"When's the founding day again? Any big moves from the Marching Ant Company?" someone asked casually in the newsroom.
"Nope," a colleague replied, glancing at his screen. "After that last crackdown, everything's been quiet. Nothing dramatic. They've been buying up factories, hiring in bulk—probably deep in development."
He Jianguo, a tech columnist, was also sitting nearby. He had just bought the latest Butterfly Eye phone and was syncing it with his computer. His next step? Install the smart assistant. It wasn't expensive, had solid voice interaction, and was great for hands-free typing—a lifesaver for writers like him.
Plus, the Marching Ants' assistant felt like a taste of near-future tech.
As he logged into the company's official website, something caught his eye.
New Material?
Clicking on the banner, he read the announcement. As he scrolled through it, his eyebrows lifted higher and higher.
"Holy crap! Big news—Marching Ant Company just announced a new battery material. Something called carbon crystal."
He nearly shouted. The moment the words left his mouth, a group of curious colleagues rushed over to his desk.
"Marching Ants dropping another bombshell?"
"Looks like it."
"Hurry, get this into a headline…"
It wasn't just the reporters catching wind of it. Marching Ant Company had become a tech darling in China. Since releasing their smart assistant, they were widely seen as the next great unicorn. Any whisper of innovation from them sparked a media frenzy.
After the last smear campaign fizzled, even their rivals had gone quiet.
Now? Another game-changing announcement.
The carbon crystal news spread like wildfire. News outlets reprinted the official post. Bloggers and commentators jumped on it. Between celebrity scandals and tabloid fodder, there hadn't been much in the way of real news. A breakthrough from Marching Ants? Perfect.
Still, reactions were mixed.
Some were hyped. Others, skeptical.
"2–3x battery life sounds great, but it's still limited. It's not some revolutionary leap. Research labs already claim similar boosts. Is it worth investing big into carbon crystals?"
"Don't downplay it. Even if it's just a transitional material, better battery life in phones, tablets, laptops? That's a huge win."
"Graphene's been all hype anyway. Sure, it's got charge speed, but it doesn't boost capacity, and the cost makes it impractical. Carbon crystals might not be perfect, but they're realistic."
Online forums lit up with debates. Graphene vs. carbon crystal. Practical use vs. theoretical breakthroughs.
Among regular folks, though, the buzz didn't reach fever pitch. Most couldn't tell a lithium battery from a potato unless their phone died during a selfie. So while the tech world buzzed, the average citizen barely blinked.
Meanwhile, in her office, Zhao Min was thinking about the company's upcoming smartphone.
Smart assistant? Check.
New battery tech? Also check.
Perfect combo for a breakout device.
But there were issues.
The carbon crystal battery was still undergoing production testing. And the smart assistant wasn't ready for public rollout again. Any large-scale mobile release was still weeks—if not months—away.
As she juggled a dozen planning tasks in her head, Xiaoyu knocked and entered.
"Zhao Jie, he posted it."
"Posted what?"
"The announcement. About the carbon crystal."
Zhao Min rubbed her forehead and groaned.
"You go home and manage him."
"Eh?"
Xiaoyu blinked, caught off guard.
"Seriously, go. Talk to him. The company's barely holding itself together right now, and he's out there dropping major updates like he's tweeting lunch pics!"
Xiaoyu's face flushed bright red.
"I… I can't control him."
"You better start learning," Zhao Min muttered, opening the website to confirm it herself. Sure enough, the carbon crystal announcement was there for the world to see.
"Alright. Show him the new HQ designs while you're at it. And tell him the battery stuff is on me now—we don't have the manpower to juggle everything. Let him stay out of the spotlight and quietly work on whatever he wants."
"Got it."
After Xiaoyu left, Zhao Min leaned back in her chair and sighed.
Chen Mo didn't involve himself in company management—and it showed. He probably didn't realize how much chaos that single post stirred up. And now, with the company scaling rapidly, she had her hands full.
A new HQ was under construction.
Smartphone R&D was ongoing.
The assistant AI was prepping for its next version.
They were hiring in droves, launching a research division, and reviving a production line—all at once.
If Chen Mo added another disruptive tech on top of that, they'd burn out their best people before the month was over.
In his office, Chen Mo blinked up at Xiaoyu with innocent confusion.
"Did I… do something wrong?"
He genuinely didn't realize how much strain the company was under until Xiaoyu spelled it out for him. After the previous media storm, Zhao Min had opted for a low-profile development phase. Everything had been going smoothly… until his announcement stirred the pot again.
Too fast, he realized.
Development needed time to breathe.
"What do I do now?"
"Zhao Jie said the carbon battery's her problem now," Xiaoyu said. "You should keep a low profile and go back to studying. Take a look at the new company HQ designs. If you get bored, go for a walk or something."
She picked up a few of his books and dropped them into his arms.
Chen Mo chuckled.
"Well, that works out. I've got a lot of reading to do anyway."
Shu Lao had told him to finish reading 1,000 books to reach the next level. He was at around 430. Since nothing urgent was going on, it was the perfect time to make progress.
He also had side projects: studying enhancement compounds, reproductive health research, and more. He wasn't planning to launch any pharmaceutical products just yet—but laying the groundwork wouldn't hurt. The medical market was insanely profitable.
After Xiaoyu left, Chen Mo flopped onto the sofa and quietly opened a book.
Meanwhile, Zhao Min had ordered the factory to halt production. The carbon crystal wasn't being rolled out yet, and she wanted to keep the tech under wraps. The official announcement had been vague on purpose—just a "discovery," nothing more.
That was intentional.
If the tech appeared too mature, it would invite scrutiny, copycats, and headaches. Better to let the hype fade and take their time getting it right.
Time passed.
The online buzz around carbon crystals gradually faded. The Marching Ant Company, quiet as ever, made no follow-up announcements. As public attention shifted to other headlines, the tech world calmed again.
Chen Mo settled into a peaceful routine.
A couple of laps around the company campus each day. Long stretches of quiet reading. The occasional dabble in pharmaceutical formulas.
Rare tranquility.
Until—
"Brother Mo," Mo Nu's voice broke through the silence, "a hacker from the island country is attempting to breach the company servers."
Chen Mo slowly closed his book.
"Huh," he said. "Guess nap time's over."