The MergeOrbit program was no longer just a plan.
Seven days later, 14 MergeSat-Class drones launched in silence—undetectable by commercial tracking systems—deployed directly from Kai's merged launch cradle behind the tobacco fields.
Each satellite carried an adaptive merge core fused with atmospheric dispersal wings—stealthed, self-regulating, and solar-fed.
[MERGE: Tier 2 MergeSat + MergeCore Surveillance AI]
= Tier 3 MergeOrbit Node]
Traits:
– Real-Time World Imaging
– MergeThreat Pattern Recognition
– Solar + MergeBattery Power Loop
– Autonomous Repair Protocols
The moment they reached upper atmosphere, MergeCore fed him a panoramic overlay.
He saw everything.
Shipping routes.
Air traffic tailing his deliveries.
Offshore facilities mimicking his branding and package design.
"Mark coordinates for litigation sweeps," Kai ordered calmly.
"Confirmed. MergeLegal notified."
Back on the ground, MergeCore pinged again.
"Tier 3 MergeOrbit Node over Arctic has detected converging threat formation: Three experimental aircraft—non-commercial. No transponders."
Kai's fingers danced across the glass table.
"Military?"
"Too small. Most likely black-market surveillance craft."
He didn't hesitate.
"Deploy MergeSkyKill."
[MERGE: MergeSkyDrop + MergeCombat Drone + Thermal Disruptors]
= Tier 3 MergeSkyKill Units]
Traits:
– Stealth Precision Strike
– Electronic Jam Bubbles
– Self-Deconstruct if Captured
– Tier 2 Armor Penetration
Three MergeSkyKills lifted silently from launch pads behind the livestock pens. Their paths synced to MergeOrbit data within seconds.
Kai didn't watch the strike.
He just stood by the feed silos, adjusting nutrient balance for the pigs.
Fifteen minutes later, MergeCore confirmed:
"All three targets neutralized. No residual debris. MergeSat tracking optimal."
But Kai wasn't just watching for threats.
MergeOrbit wasn't just a satellite network.
It was a global MergeGrid, built to be Kai's eyes and ears at every altitude. Each MergeSat fed into the MergeCore AI, reporting everything from weather patterns over his lettuce beds to radio signals near his livestock shipping routes.
MergeOrbit turned the entire planet into a data farm.
Inside the control bunker, MergeCore displayed the sync results. The map lit up with glowing hexes—each one a locked zone under Kai's protection.
Kai zoomed in on one blinking red.
"Zone 14.37. Unauthorized biological scan of MergeLettuce DNA in Germany."
"Flag the lab. Cease and desist. Notify MergeLegal."
"Confirmed."
"Also… drop MergeMart prices in that region by 20%. Let them drown."
MergeOrbit had another hidden function: MergePredict.
[MERGE: MergeOrbit + Behavioral Forecasting AI + Global Trade Database]
= MergePredict Tier 3 Node]
It let Kai simulate world economics in real-time.
He tested it on India's southern coast.
"Simulate: MergeEgg price drop 5% for 2 weeks."
"Result: Market share expands by 38%. Three regional competitors go bankrupt."
"Good. Activate it."
Across the globe, buyers changed course. MergeMart didn't just dominate. It became necessary.
MergeOrbit wasn't surveillance.
It was total market domination infrastructure.
MergeCore detected twenty-seven black-market labs across three continents attempting to replicate his crop genetics using GMOs and hydro-cloning.
Kai shook his head.
"You can't fake a Merge."
He activated enforcement.
[MERGE: MergeOrbit + MergeLegal + MergeShipping]
= Tier 4 MergeControl Protocol]
Any flagged nation attempting cloning or IP theft had their MergeMart contracts instantly revoked. Deliveries halted. Accounts frozen. Imports canceled.
Within 48 hours, operations collapsed.
Meanwhile, in a sealed Capitol Hill room, a three-star general held a tablet showing Kai's satellite grid.
"His satellites are better than ours."
"He owns the food supply chain, shipping routes, private defense… and now orbit."
"This isn't a farm anymore. It's a sovereign infrastructure system."
"And that MergeMilk? Boosts combat readiness 7%."
Back at the cryo-vault, Kai inspected a single sprout beneath full-spectrum lighting.
MergeWheat Prime.
It wasn't public.
Not even for sale.
Just a test.
He stared at it in silence.
MergeCore updated him quietly.
"Nutrient Density: 6.8x baseline. ATP regeneration detected."
"Cell restoration potential confirmed."
Kai didn't flinch.
He turned, walking away toward the AI lab.
MergeCore tagged the update:
[CLASSIFICATION UPDATED: MergeWheat Prime = BioEnhancement Crop]
He wasn't growing food anymore.
He was rewriting biology.
Profit Summary
MergeSecurity Expansion: +$5,500,000
Defense Contract Pre-Negotiations: +$12,000,000 (in escrow)
MergeControl Licensing Threat Fees: +$3,200,000
Expenses:
MergeSat Launch (x14): –$6,800,000
MergeSkyKill Program: –$1,200,000
MergeControl Tier Upgrade: –$2,400,000
Net Profit: $10,300,000
Kai's Total Net Worth: $829,443,000