"Director, the bank's people are here again, demanding we repay the loan early."
"Director, over a dozen major suppliers have called, saying they will suspend our supply and demanding we settle our accounts according to the contract, or they will sue us."
"Director, the newly produced lithium batteries are still substandard; they spontaneously combust with even a slight impact. So far, the technical department still hasn't found the problem."
"Director, when will the workers' wages be paid? We can't delay any longer!"
...
Donghai City Huateng Energy Co., Ltd.
Director's Office.
Yang Xuebin's face was full of worry, his hair a mess like a chicken's nest, but he had no mind to tidy it. He, who never used to smoke, was now puffing away, one cigarette after another.
There was nothing he could do; as the new director, he was deeply troubled.
He was twenty-six this year, having just received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Donghai University. Due to his excellent academic performance, he had led a team to complete a major municipal project and had received invitations from many internet giants even before graduation.
Originally, his plan was to join Qiandu to research large models.
But a call from his mother shattered his plans: his father, Yang Hong, had fainted in his office due to angina and had been hospitalized. Fortunately, his life was not in danger.
However, as per the doctor's orders, Yang Hong had to stay in the hospital to recuperate and could no longer overexert himself, lest his condition worsen.
Thus, he had no choice but to hastily take over the factory.
Taking over was fine; after all, it was the foundation his father had painstakingly built.
But after understanding the details, Yang Xuebin was dumbfounded.
He also understood why Yang Hong, who had always been in good health, would suddenly faint from angina and be hospitalized.
He was infuriated!
This matter dated back to last year.
His father, Yang Hong, somehow met a returning PhD named Lu Kui'an, who specialized in new energy research and was reportedly well-known in the lithium battery industry.
Then, somehow, his father was taken in.
He not only emptied his family savings but also mortgaged the factory to borrow three hundred million from the bank, raising a total of five hundred million to purchase a new production line and research lithium batteries.
According to Lu Kui'an, he had invented a new technology that could significantly increase the energy density of lithium batteries.
As long as it was put into production, it could easily crush the CATL era in minutes.
The new production line was bought, and although it was far above market price, it was considered the most advanced equipment.
But just as the new batteries were about to go into production, Lu Kui'an, as the technical director, suddenly disappeared. Moreover, the produced lithium batteries were severely substandard, exploding when subjected to violent impacts.
Yang Hong, overcome with anxiety, was directly hospitalized.
By this point, even an idiot would know he had been swindled. It was likely to lead to financial ruin, even enormous debt, making it difficult to ever recover.
How could Yang Hong not be anxious and angry?
Facing the current mess, Yang Xuebin could only bite the bullet and push forward.
He demanded that the technical department find the cause of the lithium battery explosions and improve them. As long as the safety was not an issue and they could be put into normal production, even if the product technology was second-rate, it would be fine.
At worst, he would rely on small profits and quick turnover, taking a low-end approach to keep the factory alive first.
But when it rains, it pours.
The news of Huateng Energy Company's new battery research failure somehow spread throughout the industry, causing the bank to rush to collect the loan.
Major suppliers also stopped supplying goods, demanding prompt settlement.
"Damn it, am I really going to end up like Teacher Luo, relying on live streaming to sell goods and repay debt?"
Yang Xuebin fiercely stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
If he couldn't overcome this difficulty, even if their family sold all their assets, they would still owe at least two hundred million.
Such a large sum of money certainly couldn't be repaid by working for others.
"Ding!"
Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind: "Do you wish to bind the Sci-Fi System?"
"System? Hallucination?"
Yang Xuebin was startled, wondering if he was hearing things.
Although he was devoted to technological research, he occasionally read web novels when relaxing and had fantasized about what he would do if he got a system.
Punching Huawei, kicking Apple.
But this was merely wishful thinking; it was just for fun. How could there be such a bug as a system in the world?
Just as Yang Xuebin shook his head, the cold, mechanical voice sounded again:
"Ding, do you wish to bind the Sci-Fi System?"
"This…"
Yang Xuebin was excited and incredulous.
It was real.
And it was a Sci-Fi System. Just by its name, he knew it was technology-related.
Wasn't this exactly what he desperately needed?
Yang Xuebin excitedly shouted, "Bind! Bind!"
"System binding successful!"
"Host, you don't need to speak. You can communicate with me through your thoughts!"
Yang Xuebin also suddenly realized.
He quickly looked at the office door, and only after seeing it closed did he breathe a sigh of relief.
He suppressed the excitement in his heart and communicated with his thoughts: "System, tell me your purpose. Can you provide or exchange various black technologies, such as lithium battery technology?"
"This system can provide the Host with a journey through science fiction, entering one sci-fi world after another!"
"To ensure the sci-fi journey has sufficient playability, each time you enter a new world, the Host can choose one talent card."
"Upon entering a sci-fi world, the Host needs to complete corresponding tasks."
"Completing main quests rewards talent card solidification, but this talent cannot be carried into the next sci-fi world."
"Completing side quests rewards a lottery chance, with prizes being various technologies from the corresponding world."
Yang Xuebin nodded slowly and calmed down.
His eyes gleamed, and he asked: "I want to know, is it my physical body or my soul that enters the sci-fi world?
What happens if the mission fails?
What happens if I die accidentally in the sci-fi world?
Also, can I choose the sci-fi world?
After entering the sci-fi world, what is the time flow rate between the two worlds?
And finally, can the things I learn in the sci-fi world be brought back to the real world?"
In fact, the last question was what he cared about most.
Since it was a sci-fi world, the technology there must be more advanced than in the real world.
Perhaps decades, or perhaps hundreds or thousands of years.
Even tens of thousands of years.
He didn't need much; as long as he could learn one or two technologies that were a decade or so ahead and bring them back to the real world, he could easily become the world's richest person, truly becoming a CEO, marrying a beautiful and wealthy woman, and reaching the pinnacle of life.
"Consciousness entry!"
"When the Host's consciousness enters the sci-fi world, the time flow in the real world stops."
"If you die, the Host himself will not be affected in any way; it's just like having a nightmare."
"If the main quest fails, there is no penalty, but also no reward. However, if three consecutive missions fail, the system will automatically unbind and erase the Host's relevant memories."
"After the sci-fi journey ends, the system will dilute the Host's memories, ensuring the Host doesn't forget while also preventing the memories from affecting the Host's personality."
"Science and technology-related memories are an exception and will be blurred."
"To prevent the Host from becoming addicted to the sci-fi world, there is only one opportunity to enter a sci-fi world each year."
Yang Xuebin felt regret.
It seemed there were no loopholes to exploit.
However, overall, the system was quite lenient and didn't just kill the Host at the slightest provocation.
Although it would unbind and erase relevant memories.
But he didn't believe he would fail three missions in a row.
As long as he could complete the missions, he would be able to obtain corresponding talent cards and other black technologies.
By then, even if he changed careers, he would quickly be able to turn things around, and even getting on the rich list would not be difficult.
Thinking of this, Yang Xuebin couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement:
"System, I want to enter a sci-fi world."
"Please select a talent card!"
As the cold, mechanical voice finished speaking, numerous colorful bubbles appeared before Yang Xuebin's eyes.
There were over a hundred of them, each marked with a talent.
Digital Space, Perfect Pitch, Photographic Memory, Abstract Thinking, Hard work pays off, Absolute Rationality, Linguistic Intelligence, Telepathy, Dynamic Capture, Flash of Inspiration... Every time he focused on a certain talent, he would naturally understand its specific characteristics.
Yang Xuebin's first glance fell on 'Photographic Memory,' as it was the standard for geniuses.
But then he also took a liking to 'Digital Space,' which was Wei Cheng's talent in Trisolaris.
In Wei Cheng's eyes, space was numbers, and numbers were space.
For a very complex math problem, he could write out the answer directly after two glances, as simple as mental arithmetic of one plus one equals two.
They say mathematics is the foundation of all disciplines, so choosing this talent would naturally not be bad.
But after careful consideration, Yang Xuebin still chose 'Hard work pays off.'
Because in his opinion, every talent has its limits, but only 'Hard work pays off' does not.
As long as effort is put in, rewards will be reaped.
"System, I choose 'Hard work pays off!'"
"Talent card selection complete. Searching for sci-fi world..."
"Search successful. Anchoring Trisolaris spatial coordinates. Preparing to enter..."
"Trisolaris..."
"No... Stop..."
Yang Xuebin's eyes suddenly bulged, and he hurriedly shouted.
Trisolaris.
This was a world where the danger level was maxed out.
Planets were destroyed at the drop of a hat, and star systems turned into nothingness.
It was simply too dangerous.
When he had finished reading the original Trisolaris novel out of curiosity, his greatest feeling was despair.
Facing the Trisolaran Civilization, humanity despaired.
Facing the Singer Civilization, humanity despaired even more.
Low-level civilizations were not even ants in the eyes of high-level civilizations.
To destroy you, what concern is it of yours!