Li Gang nodded in understanding.
"If we release the Hongmeng OS outright, it'll draw too much attention from the giants—especially American tech companies. We'll be crushed before we can rise."
Lu Haifeng smiled. Li Gang had caught on quickly, which meant he wasn't just a rigid technical mind—he could think strategically, too.
Exactly what I need in my core team.
In this world, technology alone isn't enough. Even if your system is better, you'll still get strangled by the market if you threaten the wrong people. Lu understood this well.
"A barefoot man isn't afraid of someone wearing shoes," Lu muttered.
Smartphones were the future, and the reign of feature phones was nearing its end. Whoever leaped first would dominate the market for the next decade.
The Hongmeng S1 would be that leap.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Mr. Lu, you called for me?"
It was his secretary, Xiao Ai, a tall woman in professional attire.
"Yes," Lu nodded, handing her a document. "Take a look at this."
Xiao Ai took the folder, her heart heavy. She assumed it was a layoff notice—after all, what else could it be with the factory in crisis?
But as she skimmed the pages, her expression shifted from concern to shock, then to excitement.
"Boss, are we… entering the mobile phone industry?"
Lu leaned back, watching her reaction.
"Tell me, do you think this phone will sell?"
The design in front of her was unlike anything on the market—a sleek, buttonless device where everything was controlled via a touch screen. Fully programmable. A true smartphone.
She had seen smartphones before, but this… this was next level.
"If we can produce this…" she whispered, her eyes wide, "we won't just survive—we could become one of the top phone manufacturers."
But then doubt crept in.
Can we make something like this?
Lu read her thoughts instantly.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't show you this if I couldn't make it happen."
He motioned for her to sit.
"I know the others in the company think we'll crash before we even launch. They think I'm reckless. That I've done nothing but party overseas."
"But they're wrong."
"The truth is—I've been working with a private research institute abroad for years. We've made breakthroughs in mobile tech."
Xiao Ai blinked in surprise.
"You have a research institute overseas?"
"That's right. The OEM work was just meant to warm things up—to build capital and gain experience. But now that we've been betrayed, we're switching straight to our line."
"This phone—this is the product of years of development. The Huaxing Hongmeng S1."
Of course, it was all a cover story. Lu had no such research institute. But he needed a plausible origin for the tech he would keep receiving from the system. His past overseas life gave him the perfect alibi.
Xiao Ai didn't doubt him. The phone designs were authentic—and revolutionary.
"Can we produce it?" she asked softly.
"Zhang Yu says the prototype will be ready in seven days."
Her eyes lit up. She couldn't wait.
Moments later, she left the office to organize teams from various departments to prepare for production.
Five days later, Manager Zhang entered Lu Haifeng's office—holding a box.
"President Lu, the prototypes are ready."
Inside were nine fully assembled units of the Hongmeng S1.
The other executives gathered around as well.
Lu picked one up, smiling calmly.
"What? It's just a smartphone. Why do you all look like you've seen magic?"
He handed them out—one per person.
Truthfully, his heart was pounding harder than anyone else's because this wasn't just a phone.
This was the start of an empire.