After getting out of the taxi, Chen Mo collapsed into bed and slept straight through until noon the next day.
Rubbing his drowsy eyes, he felt utterly exhausted, as if he'd been through a fierce battle the night before.
He hadn't expected the aftereffects of pulling an all-nighter to be this intense.
Chen Mo casually whipped up a simple breakfast.
No—
It was more like brunch.
He sat at the dining table, leisurely enjoying his meal. Only after replenishing his energy did the fatigue begin to fade.
This made him silently resolve:
Next time he reached into a movie world, he should consider bringing back something to enhance his physical stamina—like a genetic serum or something from a sci-fi flick.
After all, health was the foundation of everything.
That way, he wouldn't need to fear sleepless nights.
After finishing lunch, Chen Mo sat at his computer desk. Beside him was Red Queen's host machine, and nothing else.
When he opened his phone, a chat notification popped up.
"Chen Mo, I've just finished the resignation process at school. I'm going to check out the Black Domain office space this afternoon. Want to come along? It's the headquarters of Black Domain Tech—it's important!"
"I have other things to deal with. You decide."
After replying, Chen Mo turned off his phone and began researching nuclear power plants on his computer.
Meanwhile, on the other end—
Tian Tian muttered under her breath after reading the message.
What a hands-off boss.
You gave me the money and Hatsune, and now you're letting me handle everything. You're really not afraid I'll run off with it all?
Just exploiting my labor, huh?
Still, she only grumbled a little. When it came to taking action, she didn't hesitate. She began negotiating office space rentals while also hiring a headhunting firm to start recruiting talent. Of course… she prioritized young people. Having been a professor at Aoki University, more than half the applicants were current or former students from there.
"Red Queen."
"Filter the nuclear power plants near Haicheng and see which ones are suitable for acquisition." Chen Mo spoke calmly. Nuclear plants were generally state-owned and rarely up for sale. But there were exceptions—when equipment was so outdated it couldn't be used, these plants would be sold off like scrap.
That was exactly what he was after—near-defunct nuclear plants.
Lower purchase cost.
At worst, he could buy new equipment himself.
"Understood, Master." Red Queen's response was swift. As soon as Chen Mo finished speaking, a massive 3D projection appeared in front of him. Red Queen stood at its center, and her voice echoed from the computer speakers.
"Master, based on my analysis, there are two nuclear power plants near Haicheng suitable for acquisition."
"Target One: Futian Nuclear Plant. Total generating capacity: 1.8 million kilowatts, daily output: 400 million kilowatt-hours, land area: 200 mu. Due to broken financial chains, the state enterprise has listed it for sale. Equipment is outdated, nuclear facilities are damaged, currently operating on thermal power. Low price, seeking a buyer. Estimated price: 10 billion."
"Target Two: Union Nuclear Plant, a joint venture. Total generating capacity: 1.2 million kilowatts, daily output: 300 million kilowatt-hours, land area: 5,000 mu. Most equipment is non-operational, nuclear systems damaged, running on thermal power only. The state-owned party is cutting the business, seeking a private buyer. Estimated price: 50 billion."
Chen Mo studied the two plants displayed in the projection.
Red Queen's system was advanced—like satellite imaging, it constructed realistic scale models of both plants, which could be zoomed and rotated like on-site inspections.
He browsed through them for a while.
Both had one thing in common: damaged nuclear systems, only thermal power still functional.
No wonder they were for sale.
Nuclear energy was tightly regulated and rarely open to private deals.
But now that they were only producing thermal power, things were different. Restarting nuclear generation or buying new nuclear equipment required re-approval anyway.
Otherwise—
They'd remain just thermal power stations.
Still, Chen Mo didn't mind. As long as he could get power to fuel his "reach-into-the-movie" ability and bring things back, that was enough.
As for the broken nuclear systems?
Can't they be repaired?
Or secretly replaced?
Or just pull nuclear power gear out of a movie world!
Chen Mo pondered the two miniature models for a long time and ultimately chose the Union Nuclear Plant.
It was located on the coast, surrounded by mountains on the other three sides—excellent access by both land and sea.
A prime location.
More importantly, it had vast land.
Five thousand mu!
If he could buy it, it would be a massive win.
Normally, buying thousands of mu of land would cost hundreds of billions. Now it was up for sale at a discount—how could he pass that up?
Futian's power output was higher, true.
But that wasn't the main concern.
300 million versus 400 million kWh per day wasn't a game changer. He could always add more generators later.
What mattered was Union Nuclear Plant's size—enough to build a full Black Domain research base inside. He could develop bioweapons, T-virus projects, military-grade tech and weapons.
That was Chen Mo's real goal.
Use the nuclear power plant as cover to build a research base, draw power for his abilities, and create his own personal Umbrella Corporation.
The only problem—Union's price was steep.
Red Queen had only "harvested" 10 billion for him so far—not enough.
But deals this big were rarely paid in full upfront—installments were common.
"Master, did you choose Union Nuclear Plant?" Red Queen, clad in a red dress, looked up at Chen Mo, seemingly reading his mind.
"Yes. I did." Chen Mo nodded.
This was five thousand mu of land we're talking about—a rare opportunity. Land approvals this size were impossible to get today.
Even 50 mu would be tough.
This was a golden chance.
Miss this, and there might not be another.
He didn't have enough cash now, but with installment payments, it was doable.
The early pressure would be heavy, but securing the Black Domain base would be worth it.
"But Master, we don't have enough funds. Want me to harvest a little more? Or… should I just modify your bank account balance?" Red Queen smiled slyly. Her core programming prioritized Chen Mo's safety, eternal loyalty, and complete obedience. Everything else—laws, ethics—meant nothing to her.
If Chen Mo were ever in danger, Red Queen wouldn't hesitate to launch global nuclear missiles to protect him.
Sigh!
"Absolutely not."
Chen Mo shook his head.
Sure, Red Queen's ideas would bring fast money—but they were far too dangerous.
Harvesting black money again?
Last time's 10 billion already shook the underworld. Doing it again would attract major trouble.
As for modifying bank balances?
That was straight-up criminal—easily traceable.
Those shady methods couldn't be relied on for funding.
If he wanted real money—
Black Domain Tech had to earn it the legit way.
"Then how does Master plan to make 50 billion quickly?" Red Queen asked.
"Where there's a will, there's a way. First, let's see if we can pay in installments. If not, we'll sell some tech." Chen Mo smiled. He remembered Red Queen had full knowledge of all bio-tech from the Resident Evil universe—technology decades or even centuries ahead of the real world.
Even leftover scraps from that world would be revolutionary here.
If Black Domain's Hatsune product didn't bring in enough revenue, selling technology would be the fastest path to liquidity.
Ever since gaining the ability to reach into movies, money had never truly been a concern.