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

...

David Kensington did not chase after that figure.

He simply stood at the edge of the stage, watching the frenzied crowd of academicians, reporters, and experts from all walks of life as they futilely assaulted the fragile dam built by Su Wanqing.

He slowly raised the camera, straightened his crooked tie, and his professionally fake smile was now replaced by an almost sacred solemnity.

He faced the camera and, in a voice as if proclaiming a sacred decree, brought this groundbreaking live broadcast to a close.

"This is David Kensington, reporting live from Hefei, China."

He paused, took a deep breath, and spoke each word with perfect clarity.

"Today, physics has been redefined in Hefei, China, by a young man."

The live broadcast signal was cut off.

This statement, however, transformed into a radio wave traveling faster than the speed of light, instantly igniting global public opinion. It wasn't news; it was a verdict, a death sentence for the old energy era.

At 3 a.m., the physics labs at MIT are brightly lit.

"Establish a 'Flexible Battery Special Research Group'! Immediately! Right now! I want to see a list of professors in all relevant fields before dawn!" The department head's roar made the coffee cup vibrate.

The United States, Ministry of Energy, strategic conference room 300 meters underground.

On the enormous electronic sand table, oil fields, gas fields, and shipping routes around the world were densely marked. The Energy Secretary, his face ashen, stared intently at the recording of the press conference playing on a loop on the large screen, remaining silent.

"Minister... if, I mean if, that thing's energy density is really unimaginably high, and it can be mass-produced..." an assistant said, trembling.

"That means that our global energy hegemony built up over the past century, all our aircraft carrier battle groups, and every soldier we have deployed in the Middle East will become the most expensive joke in human history overnight."

The minister interrupted him, his voice devoid of anger, carrying only a cold despair, as if crushed by the wheels of history.

US stock pre-market trading.

Below the stock code of Tianxing Motors, there are no numbers, no price changes, only a cold, bright red word.

Circuit breaker.

The CEOs of all the new energy vehicle companies in China didn't sleep a wink that night. Countless emergency board meetings were held overnight, and the topic of each meeting was the same.

"What... should we do?"

...

The live stream of the "Hardcore Disassembly King" is still lit up.

He didn't turn off the broadcast; he just knelt in front of the camera, motionless. Surprisingly, the millions of viewers in the live stream didn't leave either; they just watched him quietly.

Finally, he moved.

He raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.

Snapped!

The crisp sound invigorated all the audience members.

"I was wrong!"

He faced the camera, tears and snot streaming down his face, crying his heart out.

"I shouldn't have questioned it, I shouldn't have analyzed it, and I certainly shouldn't have used my pitiful, secondhand knowledge learned from textbooks to speculate about the work of a deity!"

He cried as he frantically opened the video publishing backend.

"From today onwards! I, the Hardcore Disassembly King, am Bai Che's most loyal dog!"

With trembling hands, he typed the title of the new video.

"I was wrong, I'd call him a god! ~ A complete analysis of Zero Boundary Technology's press conference with utmost devotion"

Video uploaded successfully.

Looking at his own tear-streaked face, he felt a sense of relief he had never felt before.

So this is what it's like to be a mindless fan.

...

At the same time, in the chairman's office on the top floor of Tianxing Auto's headquarters.

Lei Dong sat alone in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

He was removed from his post by the board of directors.

Just ten minutes earlier, through a brief video conference, he was ruthlessly kicked out of the business empire he had built from scratch.

He felt neither anger nor resentment.

He numbly turned on his phone.

On the screen, memes and jokes about him are everywhere.

A photo of him being dragged out of the auditorium by security guards has been photoshopped with various captions.

"Mr. Lei, the battery's cooled down, eat it while it's hot!"

"One of the Top Ten People Who Moved China: Lei Dong – A Man of His Word, an Icon of Integrity!"

The phrase "Dinner's ready, Lei Zong" has become the most popular catchphrase on the entire internet.

He looked and looked, and then he laughed nervously.

The laughter grew louder and more frantic, eventually turning into a wail mixed with sobs.

He knew he had completely won—in the opposite way, of course.

...

USTC, President's Office.

The principal, who was over sixty years old, was holding a red secure telephone; his hand was trembling violently.

On the other end of the phone was a calm and authoritative voice, the kind he had only heard at the National Science and Technology Awards Conference.

"...at all costs, meet all his research needs."

"...Security level raised to the highest level."

"...Remember, this is not an order, it is a request. On behalf of all scientific researchers in the Dragon Kingdom, I implore you to protect our flame."

beep~

The phone hangs up.

The principal slowly put down the microphone, feeling as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He leaned on the table, panting heavily, tears streaming down his face.

He knew that the history of the University of Science and Technology of China was about to be rewritten starting today.

...

The crowd finally dispersed from the auditorium.

Su Wanqing stood alone on the empty stage.

The spotlights had been turned off, leaving only a few dim work lights illuminating the mess on the ground. Crushed water bottles, scattered media passes, and the lingering, sweltering heat of sweat and frenzy in the air.

She took a deep breath.

The cold air cleared her mind, which had been somewhat dizzy from excessive excitement.

She looked down at the metal disc that had been flattened by the hydraulic press and had been watched by countless people. It still lay there quietly, as if the storm that had just overturned the world had nothing to do with it.

Her gaze then fell on the direction of the stage exit.

The image of that figure, hands in pockets, leisurely walking away, once again surfaced in her mind.

The silhouette of a new world.

She suddenly realized that she understood the meaning of the photograph.

He is responsible for opening up the world, and I am responsible for shielding him from all the madness of this world.

An unprecedented sense of responsibility and mission exploded in her heart.

She no longer hesitated.

She took out her phone, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force, and swiped the screen to find the number she had pinned to the top of her chat list but had never dialed.

The call was connected.

"Feed?"

Bai Che's familiar yet slightly lazy voice came through the receiver.

In the background, faint electrical hum and mechanical buzzing could be heard, confirming that he had indeed returned to the laboratory.

Su Wanqing made no small talk or preamble.

She simply declared, word by word, in a clear and firm voice that she herself was unaware of.

"Hey, now I'm the CEO of Zero Boundary Technology."

She paused for a second, then added that crucial sentence.

"You don't have any objections, do you?"