Now, seeing Hong Lei once again looking like he was determined to keep learning diligently, Liu Ben just shook his head, deciding not to discuss further. The conversation turned back to how to prepare for the evening gathering.

After a brief moment, Liu Ben had more or less figured out the plan for the night, but he still felt like something was missing. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He clapped his hands and loudly said to Hong Lei, who was next to him, “That’s it! I was wondering what was missing! In the past, only some classmates attended our reunions, so this year, let’s just make it a memorial event. By my calculations, it’s been five years since we graduated, right? So, let’s organize a 5th-anniversary memorial, and besides inviting our old classmates, let’s also invite our former teachers.”

“Although back then, our homeroom teacher was pretty strict with us, thinking about it now, it was all for our own good! So, this anniversary event is also a great opportunity to thank those teachers of ours. Of course, the main reason we can do this is because of Hao-ge footing the bill; all we’re doing is making a bit of an effort.” Liu Ben sighed with emotion before turning and smiling.

What Liu Ben said was indeed true. If it weren’t for Wu Hao, a classmate who had become so incredibly wealthy that it was almost shocking, Liu Ben wouldn’t have been able to conceive of such an extravagant reunion in his mind.

When Hong Lei, standing next to Liu Ben, heard him mention their former teachers, he felt a sense of understanding. After all, he had now experienced the feeling of lacking knowledge, so he naturally agreed with Liu Ben’s suggestion.

“Liu Ben, that’s a great idea. Let’s get ready for it together later!” Initially not very enthusiastic, Hong Lei suddenly became more interested.

“Of course, you’ll have a part in it; there’s no way I could handle everything alone,” Liu Ben said matter-of-factly.

“Alright then, just tell me what you need me to do,” Hong Lei said without further hesitation.

“Actually, what I need you to do is simple—just go buy some gifts. But since it’s Hao-ge who’s covering everything, and given his usual lavish style, we definitely can’t settle for anything ordinary.” Liu Ben squinted as he spoke.

“Alright! Just give me a list later, and I’ll handle the errands,” Hong Lei said, not minding at all, knowing that Wu Hao wouldn’t care about spending a bit more money.

True to his word, Liu Ben gave Hong Lei a list, which included all sorts of gifts—things like full sets of Apple electronics and other digital products. In addition to these standard gifts, Liu Ben had also planned a raffle, with the grand prize being a car worth 500,000 yuan. The second and third prizes were also cars, though slightly cheaper.

Besides these grand prizes, there were also varying amounts of cash rewards, and the total value of all the gifts and prizes Liu Ben had arranged came to several million.

After all, just one set of Apple products was worth around 30,000 to 40,000 yuan. Preparing dozens of sets already amounted to millions, not to mention the cars, the cash prizes, and the expenses for the evening event, which would easily exceed ten million.

While this amount of money was nothing to Wu Hao, for a reunion of only a few dozen people, it was certainly extravagant.

Meanwhile, as Liu Ben and Hong Lei were busy coordinating and preparing, Wu Hao was in a separate meeting with Liu Shiguo, Zhang Kui, and others.

“Mr. Wu, the main reason I reached out to you this time is to ask, on behalf of the government, if you could help us acquire some technical data. I believe this shouldn’t be too difficult for you, right?”

“What kind of data are you referring to?” Wu Hao didn’t refuse but asked directly, implicitly agreeing.

Seeing Wu Hao’s response, Liu Shiguo was certain about his identity. He then relayed the task that had been entrusted to him by the higher-ups.

This time, the government’s request for Wu Hao—or rather, the powerful forces behind him—was to obtain data on the most advanced radar system currently used by the U.S.

Although ****’s radar systems were among the best in the world, they were still lacking in comparison to the U.S. in several military aspects.

In fact, not just ****, but even Russia and Europe were in a similar position, as the U.S. had been competing with the Soviet Union in military development ever since World War II.

Back then, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were evenly matched, each holding their own technological advantages. However, after the Soviet Union’s collapse, the U.S. emerged as the world’s leading military power, leaving Russia behind and ending the Cold War balance between the two superpowers.

Even without a military competitor, the U.S. did not scale back its research efforts. As a result, it remains the global leader in military technology and scientific research today.

Russia, the remnant of the former Soviet Union, while still militarily strong, has made little progress in technological innovation, relying heavily on the Soviet Union’s legacy.

The U.S., on the other hand, has not only made great strides in military research but also in space exploration.

For example, the U.S. controls a significant portion of Earth’s satellites, and the most advanced space probes exploring beyond Earth were launched by the U.S. In contrast, Russia lags far behind in this field.

Hearing Liu Shiguo’s request, Wu Hao didn’t give a direct answer, but from his tone, it was clear to anyone that this task was likely to succeed.

After the meeting, Liu Shiguo immediately reported the discussion with Wu Hao to his superiors. Upon receiving the news, the top leaders began their own discussions. “If this young man, Wu Hao, can indeed secure this technical data for us, then we must take the forces behind him more seriously.”

The leader’s statement received unanimous agreement because if this group could easily obtain some of the most advanced U.S. military technologies, their capabilities were certainly worth close scrutiny.