With everyone at home being busy, Huang Xuan took the opportunity to spend a few days driving around Nanjing. He had always played within the city limits but rarely ventured into industrial or development zones. He had always imagined these areas to be filled with smoke and the stench of decay, but upon visiting, he found that wasn't the case.
Land on the outskirts of Nanjing wasn't cheap, and many factories seeking profit were located in smaller towns. However, Huang Xuan didn't want to go too far, and Lorin also required proximity to the base. After specifically looking for high-energy-consuming businesses, Huang Xuan set his sights on an aluminum electrolysis plant.
This was an old, dilapidated factory with a reported production capacity of 100,000 tons—according to data from a decade ago. The equipment had never been updated, and most of the workers had left, leaving behind only a few near-retirement workers, a couple of managers, and an accountant. By all rights, the factory should have declared bankruptcy, but for some reason, it had managed to linger on.
News of Huang Xuan's interest in purchasing the factory brought excitement to the remaining employees. The price was ridiculously low, but the main issue was the retirement benefits for the workers. Huang Xuan didn't hesitate and spent two days finalizing the contract, officially becoming the owner of a factory with a supposed annual capacity of 10,000 tons of aluminum. Of course, this also provided a convenient cover story. The original workers were thrilled, believing that the factory might come back to life under new ownership, unaware that from the moment the contract was signed, the factory was destined to operate at a loss.
In typical aluminum electrolysis production, it takes 15,000 kilowatt-hours to produce one ton of aluminum—at least in a modern facility. The factory Huang Xuan had just acquired probably consumed over 20,000 kilowatt-hours per ton, but that was precisely the effect he needed.
With the energy chain set up in the new substation, Huang Xuan didn't even bother to hold a meeting at the factory. He simply instructed the original manager to carry on as usual—except for the electricity bills, which would no longer be "usual."
As a result, the generator sets could now produce nearly 500,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity daily, with the new factory capable of consuming roughly the same amount. Combined with the previous two weeks' consumption, Lorin's requirement of 10 million kilowatt-hours was nearly met.
But despite this, Huang Xuan understood that Lorin's existence was what made him unique, so he bought the factory, ensuring that when the need arose, Lorin wouldn't be hampered by a lack of energy.
Strangely, for three consecutive days, Lorin seemed to vanish into thin air, without a trace.
Huang Xuan didn't bother looking for Lorin. The long summer vacation was coming to an end, and he hadn't even touched his homework yet. Although this was nothing new, the looming deadline still made him anxious.
With his parents busy and only a few servants at home, Huang Xuan sat hunched over his desk, determined to finish his homework in one day. Just as he started, his phone clumsily began to ring.
"Is this Mr. Huang Xuan?"
"Yes, it's me." Huang Xuan put down his pen. Anyone calling him "Mr." probably didn't know him well, or they wouldn't address a 15-year-old that way.
"I'm Gan Lizheng, the technical director from Shanghai Xinye Company. Do you remember me? We spoke a few days ago."
Huang Xuan immediately recalled the man who wanted to buy Lorin's software. Feeling annoyed, he replied, "What can I do for you, Mr. Gan?"
"I've arrived in Nanjing and would like to discuss a potential collaboration on the encryption software series with you." The man's voice was sincere, but it didn't sway Huang Xuan. His homework was still unfinished, and no matter how sincere Gan sounded, his teachers wouldn't cut him any slack when Monday came.
So Huang Xuan casually said, "Sorry, Mr. Gan, I'm very busy right now, and I'm afraid I don't have the time."
Perhaps fearing that Huang Xuan might hang up, Gan Lizheng quickly added, "Mr. Huang, we are very sincere about this. As long as you're willing to negotiate, the price is negotiable."
Huang Xuan wasn't interested in the price. He muttered a vague acknowledgment, preparing to hang up again when Lorin suddenly spoke up, "Accept the meeting."
"It seems like you're always watching me," Huang Xuan grumbled, but he still responded into the phone, "Alright, let's meet tomorrow at noon, at the café on Old Lin Road."
After quickly ending the call, Huang Xuan looked around, knowing he wouldn't see Lorin. He smiled and asked, "Where have you been these past few days? I tried finding you, but you didn't respond."
"Upgrading."
"What?"
"The base's level increased three days ago, and your access privileges were upgraded accordingly."
Lorin's tone was calm, but Huang Xuan became excited. A level-up meant increased privileges. "Does this mean you can now send me wherever I want to go?"
"No," Lorin immediately crushed Huang Xuan's hopes. "Only a Level 6 base can pinpoint spatiotemporal coordinates. The base is currently at Level 22."
"Then what's the point?" Like any teenager, Huang Xuan quickly felt disappointed.
"It's far from pointless," Lorin replied patiently. "I now have much greater access to information, such as the encryption software that the man wanted to buy from you earlier. I can obtain much more."
"How?" Huang Xuan sat up, intrigued.
"From higher-level spatiotemporal dimensions."
Huang Xuan's face lit up. "Does this mean we can travel to the future?"
"It's higher-level spatiotemporal dimensions," Lorin corrected, then dashed Huang Xuan's dreams. "At present, I can only retrieve information, not transport matter."
"Then what good is that?"
Lorin remained patient. "Information has value. Just like the software that man wanted to buy from you earlier, I can access a lot of it."
"Really?" Huang Xuan was skeptical. "My mom always says not to focus only on the positives; you have to consider the negatives too. I don't believe you suddenly became all-powerful."
Lorin paused for a moment before responding in his usual calm tone. "Gathering information doesn't directly generate energy. On the contrary, it can destabilize the local dimension, creating a cumulative effect."
Huang Xuan objected, "But technology is the primary driver of productivity."
"The more a technology impacts productivity, the greater the destabilizing effect, leading to a higher cumulative impact. The dimension will have to expend more energy to counteract this effect, so retrieving technological data isn't permitted until after a spatiotemporal disturbance."
"So what now?" Huang Xuan was still doubtful.
"So far, I haven't received any new orders. My primary objectives remain upgrading the base and monitoring the dimensional status."
In other words, he could act more freely now. Huang Xuan shrugged. Whatever happened, it was Lorin's responsibility. If things went wrong, Lorin would have to handle it. Shifting topics, he asked, "So what does my upgraded access allow me to do? How can I use it? How did I earn this upgrade?"
Lorin answered each question earnestly. "Your current access level is 23. You have the authority to enter the base, use its facilities, draw on its daily energy, and access its operating funds. You're also authorized to take over the base in case of emergencies."
Huang Xuan blinked, sensing something important. "Take over the base in an emergency? What about you?"
"You cannot override the base overseer's authority. Only if I'm incapacitated will you be able to take control of the base."
Huang Xuan realized that discussing usurpation with the king wasn't wise, so he changed the subject. "Lorin, can the base help me with my homework?"