Jason shook his head, a wry smile on his face. They still had important matters to discuss and a mountain of year-end summaries to review, but she had just run off like that...

However, there was no need to rush; a slight delay was fine. He casually finished the remaining food on his plate, a bizarre mix of fried mealworms and french frie sand, feeling quite full, let out a soft burp. Even though they weren't exactly facing a famine right now, organic food was still incredibly precious. He would rather overeat than let a single bite go to waste. During this long period of resource scarcity, almost every citizen aboard the Noah had developed this ingrained sense of thrift.

It was a good thing!

After wiping his mouth, Jason glanced around the venue and immediately spotted several familiar faces. There were former special forces operatives, large groups of scientists, and the heads of various administrative departments. They sat in small clusters, some laughing and joking, while others wore serious expressions, deeply engrossed in debate.

He needed to go mingle. As the supreme commander of the Federation, he couldn't just hide in a corner and eat by himself; maintaining strong interpersonal relationships with his crew was vital. Jason stood up, poured himself a small glass of red wine, and walked toward the crowd.

Tonight was unofficially designated as a night for "speaking the truth", a time for romantic confessions, playful banter, and airing grievances. The unspoken rule was that everyone could speak their minds freely without anyone getting angry or offended.

However, for the senior scientists and department heads, absolutely nothing was more important than their "work"! They weren't going to sit around playing Truth or Dare like a bunch of teenagers. To them, their research was the most vital and fulfilling thing in the universe. Even during the New Year's Eve banquet, they simply couldn't stop talking about it.

Therefore, many of the groups were gathered to discuss the shortcomings of their previous year's projects, highlighting what had gone wrong and what areas needed immediate improvement. Overall, Jason was highly satisfied with everyone's performance over the past few years. Furthermore, given his rank, he didn't need a special "Truth Day." If he had a criticism regarding someone's work, he would have addressed it directly at the time instead of bottling it up until the holidays.

He stepped forward, politely clinked glasses with a senior scientist, exchanged a few casual pleasantries, and then turned to retreat toward a quieter corner...

However, Jason was the center of gravity aboard the ship. Wherever he went, people immediately spotted him. Given that tonight was a free pass to "speak the truth," how could the crew possibly let their captain remain silent?!

Soon, an official from the Department of Industry hurried over and raised his glass in greeting. After a brief chat, the director smoothly changed the subject: "Captain, truthfully, I believe the severe wear-and-tear issues on our heavy machine tools can be permanently solved by utilizing Superalloy Z. I strongly suggest a large-scale replacement program using that specific metal..."

Jason immediately felt a headache coming on. Superalloy Z was currently the most durable, high-performance material humanity possessed, but its manufacturing process was incredibly complex, and its production yield was agonizingly low!

Immediately afterward, a lead researcher from the materials science division stepped up and clinked glasses with him. He didn't mince words, getting straight to the point: "Captain, respectfully, the estimated resource allocation for the new high-capacity battery development is far too low. You have to understand..."

"Captain, my team needs authorization to test the Super Laser Pulse array, specifically regarding its power draw..."

Scientists and engineers flocked over in droves, bombarding him with endless requisition requests and technical grievances.

And just like that, Jason was sucked into a chaotic whirlwind of administrative work. He couldn't help but wonder... *is there something wrong with me? Why did I walk over here just to suffer?*

Amidst the constructive criticism and "truth-telling" from the various department heads, it sounded as if there was massive room for improvement in absolutely everything, from the ship's defense grids and industrial pipeline to the automated agriculture bays. Listening to them, one would think the Noah was just a flying pile of junk.

Jason was already deeply regretting his decision to mingle; this was far more exhausting than studying quantum mechanics or fighting a war! Eventually, he lost the energy to respond and simply listened. In truth, most of their points were highly logical and valid. They raised many critical issues he simply hadn't considered before. If improvements could genuinely be made, and the Federation had the industrial capacity to support them, he absolutely needed to heed their advice.

*...It's finally over,* Jason thought.

After dealing with the mob of eager scientists, he felt completely drained. He slumped into an empty chair and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

Suddenly, a woman walked up to his table and raised a sleek glass of wine. It was Dr. Kelly from the Superhuman Research Lab. She offered a bright smile and said, "Captain Jason, first of all, congratulations on surviving another year! Cheers!"

Dr. Kelly and Jason had known each other for a very long time. As old friends who had worked together since before the Earth was destroyed, she was the physician who conducted Jason's physical examinations every year. Moreover, she was one of the lead researchers dedicated to studying the mysterious Perfect Element.

Speaking of which, Dr. Kelly had to be almost forty years old by now. Yet, thanks to the newly synthesized stem cell serum, she looked like a vibrant woman in her early twenties, radiating youthful vitality, an appearance she would now maintain for decades to come.

The stem cell reactivation serum truly was a profound blessing for all of humanity! However, while her body was young, her mind carried the weight of experience. Her behavior and demeanor lacked the naive insecurity of a true twenty-something; instead, she exuded the effortless elegance and confidence of a mature woman.

"What, has the good captain never seen a beautiful woman before?" Kelly teased, noticing his gaze. "It's incredible. Although I'm already happily married, if I weren't... a man as young, capable, and responsible as you? I'm afraid it would be very hard for any woman aboard this ship to refuse an invitation to your quarters."

Jason quickly interrupted her playful rambling, raising his glass in defense. "...Alright, alright, cheers! And congratulations on officially regaining your youth and eternal beauty!"

The two clinked their glasses and downed the rest of their wine in one gulp.

Time truly flew by, leaving the past in the dust. In the blink of an eye, Jason was now in his early thirties. However, as an enhanced Superhuman, he looked almost exactly the same as he did years ago; the passage of time hadn't left a single mark on his physical appearance.

While his physical appearance remained frozen, his mindset had matured drastically. Sitting in the highest seat of leadership, it was impossible not to carry the heavy burdens of civilization.

Kelly smirked, her tone turning teasing once again. "You know, you're a man in his thirties now... I really think you should find someone and start a family as soon as possible. The Federation's birth rate is declining year by year; it dropped below two percent last year. As the captain, you should really be leading by example and contributing your fair share, shouldn't you?"

"There are usually only three reasons why a successful man stays single for so long," she continued, ticking them off on her fingers. "One: he has a terrible personality. Two: his equipment doesn't work down there. Or three: he prefers the company of men. Now, seeing as you don't have a terrible personality, that only leaves the other two options. Want to go hit the dance floor and prove me wrong tonight?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She winked playfully. "Of course, you could always just ask Lily to a dance, if you think she'd agree..."

Jason flushed, feeling incredibly embarrassed. He knew Kelly was just like this; no matter the setting, every conversation with her inevitably steered toward highly inappropriate, teasing topics. She was definitely just trying to get a rise out of him.

Jason quickly derailed the conversation to safer ground. "Dr. Kelly, how is the research on the Perfect Element progressing? The Martian virus team just made massive breakthroughs, surely the Perfect Element research can't still be entirely stagnant!"

"Didn't your lab mention synthesizing some kind of compound that could act as a neural paralyzer?"

Kelly's playful demeanor faded. She shook her head in frustration and waved her hands dismissively, indicating that they had hit a wall.

Just as Jason felt a pang of disappointment, she suddenly burst into laughter again. "I'm just kidding! Actually, I came over here specifically to apply for an allocation quota of the Perfect Element. We're ready to begin live animal testing. There are a few complex biological variables we haven't quite figured out yet, and the only way to lock down the data is through live experimentation."

Jason's heart skipped a beat. If the mysteries of the Perfect Element could truly be unraveled, humanity would take an unimaginable leap forward in the life sciences. Complex issues like cellular degradation and terminal illnesses would become easily solvable.

Moreover, the raw biological enhancements offered by the Perfect Element were theoretically vastly superior to the effects of the new stem cell serum. Most importantly, it had the potential to dramatically increase human intelligence and neuroplasticity! That alone would be the ultimate catalyst for their technological advancement!

"Are you absolutely sure the team is ready?" Jason asked, his expression turning entirely serious. "Requisitioning the Perfect Element requires a highly detailed written proposal and Dr. Roman's direct signature."

"Not a problem," Kelly nodded confidently.