The Tyrant Billionaire

As the two strolled and chatted, their conversation revolved mainly around the development of Penang and Malacca. While they had experience with the Cayman Islands, Penang was vastly different. The Caymans had only a population of about 2,000, and Hardy had relocated all of them.

In essence, it was like working on a blank canvas—there was no way to go wrong. Today, though the Caymans were called a dominion, their operation was entirely like that of a corporation, with no locals left to govern.

Penang and Malacca, however, were different. These areas originally had over 600,000 residents. After about a year of development, the population had surged and was now approaching a million. Managing this was far more complex than managing the Caymans.

Hardy had previously shared with Andy the economic development plans for the Hardy Dominion. Today, the focus was on education.

"Andy, I plan to vigorously promote education—making primary and middle school education free, and establishing at least three universities. We have to start shaping minds from a young age."

Andy gave Hardy a surprised look.

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"Shaping minds?"

Cough cough.

Hardy cleared his throat twice. He had let his guard down in front of Andy and accidentally let his true intentions slip. "I mean education. Education must start from a young age."

Andy nodded in understanding.

"For primary schools, the dominion plans to implement compulsory education, eliminating all fees, including textbook costs, and rewriting the curriculum."

"The government will provide free lunches. For many families, this saves a meal and can actually cut down on household expenses, making it easier to attract children to school."

"For middle and high schools, tuition and textbook fees will still be waived, though lunches won’t be provided."

"As for universities, I think we should establish three institutions. One will be a comprehensive university, offering programs in business, law, medicine, engineering, science, architecture, and the arts."

"The other two universities will be more specialized. One will focus on science and technology—the Dominion Institute of Science and Technology—offering fields like architecture, civil and structural engineering, biotechnology, chemical engineering, information and communications technology, and bioengineering."

"The third will concentrate on finance-related disciplines, such as accounting, human resource management, finance, international trade, and business administration."

"These fields align well with the dominion’s economic structure and will help us train our own talent pool."

"I also plan to collaborate with top universities in the UK and US, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and Stanford. We’ll invite them to help set up programs, sharing equivalent educational resources. Outstanding students from here could continue their studies at those institutions."

Andy fully supported this initiative. "Education can change the future of a region. I think your vision is excellent."

"It might not show immediate results, but ten years down the line, it will undoubtedly play a critical role in the dominion’s development. After all, no progress can happen without people."

As they continued to talk, the conversation shifted to regional security, particularly after Hardy’s recent actions against the Sultan, which had alarmed neighboring sultans. Andy advised Hardy to remain vigilant, as someone might act recklessly.

Hardy said, "I plan to strengthen the dominion’s military. This includes expanding the army, purchasing advanced weapons, and building a modernized force."

He added confidently, "In the future, though the Hardy Dominion may have a small territory in Southeast Asia, I intend to make it one of the top military powers in the region."

Since his rebirth, Hardy firmly believed in the principle that might makes right.

"In the future, the Hardy Dominion must have complete land, sea, and air forces. The army will recruit 10,000 troops—local residents trained by the defense company."

"There will be tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery. I’ll review the weapon lists and see what’s available to procure for their use."

"Our defense company can also train the air force," Hardy said. "We’ll start by forming an aviation squadron, with 60 to 80 aircraft, including fighter, bomber, and transport squadrons. That should be sufficient for Southeast Asia. Honestly, we don’t have many enemies here."

"As for the navy, I plan to return to the U.S. and talk with the military again, selecting more ships from their decommissioned fleet. I’m even considering acquiring an aircraft carrier, though I doubt the U.S. government will sell one. Maybe I’ll check with the British instead."

Andy looked at Hardy in surprise.

"Maintaining a military is expensive. With all these plans, it seems like the dominion’s revenue will mostly go toward these endeavors," Andy remarked, implying that Hardy’s spending might leave little for personal profit.

Hardy shrugged.

"What’s the point of hoarding cash? What I want is real power. Isn’t the Hardy Group earning more than I can spend? Honestly, I don’t have many personal expenses. I’m making all this money to fulfill a dream of mine."

"A dream?" Andy asked.

"At first I wanted to build a group—the Hardy Group—and now it’s to build a dominion—the Hardy Dominion!" Hardy laughed.

Hardy’s laughter was so loud that it caught the attention of his puppy, Ekko, who perked up his ears and tilted his head, curious about what had his owner so amused.

Hardy’s ambition was to make the dominion’s military power stronger than that of future Singapore.

In later years, Singapore’s military strength was considered among the best in Southeast Asia. For Hardy, there weren’t many enemies in this region—mainly The Philippines and Myanmar. Even in the future, the military capabilities of those two nations wouldn’t be impressive.

Surpassing them wouldn’t be difficult.

He didn’t need to compete in manpower or land forces. Instead, he would focus on naval and air force. Hardy had access to the most advanced weaponry from the U.S., a significant advantage over other countries.

For starters, the California consortium he was part of included the world’s largest defense contractor, Lockheed Martin.

Yes, Hardy was a shareholder.

Though his stake was small, at just over 4%, it still placed him as the 12th-largest shareholder.

And the world’s second-largest defense contractor, Northrop Grumman?

Yes, Hardy had shares in that too.

The fourth-largest, Litton Industries, which specialized in fighter jets, destroyers, and cruise missiles?

Yes, Hardy had invested there as well.

Boeing? Hardy Group was one of its partners.

General Dynamics? Another partner.

Even the U.S. Department of Defense worked with the Hardy Group.

When it came to acquiring weapons, Hardy’s advantage over others was significant.

Moreover, Hardy owned HD Defense Company. Future military bases in Penang and Singapore would become critical powerhouses in the region.

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