Chapter 211: Precipitation

The robot rescue incident caused a global stir. In China, netizens flooded social media with discussions, praising the bravery of the robot and even suggesting it deserved an award.

Elsewhere, the focus shifted to robots participating in TV programs and interacting with the public—robots crossing streets, robots shopping, robots helping their owners. Intelligent robots had become a new status symbol. With a price tag nearing five million yuan, owning one was far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Wealthy elites found new ways to flaunt their wealth—by taking their robots out in public. Anytime a robot was seen on the street, it drew a crowd. Countless short videos and livestreams began to flood the internet.

Sensing a trend, livestream platforms jumped on the opportunity, launching dedicated robot livestream channels—robots playing games, singing, answering questions, and more. Even mainstream variety shows started incorporating intelligent robots into their programming.

One new hit format? Human vs. machine challenge shows.

Unlike the old, clunky, and barely responsive "smart" assistants of years past, these robots were cutting-edge, intuitive, and sharp. Their presence in entertainment made the public more aware—and impressed—by their performance. For the Marching Ant Company, this was free marketing, and they were happy to sponsor robots for the shows.

In contrast, Western media remained skeptical, framing the rescue incident through the lens of caution—portraying it as a potential threat, especially given the robot's origin: the Chinese Marching Ant Company.

Online discussions were boiling, but for Chen Mo, life remained quiet and peaceful. Occasionally, he gave interviews or appeared at forums. To the outside world, he was the genius entrepreneur, the low-key science-and-engineering prodigy—always in casual wear, always calm and humble.

Since Zhao Min learned about the existence of room-temperature superconducting materials, the company had significantly increased security. The research institute and Building 1 now operated under 24-hour high-alert security protocols. With Mo Nu overseeing things, Chen Mo didn't worry about industrial spies or foreign agents slipping in.

Production of the superconducting material continued quietly, mainly to build a prototype superconducting computer. The public announcement of this would be monumental, and timing was critical—even cooperation with the authorities had to be done with care.

At the moment, Chen Mo was deep inside the Science and Technology Library, carefully selecting technologies to study. After a moment, a beam of light flashed, and a virtual book gently fell into his mental view.

The [Technology Apprenticeship] stage of the library contained countless entries. With time on his hands, Chen Mo focused on sorting out core foundational technologies that could support his ongoing research.

A strong foundation was the key to future breakthroughs. Before the next leap forward, some quiet preparation was necessary—this was the "precipitation" phase before another eruption.

There were far too many technologies in the library to master all at once. Chen Mo only chose those relevant to his current direction. He had completed the superconducting material entry, but the supercomputer was still in progress. The library also had six other major disciplines, each with its own suspended book.

Right now, he had no energy to pursue additional projects unless truly necessary. In the apprenticeship-level books, aside from biopharmaceuticals, many technologies already had Earth equivalents. So for now, this stage mostly served a supporting role. His main focus was completing core technologies in this stage.

Chen Mo didn't know how long he'd been inside the Library. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Yu sitting nearby, looking at him with worry.

"When did you come in? Why didn't you wake me?" he asked, massaging his temples. Every time he extracted new technology, it drained his energy. While it wasn't as exhausting as the first few times, it still took a toll.

"About fifteen minutes ago," Xiao Yu replied softly. "You looked like you were sleeping really deeply, so I didn't want to disturb you. But your face didn't look good... are you too tired?"

She handed him a warm cup of water she'd brought from the nearby dispenser. Chen Mo's office included a private rest room—but only Xiao Yu had access to it.

"I'm okay. Probably just woke up too fast," Chen Mo said, taking the cup and drinking slowly.

"Is this like that last time, when you suddenly threw up?" she asked gently.

"It's not that bad," Chen Mo smiled. Her concern warmed him. He reached out and nudged her affectionately. "If I can't rest a few days, you'd better make something delicious to reward me."

Xiao Yu laughed, then pulled up a digital file. "Speaking of which, here's the coastal land survey map you asked for."

Chen Mo had asked Zhao Min to help find a piece of land by the sea. But Zhao Min had been busy with company matters and had flown out for an important meeting. Naturally, the task had fallen to Xiao Yu.

"These three plots are the most suitable," Xiao Yu explained, pointing at the display. "The largest is in Xiangjiang District, around 70 mu. The smallest is 28 mu in Qinhai. And then there's a 56 mu plot at Xianglu Beach."

"Which one do you like?" Chen Mo asked.

"I like Xianglu Beach," she said thoughtfully. "The environment's great, not too crowded, but still close to the city. It's part of an ongoing development zone. Since you said it's just for a house, 56 mu seems more than enough. I've also got aerial drone footage of each location."

She opened the map, revealing high-definition panoramic images of each plot.

"Mo Nu, bring up the geographic data models for these three locations," Chen Mo said.

"Okay, Mom," Mo Nu replied cheerfully.

Moments later, the projection screen displayed three fully rendered 3D topographic models based on the drone footage. The models were mathematically analyzed to provide climate, accessibility, and terrain data.

Xiao Yu was stunned. She knew about Mo Nu, but she hadn't realized just how advanced the AI really was.

"You're surprised?" Chen Mo asked.

"Yeah. I didn't expect Mo Nu to be this powerful," Xiao Yu admitted.

She had always known Mo Nu was the most advanced AI in the company. Once, when something happened to Chen Mo, it was Mo Nu who had contacted her. But seeing the AI handle real-time modeling and data synthesis… this was a whole new level.

What Xiao Yu didn't know was that there was far more Chen Mo hadn't shared yet. She didn't pry, though. She wasn't interested in tech details, and even if she knew the secrets, there wouldn't be much she could do to help.

Just then, Mo Nu spoke again:

"Brother Mo, I've completed the analysis. According to environmental calculations, Xianglu Beach has the best profile: mild seasonal temperature variation, high vegetation coverage, no surrounding industrial zones, moderate population density, excellent transport access, and a low crime rate."

She then presented a breakdown of the three options side by side.

"Looks like you were right," Chen Mo grinned. "Xianglu Beach it is."

"The auction starts in ten days. I'll handle the bidding," Xiao Yu said. "Do you want to hire an architectural firm for the house design?"

"Nope, they're too slow," Chen Mo said. "I'll design it myself."

"You design?" Xiao Yu asked, eyes wide.

"Learning's easy. Besides, I don't need to—Mo Nu will handle the design. I just give the ideas."

He pointed at his computer and smiled.