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

"Answer the question!" Liu Guoliang grabbed Li Yichen by the collar and wouldn't let go, looking exactly like a construction foreman chasing after debts.

Li Yichen pried his hands off and patted the wrinkled polo shirt.

"Commander Liu, please take it easy. This outfit of mine costs over three thousand yuan."

He held up two fingers.

"Endurance: Each unit has two built-in micro hydrogen fuel cells. Two years of standby time, and one month of full-power operation mode."

Liu Guoliang's mouth was open, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down twice, but he couldn't utter a single word.

One month.

It doesn't eat. It doesn't drink. It doesn't sleep. It's not afraid of cold or heat. It doesn't get tired. It's not afraid. It won't betray you.

Gu Shounian added quietly from the side, "And they don't even need to pay salaries yet."

"That's right." Li Yichen gave him a thumbs up. "No salary, no social security contributions, no year-end bonus, and they won't even ask you for a raise."

Liu Guoliang slapped his thigh and stood up.

"Test its strength! I want to see just how strong this iron lump really is!"

He turned and yelled at the dispatcher in the distance.

"Bring that retired Type 99A tank over here!"

Five minutes later.

A rusty, decommissioned Type 99A main battle tank was towed to the center of the site. More than fifty tons of steel lay there, like a sleeping beast.

Liu Guoliang pointed at the tank, then turned to look at the Terminator.

"Overthrow it."

Two Terminators stepped forward. Their hands gripped the edge of the skirt panel, their metal fingers wedging into the gaps.

A sudden humming sound erupted from the hydraulic joint.

The tank trembled slightly.

Then—the entire vehicle began to tilt. A slow, irreversible tilt.

boom!

More than fifty tons of steel were flipped upside down. The tracks spun helplessly twice in the air.

The shockwave blew Liu Guoliang's hat off.

Nobody picked it up.

The young staff officer stammered for a long time, "This...this power..."

Liu Guoliang picked up his hat, dusted it off, and his expression had evolved from shock to fervor.

"Let's measure the speed!"

At the end of the track, a Terminator entered its sprint stance. Ling'er provided real-time updates on Li Yichen's watch.

"Thirty...forty...forty-eight...fifty-one! Peak speed of fifty-one kilometers per hour!"

Gu Shounian, timing the stopwatch, watched the silver shadow whiz past at the other end of the track. He uttered three words.

"That speed is almost as fast as a car."

Liu Guoliang chimed in from the side, "The key is—this thing doesn't need refueling."

The last item. Reaction rate.

Technicians operated an automated catapult target, firing rubber bullets from different angles and speeds. The Terminator's dodges and parries were so fast that even the high-speed cameras nearby could only capture afterimages.

After watching the video replay, the staff officer gasped in shock.

"The reaction speed is twice the human limit. In urban warfare... the enemy wouldn't even have a chance to pull the trigger."

All tests are now complete.

Liu Guoliang stood in front of the four-person terminator. His gaze swept from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, and then back up again. He did this five times.

He turned around.

"How much?"

No need for any preamble, let's get straight to the point.

"I'll provide the materials! You just need to quote a processing fee!"

Li Yichen reached out and straightened his rumpled collar.

"Commander Liu, the way you're acting is like an old lady fighting over the last head of cabbage at the market."

He held up two fingers.

"If you provide the materials—it'll cost 20 million per unit."

Liu Guoliang didn't even blink.

"Five hundred units! I want five hundred units! Sign the contract immediately!"

He turned and yelled at the staff officer.

"Bring me paper and pen! Write it now!"

The staff officer was about to make a move.

A timid voice emerged from the side.

Gu Shounian raised his hand, his expression exactly like that of someone who owed money to loan sharks.

"Commander... about the contract... could we postpone it?"

Liu Guoliang turned his head and glared at him.

"What's there to slow down for!"

"Because..." Gu Shounian swallowed, his voice growing softer and softer.

"The military region is running out of money."

A gust of wind swept across the test site. A few scraps of cloth drifted down from the Terminator skeleton, tumbling twice in the air.

Liu Guoliang froze.

It felt like someone had unplugged the power cord.

"Say it again?"

Gu Shounian repeated it with difficulty.

"I said—the military region—is—almost—out—of—money."

With each word he uttered, his face grew more pained.

Liu Guoliang grabbed Gu Shounian by the collar.

"Where did those billions of dollars go?!"

Gu Shounian started counting on his fingers.

"Ten sets of Heavenly Soldier Armor - 10 billion."

Extend your second finger.

"One thousand hydrogen fuel cells - two hundred billion."

The third one.

"Chip procurement—billions."

The fourth one.

"One hundred energy shields—five billion."

He waved four fingers in front of Liu Guoliang.

"Commander, we've spent nearly 50 billion in the past six months just doing business with Brother Li."

He paused for a moment, then added another blow.

"There's really not much food left in the accounts."

Liu Guoliang loosened his grip.

It felt like all the bones had been removed from my body, and I slumped into the folding chair next to me. The chair legs creaked under the weight.

There was a five-second silence.

He slowly turned his head towards Li Yichen. He pulled at the dough, forcing out a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Um... Major Li."

He rubbed his hands together, softening his voice by three octaves.

"Regarding the money... could you be a little more accommodating?"

Tang, the deputy commander of the Shanghai Military Region, was currently acting as if he was ready to pay back the money as soon as he got his salary next month.

"I'll ship the materials over to you first, and you can start building the robot. As for the money—I'll transfer it to you as soon as the funding is allocated after the New Year."

Li Yichen looked at him, suppressing a laugh.

"Commander Liu, are you asking to pay on credit?"

Liu Guoliang's face turned red.

"What do you mean by 'on credit'? This is called deferred payment! Is the military region's reputation not worth this little bit of money?"

Li Yichen deliberately frowned, revealing a hesitant expression.

"What if you try to renege on your debt?"

Liu Guoliang got impatient. He slammed his hand on the folding table, almost crushing the metal surface.

"If I, Lao Liu, ever cheat you out of a single penny, don't ever speak to me again! I swear on this!"

Li Yichen couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

"Alright, let's write a contract. A written agreement will prevent you from going back on your word later."

Liu Guoliang gritted his teeth.

"Write it! Write it now! Don't worry, even if I, Old Liu, have to kneel down at headquarters and beg for funding, I won't make you wait more than three months!"

The contract was signed on the spot. The staff officer wrote it in a flourish, and Liu Guoliang pressed his fingerprint on it with a flourish, as decisively as if he were selling his children.

Li Yichen carefully put his contract away and glanced at the four Terminators.

Covered in bullet holes and scorch marks from grenades, its bionic skin was completely shattered. The superalloy skeleton gleamed silver in the sunlight, and its red optical eyes gleamed eerily.

If this car were driven back to the city center, the entire city of Shanghai would probably call the police.

He waved his hand.

"These four are yours; consider them a gift from me."

Liu Guoliang jumped up.

"Given away for free?!"

He put his arm around Li Yichen's shoulder, his face crinkling with laughter.

"Good brother! Loyal!"

Gu Shounian rolled his eyes.

"Twenty million for one unit, eighty million for four units. Commander, you're overjoyed—like you've found a free lunch."

"That's practically free money!" Liu Guoliang put his arm around Li Yichen's shoulder and shook him twice.

Li Yichen brushed the dust off his hands and picked up the car keys from the table.

"Alright, the tests are done, I'm leaving. I'll have Ling'er send the materials list for the 500 units to your email."

He took two steps, then suddenly turned around.

Pointing at the four Terminators standing still, he shouted at Liu Guoliang.

"By the way, Commander Liu—don't let them stand guard at the gate tonight."

Liu Guoliang was stunned.

Why?

Li Yichen gestured with his lips toward the four pairs of dark red optical eyes.

"Those eyes, in the dark, could easily scare someone to death."

Liu Guoliang glanced down.

The four pairs of dark red lights exuded a chilling aura even in the sunlight; in the pitch black of night…

A chill ran down my back.

He waved reluctantly.

"Okay, okay! Now get lost!"

Looking up, I watched as the U8 engine roared as it drove out of the test track gate.

In the rearview mirror, Liu Guoliang and Gu Shounian were still standing there. One was staring at the contract with a silly grin, while the other was holding the back of his head and baring his teeth. Four silver Terminator cars stood behind them, their red eyes all watching the departing car.

Li Yichen withdrew his gaze and placed one hand on the steering wheel.

The watch lit up.

Ling'er's little figure popped out, resting her chin on her hands and making faces.

"Brother, it's an order for 500 units—they'll provide the materials, and the processing fee is 20 million per unit—500 units would be 10 billion."

She counted on her little fingers.

"10 billion is enough to level up. And that'll get you another tech point."

Li Yichen's lips curled up slightly.

"With the funds from those previous charitable projects arriving one after another, we'll soon have a huge amount of tech points."

He stared at the road ahead, tapping his fingers twice on the steering wheel.

"At that time—"

Ling'er's eyes sparkled.

"What will happen then? Opening gift packs? Buying materials? Building spaceships?"

Li Yichen did not answer.

The car drove out of the military district gate and merged into the twilight of Shanghai. The afterglow shone on the windshield, bathing half of his face in a warm gold.