Months slipped by quietly, leaving no world-shaking echoes or particularly obvious marks.
The year 2008 arrived in silence, its presence subtly seeping into every corner of the city.
During this time, Shane had cut off almost all unnecessary social interactions, immersing himself entirely in his private laboratory.
He followed a routine of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, focusing his entire mind on the core technology of the Institute laser pistol, often becoming so engrossed that he forgot to eat or sleep.
Just as he had initially predicted, the construction of the pistol itself was not complex, and the technical threshold was not particularly high.
After several rounds of disassembly, research, and testing, he had mastered most of the pistol’s principles.
All the true difficulties were concentrated within that small, delicate nuclear battery—a device that looked simple but hid profound mysteries.
In particular, the core technology used to precisely capture radioactive energy from a miniature fusion reactor was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
It was a field he had never delved into deeply; every parameter and every step was filled with the unknown.
Shane’s path of scientific research was currently firmly blocked by two insurmountable obstacles, leaving him unable to advance.
First, his own knowledge base was clearly lacking.
Faced with those obscure professional blueprints and complex technical parameters, he couldn’t fully grasp their essence.
He could only fumble through many key technical nodes by slowly consulting reference materials, making his progress agonizingly slow.
Second, he lacked sufficient funds.
He simply could not afford to build the various types of precision equipment required for this research.
Instruments used for nuclear energy research often cost millions of dollars, far exceeding his current means.
However, the repeated setbacks in his research did not affect the rapid development of the company under his name; the two seemed to be on parallel tracks.
In just a few short months, relying on precise market judgment and efficient execution, Bernie had successfully expanded the company’s market across the United States.
From New York on the East Coast to Los Angeles on the West, their company had left its footprint in almost every major city.
While many imitators and competitors had begun to appear on the market, attempting to claim a piece of the pie, Shane didn’t take them to heart.
In his view, healthy competition only pushed the company to improve; it was inconsequential.
For him, what mattered more was the company’s valuation, which continued to skyrocket, repeatedly setting new highs with fierce momentum.
After all, the more capital he held, the more leverage he would have to short the Stark Group, and the higher his chances of success.
Once the shorting succeeded, the returns they would receive would be even more staggering.
More importantly, with enough financial support, the nuclear energy research base he had planned for so long could finally become a reality rather than a castle in the air.
Just as Shane was lost in thought while staring at the nuclear battery blueprints, the phone on his desk suddenly rang, breaking the silence of the lab.
He picked it up and saw the name “Bernie” flashing on the screen.
He knew without thinking that it was about company business.
“Boss, please make sure you don’t miss tomorrow’s annual shareholder meeting.
All the investors will be present.”
On the other end of the line, Bernie’s voice was clear and professional, carrying a hint of strictness.
Shane’s gaze remained on the blueprints as he replied casually, “Alright, I understand.
I won’t be late.”
After hanging up, he slowly raised his head and turned to the BB-8 robot waiting quietly nearby.
He gave a soft command: “Go and iron that black suit in the wardrobe.
I need to wear it tomorrow.”
BB-8 immediately emitted a series of crisp electronic chirps, responding cheerfully: [Understood, sir!
Mission guaranteed!
Do you require a meal now?
I can order takeout for you immediately.]
After months of daily use and Shane’s continuous upgrades and optimizations, BB-8 was no longer the simple toy robot it once was.
It had been successfully promoted to Shane’s exclusive butler, handling many chores around the house with great care.
While it still couldn’t cook a steaming dinner for Shane—its culinary skills showing zero progress—it had long since mastered the art of ordering takeout.
Pizza, KFC, burgers—it had ordered all kinds of fast food for Shane countless times without a single mistake, being both precise and efficient.
“No need.”
Shane didn’t look back as he dropped the words, his eyes returning to the computer screen, refusing to waste even a second.
The chat box was filled with dense discussions regarding nuclear energy technology, always centered around the nuclear battery.
During this period, Shane had scoured almost all the nuclear-related information available on the internet, reading and contemplating every article meticulously, not daring to be even slightly careless.
After finishing his reading, he clearly realized that relying solely on these public materials from the internet made it difficult to achieve new breakthroughs.
Progress was becoming sluggish.
He understood that certain core, classified technical data could never be found online and could only be obtained through private channels.
Consequently, he began to actively contact professors in relevant fields at major universities.
By paying high consulting fees, he absorbed a large amount of professional knowledge from them to make up for his deficiencies.
He was humble in attitude and rigorous in his questions; every consultation yielded a wealth of information.
The effect of this method was significant.
Shane’s knowledge base was expanding at a rate visible to the naked eye, and his understanding of nuclear technology grew deeper.
He remembered when he first received the data on the nuclear battery; he was filled with fear and awe for the mysterious and powerful nuclear energy.
He was terrified that he might cause an accident through improper operation in the future, ending up vaporized without even a chance for regret.
But now, with the accumulation of knowledge and a deeper understanding, he felt only a strong interest in nuclear energy, as well as a sense of confidence and the courage to experiment.
Furthermore, the frequent exchanges with the professors had completely broadened Shane’s perspective, allowing him to break out of his previous limitations.
As he stared at the screen, his eyes suddenly lit up as he thought of a great solution to his laboratory problem.
He didn’t need to spend a fortune building a nuclear energy lab himself.
He suddenly remembered that many top universities in the United States already had professional nuclear energy laboratories with advanced equipment and mature technology.
He could simply use a legitimate method to rent the experimental equipment from these universities, saving himself the trouble of purchasing expensive hardware and a vast amount of time.
Although this rental method could only be used for technical research and testing and couldn’t be used to directly produce nuclear batteries, it was enough for him, as he was currently desperate to break through the technical bottleneck.
Shane murmured to himself as his fingers flew across the keyboard, continuing his deep communication with the professor on the other side of the screen to finalize the subsequent details.
“This is enough.
It’s truly enough.”
“As long as I can completely master the production technology of the nuclear battery and possess a complete manufacturing theory, it will be enough to unlock the Cheat.”