The tense investigation and the research into the Tokyo fungus were both proceeding in an orderly manner.
Meanwhile, the friction between America and the Homo Sapiens Company in the Pacific Ocean, Ceylon Ocean, and Oceania continued to escalate.
「One week later.」
On February 12th, the Tokyo Grand Hotel was booked out for the day.
Edward and Victor, having flown in from North America, along with Wu Wei and Ovi from Southeast Asia, each brought their negotiation teams to the Tokyo Grand Hotel for talks.
Special representatives from other major powers were also present to observe.
Wu Wei threw a file down in front of Victor, a grim sneer on his face. "Perhaps you could explain what this is all about?"
Victor didn’t answer. He simply opened the file, which contained the Homo Sapiens Company’s biological research institute’s study and assessment of the Tokyo fungus.
"This fungus only multiplies in large numbers between 22 and 37 degrees Celsius, with air humidity greater than fifty percent. Under these conditions, its corrosion rate for plastics is at its peak. It can decompose polyethylene plastics, like plastic bags and films, in just eight months..."
Wu Wei stared daggers at Victor. "And where on Earth can you find places that constantly maintain these environmental conditions?"
Everyone present immediately understood.
Daily temperatures between 22 and 37 degrees Celsius with air humidity above fifty percent... the tropical regions of Earth were the perfect match.
To be precise, Southeast Asia, South America’s Redwood Federation, and Africa’s Central Basin were the most suitable.
"But in mid-to-high latitudes, the temperature and humidity only meet the criteria for the Tokyo fungus to reproduce during the summer. The rate of plastic decomposition in these regions is several to dozens of times slower than in the tropics."
Wu Wei’s voice, seething with a rage like a howling typhoon, boomed, "Haha, who stands to gain and who stands to lose? It’s self-evident! I have every reason to suspect that certain powers specifically created this fungus to target our Homo Sapiens Company."
As Wu Wei spoke, his eyes were locked on Victor.
Victor was thinking to himself: ’What the hell! Could the board have really done this?’
The envoys from the other major powers present all had their own thoughts.
Take Andre from Lucia, for example. He glanced at Wu Wei, Victor, and the others, secretly gloating. Lucia stood to gain big this time.
Andre believed Lucia stood to gain big.
This was because of Lucia’s geography. Located in the mid-to-high latitudes, the vast majority of its territory was temperate, subarctic, and arctic, with only a small subtropical area.
Under these climate conditions, the Tokyo fungus would only have a two-to-three-month breeding period each year. This meant the time it would take for plastics within Lucia to decompose would be three to four times longer than in tropical regions.
Using polyethylene—the fastest and easiest to decompose—as an example, a polyethylene plastic bag would break down completely in just eight months in Southeast Asia. In Lucia, however, it would take around 24 to 32 months.
Moreover, just because plastics decomposed easily didn’t mean the plastics industry would decline.
Andre easily came to a realization: ’If plastic decomposes easily, doesn’t that mean it has become environmentally friendly? This is a boon for the plastics industry!’
What was good for the plastics industry was good for the oil industry.
Lucia was an oil-exporting nation. This was great for Lucia!
And if plastics decomposed easily, the cost-effectiveness of plastic furniture would plummet. This, in turn, would benefit wood, bamboo, ceramics, glass, aluminum alloys, and stainless steel.
Lucia was a world-renowned timber exporter. This was another advantage for Lucia’s timber industry.
’Damn!’ The more Andre thought about it, the more he felt a little guilty. He realized Lucia’s potential gains were enormous.
Victor was thinking along similar lines.
However, he wasn’t just thinking about America’s environmental advantages and its oil and gas industries, but also the issue of cars and electronics.
The Tokyo fungus would cause the plastic components in cars and electronics to age faster, which seemed to have a huge impact on the world’s automotive and electronics industries.
But one had to look at both sides of the coin.
’If parts age faster, won’t that accelerate obsolescence? And if things become obsolete faster, won’t people have to buy new products? This means the previously saturated electronics and automotive markets will see a huge wave of new demand.’
What was America’s problem right now?
It had printed too much money, its domestic market was nearing saturation, and its foreign markets were shrinking.
Now, the Tokyo fungus had created a massive amount of new demand for them. This would help North America’s automotive and semiconductor industries maintain production levels and revive North American industry.
Expanding the production scale of related industries would require a large number of industrial workers, which in turn could reduce unemployment and restart the economic cycle.
America had simply hit the jackpot.
’You say the Tokyo fungus will shorten the lifespan of cables and medical supplies? Even better! Just replace them with new materials or bury them underground. That’s all demand and money!’
Why was it so hard to phase out plastics across various industries before?
The reason was that the vested interests in the plastics industry were too great. If a single region pushed for it unilaterally, its own industrial chain could easily be defeated by other regions.
Now, everyone had to adapt together.
If you didn’t, the Tokyo fungus would teach you a lesson.
Meanwhile, the envoy from the Far East was also murmuring to himself inwardly.
’Our southern regions will definitely need to complete cable retrofits in about three to five years. Fortunately, we had already been carrying out projects to bury our cables underground.’
According to the Homo Sapiens Company’s research report on the Tokyo fungus, its decomposition rate for underground plastics was relatively slow. For buried cables in particular, it might take decades for them to corrode completely.
Furthermore, using potassium permanganate and copper hydroxide could effectively inhibit the fungus’s reproduction.
’At worst, we can periodically spray the underground utility tunnels with solutions of copper hydroxide and potassium permanganate.’
’As for the high-voltage cables on steel towers, we can first coat them with a special barrier paint. Then, we can find antifungal additives or new plastics and gradually retrofit the cables.’
Moreover, in this fungus crisis, appliances, cars, and textiles would certainly become obsolete faster. The resulting surge in new demand, both in the Far East and globally, would be a huge boon for the Far East’s foreign trade industry.
New demand meant a new market, and a new market could sustain numerous industries.
As for the problem of reduced plastic lifespan, it could be overcome. As long as the profits were sufficient, there were plenty of alternatives.
Plastic bags? Use cloth bags, bamboo baskets, or paper bags.
Plastic bottles? Use aluminum cans, glass bottles, or enamelware.
Syringes, IV lines, and medicine bags? Use glass and sealed sterilization boxes.
Synthetic fibers? Use cotton and linen.
Toothbrushes? Use boar bristles.
In any case, as long as there was enough profit to be made, plastic’s application in every scenario could be replaced by other materials.
Many people thought humanity couldn’t survive without plastic.
That was severely underestimating humanity.
In the era before the widespread use of plastics, humanity had gotten along just fine.
This time, they were simply being forced by the fungus. The vested interests of the entire plastics industry could no longer suppress the change, so they were powerless to stop the global wave of plastic substitution.
In fact, the impact of the fungus was actually beneficial to single-use plastic products within the industry.
As long as they were properly sealed and sterilized, and used immediately after opening, things like single-use plastic bags would actually see increased use.
There was no need to develop biodegradable plastics now; the Tokyo fungus took care of it all in one step.
All in all, the effects of the Tokyo fungus had both pros and cons.
...
Of course, in the main hall of the Tokyo Grand Hotel, the Homo Sapiens Company—the party that had "suffered" the greatest losses—was naturally not going to let the matter rest.
Everyone present now understood.
On the surface, the Homo Sapiens Company was undoubtedly the one with the most to lose.
Cables, appliances, computers, phones, cars, planes, and communication equipment all across Southeast Asia would need a complete overhaul. Although the Homo Sapiens Company had deep pockets, it couldn’t withstand such enormous numbers.
Therefore, Wu Wei demanded that East Japan compensate the Homo Sapiens Company.
As the most pathetic attendee, East Japan’s representative, Suzuki Youji, looked at Victor and Edward with a nervous and hopeful expression, hoping his patrons would offer him protection.
Victor, of course, wouldn’t allow his own lapdog to be bullied by Homo Sapiens. He shook his head and said:
"Mr. Wu Wu, demanding 5 trillion Jin Yuan in compensation from East Japan is impossible. After all, this incident was an accident."
Wu Wei retorted bluntly, "Heh, is America going to pay the 5 trillion in compensation for East Japan? They’re your dogs. It’s only natural for the master to bear joint liability."
Hearing this, Suzuki Youji’s face flushed red with humiliation and anger. But lacking the strength, he had no right to speak.
Although Victor didn’t feel insulted, he put on a stern face to save some face for East Japan and explained:
"East Japan is an ally of America. Please, Mr. Wu Wei, refrain from bringing up topics unrelated to this meeting."
"Then have East Japan pay the 5 trillion."
Victor refused outright. "That’s impossible. And how does your company plan to explain its unprovoked entry into numerous Pacific islands?"
"If you think you can protect East Japan, then by all means, give it a try. Our company has suffered such severe damages this time, all because of East Japan."
Baker from Britain quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Five trillion is far too much. How about 50 billion?"
This guy certainly knew how to bargain, cutting the price by 99% right off the bat.
Wu Wei slammed his hand on the table forcefully. "Five trillion. Not a single cent less."
Suppressing his anger, Victor exchanged a look with Edward for a few seconds. Then, Victor spoke: "One hundred billion in compensation. That’s East Japan’s bottom line."
"Our Homo Sapiens Company has suffered such severe losses, and you offer a mere 100 billion? Are you trying to pay off a beggar? We want at least 4 trillion."
The two sides engaged in a war of words for over two hours, with three breaks in between.
After some intense haggling, they finally reached an agreement.
East Japan’s Suzuki Youji was a mere bystander throughout the entire process, watching helplessly as America sacrificed East Japan’s interests to appease the Homo Sapiens Company’s wrath.
According to the agreement, East Japan would compensate the Homo Sapiens Company with 600 billion Jin Yuan. They would also admit that the Tokyo fungus was created by their researchers, issue a worldwide apology, and hand over all related researchers, including Yoshida Akira, to the Homo Sapiens Company for disposal.
Considering East Japan didn’t have 600 billion Jin Yuan at the moment, the compensation would be paid in land.
Initially, Homo Sapiens wanted the Ogasawara Islands and Minami Torishima Island, located in the central Pacific Ocean.
However, America was no fool. Allowing the Homo Sapiens Company to acquire the Ogasawara Islands and Minami Torishima Island would mean giving them a foothold in the central Pacific, which could be used to sever the connection between Guam, the Ryukyu Islands, and North America.
Therefore, the land for compensation was changed to the Ino Islands, located off the West Coast of the East Japan Archipelago. This small, isolated archipelago in the Whale Sea had significant strategic value, but it also came with significant trouble.
After all, there were no fully authorized regional branches of the Homo Sapiens Company around the Whale Sea. Even Lucia was only a friend to the Homo Sapiens Company on the surface.
Giving this small archipelago to Homo Sapiens was, in fact, an act of desperation.
After all, the other islands—Tsushima Island, the Ryukyu Islands, the Ogasawara Islands, and Minami Torishima Island—were far too important.
Of course, since the value of the Ino Islands was not enough to cover the 600 billion Jin Yuan, East Japan also had to open its markets to the Homo Sapiens Company and allow their ships to resupply within East Japanese territory.
As for the matter of the Homo Sapiens Company’s "poverty alleviation" efforts in the South Pacific Island Countries, America also pretended not to see it.
After all, the Homo Sapiens Company was the party that had "suffered the most" in the fungus crisis. To prevent the company from going on a rampage, they had no choice but to tacitly allow its entry into these regions.
After reaching a consensus, the various parties quickly returned home.
When the outside world heard the results of the talks, there was a collective sigh of relief. As long as a fight hadn’t broken out, everything was manageable.
Immediately, countries around the world began strengthening disinfection procedures for planes and ships arriving from East Japan, while also preparing to upgrade and reform their plastics industries.
This was especially true for the Homo Sapiens Company.
They immediately launched a large-scale trade-in program for old plastic products to reduce losses. A large portion of the collected plastic items was sent to methane fermentation plants to produce methane.