Outside Building No. 7 of the Marching Ant Company headquarters, the lights blazed bright.
This building was the heart of corporate culture—a central hub for internal activities and events. When employees brought family to visit, this was often their first stop, designed to showcase the company's culture and values. It helped strengthen loyalty and team spirit.
Major annual meetings, work reports, internal departmental events, and new product launches all took place either inside Building 7 or in the plaza out front.
Just past the gates, a striking statue greeted visitors—an ant holding a book, symbolizing both diligence and knowledge.
Beyond the statue, the grand hall opened into a high-tech exhibition gallery. Each display showcased one of the company's milestone products.
From the first-generation Butterfly Eye phone running the Marching Ant System, to cutting-edge robots, the exhibits spanned nearly every breakthrough the company—and its subsidiaries—had developed.
The exhibition hall was buzzing with activity. Guests who arrived early strolled through the displays. Reporters with cameras paused at every showcase, taking pictures, while others livestreamed the event to eager online audiences.
Visitors were visibly awed. From custom mobile operating systems, carbon crystal materials, Chinese-character programming languages, to intelligent assistants and autonomous robots—everything screamed cutting-edge innovation.
In just two years, Marching Ant had produced more disruptive tech than most companies managed in decades. Their R&D capabilities were nothing short of legendary.
A few display cases sat empty, however—reserved for the mystery products to be unveiled tonight.
Adjacent to the gallery was the interactive experience zone. Guests could interact with robots, test various devices, and enjoy light entertainment—many of these being quirky spin-offs from internal R&D teams.
At 8:00 PM sharp, an announcement echoed through Building 7, and the crowd began moving in an orderly fashion toward the Ant Theatre.
Located on the top floor, the Ant Theatre was a four-level semi-circular auditorium designed like a hollow dome. Its center was open, and the ceiling was made of transparent glass, offering a stunning view of the night sky. The fan-shaped stage stood proudly before rows of tiered seating.
"Talk about opulence…"
Guests who understood architecture or engineering were visibly impressed. The theater could hold over a thousand attendees, and each seat was a luxurious leather sofa. Every single one cost tens of thousands of yuan—and they filled an entire venue with them.
Only Marching Ant could be this extravagant.
As everyone found their seats, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation. Among the attendees were members of the press, die-hard tech fans, and high-profile business guests from partner companies.
Cameramen rushed to find the best angles, while foreign faces dotted the crowd—clear evidence that the launch had international attention.
Backstage, Zhao Min gave Chen Mo a knowing smile.
"It's your time to shine."
With everyone seated and ready, it was time to begin. Marching Ant launches had a signature style: no fluff, no filler—just straight to the point.
Getting Chen Mo to appear had taken quite a bit of convincing on her part. But this was a historic moment—the arrival of consumer-level holographic technology. There was no way the creator could sit this one out.
"It's hard being a low-profile genius," Chen Mo said, grinning.
Zhao Min had insisted that he become the company's public face, and for something this significant, there was no excuse to hide backstage.
"You've got this."
Xiao Yu stepped forward and gently helped straighten his clothes, her movements soft and careful—like a doting partner.
"Thanks," he said warmly.
Chen Mo adjusted his earpiece, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stage—calm, poised, and confident.
The spotlights snapped on, and the theater went quiet. Even livestreams dropped their background commentary and focused their cameras on the stage.
Everyone knew—the show was about to begin.
"Let's play a game," said Xia Xue, one of the top livestreamers present. She aimed her camera at the stage, keeping her voice low.
"Guess what product Marching Ant is releasing tonight. I'll pick two viewers from the comment section and gift them a brand-new Butterfly Eye phone."
The responses flooded in:
"Male enhancement tech, calling it now."
"Intelligent bouncing what now?!"
"The real robot girlfriend, please god."
Xia Xue sighed.
"Why are Marching Ant product rumors always so... chaotic?"
She had been covering Marching Ant launches from the very beginning. Every time, the guesses ranged from wild to insane.
But when the theater lights fully dimmed, Xia Xue turned serious and trained her focus on the stage.
As the figure walked into view from backstage, the audience—and everyone watching the livestream—froze.
"Wait... is that—?"
"It's Chen Mo?!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
He had never hosted a launch before. Aside from that one rare appearance during the seismograph unveiling, Chen Mo had always stayed out of the spotlight.
Most media coverage of him used the same handful of public photos: his speech at Binhai University's graduation, his appearance at a national tech forum, and the unveiling of the Earthquake Forecasting Device.
There were barely any candid photos of him.
Even paparazzi gave up. His lifestyle was quiet, private, and impossible to track.
To the public, Chen Mo had become a mythical figure—a brilliant, elusive genius, the perfect face for a company known for mystery and innovation.
His name was already legendary thanks to the seismograph, which had predicted multiple earthquakes and saved thousands of lives. Now, the myth had taken human form—on stage.
As the realization spread, camera flashes erupted.
Reporters scrambled to snap every possible angle. Then came the applause—deafening, heartfelt.
Chen Mo, on stage? This meant the new product must be something truly groundbreaking.
The livestream chat exploded:
"Young. Handsome. Genius. YESSSS."
"That's my husband. Don't fight me."
"Chen Mo, I'll have your babies!"
Though he kept a low profile, Chen Mo's face was still recognizable. And now, up close, dressed sharply and calm under pressure, he had that rare blend of youth, intellect, and magnetic presence.
To many women watching, he was now the ultimate catch.
But beyond the fangirling, most people had the same thought:
"What kind of tech is so important that Chen Mo is launching it himself?"
Chen Mo looked across the sea of flashing lights and smiled faintly.
He wasn't used to this level of attention, but he wasn't rattled either. He'd seen the world—this was just another kind of battlefield.
He stepped forward and spoke.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm Chen Mo."
The theater fell silent.
Reporters paused their shutters. Everyone leaned in.
"Thank you all for taking the time to attend our company's new product launch. I'll be your host today. No long speeches. Let's get straight to the point."
He gestured behind him.
"Before I introduce the product, I'd like to show you a short video."
As the lights dimmed again, beams of light spread across the stage, and the screen behind him came to life.
And then—the next technological revolution began.