From things as small as the water people drink everyday, to feats such as the colonies in outer space, a company that encompassed all aspects of people’s lives gloriously stopped the “Pentagon”, ruthlessly eliminated “Wall Street”, integrated “Hollywood”. Before the anti-trust law hammered down on the company, or rather because Xin was born under the influence of Celestial Trade in the first place, the law simply did not apply.
In short, it was a monopoly. It was an oversized “Samsung”. The government was its human resources, and the army was the security at its door. The sheer size seemed to mock the Koreans. What else was scarier than turning an entire country into a company? Its efficiency and understanding of currency could not be surpassed by any bureaucracy, because it was built on the word efficiency from the beginning. As long as it could remain profitable, its growth would continue to snowball.
Of course, an enterprise like this was also quite dangerous.
Once social development had stagnated and all walks of life entered a period of saturation, then the people of Xin would be seeing soaring prices, unemployment, poverty, and endless protests. However, Celestial Trade would not let this ever happen. It controlled the internet, the media, as well as the magical Phantom Helmet; it possessed hundreds of ways to keep the people happy.
The final ending would definitely be something similar to what Ray Bradbury described in “Fahrenheit 451”, the potential of the society would burn faster than any capitalism, and the society would usher in a complete dystopia…
Fortunately, Celestial Trade, or Xin, was in the perfect era.
People that used to watch the stars in their childhood were now stepping into the sea of stars. It was unknown how far they were from fully embracing the starry night, but since they took the first step, would the second step be far away?
The future offered enough space for this monster to continue to grow. Perhaps the day of stagnation would never come true…
“This report is very interesting.”
As Jiang Chen read the article, he smiled, stabbed the fried egg on the plate with his fork, and put it into his mouth.
“Let me guess,” Natasha drank a sip of hot milk, and as one corner of her lips turned up, she teased him, “Looking at how happy you’re smiling, the Wall Street Journal definitely praised you, right?”
“It did not praise me,” As he put down the newspaper in his hand, he laughed, “but it did praise my company.”
He had developed the habit of reading the newspaper during breakfast a long time ago. Every day, at least forty different newspapers were delivered to the mailbox at the entrance of the mansion. Of course, it would be impossible for him to finish all of them. Typically, he would pick two and read them during breakfast and dinner.
Recently, he had been paying attention to the news on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, so he selected “Washington Post” that represented the mainstream views of the North American elites and “Wall Street Journal”, a thought leader in the financial sector. Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the first page of Wall Street Journal, he saw an economics professor’s evaluation of his company and the “Xin Model”.
“Chen.” Natasha suddenly stopped eating, rested her chin against her interlaced fingers, and looked to Jiang Chen.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Chen glanced at her unexpectedly and joked, “Are you fascinated by my handsomeness?”
“You are the least humble among all the Chinese people I have ever met.” Natasha rolled her eyes and said unceremoniously, “I have met many Chinese people. They are very humble, and also very gentlemen.”
“That’s because you only have a connection with me.” Jiang Chen rolled his eyes as he mimicked her actions, then he mockingly replied, “My vibe is great in front of outsiders, or rather, do you prefer me to treat you like a guest?”
Natasha seemed to imagine the scene seriously in her mind, shuddered, then shook her head.
“Forget it!”
Although he didn’t know what she imagined, Jiang Chen thought for a while and decided that it would be better not to ask…
…
After breakfast, Jiang Chen took the unfinished newspaper to the office.
It was Saturday today, and he didn’t need to go to the company, so it was time to relax… Although he rarely visited the office during work days.
He asked Ayesha to help him make a cup of Blue Mountain Coffee, then he leaned against the window and flipped through the newspaper in his hands. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and after the door opened, Lilith, in a dress, walked in.
“Are you not playing games?” Jiang Chen looked at the unexpected Lilith, who was at the door, and put the newspaper down.
The sun must have risen from the west. Lilith did not have the Phantom Helmet on.
“I’m not playing games all the time. Recently, I discovered that the literature of this world is unexpectedly interesting,” Lilith said in her usual expressionless state. “In addition, Lin Lin asked me to tell you that the weather weapon launch terminal drawing has been analyzed. It is uploaded to the database, file number ZS149.”
Z was the abbreviation of Future Heavy Industries, and S was the confidentiality level.
When he heard the news, he immediately pressed the button of the watch and called the CEO of Future Heavy Industries, Yang Guanglei.
“Project No. ZS149 will start production immediately, use an industrial-grade 3D printer, I want to see a prototype within one week…”
After the phone call, Jiang Chen realized that it was Saturday.
My phone call just ruined his weekend…
Jiang Chen touched his nose in embarrassment and muttered an apology in his mind.
“Anything else?”
Lilith still stood at the door, so Jiang Chen asked.
“I have finished reading the books at home.”
After he took some time to process the information, he responded.
“…so?”
“So, you can take me to the bookstore.” Lilith said as if everything made perfect sense, “I have no money.”
“Can’t you just download it directly from the Internet?” Jiang Chen was baffled.
What age is it now, why can’t you just read e-books?
Moreover, you are an advanced AI cyborg, scanning the global e-book library will take a matter of minutes for you.
“You don’t understand. If you simply scan the book, you will not be able to experience the joy of reading. It’s a waste of hard disk space,” Lilith shook her head and said seriously, “It’s just like playing games, if you only pursue the victory in data, then I might as well modify the server memory directly.”
Cyborgs have so many issues…
Jiang Chen facepalmed in his mind.
“I’ll go with you in the afternoon,” Jiang Chen said after he glanced at the clock on the wall, “It happens to be the weekend and I have time.”
The corners of Lilith’s mouth slid upwards.
“Thank you.”
Then, her petite figure disappeared from the door.
Jiang Chen was stunned.
She just…
Smiled, right?
I didn’t just see things.
Just then, Jiang Chen’s phone rang suddenly and interrupted his thoughts.
After he pressed his watch, the holographic screen unfolded in front of him.
When he saw the caller, he seemed surprised.
