The sea breeze blew, carrying away much of the summer heat. The Northern Hemisphere had entered winter at this time, and the northern part of Asia had already been covered by ice and snow for two months. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, it was still a scorching summer. Theoretically, as long as one traveled to the Northern or Southern Hemisphere during the specific season, they could avoid winter forever.
Tom had been waiting on the ship for a long time. He had initially planned to wait for the emergence of the psychics from Goose Country, but after a long wait, seeing that the banquet was about to begin, neither the psychics from India nor Goose Country had appeared. It seemed these people completely disregarded his banquet invitation, which meant the subsequent discussions would also be problematic. Faced with this situation, Tom couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"General, people from two more factions haven't shown up. Should we postpone our banquet?" Stephen was the first to approach Tom and ask, as the banquet was precisely for discussing the division of the meteorite. With two key players absent, starting the formal discussion would be too casual.
"No, the banquet must start on time. As for the people from those two factions, we'll disregard them. Now, with psychics from North America, Europe, and China, our numbers exceed a hundred. The remaining two factions have only about seventy psychics. Even if they turn hostile, a hundred against seventy, the advantage is ours!" Lieutenant General Tom immediately stated his opinion. Since they were the majority, why bother with the few?
As the banquet was about to begin, someone carried a table and placed it in the center of the banquet area.
Shen Feng saw this and knew the banquet was about to start. However, he hadn't seen the psychics from the other two factions, which made him wonder if they intended to skip the banquet.
"Everyone, the banquet is about to begin. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, I will first explain the main purpose of this banquet, which is related to the meteorite that fell into the sea a year ago. As everyone knows, human psychic abilities originate from elements outside the solar system, and such elements are only found on meteorites. What we need to do now is simple: determine the ownership of the meteorite and peacefully resolve this dispute. This would be a great thing for everyone," Lieutenant General Tom said in English from atop the table.
Shen Feng's English was terrible, so he couldn't understand what this young master was saying.
Fortunately, Shen Feng had brought Qi Lingshan with him, who was quite familiar with English. She acted as a translator, beginning to translate Tom's various statements for Shen Feng.
Most of the attendees at the banquet were psychics from North America. Those less skilled in combat became servers, constantly replenishing pastries and drinks for the guests. Therefore, as soon as Tom began speaking, someone immediately led the applause, as if they all took General Tom's words as their guiding principle.
"Under God's blessing, we have arrived at the Sea of Silence to search for the meteorite bestowed upon us by God. This meteorite belongs to all of us attending. In the future, we will surely have more psychics, possessing the power to end the doomsday. Whether it be sea beasts or zombies, all will be trampled beneath our feet!" Tom continued excitedly.
Applause erupted again at the banquet, and cheers filled the air. Some people were even whistling. If one didn't know better, they might think it was a concert. With such enthusiastic audiences, such a scene typically only occurred at concerts.
Tom savored this feeling of being the center of attention. No matter where he was, he was always the protagonist, and he enjoyed hearing people's applause.
However, at this moment, a female voice came from not far away: "If you were in North America right now, I wouldn't object to anything you said. But now, you'd better shut your mouth!"
This was in Russian. Qi Lingshan didn't understand and shrugged helplessly. She could only understand English and Chinese; other languages were beyond her comprehension.
Fortunately, Lin Xi had studied Russian before and now acted as the Russian translator. "Someone is objecting. The people from Goose Country have arrived."
Everyone quickly turned to look and saw a group of people walking onto the fishing platform. There weren't many of them, only about a dozen. Six of them had fair skin, while the remaining seven had darker skin. Judging by the appearance of these two groups, they were people from Goose Country and India. It turned out these two groups had secretly allied.
Leading them was a woman with golden hair, fair skin, and surprisingly red eyes. She was the one who had spoken the words of objection.
Seeing the people from the remaining two factions finally appear, but not to discuss the division of the meteorite but rather to cause trouble, Tom's mood immediately soured.
"Do you have any objections to our decision to divide the meteorite? I can tell you clearly now that the psychics from North America, Europe, and China have all decided that the division of the meteorite must proceed. If you want to stop us, first see if you have the strength!" Tom said coldly.
Shen Feng was watching the unfolding events, while Gong Changfa quietly introduced them. He said directly, "This woman is a psychic from Goose Country. Don't be fooled by her delicate appearance; her abilities are very violent. It's said she controls white phosphorus. When she fights, she can make white phosphorus burn intensely, causing explosions. Once injured by it, the wounds are contaminated by various white phosphorus compounds, making them difficult to heal. Furthermore, it can cause poisoning in those injured by the explosion."
Hearing this introduction, Shen Feng couldn't help but take it seriously. He hadn't expected someone could directly control explosions. It was said that white phosphorus ignites at around forty degrees Celsius, and with the current high temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere, once she unleashed her abilities, it would be impossible to guard against. Perhaps very few people could resist it.
"What's her name?" Yue Hengyi asked curiously.
Gong Changfa replied, "Her name seems to be Slinova. In any case, she has killed many zombies before, including zombie kings. She is a very strong opponent."
Meanwhile, Slinova and Tom had already begun to argue, both focusing on the dispute over the meteorite.
"Why divide ownership before the meteorite is even found? What right do you have to divide it?"
"I am acting according to God's instructions. What I do represents God and justice."
"God? God had a dream for me last night. He said the meteorite belongs to us, and no one else can obtain it. Therefore, God is on my side."
"Hmph, you are merely a heretic. God's true lineage is in North America. You are all disloyal bastards and are not qualified to receive God's permission."
"North America? You don't even have a history, yet you dare to speak of God's permission. Let me tell you, we will definitely obtain the meteorite. India also stands behind me. Why don't we compete and see who finds the meteorite first!"
"Are you trying to become our enemy? The number of psychics and fleets on our side is countless times greater than yours. If a real fight breaks out, who knows who will emerge victorious!"
"Why don't you take a look at yourself in the mirror and see if you have the right to be the one controlling the meteorite!"
The arguments between the two sides began to escalate continuously. Their intentions were simple: Tom wanted everyone to divide the ownership of the meteorite, while the Goose Country side had a different view – whoever finds it gets it. At most, depending on the relationship, some meteorite fragments could be given to allies.
The two individuals arguing were both elites and could understand multiple languages. Tom was from a prominent family, while Slinova was the successor to a magnate. Therefore, they could understand what others were saying. Although the others couldn't understand, they could guess what the other party was saying just by looking at their expressions.
Lin Xi's translation became a bit awkward towards the end because the two people arguing in the venue had already started exchanging insults. She found it difficult to translate all these vulgarities, so she could only use slightly more archaic terms to convey the meaning.
"This woman said: 'Why don't you look at yourself in the urine and see if you are worthy of being the leader!' The man said: 'Damn it, I haven't seen you in brothels before; it was my oversight.' The woman then said: 'But I have seen you in a rabbit warren, with two big men working behind you.' The man said: 'How dare you offend me like this? Know that under the wrath of thunder, you will have no place to live.'" Lin Xi tried her best to translate the argument between the two, proving that foreigners could also curse, and these insults were quite sharp.
Shen Feng watched the spectacle with amusement, then felt a bit thirsty and took a sip of red wine.
Ultimately, both sides had reached an impasse, and the banquet ended in a disagreement. The Indian psychics also followed Slinova's lead, and the situation immediately became polarized: North America, represented by Tom, on one side, and Goose Country psychics, represented by Slinova, on the other.
After the argument, Slinova prepared to leave. However, before departing, she approached Shen Feng and said to Qin Kevi, "Captain Qin, please seriously consider it. Cooperating with these people from Europe and North America is not a wise choice. Why not cooperate with us? We are all Asian forces, and cooperation is a natural progression!"
Qin Kevi hadn't expected the psychics from Goose Country to find her. Did they know her identity? She was a bit stunned and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
At this moment, Gong Changfa, being more astute, quickly said, "Miss, salvaging the meteorite is a matter of great importance. We also have our own missions. If you have some information about the meteorite, we can indeed cooperate with you."
Gong Changfa was clearly employing a strategy. If they said they had meteorite information, it would quickly attract the hostility of others. But if they said they had no information, then, unfortunately, the price for their alliance would be too high for them to afford!
Upon hearing this, Slinova immediately said without hesitation, "We have an estimate of the meteorite's approximate location. As long as you cooperate with us, we will give you one-third of it after the task is completed."
Tom, upon hearing this, became anxious. He stepped forward and immediately said, "I've heard that people from China have always been very trustworthy. Since you have already agreed to my terms, you should not get involved with others."
Gong Changfa shrugged, saying nothing, but his meaning was clear: whoever finds the meteorite, they will help.
Slinova then led her people away, showing no lingering attachment to the banquet.
Shen Feng couldn't help but be impressed by Gong Changfa's deep cunning. A seemingly simple sentence further fanned the flames of discord between the two sides, worsening an already strained relationship.
Tom immediately made a promise, saying to Gong Changfa, "Mr. Gong Changfa, please consider carefully. Cooperating with us also means one-third of the meteorite, and cooperating with them also means one-third of the meteorite. It seems there's no difference, but you must understand that outside the Sea of Silence, there are our North American and European fleets. I believe you will understand."
At this moment, Tom, worried that Gong Changfa might betray them, began to use both persuasion and coercion. First, he assured that one-third of the meteorite would definitely be given. Additionally, he directly hinted at the possibility of military action from North America, otherwise, he wouldn't be mentioning the fleets now.
Gong Changfa smiled and said, "General, rest assured, we will consider this matter carefully. At least for now, we are still on your side. Otherwise, I wouldn't have attended the banquet."
Shen Feng and Gong Changfa exchanged glances, both understanding each other's current thoughts: to make North America and Goose Country fight each other. The fiercer the struggle, the greater their opportunity to profit quietly. Sometimes, communication between intelligent people only requires a glance. Shen Feng and Gong Changfa were in tacit understanding.
Lieutenant General Tom was very angry about the banquet that evening for two reasons. Firstly, his authority had been challenged, and by a woman no less. He wished he could have acted on the spot, but doing so now would only increase enmity. Moreover, the other party also had over a dozen psychics, making them difficult to subdue quickly. Secondly, the Chinese psychics were wavering. They had agreed to cooperate before, yet they were hesitating at the last minute. If they truly defected to the other side, his plan would fail.