The global network security crisis came to an end with the Marching Ants announcing the complete neutralization of the smart virus. Though the virus's effects had entered the final stage, the aftermath lingered.
Chaos continued in the island nation, and its government had begun efforts to pacify the public.
No one had exposed the truth behind 'Satan'—that it was an artificial intelligence. The power play between several major nations was still ongoing.
This crisis, caused by artificial intelligence, prompted the United Nations to hold five urgent meetings. Now that the storm had passed, they convened to discuss the future of cybersecurity and the responsible development of intelligent systems. The era of AI had undoubtedly arrived, and it was time to draft policies to keep up with its rise.
The incident made global powers realize that the destructive potential of artificial intelligence could rival, or even surpass, that of atomic energy.
To maintain their future dominance, several countries quietly assembled special task forces dedicated to AI development.
Of course, the common public was largely unaware of these maneuvers. On the surface, apart from a few speculative media reports, no confirmed information surfaced.
As time passed, the global storm triggered by the 'Satan' virus gradually faded. When people spoke of it, they realized they had witnessed a moment of history.
The incident would eventually be remembered as the "Guangzhou Island Incident" of the internet age.
The next morning.
When Chen Mo woke up, he was greeted by Xiao Yu, who stood at the bedside wearing a thin-strapped nightdress. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled mysteriously."Hubby, I've got a surprise for you."
"Surprise? What kind of surprise?"
"You're so smart—you can guess," Xiao Yu teased with a grin.
"Got any hints? Without one, there's no way I'll guess it. That question's too broad—even a supercomputer would crash."
"Okay, here's a hint. I haven't worn high heels in ten months."
"You haven't worn high heels in ten months? And that's the surprise?" Chen Mo blinked, gears turning quickly in his mind. Suddenly, a thought struck him. He looked at her belly, eyes wide. "Wait… don't tell me—"
"You guessed it. You're going to be a dad," Xiao Yu said sweetly.
She opened her palm to reveal a pregnancy test. Two red lines were clearly visible.
"For real?" Chen Mo stared in shock, then pulled her into a joyful hug, smiling like a fool. Carefully, he placed a hand on her belly.
"There's nothing to feel yet. It's still tiny," Xiao Yu giggled. "I just realized I missed my period this month, so I took the test. And it's real."
"Then after breakfast, I'll take you to the hospital for a full check-up," Chen Mo said gently, helping her sit down.
"Mm. Okay."
After breakfast, the two went to the hospital for a pregnancy confirmation. When they came out, Chen Mo looked like he was floating on air. The blood HCG test had confirmed it—Xiao Yu was indeed pregnant.
"Where to next?" Xiao Yu asked, holding his arm, her face glowing with happiness and anticipation.
"Wherever you want."
"Let's go to the ends of the earth today, and tomorrow—south to Yunnan."
"Alright."
And just like that, their honeymoon trip quietly resumed. During the journey, Chen Mo remained extra attentive, taking great care of Xiao Yu. Five days later, their trip to the southern cloud province came to an end, and the couple returned to Binhai, their short vacation over.
"I'm finally back." Zhao Min walked into Chen Mo's office and handed over a file.
"How much did we make in the past half-month?" Chen Mo asked, scanning through the document.
As he flipped through it, his eyes lit up in surprise. In just the past two months, the termite system had generated tens of billions in revenue. No wonder so many were envious of them.
"It's like the sky dropped a gold pie," Zhao Min said, smiling. "During the smart virus incident, our company became the biggest winner. The termite system has now secured half the office software market. Many domestic companies have partnered with us for high-end electronic office products. Our automated factory systems are also gaining traction, and our software has become the preferred choice."
She sat down as she spoke.
"Office applications are a goldmine. This time, we struck it rich. The pie may have fallen hard, but it tastes amazing. Now the challenge is digesting it all."
"Sit, let's talk," Chen Mo said, moving to the sofa with her.
"There are a few things I want to discuss and get your thoughts on," Zhao Min began.
"First, I think it's time to spin off the Computer Operations Department. The termite system has grown big enough, and we need to expand our personnel. The department is mature now, and separating them will make it easier to scale and manage. Keeping everything under HQ makes us bloated. Letting them operate independently will help them grow better."
"Go ahead. Handle it how you see fit. Just let me know the final implementation," Chen Mo replied.
He rarely interfered in the company's day-to-day operations. Since the termite system wasn't part of his core tech, he trusted Zhao Min to handle its business direction.
"Second thing—about the U.S. The Department of Commerce officially lifted the sanctions on us, but we're still facing unofficial restrictions in their market. What's more ridiculous is that their ambassador came to me and asked if we'd resume supplying seismographs."
"I'm not great with business. Why don't you tell me your take on it?" Chen Mo said, spreading his hands.
"We're in this to make money. They're tough negotiators, but back when we compensated them with seismographs, we only promised to complete that batch. Now they've come begging again. I heard Apple, Umbrella, and Microsoft pressured the President to lift the sanctions. But that's not our concern."
She smirked. "They want 100 units, worth $500 million. We'll only accept prepayment with a signed contract."
The thought of those American suits having to cave in made her want to laugh.
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, giving the Americans a moment of silence in his heart. Five hundred million in cash wasn't exactly a small deal—it would give their President some sleepless nights.
"Go ahead and do as you see fit," he said.
"The third issue is the nuclear fusion facility. The Island Nation's Nuclear Industry Group is speeding up construction. They have enough funding, so progress is ahead of schedule. Even so, it'll still take a few months to complete."
"Is that so? Then we'll have to be patient," Chen Mo nodded.
His current primary focus was light nuclear fusion. The simulation experiments had wrapped up more than a month ago, and all prep work was basically done. But actual experiments couldn't begin until the [Star Ring] Institute was completed.
Once the [Star Ring] ran successfully and achieved net positive energy output, the Technology Library's mission would be complete. But building the facility was a massive task, and even with the nuclear group going all out, it would still take time.
"How was your honeymoon? Everything go smoothly? You look pretty relaxed—I'm guessing you had a good time." Zhao Min smiled after they'd finished the work talk.
"Mm. Xiao Yu's pregnant."
"Oh? That's amazing news!" Zhao Min lit up. "Looks like I'll get to be a cool aunt."
The two chatted casually for a while longer. After Zhao Min left the office, Chen Mo changed into his lab gear and headed for Building 1.
From the wedding preparations to the honeymoon, he had been resting for over a month. Now that everything had settled down, it was time to return to his research.
With a few months to go before the fusion institute was finished, he could focus on developing some self-defense technologies in the meantime.