Chapter 32: You haven't gotten yourself involved in anything illegal, have you?

Lin Yang’s eyes burned with intensity. This was, after all, controllable nuclear fusion technology!

Although he was not an expert in the field and knew little about it, he was well aware of what this technology signified. It was no exaggeration to say that given the current technological level of the entire planet, whichever nation could secure priority access to controllable nuclear fusion would possess absolute superiority and the power to dictate the global discourse.

Lin Yang did not hesitate to proceed with the exchange! This was something that simply had to be obtained. He prepared to call back home to inform the authorities there so they could get ready to receive the data. However, before he could even dial, a call suddenly came through.

This caught Lin Yang off guard for a moment. Since he had gone abroad for his studies, he had hardly received any calls due to the exorbitant cost of international long-distance rates. Even his parents, reluctant to spend the money, had never called him, let alone anyone else. This had left him in a state of near-total disconnection from home, only sending messages to reassure his parents when he could access public Wi-Fi.

The unexpected call left him feeling somewhat dazed, especially when he saw the name "Fatty He" on the caller ID. Fatty He, whose real name was He Ming, was his high school classmate and childhood friend. He was even worse at his studies than Lin Yang, but his family was well-off; his father ran a large local factory, which, while not making them incredibly wealthy, certainly kept them worry-free.

Since Lin Yang went abroad, the two had only exchanged occasional messages. Despite the He family's comfortable circumstances, Fatty He didn't have much of a monthly allowance and certainly couldn't afford to make international calls just to chat.

The fact that he was calling now made Lin Yang press the answer button immediately. "Hello, Fatty He? Did you hit the jackpot, or is there some life-or-death emergency? You actually decided to spend the money on an international call to me?"

"Hehe, I’m just thinking of you, buddy."

He Ming’s slightly cheeky voice came through the phone. Lin Yang let out a silent sigh of relief; as long as it wasn't a major crisis, everything was fine.

"I appreciate you thinking of me, but was a phone call really necessary?" Lin Yang muttered. He still remembered the only other time they had spoken since he left; the guy had dialed the wrong number and he still laughed at the memory of how heartbroken his friend sounded over the wasted money.

"I’m in a great mood today, so I don't care about a little phone bill," Fatty He declared with uncharacteristic grandeur.

"Oh? Did you strike it rich?"

"Not exactly rich, but haven't you seen the news? Something huge happened over in Japan today! The summit’s network was hacked, and a shrine was bombed. Isn't that just spectacular news?"

Fatty He began to explain. "My old man was so happy he had a few too many drinks, and in his tipsy state, he handed all the cash from his wallet over to me—a full twelve hundred! He told me to spend it however I wanted, so I’ve got a little pocket money now. This tiny bit of change for a call to you is nothing but a drop in the bucket."

"Uh..." Lin Yang was stunned.

So it was because of his own actions that this guy had come into some unexpected wealth. No wonder he was willing to make the call. Fatty He seemed exceptionally excited; perhaps because it had been so long since he’d spoken to Lin Yang, he couldn't stop the flood of words once he started.

"Good brother, you have no idea how excited everyone is back home. It's livelier than the Lunar New Year! Everyone is celebrating!"

"The guy who pulled this off is absolutely incredible. I’ve decided, I’m going to be his die-hard fan from now on!"

"He is my god!"

"It’s a pity no one knows who did it, otherwise I’d definitely bow down to him!"

"But it doesn't matter. I’ll make a spirit tablet for him later and bow to that instead!"

"..."

As Fatty He rattled on, Lin Yang’s expression grew increasingly strange. Knowing this fat guy as he did, he realized he was probably capable of actually doing such a thing. At the thought of Fatty He bowing to a tablet representing him, Lin Yang felt a sudden sense of mischievous amusement. He wondered what the guy’s reaction would be if he knew his idol was none other than his friend. It would surely be a spectacular sight.

However, the thought was merely a passing flicker in Lin Yang’s mind. Now was not the time to reveal his identity!

He interrupted Fatty He’s rambling: "I saw the news; it was indeed satisfying. Do you have anything else to talk about? If not, I’m hanging up. I’ve got things to do." If he didn't cut him off, the guy would likely talk for half an hour without taking a breath.

"Cough, cough. Nothing else, really. I was just too excited." Fatty He seemed to realize he was being a bit of a chatterbox and asked a serious question instead. "When are you coming back from your studies? You aren't actually going to graduate from a foreign university, are you? If that happens, I’ll be all alone here!"

"Why don't you just come home? Even if you can't get into a top university, just attend a regular one. After you graduate, if things don't work out, come work at my dad's factory. Once I inherit it, I’ll make you the deputy manager!"

Lin Yang: "...You really are a devoted son, aren't you? Already thinking about inheriting your dad's factory?"

"Hehe, the old man only has one son—me. If I don't inherit it, who will?" Fatty He said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"...We'll talk about it later. I’ll contact you when I get back. I don't think I’ll be staying to graduate abroad," Lin Yang said, giving his honest thoughts after a moment of reflection.

If he hadn't bound with the system, he might have truly stayed to finish his studies abroad, but now? Naturally, he had to return to serve his motherland!

His words made Fatty He excited again. "I knew you wouldn't be able to bear leaving me behind! It's a deal then. Come back early. I’m going to try and squeeze some more money out of the old man while he's still happy these next few days, and then I’ll treat you to a feast!"

"...You really are a model best friend..." Lin Yang was speechless.

"That’s a given! Hanging up now!"

"..."

After hanging up, Lin Yang couldn't help but laugh. This fat guy actually had a heart of gold. He hesitated for a moment, then, instead of calling the Academy of Sciences, he dialed his mother Zhang Fang’s number.

Before, because of his financial struggles, he rarely kept in touch with home, and after binding with the system, he had been too busy. Now that he had nearly ten million in his account, it was time to let his family know he was doing well.

"Hello, Yangyang? Why are you calling Mom? Is there an emergency, or are you short on money? If you need money, I’ll transfer it to you in a bit."

His call was answered almost instantly, followed by Zhang Fang’s worried voice. Since he had gone abroad, he only ever called if there was a major emergency. To have him call out of the blue without any prior notice truly worried her.

"Mom, don't worry. I’m fine. I just missed you and Dad," Lin Yang quickly explained.

"Are you really okay?" Zhang Fang remained unconvinced.

"I really am!"

"And you aren't out of money?"

"No!"

"You brat, if you’re fine, why are you wasting money on these calls?" Seeing that Lin Yang didn't seem to be in any trouble, she returned to her usual tone.

"Mom, you might not believe it, but I’ve had some good luck here. I helped an... er, an organization with something important and earned quite a bit of money. So, please don't fret over the cost of the phone bill."

Lin Yang grinned, hoping to put Zhang Fang at ease. But the moment he finished speaking, Zhang Fang became even more tense.

"You brat, you haven't gone and done anything illegal over there, have you?"