SUV

"Professor Tao, you're Guosheng's R&D consultant. I'm curious—what exactly do you do?"

"Battery pack optimization design."

Professor Tao knew what Du Ke wanted to ask. "Contract manufacturers compete too. After optimization lowers costs, they can secure more orders. But compared to BYD and Tesla's battery pack processes, Guosheng still falls a little short. Actually, I wanted to develop a better battery management system, but unfortunately, no one was willing to invest."

Du Ke smiled and joked, "When I start a company and invest in battery R&D, Professor Tao, you can come help me design it."

Professor Tao joked back, "Haha, sure, sure. I'll wait for Boss Du to hire me... Oh, right, Xiao Du, you aren't seriously planning to start a company, are you? The battery industry runs too deep. In China, BYD is about the only one that can really do it... But BYD's success isn't about technology. It's about service."

"What do you mean? Isn't BYD an international leader in the battery industry?"

"Uh, let me put it this way. There's still quite a gap between BYD's batteries and Tesla's."

"How is that possible?" Du Ke didn't believe it. BYD batteries were exported overseas and secured European orders with ease. "Are Tesla's batteries really that good?"

"Tesla uses Panasonic's Lithium Cobalt Oxide Batteries. They store a great deal of power and can greatly increase driving range, but the downside is that they're expensive. BYD uses its own Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery technology. Their performance is noticeably worse, but they're cheap. BYD sells service—free battery replacements—and the cars themselves are cheap to make. Why wouldn't consumers buy something affordable and good?"

After finishing the comparison, Professor Tao pointed at Du Ke's BYD Han. "How much did you spend on this car?"

"Three hundred and twenty thousand, all told. I bought the top trim."

"Free battery replacements?"

"Free for life."

"That's exactly it. The BYD Han can reach a range of five hundred kilometers, which completely meets your needs. Even if the battery life is a little worse, you can just replace it when it fails, right? So it's an incredible value for home use. Your top trim cost three hundred and twenty thousand. A lower trim would probably cost under three hundred thousand all told. Isn't that better than buying a Tesla?"

It really was.

But Du Ke's BYD Han hadn't been bought. He had "made" it himself. After his Mind Power reached Level 2, Touch of Mind, the energy limit of his Mind Armor doubled, finally allowing him to materialize a small car. His first choice had been this handsome, trendy flagship New Energy Vehicles sedan.

Professor Tao continued, "And Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries are very safe. Lithium Cobalt Oxide Batteries aren't nearly as safe, which is why you often see news about Teslas spontaneously combusting. But BYD has never spontaneously combusted. The few cases that did occur were caused by owners privately modifying the wiring. So look—cheap and safe, with such great value for money. It's only natural that BYD has been conquering market after market."

They parked and found a restaurant to sit down in. Professor Tao was still going on and on about the battery industry, lamenting both the fierce competition and how his talents had gone unrecognized.

Du Ke listened quietly, occasionally asking a question.

After having a few drinks with Professor Tao, Du Ke drove him back to his residence at Xiake University. When Du Ke drove home and entered the garage, the BYD Han rapidly dissolved, and the Mind Armor returned to his body. If he wanted, he could drive a different luxury car every day.

He had visited most of the 4S dealerships in Luzhou City, touching so many cars that the salespeople rolled their eyes at him.

He opened his laptop, created a WPS document, and began casually writing some notes: "The New Energy battery industry is generally divided into two categories: power batteries and digital batteries... BYD is a leader in power batteries and holds the core patents for Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries, while digital batteries are a chaotic battlefield of competing powers."

"And I will unify the New Energy battery industry!"

It was the end of the year. Du Ke shut down his "laboratory" and destroyed all the equipment inside.

In truth, of the eleven test-tube samples he had brought back from the Fantasy World, only the humus soil sample remained sealed away. Most of the other samples were gone. The Hopping Pill Bug and Crawling Tadpole had died when they crossed back to Earth. The moss, bean sprouts, and yellow algae had ultimately failed to adapt to the environment and died as well.

He had originally tried planting the spores of the Large Mushrooms, but they never sprouted and eventually rotted away.

The facts proved that Earth's air—or perhaps its soil—must have lacked some substance necessary for creatures from the Fantasy World to survive.

Now, there were not many Long-Haired Bombs left on the Bomb Caterpillars. Du Ke had to use every single one sparingly.

Driving the BYD Han, Du Ke returned to his rural hometown for the New Year. The past year, 2020, had been full of disasters. The pandemic and floods had come one after another. Fortunately, everything in his hometown was safe. It was just that the promised demolition had been delayed until the end of the year without happening, so his parents had continued living there.

They grew vegetables in a small garden, played a little mahjong, and lived quite comfortably.

Du Ke transferred another two hundred thousand yuan to his parents' bank card.

"Why do you keep sending us money, son?" his mother said. "Your dad and I don't lack spending money. We even put the hundred thousand you gave us before National Day into a fixed deposit. Besides, the compensation for the family land has come through. It was more than one hundred and eighty thousand in total. The money for the road construction taking up the village road and the fishpond has come through too. We really don't need money."

"Your mother's right," his father said as well. "We can't spend much living in the countryside. You're starting a business outside, and everything costs money."

"Just take it. I don't need the money right now. By the way, Dad, have you thought about getting a car? You and Mom could buy an SUV. It'd be much more convenient wherever you went."

His mother quickly cut him off. "Why buy an SUV? I think the tricycle at home is plenty convenient. As long as you have a car, that's enough. We've got both the substance and the face."

But his father's eyes flickered.

What man didn't love cars? Du Ke smiled. "Listen to me. Why leave money in the bank just to earn interest? Housing prices probably won't rise much in the next few years, so buying a house isn't worth it anymore. Let's get the family a car instead. It'll be more convenient when you come into the city too. Dad, go get your driver's license. We're buying a car!"

Under Du Ke's strong urging, his already wavering father turned around and began persuading his mother. In the end, the car-buying plan passed by a vote of two to one.

"Should we buy an electric one or a gasoline one?" His father clumsily operated the computer as he browsed the Auto Home website.

Du Ke had installed the computer and gotten broadband for the house, so his parents could browse the internet and play games when they had nothing to do. They couldn't manage difficult games, but they were quite good at Link Link and Landlord. His father also liked checking Headline News and keeping up with national affairs.

His mother mostly used her phone, happily scrolling Douyin and shopping on Taobao.

"Get a gasoline car. It's more convenient," Du Ke advised. Charging New Energy Vehicles was a hassle, and at present, electric car batteries were still a hidden danger. "The Audi Q5, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and BMW X3 are all suitable for family use. You can get one on the road for under four hundred thousand."

People in the countryside cared about brand names. BBA was a big enough name, and it was only meant to be transportation anyway. There was no need to obsess over performance.

"What about a Land Rover?" his father suddenly asked.

"Dad, haven't you heard that a Land Rover is always either being repaired or on its way to repairs? Abroad, Land Rovers actually have a terrible reputation. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been sold to India's Tata. And overseas, they aren't even considered a luxury brand. Only rich Chinese people like buying them to show off."

"Then forget it. If a car needs repairs all the time, it's not a good car." In the end, his father chose the Audi Q5. He thought Audi had a better brand.

"Then it's settled—the Audi Q5. Dad, hurry up and get your driver's license so we can pick up the car sooner."

"Okay!" His father was full of enthusiasm.

His mother was still complaining. "Why buy a car? At your age, aren't you afraid of getting into an accident while driving? You've been farmers your whole lives. Isn't driving a tricycle and riding a motorcycle enough? You have to put on airs and drive an S, an S-what-V..."

His father answered cheerfully, "SUV."