C19 Three Giants!(2)

Bai Chengcheng worked as a janitor at a mecha repair shop. His workload was light, and his pay reflected that. However, he enjoyed the daily sight of various mechas and the opportunity to handle different mecha parts. His duties as a janitor mainly involved tidying up the parts and tools the mechanics discarded after their work. On a good day, he might even get to touch a fully assembled mecha.

Lu Youzhi was a sparring partner at a martial arts dojo. Coming from a modest background, he lacked any advanced martial arts or cultivation techniques. His role allowed him to witness a variety of martial arts styles. Though every sensation felt painfully real, he knew he wouldn't actually die in the Second World. Eager to test his kinetic energy absorption, he entered the virtual realm, where he could also train and improve his skills, making his energy absorption genuinely effective.

Fan Gongming was a low-ranking member of a dark-hued gang. Known for hiding during fights and being the quickest to flee, he was small and frail. His fellow gang members didn't expect much from him, so he often served as a lookout or gathered intelligence, essentially a rat among the City Fox Society.

Bai Yaojin and Wu also delved into the Second World. Bai Yaojin purchased seven connection cabins—three for personal use and two for each of the two families, ensuring that they could all access the internet from any of their homes. Thankfully, none of them lived in government welfare housing, which would have made finding space for the cabins a challenge. Each connection cabin was a spherical structure with a diameter of two and a half meters.

The trio didn't materialize in the Second World on Primarch Star, Zramshire, but rather in a small dwelling on the Xuanzong Astral Sector of the Tang Dynasty Astral Sector. They had jointly purchased this residence. (Dragonstar named Astral Sectors after dynasties, life-sustaining planets after emperors, and cities after notable figures.)

The Xuanzong Astral Sector was renowned as one of Dragonstar Federation's prominent mechanical manufacturing hubs, with factories scattered across the entire planet. Even the broad avenues of the commercial districts were lined with an array of shops selling mechanical products, spare parts, and offering maintenance services.

The street, over two hundred meters wide, was teeming with pedestrians and vehicles—a scene of bustling activity. Mechas darted along the ground and soared through the air, a sight that would be impossible in the real world.

Dragonstar is renowned for having the strictest regulations on civilian lethal weapons. However, in the Second World, such restrictions are virtually nonexistent. It's not that the Second World lacks laws or nations; rather, despite being an almost exact digital replica of the real world—so authentic it could be mistaken for reality—it remains just that: a digitized world.

Every sensation experienced in the Second World can be fully and authentically felt by the human body in the real world. Yet, the laws of the Second World are confined to that realm and have no bearing on the real world. If someone is sentenced to imprisonment there, they simply log off and, after serving their time, log back on. Even a death sentence doesn't translate to actual death; the individual's account is merely suspended by the Second World company, and they are barred from logging on for a month. After that period, the 'deceased' can re-register and re-enter, effectively being reborn.

The Second World's laws don't impact the real world because it is one of the three colossal god-level entities globally, and nations cannot compel the Second World company to link personal accounts to real-world identities.

The other two companies, Star Origin Bank and God’s Eye, operate beyond national constraints, an odd and unavoidable reality. The ownership of these corporations is shrouded in mystery, rumored to be extraterrestrial or even divine in origin.

In the Star Era, the notion of untraceable entities seems far-fetched, yet it exists. If the Earth Era had places like the Cayman Islands, known for their lax registration and high confidentiality, the Hunter Era is no exception.

Star Origin Bank deals in currency, not that of any nation, but its own energy currency. The existence of a currency independent of any government is remarkable, but it persists because Star Origin Bank backs its currency with energy reserves, not gold or other precious metals.

In the Star Era, precious metals struggle to retain value. Gold and platinum were once prized for their rarity, but the cosmos is vast, and planets rich in these metals have been discovered, leading to a rapid devaluation of gold and platinum. Consequently, the gold standard currency system has naturally collapsed.

Does energy never depreciate? I'm sorry to say, but the production of energy simply can't keep up with human demand. Initially, Star Origin Bank issued energy notes, denominated in units of energy rather than physical energy materials.

Customers of Stellar Source Bank borrowed energy, not currency. Using Stellar Source Bank's energy notes, they could withdraw a specified amount of energy material from any branch, such as pure hydrogen, or isotopes like tritium and helium-3 for nuclear fusion. Theoretically, burning 1,000 grams of hydrogen generates 28,914 kilocalories (approximately 121,034 kilojoules or 33.6 kilowatt-hours), which is defined as one Star Yuan.

In essence, Stellar Source Bank also functioned as an energy company. But did it possess enough energy? Indeed, it did. No matter the demand, Stellar Source Bank never failed to meet its obligations. Each branch, regardless of the withdrawal size, could always fulfill the transaction.

Stellar Source Bank's technology for harvesting energy was ahead of its time, capable of extracting hydrogen from pure hydrogen planets—something no other country could achieve due to their spacecrafts' reliance on high-temperature engines that risked causing fusion of hydrogen isotopes. At best, this could result in the destruction of the ship and loss of life; at worst, it could turn a pure hydrogen planet into a sun. Moreover, their mysterious methods of low-cost, efficient, and cheap transportation were unparalleled.

Thanks to these advantages, Stellar Source Bank drove all private energy companies out of business, leaving only a handful of state-owned enterprises surviving on government subsidies. This was a necessary evil, as nations must maintain their own energy reserves to ensure their fate isn't controlled by others.

No nation wants their economic lifeline in the hands of a private company, yet they are powerless against Stellar Source Bank. If you tried to enforce anti-monopoly laws or other measures against the bank, they could simply choose not to do business with you. While other countries could enjoy stable and affordable energy from Stellar Source Bank, your own country would have to be self-reliant, undoubtedly affecting its development pace and overall strength.

What about outright robbing Stellar Source Bank? Each branch could theoretically pay out indefinitely, suggesting their energy reserves were immense. However, those who attempted this ended up with nothing more than a few robots and network devices, not a single gram of energy in sight. Subsequently, whether it was officials or gangsters, no matter how covert their identity or where they hid, they all met mysterious ends with no place to lay their remains, without exception.

Fortunately, Stellar Bank adhered to the laws of various nations and the universally accepted rules of the world, with the exception of anti-monopoly legislation. Most crucially, these three titanic corporations never meddled in the domestic affairs of any country, nor did they take sides in international conflicts. The big Boss remained unseen, avoiding any interaction with the elite. As a result, nations had to come to terms with the reality that Stellar Bank had become the unchallenged oligarch of interstellar finance and energy, until such time as they could catch up with or surpass its technology. Stellar Yuan emerged as the sole international currency, distinct from national currencies.

One could only imagine the immense shock that Lu Youzhi's parents experienced upon discovering that Bai Yaojin was the big Boss of Stellar Bank. The revelation was so overwhelming, it left them breathless.