By this point, the factory had begun operations. All the equipment used to build the office building had been removed, and the production machinery was in place, leaving the entire factory grounds spotless.
The visitors looked at the white workshops lining the main road and the greenery throughout the complex, then nodded in satisfaction. It was a pretty nice factory.
After reaching the office building in the middle of the complex, the reporters followed Zhao Yin into a large multimedia room on the first floor.
The room took up two full floors, with a single floor covering over five hundred square meters. At the southern end, a meter-high stage stood before rows of comfortable leather seats.
Behind the stage, an LED screen covered the entire wall.
Once all the reporters had taken their seats and the cameramen had set up their equipment, the lights in the multimedia room dimmed.
Gentle music began to play, and a familiar blue planet appeared on the screen.
"Blue Star, our beautiful home planet, the home of humanity. Our species has thrived on this planet for generations."
"But! Human overexploitation has damaged the ecosystem and natural resources of this beautiful planet. The air and water that all life depends on are growing polluted."
"Our cities are shrouded in smog, and PM2.5 levels keep reaching record highs. Our health and lives are under serious threat!" The video showed an urban landscape blanketed in gray smog. More than sixty percent of the hurried passersby in the footage wore masks.
"But today, we believe we can save our beautiful home!" The music suddenly swelled.
"Titan Environmental has successfully developed an incredible product: the Purification Tree!" As the voice-over ended, a spherical green plant slowly rose from beneath the floor.
"One Purification Tree is all it takes to clean every harmful gas from a hundred square meters of space!"
"Smog? Gone!"
"Secondhand smoke? Gone!"
"Formaldehyde from furniture and renovations? Gone!"
"One Purification Tree can purify all the air in an entire area in just ten minutes, turning your home into a natural oxygen bar and letting you breathe the freshest air in the world!"
"This is our Purification Tree—a green plant that protects your family's health!"
"It only needs sunlight and water to work. On nights without sunlight, simply use one of our nutrient packs to keep it purifying the air."
"It costs just 618 RMB! The overseas version is only ten US dollars!"
"If you want the aromatherapy function..." The video ended with the final introduction, and Titan Environmental's logo reappeared on the screen.
Amid the cheers and applause of the audience, Tang Shizhe walked up to the stage.
"What you've just seen is an artificial plant created by Titan Environmental using genetic programming. It's completely safe and harmless! It produces no harmful substances or radiation!"
"All right, that's the basic introduction to the Purification Tree. Does anyone have any questions?" Tang Shizhe signaled the staff to turn on the lights.
"Mr. Tang, we'd like to know whether the Purification Tree can still work somewhere without sunlight." A reporter raised his hand.
"No. Just as we need water, it needs sunlight. If it goes without sunlight for half a month, it will wither. You'll need to buy emergency treatment to restore it." Tang Shizhe waved his hand.
"Mr. Tang! Mr. Tang!" A female reporter raised both hands as high as she could.
"Miss, what would you like to ask?" Tang Shizhe saw her and nodded.
"Mr. Tang, how will the Purification Tree be sold? And how much will each nutrient pack for nighttime use cost?" The reporter hurried to her feet when she was called on.
"That's a good question. We'll open preorders for the Purification Tree online three days in advance. Three days later, our in-person and online sales channels will open at the same time."
"If you reserve one during the preorder period, it will be shipped as soon as sales officially begin, in the order reservations were placed. You can also pick it up yourself at a store."
"As for the price, a nutrient pack that keeps the Purification Tree running at night for a month costs only six yuan!" Tang Shizhe held up six fingers.
"Any other questions?" Tang Shizhe checked the time. It was about time to wrap up the press conference.
"Mr. Tang, I heard you're still a student. Do you have a girlfriend?" A female reporter suddenly spoke up. The audience burst into laughter.
"No!"
"All right, that concludes the press conference. I've prepared a gift for each of you: the aromatherapy version of the Purification Tree 10S! I hope you like it!" Tang Shizhe waved, and twenty staff members in protective suits pushed twenty carts into the hall.
The Purification Trees on the carts had all been carefully packaged. A support frame made of biodegradable material enclosed each plant, with an outer shell woven from the same material. A handle sat at the very top.
Through the openwork shell, people could see the Purification Tree inside. The packaging not only kept it safe during transport but also let anyone carrying it enjoy fresh air wherever they went. It was practically a walking advertisement.
"Thank you, Mr. Tang!" The reporters happily thanked Tang Shizhe as they accepted their Purification Trees.
That day, news about Titan Environmental began airing on television stations and appearing across online media.
People around the world were stunned, especially by the experiment shown on television, which caused a sensation.
Although there were already all kinds of air purifiers, the air they produced had an unpleasant smell, and they used quite a lot of electricity.
But if the Purification Tree really was as miraculous as they claimed, people could replace their air purifiers with it!
Silent, attractive, and energy-efficient—those three advantages were enough to outclass every air purifier on the market!
At the same time, Tang Shizhe began using a recruitment agency to hire peripheral office staff for Titan Environmental.
These employees would handle only the company's day-to-day operations and would have no access to any production or research departments.
They would be allowed only in the company parking lot and the first, second, and third floors of the office building. The fourth floor was reserved for the Splitters, and no one could get there without using the special elevator.
The office building's basement level was reserved for the executives'—Tang Shizhe's—parking lot and the equipment room. The second basement level contained various laboratories and a vault. Only the special elevator could access these areas, and four Death Soldiers guarded the laboratories.
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