Chapter 1000 Moscow Trip
The 2019 Celestial Trade Outer s.p.a.ce 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 surpa.s.sing the sum of the previous two.
More houses were being built in Celestial City, but the city still couldn’t catch up to the population growth.
With the increase in the development of s.p.a.ce resources, new industries were born and new gadgets appeared in the market in this city floating around the synchronous...o...b..t every day. Those who originally held a pessimistic view of the commercial value of the s.p.a.ce 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 didn’t 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 s.p.a.cecraft on the geosynchronous...o...b..t.
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 didn’t ruin the security of Xin. Instead, they brought their culture to the new country and contributed to the diversification and compatibility of the country’s diverse culture.
It wasn’t just gra.s.sroots 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 inst.i.tutions linked to the aeros.p.a.ce sector also joined in. They had begun to develop their own s.p.a.ce technology with the help of the s.p.a.ce elevator platform.
Everyone wanted to partic.i.p.ate, and no one wanted to lag behind in the undeveloped s.p.a.ce.
Zhang Yaping didn’t 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 Emba.s.sy the day before. Today, he was chatting with the UA amba.s.sador 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 couldn’t 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.
“Oh? You came to pick me up. I thought you were doing damage on the Russian border.”
It was Natasha. She was wearing a lady’s suit, her long blond hair was tied into a ponytail and she looked quite formal. The only thing that wasn’t too “formal” was probably her bulging chest. Jiang Chen had only not seen her for half a month, yet he felt it already got bigger. The b.u.t.tons on the white s.h.i.+rt seemed to be crying in agony, ready to explode at any second. But for some odd reason, her waist still looked so thin.
Eastern Europeans’ body proportions always amazed him.
Natasha didn’t care about Jiang Chen staring at her chest, but she expressed a considerable degree of dissatisfaction with his first sentence, and she retorted back, “Let me correct one point-intelligence gathering and causing destruction are two different things. Please don’t take the nature of my work and…”
“Ahem.”
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 ident.i.ty of the Foreign Minister. But what alerted him was that from his att.i.tude, Natasha’s ident.i.ty didn’t seem so simple either.
At least, unlike ordinary intelligence agents.
“Welcome to Moscow, Mr. Jiang. My full name is very long. According to the language habits of the Han people, you can call me Sminov.” 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.
“I am Jiang Chen.”
Jiang Chen smiled, shook his hand, and began to chat.
The two didn’t discuss any work in the car and just chatted about all things. Sminov was an interesting person. While he didn’t talk much, he could talk about many topics. They discussed football, gold, then went on about fis.h.i.+ng. Even if Sminov didn’t 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 ident.i.ty, but aside from her first sentence, she didn’t speak anymore.
It wasn’t until the car was parked at the door of a five-star hotel that Sminov mentioned the important affair.
“… 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 it’s in life or work, if you encounter any inconveniences, you can consult her.”
“Don’t be polite; this is my job.” Natasha squeezed her eyebrows at Jiang Chen. It was the second sentence she said.
“Don’t worry. I won’t be polite with you.”
You’ve been drinking and eating at my house for so long. If I don’t bother you, I’ll be missing out on an opportunity big time!
Natasha grinned. Jiang Chen then looked at Sminov again. “I don’t know when you’re going to start the official discussion with us; I’m free any time, but I hope it’s not too late.”
“In three days at the latest. We will arrange for you to meet with an important person as soon as possible. It’s because he’s currently on the front lines and can’t come back immediately; I hope you can understand,” Sminov replied.
“No hurry. I will stay here for a while; I’m always free.”
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, “Can you tell me what you’re planning to discuss with me?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know the exact details. This is top secret… I can only reveal one point and it’s related to the situation in Europe.”
Jiang Chen nodded and didn’t 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.
“I’m going to rest soon. You’re not going back to your room?”
She was amused by Jiang Chen and her bright red lips grinned. Natasha was leaning on the sofa drinking and didn’t have intentions to move at all. She gracefully crossed her legs.
“My room? It’s here.”