I quickly stopped, as Xiaohui was a very pure robot, and teaching her such things was not quite right. Xiaoyudi said, "Time is almost up, we need to catch the early flight. I haven't notified the older sisters, fearing I'd disturb their rest. You'll come downstairs to see us off later."

Taking advantage of the remaining time, I asked a question that had long been on my mind: "Xiaoyudi, think back carefully—what will the Moon be like ten million years from now?"

"The Moon ten million years from now? It seems that concept doesn't exist in my memory. Oh, right, I never considered this: in ten million years, Earth won't have a satellite at all!"

Xiaoyudi’s words startled me. The Moon's effect on Earth is universally known; whether Earth could function normally without it is even a question. How could the Moon be gone in ten million years?

Seeing my disbelief, Xiaoyudi continued, "I'm not lying to you, brother. Although I was young then, I truly never saw the current Moon in the night sky, nor did my previous studies mention the concept of the Moon. I can't figure out what happened. It’s all because Mom and Dad were too cautious back then, always afraid I'd be discovered by the Federal Gendarmerie, so they kept me locked up at home every day. I barely experienced the outside world and don't understand much knowledge."

I recounted what He Yuqing had told me to Xiaoyudi, who recalled carefully: "It seems that in the world ten million years hence, the term 'Moon People' doesn't exist, nor does the concept of prehistoric civilization. Perhaps ten million years is too long; many things have turned to dust. Just like turning back ten million years from now—who knows what the Earth truly looked like back then?"

I held Xiaoyudi and said, "You are right. Since there is no Moon ten million years later, it means some major changes occurred within that time frame, perhaps precisely what we are experiencing now. It seems He Yuqing's research is very sound; we must take it seriously."

"Once the affairs of the M-country company stabilize, Xiaohui and I will join the research. If prehistoric humans really exist, they will be the greatest threat to us on Earth. Who knows if, after thousands of years, they will still be aligned with us humans? In recent years, M-country and Da Longguo's lunar explorations have become increasingly frequent. If Moon People truly exist, they have likely already aroused their vigilance. We must hurry to prepare."

"How is the research on the Heart of Energy progressing? The propulsion system of our new spacecraft relies entirely on it. Perhaps only the Heart of Energy can compete with the Moon People; otherwise, given Earth's current technological level, it's not worth even a single strike from a Moon Person."

"The research is progressing smoothly. Xiaohui has already guided the energy from the Heart of Energy to produce energy crystals. These energy crystals are unlike high-energy batteries. For instance, powering a fortress-style interstellar warship like the one designed to move the Moon, using high-energy batteries as a propulsion system is completely impractical. Only an ultra-powerful system like energy crystals can satisfy the power needs for interstellar travel."

"Xiaohui designed two spacecraft blueprints. One is our flagship: this warship is massive with high firepower configuration, powered directly by four Energy Stones. We plan to build only one of this type. The other type uses energy crystals for propulsion, with lower size and firepower configuration, but as a prototype for an interstellar warship, it is many times more advanced than the initial interstellar warships of the future world."

I said, "If all conditions are met, let's begin construction. I worry we don't have much time to prepare; any speed advantage counts. Actually, several issues have never connected for me. What is the deal with the four Energy Stones? And what exactly is Xiaoxue? Is she human, a plant, or perhaps an energy form? In any case, none of this seems like a product of Earth, right? You once said your father obtained three Energy Stones from the R-system, but how did Professor Peng Cun know that four Energy Stones could form a unified system? Where did the Energy Stone Professor Peng Cun found come from? Do advanced civilizations exist in distant alien galaxies? Did they visit Earth in ancient times? Are these strange artifacts they left behind? We know nothing about these questions."

Xiaoyudi apologized, "I'm sorry, brother. When I was little, I only thought about going out to play with friends; I never realized future knowledge would be so important. If I had known I would return ten million years into the past, if I had known my destiny was to meet you, I would have studied diligently and crammed all the knowledge of the future into my head, so I could help relieve your worries."

I stroked Xiaoyudi's head: "Silly sister, you have already helped your brother tremendously. If it weren't for the solid foundation you laid, I would still be selling tofu right now."

"Hee hee, brother is joking. With your abilities, you could dominate the world even without the base and equipment. Xiaoyudi only helped accelerate the process for brother. I'll have Xiaohui start manufacturing the interstellar warship soon, but there are still a few technical problems to solve. Anti-gravity for the giant warship is a major issue; our current technology is inadequate for the various gravities encountered during space navigation. Furthermore, spatial jumps require time to research. By utilizing the power of the four Energy Stones, Xiaohui found a way to achieve spatial jumps, but warships without the four Energy Stones cannot perform this jump—this is a huge hurdle for interstellar travel."

"Don't worry about the spatial jump problem for the regular warships for now. Having just one flagship capable of jumping is a great leap forward. Everything must develop step-by-step; we can't achieve it all at once. We can build while simultaneously researching new warships, just like developing submarines—the beginning is always the hardest. Once we have the first batch of warships, the subsequent technology will mature slowly."

"Brother is absolutely right. Xiaohui and I know what to do. But you must urge your Qingqing wife to speed up research on the Blood Flower Xiaoxue; perhaps she will bring us more inspiration and surprises."

"Hehe, you can't hide anything from your brother. Actually, Qingqing and I haven't reached that stage yet."

"I know what Sister Qingqing is thinking. It will be hard for you to shake her off in this lifetime; who told you you are so outstanding that you move her time and again? Now, besides you, her eyes hold no other man. You, hurry up and win her over. I hope when Xiaohui and I return from M-country, our large family will achieve true reunion."

"I will strive for it. You know the South China Sea has been troublesome recently, and Qiqi wants to pull me into politics again; I'm spinning with tasks."

"Qiqi's idea is correct; this was agreed upon by everyone. Don't blame her, brother. To establish the Earth Federation, political support is indispensable. Relying solely on the military is hard to win hearts. It's like the Iraq war zone right now—the M-military is stuck in the mire. No matter how powerful their force is, can they kill every Iraqi? If the war turns into a massacre, it loses its meaning and becomes useless destruction. And the final result of this will be the ruin of the entire Earth."

"I agree with Qiqi's idea too. So the next urgent task is to build up the political structure, as that is our weakness. We have no achievements in the Da Longguo government; I'm just an empty-titled commander with many honorary positions."

"Hehe, take it slow. We have plenty of time on the political front, but militarily, since we've played the Red Dragon card, we cannot steal a moment of leisure. M-country is watching covetously nearby; the moment we slack off, they might seize a chance to cause trouble. Our first step is to unify the Western Pacific, then control the Indian Ocean. By then, we can isolate M-country and slowly tear it apart piece by piece."

Unconsciously, the two chatted until Xiaohui arrived to pick up Xiaoyudi. I walked Xiaoyudi downstairs, and Xiaohui got out of the car: "Brother, we’ll stay in M-country with the Mistress for a few days. I’ll bring you back a gift! You must be good and keep the older sisters company at home, okay?"

I waved goodbye: "I will. Have a safe trip. The 21 Super Soldiers are waiting at the airport; Tiger has briefed them on everything. If anything comes up, deploy them."

"We know. Goodbye, brother."