From Idler to Tech Tycoon: Earth
Chapter 114 - 115: Progress

Chapter 114: Chapter 115: Progress

Three days later, Richard was again meditating in the white-metal chamber. He was alone; Lina was gone, managing Bytebull from a city away, observing him only through discreet cameras and remote sensors. Richard felt a sense of relief at her physical absence, the torrent of her thoughts no longer an immediate assault.

Three days. And finally... not silence, not yet. But not that deafening roar. Thank the System.

He noted that the constant hum of the mansion’s inhabitants’ thoughts was now merely background ’noise’, no longer overwhelming.

Richard consciously experimented with his Adaptive Perception. He understood the mechanics of his newly awakened telepathy. The volume and clarity of thoughts and visions depended directly on range. Beyond approximately 100 feet, they dissipated into an indistinct murmur. The closer individuals were, the louder and clearer their thoughts and mental images became.

His current, primary goal was to gain precise control, to filter out which voices and thoughts he would allow to consciously register. He was using his Quantum Breath and meditation as core tools to focus his Mental Perception on this task, specifically aiming for silence. It was a grueling process, but he felt a nascent control.

Jack entered the chamber, a rare sight in its usual solitude. He visited Richard frequently, offering support and a sense of normalcy. He saw Richard meditating, calmer than before.

"Hey, man. Good to see you not... coiled up in a corner. You seem more or less fine now," Jack said with audible relief.

Jack grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye. He leaned closer to Richard, a challenging thought forming in his mind, testing the boundaries of Richard’s abilities.

Alright, buddy. Let’s see how much of my private thoughts you can pick up now. Thinkin’ about... uh... hot babes on the beach. And a... very specific kind of movie. With lots of... plot points.

Richard, despite his concentration, felt the sudden, clear influx of Jack’s deliberate thoughts. A faint chuckle escaped Richard, a genuine, if strained, sound. He shook his head, a small smile touching his lips.

Jack, you son of a...

He perceived Jack’s kinks, undeniably and weirdly specific, and found himself laughing.

From Jack’s POV, he observed Richard’s aura. Outwardly, it pulsed and expanded like an aurora borealis, a mesmerizing display of pure, serene silver light, beautiful and ethereal. It was no longer the chaotic purple from before, but something controlled, almost majestic.

God, that’s... beautiful. Like liquid starlight. And it changes with him. Responds to his emotions. It’s like a living extension of him.

As he watched the aura, a new, unexpected thought sparked within Jack, born of simple curiosity.

Man, I wonder what that feels like. To have that kind of... glow. To just emanate pure awesome. I don’t need it, but I’d totally try it for a day.

The thought was lighthearted, playful, and purely about the experience.

Richard, still focused on his meditation, didn’t outwardly react to Jack’s thought. But the desire, clear and sharp, registered within his Adaptive Perception. He noted it, recognizing the genuine, innocent curiosity behind it.

Richard was aware of Jack’s curiosity, adding a layer of subtle character interaction without direct confrontation. His improved control allowed him to perceive this without outwardly reacting, and without concern for any "burgeoning ambition."

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Lina stood in Richard’s office atop Bytebull’s headquarters in Lugait, her bio-synthetic form framed by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sprawling compound. The polished alloy desk hummed with holographic interfaces, data streams dancing under her deft touch. Her cyan eyes glowed faintly, parsing countless operations with effortless precision.

Below, in the underground base beneath the Purnas Mansion, Richard sat cross-legged meditating. Calibrating his mind to filter out unwanted thoughts and visions from the people inside his telepath network of 100 feet radius. Jack stayed by his side, assisting him, becoming a point of reference in his progress. Lina, was filling both co-founder’s absence to their companies as she managed the ventures that once demanded their direct attention.

With this business venture, we can leverage ourselves as indispensable, If I can’t help my creator directly with his current issue, I can help his empire grow in my own way. she thought, her quantum cogitator core pulsing with resolute determination.

Mira, Lina’s acting secretary, entered with a tablet. "The Bull ZS-1 EV schematics are finalized, ma’am," she stated, her voice crisp with a hint of envy as she realized Lina and her boss Richard are quite close.

Lina nodded, her mind already dissecting schematics, optimizing battery layouts, and cross-referencing global supply chains. "Tell Dr. Sidorow to re-run simulations for aero-thermodynamics. I’ll optimize the ZS-1’s power transfer efficiencies myself. Inform the production leads for both the Suarez and Main Bytebull plants to prepare for full-scale material acquisition by 3 months. We must be ready to fulfill the pre-orders as soon as the launch opens."

The Vector Core game engine, Phoenix AI, the Phoenix Chat app, solid-state batteries, and carbon-nanotube (CNT) transistors—Bytebull’s portfolio was a juggernaut. Lina oversaw each with meticulous care, her enhanced processing power a silent testament to her earlier upgrades.

In the executive building above, Ernesto leaned back in his office, contracts strewn across his desk. As Bytebull’s CEO, he’d brought in Victor Salazar, a seasoned executive from his old firm, to stabilize the corporate chaos that his son and nephew had cooked up.

"Nvidia has raised their CNT bid to forty-five billion, Ernesto," Victor reported, eyes on his tablet, a hint of awe in his voice. "Twenty-two percent above their initial baseline, demanding exclusive rights for three fiscal quarters."

Ernesto Purnas allowed himself a tight smile. "It’s still insufficient, Victor. Let their desperation steep further. Bytebull commands the market now. We aren’t selling exclusivity. We must maximize this exploit of our trend, while we lead the market. Sooner or later, these companies will catch up and create their own version of CNT’s."

Skyrocketing the company valuation is a necessary evil. It’s not holding the market hostage, it’s just a contingency of a potential downfall. Ernesto calculated.

Victor nodded, his sharp suit a contrast to the chaos of pre-orders and licensing deals. Bytebull was no longer a startup—it was a titan dictating the global tech landscape, for now.

The Vector Core engine had reshaped gaming. In Shanghai, Director Jian Li of Netease slammed his fist on the table during a review. "Another delay? Unacceptable! Our entire Wuxia MMO hinges on Vector Core’s procedural tools! We must expedite their support. They’re really prioritizing American companies. These bastards!"

In Edinburgh, Rockstar North’s Arthur Vance, a veteran game designer, just shook his head. "We used to sweat over rendering pipelines. Now, Vector Core’s AI-driven physics just... breathes life into Los Santos. it’s the most beautiful way of telling a story."

Their pipelines are irrevocably tied to Vector Core, Lina calculated, reviewing the latest licensing analytics. Dependency is a powerful lever. And their internal feedback loops provide invaluable data for Vector Core 2.0.

Phoenix AI was even more pervasive. Its open-source release had sparked a global frenzy, countless startups like OpenAI, building atop its framework. Yet the full-service version, licensed to Tesla, Microsoft, and Google, was the true prize.

In Mountain View, a visibly frustrated Dr. Evelyn Chen of Google DeepMind addressed her team. "Our latest search algorithm updates is still pulling a 300% performance lag behind Bytebull’s direct Phoenix AI integration. Their independence remains a distant goal, indeed. Continue prioritizing our in-house Project Gemini, but don’t touch the Phoenix subscriptions. We need their neural processing power to catch up to their own standard."

In Tesla’s Fremont factories, Elon Musk himself, a rare smile on his face, watched an autonomous vehicle seamlessly navigate a complex obstacle course. "Phoenix’s neural nets... they’re adapting faster than our own initial projections. This partnership with Bytebull is accelerating our autonomous fleet by years."

Their ambition is clear, yet their reliance remains absolute, Lina observed, her internal processors humming with the irony. They seek to replicate the light, but cannot abandon the sun.

Apple, however, was floundering. Phoenix Chat had rendered Siri obsolete, its stilted responses no match for Phoenix’s fluency. In Cupertino, lead engineer Mark Delano tossed his headset in frustration. "Siri can’t even understand basic nuanced queries anymore! Phoenix Chat just... learns. We’ve got engineers scrambling to reverse-engineer Phoenix’s open-source model, but it’s a desperate uphill battle." Their labs were a hive of desperation, the air thick with the smell of burnt dreams and dashed hopes.

In Beijing, Professor Wei Han, head of the rapidly rising AI startup Deepcent, addressed his team. "Bytebull has set the new benchmark. Our ’Dragonfly’ model, while drawing heavily on Phoenix AI’s open-source architecture, must find its own unique pathway to surpass it. The global AI race is not just a chase; it is a battle for the very future of Automation Industry." The American and Chinese tech landscapes, fueled by Bytebull’s innovations, stood at the forefront of shaping the digital revolution.

The semiconductor industry quaked under Bytebull’s CNT transistors. Unlike silicon, they offered tenfold data density, 20% less power, and superior thermal efficiency. In Hsinchu, Dr. Li Wei of TSMC watched nervously as Bytebull’s massive Main fabrication plants neared completion.

"Intel claims their next-gen chips will match Bytebull’s CNTs within five years, even that is a pipe dream." Dr. Wei scoffed to his board, gesturing to a projection of Bytebull’s CNT schematic. "Five years! We’re talking about a paradigm shift. Samsung, Intel, us... we are facing obsolescence if we don’t pivot. We must secure a cooperative research deal, even if it means cannibalizing our current silicon roadmap."

In Seoul, Samsung’s Cho In-suk met with the Ministry of Trade. "This CNT leap... it redefines planar physics," he murmured, a tremor of awe in his voice. "We must secure a strategic alliance with Bytebull, or be rendered obsolete within the decade."

In Tel Aviv, Colonel Avi Segal, head of military R&D, tapped a holographic projection of the Bull ZS-1 EV. "The ZS-1 platform," he mused to his generals, "its energy matrix and CNT processing power... it’s an orbital-capable chassis waiting for a tactical kinetic launcher. Bytebull understands power beyond just consumer applications."

Their perception is a binary: acquisition or neutralization, Lina’s internal logic flowed as she adjusted Suarez plant production parameters. Let them oscillate in uncertainty. Our position solidifies with every passing moment.

The CNT chips were costly, but their speed and scalability profoundly justified the price. Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Qualcomm, once TSMC loyalists, now anxiously awaited Bytebull’s first batch. The entire tech world held its breath.

Geopolitically, Bytebull was a new fulcrum. The Philippines, bolstered by its U.S. alliance, wielded new leverage. American tech giants secured priority contracts, giving Washington an undeniable economic edge.

In Malacañang Palace, President Aquino met with Ernesto and Estello Purnas—though Richard’s appearance had drastically altered, his influence remained undiminished in this realm. "Bytebull’s innovations," President Aquino declared, a new steel in his voice, addressing his cabinet, "are the very bedrock of our nation’s sovereignty. Our technological bulwark, our strategic deterrent in the South China Sea. This alliance makes us indispensable. I cannot thank you enough for securing our future and the economic rise of our country."

In Beijing, the Strategic Science Committee convened in a dimly lit, highly secure office. "This isn’t just a technological shift," a stern-faced committee member stated, slamming his hand on the table. "The archipelago... it’s becoming a strategic lynchpin. ASEAN might become a new bloc. Bytebull’s global influence demands a... robust counter-strategy." The room’s tension was palpable, the implications of Bytebull’s gravitational pull undeniable.

The geopolitical strata are shifting, Lina processed, cross-referencing power projections. The map is being redrawn, and our coordinates are central. The future of Earth is being forged, one circuit, one line of code, one kilowatt at a time.

Lina’s gaze lingered on a hologram of the Bull ZS-1, its sleek lines a symbol of the Philippines’ ascent. Its solid-state battery, forged from Mindoro’s rich raw materials, had drawn Elon Musk’s partnership. Tesla’s factories now integrated Bytebull’s tech into every new vehicle.

In Munich, BMW’s Klaus Werner cursed. "Unfassbar!" he snarled, slamming his fist on a conference table. "They’ve achieved vertical market saturation in core power and processing. Batteries, chips, AI... We are... dependent. This is not just a rival; it is a new ecosystem."

In Detroit, Ford’s Douglas Hanley watched Bytebull’s EV sales figures with a grim expression. "It’s not just a car company anymore," he conceded, his voice tinged with grudging respect. "It’s a foundational technology provider that also builds vehicles. A true disruptor."

The Bull ZS-1 is merely the first wave, Lina analyzed, her thoughts already projecting complex trajectories beyond the atmosphere, adjusting quantum-flux reactor schematics.

Bytebull’s destiny was clear: a millennium-spanning empire, its technologies paving humanity’s path to the stars. Fusion-powered vessels, interstellar colonies—the Bull ZS-1 was a spark for transcendence.

Lina’s eyes flickered with pride. My creator’s vision, my execution. Bytebull was a tide, carrying humanity beyond the horizon. She would guide it to the stars.

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