Two seconds later, the indicator light on the clone containment pod flashed once, then plunged into darkness. The clone’s nutrient supply was cut off, and a clone painstakingly manufactured at immense cost perished without a sound.
After Ziye finished eating, Butler W immediately stepped forward to dispose of the meal trays.
Ziye wiped her mouth, opened the personal light-computer she carried, and began operating its surface with swift hands. Her next priority was to ascertain whether the fake A’Piao was affiliated with the Interstellar Federation.
If he was, that would be best; she could resolve everything in one sweep. If not? Hmph. If he dared try to annihilate her legion’s influence? He would absolutely be sent packing!
Her light-computer skills, having been specially guided by Little Sprout, might not be as heaven-defying as its own, but they were more than sufficient for tracking an individual—especially since her light-computer was a custom build with superb performance.
Seeing the identity of fake A’Piao as an Interstellar Federation spy, she let out a cold laugh and said to Little Sprout, “The Interstellar Federation is too detestable. Let’s play a game with them, shall we?”
Little Sprout tilted its head in thought. “Deal! But…”
Ziye asked, “But what?”
Little Sprout flapped its wings, “I hate that big bully who tormented you that day. Once we’re done with this, we have to take him out!”
Ziye knew instantly who it was referring to. She nodded. “Agreed. His name is Reinar. We’ll take care of him later.”
Having settled their plan, Little Sprout zipped instantaneously into the Interstellar Federation government’s energy supply system.
It was only thanks to this world’s ubiquitous network that Little Sprout could proceed unimpeded.
It was a good child, possessing no deep foresight regarding consequences. Upon finding the energy supply system, it did nothing other than emit a faint electrical pulse.
In a system running at full capacity, that tiny pulse instigated a terrifying reaction.
The energy system exploded!
Over a dozen space stations across the entire sector were implicated. At the very moment the energy system blossomed like fireworks, they simultaneously plunged into darkness.
Vessels halted docking procedures, mechs ceased deployment. Those inside the space stations were instantly deprived of light, scrambling blindly.
Government personnel felt sheer terror.
Bai Lanxue was approaching a full meltdown!
Since the incident involving Tang Wen in Fia, the Interstellar Federation had been beset by one crisis after another.
Reinar had proposed that if they could frame Tang Wen, his personality dictated he would inevitably surface to issue a clarification or confront them. At that juncture, she could use a slight stratagem to regain control over him.
However, several days had passed since the incident, and not only had Tang Wen not appeared, but he seemed to have evaporated across the stars, untraceable by any method.
Most frighteningly, the people sent to find him had vanished like stones sinking into the sea, all of them gone.
Without Tang Wen, their objective remained unattainable, forcing them to focus their efforts on Ziye.
Yet, Ziye was proving to be a ruthless individual.
She resided openly under their very noses, refusing to emerge. Fortunately, her quarters were completely shielded, making surveillance impossible.
Media speculation and commentary gradually slipped beyond the Interstellar Federation’s control. Every news outlet was eager to dig deeper, but finding nothing concrete, they resorted to wild conjecture, veering almost entirely into the realm of the fantastical.
These accumulating issues had already left Bai Lanxue utterly frustrated. And then, the Interstellar Federation’s energy system exploded!
This was truly a case of being caught in a relentless downpour after your roof had already sprung a leak.
Someone breathed a sigh of relief. “Good thing the energy system was installed on the planet, otherwise the entire government complex would have been blown into the void.”
But Bai Lanxue felt this was unequivocally a warning!
The only question was whether it came from Tang Wen or Ziye?
In her assessment, neither Tang Wen nor Ziye currently possessed the capability. Could it be another legion taking advantage of the chaos? If so, the situation was perilous.
Bai Lanxue gazed at the planet, now glowing fiercely from the emergency systems, and sank into deep thought…
The Federal Government’s energy infrastructure was highly robust. Ten seconds after the initial explosion, the emergency power system activated, and the space stations regained illumination.
Although the light intensity was only one-fifth of the original, it was enough to calm the panicked masses.
They collectively let out a breath they didn't realize they were holding. However, before they could fully exhale, the emergency energy system shrieked an urgent alarm—and they plunged back into darkness.
The crowd instantly dissolved back into panic.
This time, the terror was more profound than the first, for they now understood that even the backup power was gone!
In the pitch-black dark, a faint glimmer of light suddenly appeared not far ahead.
The terrified masses surged desperately toward the light, heedless of trampling or crushing anyone in their path. Only light mattered most.
When they finally reached the source, they found it was a robot, impeccably dressed in a suit and tie.
It held a delicately crafted lantern shaped like a rose and smiled serenely. “Please remain calm.”
If even a robot could maintain such composure, the people chastised themselves, realizing they were inferior to a mere machine. For a moment, no one dared speak out, and the terrifying clamor finally subsided into silence.
Bai Lanxue approached the robot, scrutinizing it. “How do you still have power?”
The robot replied with a standard, flawless smile: “All units in this series are equipped with an energy recycling system, allowing self-sustained operation and lantern illumination even during a complete power failure.”
Bai Lanxue nodded, expressing approval. “Which manufacturer are you from? Do you carry spare lanterns?” In the past, she would have scoffed at such an item, obsolete for over a millennium.
But now, she found it incredibly reassuring.
The robot smiled faintly and articulated four words with perfect clarity: “Sprout Group.”
Bai Lanxue’s smile instantly contorted, and she snapped, lashing out a hand to strike its face.
Damn the Sprout Group for deliberately provoking her!
People nearby rushed to restrain her. “Secretary Bai, please remain calm! This is our only source of light.”
Veins throbbed visibly on Bai Lanxue’s forehead. She managed to grind out, “Fine, fine, fine. Sprout Group, you are truly…” The word ‘vicious’ vanished between her teeth, ground to dust.
“Indeed, although they plagiarized the original design, the robots themselves are quite excellent.”
“I agree. I must buy two Sprout Group robots when we get back—for childcare, or just to simplify things.”
“Speaking of children, it gives me a headache. My little brat is so difficult to raise…”
Under the warm glow of the robot’s lamp, the terrified crowd found common ground, gradually regaining their composure. They simply sat down around the robot on the floor, discussing children, robots, and life.
Only Bai Lanxue stood trembling, her body shaking with rage. Sprout Group, I swear I will make you pay!
That night, large contingents were deployed—some to restore the emergency power, others to salvage the main energy system. Brightness was finally restored to the space station ten minutes later.
But in those ten minutes, how much information had leaked, how many files had been stolen, how many personnel had vanished… it was impossible to estimate.
Simultaneously, the sales of Sprout Group robots plummeted to rock bottom.
Following the press conference, the Interstellar Federation ordered all Sprout Group robots pulled from the market. Black Beard, enraged, immediately withdrew all his robots from every station across all sectors and shuttered the dedicated storefront in Cole, feigning a need for “renovations.”
He accepted return orders from distributors without hesitation.
Numerous competing robot manufacturers released celebratory fireworks; the market for them had finally arrived!
In response, buyers and speculators used this situation as leverage to pressure Black Beard on pricing. But Black Beard couldn't be bothered to negotiate. With one vague deflection after another, he managed to map out their current positions and psychological states in less than half a day.
As the saying goes: Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.
After two days of continuous negotiation, Black Beard received the necessary intelligence. He dismissed the visitors with a single statement: “I’m not selling the robots, and I’m certainly not selling Sprout Group.”
The negotiators watched in despair as Black Beard graciously opened Ziye’s door, their hearts filled with regret.
The dynamic was clear: Ziye was the true person in power! If only they had spoken to Ziye first. After all, she was just a little girl, easily misled.
Alas, the golden opportunity had slipped away!
Butler W opened the door and admitted Black Beard.
The moment the door closed again, five or six people hidden nearby rushed out and pressed themselves against the crack, eavesdropping. Unaware of each other, they exchanged knowing glances and smiled faintly—fellow spies.
Black Beard entered and saw sunflower seeds and tea set out on the coffee table, with Little Sprout rolling around on the rug with Douzai. He couldn't help but smile. Thank goodness, Ziye was still a child; she hadn't changed.
“Any new developments?” Ziye sat cross-legged on the carpet, her light-computer fully activated, three semi-transparent virtual screens displaying torrents of data.
Black Beard sat opposite her and chuckled. “We can start reclaiming the market!”
Ziye swept the screens aside, sat up straight, and said, “Tell me.”
Black Beard asked, “Do you know about scarcity marketing?”
Ziye scratched her head. “I think I’ve heard of it, but I didn’t commit it to memory. I’m terrible in that area. Hurry up and explain.”
Black Beard bypassed the preamble and got straight to the point. “We now have the capability for scarcity marketing. Right now, we have zero robots on the market. But our reputation is established. These past few days, many people have been asking where they can still buy Sprout robots.”
Demand necessitates a market, otherwise, it leads to hunger.
Ziye puffed up with pride at this. “Naturally! Once you use our robots, everything else feels like garbage!”
“Exactly!” Black Beard punched his left hand with his right fist. “So, I’ve decided to let them starve for three days. After three days, we’ll announce pre-order availability for three common models on the official website. Sales will open seven days later, lasting for only one hour—first come, first served.”
Ziye’s eyes brightened. “A brilliant tactic!” With proper promotion, selling twenty thousand units in an hour wouldn't be an issue.
The only complication was, “What if someone buys them up only to resell them at a higher price?”
Black Beard patted her head. “Silly child, one account ID can only purchase one unit, can’t it?”
Ziye jumped up instantly. “Great! What do you need me to do?”
Black Beard smiled. “You do all of it.”
Ziye had just been plotting with Little Sprout on how to deal with Reinar and hadn't started yet. Seeing Douzai intently gnawing on his teething ring, she snatched it away in mock frustration. Douzai immediately abandoned Little Sprout and charged toward her, waddling on his chubby little legs with little grunts.
She mischievously tossed the teething ring far away. “Go fetch.”
Black Beard knew she was trying to refuse, but he sighed. “You really won’t help?”
Ziye shot him a sidelong glance. “Who said I wouldn't? Tell me what needs doing, quickly.” As she spoke, she casually pulled over a light screen, saved and closed all the data, and opened the Sprout Group official website.
Ever since Black Beard hired professionals to manage the network, Ziye hadn't visited the website much. Seeing the logo was still that tiny sprout breaking through the soil, she couldn't help but smile faintly.
Some things change over time, but others never do.
In reality, the website was far more professionally constructed than when she had overseen it. There were various models of robots, pre-sale and after-sale services, downloadable software and programs, user experience exchanges, and so on. The professionals had adopted the simplest approach, ensuring clarity at a glance, with a unique style that perfectly captured the Sprout Group atmosphere.
Black Beard pointed to the screen. “The three models for pre-sale are the G-series, K-series, and W-series. You handle everything online; I’ll manage the advertising and delivery.”
Ziye thought for a moment. “Fine, no problem.”
After their agreement, Black Beard returned to his room to plan the scarcity marketing advertisements.
Ziye, meanwhile, was caught between two priorities: dealing with Reinar or tackling the network issues.
She poked Little Sprout, who was using a light screen as a slide. “What do you think?”
Little Sprout slid down with a swoosh. It hooked its sprout-tendril onto the top of the screen and climbed up again, pausing after a few pulls to look at Ziye. “What do you prefer?”
Ziye naturally wanted to do both simultaneously.
But she wasn't a superhuman; she couldn't do everything.
Little Sprout tilted its head, calculating the sequential impact of both tasks on them. Ziye had already made up her mind: “Let’s get the website done first, or I won’t be able to enjoy my revenge.”
The website’s foundation was excellent; only minor adjustments were needed.
Ziye created a backup of the entire site for future reference or use. Then, she boldly deleted the pages for models not slated for pre-sale, leaving only the three designated ones. She dedicated a large section on the homepage for promotion.
As Little Sprout received her instructions, the data on the screen refreshed constantly. When Ziye finished speaking, she felt thirsty and her posterior ached from sitting too long. She stood up, walked around, brewed a cup of tea, and returned to her spot. The homepage was nearly complete.
Ziye stared at it, horrified; its speed had improved again!
Little Sprout flapped its wings with smug satisfaction. “That’s because the Great One was lazy before. Now there’s a goal, hmph!”
Ziye pinched its cheek and teased, “Not bad, Great One.”
Little Sprout couldn't detect sarcasm and replied proudly, “Of course. Hey, give me a marketing slogan.”
Ziye couldn’t be bothered to explain. She looked at the Sprout logo on the preview page. Processed abstractly, the sprout resembled a pure, celestial bloom, its leaves more crystalline and flawless than emeralds.
Sprout...
She had forgotten the original reason for choosing that name.
But looking at it, she recalled her dreams and the numerous difficulties she now faced. She closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them. “Sprout: Growing for Dreams!”
-RS