One month later, New York City, NeuTech Industries branch. Growing a company isn't easy, even if you have money and technology.
To avoid falling victim to bad publicity, Jimmy spent a month searching for qualified workers for his company.
He even considered a new method he had created called "severance," which consisted of separating the worker from their personal life to prevent them from stealing or leaking anything from work.
However, that method was far from being accepted due to the numerous regulations it would have to comply with.
That's why one of his main goals in coming to this city was to gain the support of the most powerful people in the world. Only then could Jimmy move forward without complications.
For now, Jimmy was hiring living people instead of robots to work at his company.
It was boring—of course, Jimmy preferred robots to humans a thousand times over. However, these were necessary conditions. Otherwise, if he didn't hire people, others would soon discover that his goal was to eliminate human jobs and hand them over to machines.
"The next step is recruitment. It's a good time!" Jimmy hung a poster of his idol, Nikola Tesla, on the office door in New York, checked the time on his phone, and exhaled.
It was mid-April. A perfect time for third-year students to begin internships and for final-year students to start job hunting.
A good time for large companies to recruit talent on campus, and also a time when people at major corporations considered switching jobs.
That's right—Jimmy wanted to recruit new graduates who were about to finish college. As for the video game project that the company would soon begin mass-producing, Jimmy already had a plan.
The first game a company develops doesn't require exceptional skills. Jimmy only wanted it to look good and have an unforgettable story.
If someone had experience, development would move faster, but even if they didn't, it didn't matter.
All Jimmy needed were good salespeople, strong advertising, and solid strategies to avoid critical mistakes.
New graduates were the perfect targets.
Fresh out of school, energetic, full of hope for the future, and capable of enduring hardship.
More importantly, their adaptability was high, and for companies, recent college graduates were a valuable asset because they were more loyal.
Game developers who had worked for traditional game companies for many years had enough technology and experience, but their adaptability and loyalty were far inferior to that of university students.
In one week, besides contacting universities to request hiring quotas, Jimmy also registered for a job fair organized by NeuTech Industries. Although he said he wanted to recruit students, Jimmy also needed someone with real experience to lead them—someone who wasn't a robot.
At the same time, he subcontracted voice and art actors for dubbing.
First, because time was short, and second, because the game Jimmy wanted to launch didn't require such high standards in voice acting.
…
"You're hired." Jimmy looked at a college student who had come for the interview.
"Is that okay?" the guy asked, eyeing Jimmy—well, it wasn't really Jimmy, but a robot.
Jimmy was speaking through a robot to his new hire. "Yes. You'll have health insurance for you and your entire family, a vehicle and an apartment provided by the company. The salary you requested is acceptable. If you stay with us for at least twenty years, the apartment and vehicle will become your property."
"Well…" The young man was thrilled. He tried to shake the robot's hand, but quickly noticed it had no arms.
The robot Jimmy was using was called EVA, and unlike the others that used artificial intelligence to conduct interviews, this one handpicked the most interesting candidates.
"Next!"
This time, a man with scars on his face approached the table. He looked at the strange robot in front of him and said, "I'm here for the Head of Security position."
"Wow…" Jimmy, who was reviewing the man's profile, jumped from his seat in shock.
Still remotely connected to the EVA robotic body, Jimmy closely examined the applicant's digital file. His hardened, scarred face wasn't the most impressive part—it was his background.
Name: Ethan Graves
Age: 48
History: War veteran, former squad commander in covert operations, decorated for bravery and strategy in combat, former member of the International Special Forces, private security chief for multiple politicians in Eastern Europe, and… A résumé so extensive it read like a novel written by someone with delusions of grandeur.
"Mr. Graves…" Jimmy said through EVA's voice synthesizer. "I'm surprised that someone with your experience would want to work for a company like this. What brings you here?"
Ethan didn't flinch. "I'm not interested in money. Or prestige. I want one thing. And I know you can give it to me."
Jimmy narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
"Tell me."
"My son, Ryan. He's seven. He suffers from Systemic Neurodegenerative Atrophy, Type IV. Doctors gave him six months to live—last year." Ethan took a deep breath. "But he's still alive. I've kept him stable with what little I have. But it's not enough anymore."
There was a brief silence. Even EVA seemed to pause for a few milliseconds before responding.
"That's not a common disease…" Jimmy replied, his voice lower, more human through the synthesizer. "And it has no cure in any hospital in the world."
"None," Ethan agreed. "Except maybe yours."
Jimmy leaned back in his chair at the NeuTech office, fingers interlaced. His mind was already scanning internal archives, genetic databases, confidential clinical trials. What was science fiction for others, was just another Tuesday morning for him.
"I can do it," Jimmy admitted, calculating the advantages. "But what you're asking for isn't small. You're asking for a miracle."
"No," Ethan corrected. "I'm asking for a deal."
Jimmy smiled. He liked men like Ethan—decisive, blunt, fearless.
"I accept. But with one additional condition."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Your son will be the first patient at the NeuTech Helix Hospital. He'll be the face of what this company can accomplish. If you agree, the most advanced medical technology on the planet will be at his disposal. Regenerative nanocells, 4D-printed neurotissue, genetic editing, and a medical AI developed exclusively for him. Do you accept?"
Ethan's face softened—for the first time in a long time. His usually cold eyes filled with emotion.
"I accept."
Jimmy nodded. "Welcome to NeuTech Industries, Head of Personal Security. Your contract begins today. And your son's treatment… He's already being transferred from his current hospital to ours."
"And my daughter?" Ethan added, as if he had just remembered. "She wants to be there to support her brother. Her name is Isabella Graves, seventeen years old. She wanted to study medicine before everything fell apart. If you give her a place…"
"She'll have one. She'll be the first intern at our hospital. Maybe one day, she'll be the one running it all."
Ethan extended his hand, and although EVA had no arms, the gesture was symbolic.
"Thank you, boss…"
Jimmy, in his New York office, ended the video call, stood up, and walked to the window. "For now, start selecting a security team. If you bring in former comrades, the pay will be three times higher, and their conditions will be unmatched. Former soldiers with lost limbs… they can be rebuilt at my company."
"I'll take care of it, sir."
Below, the city bustled with life, but Jimmy could only think of one thing: when the world saw what NeuTech was capable of, there would be no turning back.
Not for him… and not for anyone.