Hong Fei held the blade up for inspection and saw four chips of varying sizes along its edge, with extremely fine cracks around them.
Seeing him shake his head in disappointment, Frank could not help asking, "Why are you so fixated on cold weapons?"
"Because cold weapons will play a more prominent role than firearms in the future."
Frank's face immediately filled with astonishment.
Hong Fei casually drove the Horizontal Blade into the snow.
"This blade isn't much better than the previous one. It'll do for now, but we'll definitely find better metal in the future. You may also have to face more powerful creatures someday. By then, even bullets and missiles might not be able to hurt them, but a better blade could."
Frank frowned deeply as he listened.
Even looking at Hong Fei's solemn, earnest expression, he could not help saying, "Are you kidding me?"
Hong Fei laughed. "You'll find out eventually."
The eighteen gunshots drew the estate's visible and hidden security personnel out. More than twenty people in different locations all cast shocked looks at Hong Fei.
Seeing this, Frank immediately bellowed a harsh rebuke. "What are you looking at? You can't even stand this little bit of noise? Got too much free time!?"
Within seconds, everyone returned to their posts, and the estate became empty and silent again.
They went back inside and sat before the fireplace, listening to the crackling firewood and enjoying the light and warmth brought by the flames.
Frank poured himself a glass of brandy and looked up at Hong Fei.
Sensing his gaze, Hong Fei said without turning around, "Thanks, I don't drink."
Frank withdrew his gaze and drank by himself.
A little later, he set down his glass, took out a cigarette case, and looked at Hong Fei again.
"Thanks, I don't smoke."
Frank's brow creased. "Do you have any hobbies?"
Hong Fei nodded.
"Then what do you like?"
Hong Fei glanced sideways at him. "I like peace and quiet."
Frank's face twitched slightly.
Heavy snow drifted outside, while the room was pleasantly warm. Against such a contrast, merely sitting before the fireplace and watching the flickering flames already felt wonderful to Hong Fei.
Just as a thunderstorm made someone curled up in a warm bed feel safer and more comfortable.
After a moment, Frank stubbed out his cigarette and said, "You should hire a professional butler."
Hong Fei's brow twitched.
"This estate is too big. The twenty-odd of us can barely handle security work. A place like this should have professionals providing services for you."
"It's inconvenient."
"It's even more inconvenient now. We have to drive into the city every day to buy food. Never mind whether it's wasteful—it's simply unnecessary."
Hong Fei considered it, then said, "All right. Find someone to handle it. There's no rush, but they must be trustworthy."
Frank agreed at once.
Then he leaned back and sighed. "I never thought I'd have a day when I lived like this."
Hong Fei could not help laughing. "You're so fond of sighing. Looks like you really are old."
"Heh, forty years old. That is old."
Hong Fei's eyes shifted. "How's that Claire?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean."
"She doesn't want to join us."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then there's nothing else."
In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Christmas was approaching, and after receiving Peter's text message, Hong Fei drove into the city around noon.
When he arrived downstairs from his home and had just gotten out of the car, Peter came running out of the bookstore.
"Sir! You're here!"
Hong Fei bent down and picked him up, smiling. "You seem a little heavier. You're growing fast."
Peter wrapped his arms around Hong Fei's neck and smiled happily.
When they entered the bookstore, May had already gotten up to greet them at the door, while Hong Fei's attention had long since been drawn to the customers coming and going inside.
The store's layout and decor had all changed styles, with many new category sections added. New employees moved between the bookshelves as well. After a quick glance, he saw quite a few customers lingering inside, far better than the quiet emptiness it had when Hong Fei was there.
"You've done very well. It seems my choice was the right one."
May smiled modestly.
Seeing customers entering and leaving, Hong Fei turned and went outside. Standing by the street, he said, "Christmas is coming soon. I'd like to invite you and Peter to my home to celebrate."
Hong Fei had no particular feelings about Christmas, but Peter was eagerly looking forward to it.
At his words, intense hope immediately bloomed in Peter's eyes. Without blinking, he stared at May, his little face full of pleading.
May was hesitant at first, but under Peter's shining gaze, she quickly let go of her concerns and nodded slightly.
"Yeah! That's great!" Peter immediately pumped his fist in excitement.
Hong Fei smiled as well. "That's wonderful. There are quite a few people at my place, but none of them can cook. I may have to trouble you to help prepare dinner then. I've eaten your cooking before—it was excellent."
"That's all right. It's probably the only thing I can do."
"Tomorrow is the twentieth. Close up tonight, then come over tomorrow morning to have a look. We can prepare everything we'll need in advance."
May nodded.
After chatting for a while, Hong Fei said goodbye and drove away.
Peter's eyes held reluctance, but May would not allow him to stay out overnight, so his plan to go play with Hong Fei fell through.
More than twenty minutes later, Hong Fei drove into a hotel parking lot, took the elevator upstairs, and made his way with practiced ease to the door of a certain room.
After knocking and waiting several seconds, the door opened, revealing a beautiful figure.
Helen Zhao smiled. "Mr. Hong, welcome. Please come in."
After entering the suite and taking their seats, Hong Fei asked, "Dr. Zhao, did you invite me here because your affairs are nearly settled?"
"That's right. It's reached the final stage, but Christmas is coming up, so some matters can only be delayed for now. Still, I believe everything can be completed by mid-January."
Hong Fei broke into a broad smile. "Excellent. I'm very much looking forward to having you join us."
Helen Zhao brushed back the hair by her temple and said with a smile, "I'm also very much looking forward to our future collaboration. If possible, I think we can now discuss the specific cooperation plan in greater depth."
"No problem."
After that, the two of them talked from noon until dusk.
The deeper their discussion went, the more excited Helen Zhao became.
Because Hong Fei gave her ample authority to act independently, much of which would have been completely impossible elsewhere.
The reason for this was also because Hong Fei knew she would inevitably succeed.
The Regeneration Cradle project was a self-manufacturing technology that combined regeneration and self-generation.
Based on a patient's own tissue cells, it integrated cutting-edge technologies from multiple fields, including genetic technology, nanotechnology, and intelligent technology, applying them comprehensively to medicine.
Its direct effects were repairing injuries, recreating tissues and organs, and even recreating the human body.
From a certain perspective, the Regeneration Cradle was no different from giving someone an extra life.
However, scientific research of such a high caliber also required an enormous amount of funding.
Hong Fei's five hundred million dollars was only enough to turn the project from paper theory into real-world research, such as building laboratories, purchasing various instruments and equipment, and funding preliminary research.
Helen Zhao's main concern was still the additional funding that would be needed afterward.
Scientific research burned money.
Hong Fei merely waved a hand and confidently guaranteed it.
On one hand, they had discussed it before. Helen Zhao had already completed her theoretical research, and all that remained was putting it into practice. Reasoning backward from the future reality, Hong Fei believed she would complete the project soon.
On the other hand, he had already secured the person. How could he let money ruin things now?
Master Hong absolutely refused to allow it!
Before you continue