Huang Xuan dared curse the butler and disobey his sixth uncle, but he wouldn't dare to disrespect his first grandfather no matter how bold he was. He muttered some sentences and sat down. Only if Huang Jindi showed up could the matter be settled.
Zhang Xinyi didn't think she could say anything else and took Huang Xuan away.
On the way, Huang Xuan was still unhappy.
"Mom, how could you let them treat me like that?" he said, taking his mom's hand.
"It doesn't matter. Your grandfather has been so busy these days. Everything will be OK in some days. You can just consider it as saving that small amount of money into the account of the foundation."
"I wouldn't have put the money into the foundation's account had I known it would be like this," Huang Xuan said with his head raised, refusing to accept it as final.
"Being under 18, what else can you do?"
"I can deposit the money in the bank. I am under 18. So what? Who would dare not to accept the money?"
Zhang Xinyi was amused.
"You silly kid. As little money as yours, no bank would even be willing to talk to you."
"There will be." Huang Xuan was not giving in. He had been feeling better after arguing with his mom.
Three days had passed. Huang Xuan still didn't see his grandfather. He met with Dutoit and Aubrey respectively. The total assets of 800 million dollars had so deeply attracted the two investment groups that they didn't hesitate at all to shuttle between two places. Although the 300 million dollars entailed in the contract concerning the lumber were all in the account of the foundation. The two both played dumb. It seemed that they had faith in Huang Xuan.
Indeed, although Huang Xuan was a big spender, he had the healthiest cash flow. Whether there were the extra 300 million dollars or not, the operation of other assets wouldn't be affected at all.
Li Shenggang seemed to have developed a good relationship with the authority as if his triangular eyes were particularly good at winning over. Huang Xuan gave him 20 million RMB in cash and asked him to buy two more electrolytic aluminum factories.
The problems of these factories were all left over by system, such as the retirement pension higher than the regular wages and the liabilities more than the assets, not to mention the profitability. However, to Huang Xuan, these were all a piece of cake.
Rolin could absorb electric energy, optical energy, and thermal energy. With the help of the energy chain, the loss of energy would be 30% at most. However, the substance energy must be transformed in the base. At the age when oil was priced so high, storing a lot of energy would be wise. Absorbing solar energy or thermal energy would also be a good choice, but solar energy took up too much space, and the first-phase investment of thermal energy was too much. The base couldn't be located in lava because the consumption would exceed the gains. Hence, Huang Xuan would rather spend more money unless there was enough time.
No sooner had he hung up the phone than Zhang Xinyi walked in hastily.
"Mom, don't you work today?"
"Your grandfather is ill." Zhang Xin didn't look well.
Huang Xuan's stomach knotted at the news. He rushed out without preparation.
Huang Jindi had been ill for over a week. But he had had so many things to deal with that he hadn't take a day off. Eventually, he fainted on his way.
Around a hundred people had come to visit and were waiting outside the ward. Butler Zhou had stopped them from going in.
"Is father awake?" Zhang Xinyi walked to the door and asked.
"Yes, but the doctor said he was too weak."
Zhou Li, who was only several years younger than Huang Jindi but much healthier, looked solemn.
"Can I go in and see grandpa?" Huang Xuan asked quietly.
Zhou Li nodded lightly and said, "Your grandfather might just fall asleep. To avoid disturbing him, you'd better stay outside." Then he took Huang Xuan to get changed.
"Rolin, can you help me examine my grandpa?"
"Of course."
Huang Jindi's ward was a little different from the ordinary Intensive Care Units. The window was in the inner room, and the outside was a meeting room with some medical apparatus.
"His health condition is E16, very bad. According to the present medical condition, he won't be able to hold on for a long time," Rolin added.
Huang Jindi didn't look bad and wasn't using respiratory apparatus.
"Bullsh*t!" hearing what Rolin had said, Huang Xuan said immediately.
"Xuan, keep quiet," Zhang Xinyi patted Huang Xuan on the shoulder and reminded him, although she didn't hear clearly what he had said.
"The judgments of the base are usually correct," Rolin said. He didn't get Huang Xuan's feelings.
Huang Xuan felt the moisture on his cheeks and wiped with the back of his hands.
"Can't you think of anything?"
"I told you that the bases of lower levels could only conduct vaccination. Even bases of higher level can't do anything about the natural degeneration of lives. Our base is an advancing one, not a logistics one."
Rolin's tone was as flat as usual, but to Huang Xuan, he sounded very cold.
"Can't you say something useful? What do you want to help cure my grandfather? 10 million kWh of electricity? Just tell me how much you want!"
"I don't think so. Advancing bases can cope with most wounds, but life degeneration must be dealt with by medical bases of above level B."
Huang Xuan was angry to the point of cursing. However, when he looked at the apprehensive doctors and nurses aside, he realized that relying on those guys would be much worse. He loosened his tightly clenched fists, avoided others' eyes and asked, "How to get a medical base of above level B?"
"It's impossible," Rolin ruined Huang Xuan"s last hope instantly.
Looking at his grandfather who was sleeping, Huang Xuan recalled the past. His eyes were full of tears.
"Rolin, I need you to think of an idea. Don't tell me it is impossible. If you can't cure my grandfather, you will never get any energy from me! Never!"
Rolin was silent for a long moment. When they were leaving the hospital, he said to Huang Xuan, "If we catch the time traveler, he can probably help."
"How can we catch him? Where is he? Didn't you say that energy would be sufficient?"
"I can find him only when he is using energy. I think he has fit in this space. The fluctuation of the buffer zone is decreasing. I must remind you. Killing him is easy. But as to catching him, I can barely help."
Huang Xuan became agitated again.
"What on earth are you trying to say? Do you have any practical suggestion or not?"
"I think he is likely to continue either making oscillations or looking for our base. That's all."
"Can common people catch him?" Huang Xuan was suppressing his anger.
"Certainly, a single person can't, but he is not Superman."
That would suffice. Huang Xuan thought for a while with his eyes closed. "When was the last time I focused on thinking? When I was caught cheating in the test the first time or when I broke my grandfather's blue-and-white porcelain teacup?"
Thinking of his grandfather, Huang Xuan was very sad.
Zhang Xinyi looked at her son caringly. Although she had been strict with him and had even slapped him, she felt sorry for him when seeing him frowning.
His son might be a failure, but he was smart, healthy, and lovely. For a big clan, common views weren't valued. In her eyes, Huang Xuan's biggest merit was that he acted as befitted the occasion. He could smell the atmosphere, read people's minds, and speak properly. To achieve his aim, he could use different means on different people.
The immaturity and innocence before he had gone abroad couldn't be seen on his face anymore. Sometimes, Zhang Xinyi couldn't help wondering whether her decision had hurt her son and had got him involved in the dissension of the clan and the society; whether it was her that had driven her son into a competitive environment and had made him learn foreign languages and corporation management.
As a mother, Zhang Xinyi was wonderful. Compared with her business image, the mother Zhang Xinyi was gentle and careful. She poured a glass of Coke for Huang Xuan. In the past, she had never put such junk drinks in her car. When the glass was put down, the sound drew Huang Xuan back to the reality. He wiped his eyes sneakily with the back of his hands. Then he turned back and said firmly to his mom, "Mom, I need my younger uncle's help."