By now, the world didn't just want Kai's food.
It needed it.
MergeGlass roofs were sprouting across continents. MergeSeed variations were being studied by universities. MergeOrbit had been credited with preventing two food riots by redirecting shipments before they became headlines.
But none of it compared to what came next.
MergePorts.
They began as whispers—requests from governments, then deals with logistics companies. But MergePorts weren't just warehouses.
They were full-stack infrastructure nodes:
MergeSoil reactors for terraforming
MergeGlass domes for local production
MergeCore satellites for communication
MergeHub freight terminals for imports and exports
MergePower for off-grid energy
Each port was a self-sustaining food economy.
And Kai had the blueprint for fifty.
The first? Ghana.
Kai selected the site personally—flat land near a fractured agricultural zone. MergeCore scanned the region. Within twelve hours, MergeDrones dropped modular frames. By the next day, MergeOrbit sent down the framework and digital schematics.
By Day 3, a 60-acre MergePort was functional.
Locals watched in stunned silence as:
MergeCows arrived already bred from Tier 2 lines
MergeCrops took root in soil that had been sand just days before
MergeEgg trucks distributed high-nutrient yolks to malnourished schools
MergeWater purification lines replaced municipal bottlenecks
A single boy bit into a tomato and smiled for the first time in a week.
Kai watched the footage in silence.
"Report," he said.
"MergePort Alpha operational. Local government compliance complete. MergeProductivity 211% above projected baseline."
"Begin Phase Two."
"Deploying MergeMarkets."
MergeMarkets weren't stores.
They were access points—buildings where anyone could buy food direct, no barcodes, no brands. Just nourishment. Quality standardized by MergeTrace. Shelf lives enhanced by MergePreserve. Every food item carried proof of health impact verified through MergeCore tracking.
Even the poorest could afford a week of premium meals with a single coin.
But not everyone celebrated.
In the U.S., legacy food lobbies raised alarms.
Why were imports down?
Why were rural regions losing market share to a ghost company?
Where was all the food coming from?
They had no answers.
Only one name whispered across freight docks, embassy floors, and insider meetings:
Kai.
On the farm, Kai didn't slow.
MergeAquaculture expanded into saltwater trials.
MergeCattle lineups were rebalanced for better fat-to-protein ratios.
MergePoultry DNA trials introduced feathers resistant to temperature shifts—meaning less need for climate control in transport.
He even began testing MergeFruit.
The first line?
A tomato that naturally produced glucose-stabilizing enzymes—perfect for diabetic populations.
"How's the Ghana site adapting?" he asked.
"Locals have planted community MergeGardens. MergeLiteracy terminals show 94% usage."
"Any conflicts?"
"None. Black market attempts failed—MergePorts auto-detect inventory gaps and deploy security zones."
One week later, MergePort Beta went live in Peru. Then MergePort Gamma in Mongolia. Then Delta in a flood-prone zone in Pakistan.
Each one self-sustaining.
Each one healing people and making Kai millions.
But more importantly?
They made Kai inevitable.
Profit Summary
MergePort Ghana Output (Week 1): +$1,800,000
MergePort Contracts (Peru, Mongolia, Pakistan): +$7,200,000
MergeAquaculture Saltwater Line Early Yield: +$2,400,000
MergeFruit Variant A (Licensing Preorders): +$3,600,000
MergeMarkets Ghana Revenue: +$900,000
Expenses
MergePort Construction: –$4,400,000
MergeOrbit Deployment (Africa + Asia): –$1,600,000
MergeSecurity Upgrades: –$800,000
MergeFruit R&D: –$1,200,000
Net Profit: $7,900,000
Kai's Total Net Worth: $935,243,000
He hadn't left the country once.
But his systems?
Already in five.
And by year's end?
Fifty.