The growth of Aurora AI accelerated faster than anyone expected.
Within two days of its launch, the application had spread across several university communities and online tech forums.
Students recommended it to classmates.
Programmers shared screenshots of its intelligent scheduling system.
Productivity bloggers began writing short reviews.
What surprised most users was not the interface—but the AI engine behind it.
Unlike normal task management apps, Aurora AI learned from user behavior.
Study habits.
Work patterns.
Even sleeping schedules.
The AI would quietly reorganize tasks to maximize productivity.
For many users, it felt like having a personal assistant.
And word spread quickly.
Dormitory 306 — Early Morning
Lin Tianyu sat quietly at his desk while monitoring the application dashboard.
The numbers on the screen updated every few seconds.
User registrations.
Server traffic.
Active sessions.
Behind him, Wang Hao stood frozen.
"…I think the server is going to explode."
Lin Tianyu glanced at the screen.
The download counter updated again.
Users: 9,842
Wang Hao slapped the desk.
"Almost ten thousand!"
Lin Tianyu remained calm.
But inside his mind, the system interface appeared again.
MISSION PROGRESS
Launch AI Productivity Application
Current Users: 9,842 / 10,000
The number continued rising.
9,900.
9,950.
9,980.
9,998.
Then—
10,000 users reached.
The system immediately responded.
MISSION COMPLETE
Launch AI Productivity Application
Reward Issued
• ¥5,000,000 transferred to host account
• Advanced AI Optimization Blueprint
• Technology Points +150
Lin Tianyu's phone vibrated.
Bank notification appeared.
Deposit Received: ¥5,000,000
Wang Hao stared at him in disbelief.
"…You just made five million yuan."
Lin Tianyu closed the phone calmly.
"It's only the beginning."
Inside his mind, another panel appeared.
ECONOMIC NETWORK REPORT
Current Balance: ¥19,860,000
Projected Profit (Next 24 Hours): ¥2,400,000
Wang Hao nearly collapsed onto the chair.
"Twenty million yuan…"
"If my parents knew this, they would faint."
Lin Tianyu smiled slightly.
Money was growing quickly.
But what mattered more was influence.
Aurora AI now had thousands of users.
Soon it would have tens of thousands.
Then hundreds of thousands.
And eventually—
Millions.
Campus — Growing Fame
Later that day, the atmosphere on campus felt noticeably different.
Several students were discussing Aurora AI.
"I downloaded it yesterday."
"It actually reorganized my exam schedule."
"My entire productivity improved."
Near the engineering building entrance, Lin Tianyu and Wang Hao noticed several students glancing toward them.
Wang Hao grinned.
"You're famous."
Lin Tianyu shook his head.
"Not yet."
At that moment, Chen Xiaoyu approached them.
She looked slightly excited.
"Tianyu!"
"Congratulations."
Lin Tianyu tilted his head.
"For what?"
"Your app."
She held up her phone.
"Aurora AI is everywhere now."
Wang Hao laughed.
"You're witnessing the birth of a future tech empire."
Chen Xiaoyu looked at Lin Tianyu curiously.
"Did you expect it to grow this fast?"
Lin Tianyu answered honestly.
"No."
But inside his mind, he knew something else.
This growth had only just started.
The First Sabotage
But while Aurora AI continued growing—
Someone else was watching with anger.
Inside a luxury café near the university, Wang Jun slammed his phone on the table.
"This is ridiculous."
His friend frowned.
"What happened?"
"That stupid app."
"It's getting popular everywhere."
Wang Jun clenched his teeth.
"How can a poor student suddenly build something like this?"
His friend leaned closer.
"We could report the app."
"For what?"
"Copyright violation."
"Data misuse."
"Anything."
Wang Jun's eyes slowly brightened.
A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Yes."
"If he wants to play business…"
"…we'll play business."
Zhao Ming's Interest
Meanwhile, across the city, Zhao Ming sat in his office reviewing a report.
Aurora AI's growth chart displayed a steep upward curve.
10,000 users in two days.
For a new application, that was extremely impressive.
But what caught Zhao Ming's attention was something else.
The AI architecture.
He had asked several technical analysts to review the software.
Their conclusion surprised him.
"This AI framework is far more advanced than typical startup technology."
Zhao Ming leaned back in his chair.
"A university student built this?"
He smiled slowly.
"Interesting."
Then he picked up his phone.
"Arrange a meeting."
"With Lin Tianyu."
Night — A New Stage
Later that evening, Lin Tianyu stood quietly on the rooftop of the dormitory building.
The city lights stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
Behind him, Wang Hao was still celebrating.
"You're rich now!"
"You should buy a sports car!"
Lin Tianyu laughed softly.
"Not yet."
Inside his mind, the system interface appeared again.
SYSTEM NOTICE
Host Influence Level Increasing
New Evaluation Phase Initiated
Another notification appeared immediately afterward.
NEW MISSION AVAILABLE
Mission: Establish Technology Company
Objective
Create a registered company and build development team
Reward
• ¥10,000,000
• Advanced Corporate AI Management System
• Technology Points +300
Lin Tianyu's eyes brightened slightly.
A real company.
That meant offices.
Developers.
Servers.
Infrastructure.
Aurora AI was no longer just a student project.
It was the foundation of something much bigger.
Lin Tianyu looked out at the city skyline.
His voice was calm.
"The next step…"
"…is building an empire."
Far away in a downtown office building—
Zhao Ming stared at Lin Tianyu's profile again.
And in another part of the city—
Wang Jun was already planning his next move.
The quiet beginning was over.
The first storm had arrived.