Army Ant Butterfly Eye

Li Tiejun leaned against the table, drowsy. Even the huge screen's high-tech projection failed to stir the slightest bit of interest in him.

If not for appearances, he would have liked nothing more than to lie down on the table and sleep.

He had spent the previous two days drafting articles day and night, and today he had to attend this press conference. He was exhausted and desperate to go home and sleep immediately. But it was part of his job, and his superiors had told him to come, so he had no choice.

All he could do now was hope the weekend would arrive quickly so he could rest properly for two days.

Many companies' press conferences were simply news conferences with no news. Otherwise, their themes were vague, and no one knew what the key point was as they did nothing but brag about how amazing their company was.

Small companies merely wanted to use the media to promote themselves and raise their profile. He had long since lost interest in press conferences held by small businesses.

He truly did not understand why, as a reporter for a well-known domestic media outlet, his superiors had sent him to attend a press conference held by a company this tiny.

Maybe they had connections? Li Tiejun thought.

Army Ant Technology Co.

Before coming, he had looked up the company's information. To his despair, it was merely a company that had been registered in Bin Hai City only a few months ago.

What eye-catching news could a newly established company like this possibly have?

There was no need to think about it. This would be another boring press conference.

Attending boring meetings and press conferences was simply a waste of life.

He was not the only one. Several reporter friends from the industry were also sitting around playing games on their phones or chatting. A few intern reporters sat upright in their seats, diligently preparing their press releases for the conference.

There were still a few minutes before the press conference began. Li Tiejun could only take out his phone and play with it, trying his best to keep himself awake.

"How many outlets came?"

The moment Zhao Min entered backstage, she looked toward the conference planner.

Li Lingfeng was highly capable at his job, but he had unfortunately offended a company executive at his previous workplace and been fired. After Zhao Min found him, he did not even ask about the salary. He quit the job he had struggled to find and came to help her.

"One hundred and seven. People's Daily, Global Times, Phoenix Net, Sina, and several other mainstream media outlets are here. The rest are tech media, along with a few self-media creators introduced by friends to show their support."

Li Lingfeng stayed close beside Zhao Min.

"That's better than expected."

"I used every connection I could. This is all I managed to gather," Li Lingfeng said.

As they spoke, Zhao Min arrived backstage at the conference venue. She took the microphone, put it on, picked up the presentation clicker, and walked onto the stage.

The instant Zhao Min appeared, the venue fell silent, and every gaze focused on her.

The mysterious press conference had finally begun. Even some reporters who had been playing on their phones shifted their attention to the stage.

Zhao Min swept her gaze across the room.

When she spotted Chen Mo in the corner, she could not help lingering for a moment. This boss was really something. He made her handle everything.

"Hello, media friends. I am the president of Army Ant Company. Today is a special press conference. There is no host, and no pot-bellied executive. The boss said he wanted to keep a low profile, so he refused to show up. This is also the first time I've met such a low-profile boss."

Soft laughter rose from the crowd below, while Chen Mo awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had not expected Zhao Min to openly make fun of him.

The oppressive atmosphere relaxed under Zhao Min's teasing.

"Now, let's get to the point. You must all be wondering what product we are unveiling today and what newsworthy highlights it has. That is what concerns you most. I can tell you that your trip here was absolutely not wasted. If you feel you came for nothing, come ask me for your travel fare after the conference."

Zhao Min's words immediately perked up the reporters in the room, and they watched her with renewed vigor.

"Today's product is this." Zhao Min pressed the clicker in her hand, and the screen behind her changed.

A phone?

When the phone appeared on the screen, every reporter froze.

Today was a phone launch?

In this era, unless it was a launch by a phone giant, a phone release was no longer news—especially from a small company like this. Still, the phone did look delicate and appealing.

For a moment, disappointment appeared in many people's eyes.

Seeing the reporters' reactions, Zhao Min smiled faintly and pressed the clicker again.

The phone on the screen lit up. Army Ant's logo appeared, and after roughly ten seconds, the phone booted up and its home screen lit up.

Everyone wore puzzled expressions as they looked at Zhao Min, hoping she would explain.

"This is our company's first product: a brand-new smartphone operating system—Army Ant System."

Zhao Min dropped a bombshell. Every reporter was stunned, unable to react as they stared blankly at the screen.

Not a phone? A phone system?

The venue became deathly silent. Zhao Min did not speak either, merely watching the reporters below with a professional smile. About ten seconds later, everyone finally came to their senses, and a ripple of commotion spread through the room.

Even Li Tiejun, who had been on the verge of falling asleep, was suddenly wide awake. His eyes gleamed as he stared at Zhao Min.

If this news was true, it meant that, aside from YUN OS, a second domestically developed smartphone operating system had emerged.

Mobile operating systems had always been a domestic weakness. The thirty-percent Apple Tax incident was an overbearing policy imposed by Apple Inc. through its monopoly.

Although Apple had yielded not long ago and stopped charging the fee, the incident had already served as a warning to the public.

Without core technology, one would inevitably be controlled by others.

Although Alibaba had developed YUN OS, Android's open-source platform had already captured the mobile operating system market, leaving YUN OS with little market share. As a result, Alibaba had shifted its focus to in-vehicle operating systems.

The birth of another domestic smartphone operating system was undoubtedly excellent news.

Li Tiejun grew excited. He focused on his computer and began drafting his article. Once the news was confirmed, he could publish it immediately and seize the trending story.

Seeing the questions on every reporter's face, Zhao Min pressed the clicker again, and the screen changed.

"Army Ant System is a brand-new smartphone operating system. It was independently designed by our company and uses an entirely new architecture. Unlike any mobile operating system currently on the market, it is independent of all major underlying systems. Its security and smoothness are superior to any phone on the market. That concludes the introduction of our first product."

Zhao Min's introduction nearly made the excited reporters below spit blood.

They had never seen such a slapdash press conference. She had whetted their appetites, then left them hanging in midair, unable to move forward or back. The feeling was particularly unbearable.

Shouldn't other companies be lavishly praising their products' strengths at a new product launch?

"Next is today's second product."

Hearing that there was a second product, the reporters immediately perked up again.

"The advantages of Army Ant System will be introduced in detail alongside this product." Zhao Min seemed to understand the reporters' feelings. She clicked the presentation remote, and the PPT changed instantly.

"This is the first phone launched by our company: Army Ant Butterfly Eye."

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