Chapter 297: A Curious Proposal in the Heaven Realm

Hao Ren sat down and said, “The U.S. Military has now completely withdrawn to the Persian coastal regions, ready to pull out at any moment. The Persians don’t have to keep fighting.”

Our company’s business has stalled, so I thought I’d come live in the Heaven Realm for a bit.

“Haven’t you seen what the inside of the Heaven Realm is like? It shouldn’t be that surprising,” Du Qiu said as he had Leng Yanran bring in some tea.

Hao Ren took a few satisfying sips from his teapot, soothing his throat and feeling much better.

He picked up his teacup and downed several large gulps, not caring at all how hot it was. Typical toughness.

“Master, I used to watch it on Earth, but I never truly experienced it in outer space.”

“So, what was different?” Du Qiu asked with genuine interest.

Scratching his head, Hao Ren replied, “I just got here, so nothing much stands out yet—except the moment I stepped into the spaceport, I was completely blown away.”

“How long are you staying?”

Hao Ren has his own place in the Heaven Realm, but since most of his responsibilities remain on Earth, he probably won’t be here long.

“I’ll stay for a couple of days. Actually, I…” Hao Ren began, then hesitated.

Du Qiu looked puzzled and said, “Since when did you get so tongue-tied? Just say what you mean—if something’s on your mind, let it out!”

Hao Ren smiled and said, “I’ve started dating a girl…”

“Wow, you tough nut finally softened up! I always thought you were uninterested in women. Now I’m curious—what kind of woman managed to win you over?”

Du Qiu couldn’t help but be intrigued, especially since Yuan Minhua had introduced him to several girls before, all of whom Hao Ren had turned down while proclaiming his disinterest.

Now that he’s dating someone, it’s truly unexpected.

Hao Ren’s face darkened slightly as he said, “She’s an Eastern woman, a perfect blend of grace and allure. The moment I saw her, I was completely captivated.”

Watching the longing expression on his face, Du Qiu knew that Hao Ren was truly in love.

“An Eastern woman? Looks like you didn’t waste your time on Tangyu after all.”

“Master, she’s Japanese—oh, I mean, she’s a Japanese Tang national named Du Minghui.”

Du Qiu laughed and replied, “Still one of my own. By the way, since Japan no longer exists, she’s simply considered Tang.”

Hao Ren was taken aback, “Even though the Japanese Archipelago has just sunk, isn’t the Japanese government in exile in the United States?”

Clearly, he didn’t know that the final sinking of the archipelago triggered a massive tsunami that swallowed Japan’s fleet.

“Their Prime Minister and many cabinet members perished in the tsunami, and with no homeland left, the nation naturally ceased to exist.”

After a brief explanation, Du Qiu asked, “You didn’t come all this way just to tell me you have a girlfriend, did you?”

Hao Ren replied, “I was wondering if she could come to the Heaven Realm as my fiancée. I’ve already told her that I’m one of the shareholders of Dream Technology.”

Du Qiu simply looked at him in silence.

Feeling a bit uneasy under Du Qiu’s stare, Hao Ren quickly asked, “Master, did I say something wrong? Please don’t look at me like that.”

“As a shareholder of Dream Technology, you should be familiar with the regulations for new arrivals to the Heaven Realm. You could have followed the proper procedure. Are you trying to pull some backdoor trick by coming to see me today?”

Hao Ren grinned sheepishly, “Master, I was wrong.”

“Since you supported these Heaven Realm immigration laws, you should uphold them instead of treating them like they don’t matter.”

Seeing the remorse on Hao Ren’s face, Du Qiu sighed, “If you want your girlfriend to come to the Heaven Realm sooner, there is a way.”

Hao Ren’s eyes lit up as he asked, “What is it?”

“Marry her immediately. As your legal wife, she’d automatically get residency in the Heaven Realm. That should help you achieve your goal, right?”

Hao Ren’s face sank immediately as he said, “Master, that’s the plan I want, too. I’ve already told her that once we marry, she can come to the Heaven Realm.

But she thinks we aren’t ready yet and wants to understand me better—even though I introduced her to my father, she still isn’t convinced.

If not for that, I wouldn’t have considered trying your backdoor method.

With an expression that meant there was nothing he could do for him, Du Qiu said, “Then get to know your girlfriend’s preferences better and be more demonstrative—hope to tie the knot soon.”

He added, “Your attempt at a backdoor reminder today has reinforced my resolve to strictly enforce the rules and eliminate any loopholes.”

After sending Hao Ren on his way, Du Qiu instructed Star Ocean to include Hao Ren’s girlfriend in the protection program.

From now on, any high-ranking executive at Dream Technology with family members or relatives who haven’t yet moved to the Heaven Realm will be placed under Star Ocean’s protective surveillance, with a dedicated Iron Guard team assigned.

Times are getting more chaotic, and Du Qiu must ensure the safety of his people and kin.

“Sir, Kawanohoroharu has sent the latest progress report. They seem to have made a breakthrough in enhancing human brainwave intensity,” reported a voice from Star Ocean.

Du Qiu was surprised by the report; he had long lost hope in the research on consciousness uploading devices.

Previously, Kawanohoroharu’s human trials had resulted in several deaths, and after he halted them, Du Qiu thought no quick progress was possible.

To his astonishment, Kawanohoroharu had managed to deliver a pleasant surprise, and he immediately had Star Ocean display the report.

After carefully studying the data, Du Qiu couldn’t help but admire Kawanohoroharu’s brilliance.

He recalled how his own experiment using a crystal cube for consciousness uploading had caught Kawanohoroharu’s attention.

Although Du Qiu hadn’t provided the crystal cubes with an alien-civilization circuit, he had supplied a batch of standard crystals.

Kawanohoroharu cut these crystals into thin slices and, following his original method for making brain-machine interface helmets, embedded the crystal shards inside the helmet.

Using these helmets with embedded crystal shards in trials on monkeys, after persistent testing, he discovered that the shards could permanently boost brainwave intensity.

Kawanohoroharu wrote the report partly to showcase the results and partly to request permission for human trials.

Du Qiu patted his thigh, mentally nodding in approval—truly, a scholar of the brain.

It wasn’t surprising that my headaches faded after using a crystal pillow; apparently, the boosted brainwave intensity did wonders.

Reviewing Kawanohoroharu’s test data, Du Qiu noted that although the monkeys’ brainwave levels had increased, the boost was only about 8% above the baseline.

Du Qiu wasn’t sure how the crystal shard method compared with the alien-circuit crystal cube approach for enhancing brainwaves, but it looked like they were on the right track.

He hesitated over whether to directly use the crystal cube for trials, given it involved his secret connection to alien technology.

After some thought, Du Qiu decided to continue with the crystal shard method.

Although this method enhances brainwave intensity slowly, it is still an improvement. He wasn’t in a rush to perfect the consciousness uploading technology.

Thus, Du Qiu quickly approved Kawanohoroharu’s request for human trials.

Currently, all biochemical experiment research is housed in the underground base at the South Sudan Industrial Park, which is now fully operational.

“Sir, the new lab data from the Space Exploration Company is in. That supercomputer is indeed connected to a network—a closed military network that occasionally links to the Internet.”

Du Qiu said, “You should be able to infiltrate that military network using the infiltrator, right?”

“Yes, I’ve just connected and found some issues.”

“What issues?”

“This military network connects to all of the U.S. Military’s strategic nuclear launch platforms!”