[Mission: Witness Ryoma Raiden's imprisonment. Reward: 300 Crystals, A-Rank Stigmata Selector Box x1]
[Mission Status: Completed]
Upon seeing the information on the system interface, Li Mu could no longer suppress the smile on his face.
"Heh!"
Seeing this, MEI was a bit puzzled.
"Father, why are you laughing for no reason?"
"I just thought of something funny." Li Mu waved his hand, dismissing the matter, and then shifted MEI's attention to another question. "By the way, MEI, what is this surprise you mentioned?"
Li Mu accompanying MEI around the MEI Corp grounds wasn't just for a stroll. He had originally planned to discuss some matters with Teacher Big V. However, before he could contact her, MEI dragged him out first.
She claimed she had a surprise for him.
"About that... let's keep it a secret for now." The corners of MEI's mouth lifted high, like a child preparing to show off a new toy to her friends. "You'll know once we get to the laboratory, Father."
"I promise, it will definitely startle you."
Looking at the joy on MEI's face, Li Mu keenly noticed that compared to when he first met her, MEI seemed much more cheerful. If she had seemed a bit gloomy and detached before, she was now much healthier and sunnier.
Regardless, this should be a good thing.
Seeing that MEI had no intention of revealing the so-called surprise, Li Mu accompanied her to the laboratory while discussing the progress of various MEI Corp tasks.
Thanks to earning a sum of crystals from MEI's three meals every day, he had accumulated a considerable income over the past few months.
Li Mu wasn't a hoarder; he didn't have the habit of stockpiling crystals. So, after setting aside enough crystals to ensure the plot defense of Nagazora City, he exchanged most of his savings in the System Shop for various technologies and knowledge.
After converting these technologies, the various engineering equipment produced greatly accelerated the construction of the St. Freya Academy City cluster.
At least, the residents living in Nagazora City could see trucks of industrial raw materials driving into the MEI Corp factory area almost every moment, followed by engineering mechs flying towards the sea outside Nagazora City.
In the sea outside the Far East, where Li Mu had drawn a circle on the map, the construction of St. Freya was in full swing.
"Father, regarding MEI Corp's income during this period, I feel it is necessary to report to you."
At this moment, MEI acted like a competent secretary. Adjusting her glasses, she said, "Recently, developing new technologies, manufacturing engineering mechs, reclaiming land from the sea... the expenses have been huge."
Li Mu roughly knew what MEI was worried about. Unfortunately for her, MEI Corp itself wasn't important to him; using MEI Corp to build St. Freya was what mattered.
"No matter how much more money we need to pour in, we must continue construction."
However, hearing Li Mu's words, MEI smiled.
"Father, do you think I'm trying to dissuade you? No. Although we haven't made much money recently, we haven't actually lost money either."
"We haven't lost money?" Li Mu was surprised.
Reclaiming land from the sea was no small expense. To build St. Freya, he was prepared to bankrupt the entire MEI Corp.
"Reclaiming land is indeed a huge expense, but besides this massive expenditure, we also have a considerable income."
"For some reason, the United Government seems to have a huge demand for these engineering mechs, not at all lower than for military mechs."
"They placed a large order with us not long ago. Adding the licensing fees for various technologies, we won't have funding problems at least in the short term. If there are no other extra expenses, we might even have some surplus."
Listening to MEI's explanation, Li Mu thought about it and realized he might have stumbled onto a profitable path by accident.
Once the Great Eruption broke out, buildings would definitely fall in swathes. The ability of Honkai beasts to demolish homes was far stronger than huskies.
So, strangely enough, the outbreak of the Honkai disaster actually gave civil engineers a second spring.
"This really is a hell of a joke."
Li Mu sighed with emotion. Although he could get support from Eden, the fact that MEI Corp could actually make money still surprised him a bit.
Could it be that Eden had some underlying design that guaranteed no losses?
Not dwelling on this issue, Li Mu continued to the laboratory with MEI. At this time, MEI spoke again:
"However, Father, although we have no problems with funds temporarily, there are some troubles in other aspects."
"Oh, what troubles?"
MEI held the books in her arms, adjusted her glasses, and said:
"After our project in the sea outside Nagazora City started, animal, plant, and marine protection organizations came to us."
"They claimed our project destroyed the marine environment and caused huge damage to marine animals and plants, demanding we stop construction."
"Our public relations department is currently wrangling with them."
Hearing MEI's words, Li Mu's expression turned strange.
"It seems we've touched someone's interests... just pay them off. Sigh... I hope they give us some face."
In front of MEI, Li Mu didn't finish his sentence, but he was certain in his heart.
If these people didn't give him face... he felt that the land reclamation project for St. Freya Academy City cluster might need some "human piles."
Since they liked nature and small animals so much, they might as well accompany them on the seabed forever.
Sigh, I really am kind-hearted...
Thinking as they walked, Li Mu and MEI entered a spacious building. This was the exclusive laboratory he had prepared for MEI.
Walking through the door, he saw disassembled gun parts, unencapsulated life-size armor, huge robot skeletons, and strange biological tissues soaking in cultivation tanks along the way...
As an all-around scientist, MEI dabbled in various fields.
He knew MEI liked to tinker with strange things, but he never asked.
Although MEI was a genius with world-shaking wisdom, given her current healthy and sunny personality, surely she wouldn't concoct something that would make one's heart stop, right?
Soon, following MEI's footsteps, Li Mu passed through a long corridor and arrived at a slightly cluttered, empty hall.
Thick cables dropped from the dome, exposed to the air, connecting to a ring-shaped machine in the center of the hall.
This strange machine was ring-shaped, nested layer by layer from the inside out, constantly rotating. The connected circuits flashed with a fluorescent blue light.
"MEI, is this the surprise you have for me?" Li Mu looked at the ring-shaped machine in front of him. "What is this?"
MEI glanced at it and answered casually:
"Just a quantum computer, nothing rare."
"Is this the surprise you have for me?"
MEI shook her head.
"No, Father. Ordinary computers couldn't meet my requirements, so I modified one myself. This isn't the surprise I want to give you."
As she spoke, MEI walked to a large screen behind the computer.
She pulled up a virtual keyboard, her ten fingers typing rapidly. Soon, the screen lit up.
A stream of 0s and 1s flowed like a waterfall across the screen, forming a chibi human face.
A string of text appeared on the screen.
[Hello, my Creator.]
[AI 'Unnamed' at your service.]
Li Mu looked at the screen, then at MEI, whose small face was slightly raised.
"Father, this is the super AI I completed according to your request."
"With it controlling the mechs, the construction speed of our St. Freya Academy City cluster will reach another level. At the same time, it can also serve as my research assistant, helping me handle tedious matters."
"However, right now it is just a seed. Its understanding of the world depends on the information we instill in it."
"This is the surprise."
Li Mu remembered giving MEI programming books before and asking her to try "coding out" Prometheus.
"It's still unnamed... meaning it doesn't have a name yet?"
"I think Father should be the one to name it."
Li Mu naturally wouldn't be polite about this. He had asked MEI to create this AI precisely for this moment.
So he said to the screen:
"From now on, your name is 'Bronya'."
[Bronya... loaded. I am Bronya.]
[...]
Stare~
Li Mu stared at the screen while looking at the System interface.
But unfortunately, there was no reaction.
Li Mu sighed. Thinking for a moment, he said again, "No, I thought about it. Your name should be 'Prometheus'."
[...]
[Prometheus... loaded. Now, I am Prometheus.]
And after this text appeared on the screen, the System interface finally changed.
[Main Plot Character Detected: Prometheus - Terminal Aide 0017]
Seeing the information displayed on the System, Li Mu's heart finally died a little.
The good news was that the System indeed recognized it as Prometheus.
The bad news was that it could only be Prometheus.
The System didn't seem to consider Bronya and Prometheus as counterparts, but rather as two independent characters.
To find the Bronya of the Trio, he would have to think of other ways.
Li Mu sighed inwardly, but didn't feel too disappointed. This was where the importance of preparing multiple plans came in.
Luckily, he had another idea.