A live stream of someone hand-making a giant white robot attracted the attention of the government,

The acrid smell of burnt ozone in the underground laboratory finally dissipated, replaced by an almost reverent stillness.

A dozen infrared cameras were mounted in front of the explosion-proof glass wall, their shutters clicking in rapid succession, as dense as a summer downpour. Academician Wang Dingbang, like a primary school student just starting out, was leading a group of doctoral students, meticulously recording and deriving the hastily written formulas on the wall, word by word, afraid of missing even a single punctuation mark.

"This topological transformation...brilliant! It's a stroke of genius!" Wang Dingbang exclaimed, slapping his thigh in amazement as he took notes, completely forgetting his status as an academician of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. "Introducing imaginary time into magnetic field confinement—it's like slowing down God's clock!"

Bai Che yawned, casually took off his oil-stained white coat, crumpled it up, and threw it into the recycling bin in the corner.

"Old Wang, that's enough." Bai Che glanced at his watch, his tone languid as if he wanted to leave work. "If Director Li is reluctant to remove this glass, you can cut it off in one piece and take it back to the Chinese Academy of Sciences to examine it at your leisure. I'm hungry, and I need to go back to the school cafeteria for dinner."

If someone had dared to speak to Academician Wang like that half an hour ago, those experts would have drowned him in their spittle.

But now, all the dozens of people in the room, including the heavily armed special police, were looking at Bai Che as if he were a living, breathing Buddha.

"Move it! You have to move it!" Li Jianguo waved his hand and roared at the construction team behind him, "Cut this wall off completely! If even a single shard of glass falls off, I'll hold you all responsible!"

After speaking, the usually stern-faced major general strode up to Bai Che, his posture ramrod straight, and he even subconsciously straightened his military uniform.

"Comrade Bai Che... no, Chief Engineer Bai," Li Jianguo's voice boomed, "the convoy is ready. From today onwards, your and Miss Su's security level is set to the highest. Also, regarding Anderson and the overseas dark web..."

Li Jianguo paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already drafting the wording. Since they dare to reach out, we dare to chop off their claws. This time, the nation will back you up."

Bai Che waved his hand dismissively, "Those are minor matters. Remember to modify the circuitry in my lab; I don't want to have to worry about tripping the circuit breaker when building a Gundam next time."

"...Yes." Li Jianguo's lips twitched, taking "Gundam" as some kind of code name.

……

three days later.

An explosive news story, without any warning, topped the trending lists on all social media platforms worldwide.

It wasn't a celebrity scandal, nor was it a local war; it was an appallingly rudimentary "product launch."

There were no fancy PowerPoint presentations, no grand venue. It was just a lecture hall at the University of Science and Technology of China, with a blackboard in the background bearing the four large characters "Zero Boundary Technology".

The number of viewers in the live stream has exceeded 50 million, and the server has crashed several times.

Bai Che, whom everyone was expecting, did not appear on camera.

Standing in the center of the stage was a tall woman dressed in a dark business suit, exuding an aura of authority. Su Wanqing had her hair piled high, and her face was adorned with delicate and elegant makeup. Her usually cool phoenix eyes now radiated an undeniable majesty.

"I am Su Wanqing, CEO of Zero Boundary Technology."

Her voice, transmitted through the microphone, resonated across the entire internet; it was crisp and clear, without a single wasted word.

"Regarding the recent rumors circulating online about 'unidentified bright light in Hefei' and 'terrorist attack,' we will not provide any comment. Zero Boundary Technology is only responsible for product releases and not for popularizing basic physics knowledge."

The live chat exploded instantly.

Holy crap! This woman is so cool!

[They're already arguing? I love that kind of hot temper!]

[Stop talking nonsense, let the White God come out! We want to see him rubbing his sun with his hands!]

Su Wanqing glanced at the rapidly scrolling comments on the screen, her expression unchanged. She snapped her fingers.

The projection screen behind me lit up.

That wasn't a nuclear fusion reactor, but a black disc the size of a button.

"This is our first product—the 'Ark-1' miniature civilian battery." Su Wanqing picked up an actual sample from the podium, pinched it between two fingers, and showed it to the camera. "Based on brand-new energy density technology, this battery can support a high-performance laptop running at full load for fifty years."

"Or, let your electric car drive around the equator three times without having to recharge along the way."

"Of course, we would recommend using it in future home robots."

The entire internet fell silent for three seconds.

Then came utter madness.

In a corner of the live stream, a well-known tech content creator with the ID "Hardcore Disassembly King" was kneeling in front of the screen, sending comments with tears streaming down his face.

[Disassembly King: Dad! Shiro is my real dad! I was blind before! This isn't just a battery, it's the spark of the Industrial Revolution! I've already deleted all the previous shady videos and am currently editing a groveling... oh no, educational video overnight!]

Sitting next to him was his roommate, Wang Tao, who was there as a "special guest." This guy was wearing a T-shirt with the "Zero Boundary Technology" logo and was smugly bragging to the camera:

"Hey, I told you so. Old Bai might seem lazy, but he's actually quite shrewd. Back when I had hemorrhoids... cough cough, I mean, we were having a late-night chat in the dorm, and he said he wanted to change the world. You didn't believe me, but now you're convinced, right?"

……

Backstage at the press conference.

Bai Che sat amidst a jumble of wires, fiddling with a newly made metal robotic arm model in his hands.

"I'm exhausted." Su Wanqing pushed open the door and entered, instantly shedding the queen-like aura she had exuded on stage. She kicked off her high heels, slumped unceremoniously into the chair next to Bai Che, and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Well done, President Su." Bai Che smiled and handed her a glass of warm water. "That line about 'not being responsible for popular science' just now was very much in my style."

Su Wanqing rolled her eyes at him, took the water glass, and took a sip to moisten her slightly dry throat. She turned her head and looked at this man who always handled earth-shattering events as simply as drinking water, her eyes filled with tenderness and helplessness.

"Do you know that in just a few minutes, the company's email inbox has received letters of intent for cooperation from Fortune 500 companies? Even the consortium behind Anderson, whom you almost bankrupted, has sent someone to beg for peace."

"That's your job, Mr. Su." Bai Che shrugged, deftly screwing a screw into the robotic arm. "I'm only responsible for manufacturing the product. As for how to sell it and how to deal with those old foxes, that's up to you, my capable wife."

Upon hearing the words "virtuous wife," Su Wanqing's ears turned slightly red.

She put down her water glass, leaned closer, and naturally reached out to straighten Bai Che's slightly crooked shirt collar. Her fingertips inadvertently brushed against his collarbone, sending a tingling sensation through her.

"Bai Che".

"Um?"

"Will you... cause even bigger trouble in the future?" Su Wanqing asked softly, her gaze fixed on the complex mechanical structure in his hand. "This isn't just a battery company, is it?"

Bai Che paused for a moment.

He looked up through the narrow laboratory window at the darkening night sky. The city's neon lights began to flicker, a dazzling yet fragile spectacle built from countless burning fossil fuels.

"Senior, look at the sky."

A playful smile curved Bai Che's lips, his eyes reflecting the starry sky.

"Humans have been bound by gravity for far too long. Now that the electricity bill problem is solved, it's time to explore higher and farther places."

He pointed to the top of his head.

"After all, if we don't build a few ships that can fly out of the atmosphere, how will we take you to the moon to see local specialties?"

Su Wanqing was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Her laughter was like ice and snow melting, breathtakingly beautiful.

She reached out and gently tapped his forehead.

"Alright, great scientist. Then I'll wait to ride in your ship to the moon and collect electricity fees."

"Absolutely."

Bai Che held her hand, his palm warm and strong.

"Let's go home. Director Li said the cafeteria will have braised pork tonight, but it'll be gone if we go too late."

"You...all you ever do is eat."

The two walked out of the backstage side by side.

Outside the door, a sea of ​​light formed by countless flashes of light, a torrent of a rapidly changing era.

At the heart of it all, the tech geek who only wanted a simple life was holding hands with his beloved girl, taking leisurely steps toward their future, a future as vast as the stars and the sea.

(End of the book)