Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo and Ant Army Company faced a coordinated cyberattack and smear campaign, while Zhao Min prepared to respond publicly. After Ant Army declared it would not back down, Chen Mo had Mo Nv investigate the companies behind the propaganda and identify who had paid them.

• Chen Mo had Mo Nv block a DDoS attack on Ant Army’s servers, trace it to a professional hacker in Germany, and anonymously report him to German security officials.
• Mo Nv restored the servers, while a wave of online rumors accused Ant Army of data leaks, poor products, and a possible acquisition.
• Zhao Min learned the Tax Bureau would audit the company and called Li Lingfeng after deciding not to let the smear campaign go unanswered.
• Ant Army posted, “Whatever underhanded tricks you have left, bring them on. If we take one step back, we lose,” prompting strong support online.
• Chen Mo asked Mo Nv to identify the propaganda companies and find who had bribed them; Mo Nv located ten companies and then said she had found the paymaster.

Chen Mo uncovered a scheme by Dong Shun and Zhu Lang to smear Ant Army Company, then secretly reported financial violations at their firms to regulators. As the Tax Bureau arrived to audit Ant Army Company, Mo Nv detected unauthorized changes to its accounts, and Chen Mo and Zhao Min moved to investigate.

• Zhu Lang called Dong Shun and described arranging reporters and online trolls to spread claims of false accounting at Ant Army Company.
• Chen Mo had Mo Nv identify Dong Shun and investigate Changhe Capital and East Sea Venture Capital, then anonymously sent evidence of their financial violations to market regulators.
• Online attacks against Ant Army Company continued for two days while its employees carried on working and Mo Nv blocked daily server attacks.
• On the day of the Tax Bureau audit, Mo Nv told Chen Mo someone had altered Ant Army Company's accounts without authorization.
• Chen Mo called Zhao Min and told her to check the accounts, and Zhao Min ordered Zhang Yi to investigate immediately.

Chen Mo and Zhao Min uncovered Sun Hong altering Ant Army Company's accounts just before a Tax Bureau audit, while rumors and business setbacks continued to threaten the company. After ordering an emergency response to suppliers suspending cooperation and Butterfly Eye production stalling, Zhao Min planned a press conference for the next day.

• Zhang Yi caught Sun Hong tampering with the accounts, and Sun Hong admitted someone had paid him five hundred thousand to alter them.
• Chen Mo and Zhao Min arrived at the Finance Department, where Zhang Yi explained that the altered entries had been restored and Sun Hong was taken away.
• Chen Mo told Zhang Yi to monitor the ledgers, spared him blame, and promised employees an extra half-month's salary after the crisis.
• News of police and Tax Bureau personnel at Ant Army Company fueled online rumors about tax evasion and stolen technology.
• Julie reported that suppliers had suspended cooperation and Butterfly Eye contract manufacturing had stalled, so Zhao Min ordered the remaining balance paid, production halted, another manufacturer found, and an emergency press conference held for the next day.

Zhao Min defended Ant Army Company at a press conference against accusations of misconduct, then discussed the ongoing pressure with Chen Mo. Later, Chen Mo showed Xiao Yu the keys to an apartment he had bought for them, and someone knocked at their door.

• Zhao Min told reporters that Ant Army had called the police about an employee, denied tax evasion, and rejected claims that the company had stolen technology.
• Zhao Min's press conference stirred debate online as Ant Army maintained that it would not back down from attacks.
• Zhao Min complained to Chen Mo about the constant trouble, and he encouraged her to handle each challenge as it came.
• Zhao Min briefed Chen Mo on the company's acquisitions, headquarters construction, and plans to establish branches.
• Chen Mo showed Xiao Yu the keys to an apartment he had bought, but Xiao Yu asked to stay in their current home for now.
• Someone knocked on Chen Mo and Xiao Yu's apartment door.

Chen Mo met Li Chengzhi, who claimed to be a military officer and offered an engineering academy invitation and a deal for Army Ant’s Intelligent Assistant technology. After Li Chengzhi left, Chen Mo decided to move with Xiao Yu for safety, then used Mo Nv to check Li Chengzhi’s identity.

• Li Chengzhi visited Chen Mo late at night, showed him a military ID, and asked him to join the Academy of Engineering and trade for the Intelligent Assistant technology.
• Chen Mo refused to discuss terms until Li Chengzhi proved his identity, so Li Chengzhi agreed to return the next day and left.
• Chen Mo told Xiao Yu they would move that weekend, and she agreed.
• At Army Ant, Chen Mo learned that online smears against the company had vanished and that people connected to them had reportedly been arrested.
• Chen Mo asked Mo Nv to verify Li Chengzhi’s military ID, and she displayed a dossier.

Chen Mo met Li Chengzhi, who sought access to Intelligent Assistant’s technology for national research, and set conditions for the trade. Li Chengzhi left to report Chen Mo’s terms, while Chen Mo returned to his experiments.

• Xiao Yu recognized Li Chengzhi and Yao Yi when they arrived to meet Chen Mo, and Zhao Min brought them to Chen Mo’s office.
• Chen Mo finished another carbon crystal test, which showed improved but still inadequate purity for a battery.
• Li Chengzhi asked Chen Mo to provide the technology behind Intelligent Assistant and offered a fair trade.
• Chen Mo demanded two years of tax exemption and barred commercial use of Intelligent Assistant and its derivatives for five years, after which licensing fees would apply.
• Chen Mo asked Li Chengzhi to recommend capable retired personnel as company security guards and declined to join the Academy of Engineering.
• Li Chengzhi agreed to report Chen Mo’s conditions, and Chen Mo returned to the laboratory after seeing him off.

Chen Mo achieved 82% purity in his carbon crystal experiments, surpassing the target needed for battery raw material, and documented the synthesis process. After receiving an unhelpful random technology selection, he met his new bodyguard and told Zhao Min that mass-production trials would begin in three days.

• Chen Mo adjusted the temperature and pressure in the reactor and produced carbon crystals with 82% purity.
• Chen Mo had Mo Nv record the synthesis conditions and organize the carbon crystal technical documentation.
• Chen Mo used his monthly random selection in the Sci-Tech Library and received Pregnancy Test Kit Production Technology.
• Zhao Min introduced Wang Hai, a retired special forces soldier, as Chen Mo's personal driver and bodyguard.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo the company had received a one-year tax exemption and a half-tax reduction for the second year.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min the carbon crystal had succeeded in the laboratory and ordered mass-production trials to begin in three days.

Chen Mo completed a carbon crystal battery and led a factory trial to establish mass-production parameters, then prepared to announce the new material without revealing its technical data. The chapter left Ant Army Company ready to scale up battery production as Chen Mo planned to publicize his discovery.

• Chen Mo finished a carbon crystal battery that was projected to let Butterfly Eye run continuously for thirty-five hours and prepared patent application documents for carbon crystal synthesis.
• Chen Mo and Zhao Min visited the factory, where Chen Mo taught workers how to operate the production equipment while keeping the synthesis parameters secret.
• The first factory batch reached only 79% purity, so Chen Mo ordered it scrapped and adjusted the production settings.
• After four adjustments, Chen Mo achieved 82% purity and instructed Wan Mingyi to use the successful settings and test samples from every batch.
• Chen Mo asked Zhao Min to acquire more factories and told Mo Nv to announce his discovery of carbon crystal without publishing the technical data.

He Jian Guo and the media reported Ant Army Company's discovery of carbon crystal, but Zhao Min kept the immature battery technology under wraps while Chen Mo returned to his quiet routine. The chapter ended when Mo Nv warned Chen Mo that hackers from the Island Nation were attacking the company servers.

• He Jian Guo discovered Ant Army Company's announcement about carbon crystal, and the news spread online as people debated its limited potential.
• Zhao Min told Xiao Yu to make Chen Mo review the headquarters plans and leave the carbon crystal matter to her.
• Xiao Yu explained the company's workload to Chen Mo, who agreed to stay low-key and spend his time reading and researching.
• Zhao Min halted carbon crystal production and publicly said the technology was immature, after which public interest faded.
• Chen Mo settled into a peaceful routine of reading and mixing potions until Mo Nv warned him that hackers from the Island Nation were invading the company servers.

Chen Mo used an invisible virus to trick an Island Nation hacker into stealing encrypted files that infected Rhombus Group’s computers with adult videos. As the company descended into chaos, Chen Mo had Mo Nv retrieve data from its computers.

• Chen Mo told Mo Nv to open a fake database port and plant an invisible virus bundled with Hotaru Hazuki videos for the returning hacker.
• The hacker stole the encrypted files, delivered them to Nakamura Kazuo, and was killed by Nakamura Kazuo’s bodyguards after handing over the USB drive.
• Nakamura Kazuo’s technicians cracked the files, triggering the virus during I Zhi Xiu’s meeting and broadcasting adult videos across Rhombus Group headquarters.
• I Zhi Xiu blamed Nakamura Kazuo for the virus and demanded that he find the stolen data, while Nakamura Kazuo revealed that Ito Taro had died.
• Chen Mo watched the chaos through Mo Nv’s surveillance feed and asked her to retrieve important company data; Mo Nv later reported that she had obtained some.

After Mo Nv stole sensitive files from the Island Nation Rhombus Group, Chen Mo anonymously sent intelligence about its agents and research targets to the National Security Bureau. Three days later, after completing his reading requirement, he chose Soaring Dragon Laser Sensor Technology from the Sci-Tech Library.

• Chen Mo found sensitive intelligence among Mo Nv’s files and ordered her to send it anonymously to the National Security Bureau, then encrypt the copy he kept.
• Zhu Ming and Li Jizheng reviewed the intelligence, confirmed it was credible, and organized teams to monitor listed agents and protect researchers.
• The Rhombus Group’s computers were locked into playing adult videos, its stock and those of its partners fell, and the hack drew international attention.
• Three days later, Chen Mo completed his six-hundred-book reading requirement and entered the Sci-Tech Library to choose a technology.
• Chen Mo selected Soaring Dragon Laser Sensor Technology for future autonomous-driving vehicles and robotics research.

Ant Army Company completed a rapid expansion through acquisitions, and Zhao Min gave Xiao Yu responsibility for preparing the second Butterfly Eye Phone launch. After Zhao Min taught her to delegate and reassured her about the pressure of being Chen Mo’s girlfriend, Xiao Yu left more confident and ready to lead the launch.

• Ant Army Company acquired small businesses and factories to support research, development, and expansion while building its company structure.
• Zhao Min told Xiao Yu to arrange an advertising plan for the second Butterfly Eye Phone and lead preparations for its launch.
• Zhao Min explained that senior managers set direction, delegate execution, and judge employees’ plans against the company’s strategy.
• Zhao Min reassured Xiao Yu that she could make mistakes and gain experience despite being the chairman’s girlfriend.
• Xiao Yu regained her confidence, thanked Zhao Min, and left to organize the launch preparations.

At Ant Army Company's launch event, Zhao Min unveiled the Butterfly Eye Metamorphosis, showcasing its upgraded Smart Marching Ant system and long-lasting Carbon Crystal Battery. She announced its prices and began answering reporters' questions, leaving the future availability of the Intelligent Assistant and Carbon Crystal Battery technology unanswered.

• Xiao Yu worried backstage about the launch event she had organized, and Chen Mo reassured her as they watched Zhao Min take the stage.
• Zhao Min introduced the Butterfly Eye Metamorphosis and revealed its design, cameras, Xiaolong 865 Chip, and upgraded Smart Marching Ant system.
• Zhao Min announced that the phone used a 9500mA Carbon Crystal Battery, charged fully in half an hour, and could run continuously for forty-eight hours.
• Zhao Min set the standard version's price at 6,600 and the premium Metamorphosis edition's price at 11,888, prompting excitement among attendees and livestream viewers.
• A reporter asked Zhao Min whether the Intelligent Assistant would be taken down and whether Ant Army Company would license Carbon Crystal Battery technology or use it in other fields.

Zhao Min announced that Ant Army Company would keep Intelligent Assistant available without updates and license its Battery Technology, while Chen Mo explained the business benefits of cooperation. As Butterfly Eye presales surged and battery makers sought licenses, Chen Mo agreed to meet the heads of four major phone companies the next day.

• Zhao Min said Ant Army Company would not remove Intelligent Assistant for now, though it would stop updating the software, and confirmed that the company would license Battery Technology.
• Chen Mo told Xiao Yu that licensing would build business relationships and generate patent fees while allowing partner factories to expand battery production.
• After the launch, Carbon Crystal Material drew expert interest, Butterfly Eye presales exceeded three hundred thousand phones in three hours, and foreign media reported on the device.
• Battery manufacturers came to Ant Army Company seeking production licenses, while Chen Mo completed testing the Laser Sensor and considered how to use it.
• Xiao Yu told Chen Mo that the heads of four major phone companies were coming the next day, and Chen Mo agreed to meet them.

Chen Mo met with representatives from the four major phone companies, securing strategic partnerships while holding off on licensing the Multilingual Intelligent Assistant. That evening, he took Xiao Yu shopping and bought her a necklace, then asked to look at rings.

• Chen Mo offered Yu Chengnan a license for the Multilingual Intelligent Assistant in exchange for Huawei Micro's smart chip, then signed a strategic cooperation agreement with him.
• Chen Mo met with Lei Jun and representatives from Oppo and Vivo, but did not agree to license the Multilingual Intelligent Assistant.
• Zhao Min announced that Ant Army Company had reached strategic partnerships with the four major phone companies.
• Chen Mo took Xiao Yu to Trade Plaza and bought her a jade Buddha necklace despite her objections.
• Chen Mo paid for the necklace and asked the clerk to show him rings, leaving Xiao Yu blushing in surprise.

Chen Mo took Xiao Yu shopping, but she delayed his plan to buy matching rings and later hinted that she had intended to give him a gift. On the drive home, Wang Hai spotted and evaded a staged-accident scam gang, prompting Chen Mo to ask Mo Nv to investigate Wang Hai’s background.

• Chen Mo tried to buy matching rings for Xiao Yu, but she asked him to wait, so they spent the evening shopping and walking by the seaside instead.
• Wang Hai noticed two vans following their car, and Chen Mo used Mo Nv to identify them as an eight-person staged-accident scam gang.
• Wang Hai changed routes and shook off the vans, and Chen Mo questioned him about his military past but received only the answer that he had been an ordinary soldier.
• After Chen Mo dried Xiao Yu’s hair, she hinted that she had planned to give him a gift but had changed her mind because he had not taken the initiative.
• The next morning, Chen Mo asked Mo Nv to investigate Wang Hai’s background.

Chen Mo handed Zhao Min the Small Laser Sensor materials and approved her plan to establish a holding company, while preparing to focus on a side project and advance his Sci-Tech Library access. As Apple faced mounting pressure from Ant Army Company, Cook failed to persuade Qualcomm to cut off its chip supply and decided to travel to BinHai City.

• Chen Mo discovered that Wang Hai had served in the Blue Sword Special Forces Team and retired after severe injuries in the Cobra Operation, then stopped investigating his profile.
• Chen Mo gave Zhao Min the Small Laser Sensor materials for testing and patent application, and told her to prepare the company for an autonomous vehicle project.
• Zhao Min proposed forming a holding company and a corporate group, and Chen Mo approved the plan and offered her 3% of the shares.
• Chen Mo decided to spend the coming months reading toward the Sci-Tech Library’s next permission level and reserve his remaining technology selections for a little toy.
• Cook considered Ant Army Company’s impact on Apple’s sales and asked Qualcomm president Abolly to stop supplying Ant Army in exchange for double patent fees.
• Abolly refused to end Qualcomm’s cooperation with Ant Army, so Cook booked a ticket to BinHai City.

Liu Mingliang photographed Cook arriving secretly in Bin Hai City, and the news sparked speculation that Apple was seeking Ant Army Company’s help. After seeing reporters waiting outside the company, Cook returned to his hotel and asked to meet Ant Army Company’s chairman there.

• Liu Mingliang spotted Cook at Bin Hai Airport, photographed him, and sent the pictures to Tiger.
• Tiger helped spread news of Cook’s arrival, prompting widespread speculation that he had come to meet Ant Army Company.
• Cook learned reporters had photographed him and grew angry as news of his visit spread.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu arrived at Ant Army Company and saw reporters waiting outside its office building.
• Cook approached Ant Army Company but turned back when he saw the reporters outside.
• Cook returned to his hotel and asked his staff to arrange a meeting with Ant Army Company’s chairman there.

Chen Mo chose humanoid robot blueprints to create a laboratory assistant, then rejected Apple CEO Cook’s invitation to meet away from Ant Army Company. He left Apple to decide whether to visit his company, while Mo Nv began organizing the robot’s materials and blueprints.

• Chen Mo selected blueprints for a human-sized humanoid robot to serve as an assistant in his laboratory.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that Cook had invited him to discuss a potential partnership with Apple.
• Chen Mo explained that visiting Cook could make Ant Army Company look like it was begging Apple for cooperation, and he refused the invitation.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min to welcome Cook if he visited Ant Army Company but not to pursue Apple himself.
• After Zhao Min left, Chen Mo summoned Mo Nv to organize the materials and blueprints for the robot.

Cook struggled to secure a meeting with Ant Army Company after Chen Mo rejected his request to talk elsewhere. Meanwhile, Chen Mo continued designing a robot to give Mo Nv a physical body, and Cook eventually left his hotel room to act.

• Cook considered Apple's falling share price and the problems facing the new Apple S2, then asked his secretary to arrange a meeting with Ant Army Company.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that Cook wanted to talk that night, but Chen Mo insisted Cook come to the company and rejected meeting elsewhere.
• Chen Mo ate lunch with Xiao Yu, then returned to designing a robot that could serve as Mo Nv's physical vessel and laboratory assistant.
• Cook, frustrated by Ant Army Company's second refusal to meet on his terms, rose from his sofa and left his hotel room.