Chapter 1083: Chapter 1082: An Unusual Identity
Wang Liumei certainly keeps her promises.
And Fang Zheng, as he wished, tasted the food he had been longing for.
"Mmm... this is the taste!"
Biting into the dumpling in front of him, Fang Zheng was moved to tears.
"This is the taste... This is the authentic vegetable and pork dumpling..."
"Is it really that exaggerated, Mr. Fang Zheng?"
Sitting across from Fang Zheng, Wang Liumei sipped her tea in small gulps and curiously glanced at him.
"Of course, you know how Japanese dumplings are... They even put garlic in them? I don’t even want to mention it..."
At the mention of this, Fang Zheng felt ill.
If it were garlic in the seasoning, that could be understood, but putting garlic in the filling, what’s the deal?
How can they expect people to survive like that?
Laozi doesn’t even eat ginger!
"Hehehe, each region has its own way of doing things..."
"That’s true, but I still prefer the old taste."
Fang Zheng contentedly swallowed the last dumpling, took a sip of the soup, and sighed in satisfaction. Hehehe, I just think stewed beef and potatoes taste better than steak, Michelin-rated or not, what are you gonna do about it?
"Thank you so much, Miss Wang. If you hadn’t shown me, I wouldn’t have known there was such an authentic Chinese restaurant here."
"It’s great that Mr. Fang Zheng enjoys it... would you like some more?"
"Of course."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng gestured with his hand.
"Waiter..."
"Yes, what would you like to order, sir?"
"Hmm, from here to here... A serving of each of the Cantonese dishes, and I want some soup as well."
"Alright."
"..........."
Listening to Fang Zheng’s conversation with the waiter, even Wang Liumei’s smile stiffened slightly.
"Mr. Fang Zheng... that’s a lot... Can you finish it all?"
"Of course, it’s rare to find such authentic cuisine. I also want to try their other dishes, and I can order a few of the best to take back for my little girls to try."
"Oh?"
Wang Liumei was momentarily surprised.
"Mr. Fang Zheng, are you already married?"
"Of course not."
Fang Zheng waved his hand.
"I was talking about my adorable little sisters. It’s rare to encounter authentic Chinese dishes, so not bringing some back for them would be a waste."
"I see..."
Upon hearing this, Wang Liumei finally understood and couldn’t help but chuckle.
"So, Miss Wang, you brought me here because there was something you wanted to say to me, right?"
Taking advantage of the time between dishes, Fang Zheng wiped his mouth, took a sip of tea, and smiled at Wang Liumei. If this twin ponytail girl was just curious and friendly at the start, Fang Zheng was now certain she definitely had something to discuss with him.
Why?
Fang Zheng knew he had been here by himself for an hour already, and during that time, this young lady had only been drinking tea. They didn’t know each other beforehand, and this wasn’t a date, so spending so much time on him, could it just be because she was drawn to his looks?
Hmm... it’s not impossible?
"I’m just intrigued by your views, Mr. Fang Zheng."
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s question, Wang Liumei changed her posture and looked at him with a grin.
"After all, until now, almost everyone believed the Reapers were a threat to humanity, an enemy of humanity, but to boldly express your own view like Mr. Fang Zheng, you’re the first... Aren’t you afraid of being seen as a sociopath?"
"I’m just stating facts."
Faced with Wang Liumei’s inquiry, Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.
"Life itself is something that needs to be pressured and threatened to strive to survive. Why do deer herd together? Because they have countless predators and enemies in the wild, like cheetahs, tigers, lions. If they don’t gather, the only outcome is getting caught and eaten. Humans are the same. The reason humans fight internally so fiercely now is that they have not yet found their enemy. Once they discover their existence, the beliefs and truths they would have defended with their lives will be thrown aside immediately."
Here, Fang Zheng let out a light snort.
"After all, nothing is more important than the life and death of humanity itself. Once humanity is extinct, don’t expect Alien to care about which religion or ideology they followed when discovering human ruins in the future."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng also mused. Indeed, as of now, the conflict situations between countries and races in this world are far more complex than in other worlds. To unite them, the best way is to... Hmm, maybe he should order Iona not to destroy all the Reapers but to leave one team behind to occasionally stir things up with humans here?
After all, that would be the most effective way to promote human societal unification.
Of course, integration should be gradual, and leadership and subordination must be defined. Pursuing total equality in any sense will only lead to the complete collapse of the social system. So Fang Zheng’s idea is to integrate all humanity through the Earth Federation and have the Chinese Federation take the lead...
Of course, that’s not an easy task either.
"So, Mr. Fang Zheng, what do you think should be done?"
Wang Liumei clasped her hands together and curiously looked at Fang Zheng.
"With your suggestion, when the Reapers are completely destroyed, wouldn’t humans still fall into a cycle of mutual slaughter? When that time comes, what should we do?"
"Let’s not speak of whether the Reapers will be completely destroyed, but even if they are, it wouldn’t matter."
Watching the waiter bring another dish, Fang Zheng picked up his chopsticks.
"The Reapers have already proven the existence of aliens. Since that’s the case, humans should take the initiative to explore and discover extraterrestrial civilizations. Once they realize that the universe is not inhabited by humans alone, but by other species — even those more advanced in civilization — humans will naturally be forced to choose integration and unity, just like a deer herd discovering predators."
"Is that so? But I’ve heard the Reapers are creations from another world."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng raised his head and glanced at the girl in front of him. Such intelligence isn’t easily accessible to everyone. It’s known that the only people aware the Reapers originated from another world are Fang Zheng’s connections and the Nadeshiko’s crew. Since its return to the Federation Fleet, the Nadeshiko has been under quarantine and inspection. For now, the information about the Reapers coming from another world is top secret. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a trace of it on the internet or in the media.
This young lady with the bun hairstyle knows about it... she must have quite a unique identity.
"I don’t know where these rumors started, but they’re not without reason."
Fang Zheng didn’t dwell on this topic; regardless of the bun-haired girl’s identity, he didn’t care.
"It only shows that some people need to face the inevitable to realize it. If these were indeed creations from another world, it would only imply this world still being ruled by humans. That’s why I say, rather than focusing on these issues, attention should be directed to extraterrestrial star systems to find other civilizations. Once humans discover and engage with other civilizations, internal human matters will be insignificant."
"...to seek out other alien civilizations..."
Hearing this, Wang Liumei’s expression turned serious, as if contemplating something. After a moment, she smiled gently at Fang Zheng.
"Now that’s an interesting proposal..."