There is one more chapter, which will be added tomorrow afternoon.
"Do you want to see him?" Leng Zhiyuan asked with a smile.
"He's actually still alive!" Huang He gasped. The secrets within this laboratory were too significant. Not even his secretary knew the full extent of his contacts; only Leng Zhiyuan and Huang He communicated directly. Leng Zhiyuan was incredibly busy, rarely making phone calls more than once a month. Their work primarily demanded funds, so Huang He hadn't inquired further.
He knew that person was here, but he hadn't expected him to have survived and to have lived until now.
Led by Leng Zhiyuan, Huang He ascended from the 18th underground level to the 15th. In fact, levels 15 through 8 were all employee dormitories.
Because these employees were engaged in top-secret national projects, they received very high salaries but rarely had the opportunity to leave this underground research center for years. The researchers at Jiangnan Optoelectronics enjoyed far more freedom than they did.
However, the 15th underground level was quite special. It housed individuals who were absolutely forbidden from leaving without the personal permission of Boss Huang himself. This area was almost indistinguishable from a prison.
Despite this, the environment here was exceptionally pleasant. All the lighting simulated natural sunlight, and all the windows were high-resolution displays that vividly showed the outside world, making it feel as if one were living above ground.
Furthermore, the 15th floor had everything: a cinema, a gym, an arcade, and even a bar and a Taoist temple.
It was within the Taoist temple that Huang He's target resided. Upon entering, Huang He saw someone sitting in the center of the main hall. The person had thinning golden hair and, judging by their back, appeared to be around 50 years old.
"Mr. Steve Jobs, how should I address you now?" Huang He asked as he sat down beside the man, smiling.
"Just call me Daozhang Qiao!" Jobs replied without blinking.
Indeed, the person sitting next to Boss Huang was none other than Steve Jobs, who had been dead for over a year.
While the historical Jobs had passed away in 2011 at the young age of 56, the Steve Jobs of this world had clearly lived a longer life. After many years of Taoist cultivation, Steve Jobs announced that he had successfully cultivated his primordial spirit, and his physical body had become a burden to it. Therefore, he intended to undergo the 'Feathered Ascension' ceremony.
Thus, at the crucial juncture of his life, precisely at the age of 79, Steve Jobs departed from a sacred Taoist mountain in the United States and returned to the most central sacred site of Taoism, Longhu Mountain. There, presided over by the incumbent Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain, he underwent his ascension.
It was said that countless guests witnessed a beam of spiritual light shoot from Jobs's head towards the heavens, after which he passed away.
Of course, many critics of Taoism claimed it was merely a light show and that Jobs had simply died of old age.
However, some pointed out that Jobs's death was not ordinary. In a public speech to his disciples a year prior, he had accurately predicted his ascension on this very day. This was supported by video recordings and documentaries produced by television journalists, leaving no room for doubt or fabrication.
Subsequent examinations confirmed that Jobs had indeed passed away on that day. Could it be that a wealthy individual like Jobs would choose to die prematurely out of boredom?
Naturally, many people found loopholes and refused to believe that Jobs had truly achieved ascension. Those who believed it were convinced that Jobs had genuinely become an immortal, proving that humans could achieve immortality, which further promoted the spread of Taoism in the United States.
Those who were skeptical, however, found various pieces of evidence. Some even managed to unearth a video where it was observed that Jobs's little finger had twitched while he was seated. They inferred from this detail that Jobs had been faking his death at the time.
But medical professionals quickly debunked these claims, stating that unnatural movements of the body after death were normal due to changes in internal organic tissues and were not a new phenomenon. It certainly did not prove that Jobs had not been dead at the time.
In hindsight, the latter group appears to have been correct. Jobs had not truly died and was now calmly sitting before Huang He, cultivating before the statues of the Three Pure Ones.
"Daozhang Qiao, I always thought you wouldn't accept this invitation. After all, to me, you are virtually indistinguishable from a true immortal!" Huang He said with a smile.
"This is the Age of Dharma Decline; it's no longer an era where diligent cultivation alone can lead to immortality! Fortunately, I've found something like Lunar Spiritual Essence in this world. Perhaps it can only be found in primordial stars like the moon. Moreover, I only began my path at the age of sixty. The Great Dao has not been kind to me, so I must rely on Lunar Spiritual Essence to aid my journey!" Jobs normally preferred not to disturb others, but Huang He's arrival necessitated his speaking, as it determined whether he could obtain his daily quota of Lunar Spiritual Essence.
"I see!" Huang He's explanation to Jobs was that it was harvested from the moon, omitting the fact that they could now mass-produce Lunar Spiritual Essence.
As for how Jobs came to know about Lunar Spiritual Essence, why he faked his death, and why he was now confined here, it all began with Leng Zhiyuan's experiments.
After completing animal trials, Leng Zhiyuan naturally wanted to proceed with clinical trials.
Logically, finding an elderly person for the experiment would have been ideal. However, Leng Zhiyuan knew too little about the substance. She was unsure of its effects on humans and feared it might be a case of murder for financial gain. Thus, Leng Zhiyuan was troubled about whether to proceed with the experiment.
Then, Leng Zhi Meng approached her, asking if she had obtained Lunar Spiritual Essence and if it could be used for a venerable elder of Taoism.
The Taoist elder Leng Zhi Meng spoke of was none other than Jobs. In fact, Jobs truly believed he would die on that day last year, and he had indeed passed.
However, when Leng Zhi Meng was cleaning him afterward, she unexpectedly discovered that Jobs was merely in a state of primordial hibernation. Although he had no breath, he was still alive. Of course, if he were cremated, he would have died.
Out of curiosity, Leng Zhi Meng recalled the fleeting mention of Lunar Spiritual Essence from years past. With a single phone call to her sister, she had the deceased Jobs brought to this secret base.
With the mindset that the person was already dead, any revival would be a merit, Leng Zhiyuan injected Jobs with Lunar Spiritual Essence, and Jobs miraculously came back to life.
Initially, Jobs found it difficult to accept the outcome. He had believed he had ascended to immortality, only to find himself still bound by his physical body.
However, upon learning that Lunar Spiritual Essence was a primordial divine object discovered on the moon, he regained his resolve, believing he could still achieve immortality.
Furthermore, with continuous daily injections, Jobs was terrified to discover that he was undergoing a continuous process of rejuvenation, gradually transforming from an 80-year-old man back to his 50-year-old appearance.
This fully convinced Jobs that this was the primordial spiritual substance described in Taoist classics. He resumed his cultivation, and he claimed his progress was rapid, even expressing confidence that he could achieve physical immortality.
Among the immortals recorded in ancient texts throughout history, 90% achieved immortality through their primordial spirit. Those who achieved physical immortality, meaning their bodies transformed into those of immortals along with their spirits, were undoubtedly the most formidable among immortals.
Therefore, although Huang He strictly forbade Jobs from leaving after his "death," Jobs himself had no desire to leave. Once he departed, he would never receive Lunar Spiritual Essence again – only a fool would do such a thing.
Moreover, residing here in quiet cultivation, undisturbed by anyone else, free from worldly affairs, and with all his needs for food and clothing consistently met, this place was practically a paradise. Jobs genuinely had no intention of leaving.
However, when Huang He appeared, Jobs understood that he was likely in for some trouble. After all, he had been here for a year, and Huang He had never visited him. His sudden appearance now suggested that he might have something for him to do.
As expected, Huang He continued, "Daozhang Qiao, I declare you are free. You may go home and reunite with your family and friends!"
"..." Even for someone as calm as Jobs, hearing this made him open his eyes and look at Huang He. "Mr. Huang, whatever you want from me, just say it. Don't threaten me with such means; it makes you, the world's richest man, appear rather unsophisticated!"
"Not at all, why would I threaten you? Even if you return, someone will deliver a year's supply of Lunar Spiritual Essence to you annually, ensuring you won't have to worry about it for the entire year."
"And what about after that year?" Jobs asked.
"Heh heh!" Huang He chuckled.
"If you have any requests, just state them clearly. I don't like playing guessing games!" Jobs said.
"Very well, then I'll be blunt. I wish for you to return, but I want you to find that upon achieving immortality, the Heavenly Court has become dilapidated, with most celestial beings having vanished without a trace. Then, you are fortunate enough to discover Lunar Spiritual Essence in the Guanghan Palace, though its supply is limited, producing only a small amount each day!"
"Soon after, your primordial spirit returns to your physical body. You then spend a year cultivating in the secret chamber of Longhu Mountain using Lunar Spiritual Essence, intending to pursue the path of physical immortality. However, you are concerned about matters at home and thus return."
"By the way, after you left, all your assets were seized by your ex-wife, while your two children only received assets worth a mere million dollars. They have now succumbed to addiction, a truly tragic situation!" Huang He said.