Chapter 130 - New Energy Source (Part 2)

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“Mm, I’ve decided. I selected several types of energy from extraterrestrial technology to use as power sources. Some of them also exist on Earth. The first is hydrogen, which can be obtained by decomposing water. Its advantage is that it is inexhaustible, but its drawback is obvious: we would need to carry compressed water, and consumption would be rather high.

“The second is nuclear power. It is nothing new, of course, but Earth’s technology is far too primitive. Among extraterrestrial technologies, there is a device capable of compressing nuclear power into a miniature unit. It is economical and tremendously powerful. Unfortunately, most nuclear resources are controlled by the military and various nations, making them difficult to obtain. Its greatest drawbacks are its danger and intense radiation, so it is not truly suitable as an energy source.

“The third is also the most promising. This energy comes from outer space. Earth does not possess it.”

“You mean… helium-3?” I frowned when Xiao Kai reached this point and asked the question.

“That’s right, Master. You’re very clever—it is helium-3.” Xiao Kai gave me an incredibly alluring smile, leaving me dizzy for a moment. “Helium-3 is the safest nuclear-fusion fuel and the most efficient energy source. Extraterrestrial technology has already made extensive use of it in aviation, where it serves as the primary source of power.”

“Ahem… But that’s impossible. Helium-3 exists only on the moon. On Earth, the amount is so tiny that it can practically be ignored. I seem to remember some experts estimating that the entire world possesses only around five hundred kilograms of helium-3. How could we possibly find enough?”

I could not understand why Xiao Kai considered helium-3 the most promising energy source. At least from my perspective, it was the least attainable of all.

“Hehe, has Master forgotten that helium-3 is merely a gas? Since there is so little of it naturally, we can simply extract it ourselves.”

Xiao Kai’s words immediately cleared the fog from my mind. I slapped my palm and leaped excitedly from my chair.

“Exactly! Why didn’t I think of that? With Earth’s current technology, helium-3 is indeed a mysterious energy source. But to extraterrestrial beings, it is no secret at all. I can design a device capable of extracting helium-3! Given its tremendous efficiency, extracting just a few kilograms would be enough to power my alloy armor for several years!”

At this thought, my eyes lit up again.

“Good heavens! If I continuously extracted helium-3 and used it to power engines…”

Almost instantly, a whole series of machines powered by helium-3 appeared before my eyes: airplanes, automobiles, tanks, trains… It seemed that every tool required by modern industry could use helium-3 as its energy source. In other words, if I designed a series of helium-3 engines, then everything currently powered by petroleum—everything that flew through the sky, traveled across the land, or sailed through the sea—could be replaced.

This was undeniably a revolutionary source of power…

Of course, I was merely imagining it. Replace petroleum? Who would be foolish enough to do that?

A succession of plans instantly sprang into my mind—ambitious plans for developing helium-3 and using it to strengthen my own business empire. Just imagine: if I invented an engine powered by helium-3 with a service life of at least ten years, an engine that surpassed gasoline engines in power, pollution, and efficiency, how could it possibly fail to become a sensation?

What would that mean?

It meant I could finally bring to perfection the plan I had conceived earlier: founding a new machinery group powered by helium-3. I firmly believed that with helium-3 as my trump card, money and power would come rolling in.

“Xiao Kai, I never realized how incredibly clever you are!”

Grinning foolishly, I rushed to the monitor and planted a flurry of kisses on its screen.

“You’re amazing! I love you to death!”

“Master… W-what are you saying?”

Xiao Kai’s face on the monitor seemed to redden slightly. I never would have imagined that an artificial intelligence could be shy.

At that moment, however, I was far too excited to notice. My mind was filled with plans, and all I could do was grin foolishly.

“Master, stop kissing me! Your female master is here!”

Just as I was hugging the monitor and kissing it excitedly, Xiao Kai suddenly cried out through the speakers beside me. I instinctively turned my head and saw Zhang Jing standing outside the bulletproof glass door that separated the laboratory from the outside world.

She was staring at me, completely dumbfounded.

“Uh…”

Cold sweat instantly broke out across my body.

Damn it! Would Zhang Jing misunderstand and think I had some strange fetish? Heaven was my witness—I had only been too excited and carried away…

Seeing the obvious disbelief in her eyes, I hurriedly released the thirty-inch monitor, forced a smile onto my face, walked to the glass door, and pressed the button to open it.

“Haha, Zhang Jing, weren’t you asleep? Why did you… Well, haha, just now I—I was…”

I struggled to maintain my smile, but inside, my thoughts were a complete mess. I had no idea how to explain what she had just seen.

“It’s nothing. I couldn’t sleep, so I came up to see you. I was worried you might be working too hard.”

Zhang Jing studied my flustered expression, her gaze growing even more complicated.

“Xiao Qiang, who is the girl on the monitor? Someone from your school?”

“N-no, no, of course not. Don’t get the wrong idea. She’s just an image I created myself. I was simply too excited about something, so I… Well…”

I laughed awkwardly and scratched my head, attempting to conceal my embarrassment.

Standing before me in a pink spaghetti-strap nightdress, the beautiful Zhang Jing radiated a distinctly feminine charm. The fragrance rising from her body made my temperature climb even higher.

“You don’t have to explain. I wasn’t thinking anything.” She paused, then continued shyly, “It’s just that, Xiao Qiang, even if the girl is beautiful, you shouldn’t kiss the monitor. I heard monitors give off radiation. If—if you think it’s all right, I… I could take its place…”

The more she spoke, the redder her delicate face became. She lowered her head bashfully, looking rather embarrassed.

At that moment, I truly wanted to smash my head against a block of tofu and die.

Damn it! What was she talking about?

I hurriedly waved my hands.

“No, Zhang Jing, it isn’t like that. I was honestly just too excited for a moment. I promise I won’t do it again. Absolutely not!”

If I had to keep kissing that beautiful, tender face of hers, I would still rather kiss the monitor.

“Oh…”

Zhang Jing seemed somewhat disappointed as she nodded. She raised her lovely face and stared at me.

“Xiao Qiang, then don’t kiss the monitor anymore. If—if Su Xin isn’t here, I can take its place.”

“You can take its place?”

Take its place doing what?

I was utterly bewildered. What had gotten into this girl these past few days? She no longer sounded like the shy Zhang Jing I had always known. Every sentence seemed to carry some other meaning. When had she become so forward?

And her nightdresses seemed to grow more seductive with every passing day. Was she trying to tempt me?

Surely not…

Seeing my bewildered silence, Zhang Jing seemed to summon all her courage. She actually stepped through the glass door and pressed her fragrant, delicate body against mine. Her bright, beautiful eyes fixed on me, seemingly filled with boundless affection.

“Xiao Qiang… When you went to the capital, Sister Su Xin told me so many things from her heart. That was when I learned what she truly felt. I—I really want to tell you that, actually…”

“Well, it’s already late. You have to work tomorrow and oversee the company’s affairs. You should go to bed early.”

I had a vague feeling that something was wrong, though I had no idea what Su Xin had said to her. Whatever it was, it could not be anything good. In my panic, I hurriedly interrupted her.

I could ask Su Xin myself. The way Zhang Jing was acting now was clearly becoming far too ambiguous.

After I interrupted her, Zhang Jing did not continue. Yet endless reproach flickered in her eyes, and that look made me turn my face away uncomfortably.

“Why? Why are you so unwilling…? Am I—am I really so unattractive?”

My gesture seemed to deepen her frustration, and her tone abruptly grew heavier. I knew she was upset.

Suddenly, a pair of warm, fair hands pressed against my cheeks and forcibly turned my face back toward her. Once again, I found myself facing Zhang Jing’s breathtakingly beautiful features.

“Xiao Qiang, tell me—am I really ugly? Are you truly so unwilling to look at me? Am I—I really that terrible? Is there nothing about me that attracts you?”

Her voice choked with emotion, carrying the faint sound of tears.

“Am I really that inferior? Am I really so much worse than Su Xin?”