nothing else to do, he nodded.

Currently on Earth Era, the most popular place was undoubtedly the botanical garden, filled with various functional plants, it was bursting with greenery, and the air was the freshest.

In the low gravity environment, to allow orderly growth of plants, scientists had researched and designed special spatial devices to fix and cultivate the plants in a substrate, enabling them to grow in an orderly manner as reasoned.

The two walked side by side, enjoying the fresh and natural air.

Suddenly, Lin Xuanyuan said, “Just waking up from hibernation, how can one forget the past? Sometimes when it suddenly comes to mind, it still hurts. Although today has been quite pleasant.”

Zhang Yuan sat on the step, “Let me tell you a story…”

“Sure,” Lin Xuanyuan also sat down next to him.

“I used to have a good friend in high school, after graduation, we went to different universities. At first, we kept in touch frequently, but gradually, we drifted into different social circles.

“I couldn’t understand the statuses he posted on his social circle; he didn’t know any of the friends I showcased in mine.”

“That’s how we gradually lost contact.”

“It’s been so long since we last spoke, so long that I myself have forgotten. When he updated his status next, he posted a prayer, and it was then through the comments that I found out someone in his family had been seriously ill recently.”

“So, I sent a message to ask how things were, but got no reply. After a few times, I stopped sending messages.”

“And then we lost contact for good.”

“I think, life, in the end, is a gradual farewell. Sometimes it’s inevitably hard to accept, the friendship we had just cut off like that… Cherishing the present is what’s most important, isn’t it?”

Lin Xuanyuan’s eyes met his, and she couldn’t help but smile, “Sometimes, you’re not so straightforward, quite poetic actually…”

Zhang Yuan laughed, “How could someone without a poetic soul travel to the distant places?”

“Such vanity… Do you still remember the memos on Earth?”

“Of course,” Zhang Yuan reminisced, “The most unforgettable was buying a BQ ice cream, so expensive, it really hurt.”

“You’re really stingy, just over an ice cream!”

Zhang Yuan touched his nose, “I donated all my property, am I still stingy?! For this banquet, I even spent twenty thousand New Coins!”

“Ah, you’re really generous!” Lin Xuanyuan exaggerated her compliment.

The two talked for a long time, reminiscing about the past, describing the future…

Suddenly, Zhang Yuan realized that he was not as strong as he had imagined, many things were just suppressed in his heart, and now with an outlet, he couldn’t hold them back, like opening a floodgate.

The girl opposite him was the same, unknowingly, she had said a lot.

Venting was indeed the best way to relieve stress.

Soon, the botanical garden was about to close, and soft music started playing.

Zhang Yuan stood up from the steps.

Lin Xuanyuan suddenly asked, “Generous Mr. Zhang, spending so much money, do you feel a sting?”

Zhang Yuan replied with a smile, “Are you interviewing me now? You surely can’t still be a journalist, right?”

“It’s a professional habit, I’m actually a doctor now. I originally studied medicine, journalism was just a side job. Did you really think our civilization could afford a leisurely profession like a journalist?”

He internally criticized, why would a woman who studied medicine bizarrely moonlight as a journalist?

“Doctor? Your patients must be tormented to death by your intense curiosity!”

Lin Xuanyuan rolled her eyes, “It’s called a strong and intense curiosity, okay? If I were to become a physicist, I would definitely outperform you!”

“I was just curious; twenty thousand New Coins have real purchasing power in the New Civilization, not just assets from Earth. If it were me, I’d probably hesitate to spend that on a meal…”

“That just shows my high morals!” Zhang Yuan laughed heartily.

“Your morals are high?”

Seeing Lin Xuanyuan’s skeptical look and recalling the pain of purchasing, he felt a bit embarrassed, “…Actually, I figured making money won’t be a big issue in the future. A few tens of thousands, just a drop in the bucket, letting everyone have a good time is what’s important.”

Wait, that sounded a bit too pretentious, maybe not so appropriate.

Lin Xuanyuan couldn’t help but chuckle, “That’s so vain of you to say! If everyone thought like you, society would indeed be simpler.”

Zhang Yuan honestly expressed, “Actually, I did feel a sting at that moment, but it was back to normal afterwards.”

“You call me simple, but it’s not like that… For this event, I went through a series of rational calculations before making this choice.”

“If I were to use scientific language to properly explain my recent action, it might be for the sake of creating a friendlier, more harmonious societal norm… Such an atmosphere is beneficial to everyone’s quality of life and can last for a long time.”

“Spending twenty thousand to enhance the collective quality of life is truly worth it. I even suggest that we should organize such banquets regularly.”

Lin Xuanyuan blinked, “You tech guys, are you always this serious when talking? I remember, aren’t you in the space machinery industry? Why are you dabbling in sociology now?”

Zhang Yuan responded, “Earth Civilization’s sociology is indeed humanities. But currently, New Civilization History is actually science, based on game theory and psychology. With such a small population, it’s not difficult to find a local optimum…”

Hearing a bunch of technical terms, Lin Xuanyuan felt a bit overwhelmed, quickly sticking out her tongue playfully.

Zhang Yuan continued, “Without a global plan, left to its own devices, humans would naturally choose the most beneficial greedy strategy for themselves. What is the most beneficial greedy strategy? Of course, controlling more resources, seizing the most beautiful mates, and building an entourage to consolidate a violent regime.”

“If everyone thought this way, striving for the maximization of personal interests, life would become a mess, filled with contradictions and dangers. Have you read novels about the apocalypse? The outcome is that, besides a few individuals, everyone’s life is miserable. That’s the classic prisoner’s dilemma.”