"How do you feel?" Chen Mo asked with a casual smile.
The army of robots in front of them had been prepped from the beginning to handle complex production lines. Zhao Min's efficiency had been instrumental—she'd accomplished tasks that would be difficult for any company to match. Without her, it would've been impossible to build a giant like Marching Ant in such a short time.
But for Chen Mo, even that wasn't fast enough.
If they followed conventional development timelines, it would take centuries to reach where he needed to be. And he was still only an apprentice in the Science and Technology Library. The technologies available to him were immense. His current pace finally matched his expectations—barely.
That's why Chen Mo shifted gears. Instead of relying on human teams, he turned to Mo Nu and a fleet of robots—to create a self-evolving, intelligent R&D system that could keep up with his ambitions.
"There's still a lot I don't know about this company…" Zhao Min murmured, scanning the densely packed robots again. After her initial shock, she quickly regained her composure—she wasn't the type to be stunned for long.
"What are you thinking about?" Chen Mo asked curiously. He couldn't follow her train of thought.
"I've always had a lingering question," Zhao Min said seriously. "Many of the technologies in Building One are totally new—like the 3D smart printers, or those ultra-precision CNC machines. They don't exist anywhere else.
"And those robots—at least ten unique models I've never seen before. So… who designed them? While working on the holographic tech, how did you find the time to also invent and manufacture advanced robots? As far as I know, there's no one else in the company capable of that."
That was the core of her curiosity.
Chen Mo chuckled. "I didn't think you'd catch on."
"I'm not stupid," Zhao Min huffed. She'd been keeping quiet out of trust, but now she couldn't ignore it.
Even Xiao Yu had probably realized something was unusual—but unlike her, Xiao Yu didn't ask questions.
"In fact," Chen Mo said with a grin, "there is someone else who can design all this."
"Who?"
"Mo Nu."
As he spoke, a projection of Mo Nu materialized beside him.
"You called, Brother?" Mo Nu's cheerful voice chimed.
"Nothing urgent. Just wanted to compliment you," Chen Mo replied with a smirk. "The president here thinks you're smart."
"Thank you, President!" Mo Nu bowed slightly, then smiled sweetly at Zhao Min.
She was modeled after a cute anime-styled girl, dressed in a playful loli outfit. It was a bizarre contrast to her shocking capability—and Zhao Min was floored.
In that moment, Zhao Min realized something even more astonishing than superconducting materials—Mo Nu's intelligence was far beyond what she had imagined.
She'd assumed Mo Nu was just a more advanced AI assistant. But now it all made sense. The miracle R&D speed. The never-before-seen machines. The seamless development of cutting-edge technology. It wasn't just Chen Mo.
It was Mo Nu, too.
What she didn't know was that many of the robot blueprints originated in the Science and Technology Library. Mo Nu simply executed them under Chen Mo's guidance, laying the groundwork for his ever-expanding tech empire.
"You've discovered the company's biggest secret," Chen Mo said with a teasing glint. "So what do you plan to do now?"
"What should I do?" Zhao Min asked playfully. "You want me to keep quiet? I guess I could... become your mistress."
Chen Mo's smile froze. "…Cough. No need for that."
She was definitely messing with him.
"Let's stay focused," he said quickly. "You still need to prepare the materials and spare parts for the holographic phone production. Once the line is ready, we can begin manufacturing."
He turned to Mo Nu. "Mo Nu, deploy all robots to Building Two. Have them begin equipment retrofitting according to the latest design."
"Got it, Big Brother!" she chirped.
At her command, hundreds of robots turned in unison and began marching toward Building Two in perfect formation.
Zhao Min watched silently. She wasn't joking anymore.
"I may need to re-evaluate the company's entire development strategy," she murmured.
As Zhao Min left to arrange materials, preparations for holographic mobile phone production went into full swing.
Meanwhile, a week after the release of the Yǐngyǐng holographic projector, more and more users began receiving their orders. The hype hadn't dropped—in fact, it was still climbing.
Every day, new batches sold out within minutes. The official website had finally opened pre-orders, and demand showed no sign of slowing.
As more projectors hit the market, they began appearing in all corners of society:
4S auto dealerships,
Luxury brand stores,
Museums,
Science venues,
Even corporate showrooms and exhibitions.
Everywhere, holographic ads lit up the air like scenes from a sci-fi movie.
Brand ambassadors appeared life-sized in vivid 3D. Entire product lines danced across the air with perfect detail. Customers could walk around holographic displays, examine products from every angle, and interact in ways never seen before.
Forums buzzed with reactions:
"As an engineer, I love this. It converts my 3DMax and MATLAB models directly into full holographic simulations!"
"As a fashion designer, it's a dream. I can test my designs in real space before even cutting fabric. Saves time, money, and frustration."
"Perfect for jewelry, architecture, education. This thing is more than a display—it's a tool."
Even in fields like astronomy, geoscience, and medicine, the applications were revolutionary.
Meanwhile, across the Pacific Ocean…
In a top-tier laser technology research lab in the U.S., a disassembled Marching Ant holographic projector sat on an experimental table.
The air was tense.
Researchers—some from prestigious universities, others from elite government-backed programs—moved carefully around the components. These weren't just any scientists; many were leaders in holographic optics, semiconductor physics, and AI systems.
Their current mission: crack the Marching Ant Company's technology.
A large bald man in a suit—Owen, the lab's official director—walked in.
"How's it going, El?" he asked one of the lead researchers.
El, a bespectacled man in his thirties, sighed and turned from his monitor.
"The chip data is encrypted in a way I've never seen. It uses dynamic instructions—almost like smart encryption. When we crack one layer, a virus triggers and wipes the hard drive. Five computers fried. Ten chips destroyed. Zero progress."
"Any estimate for a breakthrough?" Owen asked, frowning.
El shook his head. "We haven't even hit 0.1%. It's like the chip defends itself."
Owen's expression turned grim.
Replicating the hardware was hard enough. But without the core algorithm, it was meaningless. The soul of the projector—the system software and micro-laser control logic—was encrypted inside the chip.
If they couldn't extract that code, the entire reverse-engineering effort was pointless.
And right now? They were getting nowhere.
Owen clenched his jaw.
This wasn't just about the projector.
It was about losing control.
Artificial intelligence, seismic detection, now holographic projection—the Marching Ant Company kept leapfrogging every Western tech power. For countries used to being at the forefront, this reversal was unthinkable.
"We used to be the ones cracking China's tech," Owen muttered."Now we're the ones trying—and failing—to crack theirs."
He left the lab, even more disturbed than when he entered.
He had to file a report.
And this time, the warning was clear:China wasn't catching up. It had already taken the lead.