Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Outside the window, the sky gradually turned a pale white, and then a ray of golden sunlight finally pierced through the thin mist, like a golden sword cutting through the last vestiges of darkness before dawn, sprinkling onto the shimmering surface of Victoria Harbour. The sea seemed to be covered with countless sparkling fragments of gold, dazzling and captivating. Looking at that golden light, He Damin felt his inner turmoil dissipate somewhat, and he suddenly smiled.

"What's the rush?" he told himself, his tone much more relaxed. "I have plenty of time."

Yes, he has plenty of time. A Nascent Soul cultivator has a lifespan of two thousand years, a seemingly endless period for mortals, but for him, it's just a fleeting moment. He can wait patiently, waiting for Chen Xueru's cultivation to improve step by step, waiting for He Yuzhu and He Yushui to grow up, get married, and establish their own careers, waiting for his grand plan to be realized step by step.

If they had children in the future… Thinking of this, He Damin felt a warmth in his heart. If they wanted to cultivate, he had the best techniques, inexhaustible resources of rare herbs and elixirs, allowing them to avoid countless detours and progress rapidly. If they didn't want to cultivate and only wanted to be ordinary people, he also had enough wealth and power to provide for them, ensuring they could live a peaceful and happy life in the mortal world, free from worries about food and clothing, and enjoying a safe and prosperous existence.

Thinking of children, He Damin's lips unconsciously curved into a smile, his eyes filled with anticipation. He and Chen Xueru had been married for almost seven years, their relationship had always been good, respectful, and loving, but they had never had children. He used to think it was because of the vast difference in their cultivation levels and their different life stages, making it difficult to conceive. After all, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator, already transcending the mortal realm, while Xueru was just an ordinary person at that time. But now, Chen Xueru was a Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator. Although the gap between them was still enormous, the essence of their lives had changed; at least she was no longer purely mortal.

Perhaps, it will happen soon. He had a vague feeling about it.

He shook his head, dismissing these somewhat personal thoughts. As for children, it's best to let things take their course; you can't force it. Right now, there are more important and urgent things to do.

He Damin walked back to his desk and pressed a button hidden beneath the surface. A corner of the desk slowly slid open, revealing a small computer console. This computer was assembled using technology from his small world; its performance far surpassed any computer of this era, even exceeding the speed of the most advanced mainframe computer in the US military. He turned on the computer, and a three-dimensional Earth model immediately appeared on the screen. Around the model, sixty flashing dots of light were slowly moving along predetermined paths.

These sixty satellites were secretly launched by him two years ago. Thirty-six of them are communication satellites, and twenty-four are positioning satellites. Like loyal sentinels, they operate day and night in Earth's orbit, silently weaving an invisible network. This network will be the cornerstone of his future plans.

"It's time," he said softly, his eyes becoming deep and resolute.

He picked up a rather oddly shaped telephone from the table. This telephone had no telephone line; it was a communicator he had brought from the crashed alien spaceship, which had been kept in a hidden compartment in his study. Only he knew about it, and only he could dial it. He pressed a complex string of numbers.

The call was quickly connected, and a emotionless, monotonous voice, almost like a synthesized electronic voice, came from the other end: "Master, 0037 is at your service."

"0037," He Damin's voice was calm, "How's the production progress of the fiber optic cable?"

"Master," 0037's voice remained calm, "the optical cable production line at Base No. 3 in Area A of the Small World has been fully commissioned and is currently operating stably. As of now, we have 12,000 kilometers of single-mode optical fiber cable in stock, and sufficient reserves of various types of connectors, repeaters, amplifiers, and other supporting equipment to meet the initial laying needs."

He Damin nodded in satisfaction. Twelve thousand kilometers—that's a considerable distance, enough to connect the main institutions in Hong Kong with several important future nodes.

"Starting today, we are officially launching 'Project Skynet'," He Damin said, each word carrying an undeniable authority. "The first step is to lay fiber optic networks in Hong Kong. Prioritize connecting key nodes such as the headquarters and branches of Global Bank, the headquarters of Asia Satellite Television, and the office buildings of the ocean shipping company. The second step is to gradually expand outwards, connecting major Southeast Asian cities like Guangzhou, Macau, Taipei, and Singapore. The third step…"

He paused, his gaze falling on the vast eastern land in the Earth model on the computer screen.

"The third step is to connect Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, and London. I want to connect the whole world."

"Understood, Master." 0037's voice remained steady. "Project Skynet has been launched. It is estimated that the core network deployment in Hong Kong will take three months. Once the first step is completed, real-time data transmission and sharing between bank branches will be possible, Asia TV's program signals can be efficiently transmitted to the transmission tower through the internal network, and ocean shipping companies' fleets can receive real-time weather data and port scheduling information through the network."

He Damin hung up the phone and walked to the window again. By this time, most of the fog on the sea had dissipated, and the sun was shining brightly. In the distance, a huge cargo ship was slowly sailing out of Victoria Harbour, its massive hull leaving a long white trail in its wake as it headed towards the distant ocean.

"The Internet..." he murmured to himself. In this era, this term existed only in the theoretical concepts of a few scientists; ordinary people had never even heard of it. But he knew that this would be a great thing, capable of completely changing the world order and the way of life. And he, He Damin, would be the first person in the world to weave this network with his own hands.

He returned to his desk, opened an encrypted folder on his computer, and pulled up the detailed plan for "Project Skynet." It was a plan he had painstakingly designed over several months, combining future information and technical data obtained from UFO photonic computers. The plan was extremely detailed, a thick stack of documents, with the table of contents alone spanning several pages. He turned to the first page, where a few lines were clearly written—

"Project Skynet - Phase One"

Objective: To establish a local fiber optic backbone network in Hong Kong.

Key landmarks: Global Bank Headquarters Building, Asia Satellite Television Building, and Ocean Shipping Company Administration Building

Coverage area: Major business districts and future planning areas in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories.

Expected completion date: June 1960

He Damin looked at the words, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Once this network was completed, Hong Kong would become the world's first city with a large-scale fiber optic communication network. At that time, branches of the Global Bank would be able to transmit and share data in real time, greatly improving the efficiency of capital flow; Asia Satellite Television's program production and transmission would be more convenient and efficient, able to be broadcast globally via satellite; and ocean shipping companies' fleets would be able to receive the latest weather warnings and port information anywhere, greatly improving the safety and efficiency of navigation.

This is just the beginning.

Once the network covers the entire Southeast Asia, and major cities and regions worldwide… he will become the nerve center of the world. All information will be transmitted through his network, and all wealth will flow through his system. Those so-called financial centers located in Tokyo, New York, and London will, in his eyes, become pawns on his chessboard, at his mercy.

He Damin closed his laptop, stood up, and walked to the window, stretching. The sunlight had completely pierced through the thin mist, bathing him warmly and dispelling the last trace of morning chill. Victoria Harbour shimmered, countless ships bustling about. In the distance, at the foot of Victoria Peak, the towering AsiaSat transmission tower reflected a silvery-white light in the sunlight, like a sharp sword piercing the sky. That tower had taken six months to build, consuming a vast amount of his manpower, resources, and money, but he felt it was worth it, extremely worth it.

"It'll be soon," he said softly, as if encouraging himself. "Once the internet is built, once the TV stations start broadcasting, once the fleet is up and running... this world will truly be different."

Soft footsteps sounded behind her, very light, with a rhythm unique to women. Chen Xueru pushed open the door and entered, still wearing simple home clothes, her hair loosely tied back, her face flushed from just waking up. In her hand, she carried a small white porcelain bowl containing steaming white fungus and lotus seed soup, emitting a faint sweet aroma.

"Didn't eat breakfast again?" She gently placed the bowl on the table, giving him a reproachful look, but her eyes were full of concern. "How can you skip breakfast? It's bad for your health. Drink some soup while it's hot."

He Damin smiled, walked over, took the bowl from her hand, and scooped up a spoonful. The soup was cooked just right, sweet but not cloying, with soft and glutinous lotus seeds and smooth and tender white fungus, carrying a faint fragrance—it was the taste he liked.

"Xue Ru," he put down his bowl, took her hand in his, which was slightly cool, "If we have children in the future, what would you want them to do?"

Chen Xueru was taken aback, her face flushing even deeper. She lowered her head somewhat shyly: "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"It's nothing, just asking casually," He Damin smiled.

Chen Xueru lowered her head, her fingers gently tracing the edge of the table, and whispered, "If it's a boy, he'll be like you, capable, responsible, and able to protect those he wants to protect. If it's a girl..." She paused, then looked up, her eyes sparkling, "...like raindrops, lively, lovely, sensible, and filial."

He Damin gently pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "If it's a boy, I'll teach him cultivation so he can become a strong and upright person. If it's a girl, I'll also teach her cultivation so she can protect herself. When they grow up, they can do whatever they want. If they don't want to cultivate, they can go into business, go to school, or travel the world and see the world. Anyway, with me here, they have nothing to fear."

Chen Xueru leaned against his warm embrace, listening to his strong heartbeat, and nodded gently, her voice slightly choked with emotion: "Okay."

Outside the window, the sun shone brightly, warm and inviting. He Damin held Chen Xueru in his arms, watching the cargo ship gradually disappear into the distance on the sea, a satisfied smile on his lips.