The Butterfly Eye phone functionally resembled current-generation smartphones, but several of its features weren't yet available on the market—or if they were, they came at a steep cost. Some of the more advanced capabilities, while impressive, would be far too cumbersome for a startup to implement in full.
Still, Chen Mo didn't need to reinvent everything. The core hardware design was already perfect in his mind. With a few practical tweaks, he could strip away the excess, adapt the internals, and keep the features people actually used.
The circuit design for the motherboard, for example, was miles ahead of current mainstream designs—simpler, more efficient, and far more energy-conscious.
Just as he began making adjustments, his phone rang.
Caller ID: Zhao Min.
Chen Mo picked up immediately. "Chairwoman?"
At that moment, Zhao Min was reviewing the schematics and interface design Chen Mo had emailed earlier. The sleek, elegant appearance of the phone had caught her attention the instant she opened the file.
It wasn't just the beauty of the form factor. The structural design of the waterproof charging and headphone ports was breathtakingly clever. Anyone with an engineering background would recognize the genius behind it.
"Yeah, I got the files," Zhao Min said. "I'm reviewing them now. That design... it's honestly amazing. Clean lines, elegant housing—and those waterproof interfaces? Who came up with that?"
"I did," Chen Mo replied casually.
Of course, he couldn't exactly say, 'Oh, I downloaded them from a library of alien-tech blueprints in my brain.' People already thought he was odd—no need to confirm it.
Zhao Min scoffed lightly. "Do you have two heads? Or maybe a backup brain you didn't tell me about?"
"I wish," he replied with a chuckle. "Honestly, I'm at the point where I need three heads and six arms just to keep up."
"Next time you're sending something this important," Zhao Min said seriously, "don't just drop it in an email. Call me. I'll send someone to pick it up. If this leaked... it'd be a huge problem."
"Got it. Won't happen again."
She exhaled. "That charging and headphone interface—those are game changers. Right now, phones without ports are a pain. No way to charge and listen at the same time. But this? Elegant waterproofing with usability? Genius. I don't say that lightly."
"It's called the Butterfly Eye," Chen Mo offered.
"Nice name," she said with approval. "Also, the response to the office software has been great. We've got over 3,000 paid users already, and the free version has more than 70,000 downloads. Numbers are still climbing."
"That's solid. Well done."
"Oh, and we'll have a booth at your school's upcoming job fair. Just a heads-up."
After relaying a few more company updates, Zhao Min ended the call. She unplugged the USB drive she'd used to save the files and immediately deleted the email from the server. No sense leaving gold sitting in a digital vault, waiting to be hacked.
As she printed the schematics, her assistant Xiao Li entered the office with a visitor.
"President Zhao, this lady says she's here to see you."
Zhao Min looked up—and smiled.
Wang Sijia stepped in, carrying a laptop bag, dressed casually but confidently. Her eyes scanned the office as she strolled in, tossing her bag onto the sofa with a familiar grin.
"Still running this small-time setup, huh?" she teased. "Where's the marble floors and leather chairs?"
"The company just started," Zhao Min replied dryly. "Did you expect a skyscraper HQ already? Anyway, I called you here for a reason—I want to bring you into the company. We need a strong lead for our tech team."
"You want me to resign and work for you?" Sijia raised an eyebrow, half-serious.
"That is the idea." Zhao Min crossed her arms. "You're already halfway out the door anyway."
"I was thinking about quitting," Wang Sijia admitted. "But you're really trying to poach your cousin? Bold."
"Better than letting your talent rot in another company," Zhao Min said with a smirk. "You'd be head of technical research, overseeing the Army Ant system. The pay's not much now, but trust me—give it time, and you'll be a little rich woman."
Wang Sijia leaned back on the sofa, considering.
She'd been stuck for a while. Too senior to be underestimated, too sidelined to move up. Zhao Min's offer, sudden as it was, felt like the break she'd been waiting for.
"You're not messing with me, are you?"
"You're my cousin. I don't profit by lying to you. I need reliable people at the core of the company. Right now, the frame's up—but without solid support beams, everything will collapse when we start scaling."
"Why me?"
"You've got the skills. And more importantly, I trust you."
Wang Sijia grinned. "Fine. I'm in. But I want to meet this mysterious chairman of yours—the guy behind all this tech. I've heard the rumors."
"I'll introduce you," Zhao Min said, rolling her eyes.
"Do you think I've got a shot with him?" she teased. "What if he's my type?"
"Out!" Zhao Min said, laughing despite herself.
Their banter was interrupted by a knock at the door. A middle-aged man with glasses stepped in.
"Zhao President, you called?"
It was Lao Luo, one of the first hires Zhao Min had made. In his forties, calm and reliable, he'd been assigned to manage the R&D department.
"Perfect timing," Zhao Min said. "Lao Luo, meet Wang Sijia—formerly a senior engineer at Xunfei. She'll be your deputy, taking charge of the Army Ant system."
The two exchanged brief greetings.
"Now," Zhao Min continued, handing each of them a thick packet of documents. "These are schematics and interface designs for our upcoming mobile phone. Study them thoroughly. We're building a prototype ASAP."
Lao Luo flipped through the designs, eyebrows rising. "Which company designed this phone?"
Sijia's eyes lit up as she saw the Butterfly Eye layout. "This... this is beautiful. Who designed this?"
"The chairman," Zhao Min said calmly. "Phone, headphone jack, charging interface—all him. Keep these files internal. If anything leaks, we'll be in serious trouble."
Lao Luo nodded solemnly. "Understood."
Wang Sijia's eyes gleamed. "Now I really want to meet this guy. He sounds like a genius."
Even Lao Luo raised an eyebrow in interest.
"I'm starting to see why you're so confident," he muttered.
Zhao Min watched them both, amused and a little exhausted.
"Lao Luo, take Sijia to HR for onboarding. I'll finish up her employment contract later. And keep her focused—she gets distracted easily."
"Got it."
After they left the office, Zhao Min leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. There was still so much to do.
Right now, the Marching Ant company was just a tiny speck in a vast industry. No one had noticed them yet.
But soon… this colony would rise.
And the world would feel the march of the ants.