The stage darkened. Then, rippling blue waves spread across it—shimmering, layered, and lifelike. The entire platform transformed into a vast ocean surface, with every gentle swell mimicking real water.
Gasps and murmurs filled the theater.
Suddenly, a massive shadow emerged from the "water."
A killer whale burst into the air, leaping high above the sea and descending in a spectacular arc—straight toward Chen Mo.
The entire audience shrieked.
SPLASH—!
The whale flew over Chen Mo's head and landed in front of him with a thunderous crash. Torrents of water surged forward, threatening to drench the front-row guests. Some instinctively shielded themselves with their arms, bracing for impact.
But nothing happened.
After a few tense seconds, they cautiously lowered their hands and opened their eyes.
Chen Mo still stood calmly on the 'water's surface', smiling faintly.
The crowd's heartbeat slowly returned to normal.
But before they could fully relax, another shadow shot upward. More startled exclamations erupted—but this time, everyone saw clearly: it was a dolphin.
Unlike the whale, the dolphin didn't dive back into the water. Instead, it hovered around Chen Mo, weaving gracefully through the air like a playful spirit.
It looked so real that many people forgot it was only a projection.
"This is… holographic technology!"
Someone shouted in excitement, finally realizing the truth.
The rest of the stunned crowd collectively exhaled, snapping photos, adjusting their focus, pressing shutters and record buttons.
Now that the illusion had been revealed, it hit them—this must be the Marching Ant Company's new product, and it was undoubtedly holography.
They had just witnessed the real thing—not a CG trick, not a stage illusion, but true full-space holographic projection.
While holography wasn't a new concept, nothing like this had ever been seen so vividly in public before. Previously, such tech only appeared in science fiction movies or controlled lab demos—and even then, only from limited angles.
This was reality. And it felt seamless.
For viewers watching the livestream, it was no less shocking.
Real-world holography still faced massive challenges: high cost, limited fidelity, and angle dependence. Even high-profile concerts that used "holograms" often relied on reflective illusions or projection tricks.
But now—Marching Ant had brought true volumetric holography to life.
"Chen Mo, my husband! I want to marry you!"
"Chen Mo's already a living legend."
"He invented the earthquake detector. 'Genius' isn't even enough to describe him anymore."
"I just wanna know—can I use this thing to watch Japanese action movies in 3D?"
The internet erupted.
Across China, netizens were cheering. It finally felt like domestic technology was catching up—and overtaking the world.
And not just in China.
Hundreds of millions across the globe were tuned in to the conference through livestreams and tech platforms.
In global chatrooms and comment sections:
"Wait, what? Their tech is already this advanced?"
"No way. They had to have stolen this. There's no way they developed this independently."
"Wake up, Americans. We're so busy fighting each other, and meanwhile, China's pulling ahead."
"We've been misled by our media—again."
The comments ranged from disbelief to denial to grudging admiration. But no matter their opinion, everyone watching had to admit the same thing:
Another cutting-edge field had been overtaken.
The brief video lasted less than three minutes, but its impact was colossal. When it ended, the audience sat stunned, eyes still wide.
They had just experienced a taste of the future.
Anticipation swelled.
All eyes turned back to Chen Mo, eager for the product reveal.
Slowly, a disc-shaped object, roughly the size of a laptop, rose into the air in front of him.
What is that?
Chen Mo didn't tease or drag it out.
"This," he said, "is the star of tonight's launch: the latest generation holographic projector—Yǐngyǐng."
(The name roughly translates to "Shadow Shadow.")
"What you just saw—the ocean, the whale, the dolphin—was generated by Yǐngyǐng units pre-installed on the stage.
"It can operate alone, or be linked with multiple devices. It functions as a display for computers or TVs, offering either holographic no-screen projection, or traditional screen output. The transition between the two modes is seamless—just power on the screen, toggle modes, and you're good to go."
The display changed in mid-air as he spoke. The device projected a floating UI with voice-synced narration, all driven by the same tech.
Chen Mo continued:
"Yǐngyǐng uses our self-developed non-focusing holographic technology, with features such as low power consumption, 24-bit true color, high resolution, and extremely high contrast.
"It also includes a smart core processor that enables full AI-level control over all projection operations."
He demonstrated with simple gestures, rotating menus in the air, pulling up virtual apps, showing video clips—fluid, immersive, and crystal clear.
The audience watched, enchanted.
He looked calm, confident, and—by all accounts—incredibly cool.
Even the livestream chat was swooning:
"Is this a product launch or a manhunt?"
"He's too handsome AND he invented this?! Please leave some DNA for the rest of us."
Chen Mo continued.
"Yǐngyǐng can also be used as a standard projector—either in 2D or stereoscopic 3D. Its built-in camera can scan any object in its focus range and transmit a 3D model to another projector in real time."
The audience was riveted. People already wanted one.
"Think of it as your new TV, monitor, and projector—all in one. But even more, Yǐngyǐng supports multi-unit linkage. That allows for immersive room-scale holography—great for events, theaters, and even cinemas."
He snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, a three-meter-tall tiger appeared behind him.
Roar!
A wave of applause and screams swept through the room. The hyper-realistic tiger, its muscles rippling and fur shimmering, looked like it could leap from the stage at any moment.
Cameras clicked nonstop.
"Using multiple linked units, Yǐngyǐng can even replace theater screens. Holographic projection offers full immersion—no glasses needed, no visual fatigue."
Every time Chen Mo spoke, the stage visuals shifted accordingly. The synchronization was flawless.
And then, the topic everyone had been waiting for—
"Now, let's talk about what everyone's curious about: price."
The room instantly fell silent.
No matter how amazing it was, if people couldn't afford it, it was still a fantasy.
"The base unit price of Yǐngyǐng is 58,888 yuan. For full specs and options, please refer to our official website."
The price appeared in holographic text behind him, along with key features.
There were gasps.
Close to 60,000 yuan...
Some people grumbled.Others were excited.
"Another tech I can't afford. Why is being poor a crime?""Bro, this is next-level tech. Under 60K is insane. This is a TV, PC, and projector in one—and it's freaking 3D holography!""People saying it's expensive can go back to using CRTs.""It's expensive because it's revolutionary. For this quality, it's worth every cent."
The debate raged on in real-time, both in the venue and online.
But most understood: this was a premium product—and it lived up to the hype.
The product reveal soon gave way to the Q&A session.
Chen Mo would be hosting personally.
For the reporters present—this was a rare, golden opportunity. The mysterious genius, usually so low-profile, was finally answering questions directly.
And they couldn't wait to begin.