Qian Yongxing sat at his desk, eyes locked on the homepage of the Marching Ant Company's official website. A veteran tech journalist, he wasn't here for espionage scandals like the rest of the media. He was here for something more important: real technological breakthroughs.
"Thirty seconds left…"
He sat forward in his chair, breath held. The second the news dropped, he had to be the first to publish.
Across the country, countless other reporters were doing the exact same thing—refreshing, waiting, hunting for that headline.
12:00 PM.
Qian slammed the refresh key.
A bold headline immediately flashed across the screen:
Chinese Character Programming Language
His pupils shrank.
What?
The phrase hit him like a bolt of electricity. A second Chinese programming language? The first thought that popped into his mind was Easy Language, an older, homegrown programming tool developed by Wu Tao. Though built in Chinese and inspired by C++, Easy Language never caught on beyond a niche community.
But this?
Marching Ant releasing a brand-new, native Chinese programming language?
This is huge.
He clicked the headline. The article loaded quickly: keyword tables, data types, foundational grammar. His eyes scanned line after line, brows slowly furrowing. It looked impressive, sure—but these were just building blocks. No demos, no real-world applications yet. Without documentation or use cases, it was still a baby.
How do I even explain this to the average reader?
Across the country, other tech journalists were having the same dilemma. The language looked powerful, but no one quite knew how to describe it yet.
Still, Qian did what professionals do—he logged into his publishing platform and reprinted the official announcement under a simple headline:
"Marching Ant Releases the Chinese Character Programming Language"
The article dropped like a stone into the internet—and the ripples started instantly.
Comments and speculation erupted across tech forums and social media.
"Another Chinese programming language? Didn't we already have one?""Isn't this just Easy Language in a new skin?""Marching Ant just dropped a nuke on the software world!"
Initial confusion turned into debate, and debate into excitement.
While the marching ant company hadn't released tutorials or application samples, their reputation lent the release credibility. Unlike Easy Language, which had never gone mainstream, this was backed by one of the most powerful tech companies in the country.
As always, the trolls came out swinging:
"This is useless. Why not donate that money to the poor instead of making up new code?""Who's even gonna learn this?""Looks flashy. Won't last."
But amid the noise, the headlines kept coming:
"Foreign Developers Shocked by New Chinese Language" – Squirrel Tech
"Chen Mo Creates Native Chinese Programming Language" – Southern Daily
"Pride of Binhai: Marching Ant's Revolutionary Code" – Binhai Daily
Even as the espionage scandal still sizzled in the background, the buzz shifted entirely to this unexpected release.
And then the experts chimed in.
"The Marching Ant Chinese programming language is ultimately a dead end. Easy Language has been around for two decades and never matured. Chinese isn't a global language. Programming languages need universal adoption. Even if the language is elegant, who will build software in it? Chen Mo's just a fresh grad. He should stop chasing hype."
The commentary sparked even more controversy online. Some defended Marching Ant's innovation. Others dismissed it as nationalistic fluff.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo sat quietly in his office, unaware of the storm his announcement had unleashed.
He was meeting with three newcomers—brought over by Wang Hai, as requested.
Two men and one woman, all with an unmistakably professional edge.
"Chairman," Wang Hai said, "these are the people you asked for. Retired team members—discharged early due to injuries. Their codenames are Anan, Black Hawk, and White Pearl."
Chen Mo glanced at the trio.
Anan stood tall—at least 1.9 meters—and built like a tank.Black Hawk had eyes like a predator, calm and sharp.White Pearl was lean and composed, her short hair and pale skin adding to her cool, no-nonsense aura.
All three stood out without trying. They radiated quiet, lethal competence—very different from Wang Hai's "blend into the crowd" style.
"From now on," Chen Mo said, "security for the company will follow strict military protocols. You'll oversee training and management. You're also responsible for my personal safety."
After recent events, it was clear—Marching Ant needed its own elite security team.
"Wang Hai, take them to HR. They'll get your assignments from there."
The four left the room.
Moments later, Zhao Min walked in.
"Chairman, did you call for me?"
"Nothing urgent," Chen Mo replied. "Any major updates?"
Zhao Min gave him a dry smile.
"Well, your 'small update' about the Chinese programming language? It's blown up. You're trending across every major tech outlet."
Chen Mo didn't react.
"Good. Time to push it further."
He pulled out a prepared set of instructions.
"There's a full suite of learning materials, including compilers and books. Publish them online. Make everything completely free. Tell HR to add a 5% salary bonus for employees who learn and apply the new language."
Zhao Min raised an eyebrow.
"You're planning to build an ecosystem?"
"Exactly. Submit a proposal to the government: create a 'Chinese Programming Language Environment' initiative. See if we can work with Binhai University to launch an experimental course. Also—put out a hiring notice. We want new programmers proficient in the language."
Zhao Min nodded slowly.
"You're trying to kickstart a community."
"That's the point," Chen Mo said. "This language runs faster and safer. But more importantly—"
He paused.
"Programming languages are like DNA. If AI is a lifeform, then its language is its genetic code. If we want true independence and long-term leadership in AI… we need our own codebase. Something we created. Something we control."
Zhao Min's eyes widened just a little. She understood now. This wasn't just a product drop—it was a cultural shift.
"Alright. I'll handle the rollout."