He tried to contact President Shim Ra-oto, the leader of the organization that was in charge of maintaining order, but he faced some difficulties.
He couldn’t reach him directly and had to go through the secretary’s office first.
He sighed and muttered to himself, “This is why having a secretary is necessary.”
His father had assigned Manager Kim to be his secretary, but he had sent him to Sokcho for a mission, so he had no one to assist him.
As he was waiting for the call to connect, Alma whispered in his ear.
[Master, the preliminary frame and exterior design for my physical body are complete.]
“Show me.”
A holographic image appeared in front of him, showing an android frame with a female appearance and blonde hair.
It resembled Arma, whom he had encountered in a previous deep consciousness experience.
She looked stunning, with a height that could easily reach 175cm, cream-blond colored hair that flowed down her shoulders, and a neat look.
She was also wearing glasses, which he found curious. Was it influenced by the mental model Lucia?
He recalled that Lucia could correct her vision if she wanted to, but she insisted on wearing glasses for some reason…
He frowned slightly and said, “Isn’t the chest too large? Everyone will just stare at that.”
[Should I reduce it a bit?]
“Reduce it to less than half. And since it’s too perfect, add some wrinkles to make it more natural. It would also be better to decrease the height a little.”
“Master…”
“Why?”
[If you permit, I would like to keep this appearance as it is.]
She sounded so adamant that he could tell she didn’t want to change her appearance.
He shrugged and said, “Alright, do as you wish. When will the fabrication of the physical body begin then?”
[The synthesis dermis production, power system, and weapon system will take some time. At the moment, it’s estimated to be around 900 hours.]
If the Settler’s Battleship was in good condition, the task would be completed within a few hours, but they had no other choice.
He nodded and said, “Perhaps it’s taking longer due to a shortage of materials. As soon as other androids are ready, proceed with their fabrication as well. Oh, and make them all male.”
[I understand.]
He paused and added, “Well, we need to come up with a backstory. Suddenly having a blonde woman as a secretary might shock my mother.”
[In your records, Master is noted to have studied abroad in the United States during your university years. Shall we say you met her back then?]
He thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think I met Shin Ha-yoon back then… but since she’s gone to the United States now, it shouldn’t matter. Create a plausible story that matches the timeline and let me know.”
He ended the conversation with Arma and waited for a few more minutes before he finally got a call from the secretary’s office.
He accepted the call and headed to the main building of Shim Ra-oto, the organization he was working for.
There, he met CEO Lim Sang-hyun face to face.
“Oh… I was wondering who this was.”
“It’s been a while, sir.”
CEO Lim Sang-hyun looked slightly bewildered by his presence.
He probably remembered their past clashes.
Although he had only heard about it through records, CEO Lim Sang-hyun was one of his former enemies.
He greeted CEO Lim Sang-hyun with a wry smile and said, “Your punch was so powerful that I had to lie down for three years. What was that about, sir?”
“Haha…”
He extended his hand, trembling with nervousness, but the CEO chuckled and shook it warmly.
“I must have been a little crazy back then. Please forgive me, sir, for your generous understanding.”
His somewhat rigid expression melted away in an instant.
“No… I also had some anger issues due to stress back then. Let’s sit down for now.”
They moved to the sofa and sat down comfortably.
Yu Ji-ha brought up the topic straightforwardly.
“Recently, the cars aren’t selling well, right?”
“Haha… Well, you must be well aware of the company’s situation… Yes, it’s true that sales have been declining every year.”
“But the cars themselves are still good, especially in terms of design.”
“You’re driving the Windrunner, right? I designed that.”
He nodded and said, “So, you got promoted for that achievement?”
“Well, yes. But with sales like this, I can’t face the chairman with pride, haha…”
His self-deprecating tone revealed a sense of resignation regarding the difficulty of contract extension.
Of course, the poor sales of Shim Ra-oto’s electric cars were not a recent development.
The problem lay in the situation where they couldn’t receive proper battery supply.
As the CEO, it was his responsibility to address such a situation, but it was a challenging problem that seemed impossible to solve, no matter who attempted it.
Yu Ji-ha leaned forward and said, “So, what I’m saying is… I can supply the batteries. The ones that have been developed recently.”
Lim Sang-hyun’s pupils moved quickly in response.
“Are you referring to the Black Metal batteries?”
“Yes. However, there is one condition. I want to integrate the autonomous driving algorithm that I will develop in the future.”
The excitement that had surged suddenly deflated.
Currently, Shim Ra-oto was sourcing its autonomous driving system-on-a-chip (SOC) from its subsidiary, Autotron.
Although there were criticisms that they were merely importing modules and assembling them, Shim Ra-oto was one of the few companies capable of designing autonomous driving software.
He shook his head and said, “But even such a company was stuck at Level 2, and if it was anything below that, it was not worth integrating.”
“Surely, CEO Yu, your major was algorithms…”
He remembered the time when he studied algorithms several years ago.
Even a few months behind in the field would render one unable to apply it properly.
It was impossible for him, who had spent three years lying down, to develop a proper algorithm.
CEO Lim Sang-hyun bowed his head deeply and said, “I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept it.”
He tried to persuade him and said, “You can rest assured that it will go through proper validation. Let’s start with in-house testing.”
This would change the situation.
If Yu Ji-ha could deliver a properly functioning product and undergo validation, there was no reason to refuse.
But the likelihood of that happening was close to zero, which was the problem.
He added, “If I were to accept that proposal…”
He smiled and said, “I will supply the Black Metal batteries exclusively for Windrunner vehicles. All of them.”
CEO Lim Sang-hyun’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
How many times had he drooled while watching the demonstrations?
He had contemplated calling Yujiha multiple times a day but eventually swallowed his tears and gave up.
The situation was unimaginable, even with renowned manufacturers both domestically and internationally unable to guarantee delivery.
Especially considering the unfavorable past that involved a regrettable incident.
He stood up abruptly and grasped Yujiha’s hand.
“Thank you, thank you.”
He nodded and said, “Well then, let’s have a conversation using algorithms next time.”
He returned to his office, maintaining his composure, and gave instructions.
“Alma, is it possible to simulate Seoul’s road conditions and traffic?”
[I have already programmed the algorithms. It can be implemented immediately.]
“Can we achieve that with the modules installed in the Silla Auto electric cars?”
[Of course, Master.]
A walker disguised as a steel drawer cabinet in the corner projected an image onto the wall.
The video was a complete simulation of Seoul’s morning commute roads and traffic, including taxis, freight vehicles, and even jaywalkers.
He watched the vehicle, equipped with the algorithm designed by Arma, run on the simulated road.
Within a few minutes, his expression turned serious and he said, “Um… Isn’t the driving too aggressive?”
Arma replied, “In Seoul, this level of driving is considered normal. Other vehicles don’t give way.”
He frowned and said, “Even so, it seems a bit excessive to use the left turn signal and cut into the right lane.”
He also noticed that the algorithm violated the stop line to merge into the merging lane, exhibiting a behavior of pushing its way through.
He said, “Try to make it smoother.”
As he adjusted the aggressiveness of the algorithm, a more tolerable driving experience emerged.
Although Arma’s design enabled Level 5 autonomous driving, the hardware was still lacking.
He said, “Let’s start working on that after acquiring Silla Auto.”
In terms of mobility systems, Yu Ji-ha’s goal was to implement a megacity.
The megacity was a planned city capable of accommodating a population of 100 million, with most mobility taking place in the underground undercity.
In the 22nd century, only humans roamed the surface.
However, implementing this megacity in the 21st century posed significant challenges.
One of the problems was how to deal with the existing outdated infrastructure.
Alma provided several solutions to this problem, and one of them involved creating completely new land.
There were a few candidate locations, but there was only one place that Yujiha found appealing.
The North Pacific.
Yujiha’s eyes were fixed on the vast ocean next to the Midway Atoll.
…
In mid-January, business people gathered in front of the Blue House, the South Korean presidential residence.
The notable aspect of this luncheon was that the leaders of each group were hardly invited.
The media speculated that it was because the chaebol chairpersons didn’t want to be seen mingling with young entrepreneurs in their early thirties.
In reality, it wasn’t entirely false.
While there were no official social classes in 21st-century Korea, there were certainly differences in status.
To the chaebol chairpersons, Yu Ji-ha was nothing more than a fortunate prodigy born with special abilities.
He wasn’t the chairman, Yu Ji-ha, nor did he have the qualifications to sit with the chaebols chairpersons as their son.
Thus, after negotiations by the secretaries, individuals worthy of being called the core members of each group were in attendance.
They were all unfamiliar faces, but Arma provided detailed information in his field of view.
“This is Shin Young-jun, the CEO of Hanseong Electronics. He’s the youngest son of Chairman Shin Joo-ho, whom you met recently.”
“And here we have the CEO of Global Chemicals.”
Yu Ji-ha stood in a row, shaking hands with each person in front of the president, barely restraining himself from striking a pose in front of the table.
He wondered, “Is this excessive display of etiquette a result of excessive peace?”
From his perspective, diplomatic formalities were utterly useless.
The enemy of humanity, the Plague, frequently used tactical assaults by opening short-distance warp gates.
Living in the megacity, one could hear such attack alerts quite often.
In such an environment, meetings and formalities had to be kept to a minimum.
If there was free time for idle chatter, it meant it was time to take action!
That was the catchphrase of the United Humanity.
“Alright, everyone, strike a fighting pose and look towards the camera… Let’s take a picture~ One, two~”
Click.
The tiresome time finally passed, but another tiresome time approached.
“While we haven’t seen each other, Shin Young-jun has improved significantly.”
“I wonder how many healthy things you’ve consumed… Anyway, let’s taste some, shall we?”
He endured the welcoming remarks and flattery from high-ranking officials for a long time.
As the lunch progressed, it took nearly two hours for the discussion to shift towards substantive matters. Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo opened the conversation.
“Mr. President, before we proceed with negotiations, we should focus on more fundamental issues. For example, the accurate estimation of the black metal deposits in the East Sea.”
The president said, “Didn’t the reports state that it’s difficult to estimate the deposits due to their irregular nature?”
The secretary-general, who attracted everyone’s attention, reported, “In the case of Ulleung Basin, each attempt at measurement yielded different results. Moreover, it is a very deep area, making precise measurements challenging.
He explained, “Black metal is formed as surrounding metallic elements are eroded. Given the real-time extensive erosion, accurately estimating the deposit quantity is impossible.”
However, it seemed that Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo had a different objective in mind.
He said, “Even so, the government needs to estimate the mining quantity. It is unacceptable for the government to be unaware of the precise figures regarding activities in our territorial waters.”
President Lee Hyun-seong nodded, finding some reason in the statement.
In truth, bringing up such matters in a gathering of economic figures was not appropriate.
However, the Prime Minister’s persistent pressure left them with no choice.
He said, “Since we have obtained the development rights for three years, we have the right to know the numbers. We can dispatch investigators separately.”
“Mr. President, I would like to propose the establishment of a committee. It would oversee overall mining operations and monitor any illegal activities—an administrative committee for mining management.”
In essence, this was an assurance to meticulously scrutinize every aspect of mining operations.
Even if it’s just a small detail, interfering with business when given the opportunity to catch even the slightest thread is a given.
When searching through laws related to marine resources, they are written in a vague manner, mentioning the ability to manage and preserve resources.
Therefore, the Prime Minister’s decision to establish a management committee holds considerable persuasive power.
However, he had no intention of enduring the inconvenience of maintaining it.
He asked, “Are those numbers limited to domestic circulation, or do they also extend to China?”
The participants collectively held their breath at his provocative tone.
“…What are you talking about?”
He said, “I heard an interesting story at the demonstration. It’s about collaborating with a company called Leio.”
The Prime Minister said, “It’s common for research institutes to collaborate with each other.”
He said, “Of course, when the performance is similar. Ah, I hope you didn’t mention that their R&D costs are far superior. It’s been quite painful to hear.”
Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo fixed his gaze on the young man with an air of defiance.
He asked, “So, what are you trying to say?”
He said, “I hope you reconsider the establishment of the committee. If it’s not accepted…”
The Prime Minister asked, “If it’s not accepted?”
He said firmly, “Both Silla Energy and I will withdraw from the domestic black metal industry.”
The atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold.
Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo maintained a stern expression before slowly opening his mouth.
He said, “I’m warning you, it’s better to think before you speak.”
He said calmly, “I’ve thought about it, and it hasn’t changed. The only thing I can accept is the dispatch of investigators. I don’t want to be influenced by China.”
The Prime Minister said, “I am the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea.”
He said, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Prime Minister. I simply don’t trust the situation we’re in.”
The Prime Minister said angrily, “Don’t beat around the bush! President, Chairman Yu has threatened the government. We must immediately revoke the development rights…”
However, President Lee Hyun-seong had an intriguing expression on his face.
He said, “Well, let’s hear more of the story. So, Chairman Yu, how exactly do you plan to withdraw? Haven’t you already established the black metal ecosystem worldwide?”
He said, “We can provide the specifications for battery cells. If the government revokes the development rights, we can still produce batteries for electric cars and smartphones. But the real deal, I’ll never tell.”
The President asked, “The real deal…?”
He said, “You don’t need to be so persistent, Mr. President. At best, it’ll be applied to drones.”
However, President Lee Hyun-seong’s gaze remained fixed on him.
He said, “That ‘real deal’ seems like quite an impressive item.”
He smiled and said, “You’ll be pleased with it.”
“Mr. President!”
As Prime Minister Park Hyun-goo raised his voice, the President stood up with a smile.
He said, “Take a break. Since the businessmen have something to discuss, let’s leave them be.”
The President, along with the Prime Minister and the Chief of Staff, left the room.
The tense businessmen finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“Chairman Yu, are you okay? The Prime Minister has strong support from the ruling party’s moderate members. He won’t just sit idly by.”
“The pretext of establishing the committee is strong enough, but Chairman Yu came on too strong. It’ll be difficult to employ an exit strategy like this, won’t it?”
“We might have to intervene and mediate…”
They implied that the cost of mediation would probably be the batteries.
The remaining businessmen spoke, but he merely smiled and didn’t respond specifically.
After a while, the door to the room opened again, and the President and the Secretary entered. The Prime Minister was not with them.
…