Choosing the right location for a new company was crucial.
Hiring employees in Hell’s Kitchen was out of the question.
Despite the high rent, Daisy gritted her teeth and leased two offices in Midtown to serve as the company’s headquarters.
At the same time, she posted job listings online and hired several college students to help write code.
Big data had relatively few technical barriers at this stage.
With the right idea, anyone could get started.
Daisy’s real advantage was her knowledge of technological trends over the next several years.
Combined with the computer science expertise she had inherited from her predecessor, she was able to design algorithms that were three to five years ahead of their time.
While everyone else was still preparing to build a raft, she was already piloting a motorboat.
That was her greatest advantage.
Daisy spent three days building the project’s framework herself, leaving the remaining implementation to the students.
The students had no idea how valuable the analytical algorithm was.
Not only was their productivity mediocre, but they were constantly negotiating for better conditions—more vacation time, office perks, and a more relaxed work environment.
It irritated Daisy to no end.
“Huh?” Still annoyed, she walked into her office and opened her computer to clear her inbox.
To her surprise, there was a new email.
It was a job application from someone named David Lieberman, a graduate of the State University of New York.
According to his résumé, he had extensive experience in the software industry.
However, after reading it carefully, Daisy felt he had exaggerated his accomplishments.
Nearly every achievement was described using phrases such as “assisted” or “supported,” making it clear that he had mainly worked in supporting roles.
Even so, Daisy decided to give him a chance.
She remembered that David Lieberman would eventually become an analyst for the National Security Agency and later the Punisher’s trusted ally, known by the codename Microchip.
Someone like him shouldn’t have had trouble finding a job.
So why was he applying to her tiny startup?
Could someone be using him to get close to her?
She decided to meet him in person.
The two met at a coffee shop.
Daisy couldn’t hide her surprise when she saw him.
“Mr.
Lieberman…
how old are you?” “Twenty-six.” The answer caught her completely off guard.
Looking at his weathered face, thick beard, and the wrinkles on his forehead, she had assumed he was much older.
She checked his identification and résumé again.
Everything was genuine.
He really was twenty-six.
That immediately put her more at ease.
He had only recently graduated, was somewhat reserved, and most likely hadn’t yet joined the National Security Agency.
As they talked, Daisy realized they shared a similar profile.
Both had solid technical foundations, but neither excelled at unconventional thinking.
Although David had never heard the term “big data,” he loved analyzing complex information and believed data analysis was where he could truly make a difference.
Among countless job postings, Daisy’s advertisement had immediately caught his attention.
The more they talked, the more he realized that many of Daisy’s ideas perfectly matched concepts he had been trying to articulate himself.
Although this young boss lacked impressive academic credentials, she possessed remarkable vision.
That was David’s first impression of Daisy.
Daisy also came away with a favorable impression.
After all, anyone capable of eventually joining the National Security Agency had undeniable talent in computing—or at least enough talent for her company.
“Mr.
Lieberman, I believe you’re extremely capable.
Why would you want to join a company like mine?” she finally asked.
The bearded man looked embarrassed.
After hesitating for quite a while, he explained that his wife was expecting their second child, while their eldest daughter was still very young.
His wife needed someone nearby during the pregnancy, so he couldn’t work far from home.
Fortunately, Daisy’s office happened to be just across the street from where he lived.
Daisy had nothing to say.
He was simply a devoted husband and family man.
David Lieberman’s personality was extraordinarily gentle—almost to a fault.
In the original timeline, circumstances forced him into hiding.
Unable to appear publicly, he asked his friend, the Punisher, to occasionally help his family.
Over time, however, the Punisher and David’s wife gradually developed feelings for one another and even shared several kisses inside the house.
Although their relationship never progressed further, David witnessed everything through his surveillance system.
Instead of taking revenge, he chose to drink alone and eventually forgave them both.
His patience was almost unbelievable.
Daisy welcomed such an easygoing employee with open arms.
The two quickly finalized the employment contract.
David Lieberman joined the company as Technical Director and immediately took charge of overseeing the later stages of the big data project.
After Daisy explained the project’s current progress and her long-term vision, David got to work without delay.
She hadn’t forgotten her self-funded retainer, Maki Matsumoto, either.
Maki served as both the company’s legal adviser and an internal observer, discreetly keeping an eye on day-to-day operations.
Lacking a sense of security, Maki also wanted to become stronger, so Daisy taught her the karate she had recently learned.
It became obvious that Maki possessed exceptional physical talent.
Considering she would eventually become Lady Bullseye in the original timeline, that wasn’t surprising.
She learned astonishingly fast.
Had Daisy not possessed enhanced physical abilities, she likely wouldn’t have been able to defeat her.
The office space, computers, and servers were all rented.
The college students had signed only short-term contracts.
David Lieberman accepted a modest salary in exchange for working close to home.
Maki didn’t want a salary at all.
The company operated with an extremely tight budget.
Even so, the one hundred thousand dollars in Daisy’s account disappeared at an alarming rate, while the project itself was only about one-quarter complete.
Every possible expense was carefully reduced.
Although she was frugal with the company, Daisy wasn’t nearly as strict with herself.
She bought a used Ford and spent her spare time practicing karate, improving her marksmanship, and enjoying meals at Chinese restaurants.
Life was surprisingly comfortable.
By the time the company’s funds had dwindled to only a few thousand dollars, the first version of the big data algorithm was finally complete.
The algorithm was cumbersome and far from elegant.
Daisy shut herself away to optimize it before deploying it on the rented servers for its first full test.
In this era, personal data protection was still extremely primitive.
Large amounts of user information were effectively left unprotected, allowing the algorithm to collect and process data with remarkable efficiency.
Development was finally complete.
The next challenge was convincing clients to pay for it.
Countless brilliant ideas and innovative technologies had ultimately failed in this financial capital—not because they lacked value, but because their creators didn’t know how to sell them.
Daisy was an unknown entrepreneur.
Walking into a major corporation and expecting executives to take her seriously would be unrealistic.
David was a brilliant engineer but not a persuasive salesperson.
Maki wasn’t suited to business negotiations either.
She needed an assistant.
Returning to her old methods, Daisy hacked into numerous security cameras, identified the person she wanted, monitored them for two days, tucked a pistol into her waistband, and set out to recruit her next employee.
The target lived in an upscale residential neighborhood on the Upper East Side.
After observing their quiet routine for two days, Daisy decided to recruit them personally.
She didn’t use the front door.
Instead, she quietly broke the window lock and slipped inside.
Like the classic villains in movies, she sat silently on the sofa in the darkness, waiting for the owner to return.