Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo agreed to attend the premiere of the first holographic movie while continuing his research into Variant Element No. 1024. As the holographic “Heroes” Super League and the first Ant Holographic Amusement Park were announced, the Ant Army Group’s preparations for the holographic era came into public view.

• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that holographic phone production had tripled and invited him to the premiere of Zhang Fengyun’s first holographic movie, “Shrouding the Heavens”; Chen Mo agreed to attend.
• Chen Mo asked Mo Nv to arrange a custom suit and then studied possible synthesis formulas for Variant Element No. 1024.
• Zhang Fengyun’s announcement that “Shrouding the Heavens” would premiere worldwide on Christmas sparked excitement, and other films moved their release dates to avoid competing with it.
• Xiao Man livestreamed a promotional shoot at Bin Hai Stadium, where giant holographic heroes and a stadium-sized Summoner’s Rift thrilled viewers.
• The Man Yu Platform and Tencent Company announced that the “Heroes” Holographic Super League finals would be held at Bin Hai Stadium on December 31 and livestreamed on their platforms.
• Ant Paradise announced that the first Ant Holographic Amusement Park would open on New Year’s Day, adding to the wave of holographic-era announcements.

Chen Mo attended the premiere of the world’s first Holographic Movie with Mo Nv, where director Zhang Fengyun welcomed him and asked whether Mo Nv would act in a later installment. The guests entered the screening venue, and the premiere was about to begin.

• Xiao Yu stayed home with Wushuang while Chen Mo left for the premiere with Mo Nv.
• Zhang Fengyun personally greeted Chen Mo and Mo Nv at the Binhai Opera House, then asked Mo Nv to play the Ruthless Empress in a later movie installment.
• Xiao Man arrived and toasted Chen Mo; he introduced her to Zhang Fengyun as his sister-in-law, surprising the guests.
• Chen Mo declined Xiao Man’s invitation to appear at the Holographic Super League and encouraged her to visit her family.
• After the staff confirmed the guests had arrived, they directed everyone into the premiere venue.

At the premiere of the first holographic movie, Zhang Fengyun described how Chen Mo and Ant Army Group helped him create it and proposed turning Hengdian into a holographic film city. The screening of "Shrouding the Heavens" stunned the audience with its immersive cosmic imagery, and the chapter ended as young people began sightseeing at Mount Tai.

• Chen Mo arrived at the Binhai Opera House with Mo Nv and Xiao Man, where celebrities crowded around to take photos with him.
• Zhang Fengyun explained that Chen Mo and Ant Army Group had supported his pioneering holographic movie and proposed transforming Hengdian into a holographic film city.
• Chen Mo said he supported Zhang Fengyun's plan and that Ant Army Group would consider investing in a complete proposal.
• The premiere screening began with holographic images of the universe, nine dragon corpses, an ancient bronze coffin, and Mount Tai, astonishing and frightening the audience.
• The movie moved to a group of young people sightseeing at Jade Emperor Peak on Mount Tai.

Zhang Fengyun’s holographic adaptation of Shrouding the Heavens stunned its premiere audience and sparked a worldwide rush to see holographic films. As the movie’s box office soared and holographic cinemas spread, the Heroes Holographic Super League arrived.

• Audiences, including Cameron, applauded Zhang Fengyun’s Shrouding the Heavens after its premiere, and Chen Mo congratulated the director.
• Celebrities, critics, and media figures praised the film online, sending it to the top of the trending charts before its official release.
• Cinemas began advance screenings, which quickly sold out, and the film earned more than five hundred million before its public premiere.
• Holographic movie screenings spread worldwide, and Shrouding the Heavens passed 3.5 billion in box-office revenue in less than a week.
• Directors announced their holographic film projects as the technology entered everyday life, and the Heroes Holographic Super League arrived.

The first "Heroes" Holographic Super League finals began at Bin Hai Stadium, where holographic projections transformed Summoner's Rift into a colossal arena. The spectacle captivated viewers worldwide, and the IOC announced it was considering making eSports an official sport.

• Weng Xing introduced the grand final between Huaxia's Royal Clan Team and South Korea's Dynasty Team.
• The teams entered the stadium, completed the handshake ceremony, and prepared to compete as the crowd cheered.
• Holographic projections of the Ancient Dragon, Baron Dragon, and a vast Summoner's Rift astonished the audience.
• After the teams selected their heroes, the ten towering champions appeared and began the match amid roaring cheers.
• Xiao Man watched from the VIP section and celebrated the spectacle's success and the revenue it brought Man Yu Platform.
• The IOC announced that it was considering recognizing eSports as an official sport and possibly adding it to the next Olympic Games.

Ke Lan Di attended Ant Paradise’s opening ceremony, where Li Danni introduced the holographic resort and Chen Mo and other guests activated its projections. The ceremony unveiled shifting Ice and Snow, Underwater, and dinosaur worlds, leaving the crowd amazed as the next scene began to appear.

• Ke Lan Di arrived at Ant Paradise on an opening-day ticket reserved for international visitors and joined the crowd awaiting the ceremony.
• Li Ruoxi introduced the guests, including Chen Mo, Yao Yi, Little Ma, Alexander, Su Zhigang, and Li Danni.
• Li Danni described Ant Paradise’s permanent and changing holographic themes and its goal of becoming a Holographic World.
• Chen Mo and the other guests pressed the opening button, activating the park’s holographic projectors.
• The projections transformed the island into an Ice and Snow Kingdom, then an Underwater World, drawing cheers from the crowd.
• The underwater scene gave way to a primeval forest filled with dinosaurs, and the crowd photographed the spectacle as the scene began changing again.

The opening of Ant Paradise boosted Bin Hai City's tourism ambitions, while Ant Army Group faced coordinated antitrust investigations abroad over its holographic products. Chen Mo resumed his experiments on the second-stage modification of Variant Element No. 1024, beginning his thirty-seventh attempt.

• Holographic Amusement Park videos drew worldwide attention, and Yao Yi ordered preparations for the Holographic City launch ceremony.
• Zhao Min reviewed Ant Army Group's finances and learned that the United States, the European Union, Britain, Japan, Australia, Canada, and other countries had opened antitrust investigations.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min to handle the investigations firmly, and she left him to continue his research.
• Chen Mo began the thirty-seventh experiment to modify an indium isomeric crystal, using a particle accelerator and three lasers.

Multiple countries launched antitrust investigations into Ant Army Group’s holographic products, while their leaders waited to see how the United States would act. In a U.S. meeting, officials presented Ant Army Group representative Yin Hongye with terms for ending the investigation.

• The United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia, Canada, and other countries announced antitrust investigations into Ant Army Group, sparking public debate.
• Wilbur explained to his assistant Marlon that the investigations were meant to curb Ant Army Group’s control of the holographic market and said they should present terms to its subsidiaries.
• Liam and officials in other countries held off on further action while they watched the U.S. response to Ant Army Group’s promise to cooperate.
• Marlon questioned Yin Hongye, who avoided giving substantive answers about the company’s business.
• Marlon gave Yin Hongye a document of terms and said the United States would withdraw its investigation if Ant Army Group signed the agreement.

Zhao Min rejected demands from the United States that would have forced the Ant Army Group to share and produce holographic technology on American terms. After several countries filed antitrust lawsuits, Li Huai defended the group at a press conference and warned that unfair rulings could lead it to suspend cooperation or leave those markets.

• Zhao Min ordered the Ant Army Group to reject every American demand and let its legal department handle any investigation or lawsuit.
• Wilbur ordered an investigation and lawsuit after Marlon explained that the group's monopoly and pricing practices would be contested in court.
• The United States sued the Ant Army Group, and the European Union, Britain, Australia, Canada, and other countries soon filed their own monopoly cases.
• Li Huai held the group's first press conference on the investigations and denied that it had monopolized markets, abused its position, or manipulated prices.
• Li Huai warned reporters that the Ant Army Group might suspend cooperation or withdraw from a country after unfair treatment, then argued that holographic products competed with other display and projection technologies.

Chen Mo successfully synthesized the 1024 Isomer Element Crystal and confirmed it powered the armor’s reactor, while Zhao Min turned away four phone manufacturers seeking holographic projectors. The chapter ended with Zhao Min asking Mo Nv whether Chen Mo was busy.

• Chen Mo began the forty-fourth attempt to synthesize the 1024 Isomer Element Crystal after forty-three failures.
• Mo Nv reported that the synthesis had succeeded, and Chen Mo confirmed the crystal’s radiation level was safe and sent it for testing.
• Chen Mo tested the crystal in the armor’s reactor, which produced a peak output of 3.84 billion joules per second and prompted a change in the Sci-Tech Library.
• Lei Jun, Yu Chengnan, Chen Mingyong, and Fan Wei asked Zhao Min to sell them Miniature Holographic Projectors, but Zhao Min said production barely met the Ant Army Group’s needs.
• After the four manufacturers left, Zhao Min asked Mo Nv whether Chen Mo was busy.

Chen Mo approved selling Miniature Holographic Projectors to rival manufacturers and planned an upgraded projector while beginning work on a small Ion Engine for his battle armor. As the Ant Army Group refused to yield to international pressure, a Polish court fined it and ordered price cuts, opening a new front in the dispute.

• Chen Mo told Zhao Min to sell Miniature Holographic Projectors to four major manufacturers and said an upgraded version could be produced with Nano 3D Printers.
• Chen Mo told Zhao Min not to yield in the antitrust dispute and began designing a small Ion Engine for his battle armor.
• Wilbur and Marlon concluded that a full-scale crackdown on the Ant Army Group was impractical and considered testing its response through a smaller country.
• A Polish court ruled that the Ant Army Group had abused its monopoly, fined it 500 million US Dollars, and ordered it to lower prices for holographic products and Intelligent Robots.

After Poland’s ruling against Ant Army Group, Zhao Min ordered the company to withdraw from Poland and transfer its overseas cash to Huaxia. Wilbur then tried to pressure the company into surrendering its holographic technology, but Yin Hongye refused.

• Zhao Min ordered Ant Army Group to move its overseas cash back to Huaxia, withdraw personnel from Poland, dissolve its Polish branch, and close its stores.
• Ant Army Group announced its appeal and withdrawal plans, and its $260 billion cash transfer sparked a storm of media criticism and forced countries investigating it to reconsider their moves.
• Wilbur learned that divisions within the European Union prevented it from blocking the transfer, and France opposed rulings unsupported by facts and evidence.
• Wilbur asked Qualcomm’s president to restrict chip supplies to Ant Army Group, but the president refused, citing the company’s self-sufficient chip production and the risks of retaliation.
• Wilbur met Yin Hongye and offered greater market freedom if Ant Army Group patented and disclosed its holographic technology and built production lines in the United States.
• Yin Hongye rejected Wilbur’s conditions and said Ant Army Group would not accept private demands or change its factory plans.

Yao Yi and Chen Mo attended the launch of Holographic City in Bin Hai City, where a crowd of more than 200,000 gathered to witness the spectacle. They pressed the launch button together, beginning the city’s holographic showcase.

• Yao Yi confirmed that security was ready and invited Chen Mo and Zhao Min to launch Holographic City with him.
• Zhao Min showed Chen Mo the improved Second Generation Holographic Phone and updated him on overseas antitrust disputes and Ant Army Group’s booming holographic businesses.
• Zhao Min told Chen Mo that Yao Yi had invited him to Holographic City’s launch, and Chen Mo agreed to attend.
• On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, security forces closed roads around BinHai Central Square as more than 200,000 people gathered for the launch.
• Yao Yi and Chen Mo gave brief speeches, then walked to the launch button and pressed it together.

Holographic City opened in Bin Hai City, showcasing giant landmarks and immersive attractions that drew crowds and global attention. As the spectacle strengthened calls for Ant Army Group to enter the US market, Wilbur faced mounting pressure over the ongoing effort to restrict the company.

• A 350-meter holographic Fisher Girl appeared around Fisher Girl Tower, astonishing visitors and spreading across global media.
• Chen Mo watched the display with Yao Yi, who anticipated that the attraction would boost Bin Hai City's tourism and economy.
• Holographic creatures and scenes filled Binhai Square, while the underground mall offered holographic shopping, games, karaoke, and guides.
• Tilly photographed the mall and posted about the magical holographic world in BinHai City, China.
• American netizens debated the antitrust investigation and called for Ant Army Group to be allowed into their market.
• Wilbur watched the Holographic City opening and felt pressure as he weighed the consequences of restricting or admitting Ant Army Group.

As Ant Army Group prepared to sell Miniature Holographic Projectors and launch its Second Generation Holographic Phone, companies and online commentators debated the restrictions against it. Meanwhile, Chen Mo continued developing battle armor and planned a new body for Mo Nv.

• Zhao Min reviewed the growing backlash against restrictions on Ant Army Group and decided to use the Second Generation Holographic Phone and external projector sales to pressure the U.S. to back down.
• Lan Xi told Zhao Min that eight Miniature Holographic Projector production lines were complete, and Zhao Min scheduled the phone launch, invited four major manufacturers to discuss authorization, and spread news of the projector sales.
• Cook and Apple's board considered how to obtain projectors, and Gore suggested lobbying the authorities to lift restrictions so Apple could partner with Ant Army Group.
• Phone manufacturers, including Samsung Company, sent representatives to Huaxia to seek cooperation after Ant Army Group announced projector sales.
• Chen Mo tested and refined an Ion Engine for his battle armor, while Mo Nv said her new body would be completed in about three days.

Chen Mo completed the design for a small ion engine and had Mo Nv begin printing it while Xiao Yu watched. With the Spring Festival approaching, the family prepared to travel to Chen Mo’s hometown, and they set off after breakfast.

• Xiao Yu brought Chen Mo water and watched as he finished modifying the small ion engine design.
• Chen Mo asked Mo Nv to simulate the engine, checked the results, and told her to print it.
• Mo Nv asked whether she could sleep with Chen Mo, and Xiao Yu told her she could ask him when Xiao Yu was away visiting her parents.
• Chen Mo and Xiao Yu joked about Mo Nv becoming his girlfriend before going to bed.
• The next morning, Xiao Yu finished packing gifts and luggage while Chen Mo trained and Mo Nv joined him.
• Chen Mo, Xiao Yu, and Wushuang left for Chen Mo’s hometown to spend the Spring Festival with his family.

Chen Mo brought Xiao Yu and Xiao Wushuang to his ancestral home in Hekou Village for the New Year, where his parents welcomed them and the family paid respects at the Ancestral Hall. That night, Chen Mo took them to the village festival plaza, where Xiao Wushuang spotted a cotton candy stall.

• Chen Mo drove Xiao Yu and Xiao Wushuang through the countryside to Hekou Village, answering Xiao Wushuang's questions about the fields and animals.
• Chen Shanhe and Shao Xuemei welcomed the family at their restored home, and Chen Shanhe happily carried Xiao Wushuang inside.
• Chen Shanhe led Chen Mo, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Wushuang to the Ancestral Hall, where they offered incense and he told Chen Mo about the family's past.
• Chen Mo went with Xiao Yu, Mo Nv, and Xiao Wushuang to the lively village plaza, where Xiao Wushuang asked him to buy her cotton candy.

Chen Mo celebrated the New Year with his family in the village, while Wushuang enjoyed fireworks and collected red envelopes. After several days at home, Mo Nv told Chen Mo that the Ion Engine had been completed, leaving only its final test before the armor neared completion.

• Chen Shanhe set off fireworks for Wushuang, who delighted in the display and kissed her grandparents.
• At New Year’s midnight, villagers lit firecrackers, and Wushuang greeted Chen Mo and Xiao Yu the next morning and received red envelopes.
• Neighbors visited Chen Mo’s home, where Wushuang exchanged New Year greetings for red envelopes and Zheng Wanshan brought produce from households Chen Mo’s family had supported.
• Chen Mo’s family drove to the county town after the visitors left and spent several days celebrating the New Year together.
• Mo Nv told Chen Mo that the Ion Engine was finished and that only its final testing remained.

Chen Mo completed and tested the Steel Armor’s Ion Engines, then turned his attention to spaceplane research and activated Mo Nv’s upgraded body. Zhao Min asked him to host the Second Generation Holographic Phone launch, where he would also announce projector sales to other manufacturers.

• Chen Mo tested the Ion Engines for thrust, icing, water ingestion, and impact resistance, and the Sci-Tech Library acknowledged the completed technology.
• Chen Mo selected Spaceplane Design and Manufacturing Principles as his next research project.
• Chen Mo activated Mo Nv’s new body, equipped with stronger materials, an Energy Reactor, improved radar, and more powerful lasers, and had her old body stored away.
• Chen Mo told Mo Nv he planned to research a spaceplane to prepare for exploring beyond Earth.
• Zhao Min asked Chen Mo to host the Second Generation Holographic Phone launch and announce cooperation with manufacturers to sell them Miniature Holographic Projectors, and he agreed.

Zhao Min rejected Apple’s request to buy Army Ant Group’s Miniature Holographic Projectors, citing limited production and the effects of U.S. restrictions. At the company’s spring launch, Chen Mo unveiled the Second Generation Holographic Phone, Mirage Ant, whose advanced features and near-unchanged starting price left the audience and competitors stunned.

• Zhao Min told Mr. Cook that Army Ant Group could not supply Apple because production was limited and cooperation faced security concerns tied to U.S. restrictions.
• News reports said American phone makers were excluded from the first projector supply list, while Army Ant Group had agreements with four major manufacturers.
• Chen Mo opened Army Ant Group’s spring product launch at the Binhai Opera House and announced the Second Generation Holographic Phone, Mirage Ant.
• Chen Mo presented the phone’s upgraded projector, chips, operating system, intelligent assistant, and graphene supercapacitor battery, prompting excited reactions from viewers and alarm among rival manufacturers.
• Chen Mo revealed that the phone started at 29,000 yuan, only slightly more than the first-generation model, and the audience praised its price.