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

The elevator doors slid open.

The cold white light and the low-frequency hum of mechanical operation hit you immediately.

Li Yichen strode to the eastern isolation zone. Three industrial machine machines each occupied a corner, their silver-gray robotic arms moving up and down, turning the entire floor into something resembling the engine room of an aircraft carrier.

He had a clear goal and went straight to the worktable in the corner.

The circular energy shield metal frame lay quietly on the table. The superconducting coils were neatly wound, the miniature plasma generator was embedded in the reserved slot, and all the peripheral components fit together perfectly.

The very center is empty.

A circular groove, about the size of a thumb, awaits the quantum-level rare-earth excitation crystal.

Without this, the energy shield is just a bunch of expensive decorations.

Li Yichen reached out and ran his hand around the edge of the groove, feeling the cool metallic touch on his fingertips.

"Alright, it's time to spend the money."

He closed his eyes. His consciousness sank into the system's online store.

The search bar popped up. He entered keywords.

Quantum-level rare-earth excitation crystals—complete synthesis formula and preparation process.

The result pops up. Price: 1 Tech Point.

Current balance: 18 points.

He didn't even lift his eyelids.

exchange.

[Ding! Exchange successful! Technology points -1, 17 points remaining.]

[The formula for synthesizing quantum-level rare-earth excited crystals has been implanted into the host's consciousness.]

Data streams flooded my brain.

The quantity this time isn't large. Compared to the time when we received the exoskeleton armor, it's at most a small stream. But the craftsmanship is insanely precise—the synthesis temperature is accurate to 0.01 degrees Celsius, and the magnetic field strength fluctuation tolerance is no more than 0.03%.

High-purity dysprosium. Yttrium fluoride seed crystals. Liquid helium cooling environment within a superconducting magnetic confinement container. Laser pulse excitation.

Step one, two, three, four—the parameters for each step are clearly engraved in the sulci and gyri of the brain.

three minutes.

Li Yichen opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

"Done."

He looked down at the empty recess, having already mentally reviewed the entire manufacturing process. Now all that was missing was the materials.

I browsed through the electronic inventory list in the materials warehouse on the 66th floor.

High-purity dysprosium—it's available, but only ten grams. That's not enough. The formula requires at least fifty grams.

Yttrium fluoride seed crystals – none.

Liquid helium – No.

Superconducting coil extension assembly – None.

Li Yichen smacked his lips.

These items are completely unavailable on the civilian market, even if you have the money. They're all military-grade controlled items.

He took his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts.

Gu Shounian.

Make the call.

beep - beep -

Before the second sound finished, I answered it.

"It's you again, you brat." Gu Shounian's voice came through the receiver, a hint of resignation in his tone. "I just sat down for a sip of tea, barely warmed my backside, and you're already calling. So, what do you want this time?"

Li Yichen leaned against the edge of the workbench, legs crossed. "Brother Gu, thank you for your help. Could you prepare another batch of materials for me? The list isn't long, just five or six items."

"Five or six kinds?" The sound of a bottle cap being twisted came from Gu Shounian's other end. "You said five or six kinds last time too, but you ended up saying more than twenty kinds. Now I get angina every time I hear the words 'five or six kinds'."

"This time there really are only five or six items. I'd be a dog if I lied to you."

"Okay, go ahead." The sound of paper and pen turning over came from behind.

Li Yichen began reciting: "High-purity dysprosium, fifty grams. Yttrium fluoride seed crystals, three sets. Liquid helium storage tanks, two standard five-liter containers. Superconducting coil extension assembly, size six..."

He read them down one by one.

Gu Shounian muttered to himself as he took notes. "Dysprosium... Yttrium fluoride... Liquid helium..." The pen tip made a scratching sound. After writing down the last item, he slammed the pen on the table.

"Li Yichen".

"Um?"

"Tell me the truth," Gu Shounian said, lowering his voice by half an octave. "What are you up to? Last time you asked for tungsten-titanium alloy rods, I thought you were building a missile. This time it's liquid helium and superconducting coils, are you trying to build a particle collider?"

Li Yichen remained expressionless. "Pretty much. Let's make a little gadget."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Gu Shounian exploded.

"Can you please stop using the phrase 'little gadget'?!" His voice rose an octave. "Last time you said 'little gadget,' something came out that crippled an American aircraft carrier!"

He took a deep breath.

"Every time you say 'little thing,' my blood pressure spikes. Can you use a different word?"

Li Yichen suppressed a laugh.

"Okay, then I'll choose another one." He cleared his throat and said seriously. "This time it's—a more delicate little gadget."

Gu Shounian: "..."

A dull thud came from the other end of the phone as an enamel mug struck the table.

"I'm not arguing with you anymore." Gu Shounian's voice carried a weariness born of a life lived with many experiences. "The materials will be delivered tomorrow morning. You'll have to pay yourself."

"No problem, it's just a matter of money." Li Yichen was about to say a few polite words and hang up.

Gu Shounian didn't let him hang up.

"etc."

"Um?"

"Brother Li," Gu Shounian's tone suddenly changed, carrying a hint of grievance, "I have a question for you."

"you say."

"Don't you... owe me several meals?"

Li Yichen almost dropped his phone.

Gu Shounian's voice rose, becoming increasingly agitated. "Every time you ask me for materials, you always end with 'I'll treat you to dinner another day.' I went back and counted on my fingers—in just these past few months, you've said 'another day' at least six times!"

He spoke faster.

"Which day exactly is this 'another day'? Give me a straight answer! Is it tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? The next century?"

Li Yichen almost burst out laughing at his tone. This colonel from the Shanghai Military Region was chasing him for money like a market vendor begging for food money.

"Okay, Brother Gu, I was wrong." He raised one hand in surrender. "No need to reschedule, tomorrow night will do."

He thought for a moment. "I'll reserve a table at Dashengli Private Kitchen in Shanghai. What time can you arrive?"

Gu Shounian's tone immediately softened.

"Seven o'clock."

"Then it'll be seven o'clock, see you there."

"That's more like it." Gu Shounian regained his cheerful demeanor. "You have to keep your word, if you stand me up—"

He paused for a moment.

"I'll drive a tank to block your doorstep."

"Don't worry," Li Yichen laughed. "I definitely won't stand you up."

The phone hangs up.

He put his phone back in his pocket and turned to look at the unfinished new armor specially made for the energy shield next to him.

This new suit of armor was a whole size larger than his original silver-gray one. The shoulder armor was wider, the chest armor thicker, and the overall lines conveyed a heavy, powerful feel. The most noticeable difference was on the back—four hydrogen fuel cell power bays were provided, doubling the capacity of the original.

the reason is simple.

Activating the energy shield once will instantly drain 90% of the energy stored in two hydrogen fuel cells. The four-cell design means that he can activate absolute defense twice in a single battle. After depletion, there will still be residual power to maintain flight and weapon systems.

He reached out and patted Xin Jia's chest. The cool metallic touch pressed against his palm.

"Ling'er".

The watch face glowed faintly. Ling'er's voice emerged from the watch face.

"Brother, I'm here."

"After the materials arrive tomorrow, how long will it take to prepare the core crystal?"

Ling'er calculated in the background for a fraction of a second. "According to the formula and process requirements, the crystal growth cycle under superconducting magnetic confinement is about 72 hours. Including the initial furnace loading and the later cutting and polishing, it takes about four days in total."

"Four days." Li Yichen nodded. "Perfect. We can finish up the remaining parts of the armor these few days, and then install it as soon as the crystal is ready."

"Brother!" Ling'er's little figure jumped out from the watch face, her two ponytails swinging excitedly. "Once the energy shield is installed, the overall defensive power of your new armor..."

She counted on her fingers.

"You can basically withstand low-yield tactical missiles. There are no conventional weapons on Earth that can penetrate you. At that point, you'll be truly invincible—"

"Don't jinx it," Li Yichen flicked her head. "What if something unconventional comes along? Keep a low profile."

Ling'er rubbed her head and shrank her neck, but the light in her big, pixelated eyes didn't diminish at all.

She suddenly jumped up again, her two little hands clenched in front of her chest.

"Brother! I want to ask you something!"

"ask."

"When will we be able to build our spaceship?!"

Li Yichen paused for a moment as he walked toward the elevator.

He glanced down at Ling'er. The little girl was suspended in mid-air, her legs swinging back and forth, her face full of anticipation. That expression was exactly the same as when Miao was clamoring for ice cream.

He smiled.

"It's still a long way off." He continued walking towards the elevator. "We're still struggling on Earth, we haven't even been to the moon yet. To build a spaceship, we need a power source and engines capable of supporting interstellar travel. These things are in the system shop—"

He recalled the price tag.

"Warp drive, 150 tech points. That's equivalent to 1.5 trillion RMB. What do you think?"

Ling'er's face scrunched up from the shock of that number.

But she immediately perked up again. "But brother! Don't you still have eighteen more fortune gift packages?"

She gestured vigorously with her two little hands.

"What if we find a power source inside that can be used as a spaceship? What if we find the core components of a warp drive? What if—"

"Dream on." Li Yichen pressed the elevator button. "The warp drive costs 150 tech points. The system isn't going to give you something worth 1.5 trillion for free."

The elevator doors slid open. He stepped inside.

Ling'er floated on his shoulder, her lips pouting so much they could hang a soy sauce bottle. "But the system gave you an exoskeleton before! That thing is worth several tech points!"

Li Yichen leaned against the wall of the sedan chair and thought for a moment.

What she said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

The system has always been ridiculously generous. The space-based weapons and industrial motherships it released before—weren't those incredibly valuable resources?

Eighteen gift packs.

Even if each machine only produces one "ordinary" industrial mother machine, the combined capacity of eighteen mother machines operating in parallel would be enough for him to build an interstellar shipyard.

Moreover, the system has never truly disappointed him.

Those gleaming golden icons danced quietly deep within my mind.

Waiting for him to reach out.

"Four days later." Li Yichen closed his eyes. "The crystal is ready, the shield is installed, everything is done—then we'll open the box."

Ling'er's eyes lit up. "Really? It opens in four days?"

"Um."

"All eighteen open?"

"It depends."

"Bro, stop teasing me! It's distracting me from all the background processing! Those glittering icons are making me dizzy—"

"You, a quantum-level AI, can still get distracted?"

"That's called resource allocation! It's not distraction! It's a disordered prioritization caused by an excessive focus on unknown rewards! That's technical terminology!"

Li Yichen bent his index finger and flicked the watch face again.

Ling'er cried out "Ouch!" and shrank back, looking aggrieved.

The elevator numbers are dropping.

He leaned against the metal wall, several things racing through his mind at the same time.

Materials for tomorrow. Crystals four days from now. Eighteen gift packages that could change everything.

Also, tomorrow night at 7 PM – Dashengli Private Kitchen.

You can't leave without a promise.

Otherwise, that old man Gu Shounian might actually drive a tank to block the gate. Just imagining a Type 99A main battle tank blocking the entrance to Tomson Riviera is enough to trend on social media in Shanghai for three days.

The elevator descended to the first floor. The doors opened.

Li Yichen stepped out, hands in his pockets, and walked towards the building entrance. The twilight outside the glass doors was tinged with orange-red, and the Pudong skyline was bathed in a warm glow from the setting sun.

He pushed open the door.

The evening breeze blew in, carrying the coolness unique to December.

Four days.

It will pass quickly.