Super Rich: Starting the game by going back ten years to buy Bitcoin

"The USS Ford aircraft carrier was paralyzed after being attacked."

Eight words. Xiao Jingshan stared at the words for a full ten seconds, then slammed the intelligence report on the table.

Next to it were satellite photos. In the black and white, the eight-meter-wide hole in the deck of the USS Ford was glaringly clear. The ship was clearly listing to starboard, and thick smoke was still billowing out.

Xiao Jingshan raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

"This Li Yichen is really good at causing trouble."

He complained of a headache, but his hand clenched into a fist under the table and then relaxed. To be honest, the American carrier strike groups are constantly patrolling the East China Sea and South China Sea like they're walking dogs. This time, they ran into a hothead and messed things up.

He suppressed the slight smile on his lips, raised his head, and looked around the conference room.

More than ten high-ranking military officers sat upright. No one spoke first.

"Speak," Xiao Jingshan leaned back in his chair. "What are your opinions on this matter?"

The third person from the left, a staff officer wearing major general's shoulder insignia, was the first to stand up.

"Commander, I suggest we immediately bring Li Yichen into the military region for protection. The United States has suffered such a huge loss—fifteen fifth-generation fighters and an aircraft carrier—they can't possibly forget about it. Once they lock onto a target, their retaliation will only become more extreme."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dark-faced general across from him slammed his hand on the table.

"Old Zhou, your perspective is too narrow!"

He stood up, placed both hands on the table, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Fifteen F-35Cs, all destroyed. One laser beam, crippling the aircraft carrier. What does this mean? It means that the combat capabilities of the Celestial Armor have completely surpassed all known contemporary equipment! Once this thing is formed into a standardized force, the rules of modern warfare will have to be rewritten!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke.

"I've spent my whole life working with equipment, and I never dreamed that one day—one of us, with just one suit of armor, could cripple an entire aircraft carrier battle group."

A buzz of discussion filled the conference room. Some agreed, others shook their heads.

Xiao Jingshan didn't say anything, but turned to look at Gu Shounian.

"Shou Nian, you say it."

Gu Shounian bowed slightly and pulled a page from the folder.

"Commander, I've conducted an intelligence simulation."

He handed the paper to Xiao Jingshan.

"The United States currently has no evidence to point to Li Yichen personally. First, the armor has no nationality markings; second, it did not use any traceable communication frequencies throughout the entire process; third, there was no response code or IFF signal."

He paused for a moment.

"In the public eye, Li Yichen is just a private entrepreneur who makes batteries and chips. No one would associate a super armored vehicle with a businessman. The most they could suspect is that the Great Xia military has some kind of secret weapon. But suspicion is suspicion—they can't produce any concrete evidence."

Xiao Jingshan nodded and tapped his fingers three times on the table.

One. Two. Three. Stop.

"We won't bring him to the military region."

Everyone quieted down.

"Three reasons." Xiao Jingshan held up three fingers. "First, there's no evidence pointing to him, so we don't need to panic. Second, you all know this kid's temper; letting him be protected? He won't agree. Third—"

Xiao Jingshan flipped the satellite photo over and placed it face down on the table.

"The US has suffered a loss this time, and they'll just have to swallow it. If they dared to publicly say that a humanoid armored vehicle crippled the USS Ford, what would the world think of them?"

The generals exchanged glances, and some of them unconsciously curled up the corners of their mouths.

Xiao Jingshan's relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a serious tone: "But we must always be wary. The entire military region is on covert alert, closely monitoring any unusual movements by the United States in the area recently. They may not dare to act openly, but they're capable of any dirty tricks behind the scenes."

"yes!"

The people in the meeting room responded in unison.

Xiao Jingshan waved his hand to adjourn the meeting. The crowd filed out.

As he reached the door, he called out to Gu Shounian.

"Keeping vigil for the New Year".

"commander."

Xiao Jingshan's voice was so low that only the two of them could hear: "Tell that kid to shut up. Don't wear that armor outside for a while."

Gu Shounian nodded. "Understood."

-

6:30 PM. Tomson Riviera Villas.

When Ji Yanran pushed open the door, her briefcase was still tucked under her arm, and her high heels tumbled twice in the mud at the entrance.

The TV was on in the living room, and Miao was nestled in the corner of the sofa watching cartoons.

She took two steps inside, then stopped.

Li Yichen leaned against the sofa, shirtless. A white medical bra was wrapped around his left rib and back three times, the edges of the bandage slightly curled up against his skin.

Ji Yanran almost dropped her briefcase.

She walked over in two quick steps and squatted down beside the sofa.

"What happened?"

Her voice was very tense.

"You disappeared for a whole day and night, and this is what you came back to like?"

Li Yichen leaned back in his chair and raised his hand.

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

Ji Yanran stared at him for three seconds.

She didn't press for the specific reason. She vaguely knew about the cooperation with the military and the armor. He wouldn't tell her even if she asked, and she couldn't bear to know anyway.

But the worry on his face didn't lessen at all.

"Brother, you're lying!"

Miao Miao jumped off the sofa, her little face tense, and she poked her chest with one finger.

"The doctor said today that you have three broken ribs! Three!"

She gestured with her fingers, her small hands opening and then clenching.

"How can this be considered a minor injury!"

Ji Yanran's face darkened.

She stood up straight, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and looked down at Li Yichen.

"Boss."

As soon as she used that title, Li Yichen knew she was about to get serious.

"I won't ask what you did. But could you please be careful?"

Her voice was strained, and every word seemed to burst out.

"Do you even know who you are now? Future Technology, along with all its subsidiaries, has over ten thousand employees. If something happens to you—"

She paused for a moment.

What should we do with these more than 10,000 people?

Li Yichen looked at her.

He knew she wasn't entirely referring to the company. But she couldn't be open about it, so she could only use this method.

His smile faded. He nodded earnestly.

"I'll definitely be more careful next time."

Ji Yanran's eyes flickered, and she quickly turned around and walked towards the kitchen.

"Uncle Zhou."

Zhou Dahai was preparing the dishes when he heard the noise and poked his head out.

"President Ji?"

"Thank you for your hard work during this period. Make some nutritious meals for the boss to help him recover."

Zhou Dahai waved his hand and smiled, "Don't worry, President Ji, I went to buy some top-quality pork bones and fish maw this afternoon. I'll stew a pot of them tonight."

Ji Yanran nodded, said nothing more, went into her room and closed the door.

After dinner.

Li Yichen went to the backyard and lay down on the old rocking chair. A dull, throbbing pain came from his ribs; the painkillers were masking the sensation.

A breeze blew from the opposite bank, carrying the unique dampness of an early summer night.

My phone vibrated.

Gu Shounian.

connected.

"Brother, how's your injury?"

"He won't die. He has three broken ribs, but no internal organs are damaged. He'll be fine after some rest."

The person on the other end of the phone let out a long sigh of relief.

"That's good." Gu Shounian paused for two seconds, then became serious. "Brother, there's something I need to make clear to you. Don't wear the armor outside for the next while."

"Um."

"The United States has suffered such a huge loss, they must be searching the whole world for that suit of armor right now. Although they have no evidence, it's better for you to mind your own business until the storm passes."

Li Yichen gently pushed the rocking chair with his free hand. The chair swayed slowly on the lawn.

"Don't worry, Brother Gu, I know what I'm doing."

"Okay. Take good care of yourself. Call me anytime if you need anything."

"Um."

It's over.

With his phone pressed against his stomach, Li Yichen closed his eyes as the rocking chair swayed back and forth.

Three ribs. Fifteen F-35Cs. One aircraft carrier's combat capability reduced to zero.

All 137 lives were saved and returned home safely.

The rocking chair creaked as he rolled over—his ribs jolted against it, and his mouth twitched in pain.

Okay, let's not move around too much.

He lay back down, his hands resting on his stomach, looking up at the night sky. The stars were sparse, washed away by the city lights, leaving only a few visible.

A cargo ship passed by on the river, its whistle trailing off into the distance.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the lights on the third basement level of the Quattroporte remained on all night. Dozens of intelligence analysts stared at thirty-two screens, replaying the three-minute battle footage frame by frame. A top-secret tracking order, codenamed "IRON GHOST," was being distributed to twenty-three intelligence sites around the world via encrypted channels.