A barren area, with no sign of life in sight.

It's called a desert, but it's not the sand-filled desert that you see on TV. For the most part, it's a rocky area with a hard surface and towering canyons.

In this area, there is a mysterious base, and Hughes is hiding in this place.

In recent years, Hughes has become more and more fond of staying in secret bases in the desert, where he can be away from people and alone without being disturbed by people. Although he was far away from the crowd, his eyes never took off what was happening in the various parts of the world.

He is the brains of the Hughes Group, and every major decision is made by him.

Hughes is like a king, sitting on his throne to deal with various affairs within the kingdom, and at the same time competing with various other forces, the recent success of SCC in trampling NASA under his feet is the result of his joint efforts with Alex.

In addition to dealing with internal and external matters within the Hughes Group, he also understands and researches the current high-tech developments through television, radio broadcasts, various books and periodicals, and other means.

Hughes was very interested in astronautics, believing it to be an inevitable consequence of the continued development of the aircraft industry and the aviation industry. Long before Alex talked to him about the Space Shuttle, he had similar thoughts, but he didn't grasp it as clearly as Alex, as if he had seen the real thing.

In a sense, Hughes and Alex are the same kind of people. That's exactly what explains. For what is the reason why they hit it off at first sight.

"Von Bryan ......"

Hughes muttered a name, and although he had never met this person, he had on hand the most detailed information von Bryan had from birth to the present. Hughes would always spend a lot of time researching important people, which helped him understand and control them.

Von Bryan and some of the people from SCC joined NASA and became the de facto rulers, and it was up to them to decide the direction of research and development and the allocation of resources. Now the government has accepted the status quo, which is that the entire world is capable of SCC to lead NASA and put it against the Soviet space agency.

This success has further strengthened the position of the Hughes Group and the Carpenter family. It also strengthens the bond between them.

They are the real ones who have benefited from this huge change. For a long time to come. They are able to draw huge benefits from this.

On this summer breezy evening, Hughes's residence did not feel the slightest bit hot. Usually only Hughes was in his own room, and there was an unexpected extra person.

This person is Alex? Carpenter, he's here to celebrate SCC's victory with Hughes.

In the same house. This time the lights were no longer as dim as usual. Alex could easily see Hughes's face. He was slightly surprised. Hughes's image has changed a lot from when he first saw it.

A sea change, from the inside out.

Alex remembers seeing Hughes so weak, pale, and senile at that time.

But the Hughes in front of him was still pale. Weak and old, but long gone. Hughes's eyes were bright, his face was radiant, and the more he looked at it, the more he looked like a rich man in his thirties.

"Alex! I know you have a lot of questions in your mind," Hughes was in a good mood, patiently explaining, "When we first met, I was indeed different from now. The image and appearance you see is not the real me, or just one of my states, a terrible state. ”

"Status? What do you mean? Alex was a little puzzled and asked, "Are you sick?" ”

"Sick?" Hughes didn't expect Alex to think like this, he frowned and said, "If it's just sick, it's really not a big deal." ”

"And what happened to you?"

"I'll explain this to you slowly."

"I'm listening!" Alex said that he was not in a hurry, but he guessed that what Hughes said must have something to do with Lawrence's mention of "immortality".

"At that time, I happened to have no medication, my body was weak, and my mental condition was also very bad. But isn't that what you think of as Mr. Hughes? I just don't want to surprise people to avoid boring rumors. ”

"What rumors? Is it a rumor that you are addicted to drugs? ”

"I don't deny my dependence on drugs, it's not a rumor." Hughes thought for a moment and continued, "I've had many accidents, especially those two crashes that almost killed me, but I was saved by my loyal men. At that time, they gave me a drug called 'Angel Dust'. ”

"Angel Dust?" Alex had heard the name for the first time, literally, much like the name of a drug. It's no wonder that Hughes is addicted to this drug, I'm afraid the Hughes I see now are just using the drug.

"Yes, this medicine has a strong effect and can bring people back to life. However, there are also great side effects, and after using too much, you will become dependent on it. Hughes nodded, describing the properties of the drug, and he suddenly changed the subject: "But I didn't want to talk to you about this matter this time, I heard that you are working on the integration of the Carpenter family's estate, do you want to hear my opinion?" ”

"Please keep talking!"

Alex came to his senses immediately, and he didn't know what Hughes was doing on a whim and wanted to talk to him about family matters. But for Hughes, the first billionaire in the United States, he has a high curiosity. After the death of his parents, Hughes inherited the Hughes family legacy at the age of 19 and single-handedly established it as the Hughes Group. This cannot but be admired, Hughes is indeed a genius.

"The family, as a basic social organization, has always played a vital role as a link, connecting the small individual family below and the social family above." Hughes poured himself a cup of coffee, took a sip and continued: "And a large and illustrious family is even linked to the fate of one or more nations and peoples. ”

Alex didn't say anything, he was thinking about Hughes's words. Now the Carpenter family's fortune has been divided, but as their younger brothers Richard and Cullen get older, they will gradually become involved in the family. In this way, there will inevitably be such and such inconveniences, in fact, he really wants to see his younger brothers and sisters continue to stay out of the matter.

However, Hughes came up and connected the family with the country and the nation, an angle that Alex had never thought about. In the end, he couldn't help but say: "I know that things like the Rockefeller family and the DuPont family can indeed influence the future of the United States, but what I need to think about now is how to make the Carpenter family grow smoothly from a small family." As for such high-level matters as the state and the nation, I should not be so quick to think about it. ”

Hughes shook his head and said with a smile: "You think the same way I thought at the beginning, and I thought so before World War II broke out. But this thinking is completely wrong, and if it weren't for the war, I'm afraid my Hughes group would not have been able to develop so quickly. ”

When he saw that Alex was about to say something, Hughes stretched out his hand to stop him and said, "Don't be in a hurry to refute it first, wait until I'm done." ”

"Alright! You keep talking! Alex swallowed back what he wanted to say, listening to Hughes's family perspective.

"There must be a variety of factors for the rise of a family, but in terms of influence, they are nothing more than political, economic, cultural and technological aspects. In politics, for example, the Kennedys were to the United States, the Windsors were to the United Kingdom, and the Nehru family was to India. In terms of economy, the Morgans, the Piëchs, the Rockefellers, and the Hiltons, all of them have built their own empires of wealth. ”

After a pause, Hughes continued: "In terms of culture and technology, the Merne family, the Warner family, the Curie family, these legendary families, either out of the blue, or like divine help, they have created a brilliant brilliance that is breathtaking. ”

"The Curie family? Is it influential? Alex was surprised when he heard this, and couldn't help but ask.

Hughes glanced at Alex meaningfully, and said with a smile: "Don't underestimate the Curie family, don't think that only money is the most important thing in this world. Look at the influence, the influence! You must know that the Curie couple, the eldest daughter, and this son-in-law have won 4 Nobel Prizes! ”

"I can win the Nobel Prize too!" Alex shrugged his shoulders and said that he didn't understand why Hughes would value this so much, and added later: "If I wanted it, I would definitely get it more than 4 times!" ”

Hughes Harry smiled, not denying or affirming Alex's words, he continued: "The actions of these families can have a great impact on this world, and whenever there is an economic crisis, war, major discoveries, etc., which affects the course of mankind, these families can be seen looming. ”

"Oh? I can understand that you mean that they dominate the lives and destinies of ordinary people. But I don't understand what you say to me, and what use you have to the Carpenters. ”

"Don't you understand? Let me ask you, what do you want to position the Carpenter family? Politics? Economy? Or is it tech culture? ”

Hughes's question was sharp, and for a moment, Alex couldn't answer his question. (To be continued......)