Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo made his first appearance as host at Ant Army Company's launch event, drawing intense attention from the audience and viewers. He thanked the guests and began the presentation by announcing a video, leaving the new product unrevealed.

• Guests explored Ant Army Company's product exhibition before moving to the Ant Theater for the launch.
• Zhao Min persuaded Chen Mo to host the event, and Xiao Yu helped him get ready backstage.
• Chen Mo walked onto the stage, surprising reporters and livestream viewers who were accustomed to seeing Zhao Min host.
• Chen Mo welcomed the audience and introduced a video, and beams of light enveloped the stage.

Chen Mo unveiled Ant Army Company's Mirage holographic projector at a launch event, demonstrating its realistic projections and multiple functions. After announcing a price of 58,888, he opened the event to reporters' questions.

• A killer whale and dolphin appeared to leap and swim across the stage, revealing the realism of the holographic display.
• Chen Mo introduced Mirage, explaining its focus-free technology, smart controls, display modes, and stereoscopic projection features.
• Chen Mo demonstrated Mirage's linked projection by displaying a towering Tiger that prowled and roared behind him.
• Chen Mo said Mirage could replace devices such as televisions, computers, and projectors, and that linked units could provide an immersive movie-theater display.
• Chen Mo announced that one Mirage unit cost 58,888, then began a question-and-answer session with reporters.

At the launch event, Chen Mo described everyday uses for holography and confirmed Army Ant Company was developing a Holographic Phone, while explaining the projector’s limited initial production and sales plan. News of the breakthrough spread worldwide, and customers prepared for Mirage’s online debut at ten o’clock.

• Yang Limin asked Chen Mo about holography’s future applications and whether it could be used in phones, and he described uses including remote conferences, medical surgery, advertisements, and exhibitions.
• Shen Dong asked whether Army Ant Company was developing a Holographic Phone, and Chen Mo confirmed that development was underway without revealing its progress.
• Chen Mo said the Holographic Projector was being produced at about ten thousand units per day and would initially be sold through the official online store, limited to one per account.
• Chen Mo left the stage and handed the remaining work to Xiao Yu and Zhao Min.
• News outlets and online users widely circulated coverage of Army Ant Company’s holographic technology, while foreign commenters disputed its origins.
• Army Ant Company announced that Mirage sales would open at ten o’clock, and prospective buyers waited at their computers.

Yang Rui and thousands of other customers failed to buy a Holographic Projector as Ant Army Company's first batch sold out in seconds. Chen Mo showed Zhao Min the modified robots that would handle equipment upgrades and Holographic Phone production.

• Yang Rui tried to buy a Holographic Projector at the moment sales opened, but the thirty-thousand-unit batch sold out before he could pay.
• Customers who missed out complained online and offered up to eighty thousand for a projector, while Ant Army Company earned 1.7 billion from the sales.
• Zhao Min brought Chen Mo a list of equipment worth five hundred million and asked how he planned to modify it.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min he would not do the work himself and led her to a room full of robots.
• Chen Mo explained that the modified Generation 2.5 Robots would upgrade the equipment and produce Holographic Phones.

Chen Mo revealed that Mo Nv had designed the company’s robots and ordered them to renovate the Holographic Phone production line. As Ant Army’s Holographic Projectors spread in popularity, an American research institute struggled to crack their encrypted chip, leaving Owen to report the lack of progress to his superiors.

• Chen Mo told Zhao Min that Mo Nv had designed the robots, then ordered Mo Nv to send them to Building Two to renovate the production equipment.
• Zhao Min arranged for components for Holographic Phone production after leaving Building No. 1.
• Ant Army’s Holographic Projectors continued selling out and gained use in advertising, design, and research as public interest grew.
• Owen visited an American research team attempting to crack a Holographic Projector and learned that its encrypted chip kept destroying their computers and data.
• Owen ordered the researchers to continue and left to report the chip-cracking failure to his superiors.

Chen Mo agreed with Xiao Yu to have a baby after their wedding, then visited his sister Zhang Xinxin at Binhai University for her birthday. He gave her an unreleased Holographic Phone, and she asked for another gift and declared that he would pay for a shopping trip.

• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu talked about having a baby, and Chen Mo promised they would hold their wedding after the Large Holographic Projector was developed.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu drove to Binhai University to celebrate Zhang Xinxin's birthday.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu gave Zhang Xinxin a necklace and an unreleased Holographic Phone that could not yet use Holographic Mode.
• Zhang Xinxin asked Chen Mo for another gift and said she and Xiao Yu would go shopping while he paid.

Chen Mo celebrated Zhang Xinxin’s birthday by taking her shopping and reminding her that he and Xiao Yu would support her. Meanwhile, U.S. technology adviser Theos arranged a visit to Huaxia, including Ant Army Company, and studied Chen Mo’s profile.

• Chen Mo took Zhang Xinxin and Xiao Yu around Bin Hai City and bought gifts for Xinxin during her birthday outing.
• Chen Mo urged Zhang Xinxin to stay in touch, look after herself, and ask Wang Hai or White Pearl for help if she needed it.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu dropped Zhang Xinxin off at Binhai University, where her dorm mates were waiting to celebrate her birthday.
• Michael Sios, referred to as Theos, told Anna to arrange a trip to Huaxia to tour high-tech parks, including Ant Army Company.
• Theos reviewed Ant Army Company’s rise and stared at a photograph of Chen Mo.

Chen Mo learned that a U.S. science official planned to visit his company, then entered the Sci-Tech Library to find a material for Xiao Yu’s wedding dress. After arranging tests for Dream Fiber, he went to work on the Large Holographic Projector.

• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer Theos and a delegation planned to visit the company, and Chen Mo agreed to meet them.
• Zhao Min updated Chen Mo on the company’s expanding pharmaceutical markets in Europe, Southeast Asia, and India.
• Chen Mo entered the Sci-Tech Library and found the Dream Fiber technology he needed for Xiao Yu’s wedding dress.
• Chen Mo dictated Dream Fiber’s synthesis technology to Mo Nv and asked her to simulate it and make a sample if the results were successful.
• Chen Mo went to the laboratory to begin designing the Large Holographic Projector.

Theos visited Ant Army Company and asked Chen Mo about the future of technology. Chen Mo introduced the idea of “Artificial Intelligence +,” and Theos requested a private discussion, leaving Chen Mo and Theos alone in the reception room.

• Xiao Yu welcomed Theos, Yao Yi, and their delegation to Ant Army Company’s headquarters.
• Chen Mo told Theos that artificial intelligence would drive the next industrial transformation and described how it could improve work and daily life.
• Theos questioned Chen Mo about Artificial Intelligence +, and they spoke for over an hour.
• Theos asked to discuss Artificial Intelligence + with Chen Mo privately, and Zhao Min led Yao Yi and the others out of the room.

Chen Mo rejected Theos's efforts to persuade him to move Ant Army Company's production lines to America, sell or license its technology, or immigrate there, repeatedly saying he would consider the proposals. He then ended their private discussion and offered to show Theos around the company.

• Theos asked Chen Mo to move production lines to America in exchange for access to its domestic market and subsidies, but Chen Mo said the company needed to consider the proposal.
• Theos offered to buy the Holographic Projector production technology and Artificial Intelligence source code, but Chen Mo declined and said he would consider it.
• Theos promoted living in America and invited Chen Mo to visit or immigrate, but Chen Mo said he had no travel plans and understood the risks of going there.
• Chen Mo decided not to transfer his company's core technology and stood to show Theos around the company.

Chen Mo rejected Theos’s proposals and kept the American delegation away from Building No. 1, then discussed his off-the-cuff idea for “Artificial Intelligence +” with Zhao Min and Xiao Yu. Zhao Min began developing it as a company plan, while Chen Mo returned to his research and learned that Holographic Phone mass production could begin.

• Chen Mo showed Theos and the American delegation Ant Army Company’s holographic displays and robot-production footage, but refused to let them visit Building No. 1.
• Theos left disappointed, having failed to secure Chen Mo’s cooperation or inspect the company’s main research building.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min and Xiao Yu that his “Artificial Intelligence +” proposal had been an improvised response to Theos’s requests.
• Zhao Min and Xiao Yu recognized that Chen Mo’s work with Mo Nv already embodied the idea, and Zhao Min decided to develop it into a strategic plan.
• Chen Mo resumed designing a large-scale holographic projection and a wedding dress for Xiao Yu.
• The company learned that its first refitted Miniature Holographic Projector production line was ready, allowing Holographic Phone mass production to begin.

Chen Mo completed the Miniature Holographic Projector production line, clearing the way for mass production of the Holographic Phone. Zhao Min revealed the phone’s holographic projection to Ant Army Group executives and set its global launch event for ten days later.

• An Intelligent Robot reported that test-produced Miniature Holographic Projectors met standards and said one line could produce about twenty thousand units a day.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min to begin preparing for the Holographic Phone’s launch, and she gathered the company’s phone-business executives.
• Zhao Min introduced Chen Mo’s new phone to the executives and activated its holographic projection, shocking those who had not known its capabilities.
• Zhao Min ordered the executives to finish preparations within ten days and announced a global launch event for the twenty-sixth at two in the afternoon.

Ant Army Company prepared a grand global launch for its new phone as rumors spread about its features. Chen Mo told Li Chengzhi about America’s attempt to recruit him, heard the higher-ups would support his future research, and gave Li Chengzhi an early Holographic Phone for his daughter before reviewing the launch presentation.

• Ant Army Company announced four simultaneous global events to unveil its new phone, stirring speculation and excitement.
• Li Chengzhi asked Chen Mo about the American visitor, and Chen Mo said the man had tried to recruit him and move his technology and factories to America.
• Li Chengzhi warned Chen Mo to stay vigilant and told him the Potential Elixir had been confirmed successful, with the higher-ups offering support for future research.
• Li Chengzhi asked for a preview of the new phone, and Chen Mo gave him a Holographic Phone to take to his daughter.
• Chen Mo began reviewing the launch presentation after Li Chengzhi left.

Ant Army Company held a simultaneous four-city launch event, using holographic projections to connect its stages as Chen Mo prepared to reveal the company’s third-generation phone. The opening video ended with a giant phone rising onto the stage, leaving the product reveal poised to continue.

• Zhao Min confirmed that the launch venues in Paris, Mumbai, and Bangkok were ready and ordered the event to begin.
• Huang Minmin appeared as a holographic host at all four venues and explained that holographic projection allowed the launch events to happen simultaneously.
• Chen Mo took the stage and introduced a video that would reveal the new phone.
• The video showed a man and a woman crossing contrasting city and natural landscapes to reunite, then a massive phone rose beneath them as the audiences erupted.

Chen Mo unveiled the Mirage Ant, Army Ant Company's holographic phone, and demonstrated its advanced features to an astonished audience. He ended the presentation by hinting at the phone's price, leaving the crowd waiting for the announcement.

• The holographic phone's appearance went viral worldwide as viewers and media followed Army Ant Company's launch event.
• Chen Mo introduced the phone as the Mirage Ant and explained its name while a stage presentation showed a mirage forming above the device.
• Chen Mo demonstrated the Mirage Ant's dual screens, holographic photography and calls, and Marching Ant 4.0 Intelligent System.
• Chen Mo described the phone's 72-hour Carbon Crystal Battery and upgraded Intelligent Assistant, which supported 117 major languages.
• Chen Mo asked the audience how much they thought the Mirage Ant would cost.

Chen Mo announced the Mirage Ant’s price and sales plans, triggering huge demand for the Holographic Phone and long queues at the press conference venue. As Ant Army Company prepared to sell the phones, Kang Bomin realized Altice Group’s efforts to block the company in Europe had failed, and a phone call brought him new, troubling information.

• Chen Mo announced that the Mirage Ant cost 28,888 yuan and would be available for preorder that evening, with launch sales beginning the next morning.
• Chen Mo said attendees could buy Holographic Phones at the four global press conference venues, prompting nearby viewers to rush toward Bin Hai Grand Theater.
• Zhao Min showed Chen Mo the long lines outside the venue, and Chen Mo asked staff to add sales points and help people waiting in the cold.
• Kang Bomin watched the launch and recognized that Altice Group’s failed partnership and efforts to restrict Ant Army Company had left it unable to stop the company’s European expansion.
• Kang Bomin received a phone call that briefly relieved him before new concerns appeared.

Holographic Phones made Ant Army Company and Chen Mo the focus of worldwide attention, bringing him fame, wealth, and unwanted attention. Chen Mo went to Ant Army Company and agreed to meet the reporters waiting outside.

• Holographic Phones went on sale in Huaxia, drawing long lines that included foreigners eager to buy them.
• Reports ranked Ant Army Company as the world’s most valuable technology company, valued Ant Army Group at 1.5 trillion US dollars, and named Chen Mo the world’s richest person and a leading technological figure.
• Chen Mo told Xiao Yu that he planned to develop large-scale Holographic Technology before holding their wedding, and she urged him not to overwork himself.
• Chen Mo’s convoy pushed through reporters gathered at Ant Army Company’s gates, and Zhao Min asked whether he would meet the waiting press.
• Chen Mo agreed to meet the reporters because they had waited since early morning.

Chen Mo faced reporters at an impromptu press conference, answering questions about Ant Army Company's valuation, his technologies, and the social effects of Holographic Phones. Afterward, Zhao Min encouraged him to adapt to public attention, and he returned to the laboratory.

• Chen Mo answered Li Ying's question about Ant Army Company's 1.5-trillion-dollar valuation and said the company would not go public because it did not lack money.
• Chen Mo rejected a Western reporter's call to release his technologies freely, saying they could benefit humanity without being made public.
• Chen Mo told Lu Zhimin that people should not sacrifice their principles or dignity to obtain Holographic Phones.
• After the press conference, Chen Mo rested in his office and told Zhao Min he disliked dealing with reporters.
• Zhao Min urged Chen Mo to adapt to public attention and develop as a leader, and Chen Mo later changed clothes and returned to the laboratory.

Lin Shu balanced university with her work at Ant Army Company and helped her roommates obtain Holographic Phones through her employee discount. As she considered ideas for the company’s Artificial Intelligence + plan, her roommates’ conversation sparked an idea, and she immediately began developing it.

• Lin Shu returned to her dormitory, where her roommates eagerly asked her to help them buy Holographic Phones through Ant Army Company’s employee program.
• Lin Shu agreed to apply for three discounted phones and let her roommates try her own Holographic Phone.
• While thinking about the upcoming Artificial Intelligence + meeting, Lin Shu heard her roommates discuss holographic videos, livestreams, and games.
• Lin Shu had a sudden inspiration and began working on her idea at once.

Zhao Min convened Ant Army Company’s core team to discuss its Artificial Intelligence + plan and the Holographic Ecosystem. Wang Sijia proposed personal AI assistants for work and daily life, while disagreement over whether AI should include social features remained unresolved as Lin Zhiyuan prepared to present his holographic ecosystem ideas.

• Zhao Min declined Kang Bomin’s request to discuss cooperation and went with Xiao Yu to a strategy meeting.
• Zhao Min told the team to discuss the Artificial Intelligence + plan and Holographic Ecosystem freely.
• Wang Sijia proposed personal intelligent accounts that could control devices and assist with work and daily life, with safeguards giving mechanical commands priority over AI execution.
• Julie suggested adding social interaction to Artificial Intelligence +, but Lao Luo argued that social features should remain separate from its internal structure.
• Zhao Min set the disagreement aside and invited further ideas, and Lin Zhiyuan stood to discuss the Holographic Ecosystem.