58: Space elevator

Inside the cockpit, He Ming casually observed Bai Xiaofei's movements and asked.

"jarvis, if Bai Xiaofei reaches my level, will his strength be greater than mine?"

"Sir, if Bai Xiaofei's life level reaches parity with yours, his approximate combat power will be 5 to 9 times stronger than yours."

He Ming was slightly surprised that the difference would be so great.

"High life index combat power is not suitable for piloting mecha. It is recommended to use nano-exoskeleton armor to maximize their inherent advantages."

He Ming nodded slightly. He had asked the notebook about this issue before, and the answer was that when the life index exceeds 70,000, even the strongest external force can only serve as an auxiliary tool.

The problem is that the resources on Blue Star are limited and cannot simultaneously support multiple beings with high life index.

Currently, to cope with the crisis posed by the Hai Star fleet, the optimal solution is to have cultivators whose life index reaches 30,000 to 40,000 pilot mecha, which can increase their combat power tenfold, or even dozens of times.

Just like the battle between He Ming and Bai Xiaofei.

Bai Xiaofei's current realm is at the peak of humanity, allowing him to barely exchange blows with an opponent possessing a life index of 4,500.

When facing He Ming, he had no room left for resistance; the gap in levels was simply too vast.

Once Bai Xiaofei's life index increases, his combat power will surge exponentially.

And this was the first major gift package He Ming was sending to the Hai Star fleet.

As for what happens next, it won't be Hai Star continuing to invade Blue Star, but Blue Star achieving technological superiority and officially initiating interstellar warfare against Hai Star.

"He's been sufficiently polished. Any more abuse will start affecting his self-confidence."

After a full-force slash by the night owl was deftly dodged, the massive inertia inevitably caused the machine to stumble forward a small step.

Its balance had been broken, and the cost was fatal.

The black mecha moved, its thrusters blazing, and the high-vibration long blade completely severed the night owl's mechanical right arm holding the sword.

Bai Xiaofei was horrified, his facial muscles twitching even more violently. He suddenly realized that the opponent in front of him had been holding back the entire time!

This was because the black mecha's movements had completely changed, appearing smoother and swifter than during their previous exchanges, utilizing the mecha's performance to its absolute maximum.

A beam saber hilt popped out from the night owl's waist, but as the mechanical arm reached down, it was mercilessly severed by a subsequent slash.

"This!"

"How exactly did he predict my moves?"

This was something Bai Xiaofei had been unable to comprehend. Since their very first clash, he had noticed that the black mecha opposite him seemed capable of guessing his every thought, always intercepting or dodging one step ahead.

Of course, He Ming did not possess the ability to read minds.

The truth was that in He Ming's field of vision, all of the night owl's actions were like slow motion, naturally allowing him to make predictions in advance.

With both arms lost, the outcome was no longer in doubt.

Bai Xiaofei took his hands off the control sticks, watching as the massive high-vibration long blade lunged toward the cockpit.

[Battle concluded! Winner: Ming]

The live broadcast was forced to cut off after Bai Xiaofei logged out, but the audience continued to savor the recent battle, unwilling to leave just yet.

Returning to reality.

Bai Xiaofei removed his virtual helmet. Despite being thoroughly humiliated by He Ming, he was not discouraged. Instead, a terrifying smile appeared on his poker face, the kind that would give children nightmares.

His eyes grew brighter, his hands shook incessantly, and his entire body felt completely drained.

It had been too long since he had experienced this feeling of being utterly crushed.

"So tired, time to rest."

Before resting, Bai Xiaofei picked up the cup containing longevity water and drank it in one gulp.

Cloud Deer Garden.

He Ming removed his virtual helmet, and jarvis's voice sounded in his ear.

"Sir, the Verlander Biotechnology delegation has arrived at the Xinghai headquarters office."

He Ming's lips curled slightly; this was entirely within his expectations.

Xinghai's Memory Tracing Clear was still in the clinical trial phase, allowing Verlander to leverage public opinion and cling to life for a while longer.

The emergence of the fully virtual game was like a sharp knife, strengthening external confidence in Memory Tracing Clear.

After all, the hard power of a company that could create a cross-era fully virtual online game was now on display. Compared to Verlander, people were naturally more willing to trust Xinghai.

"So they finally couldn't hold on any longer."

"A partnership is possible, but they must pay a sufficient price."

He Ming took out the notebook and quickly wrote down.

[Tell me Verlander's negotiation proposal and the absolute bottom line they can accept.]

The next second, the answer appeared on the notebook.

Verlander's absolute bottom line was a 10% equity transfer in exchange for the North American distribution rights for Xinghai's Memory Tracing Clear.

"They prepared quite thoroughly, but this bottom line is unacceptable."

Regarding this proposal, He Ming could only say that Verlander did not want to survive.

Without Xinghai's help, Verlander's equity itself was of negligible value.

Using 10% of their equity to obtain the North American distribution rights for Memory Tracing Clear meant establishing a partnership with Xinghai and acquiring a machine capable of printing infinite money, which would not only cause their stock price to rebound but also allow them to make a massive profit.

"The initiative is in my hands. You should obediently prepare to be bled dry."

He Ming aimed his wristband at the notebook.

"jarvis, organize this text into data and send it to Jiang Zhonghua. A partnership is possible: 35% equity plus three hundred billion USD. Not a cent less. The excess can be considered a bonus for the employees."

"Understood, Sir. The information has been sent to Jiang Zhonghua's encrypted mailbox."

He Ming stretched, preparing to go to the meditation room to cultivate, when jarvis's voice sounded again.

"Sir, just now, Bai Qianqian sold an A-grade smart commercial building in Modu's Puhua New District to Xinghai for five hundred million."

He Ming raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

Five hundred million?

Puhua New District is a prime location in Modu. Although He Ming did not know the exact value, he could guess it was definitely not cheap.

Selling such a high-quality asset for only five hundred million was effectively giving it away for free.

Bais Technology helped significantly with the virtual helmet production line, and now she had gifted an entire commercial building.

"What a smart woman."

He Ming's next planned step indeed required a partner, and Bai Qianqian seemed like a suitable candidate.

After all, they had already completed one cooperation worth hundreds of billions of USD, so basic trust was established.

Bais Technology top-floor conference room.

Bai Qianqian was presiding over a high-level meeting when the screen of her private phone on the table suddenly lit up.

She glanced at it and rejoiced.

Caller ID: Ghost.

"Manager Wang, please take charge of the next part."

Bai Qianqian stood up and left the conference room without further explanation.

"Hello, please wait for me a moment."

"Certainly, Miss Bai."

Once Bai Qianqian returned to her office, she lowered her voice and spoke.

"Is there something you need my help with?"

Bai Qianqian's tone was filled with reverence.

"I have a new project here. I wonder if you are interested."

"What project?"

Bai Qianqian immediately straightened up.

"Developing Xijiang, with an initial estimated investment of..."

He Ming paused, and the cold electronic voice continued.

"One trillion USD."

Although Bai Qianqian's composure was strong enough, upon hearing that figure and location, her mind went blank.

Developing Xijiang?

One trillion USD?

Isn't that just throwing money away? "Is this for...?" Bai Qianqian asked tentatively.

"I plan to build humanity's first space elevator in Xijiang."

"The Starport is part of the supporting initial project."

"In the future, massive infrastructure construction will take place within a hundred-kilometer radius centered around the space elevator."

"Miss Bai, do you want to take another gamble with me this time?"