"What... this thing can solve the energy crisis?" The old commander was shocked upon hearing this. He couldn't help but jump up from the sofa, take two steps forward, grab Zhou Ziwei's shoulder, and ask with great urgency, "You... are you serious? This... isn't this just a plant seed? How could it possibly solve the energy crisis?"
Zhou Ziwei nodded firmly and said, "I'm sure... According to my analysis, this plant has a strong ability to absorb solar energy, which can convert solar energy into a liquid oil stored in the hollow stem of the vine. This naturally formed oil is extremely flammable. Preliminary estimates suggest that even unrefined natural plant oil has a combustion resistance that is at least three to five times higher than gasoline. If this plant can be cultivated in large quantities, it can completely replace the current mainstream fuel—gasoline."
"Boom—" The spacious hall erupted in chaos because of Zhou Ziwei's words.
This is actually a plant seed that can produce a better natural fuel than gasoline. Moreover, it doesn't require good land; it can be grown in the desert. It protects the environment and solves the energy crisis. The value of this seed is self-evident.
If what Zhou Ziwei said is true, then the value of this thing is simply incalculable; it's... practically priceless!
All the elderly people with gray hair present went mad. Not one of them could sit still on the sofa. They all stood up and shouted loudly. Some were asking Zhou Ziwei about some details of the fire lotus, some were asking Zhou Ziwei how he discovered this plant, and some... didn't even know what they were shouting.
"Everyone, please calm down." Seeing these old men acting so wildly, Zhou Ziwei broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly waved his hand to stop the incessant questioning and said, "I assure you, everything I just said is absolutely true. However... there's one thing I must tell you first: the geographical environment and time rules of the dimension we've arrived in are vastly different from our world. Therefore... whether this plant can be cultivated on Earth, and whether it can be planted on a large scale, is still unknown. So... let's not get too excited yet!"
Volume 2: The Assassin's Nightmare, Chapter 433: Long Live the Motherland!
Zhou Ziwei's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the excitement of the group of old men who had just been as excited as a bunch of children. Their laughter and shouts stopped abruptly, and they looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
"Hmph... I knew you wouldn't be so kind."
Hong Gang sneered, "What kind of plant can solve the energy crisis? Anyway, we've never been to that world you're talking about. As for what this thing is, you can say whatever you want as long as you want. Even if it's just a handful of sand you picked up on the road, we can't refute you, can we?"
Zhou Ziwei glanced at Hong Gang and said, "Sand? Do you think everyone in the country is as stupid as you? Can't you even tell the difference between sand and seeds? What is this thing anyway? Just take it to a biologist for identification, and you'll know. Besides... although I don't know if this thing can be successfully grown on a large scale on Earth, I'm sure that with a little effort, it can definitely be successfully grown in a laboratory. When the seeds grow, flower, and bear fruit, it will be clear whether it's a plant with the advantages I described. Do you think I would tell such a lie that could be exposed at any time?"
"Who knows..." Hong Gang snorted, but his tone was no longer so resolute.
The old commander glared at Hong Gang again and said, "General Hong... if you continue to target Director Zhou and engage in these pointless arguments... then I don't mind sending you home to sleep immediately."
The old commander's words were filled with undisguised anger, which startled Hong Gang. It seemed that the old commander was clearly going to protect Zhou Ziwei, and Zhou Ziwei was now making such great contributions. If he continued to go against Zhou Ziwei, he would probably not have a good outcome.
So Hong Gang shrank back in fright and didn't dare to continue his sarcastic remarks.
"Hmm... Director Zhou is right. No matter how excellent these seeds are or how many uses they have, they are, after all, plants from another world. Whether they can be planted on a large scale in Earth's deserts is still unknown..." The old leader shook his head with some regret, then suddenly raised his head and said decisively, "However, I believe that as long as our researchers prove the excellent effects of this plant, they will definitely find a way to cultivate a new variety suitable for large-scale planting on our Earth using these seeds. They definitely can."
The old leader's words were very powerful. It was unclear whether he was reinforcing his own confidence or persuading others, but after hearing them, one immediately felt that perhaps the biologists in the country would live up to expectations and make a major breakthrough in this field.
Speaking of which, biological research in China is quite advanced now. All sorts of strange and unusual crops can be grafted and improved. Even if these seeds from another time and space are not adapted to Earth's climate, can't they be improved through cultivation techniques? I believe that once it is proven in the laboratory that this plant does indeed possess the excellent performance that Zhou Ziwei mentioned, it will definitely become an important topic that the domestic biological community must tackle in the next few years.
After the old leader finished speaking, he turned to Zhou Ziwei with a kind smile and said, "Director Zhou, thank you for bringing such an important thing to our country. Now... do you have any personal requests? As long as they're not too unreasonable, I think the country will certainly not treat you unfairly... for example, would you like to own a portion of the equity in developing this plant, or..."
"No... I donated this fire lotus to the country free of charge. This is a major issue concerning the protection of the world's environment. How could I take advantage of such a thing?" Zhou Ziwei waved his hand, putting on a righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, which made everyone watching him look on in astonishment. This guy was just arguing with Hong Gang about the inviolability of private property, spouting a bunch of capitalist theories. If this had happened decades ago, it would have been enough to have him dragged out and shot for five minutes for talking nonsense. How come he's acting so generous now, saying he wouldn't take advantage of the country? Has this guy lost his mind?
Zhou Ziwei wasn't out of his mind, of course. He knew all along that the cultivation of fire lotus was a project that required government intervention to be successful, so he never expected to make any profit from it in the first place, and generously gave it all away.
And then... he will naturally save the best for last.
Next, Zhou Ziwei, Wang Xuewei, Chu Qiutang, and the others pulled out a large handful of colorful plant seeds and arranged them on the coffee table. He chuckled and said to everyone, "I call these plant seeds 'Water Sprites.' They're a more precious plant from another dimension, but... I estimate that Water Sprites will be even more difficult to cultivate than Fire Lotuses, but their effects are also incomparably more important..."
Zhou Ziwei paused deliberately at this point, but found that although he had once again successfully whetted everyone's appetite, no one shouted excitedly as before. After being warned by the old leader, Hong Gang did not dare to say anything sarcastic or discouraging to Zhou Ziwei.
"Ahem..." Zhou Ziwei felt a little bored seeing everyone so calm, and then said lazily, "This water sprite is a kind of phytoplankton. After it grows, it will produce strings of big and small, colorful floating balls, which are quite beautiful. However... its biggest function is as a catalyst, a... cough... a catalyst to improve the efficiency of certain energy development."
When Zhou Ziwei mentioned the word "energy" again, everyone's eyes lit up, but no one was in a hurry to express their opinion. They all wanted to hear Zhou Ziwei explain the mystery first.
Zhou Ziwei was no longer in the mood to keep anyone in suspense. He immediately pulled out a small, oddly shaped device, no bigger than a fist, from the inner pocket of his alloy jacket as if by magic.
"This is an instrument I brought back from another dimension. It looks crudely made, even something that could be manufactured by hand, but it possesses unparalleled magical properties—an instrument that could instantly put our country's energy reform ahead of the rest of the world..."
Zhou Ziwei's rapid-fire words immediately whetted everyone's appetite once again. Several people, led by the old commander, began to get restless and stood up from the sofa. However, before they could ask any questions, Zhou Ziwei suddenly waved his hand and said, "Get me two rubber tubes about the thickness of a finger, and bring me a basin of water..."
The old commander didn't know what Zhou Ziwei was up to, but seeing that he had a request, he had no reason not to cooperate. He quickly instructed the orderly beside him to prepare everything according to Zhou Ziwei's requirements.
Then everyone saw Zhou Ziwei calmly open an opening on the fist-sized device, pour in some water, and then pick up a seed of the plant he called the Water Sprite. With a "snap," he crushed the rock-hard seed with his fingers, then rubbed the seed fragments vigorously with both hands for a moment, instantly turning the Water Sprite seed into fine powder.
Zhou Ziwei carefully scraped the fine powder off his palm and then put it all into the fist-sized spherical device before closing the lid.
Seeing everyone staring wide-eyed at his every move, and a soldier filming his every action with a camera, Zhou Ziwei smiled and nodded. He then connected the two rubber tubes he had just received to the two ports on the spherical instrument. He then reached for a pull switch at the other end of the instrument, pinched the small rope end, and pulled hard. Instantly, the water inside the spherical instrument began to boil as air rushed in. Less than two seconds later, two soft "pop" sounds were heard, and gas began to continuously spray out from the two newly connected rubber tubes.
The gas ejected from these two pipes was clearly not the air that had been forced in when the pull switch was pulled earlier. Although the amount of gas ejected from these two pipes was not much, it was very steady and continuous, making one wonder if it would never stop.
"This...this is..." Although Zhou Ziwei hadn't explained in detail what the spherical device was, some people had already vaguely guessed its nature based on its current characteristics. Immediately, the generals, who were all scientific researchers, jumped up excitedly again. One of them, trembling, pointed at the spherical device in Zhou Ziwei's hand and exclaimed in horror, "This thing...it's...it's a device for decomposing water? It...it can easily decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen?"
Silence... After the general finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent. Everyone's eyes widened, but strangely, no one shouted excitedly anymore.
This time, Zhou Ziwei's possession was so important that they were worried that if they raised their voices even slightly, it would immediately cause this crucial information to be leaked.
Even a general like Hong Gang, who came purely from a military background and didn't have much formal education, fully understood the importance of this spherical instrument. Since the beginning of the 20th century, many people have proposed numerous ideas about the so-called energy revolution. One of the most important ideas is to use the almost inexhaustible water in nature as the main energy source in the future and to develop a more optimized and efficient way than electrolysis to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water, making it an effective and environmentally friendly energy source.
However, almost every developed country is secretly researching this important topic, but so far, no country has produced any truly effective results.
If the small, seemingly crude and inconspicuous spherical device in Zhou Ziwei's hand can indeed decompose hydrogen and oxygen in water to produce a continuous supply of pure natural energy, as everyone imagines... then the result is predictable. It could indeed propel China to the pinnacle of the world's energy revolution and even achieve unimaginable feats for all of humanity.
After hearing about the effects of the fire lotus seeds that Zhou Ziwei had brought out, everyone was excited. But now, after witnessing the effects of the spherical device that Zhou Ziwei had brought out, everyone was completely shocked and speechless.
Zhou Ziwei was quite satisfied with everyone's reaction, but seeing that some people still had a look of confusion and doubt in their eyes, he smiled again, then pinched the two pipes that were constantly spewing out gas together side by side, and said to the orderly next to him, "Go get a lighter and help me light it so that the leaders can see it."
"Ah... this... could there be any danger?" The old commander liked to smoke, so the orderly naturally had a lighter on him. However, the orderly also noticed that the gas spraying from the two tubes was likely hydrogen and oxygen decomposed from water. He wanted to light it with the lighter to confirm his idea, but... he was a little worried that if the instrument wasn't safe, it might explode after being lit, which would be troublesome.
You have to understand that the old men inside are all big shots holding important positions in the military and government departments. If this thing really explodes, even if it injures just one person, it would be a major loss for the country. He, a mere orderly, cannot bear such a heavy responsibility.
“It’s alright. Although the workmanship of this instrument is a bit rough, counterfeit and shoddy products are not popular in that other dimension. The quality of the things they produce is quite good, so there shouldn’t be any problems…” Zhou Ziwei said, glancing at the group of white-haired old men, then coughed lightly and said, “Of course… well… nothing is absolute. If any of you are afraid of dying, you might as well leave here on your own, so as not to be frightened later. I can’t take that responsibility.”
"Stop talking nonsense, brat." The old commander was already so anxious that he wanted to pounce on Zhou Ziwei and snatch the treasure from his hands. Seeing Zhou Ziwei hesitating at this crucial moment, he couldn't help but get annoyed and said, "Hurry up and light it! Let us see if this thing can really decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen. Hmph... Which of these people hasn't experienced gunfire? Do you think they'll be scared by such a small device? Stop arguing, Xiao Wang, hurry up... I order you, light it immediately."
The old commander almost yelled at the orderly as he finished speaking.
The diligent soldier, Xiao Wang, was so frightened that he trembled. He dared not delay any longer and hurriedly took out a high-quality domestic lighter. He lit it in front of him with a "snap" and then carefully and slowly moved it toward the two pipes in Zhou Ziwei's hand that were stuck together and constantly hissing out gas.
As Xiao Wang slowly moved the lighter in his hand, all the old men in the hall widened their eyes, bent over, and craned their necks, slowly approaching as the lighter moved...
Seeing this, Xiao Wang couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself. He thought to himself, if this Director Zhou really was a spy sent by some foreign power, and what he brought was actually a bomb, then now... if he were to put his lighter close to it, "boom!" it would probably wipe out all the bigwigs of the Republic's military!
However, no matter how worried Xiao Wang was, under the old commander's urging, he dared not hesitate any longer. Finally, he made up his mind and brought the flame from the lighter to the tube...
With a soft "boom," as the flame from the lighter approached, the two streams of gas ejected from the tubes were successfully ignited, shooting out a straight, pale blue flame.
Because Zhou Ziwei had squeezed the two tubes flat with his fingers, the gas spraying out of the tubes was slightly faster than normal. As a result, the blue flame shot out more than a meter away. At this time, the group of old men had already approached Zhou Ziwei from a short distance. Suddenly, the flames shot out and burned half of one of the old men's hair, scaring him into letting out a strange "woof" like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You...you're openly retaliating! This is murder!"
The old man immediately covered his hair, which was burned beyond recognition, and started jumping up and down, cursing angrily.
When everyone turned around, they realized that the person who had been hit was none other than General Hong Gang, who had been opposing Zhou Ziwei.
Everyone was stunned. Looking at Hong Gang's disheveled appearance and furious state, they couldn't help but want to laugh, but they didn't want to openly offend him. However, someone quickly came up with a solution. Pointing to the spherical device in Zhou Ziwei's hand that was still continuously spewing blue flames, they burst into laughter and said, "Great!... This time, our country can finally catch up with those developed countries in water splitting technology! Hahaha..."
"Hahaha... Long live the motherland! The Chinese people can finally hold their heads high! Hahaha..."
"Let those old devils and little devils watch! We Chinese are the pioneers leading the energy revolution... Hahaha..."
With the first person taking the lead, the others immediately echoed, using the successful demonstration of the water decomposer as an excuse to burst into unrestrained laughter. However, they were genuinely laughing when they shouted those words. Later, even they themselves were unsure whether they were cheering for their country or mocking Hong Gang for being roasted like a pig.
Volume 2 The Assassin's Nightmare Chapter 434 The Rise of the Zhou Family
The structure of a water decomposer is not complicated. However, whether this project can become popular in the future depends on the catalyst for water decomposition, namely the plant that Zhou Ziwei named "Water Sprite," and whether it can be cultivated on a large scale.
However, the amount of catalyst needed for a single water decomposition is not large, and the seeds of the water sprite are not the only catalyst that can be used. In fact, the colorful balls that the water sprite produces can also be used as catalysts, although the effect is somewhat weaker. The flowers that the water sprites bloom are the powerful water decomposition catalysts that the wizards of the Usang Kingdom in the pilot plane actually use.
Therefore, even if water sprites cannot be cultivated on a large scale in nature, as long as they can be successfully cultivated in the laboratory, this water decomposer will still play an extremely important role. This means that Zhou Ziwei's great achievement is a foregone conclusion and there is no way he can escape it.
Next, it was time to talk about Zhou Ziwei's personal conditions. When the old leader asked again, Zhou Ziwei didn't hold back and immediately put forward his request that the country give him the civilian development rights for the decomposer. Moreover, regardless of whether the water sprite plant was planted on a large scale or could only be cultivated in the laboratory, he had to have a certain share of the water decomposition catalyst produced, except for the portion that the country had to keep for military use.
Moreover, this share must not be less than 30 percent of the total annual catalyst production.
Of course... if it is proven that this water sprite cannot be cultivated on a large scale in a natural environment, then the production cost of this catalyst will be very high if it is only cultivated in a laboratory. Therefore, Zhou Ziwei will not take this 30% water decomposition catalyst for nothing, and will pay the country to purchase it at cost price.
In addition, Zhou Ziwei had an additional condition: all information related to this water-decomposing catalyst must be classified as a top-secret national secret. For at least five years, the state must not transfer any related information or the seeds of the water sprite to any country, organization, or individual.
There's a saying that goes something like this: the most profitable business in the world is neither arms nor drugs, but monopolies. No matter what kind of business it is, as long as you can achieve a monopoly... then it's hard not to make money even if you want to.
Almost everyone can foresee that in the next few years, products related to water splitters will become a global monopoly. However, the simple structure of water splitters means that they can be easily imitated. Therefore, the monopoly of water splitter-related products does not lie in the water splitter itself, but rather in this water splitting catalyst called Water Sprite.
Only those who master water splitting catalysts can truly create an absolute monopoly on water splitting-related products.
As soon as Zhou Ziwei said this, he was met with strong opposition from several old guys led by Hong Gang. They had clearly realized the huge business opportunities hidden in this technology. If Zhou Ziwei really obtained such privileges, he would become rich quickly, even if he only dealt in civilian products. At that time, he would not only be the richest man in the country, but he would become the richest man in the world in no time.
Hong Gang and a few others clearly did not want to see Zhou Ziwei reap such huge profits. As for the others who echoed him, they were all big shots in their families who were mainly engaged in business. They were naturally envious of this big piece of cake and did not want it to be monopolized by Zhou Ziwei alone.
One of the ministers, Ma, was even more vehement in his criticism of Zhou Ziwei, saying, "Director Zhou, you can't be too greedy, can you? Your Zhou Group is already big enough, so big that China can hardly contain it. I heard that you're even clamoring to move the Zhou Group's headquarters to Japan. Why don't you focus on your signature product, Life Spring Health Sports Drink, and instead get involved in this water decomposer-related product sector?"
"Yes... the world is different now. Monopolies do make it easy to profit, but they can also easily become the enemy of others."
Another vice chairman surnamed Liu followed up on Minister Ma's words, saying, "Now our country is also preparing to follow the world trend and is preparing to promulgate an anti-monopoly law. Once this law is passed, even if you really monopolize the development of civilian water splitters, you will be immediately listed as a violating company. So... you should think this through!"
"Wait... what did you say? The Zhou Group... is moving its headquarters to Japan. What... what's going on?" Before Zhou Ziwei could refute these bigwigs, he anxiously inquired upon hearing the news about the Zhou Group.
"Uh..." Upon hearing this, the group realized that Zhou Ziwei had been missing from Earth for three whole years, and the rise of the Zhou family seemed to have only begun after Zhou Ziwei left Earth.
Zhou Ziwei has just returned and immediately took a military plane to Beijing. He is completely unaware of the outside world's news. This guy... doesn't even know that he has become the richest man in China...
"Ahem... Here's what happened..." The old leader, understanding Zhou Ziwei's anxiety, quickly explained, "Since you entered that mysterious cave in the Kashgar Mountains three years ago, the Dangyang Zhou Group, which you control, officially established a comprehensive cooperative relationship with the Mita family of Japan. We launched our signature product, Life Spring Health Sports Drink, simultaneously on both domestic and international fronts. It became an instant hit, quickly capturing the domestic and international markets. Especially in China, we pioneered a single-product franchise chain store sales model. In just nine months, we seized more than 50% of the domestic market share for similar products, far surpassing foreign companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, becoming the leading beverage company in China."
Furthermore… in the past two years, thanks to the full-fledged promotion by the Mita family of Japan, this magical oriental beverage has gradually begun to enter the markets of the whole of Asia and some European and American countries, and its momentum is unparalleled. Some experts have even predicted that if your Zhou Group is given a few more years, Zhou's Life Spring beverage may very well replace Coca-Cola, the world's beverage giant… Hehe, Director Zhou, you are now truly a tycoon, hahaha…”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziwei was stunned. Although he had long anticipated that his Life Spring health and sports drink would have considerable market potential after its launch, and had even arranged for the Mita family to help the Zhou Group expand into overseas markets, he still did not expect that the Zhou Group would achieve such terrifying results in just three years.
And most importantly... Zhou Ziwei felt like he had only spent three short days in the pilot dimension, which made him feel like he was dreaming about this result.
Three days... He felt like he had only been traveling for three days, but when he came back, he had inexplicably become the richest man in China. This was quite a dramatic effect... Not to mention Zhou Ziwei, even Wang Xuewei next to him was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.
"This...is it true?" Although these words came from the old commander, and their credibility should be very high, Zhou Ziwei still couldn't quite believe his ears.
"Take a look at this! Even President Liu of your Zhou Group has become a cover figure in the US Time Magazine. How could this be fake?" The old leader said, walking over to the bookshelf and rummaging around for a while before pulling out a magazine and tossing it to Zhou Ziwei.
Zhou Ziwei picked up the magazine and looked at it. He found that it was actually an original English version of Time magazine from the United States. The cover of the magazine featured a woman wearing a white business suit. The woman was so beautiful that she was almost too beautiful. Her features were so exquisite that they seemed to have been drawn by a painter with precise golden ratios. Moreover, her temperament was noble and elegant, mature yet decisive. She was clearly a very strong and powerful woman.
Is this the president of the Zhou Group? When did the Zhou Group produce a female president surnamed Liu?
Seeing this, Zhou Ziwei couldn't help but feel puzzled. This powerful woman did look familiar, but... he just couldn't remember who she was. The key problem was... he remembered that before going to the pilot plane, he had already acquired all the scattered shares of the Zhou Group that had been distributed among the lower levels. Now, the only ones who held shares in the Zhou Group were him and his brother Zhou Zixu... Now that he wasn't home, the person in charge of the Zhou Group should be his younger brother Zhou Zixu. How did this powerful female CEO suddenly appear?
While Zhou Ziwei was still in a daze, Wang Xuewei and Chu Qiutang couldn't help but come over to see who was so amazing that they could turn a small city group company with a weak foundation into a leading enterprise in the country in just three years.
"Ah... Miss Liu... I never imagined Miss Liu was so amazing." Wang Xuewei paused slightly after seeing the woman on the magazine cover, then exclaimed in surprise.
"Miss Liu...which Miss Liu? How come I..." Zhou Ziwei was still confused.
Wang Xuewei immediately glared at him and said, "She was brought home by you, and now you're saying you don't know her... Humph... If Miss Liu hears this, she'll be heartbroken."
"What? I...I brought it home."
Zhou Ziwei was stunned again, then suddenly realized, pointing at the magazine cover, his eyes almost popping out of his head in shock, and stammered, "No way! You mean she is... she is Liu Xiaofei? How is that possible... she... she had plastic surgery? I remember she didn't look like this before!"