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The next day, Alex drove to Morrison Industries headquarters.
"Dad, sell me your VR equipment company."
He said it with a smile, but he was completely serious.
His father owned a wholly-owned VR equipment company—Polaris Technologies—which he'd acquired years ago. It had been operating at a loss ever since, with massive annual R&D investments. The path of independent research and development was long and arduous.
If Robert Morrison hadn't genuinely wanted to contribute to advancing domestic VR technology—to prevent American companies from falling too far behind the Nexus monopoly—any other businessman would have shut the company down by now.
Among the many tech companies involved in VR, far too few had entrepreneurs willing to settle down and do real technical research with a craftsman's mentality. Most were profit-driven businessmen who entered the field solely to make money. They didn't care how much licensing they had to pay to Nexus or whether their products were entirely dependent on someone else's platform—as long as they turned a profit.
"Why do you want to buy my company?" Robert leaned back in his chair. "Just focus on your games. This field is much deeper than gaming, and it burns through money faster. Huge investment, returns that might be years away. You shouldn't touch this kind of money-losing business."
"Dad, give me this company, and I guarantee I'll turn it profitable within a year."
Alex's confidence wasn't empty bravado. He had core technologies in his head that he could apply at any time.
Robert smiled. He didn't think Alex was boasting—not exactly. If he wanted to achieve profitability right now, he could do it easily. Cut most of the R&D department. Slash expenses. Instant profit.
But that would betray everything he'd set out to do. And he wasn't short on money. Everyone has dreams.
"If I wanted profit, I could have had it years ago." Robert's voice was calm but firm. "What I want is genuine innovation. Products we developed ourselves. Not licensed clones of someone else's work."
"Dad, my goals are exactly the same as yours." Alex leaned forward. "I want independent R&D. Our own products. I was planning to build my own team from scratch, start a new company—but that would take too long. So here's my proposal: let me invest. Give me forty percent of the shares. Put the company under my full operational control. If I achieve real profitability within a year—not by cutting R&D, but genuine market success—you make me the majority shareholder and hand over complete control."
Polaris Technologies was wholly owned by Robert Morrison. No other shareholders. All these years, he'd been funding the research out of his own pocket—the only reason the company was still alive.
Robert frowned slightly. He couldn't understand where his son had gotten such confidence. But he could see Alex was serious. He didn't want to dampen that enthusiasm.
And truthfully? Part of him was curious. What kind of miracle might Alex create if given the chance? Young people always had more ideas, more possibilities.
"Alright." Robert nodded slowly. "We'll do it your way. If you really get this company off the ground, I'll have no problem giving you the whole thing."
"Thank you, Dad." Alex's eyes blazed with determination. "Don't worry. In less than two years, our VR equipment will become the best-selling devices globally. Polaris will be a major brand on par with Nexus."
Robert didn't know where that confidence came from. But he was moved by the sheer conviction in his son's voice. How he wished that day could truly arrive.
"I'll support you fully," Robert said. Dreams should be nurtured—even the unrealistic ones. Especially the unrealistic ones. Because many of humanity's greatest achievements had started as impossible ideas.
In the following days, Alex completed his investment in Polaris Technologies, becoming the company's second-largest shareholder. He officially took over operations—and assumed the role of CTO.
His arrival sent shockwaves through the company.
Senior executives felt their positions threatened. Was Robert Morrison preparing to abandon the company? Would Alex, as the new boss, restructure personnel?
The most affected was the original CTO, Timothy Crawford. Alex's arrival had essentially replaced him. His salary and benefits remained unchanged, but internally, he was panicking.
The entire R&D team was anxious and confused. Even if Alex was being parachuted in to take over, why was he becoming CTO instead of CEO?
Being a CTO required understanding technology. Nobody doubted Alex's achievements in gaming, but there was a massive difference between industries. Could he really handle such highly specialized, technically challenging work?
After much discussion, the researchers arrived at only one conclusion: Robert Morrison putting a son who didn't understand technology in charge of them was clearly a signal. He intended to abandon the R&D team.
They all knew, deep down, that their department was a money pit. They created far less value than the company invested, with returns nowhere in sight.
Yes, technological R&D always went through a money-burning phase before breakthrough. And yes, success would create immense wealth. But how many people could wait until that day? So far, they hadn't given Polaris any reason to continue believing in them.
Their worries weren't unfounded.
If this had been the old Alex, he genuinely wouldn't have understood any of it.
But this Alex had received the system's reward. He now possessed knowledge and technology that no one could acquire in a lifetime. He'd become an expert overnight.
Of course, he couldn't let anyone know that. He couldn't suddenly materialize all the technologies in his head—that would be impossible to explain. He needed a transition period. Time to make everything seem natural.
So shortly after taking over Polaris Technologies, Alex convened a meeting of all research personnel.
Dozens of researchers gathered in the company's largest conference room, their expressions solemn and heavy. It wasn't that they couldn't find other jobs—but nobody wanted to change employers for no reason. Polaris offered excellent benefits and was a company that genuinely valued independent innovation. It had ideals. Ambition.
"Good morning, Mr. Morrison."
Timothy Chen and several other mid-to-senior executives greeted Alex as he entered.
"Everyone, please sit."
Alex's tone was friendly. He looked at their tense, nervous faces and guessed exactly what they were thinking.
"Don't be so nervous," he said with a slight smile. "You look like the company's about to go bankrupt. I invested in Polaris because I want to get things done—and you should know by now that I'm quite wealthy. With my capital injection, R&D funding will be more abundant than ever."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"As for why I chose to be CTO specifically—I want to learn. I want to understand the technology. But regardless of my learning curve, I'm still a major company CEO and Polaris's second-largest shareholder. I can't exactly be a junior employee, can I?" He grinned. "So after thinking it over, I decided to take the CTO title. It sounds impressive. Good for introductions."
The room laughed.
The weight in their chests finally lifted. Things weren't as they'd feared...