The day after returning to Binhai City, ambassadors from multiple countries visited the Marching Ant Company—every one of them here for the seismograph.
With China's launch of the first fully operational earthquake warning network, the global spotlight had turned to Marching Ant. Countries frequently struck by earthquakes were now eager to establish their own early-warning systems.
But the high price of the seismograph triggered international backlash. Netizens from several countries flooded online forums, accusing Marching Ant Company of monopolizing the market. However, their respective governments remained silent.
Protests or sanctions were useless. Marching Ant's overseas market share was still relatively small, so sanctions would have little impact—and any move to antagonize the company could kill any chance of acquiring seismograph systems. Without those systems, their earthquake early warning networks would remain a pipe dream.
To reduce losses in the face of inevitable earthquakes, these nations had no choice but to swallow their complaints and accept the Marching Ant Company's "unmanned" pricing.
Zhao Min entered Chen Mo's office, holding a thick folder.
She had poured all her energy into handling negotiations with various national delegations. Now, finally, the talks had come to an end.
"The seismograph export negotiations are settled," Zhao Min said, placing the folder on Chen Mo's desk. "Here's the complete list and contracts. New Zealand ordered 16 units, Chile 14, Indonesia 47, Mexico 35, Japan 25, India 24, and Turkey 20. That's 181 units in total."
She flipped the folder open. "The Nepal quake yesterday caused some serious damage. Their ambassador contacted us this morning. We're still finalizing the order, but it looks like they'll buy two or three units."
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Over $9 billion in revenue. Converted to Huaxia currency, that was close to 60 billion yuan. With each seismograph costing roughly $3 million to produce, the profit margins were mind-boggling.
"That much?" Chen Mo was amazed.
"This," Zhao Min said calmly, "is the power of monopoly."
She continued, "Our clients are governments. The amounts are huge, sure, but for these countries, it's nothing. Any reasonably developed nation can afford the cost. Even the opposition parties won't dare challenge it. Who would speak against a measure meant to save lives? Anyone who opposes it is basically opposing the people."
Chen Mo nodded.
"Now," Zhao Min said, flipping to another page, "the U.S., Germany, and Russia also want in. But their orders are small—just two units each. I haven't replied yet. They may be hoping to reverse-engineer the tech. Any concerns about the core algorithm being leaked?"
Chen Mo shook his head. "No worries. The algorithm is encrypted. Only I know the full formula. Without that, they might get the hardware, but not the soul of the system."
"Understood," Zhao Min nodded and left the office.
After Zhao Min was gone, Chen Mo turned back to his screen.
He rarely involved himself in the company's daily operations—Zhao Min had full control. His attention was back on his real priority: research.
"Ink Girl, continue organizing the files," he said.
"Understood," Mo Nu responded immediately.
Since returning from the capital, Chen Mo had buried himself in the office. His research on supercomputers was nearing a critical point.
Supercomputers were capable of massive data processing and high-speed operations that regular PCs couldn't come close to. Though the internal components weren't fundamentally different from regular computers, the scale and performance were leagues ahead.
Thanks to their unparalleled speed and capacity, supercomputers were used mainly for cutting-edge research. In Chen Mo's case, it would be the perfect home for Mo Nu's consciousness. Once integrated, her processing capabilities would skyrocket—and her assistance would be even more effective.
His current project? Developing a superconducting computer.
Using superconducting technology to build computer components, these machines could achieve switching speeds in microseconds and were a hundred times faster than today's most advanced systems. Even more incredible—they consumed just one-thousandth the energy of traditional supercomputers.
Once built, this superconducting system would be compact, energy-efficient, and absurdly powerful. For Mo Nu, it would be like giving her a god-tier brain.
Lost in thought, Chen Mo didn't stop until Mo Nu gently reminded him that Xiao Yu had arrived.
"Time to head out," Xiao Yu said with a smile. "I was waiting downstairs. We're going shopping—want to come?"
"Sure," Chen Mo smiled, grabbed his coat, and followed her out.
As they reached the ground floor, they saw Li Ruoxi waiting for them.
"Good afternoon, Boss! Good afternoon, Boss's wife!" Li Ruoxi grinned and bowed playfully.
"Cut it out." Xiao Yu's face turned red as she dragged Ruoxi toward the car waiting nearby.
The commercial plaza was decked out for the holidays—banners everywhere, festive decorations, and thick crowds. Chen Mo, Xiao Yu, and Li Ruoxi blended in as part of the bustling shoppers.
Chen Mo wore a mask. That was Xiao Yu's request—last time he came out in public, he got mobbed by girls wanting photos. It was a huge hassle.
Thanks to the success of Marching Ant Company and now the seismograph project, Chen Mo's fame had skyrocketed. Everywhere he went, people recognized him. Being a celebrity was more trouble than it was worth.
"What do you want for New Year's?" Chen Mo asked casually.
Li Ruoxi's eyes lit up as she glanced at Xiao Yu and gave her a look. Xiao Yu immediately shook her head, flustered.
Chen Mo noticed the silent exchange and blinked. "What's going on?"
"Nothing!" Li Ruoxi quickly said, then grinned mischievously. "Big Boss, gifts have to come from the heart. If she tells you what to buy and you just go do it, it's not really a surprise, is it?"
Chen Mo scratched his head. "Fair point…"
"You need to think—what do women like that you haven't given her yet?" Ruoxi said, still smiling.
"Stop teasing!" Xiao Yu's cheeks turned pink as she pointed to a nearby shop. "Ruoxi and I are going to buy some, uh, girl stuff. You want to come?"
"Uh… nope." Chen Mo looked at Ruoxi, then back at Xiao Yu, and shook his head quickly. "You two go ahead. I'll browse around on my own. Call me when you're done."
If Ruoxi weren't here, he might've gone along—but now? Not a chance.
"Okay. Look around for a gift, and we'll meet up later." Xiao Yu took Ruoxi's hand and headed into a lingerie store.
After they disappeared, Chen Mo glanced around the mall, thought for a moment, and began walking toward a jewelry shop.
At the jewelry store, Zhao Yanyu stood quietly behind the counter, eyes occasionally drifting toward the entrance.
Business was good. The New Year was coming up, and the place was packed. But today, all the customers had gone to her colleagues. She hadn't had a single sale yet and could only hope for a decent customer to walk in soon.
Just then, she spotted someone stepping into the store.
Her eyes lit up. Finally! But the man wore a mask, which gave her pause. Still, she didn't hesitate.
"Hello, sir," Zhao Yanyu stepped forward with a polite smile. "Is there anything you're looking for today?"