125: Representatives discuss national affairs and build consensus to safeguard eternity.

Chapter 128: Representatives Deliberate on National Affairs, Consensus Gathers to Protect the Eternal

Thirty days after the promulgation of the basic law of the eternal kingdom, the Citizen Representative Hall of the East Sea Barrier Base was brightly lit.

210 representatives from the Five Major Settlement Areas gathered here, dressed in uniform navy blue representative uniforms, wearing the emblem of the Eternal Kingdom on their chests—an emblem composed of five intertwined stars, symbolizing the concerted efforts of the Five Major Settlement Areas. A huge holographic sand table hung from the dome of the assembly hall, displaying real-time resource distribution, population data, and construction progress of the Five Districts. This was the first true "universal deliberation" of the Eternal Kingdom.

Lin Zhou sat in the center of the rostrum, flanked by core members of the Eternal Executive Council and allied representatives: Professor Ivanov attended as the representative of the Bear Country survivors, and Dr. Mary as the representative of the American scientists. He tapped the bronze ceremonial gavel in front of him; the crisp sound echoed through the hall, and the representatives, who had been conversing in low voices, fell silent instantly.

"Fellow representatives," Lin Zhou's voice was steady and powerful, "the Citizens Representative Congress is the highest decision-making body of the Eternal Kingdom. Behind you lies the trust of ten million compatriots from the Five Major Settlement Areas. Today's agenda concerns the vital interests of every individual and the long-term development of our kingdom—first, the coordinated distribution of educational resources for the New Humans; second, the establishment of environmental protection standards for the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone. I hope everyone speaks freely, using consensus as our foundation and rules as our yardstick, to jointly steer the future of the Eternal Kingdom."

The gavel fell, and the first controversy immediately unfolded.

Agenda Item One: The Dispute Over the Distribution of New Human Educational Resources

The issue was raised by Li Fang, the representative of the Southwest Purification Zone. She was the principal of a Hope Primary School, with chalk dust on her temples and a firm gaze: "Currently, there is a clear gap in educational resources among the Five Major Settlement Areas: the East Sea Base has the core collection of the Civilization Seed Vault and a faculty team composed of American scientists; meanwhile, rural primary schools in the Southwest and Northwest still face shortages of teaching aids and professional teachers. Especially for gene-optimized children, whose learning abilities far exceed those of ordinary children, a more professional training system is needed; however, naturally conceived children must not lose at the starting line either. According to the principle of equality in the Basic Law, the state should coordinate and allocate educational resources so that children in the Five Districts enjoy equal growth opportunities!"

As soon as Li Fang finished speaking, a scientific research representative from the East Sea Base immediately raised their hand to rebut: "The East Sea Base is the core scientific research zone. Concentrating high-quality educational resources is to cultivate top talents to serve the nation's technological research and development! The cultivation of gene-optimized children requires supporting laboratories and precision instruments. These resources cannot be evenly distributed across the Five Districts; forced allocation will only result in a waste of resources!"

"This is not waste, it is fairness!" Zhang Lei, the representative of the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone, stood up. He was an engineer, representing countless worker families behind him. "Our children in the Northwest, whether naturally conceived or gene-optimized, are equally the future of the Eternal Kingdom! We cannot let them lose the chance to access high-quality education just because of regional differences!"

The discussion in the hall instantly heated up, with representatives splitting into two factions: one advocating for "concentrating resources to cultivate elites" and the other insisting on "universal and equal educational resources," locked in a stalemate.

Dr. Mary, as an attending representative, took the microphone and said: "I have studied the genetic data of both types of New Humans, and they each have their advantages—gene-optimized children have stronger logical thinking and risk resistance, making them suitable for scientific research and national defense; naturally conceived children have more prominent emotional perception and creativity, making them suitable for fields like culture and ecology. The core of education is not 'equal distribution,' but 'teaching according to talent' and 'equal opportunity.'"

Her proposal was approved by Lin Zhou. Lin Zhou signaled for silence: "Dr. Mary is right. The principle of equality in the Basic Law is not a 'one-size-fits-all' average, but a guarantee that every child has the right to choose. I propose: establish a 'Cross-District Education Collaboration Mechanism'—the East Sea Base will set up an 'Elite Training Center' to select children with special talents from the Five Districts, with tuition and living expenses covered by the state; simultaneously, form a 'Mobile Faculty Group' of high-quality teachers from the East Sea and South of the Ranges to take turns teaching in the Southwest and Northwest; and the digital resources of the Civilization Seed Vault will be opened for free to all schools in the Five Districts to achieve resource sharing."

This proposal balanced "elite cultivation" with "universal equality" and aligned with the principle of resource interconnection among the Five Districts, quickly gaining the approval of most representatives. Principal Li Fang smiled, and Zhang Lei also nodded: "This is both fair and avoids wasting resources. We support it!"

Agenda Item Two: The Debate Over Environmental Protection and Development in the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone

If the education issue was a "warm dispute," then the clash over environmental standards in the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone carried sharp, realistic contradictions.

The issue was raised by Chen Ye, the ecological representative of the Northern Territory Defense Line. He had been stationed in the ecological conservation area for a long time, his skin tanned dark, holding a monitoring report: "According to monitoring data from the Ministry of Ecology, the waste gas and wastewater discharged by some factories in the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone, though purified, still cause slight pollution to the surrounding soil and even affect the water quality of snow mountain meltwater. According to the symbiosis principle of the Basic Law, industrial development cannot come at the cost of destroying the ecology; strict environmental standards must be formulated to limit high-pollution production capacity!"

As soon as he finished, the representatives from the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone immediately erupted. A Bear Country engineer representative sitting next to Professor Ivanov stood up, his tone agitated: "Now is a critical period for the construction of the Eternal Kingdom! We need to produce steel, manufacture weapons, and supply energy. Without these, how can the infrastructure of the Five Districts proceed? How can the defenses of the Northern Territory be reinforced? Environmental protection is important, but we cannot put the cart before the horse!"

"What do you mean, cart before the horse?" Chen Ye retorted, "Ecology is the foundation of survival! The ecological conservation area in the Northern Territory is the nation's oxygen tank, and the Northwest's snow mountain meltwater is a vital water source. Once pollution becomes serious, everyone in the Five Districts will suffer!"

Zhang Lei, the representative of the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone, also stood up: "It's not that we don't value environmental protection! It's just that the current capacity of purification equipment is limited. If excessively high environmental standards are forced, many factories will have to stop work. When that happens, with energy shortages and mechanical supply cuts, everyone will be affected!"

The atmosphere in the hall instantly became tense. On one side was the bottom line of ecological protection, and on the other was the rigid demand for industrial development. Both sides held their ground, refusing to yield.

Lin Zhou did not immediately take a side but instead had the holographic sand table display real-time footage of the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone: light blue purified exhaust gas was being emitted from factory chimneys; beside the wastewater treatment ponds, red alert engineering robots were at work; not far away, the stream formed by snow mountain meltwater was clear, but the soil by the stream indeed showed a slight dark yellow hue.

"Fellow representatives," Lin Zhou's voice was calm but weighty, "development and environmental protection are not an either-or choice, but a mandatory question where both must be balanced. The symbiosis principle of the Basic Law requires us not only to survive but to live for a long time."

He looked at Professor Ivanov: "Can the technical team of the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone collaborate with the researchers from the East Sea Base to upgrade the existing purification equipment? For example, installing 'Ecological Cycle Systems' in factories to convert waste gas and wastewater into usable energy or fertilizer."

Professor Ivanov nodded: "Absolutely! We already have a preliminary technical plan; we just need the support of quantum materials from the East Sea Base."

"Very well." Lin Zhou turned to Chen Ye, "The Ministry of Ecology will take the lead in formulating phased environmental standards: Phase one, within three months, all factories must complete purification equipment upgrades, reducing pollutant emissions by 50%; Phase two, within half a year, complete the construction of the Ecological Cycle System to achieve zero-pollution emissions of wastewater and gas. During this period, the Northern Territory Ecological Zone will dispatch technical personnel to be stationed in the Northwest for full supervision."

He then looked at Zhang Lei: "The Administrative Council will coordinate with the East Sea Base to prioritize providing quantum materials and technical support to the Northwest; meanwhile, the Northwest Heavy Industry Zone is allowed to moderately expand capacity on the premise of meeting environmental standards to ensure the resource supply for the Five Districts."

This plan of "technical upgrades + phased compliance + resource support" both maintained the ecological bottom line and ensured industrial development, finally allowing the representatives of both sides to reach a consensus. Zhang Lei shook Chen Ye's hand: "Please supervise us more in the future; we will definitely get the environmental protection right!"

Chen Ye nodded: "We aren't here to sabotage you; we're here to protect our home together with you."

The meeting continued late into the night. The representatives also discussed issues such as farmland water conservancy construction in the Southwest Purification Zone, fishery resource protection in the Lingnan Coastal Area, and warning system upgrades for the Northern Territory Defense Line. There were no earth-shattering oaths, only down-to-earth consultations; no absolute winners or losers, only mutual compromise and tolerance for a shared future.

When the meeting adjourned, the eastern sky was already turning pale. The representatives walked out of the assembly hall, their faces showing fatigue but also determination. They were to take the consensus of the meeting back to their respective settlements and tell their ten million compatriots: the future of the Eternal Kingdom is not the decision of one person, but the collective choice of everyone.

Lin Zhou stood at the entrance of the assembly hall, watching the retreating backs of the representatives. Chen Hao handed over a cup of hot water: "Commander, after this whole day, there were many disputes, but the result is quite successful."

Lin Zhou took a sip of hot water, his gaze drifting toward the Five Major Settlement Areas in the distance: "Disputes are not scary; what is scary is having no channel for communication and no foundation for consensus. The Basic Law gave us rules, and the Citizens Representative Congress gave us a platform. As long as the Five Districts are of one heart, no matter how difficult the problem, a solution can be found."

On the holographic sand table, the five stars remained intertwined, their light growing ever more brilliant.