"Fail?"
Huyan Lan's mind went blank. She had never thought that Liuli would fail, or rather, it was precisely because she firmly believed that Liuli would succeed that she made money like crazy so that Liuli would not have any financial worries.
"Why did it fail, Sister Liuli?" Even Su Sui, who was by Liuli's side, found it hard to believe. "Did something happen to the Imperial Crown?"
" The Imperial Crown is fine." Liuli wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, her voice trembling. "The problem lies with the Leviathan Nuclear Reactor."
" Leviathan Nuclear Reactor?"
Everyone was stunned.
"I conducted hundreds of simulation experiments before," Liuli said, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "To send a person back to the past intact, the energy required is immense, an amount that is difficult to estimate."
"Isn't the Leviathan Nuclear Reactor's energy enough?" Jiang Sui asked in surprise. "Isn't enough to power a megacity of 20 million people to send people back to the past?"
"Not enough, far from enough," Liuli said, biting her lip. "The energy technology needed for time travel in the real world is [controlled nuclear fusion]."
Everyone was stunned. "Controlled nuclear fusion?"
"And it has to be ultimate controlled nuclear fusion," Liuli said with a complex expression. "To put it simply, it's [endless energy]. Once this technology succeeds, it can completely solve the global energy crisis."
"Then... then go and get your hands on this endless energy," Huyan Lan said hastily, her eyes red-rimmed. "No matter how much money you need, I'll provide it."
" Sister Xiao Lan, this isn't about money," Liuli said, her shoulders trembling. "Even if I lead my team to work day and night from today onwards to conquer the Endless Energy Technology, it will still take more than 70 years to succeed."
The room fell silent upon hearing this.
"You mean...?" Huyan Lan's eyes were glazed over. She staggered a few steps, her lips trembling, " Su Hang can't be found?"
Tears welled in Liuli's eyes as she tilted her head and said, "However, Sister Xiao Lan, we can help Senior live."
"Survive?"
Huyan Lan's body trembled.
"Do you remember Zhou Keyu's deduction from ten years ago? Su Hang, living in the parallel world of 2015, was betrayed by the Yousu Team. Heartbroken, he chose to commit suicide and was then reincarnated into our real world of 2015."
Liuli took a deep breath and said, "From its inception, the Imperial Crown was designed with the ability to travel between parallel worlds, and it can achieve a time span of up to 20 years simply by relying on existing nuclear power."
Huyan Lan's heart trembled. She understood what Liuli meant. Liuli wanted to travel to the parallel world of 2015 on the Imperial Crown to persuade Su Hang from his previous life not to commit suicide and to live a good life.
"Then... could you bring Su Hang from the parallel world of 2015 back to our real world of 2035?"
Liuli shook her head sadly, "This will cause a cosmic paradox. It's no exaggeration to say that the world will be destroyed because of it. Even if I go to the world of my predecessors, with the protection of the Imperial Crown, the time I can stay will be very, very short..."
Huyan Lan's face turned deathly pale, and her arms slowly fell to her sides.
The meaning of "Liuli" couldn't be clearer: it only allows Su Hang, who lives in the parallel world of 2015, to survive.
After a while...
Huyan Lan suddenly grabbed Liuli's sleeve and pleaded, "Then... can I come with you?"
Liuli remained silent.
Huyan Lan knew the answer, and tremblingly let go of her hands. All of this was too cruel for her. Even in the parallel world of 2015, she could not see Su Hang one last time.
Everyone present felt uneasy.
Hu Xiao couldn't stand it anymore. "Damn it, can't we let Xiao Lan travel alone to the parallel world of 2015 on the Imperial Crown to meet Brother Su?"
Hope was rekindled in Huyan Lan's heart.
"This is your only chance," Eve said on the computer screen.
Hu Xiao asked in confusion, "Why?"
"Because today will see the strongest solar storm of the century, the spacetime portal between our real world and parallel worlds will be temporarily opened due to the solar energy burst."
Eve explained, "Rather than saying that the Imperial Crown traveled to the parallel world of 2015 using nuclear power, it's more accurate to say that it used the power of the sun."
Hu Xiao couldn't help but say, "Then we can just wait for the next solar storm."
Eve said calmly, "The next time will be in 2135, which is a hundred years from now."
Everyone was stunned.
Huyan Lan's last remaining hope was shattered.
"I'm sorry, Sister Xiao Lan." As someone who was also absolutely loyal to Su Hang, Liuli could completely empathize with Huyan Lan's feelings. She knew better than anyone that Huyan Lan's motivation for living was to see Su Hang again.
A long time passed.
You have nothing to apologize to me for.
Huyan Lan patted her cheeks, wiped away her tears, and said with a strong spirit, "This is for the best. It's not in vain that we've worked so hard from 2025 to 2035. Let that bastard Su Hang live well in that parallel world."
Seeing Huyan Lan regain his composure, even if it was just bravado, Liuli felt slightly relieved, as she was genuinely afraid that he wouldn't be able to withstand the blow.
" Sister Xiao Lan, do you have any messages for me to pass on to my predecessor from before his reincarnation?"
Huyan Lan slowly lowered her head.
Yes, she had a lot to say to Su Hang, about how she had gradually built Imperial Crown from a hundred-person King of Glory team into a million-person Imperial Crown business empire over the past ten years.
She wanted to tell Su Hang everything she had endured, from the hardships she suffered to the tears she shed.
Everyone knows her as the head of the Imperial Crown Business Empire, a fiery female CEO with a net worth of trillions. Little do they know, she is just a violent girl who is in love with Su Hang.
"I have nothing to say to Su Hang."
Huyan Lan raised her head proudly and said, "If he knew that a trillion-dollar female CEO named Huyan Lan was waiting for him in a parallel world, he'd be begging you to bring him back to our world, crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide."
"Pfft." Liuli chuckled.
Everyone burst into laughter.
" Sister Xiao Lan, I'll be going now."
The hatch of the Imperial Crown opened.
"Wait a minute--"
Liuli turned around and asked in confusion, " Sister Xiao Lan, is there anything else?"
Huyan Lan removed the heart-shaped diamond pendant from her earlobe and handed it over, saying, "Put this on."
" Sister Xiao Lan, you mustn't! This is a token of love from our senior!" Liuli was flattered and quickly refused, knowing full well how precious the heart-shaped Diamond were, something the other person cherished as their life.
"Oh dear, just put it on, no need for so much nonsense." Huyan Lan didn't wait for a reply and directly put it on Liuli, then stepped back and looked her over, saying, "Now that's more like a mature woman."
"Okay, it looks great," Huyan turned around and waved his hand, "I'm giving you this heart-shaped diamond pendant that I've worn for twenty years."
"Give it to me?" Liuli was utterly shocked.
Huyan Lan turned around, forcing a bright smile, " Liuli, you must make sure that bastard Su Hang lives. If he insists on committing suicide, just punch him."
Liuli paused slightly, then smiled and said, "I understand, Sister Xiao Lan."
The hatches of the Imperial Crown gradually closed.
Jiang Sui, Su Sui, Yin Longhu, Xiao, and others waved goodbye.
" Eve."
"I am here."
"Initiating parallel world travel."
"Understood, Mother."
" The Imperial Crown has completed its self-check and its nuclear power is ready... We are now embarking on a parallel world journey. The destination is October 8, 2015, on the planet Earth, in the People's Republic of China."
Liuli gripped the control lever tightly, staring at the LCD panel. The heart-shaped diamond pendant hanging from her earlobe sparkled, and her crimson eyes were filled with determination.
"Senior, you saved me in this life."
"In your past life, Liuli came to save you!"