Project Zenith

At thirty-four, Xinyu had outgrown China's tech landscape. After orchestrating Takeda's expansion into Western markets, he had positioned himself in Silicon Valley, where true innovation in human enhancement was happening. His reputation preceded him, he was widely known as a brilliant but ruthless man who transformed companies by eliminating inefficiencies. These inefficiencies often turned out to be people.

James Ashford, the aging founder of Luminex Systems, saw in Xinyu exactly what he needed: someone willing to make the difficult decisions he no longer had the energy for.

"Your paper on neural pathway simulation was fascinating," Ashford said over dinner at his mansion. "Particularly your theories about consciousness digitization."

"Imagine it, James," Xinyu said, leaning forward. "Not just extended life, but real immortality. The ultimate segregation between those trapped in decaying bodies and those freed from biological constraints forever."

"The cost would be astronomical," Ashford wondered. "Only accessible to—"

"The worthy," Xinyu finished. "Those who've proven their value."

Ashford stared at him for a while. "Some would call that elitist."

"Some would," Xinyu agreed. "Usually those who haven't earned their place."

Six months later, when an unexpected market crash devastated tech stocks, Luminex found itself vulnerable. Xinyu, who had been quietly acquiring shares through shell companies, emerged as the majority shareholder. The board, facing collapse, named him Executive Director under Ashford.

What followed was a ruthless restructuring. Researchers focused on the development of generally available technology were terminated or reassigned to the new, sole department. All available resources shifted towards the development of premium consciousness transfer, now branded as Project Zenith.

"You're creating something revolutionary," Chen Mei observed as they reviewed the latest prototypes. "But only for the few."

"The few who matter," Xinyu corrected. "The world runs on exclusivity, Mei. My parents died because they weren't exclusive enough to matter. I'm simply reestablishing what already exists."

"And Ashford? He still believes in broader applications eventually."

Xinyu smiled coldly. "Ashford still believes in fairy tales. When he's faced with a decision, he will jump on the first opportunity to upload."