After witnessing the shocking sight of Killian boarding that invisible aircraft, the Inhumans who had come to see him off were all deeply shaken.
What no one noticed, however, was that the Inhumans who had been full of complaints and resentment about cooperating with Pioneer Tech no longer brought it up at all.
After all, a glimpse is enough to reveal the whole picture. If even the chairman's personal ride was that advanced, who knew whether the company had even more terrifying weapons hidden away?
And so, in the days that followed, as news of Killian's invisible aircraft spread, all of the Inhumans became even more curious about the mysterious aura surrounding Pioneer Tech, while also developing a sense of admiration for it.
On top of that, the terms Pioneer Tech had originally offered them carried no real harm at all. Because of that, every Inhuman cooperated enthusiastically.
Some even discovered that the moment they handed their biological samples over to Baymax in the medical unit, their bank accounts immediately received real time transfers based on the assessed value of their abilities.
The moment they saw that, the people still waiting in line and the ones who had already gotten paid both turned red with excitement. Originally, everyone had discussed just handing over a few strands of hair or a bit of skin tissue and calling it a day.
But this was instant payment.
And according to the contract, if they agreed to cooperate with Pioneer Tech's research, they could even choose housing in any major city.
For many of them, that was an enormous temptation. And there was even more money on top of that.
So, over the next few days, even the three Baymax units were worked nearly to the point of overheating.
Even then, they could barely keep up with the growing number of Inhumans who came forward to provide Pioneer Tech with biological cell samples.
...
Half a month later, in Florida, USA.
"How is it going?"
At this moment, Killian, seated inside the Pioneer Tech Tower in the company's innovation park, looked at his secretary and asked.
"Boss, according to your instructions, we have recruited large numbers of physically healthy applicants from around the world and begun screening them. At present, total registrations have reached 57.6 million, and 50,000 have passed the requirements."
"We have already disbursed 23.5 billion dollars."
"The number of applicants is still rising exponentially."
After hearing her boss's question, the secretary placed the report in front of Killian's desk and began her update.
Truthfully, even as Killian's assistant, someone who had already handled all kinds of massive projects, she still found herself stunned by the scale of spending involved in this latest initiative.
"I understand. Tell me the rest."
Killian nodded and continued after hearing her report.
"Because our production lines for advanced products such as the smart phone, Baymax units, household robots, companion robots, construction robots, and others are far too slow to meet the natural volume of monthly consumer preorders, all product manufacturing bases are now being expanded globally. In China, forty one new facilities are under construction. Russia, twenty three. The UK, thirteen. France, ten. Australia, eight. India, thirty seven. Total investment has reached 137 billion dollars, of which roughly three quarters has been financed in advance through loans and support from local governments."
"At present, the estimated time for all production bases to become fully operational is three months."
"As for the controllable fusion reactor project, eleven facilities have already been completed and put into operation worldwide. China alone has already placed orders for one hundred and fifty units, while other countries have ordered dozens each. The demand gap remains enormous. According to Dr. Otto's latest report, research on mobile controllable fusion reactors has already achieved a major breakthrough. The first prototype is expected to be completed next month."
"At that point, long range transportation and deployment will become possible."
"In addition, our current talent reserves now include 110,000 master's, doctoral, and postgraduate personnel, along with more than 20,000 top tier engineers across multiple industries."
"They have now been assigned by the heads of the global bases and deployed to their respective facilities."
...
"As for overall profit reports, they have all been compiled here. Based on current statistics, monthly income is around 360 billion dollars, while fixed monthly expenditures are 320 billion dollars."
After reporting for nearly an hour, the secretary finally closed her notebook and looked at her boss, waiting for further instructions.
Truthfully, even when she read that final line, she was still astonished by the sheer size of Pioneer Tech's scale. They earned a staggering amount every month, but they also spent just as much. In fact, beyond the projects she knew about, there were many areas where even she only had a rough idea of where the company's money was going.
Even so, she could still tell that the company was clearly running many major initiatives at the same time.
After all, every technology Pioneer Tech released was world shaking. Since they clearly were not spending the same time as others to develop them, then the money invested must have been several times higher.
"Understood. You can go now."
After hearing the report, Killian nodded and dismissed her.
"Very well. Oh, Boss, the governor wants to invite you to dinner. I previously replied that you were unavailable. How would you like me to respond now?"
At that point, the secretary asked before leaving.
"Just tell him I don't have time. If someone has to go, let Lisa go in my place."
Killian waved it off and casually gave his instruction before sending her away.
Honestly, at Killian's current level, whether it was the governor or even the Secretary of Defense, he would still decide based on his own mood.
Besides, he had never cared much for social dinners dressed up as networking opportunities.
Once the secretary left, the top floor office was once again left with only Killian inside.
At that point, he stood up, slowly rolled up his sleeves, and stepped into the training room, where he began exercising his telekinetic power.
Ever since his telekinesis had awakened, Killian's psychic power had been growing at an absurd rate every single day. At first, his mental force was only strong enough to make a pen float around freely and lift objects weighing a few dozen pounds.
But gradually, after Killian deliberately trained it, the growth became explosive.
In just one week, he had already reached the point where he could move objects weighing several hundred pounds. He could even release telekinetic shockwaves forward. While it was nowhere near the level of the woman from the other world who could form a telekinetic shield strong enough to resist raging fire or unleash a blast capable of flipping an entire room, Killian could now already use telekinesis to block bullets in flight.
And even more than that...
Killian looked at his body, which was now floating a few centimeters above the ground.
This was pure telekinesis lifting his own body into the air.
Although he still could not freely fly, based on his current rate of growth, Killian estimated that he would probably reach that point in as little as half a year or at most two years.
Of course, Killian also suspected something else. As his brain was continually developed by the information the system kept feeding him, his passive brain domain expansion was likely increasing as well, and the rapidly rising telekinetic strength he had now might simply be the psychic power his body was always meant to possess.
After floating for a while, Killian slowly lowered himself back to the ground.
Then he turned to the punching bags and test dummies in the distance and sank into thought.
If his guess was right, then his telekinesis should improve dramatically today as well.
As if to prove it, Killian fixed his gaze on one of the dummies standing motionless in the distance. After charging for a few seconds, his psychic power suddenly erupted.
In an instant, the dummy, which had been welded firmly into the floor with reinforced steel, gave off a terrible metallic groan, as though it had been struck by something invisible. Its torso caved inward, and under the overwhelming force, even the welded base began to tear loose.
Then, as the power surged again, the final connection snapped. The dummy was launched through the air at terrifying speed and slammed into the bulletproof reinforced glass wall before finally stopping.
Even though Killian had already expected something like this, seeing the sheer destructive force he had just produced still shocked him.
"Sir, congratulations. Based on the impact force and simulated data from just now, your telekinetic power has once again broken through."
"Your full force strike just now reached an impact equivalent of one ton."
"According to my current collected data, your telekinetic power may not be the strongest one on record, but it is definitely the one with the fastest growth rate."
At that moment, after observing the scene, Baymax spoke up.
"Yeah. It really is unbelievable."
After hearing Baymax's report, Killian nodded inwardly.
And as for the so called strongest one, Killian had no intention of arguing. After all, as the constant shadow following him around, the Number Two test subject made that fact clearer to him than anyone else.
To put it simply, Number Two's own body already weighed over a ton, with the listed figure standing at 1,132 kilograms.
And months ago, during the incident with those hijackers, it had already been able to lift its massive body into the air with ease, while still having enough power left to do other things. That alone showed how monstrous it was.
Still, Killian remained indifferent to that. After all, was Tyrant strong? Yes, incredibly so. But it had traded away intelligence for that power.
It was like a high end computer. A normal person used it for gaming, office work, movies, and all sorts of things, while Tyrant was a machine built solely for office work and nothing else. Under those conditions, it was only natural that it would be stronger in that narrow field.
But Killian had no time to dwell on that. As the cost of the full power test just now, he could already feel that last attack had nearly emptied his psychic reserves. At that moment, he was only staying upright through sheer willpower.
He could already feel the warm flow rising inside his nasal passages, and even his brain seemed to pulse with discomfort.
"Baymax, I'm going to sleep for a while. Don't let anyone disturb me."
No longer daring to force himself any further, Killian returned to the adjoining bedroom, collapsed onto the large bed, and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
For psychic users, when mental strength was heavily depleted, sleep was the fastest and best recovery method.
By sleeping, the overworked brain could instantly calm down, while the body's natural energy would begin restoring the exhausted brain cells and replenishing psychic force.
In short, when in doubt, go to sleep. It never failed.
And while Killian slept, the entire area above the ninetieth floor of the company tower was instantly taken over by Baymax. The green access markers that normally signaled unrestricted passage all turned red.
All of the hidden combat robots concealed throughout the rooms were awakened from dormancy, their red optics glowing as they entered high alert.
At that moment, the previously calm and peaceful Pioneer Tech complex also quietly shifted into a state of covert defense.
"Hey, Padilla, do you feel like there are more patrol robots than usual?"
At that moment, a researcher walking through the park glanced at the suddenly denser patrols and casually asked his coworker.
"What's the big deal? Probably another important person is coming."
"Ever since I started working here when the place opened, I feel like I've already seen every big shot I never got to see in my past life."
"Governors, directors, legislators, senators. Even cabinet level officials have come through. It's honestly hard to imagine."
"And since they're here, isn't it normal for us to tighten security?"
"So stop worrying about pointless stuff, Eddis. You'd be better off thinking about what you're going to buy next month..."
After patting his colleague on the shoulder and telling him not to overthink it, the other researcher smoothly changed the subject.
And so, as time passed, it was not until noon the following day, with the sun already high in the sky, that Killian finally woke up.
"Damn... that sleep felt amazing."
As he yawned, Killian stretched lazily and sighed in satisfaction.
"Withdraw the extra security."
"Oh, and bring me breakfast. I feel like I could eat an entire cow."
"Also, what time is it now, Baymax?"
Seeing all the robots still standing guard around him, Killian casually ordered Baymax as he walked into the bathroom to wash up.
Although Killian rarely slept at the company, this place was still basically another home for him. The bedroom, bathroom, beds, and toiletries were all here, always spotless and fresh. Every day, Baymax had the household robots clean the entire suite.
So to Killian, it didn't feel strange at all.
"Understood. Security has been withdrawn."
"Sir, it is now December 17, 2000, 12:31 PM. You have been asleep for exactly one full day and one night."
After carrying out Killian's order and retracting all the hidden robots back into their original concealed positions, Baymax also gave the current time.
"So an entire day really passed?"
"That's more than I expected. Still, I guess if I ever get insomnia in the future, this might be a pretty effective cure."
After hearing the time, Killian could not help but look a little surprised as he spoke with toothpaste foam still around his mouth.
By the time he finished washing up and stepped back out, the reception area was already covered with food.
"Baymax, when I said I could eat a cow, that was an exaggeration, not an actual request. Did you seriously prepare all this? Are you trying to feed me like Tyrant?"
Looking at the entire table piled high with food, all of it rich and heavy, Killian asked helplessly.
"Apologies, Sir. I assumed that since you had not eaten for a full day and night, and since you specifically expressed a strong appetite, it would be better to prepare more."
After hearing Killian's complaint, Baymax seemed to realize it had been a little too literal and immediately apologized.
"Forget it. I'll just bring the leftovers to Number One and Number Three later. Come to think of it, I haven't seen them in a while either."
After hearing Baymax's explanation, Killian let it go. After all, Baymax was not yet a fully independent artificial intelligence. And even if it were, miscommunication happened all the time even between humans. So Killian did not dwell on it.
Still, in a strange way, it was exactly this sort of thing that made Baymax feel endearing to him.
Because sometimes, the kind of assistant that could satisfy every need before you even voiced it would start to feel distant.
Oddly enough, if Baymax made a harmless little mistake like this once in a while, it made Killian feel more comfortable.
Realizing what he was thinking, Killian could not help shaking his head and forcing the thought out of his mind. Sometimes he genuinely wondered whether he had some kind of masochistic tendency, because the idea of letting subordinates make small mistakes had actually sounded appealing for a second.
"Sir, Number One and Number Three test subjects have now completed Samuel's full training program with outstanding results. They can now communicate through simple language and gestures."
"They are currently highly cooperative. With their assistance, Samuel's development and training of the new Tyrant models is progressing extremely smoothly."
While Killian began tearing into the oversized meal, Baymax also provided the latest update on the two test subjects.
(End of Chapter)
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