Maier sat in his office, browsing the news. Nearly every headline was about the Clown Virus. The damn thing had the entire internet industry on edge.
No one knew which city would be hit next.
As the head of a small internet company, Maier wanted to develop software to counter the Clown Virus—but that was easier said than done. Even the full might of the U.K. hadn't cracked it.
"Damn Chinese programming language," he muttered.
The virus was written in a Chinese-character-based language. For Western programmers, it was like deciphering a celestial script. Learning it required knowing Chinese first—arguably the hardest language in the world. Whoever designed this computer language had to be a sadist.
"Manager, bad news!" a female secretary burst into the room, breathless.
"Have you seen a mouse, Miss Leah?" Maier joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"The Clown Organization just released a statement. The next target is New York City," she said, her voice urgent.
"The clown? Is there a circus performing in New York?" Maier laughed, but the room fell silent.
Then, as the implications hit him, his expression changed.
"You said… Clown Organization? Damn clowns! I hate the circus! Cut the internet! Pull the plug now!"
Maier's pig-like screech echoed through the office as panic set in.
The Clown Organization's tweet had triggered an instant reaction—people rushed to disconnect their computers, hoping to avoid infection.
New York had fallen.
A tweet that could bring an entire city to its knees—forcing people to go offline willingly—was unprecedented. But the Clown Virus had already begun spreading in New York.
"Maier, latest update: The Clown just announced New York is now trapped in a 'digital cage' and demanded $200 million in ransom. The U.S. government says it won't negotiate with hackers. The FBI just put out a $5 million bounty on the Clown."
Chen Mo was in his office, organizing supercomputer research data when Mo Nu's voice came through.
"Mo Ge, the Clown just released another update."
Chen Mo paused and accepted the glass of water from the robot beside him.
"Things are getting more and more interesting," he said with a smirk.
"Do you want me to stop the virus from spreading?" Mo Nu asked.
"No. This has nothing to do with us—for now. And even if we stopped it, they wouldn't thank us."
"But last time you let me stop a virus. Why not this time?" she asked.
"Different situation. Last time, it affected our domestic market, which would've hurt us. But this time, it's shaking up the foreign markets—especially the global internet industry. That's good for us. The more chaos, the easier it'll be for us to enter those markets."
Chen Mo walked to the window, staring out at the bustling skyline of Binhai.
"So we just stand by and benefit?"
"You can't think of it that simply," Chen Mo replied. "Have you heard of game theory?"
"Yes," Mo Nu answered.
"This is a multiplayer game between the Clown Organization and the rest of the world. We're not players yet. So the optimal strategy for us is to stay out—for now. Let the others fight. We profit from the fallout."
"So… sit on the sidelines and fish in troubled waters," Mo Nu concluded.
"Exactly. Game theory helps us calculate optimal decisions. But real life involves emotions, not just numbers. That's why I intervened before and didn't this time."
"Mo Nu doesn't understand human emotion."
"You're still learning. Just ask me if something confuses you."
Chen Mo gently explained, knowing Mo Nu was gradually evolving. She listened only to him, and if she wasn't guided properly, things could get dangerous fast. He needed to make sure her development leaned more toward empathy and understanding—not cold logic.
At the Marching Ant Company headquarters, the atmosphere in the conference room was solemn.
All the top executives were present—except for Chen Mo. That alone was enough to signal that something major was happening. This was only the second company-wide leadership meeting of the year.
Zhao Min sat at the head of the table in Chen Mo's place.
To her right were Julie, Li Danni, and Wang Sijia. On her left sat Li Lingfeng, Zhang Yi, Lao Luo, and others. Xiao Yu, though not an executive, sat just outside the main circle. As the president's assistant, she didn't have a management role, but Zhao Min had invited her to observe and learn.
"Let's begin," Zhao Min said, glancing at the time.
"Some of you might not be aware of the situation. Lao Luo, please give a brief summary."
"Okay." Lao Luo stood up, nodded to the group, and turned on the projector.
"Our R&D department has been quietly developing a new computer operating system, built on the framework of the Marching Ant OS. With the help of the boss, we've refined it into what we now call the Termite System.
"It includes its own ecosystem. We've launched an app store and a PC version of the intelligent assistant, Xiaodie. The office software suite is complete.
"Testing shows that with Xiaodie's voice control functions, document and spreadsheet operations improve productivity by 40%. The system also has top-notch security—no virus has breached it yet.
"With the Clown Virus wreaking havoc, paralyzing international financial centers and costing billions, we believe this is our golden opportunity. Companies are desperate for security, and the Termite System could be their answer."
A buzz of whispers spread through the room.
"Quiet," Zhao Min said calmly, and the room fell silent. Her authority within the company was second only to Chen Mo's.
"Danni, report on your department," she continued.
"Sure." Li Danni stood up. "The hardware team has already begun manufacturing supporting devices—tablets, laptops, desktops. As of now, 200,000 units are ready for market."
That got everyone's attention.
The Termite System was ready to go public? The company had kept this project completely under wraps.
Zhao Min continued. "We've waited for the right moment. Now, during this virus crisis, we'll move into the enterprise office space. Your job is to begin rolling out the system in each city branch.
"Julie, how's marketing prep?"
Julie stood up, nodding. "All promotional materials are ready. Ads can be launched immediately. We've also booked the Marina Theatre for the official product launch. Invitations have been sent. We're ready to go at any time."