My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

Chu Bamboo nodded. ”That’s enough.”

’The so-called Cat of Destiny... Hmph. We’ll see if it can withstand my enforcement action across time.’

’I’ll let you have a nice taste of love from God!’

”?” Zhao Shao eyed them with a mix of shock and suspicion. After a long moment, he asked cautiously, ”Are you two discussing some sci-fi concept about traveling to the future?”

”Yeah!” Lin Xia replied breezily, completely unconcerned by Zhao Shao’s presence. After all, if it wasn’t true, who would believe that a person they knew could casually travel to the future, even if he admitted it right then and there, described it, and offered proof?

”Ah Zhu! Master Zhu!” Lin Xia suddenly snapped to attention. He pressed his palms together and stared at Chu Bamboo with a devout expression. ”Hurry up and tell me, what does my daughter look like? Is she as beautiful as an angel? Does she have unparalleled talent? Is she a world-class genius? And what about my wife... has she even been born yet? Come on, read my fortune!”

Zhao Shao: ”...”

’How did this suddenly turn into mysticism? And... what does he mean, ”has your wife been born yet”?! Is he already planning on cradle-robbing at some point in the future?!’

”Oh, I don’t know...” Chu Bamboo pleaded complete ignorance. He stroked his chin. ’Oh, right, I can probably look at a photo of Lin Xin Bamboo in the future... I can’t believe I never thought of that before.’

’Wait! Does that mean I could also look up a photo of my Schrödinger’s wife, Guan Qianyu?’

Then, Chu Bamboo seemed to recall something. After a moment’s thought, he looked at Lin Xia again. ”By the way, I’ve been working on some designs for drones and mechanical dogs. I’ve already uploaded them to Z. Lin Xia, once we have the money, we’re going to build a drone factory! If possible... let’s locate it near Shanghai.”

”I have only one requirement: from the very beginning, you must plan for at least five subterranean levels. Build defensive measures deep underground, sufficient to withstand a nuclear attack... And you need to set up an underground warehouse. This warehouse must be massive—large enough to store a huge number of drones!”

Chu Bamboo took a deep breath, looked straight into Lin Xia’s eyes, and said, emphasizing each word, ”It needs to be able to store millions—no, *tens of millions* of drones!”

”Once the blueprints are ready, give me the exact coordinates... Oh, and the factory, along with the underground nuclear-proof facility, should ideally be located in a suburban area. I’ll designate a region for you in a moment...”

’It would be best if this facility was in a remote, desolate part of the Dream World,’ Chu Bamboo mused. ’That would minimize the chances of it being dug up... Hmm, I could even consider not logging it in the Nuwa program. That way, Nuwa won’t be able to pull it out and waste it all during a crisis in some Celestial Court war.’

A dead silence.

Lin Xia’s composure finally broke. ”Wait a minute...” he said, stunned. ”We’re starting... now? Don’t tell me the nuclear apocalypse scenario is going to trigger in the next few years?!”

”Not quite. It’s just a precaution,” Chu Bamboo said, shaking his head. ”Funding shouldn’t be an issue. We just signed that deal with the military, after all... We can probably secure another massive loan using that contract alone. Besides, you can say we’re creating jobs.”

”Besides,” Chu Bamboo added with a hint of confidence, ”I’m sure the drones and mechanical dogs we’re developing are the most advanced in the world. Their smart programming is revolutionary compared to what’s currently available... I’ve already finished it and uploaded it to Z...”

’Don’t underestimate my Memory Divine Techniques!’

Zhao Shao: ”...”

’Revolutionary... *again*?!’

Zhao Shao’s mind was reeling. ’It’s not that I can’t accept that Chu Bamboo is exceptionally talented, but he’s jumping across way too many fields. From AI to batteries... I could swallow that! But...’

’How the hell did you now jump into drones and mechanical dogs?’

’Don’t tell me you’re going to get into electric cars next, like that Old Ma from across the Sea who got slapped around by the ”Know-It-All King,” had his fortune cut in half, and then announced his next move was to land on Mars and start a colony...’

”Yes, sir!” Lin Xia agreed without the slightest hesitation.

”...Um, Ah Zhu.” After several false starts, Zhao Shao finally spoke up. Noticing Lin Xia shooting him a displeased look, Zhao Shao held up a hand. ”I’m not doubting Ah Zhu! It’s just that if Ah Zhu is really this extraordinarily gifted...”

Zhao Shao paused, then looked at Chu Bamboo and said meaningfully, ”Why not have your team... ahem, I mean, why don’t *you*... research... robots?”

”Drones and mechanical dogs certainly have strategic value! But if you could develop highly humanoid robots... that could mean the complete liberation of the workforce! Society, after all, is meant to serve humanity.”

Although Zhao Shao was skeptical about whether Chu Bamboo’s drone venture was actually feasible, he also realized that if the team behind Chu Bamboo was truly capable, then... Yes, Zhao Shao was now convinced. Chu Bamboo wasn’t just a genius; he had to be backed by a team of countless other geniuses. Otherwise, he could never pull off so many unbelievable things—Chu Bamboo was simply involved in far too much.

And Zhao Shao had always firmly believed that drones and mechanical dogs combined were no match for fully humanoid robots.

As long as they could do 95% of what a human can, the societal impact of mass-produced intelligent robots would be absolutely no less than that of any industrial revolution... It could even completely change the fundamental operational logic of society itself.

”...Humanoid robots.” Chu Bamboo fell into a pensive state, his mind racing. He gave Zhao Shao a long, hard look. ”I see what you’re getting at!”

’Then, once I get past this dead end... I’ll make this a priority!’

”Oh, right, Ah Zhu,” Lin Xia said suddenly, pursing his lips as his gaze fell on Zhao Shao. ”Does he... meet the requirements?”

Zhao Shao’s pupils widened as he realized what was happening. ’Is Chu Bamboo’s organization trying to recruit me?’ He immediately fell silent, pondering what he would do if Chu Bamboo actually made the offer. Would he agree, refuse, or ask for some time to consider it...

And then...

”Let’s wait a bit longer,” Chu Bamboo said, shaking his head. After all, the diary was too badly damaged. The most he could confirm was that Zhao Shao was reliable in the early stages.

Ignoring Zhao Shao’s suddenly awkward expression, Chu Bamboo stood up and stretched. ”I should get back to my other work...”

”Ah Zhu,” Lin Xia suddenly interjected, a hint of worry in his eyes. ”Speaking of which, are you really going to the White-headed Eagle... Or rather, do you really have to go? If it’s just for sports, I don’t really mind, but...”

”That’s not it.” Chu Bamboo shook his head, his tone unreadable. ”This time, I have my own reasons... Oh, right!”

Chu Bamboo pulled a notebook from his pocket, scribbled down a line of text in a flourish, tore the page out, and tossed it to Lin Xia. ”There should be a sword at this address. Keeping it completely confidential, you must acquire it, no matter the cost or effort!”

That address was for the Chixiao Sword!

’If things haven’t changed, the Chixiao Sword should still be hidden in the tomb of some ancient big shot...’

”...Got it.” Lin Xia read the note several times, then closed his eyes to commit it to memory. Once he had it, he pulled out a lighter, burned the paper, dropped it into an ashtray, and ground it to absolute ash.

’Acting like a couple of spies at a dead drop,’ Zhao Shao grumbled to himself. He actually thought there was no real danger for Chu Bamboo to go to the White-headed Eagle right now; Lin Xia was just being paranoid.

’Frankly, if the true nature of companies Z and C were fully exposed, *then* he shouldn’t go. Given the current international climate and the Golden Lion King’s recent tendency to fly off the handle, if he went under those circumstances, he might just get detained like a certain Princess Petal.’