New Splitter

Tang Shizhe rubbed his nose awkwardly. True enough, if they followed his plan, it would be practically the same as rebuilding the entire factory.

"Let's repair the water and electricity first, then give the inside of the factory a simple setup." Tang Shizhe pushed open the factory's sealed metal doors, and a cloud of dust rushed at him.

"Clean the floors, then coat them with cement again. Also, order some cheap sofas and floor lamps."

"Put sofas and floor lamps here and here. This will be our rest area!" Tang Shizhe said, pointing at the spot near the warehouse entrance.

"Here, stretch up opaque plastic sheeting as a partition. Turn this side into our kitchen and dining area. Remember, buy whatever is cheapest. We'll make do for now. As for the capacity, set it up for forty people first."

"And here, set up several rows of bookshelves and desks. This will be where you study and store materials in the future." Tang Shizhe pointed deeper into the warehouse.

"As for the second floor, clear out half the space first and put in twenty metal bunk beds. Buy the cheapest bedding too!"

"Put the communal showers and toilets behind the study area, in that corner. Turn the opposite corner into a cloakroom for storing your clothes!" Tang Shizhe rattled off the entire arrangement in one breath. Luckily, Tang Yi had an astonishing memory, or he truly would not have been able to remember so much.

One week later

The factory looked no different from the outside, but its interior had been completely transformed.

Just inside the factory was a rest area made up of ten two-seat office sofas. Ten LED lights hung above it. They were not especially bright, but they were sufficient. Beyond the rest area was a partition made from black rigid plastic sheeting, with ordinary glass doors on either side.

Passing through the two glass doors led to the dining area. In front of a neat row of worktables stood dining tables capable of seating forty people at once. Every table had a black tabletop and silver legs, while the stools were simple black square stools.

Behind the worktables stood a somewhat old secondhand refrigerator. It seemed Tang Yi had taken frugality to the extreme.

Like the rest area, the dining room and kitchen were separated from the rear section by plastic sheeting. Passing through another set of glass doors brought them into a vast space. Forty desks were arranged in neat rows, while iron-frame bookshelves lined the surrounding walls alongside five water dispensers.

Behind the bookshelves stood storage cabinets of the same construction, already packed with all kinds of daily necessities.

Beyond another partition was a hall divided into three sections. The north corner contained the showers and toilets, the center held a fitness area with basic exercise equipment, and the other side was a cloakroom filled with cheap clothing.

There was no need to inspect the second floor. Twenty silver metal bunk beds filled one corner, while the rest of the space remained empty.

Another change was that a covered passageway had been erected along the path connecting the factory to the adjacent office building. Its roof and sides were covered in black plastic sheeting, enough to block any possible prying eyes from above or around them.

The original office building had also undergone simple renovations, becoming an industrial-style residence with five rooms and two living rooms.

In the basement of the office building was a Splitter Chamber protected by two security doors requiring fingerprints, passwords, and keycards.

At the center of the Splitter Chamber was a four-by-two-meter bed covered with a large white plastic sheet.

The two walls of the Splitter Chamber were lined with shelves filled with high-energy food, glucose for IV drips, and emergency medicine and tools.

Ten large LED lamps hung overhead, illuminating the entire Splitter Chamber as brightly as day.

At that moment, Tang Shizhe lay asleep on the large bed in the Splitter Chamber, propped against several cushions.

After frantically consuming high-calorie food, his body had once again accumulated a vast amount of energy.

He was now preparing for his second split!

Tang Yi carefully locked both security doors, then pushed over several IV stands from a nearby corner. The stands were covered with glucose drips.

Tang Yi flicked the needles and inserted them into Tang Shizhe's body. Within moments, more than ten IV tubes had been inserted into him.

The glucose was meant to prevent Tang Shizhe from drawing upon his own body's energy during the split due to a lack of energy. This would reduce the damage to his original body.

Tang Shizhe's unconscious body slowly began to writhe. Fleshy buds extended from his body and tangled together along his left side, forming a huge lump of flesh.

Tang Yi nodded, picked up a textbook, and sat down in a nearby chair to wait.

If nothing unexpected happened, twelve hours later, his companion—the Splitter who would likely be named Tang Er—would be successfully born.

Second by second, time passed. The flesh lump beside Tang Shizhe gradually split open, revealing a young man identical to him on the bed.

When Tang Yi saw that Tang Shizhe's pajamas had torn apart, he hurriedly fetched new pajamas and dressed both Tang Shizhe and the newly born Splitter.

Not long after, Tang Shizhe slowly woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he noticed the brand-new Splitter lying beside him.

"Your name will be Tang Er." Tang Shizhe touched the Splitter's forehead. He had named this action the Awakening Ceremony. Though it had no practical purpose whatsoever, he simply thought it looked cool.

Tang Er opened his eyes. Having already synchronized with Tang Shizhe's latest memories, he knew where he was. He got up, bowed to Tang Shizhe, then stepped aside and stood respectfully.

"Very good. Our big family has gained another member!" Tang Shizhe looked with satisfaction at Tang Yi and Tang Er standing by the bed.

With these two assistants, he would finally be free of all the trivial chores!

"Tang Yi, continue purchasing supplies for the base tomorrow. Tang Er, start studying computer-related knowledge tomorrow!" Tang Shizhe assigned their newest tasks.

Now he had to figure out how to make some money. Reorganizing this factory had already cost nearly a million, and he had less than a million in cash left!

And how did the protagonists in the novels he read make their first fortune? The internet!

That was right. Those protagonists would develop some antivirus software, then conveniently encounter some deadly virus sweeping across the world! Their software would then become an overnight sensation.

So the question was, why not make that kind of virus themselves? No matter how he looked at it, making a virus seemed faster and more profitable than developing software.

He could make money while lying down!

That was right! His first goal was to create a supervirus capable of sweeping across the world in a short time.

Then he could make the companies infected by it purchase various cryptocurrencies, while they could also buy those cryptocurrencies in advance and make a killing through speculation.

Perfect! Perfect! A perfect plan!

The next day, Tang Shizhe and Tang Yi split up. One rode an electric bike to the computer market, while the other took a taxi to buy basic supplies.

The reason Tang Shizhe went out personally was because he had been cooped up in the factory district for too long. Besides, he had a scarf and hat on throughout the trip, and with different clothes, no one would notice anything unusual.

After a journey of just over ten minutes, Tang Shizhe arrived at Jiaodong City's largest electronics mall.

Although Tokyo Mall existed, computers were still more reliable when bought from a physical store.

"Welcome, sir." The moment Tang Shizhe entered the computer section, he heard a familiar voice.

The owner of that voice was quite beautiful, but for some reason, Tang Shizhe simply did not like her.

Why? Because she was one of his classmates. Though the girl was pretty, the way she dressed made her seem a little delinquent.

Based on her appearance alone, Tang Shizhe had no favorable impression of her. He did not like girls who seemed too streetwise. Besides, she skipped class whenever she could and was never seen around, which gave Tang Shizhe certain unpleasant thoughts about her.

He had never expected this girl to be working part-time at an electronics mall. It was rather unbelievable!

Tang Shizhe tightened his scarf and walked over to the girl's counter. Her name tag read Yin Qi.

"Hello, sir. What would you like?" Yin Qi respectfully asked Tang Shizhe, who was wrapped up tightly.

"Give me ten of these computers." Tang Shizhe pointed at the desktop computers in front of him, priced at ten thousand each.

With desktop computer profits being so slim these days, their price was already practically the same as the cost of building an equivalent custom machine.

"Certainly, sir. If you're sure you want ten units, I can apply for a better price for you." Yin Qi replied softly, surprising Tang Shizhe.

Based on his impression, Yin Qi should have been the kind of tomboy who exploded at the slightest provocation. He had not expected her to be so gentle outside school.

"Hm, this is the first time I've met a salesperson who actively tries to save a customer money." Tang Shizhe lowered his voice and teased Yin Qi slightly.

"Considering our customers' needs and ensuring their satisfaction is the purpose of our service," Yin Qi replied politely.

"Sir, the manager has responded. We can reduce the price by two hundred per computer. Ten computers will cost a total of ninety-eight thousand." Yin Qi said with a light smile.

"Thanks. Here's the address and phone number. Just have the delivery workers call me." After paying, Tang Shizhe prepared to leave.

"Of course. Thank you for visiting!" Yin Qi nodded, a flicker of curiosity flashing through her eyes.

She had recognized him long ago as her classmate who had been "missing" for over a month. Though he had wrapped himself so thoroughly that only his eyes were exposed, his voice and that slight pause when he saw her had not escaped her notice.

She had no idea what this mysteriously missing classmate was doing, but it did not feel like anything good.

Yin Qi shook her head and cast aside those pointless thoughts. She needed to come up with the plot for her new novel now, or her readers waiting for updates would send her razor blades.