Time Flies

At the end of the same year, Cloud Sea Technology launched its own product line.

Cloud Sea Robotic Dog's main focus is companionship.

The new product line started with smart home technology, and a series of smart home products were launched, all of which were equipped with the Cloud Intelligence AI System.

Smart robotic vacuum cleaners, smart kitchen appliances...

While it may not seem like there are any groundbreaking products, it has actually made Cloud Sea Technology's products more popular and laid the groundwork for Cloud Sea Technology's future big moves.

Moreover, these products, which seem to be already ubiquitous in the market, actually have surprisingly good user feedback.

They never imagined that a product could provide them with such an experience.

This is what smart home technology should be like...

The following year, Zhang Yang officially announced that Cloud Sea Technology had begun its financing round.

The financing is certainly not for money... but to empower Cloud Sea Technology, enabling it to further integrate resources and networks, and more quickly embark on a fast track of development.

Such a promising future behemoth naturally attracted countless top-tier investors.

With absolute control secured, several top-tier investment firms successfully boarded the ship.

Cloud Sea Technology is valued at tens of billions of US dollars and has officially embarked on a path of rapid expansion.

In the same year, Cloud Sea Technology's offline super factory began construction.

100 Cities, 100 Stores: Cloud Sea Technology's Offline Experience Store Plan Launched.

Cloud Sea Technology: A Hidden Gem.

The new technology distributed by the system this year is simulated leather technology.

Biotechnology still seems a long way off.

The newly acquired simulated leather technology is not the conventional kind of simulated fur, but rather simulated leather that is so realistic it's indistinguishable from the real thing.

If future androids were to don this skin and be equipped with artificial intelligence technology, they would be virtually indistinguishable from real humans.

The simulated leather was finally in hand, making it the first product to be put into practical use.

It turned out to be:

In the same year, Cloud Sea Technology released its second-generation simulated dog.

This time, the simulated dog is covered in almost lifelike fur, making it a small but groundbreaking work.

At the press conference:

When the current CEO of Cloud Sea Technology walked onto the stage with an incredibly cute puppy.

No one knew what had happened.

"This... no way?"

"That dog..."

"What's wrong with that dog? It's just a dog."

"Don't you think it's strange to bring a dog to a press conference like this? Take a closer look..."

All eyes were on the dog.

It has soft fur, bright eyes, and an agile body...

But.

Someone suddenly blurted out a sentence.

"Is this some kind of lifelike dog?!"

His words caused a stir among those around him.

When the truth was revealed, the entire venue erupted in cheers.

During the hands-on experience, many people touched the warm, soft fur of the lifelike dog in their hands, felt the bones beneath its skin that seemed to exist in reality, and heard its heartbeat. Everyone showed an expression of disbelief.

Without knowing the truth, who would know that this is a replica dog?

This··

It looks exactly like a real dog!

This time, the lifelike dog, in addition to its fur, also simulates body temperature, bones, and heartbeat, raising the bar for lifelike dogs to an unparalleled level.

Such a realistic lifelike dog, priced at 15,999, isn't that expensive?

The press conference announcement was met with an exceptionally enthusiastic response from the market.

Amidst such high anticipation, the Cloud Sea Simulated Dog Gen 2 has officially gone on sale.

On the day of the sale, a long queue formed outside the Yunhai flagship store.

With the accumulation of previous generations of products, Cloud Sea Technology long had a group of incredibly loyal and devoted fans.

At 9:00 AM, the flagship store opened its doors and officially went on sale.

Amid applause from the shop assistants, the first fan walked into the store with an extremely excited expression, and not long after, walked out again amidst applause, head held high and chest out.

Amidst countless gazes, he opened the box in front of everyone, revealing his second-generation robot dog.

This second-generation robot dog offers a variety of appearances to choose from, and this time he chose a husky.

When his husky was started and came to life around him, the waiting line erupted in excitement.

"It's so realistic, I can't wait!"

"I'll buy one of these for my girlfriend, it'll be incredibly cool!"

In this atmosphere, the Yunhai second-generation simulated dog went on sale with great success.

A month later, the first month's sales figures came out.

Online and offline sales exceeded one million units.

Sales soared to over 10 billion yuan.

Victory!

Another glorious victory for Cloud Sea Technology!

In the same year, Cloud Sea Technology expanded its overseas sales channels and established branches in Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia.

Cloud Sea Technology's products are beginning to go global.

··

Gangge Republic, Honey Badger Headquarters.

Rows of mechanical dogs, gleaming with technological sophistication, stood in neat rows.

This is a military-grade mechanical dog officially developed for Honey Badger Security. It has removed the cumbersome civilian functions and retained only its pure combat function.

Each robotic dog is equipped with firearms, enabling it to work alongside security personnel and adapt to various harsh environments.

Currently, it is only equipped in Honey Badger Security.

This can be considered a trial run for transitioning from civilian to military use.

The specific practical functions still need to be tested.

North Africa, amidst ruins.

Several masked armed men were holding a group of people hostage and hiding behind a corner.

"You must meet our demands. I'll give you half an hour!"

"When the time comes, we're going to kill someone."

As they shouted, they looked into the distance, and could still faintly hear the sound of gunfire.

I don't know how much time passed, but the gunfire outside stopped.

"I'm warning you, don't try anything funny! Do you hear me!" One of the armed men pointed a gun at one of them on the head, his expression fierce but restrained.

It was quiet outside.

The armed men exchanged glances, their expressions tense, their brows furrowed.

They all had a vague sense of foreboding.

Da da da!

A series of light footsteps.

As if on cue, everyone started firing wildly at the source of the sound.

When the smoke cleared, they saw nothing.

"What happened?"

"Nobody's here?!"

The distant walls were swept down by their firepower; if there were any people there, they would have been blown to bits long ago.

No one suspected that there could be anything behind that half-wall.

However, just as everyone relaxed, thinking that nothing had happened, the voice rang in their ears again.

Everyone witnessed a scene they would never forget.

This might be the last scene they ever see in their lives.

Several four-limbed robots that looked like robotic dogs suddenly appeared, each equipped with a gun.

The robot dog's head glowed with a faint red light.

The mechanical structure controlling the gun operated with incredible agility.

Then, instantly, they aimed at them.

"No way!"

This was their last sentence.

Because in the next instant, everything went black before everyone's eyes, and everything in the world seemed to have nothing to do with them.

In that single encounter, all the figures were killed.

The hostages screamed in shock.

"Quick!"

"Kill them all!"

"Hostages confirmed safe!"

A group of security personnel appeared quickly, surrounded the hostage whose legs had gone limp, and took him away.

Scenes like this can be seen in every corner of Africa.

The military-grade robotic dogs initially deployed to Honey Badger Security have achieved remarkable results in numerous real-world combat operations, drawing considerable attention.

In the same year, Zhang Yang quietly established SC Industrial in the Gangge Republic, initially venturing into military research and development.

As for the name, it is taken from the English abbreviation of Yunhai (clouds and sea).

For a short period of time, SC Industrial was unknown and had no outsiders to speak of, and was still in a low-key research and development stage.

When Zhang Yang was twenty-nine years old, it was the period of explosive growth for Cloud Sea Technology.

With the support of various capital sources, Cloud Sea Technology has expanded rapidly, with offline stores springing up everywhere like mushrooms after rain.

Inside the physical stores, Cloud Sea Technology's products of various sizes are displayed.

From groundbreaking simulated dogs to all sorts of smart home products, including robot vacuums, smart central door locks, smart speakers, and smart TVs, having money and a research and development team, coupled with AI technology far ahead of its time, makes creating these products not difficult at all.

Cloud Sea Technology has launched another round of financing.

This round of financing raised a whopping $2 billion, and the company's valuation soared to $50 billion.

··

Late summer, early autumn, Yinghai.

After several years of development, Haiqin Restaurant has spread throughout the Yinghai metropolitan area and has also expanded to various counties under Yinghai.

This day marked the opening ceremony of Haiqin Restaurant's thirtieth branch.

Around 8 or 9 a. m., the flower baskets at the entrance stretched as far as the eye could see, and the names on them were all well-known large companies and enterprises in Yinghai.

Zhang Zhaohai and his wife, dressed impeccably and exuding an air of pampered luxury, were welcoming guests from all directions.

With thirty shops making a fortune every day, they naturally became one of the most prominent business owners in Yinghai.

Moreover, their son...

In the distance, another white Maserati Quattroporte drove up.

The car door opened, and a beautiful figure stepped out.

"Uncle and Aunt, congratulations on the opening of your new store." She stepped forward and presented a flower basket for the opening.

"Thank you, thank you," Zhang Zhaohai said to himself.

Who... who is this person?

I glanced at the inscription on the flower basket: "Memories of Jiangnan" by Li Xiaoxuan

He had heard of Memories of Jiangnan; it was a restaurant specializing in creative and high-end cuisine, and it had a very sophisticated atmosphere.

Is this the proprietress?

There doesn't seem to be any connection between their family and this person, right? Is it just a fellow professional offering support?

"Uncle and Aunt, I'm a friend of Mr. Zhang," Li Xiaoxuan explained with a smile.

"Oh!" The couple suddenly realized.

Looking at the stunningly beautiful and mature proprietress before them, they seemed to instantly guess what was going on.

Li Xiaoxuan pursed her lips, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Uncle and Auntie!" Just then, a young woman in a simple dress approached from afar, carrying a flower basket and smiling broadly. "Congratulations on the opening of your new shop, Uncle and Auntie! I wish you booming business!"

"Oh, it's Teacher Meng!" Song Wenqin greeted her with a smile. "You're too kind."

She naturally recognized the girl in front of her; it was Meng Baihan, her son's high school classmate and now a teacher.

As for how they met...

The first time was when their son brought someone to the restaurant for dinner. Then, there were a few more times when Teacher Meng would come every few days and greet the couple each time.

After a while, it's hard not to know each other.

As for her relationship with her son... she'll just pretend she doesn't know.

Pretend you don't know even if you do.

"Come in, Teacher Meng, please have a seat. And this is Miss Li as well," Zhang Zhaohai greeted them politely.

"Huh?" Teacher Meng paused.

"We seem to have met before, haven't we?" Li Xiaoxuan smiled and extended her fair and slender hand.

Meng Baihan thought for a moment and then remembered. He didn't say much, just smiled and reached out to shake hands.

Their eyes met almost imperceptibly.

Following behind, one car after another arrived to show their support, all belonging to prominent business owners in Yinghai City.

Everyone came over with beaming smiles and overflowing enthusiasm.

He kept calling him "Brother Zhang."

"Brother Zhang, Mr. Zhang... didn't come back this time?" a local real estate developer asked tentatively.

"He..." Zhang Zhaohai chuckled, "I work myself to the bone for a year with these thirty stores, and I don't even earn as much as he does in a day. Why would he come back?"

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled knowingly.

No one thought Zhang Zhaohai was exaggerating or showing off. After all, his son was on the Forbes list, and his wealth was as vast as mountains and rivers. Compared to him, they were as insignificant as mayflies in the vast sky.

"Brother Zhang, where are you planning to open a shop next?" someone asked with a smile.

"We're not opening any more. We've basically opened every possible shop in Yinghai." Zhang Zhaohai and his wife exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh. "We don't have the motivation to open shops in other places anymore. That's about it."

"Does this mean, Brother Zhang, this is your last shop?"

"That's true. With a son like Mr. Zhang, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't have the motivation to continue opening stores. I might as well run these thirty stores well, balance work and rest, and enjoy life."

Everyone nodded in agreement, not at all surprised.

How many restaurants are considered "many"? How big does this business have to be to be considered "big"?

Just like what Mr. Zhang said, after running thirty restaurants for a year with all his hard work, he still doesn't earn as much as his son can easily earn in a day. Why bother with business? He should just retire and enjoy life.

The crowd stood at the door, showering them with compliments, while Zhang Zhaohai and his wife also stood and chatted with them.

Teacher Meng stood to the side, quietly observing Li Xiaoxuan.

"You..." Teacher Meng blinked, just about to speak.

"Teacher Meng, I know what you want to ask... But you don't need to overthink it. I'm just an ordinary person. It's a blessing from my past life that I've gained Mr. Zhang's favor. There's no way I could pose any threat to you," Li Xiaoxuan said with a smile.

"But if you want to ask about anything else, I don't have much to say... Mr. Zhang is like a star in the sky now, I only see him a few times a year."

"Am I the same?" Teacher Meng smiled with relief. "With his current achievements, how could he possibly be preoccupied with romantic relationships? I don't get to see him very often either."

The two exchanged a glance, a subtle mutual appreciation between them.

As they were talking, another car suddenly appeared in the distance, and the sound of discussion could be faintly heard again.

"What? Mr. Zhang sent someone to deliver a gift to his father?"

"With Mr. Zhang making a move, how could it be anything small?"