Mayer is a good comrade.
After a series of conversations, Li Lin finally confirmed this point.
Although Mayer's mechanical dogs themselves had various problems, seeming very far from the so-called nano-Catastrophe, perhaps even fundamentally unachievable, regardless, having a direction meant having hope. Compared to the initial Mayer, the current her seemed to radiate an inexplicable mental energy.
Though not spoken aloud, everyone's heart once held the fantasy of saving the world. The only difference lies in, some saw 'reality' clearly, felt they truly couldn't achieve all this, chose silence and mocked those who tried. While others chose to climb the seemingly eternally unreachable peak, adding bricks and tiles to the cause of humanity. Although the world of Terra had this or that problem, looking at Mayer, who was seriously and solemnly taking out paper and pen to record ideas, Li Lin felt the world of Terra still had hope.
It is precisely because these scientific researchers work hard burying their heads that society has become as diverse and colorful as it is now. Without these people leading the era forward, humanity might still be waiting in trees for fruit to eat. So towards this kind of person, Li Lin always held great respect.
Regarding Mayer suddenly falling into deep thought, Li Lin didn't say anything either, but started tasting some food on his own.
Not long after, Officer Ch'en outside walked back and greeted Li Lin.
"Ah, you two chatted quite well? That's good. Li Lin, there are some people I plan to introduce you to."
"Mm, okay. Mayer, I'll leave first. If you're free in the future, you can come find me at Penguin Logistics."
"Go ahead, go ahead, let me think about these things first…"
Saying goodbye to Mayer, who was already in a state of inspiration burst, Li Lin followed behind Officer Ch'en, walking towards the seats of the integrated department.
There are ranks and hierarchies at a banquet table. Mayer, having jumped the queue to join the group from outside, was definitely ostracized, thus sitting at the very edge of the table, almost needing a separate table just for her. Besides her, there were a few other marginal figures. It could be seen they were all Columbians.
The recent Columbian civil war led to a large outflow of talent, and this kind of outflow talent often gained trust more easily due to attrition issues. But trust from the upper echelons was one aspect; ostracism among colleagues was another. There were also various competitive differences within Columbia itself. Li Lin even saw some Blacksteel International operator uniforms, but the Blacksteel International logo on them was hastily crossed out, then mixed in as formal wear.
Although it looked ridiculous, one could also feel these people's desire to survive.
So the entire Immortality Agency, although already integrated into one department on the surface, the internal differences could still be clearly seen.
The core was the Lungmen core department represented by Wei Yenwu, including Li Lin, the third shareholder, with the first two being Wei Yenwu and Fumizuki respectively. And directly subordinate to them were the elite operators transferred from the Lungmen Guard Bureau and special departments. Although they had friction, they belonged to the first team.
The second team was the peripheral departments, external support like Lungmen Fire Department, medical department external aid, data department operators, etc. Although these also belonged to Lungmen's main forces, there was still some difference from the core operators. They were numerous and knew each other, instead becoming the second largest group at the banquet table. And the ones Officer Ch'en introduced happened to belong to this category. These people were theoretically also Officer Ch'en's direct subordinates, responsible for external pursuit and investigation.
And the final team naturally consisted of the expert scholars invited over by those outflow personnel. Some came from Chernobog and the Ursus Empire, some were traveling scholars from Laterano, and some were research experts from other regions. Of course, the main ones were former operators from Columbia's Blacksteel International and Rhine Lab, Umbrella research. These experts, whether experts in killing or other fields, all formed teams based on their former companies, distributed in groups of three or five throughout the corners of the entire banquet. Overall, this department, in its nascent stage, actually had over a hundred people, which could be considered quite a grand scale.
"This is Operator Hoshiguma, our assault team member. Possesses strong resistance to attacks and assault capabilities, once withstood the Originium Arts attacks of over a dozen people. An expert in combat aspects."
Looking at the female operator who was a head taller than him including her horns, Li Lin extended his hand with a smile and shook it.
"Ah, hello hello. Very pleased to meet you."
"And this is Shaw, whom I introduced to you, an expert from the fire department, proposed some very interesting theories, and has a certain degree of research into the mentality and behavioral routes of arsonists. She is our special consultant."
"Hello, pleased to meet you."
"And that one over there is… wait a minute, where did Swire go?"
"She said something came up at home, so she had to leave first."
The operator called Hoshiguma turned her head, looking somewhat curiously at Li Lin following behind Officer Ch'en.
"This is?"
"He is Prophet Li Lin, an operator who is… exceptionally outstanding in perception and other aspects."
Officer Ch'en looked at Li Lin behind her, paused for a moment, then said to Hoshiguma before her.
"Don't worry about this for now, Swire can leave the meeting at a time like this, does she have any sense of organizational discipline?"
"She said she knew Officer Ch'en would say this, so she already found Lord Wei Yenwu and paid a sum of money as operating funds for the organization. But the price is, she wants the right to leave meetings at any time. She will do what needs to be done, but she doesn't want to stay here."
"Rules are rules! Just because she has money, she can trample the rules underfoot?!"
"The entire department's annual operating expenses…"
"…Damn it."
Officer Ch'en's face changed instantly, somewhat gritting her teeth. Li Lin also seized the opportune moment perfectly, pretended to glance at the clock nearby, then said to Officer Ch'en:
"Officer Ch'en, I still have some matters, I'll leave first."
"Hm? Leaving already?"
Looking at Li Lin getting up preparing to leave, Officer Ch'en asked somewhat curiously:
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"Ah, no. Actually, this place isn't quite suitable for someone like me after all; it wouldn't be good if any problems occurred. So how should I put it, I'll leave first; if there are any issues, just call me directly."
"…Okay, if there are any issues, I'll call you again."
"Right. Regarding the matter of Rhine Lab's Mayer, if she has any needs, satisfy them as much as possible. Just consider it a small request from me, the third shareholder. If possible, giving her all the money I donated is also okay. I believe she can create something remarkable."
"?"
Looking at the bewildered Officer Ch'en, Li Lin didn't mean to explain too much, smiled faintly, and left this place of fame and fortune that didn't belong to him.
As the saying goes, gifting roses leaves fragrance on the hand ; if it were just Mayer alone, she would definitely find it hard to move an inch within this Lungmen. But adding his own very large compensation sum and Officer Ch'en's protection, Mayer presumably could also have a good development environment. Although doing so was equivalent to selling out Wei Yenwu's face, Li Lin didn't regret it.
For things like this that could advance the progress of the era, no matter how much face was lost, Li Lin felt it was worthwhile.
"Did another good deed."
Looking at the sky outside, Li Lin stretched lazily and walked back towards Penguin Logistics.