64: The heavy shackles that imprison civilization

Xijiang.

A seemingly ordinary new energy commercial vehicle was driving smoothly on the Gobi highway. He Ming held his notebook and looked at the scenery outside the window.

In the distance were vast wildernesses and continuous snow-capped mountains.

On both sides of the road were uneven grassy pastures, where scattered sheep could occasionally be seen.

This feeling of being close to nature made He Ming feel very relaxed.

Since acquiring the notebook, he had been cooped up at home cultivating. It would definitely be a lie to say he wasn't feeling stifled, the root cause being his own weakness.

As of today, his life index had reached 32,500 points (slightly revised for his release from 'prison').

On Blue Star, he was already considered among the elite at the top of the pyramid, and naturally, his confidence had soared.

He laid the notebook open on the seat in front of him, twirled his pen, and wrote on the paper.

[How much money is foreign capital expected to invest in the Starport?]

[1.7 trillion USD]

He Ming was a little surprised when he saw the answer. They were actually prepared to sink so much money into it.

"Although these old foxes are wicked, their eye for making money is truly sharp."

He Ming naturally wouldn't turn down money. Building the space elevator required more than just himself; global capital had to be gathered to participate together.

[How much money is the official government expected to invest in the Starport?]

[6.8 trillion Dragon Country currency]

[How much money is domestic capital expected to invest in the Starport?]

[13 trillion Dragon Country currency]

He Ming almost laughed out loud when he saw the answer. These hidden families lurking beneath the surface were truly rich, even more generous than the official government.

"Did they throw in the wealth accumulated over several generations?"

"jarvis, when will Bai Xiaofei and Zhang Zhifei arrive?"

jarvis's voice sounded in He Ming's ear.

"Sir, by 5 PM tomorrow at the latest."

The vehicle suddenly left the main road, drove a short distance on a side road, and turned into the courtyard of a guesthouse named the Starry Sky Posthouse.

As soon as the car stopped steadily, the door automatically opened slowly.

He Ming got out of the car and looked at the staff members lined up neatly at the entrance, wearing the uniform of Star Sea Employees.

They were tall and straight, handsome, and nearly identical in height. Upon closer inspection, their eyes lacked vitality, and their expressions were slightly stiff, as if they were all cast from the same mold.

The guesthouse was typical of the local style, its earthy yellow exterior walls blending in with the surrounding environment.

However, the interior decoration was extremely luxurious and full of futuristic flair.

Not far from the guesthouse, the massive Starport construction site was already taking shape, with tower cranes standing tall, machinery roaring, presenting a scene of bustling activity.

On both sides of the main road near the construction site, a bustling snack street had formed, with stalls stretching as far as the eye could see.

Most of the vendors were locals from Xijiang, while entrepreneurs from other regions mainly used RVs, selling snacks from all corners of the world.

He Ming chuckled softly.

"At least there's no need to worry about food."

"Have the utility services been connected to the snack street?"

"Sir, not yet."

Without hesitation, He Ming continued, "Instruct Jiang Zhonghua to connect the utilities for the nearby snack streets."

"Understood, Sir."

"jarvis, access the official intranet and accelerate the launch of the Space-based Orbital High-Energy Laser System."

He Ming thought for a moment, then added, "Use the identity of the Ghost."

As He Ming's words fell, a revolution that would change humanity's destiny quietly began.

Dragon Country, a certain top-secret underground research base.

Commander Qin sat upright at the command console, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the central screen.

The large screen displayed the work progress of various departments of the Space-based Orbital High-Energy Laser System, as well as the missing materials and supplies.

A slight strange noise came through, like the sound of a video cassette jamming.

Commander Qin's eyes widened, and he abruptly stood up from his chair.

"What is going on?"

A Ghost icon appeared on the main screen. Wearing a cloak and carrying a sickle, it emerged from the bottom right corner of the large screen and slowly floated to the center position, like a real ghost.

"This is impossible!"

A storm raged in Commander Qin's heart; he found it hard to comprehend.

This was the Dragon Country's most top-secret underground research base, featuring both physical and electronic isolation—an intranet that was absolutely impossible to breach!

But what was this scene before his eyes?

"Highest alert!"

Commander Qin quickly raised his hand to stop the commotion. A person of his rank naturally knew some internal information regarding the Ghost.

The Seventh Bureau speculated that the Ghost was very likely the boss behind Star Sea, or at least had an extremely close connection to it.

"Hello, Commander Qin."

Qin Xianjun's heart skipped a beat, and his expression grew even more serious.

Scientists in white coats gathered around, some worried, others curious.

The Ghost had intervened twice before. The first time didn't cause much of a stir, but the second time had certainly reached a level of being universally known.

Aside from the public interventions, the Ghost had actually secretly helped the Dragon Country obtain the core data for the US Titan Technology's [Nemesis].

Commander Qin's gaze was piercing.

"You are the Ghost?"

An ethereal electronic voice responded to Commander Qin.

"Yes, I apologize for meeting you in this manner."

"I was entrusted by the Creator to assist with the research and development work for the Space-based Orbital High-Energy Laser System."

"The Creator, Star Sea?"

"Outside of my authorized parameters, I cannot disclose."

Commander Qin fell silent, rapidly weighing the situation in his mind.

If the Ghost had hostile intentions, the base would likely have been paralyzed long ago.

"What do you need?"

"Robotic arms, materials."

Commander Qin was stunned. Although he didn't understand scientific research, the words implied that the entity wanted to handle the work personally.

"Alright!"

The moment Commander Qin agreed, the charts and data on the large screen were instantly wiped clean, replaced by a detailed list of material requirements.

Several quick-witted scientists attempted to step forward and ask questions, but regarding topics outside of the project, the Ghost maintained absolute silence.

Commander Qin picked up the internal communicator and decisively issued an order.

"I am Qin Xianjun. All units within the base, immediately dismantle all high-precision robotic arms you are currently using, regardless of model, and transport them to Assembly Workshop One within half an hour."

"Repeat..."

Military orders are absolute.

The entire base began operating quickly and efficiently.

Twenty minutes later.

Inside Assembly Workshop One, dozens of various robotic arms, under the unified control of jarvis, seemed to be infused with soul, forming an incredibly coordinated automated production line.

The robotic arms, which had previously seemed somewhat clumsy in the eyes of the scientists, now looked as if they had come alive, rapidly performing dazzling operations.

Several high-definition cameras were set up around the workshop, along with internal surveillance cameras, covering the robotic arm operations with virtually no blind spots.

Half an hour later, the [flint Nuclear Energy Battery Module] was successfully manufactured.

The scientists watching behind the cameras were almost dumbfounded. How long had it been? And the finished product was already complete?

The testing team immediately jogged forward to perform a simple performance test.

"Reporting, Commander, the module is running stably!"

"The maximum output power has reached 1.7 times that of the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction!"

The workshop fell into an eerie silence.

Had the heavy shackles restricting the development of human civilization been opened so effortlessly?