Magic? My Iron Torrent will sweep it all away!

Chapter 177 How to plant the World Tree is a problem

The shouts did not stop Lin Mo.

As another green transport vehicle, fully loaded with equipment, disappeared into the portal, Thorin and Grom exchanged a glance and could no longer hold back.

The two men strode forward and charged aggressively toward Lin Mo.

"Lord Lin Mo!" Thorin grabbed Lin Mo's arm, his beard trembling.

"You said in the meeting that these weapons would be sold to us!"

"But what are you doing now? You've taken them back!"

His tone was as if his own granary had been emptied.

"Yes! Lin!" The burly Grom blocked Lin Mo's path like a small mountain, his face full of straightforward accusation.

"You can't go back on your word!"

In their current mindset, the things that were supposed to be sold are now being taken away right in front of them.

What's the difference between this and taking money out of their slush fund?

Looking at these two "honest men" who were sweating profusely with anxiety, Lin Mo suppressed a laugh.

He patted Thorin's arm, signaling him to let go.

"Lord Thorin, Chief Grom, please be patient and let me explain."

Lin Mo pointed to the missile vehicle that had just been transported away.

"That's our missile vehicle. All the missiles have been launched, so there's no point in keeping it. We need to go back."

"Besides, they are very complex, and it would take you a long time to train them. They also require the cooperation of satellites and the like. It would be useless for you to come."

He then pointed to some precision instruments being packed up nearby.

"And these are our research equipment, medical units... You don't need these either."

"What we promised to sell you are equipment that you can quickly master after a simple training session."

Lin Mo's words were reasonable and well-founded.

Thorin and Grom were stunned. Although they still felt something was wrong, they couldn't refute it.

"Then...then you're not allowed to take away anything we can use!" Thorin could only say this in the end.

"Of course." Lin Mo smiled sincerely.

"Cooperation is based on trust, why would I lie to you?"

Don't worry.

After calming down the two "muscle-brains," Lin Mo turned around and found Zhao Gang, who was directing the transfer of supplies.

He recounted what had just happened with a smile.

Zhao Gang laughed after hearing this.

"They're so easy to fool."

Lin Mo chuckled:

"This is an open conspiracy."

That's right, taking the equipment away in front of them was part of the plan.

In psychology, this is called "loss aversion".

The pain of losing something is far greater than the pleasure of gaining it.

First, present them with a positive expectation (buying powerful weapons), then make a gesture to withdraw that expectation (take the weapons away).

This feeling of impending loss causes them immense anxiety.

"The portal can only be open for ten days; time is of the essence."

"I need to give them a boost and force the big shots behind them to make a decision quickly."

Lin Mo gazed intently at the alien representatives whispering amongst themselves in the distance.

"The more eager we seemed to be to leave, the more eager they were to get us to stay."

Zhao Gang nodded, acknowledging Lin Mo's calculations.

"Aren't you afraid they won't take the bait?"

"What if they just stand by and watch us leave?"

Lin Mo's smile faded as he looked at the war-torn land in the distance.

"They will."

"Because what they fear more than this equipment is annihilation."

......

The Arctic, an underground base.

Academician Qian Zhenhua and Academician Liu Chengen were among the first to pass the identity verification process.

When the tedious and outrageous full-body examination was finally over, and he changed into his white coat, Liu Chengen immediately rushed towards the World Tree seed, which was protected in layers of incubator.

"My darling! Quick, cut off a piece and examine it!"

Wearing sterile gloves, Liu Chengen was practically lying on the transparent isolation shield, his eyes filled with fervor.

The young researcher next to him immediately passed him a pair of tweezers.

"No!" Qian Zhenhua, who had rushed over, grabbed Liu Chengen's hand, his eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses filled with seriousness.

"Liu the Madman! What are you doing?!"

Liu Chengen stiffened his neck.

"Research? How can you do it without analyzing its cellular structure and energy production?"

"What if it doesn't adapt well to the new environment and is afraid of our microorganisms?"

"What if it has unknown aggressive tendencies?"

He argued vehemently:

"I'm doing this for safety! For science!"

Qian Zhenhua was so angry he laughed.

"You're just itching to do something!"

"Let me tell you, if anything goes wrong with this thing, we'll both be traitors to our nation!"

Liu Chengen: "Your thinking is rigid! Typical metaphysics!"

Qian Zhenhua: "This is reckless and impulsive! A typical research scoundrel!"

Two giants, both over sixty-five years old and whose mere presence in the scientific community of Daxia could cause an earthquake, were arguing heatedly, like two children fighting over a toy, separated by a constant temperature incubator.

The researchers around him all kept their eyes down, pretending to be just background figures.

They were used to this kind of scene.

Arguing won't solve anything.

Ultimately, finding a suitable planting location became a problem for both of them.

"How about simulating a soil environment in the laboratory using hydroponic culture solution?" Liu Chengen proposed a solution.

"No way!" Qian Zhenhua immediately rejected the idea.

"It's best to use land; this is the World Tree!"

Liu Chengen scratched his head.

"What should we do then?"

Qian Zhenhua thought for a moment: "Planting on the ground is definitely not feasible; the environment will only deteriorate over time."

"Then the only option is the dungeon. Sunlight is a problem, and which dungeon should we choose?"

Liu Chengen waved his hand.

"Sunlight is easy to solve; we can just simulate natural light. As for the location, how about here?"

"If we go to other dungeons, we'll both be in quarantine, so there's nothing for us to do."

"And if there are any problems, the portal is here, it's close by."

Qian Zhenhua nodded, finding it reasonable, and said:

"Alright, this is a big deal. Let's ask Commander Lin for his opinion."

The problem was quickly reported.

Terra, forward base.

After saying a few words to Lin Mo while holding the security device, Zhao Gang said:

"Commander Lin, Academician Qian has a question that requires your guidance."

After hearing Zhao Gang's account, Lin Mo was stunned for a moment.

He turned his head and looked not far away, where he found Elder Muyu staring longingly at the teleportation gate with a worried expression.

Lin Mo walked over.

"Elder Muyu, I have a question I would like to ask you."

"Please speak, Your Excellency," Elder Muyu asked, puzzled.

Does the World Tree necessarily need sunlight to grow?

Elder Muyu shook his head.

"Your Holiness, the World Tree is a tree of miracles; its life originates from the earth and its energy, not from sunlight."

"As long as there is soil and sufficient energy, it can grow into a towering tree even in the deepest part of the earth."