"Wait, wait, let me think..." Adam pressed his forehead, his eyes sharp as swords behind his fingers, like an evil king about to unleash his true power. "Plans are plans, but how much can we actually accomplish?"
Sophia pointed to three symbols next to the Apple 2plus icon: "Limited devices, just these for now."
"What if we had enough equipment? I mean, if the budget was generous, what could we achieve with Earth's current production capabilities?"
Sophia drew another patch, about the size of half a palm: "These."
Adam took a deep breath, trying to stay rational despite feeling like he'd just won two hundred million dollars. He asked a practical question: "How long would it take to make them? What's the real R&D timeline? Steve Jobs isn't standing still either—can we beat Apple to it, even before they file a conceptual patent?"
If they file a conceptual patent, we're screwed. They can stake a claim with just a paper concept—no need to actually invent anything. We could work ourselves to the bone and create revolutionary products, but legally, it'd be considered a knockoff, and we'd have to pay Apple for infringement. Whether we can produce it would depend on Jobs' mood and whether he'd license it to us.
In a way, some of the laws around conceptual patents are like cancer in the industry.
No idea.
"I see..." Adam looked a bit disappointed but quickly let it go. After all, Apple has a full R&D team—it's unrealistic to expect Sophia to race against an entire powerhouse by herself.
"Apple's patent filings are unknown, so—" Sophia bent down and hauled a huge stack of documents from under the workbench, dumping them into Adam's arms. With a thud, the pile weighed him down at least twenty pounds. "Take these to the patent office and see if there's anything Apple hasn't registered yet."
"What's this?" Adam flipped through the stack and was instantly shocked: "Is this..."
"These are the current technical documents—everything from design to specs, crystal clear. If that's not enough,"—bang—Sophia put another metal box on top of the pile—"there are finished products inside. With the current patent application laws, this should be more than enough."
"Wha—what the heck! When did you even make these?"
"This morning. While you were cleaning the warehouse."
"This morning? While I was cleaning the warehouse? Weren't you cooking? So while you were clanging around in the kitchen, not only did you make breakfast, you also whipped up some high-tech microchips?" Adam couldn't help but shout. He opened the metal box—inside lay a piece of tech that screamed super advanced. Its process, its complexity—Adam was totally lost.
Looking at the gadget in his hand, Adam just wanted to ask—can you really make this thing in a kitchen? Are there chip-making tools in my kitchen? Such an incredible piece of tech just sat in my house and I had no idea!
Uh... Right, he forgot—with this girl, it doesn't matter where something is on Earth. If she wants to use it, even if it's on the other side of the planet, it's as close as her fingertips.
Even Apple's equipment could theoretically be used without anyone knowing.
A tech race? What's the point—she's already standing on the winner's podium from the start!
"Researching and making these basic products isn't hard. I can use four-dimensional perspective, and if needed, even four-dimensional manipulation. What really eats up time and energy isn't the simple stuff—it's predicting the future path of electronic computing." Sophia stood at the diagram again, ready to sink into thought and self-correction, her gaze growing focused and her aura drifting, about to enter another round of research mode.
"Speaking of which..." Adam suddenly raised his hand like a student: "Teacher, I have a question for you."
Sophia didn't even turn around, her eyes glued to the symbols on the blueprint: "Ask."
Her voice drifted from behind; in this memory world, Adam's expression couldn't be seen.
"With your ability to use the Heart of Tiberia, you can erase any distance in three-dimensional space. That means, no matter where something is, you can just grab it and bring it here, or step anywhere on Earth in an instant. As long as you know the exact location, distance is meaningless, right?"
"Yes."
"If that's the case—then why bother saving up to buy a computer? You could just stand in front of the store window, or even sit at home, and study the Apple 2plus to your heart's content. Why go through all the trouble to buy that expensive piece of junk?"
Aunt Joan didn't turn around: "Because it's someone else's."
The answer was so simple, so clear, it didn't even require any thought or hesitation. For her, it just wasn't a problem.
Why buy it? Because Apple spent money to make it, because Santiago paid for it and brought it in. Same reason she wouldn't just teleport Adam into a concert—because Teresa Teng spent years honing her craft, because the venue cost money to build, because the event took people to organize.
Just because I can, doesn't mean I will.
If she really did things just because she could, then in the time it takes to eat a meal, every bank vault in the world would be empty—but Sophia would never do something like that.
She'd rather struggle through hard times.
"Oh." Adam's voice drifted in from outside the scene; you couldn't see his face, but Yang Qi could sense a trace of something different in that 'oh.' It seemed Adam had some special thoughts about the answer.
"Don't bother me."
The R&D boss had spoken—what else could you say? Time to bow down! Adam picked up the stuff and dashed out the door. With a squeak, he hopped on his bike, and this ride felt like the happiest, most exhilarating one of his life. Looking at the stack of documents in his basket, thinking about that diagram—no doubt, a bright future was waiting!
And those little punks and old dogs who landed me in this mess... Hmph... The summer wind in his face, Adam's smile turned icy.
As for what happened next, Yang Qi and the other two spirit observers couldn't see clearly, since Sophia wasn't involved in running the company. Her gaze was never fixed on this bustling world—she was always busy with her own work, like a fairy wandering a secret garden, freely exploring the world of science.
From her perspective, the three only knew that Tiberia Tech's sign soon moved from that shabby little warehouse to a bustling area in a nearby city, looking much more respectable. They only knew that the historic little warehouse was quickly expanded and renovated, turning into a lively production base.
They only knew Adam was no longer a lone commander. All sorts of people appeared around him. He didn't wear rags, scrub toilets, or deliver packages anymore; he didn't ride that beat-up bike everywhere, nor did he endure poverty. He bought luxury watches and cars, and people called him 'President' wherever he went—he was always surrounded by a crowd. He looked happy and confident, like a withered locust tree blooming after a harsh winter, turning back into the noble young man he once was.
Maybe he'd finally escaped that 'muddy' life? Sophia didn't really get it, but seeing Adam so happy made her happy too.
But Sophia didn't care about any of that. Adam bought loads of new equipment and set up a lab way better than the one at school—that was what really made Sophia happy. She could finally research what she loved and do what she wanted. If that was what it meant to escape a 'muddy' life, then Sophia figured she could understand how Adam felt.
Of course, not everything was perfect. As Tiberia Tech grew in influence, sometimes Adam looked worried, sometimes stressed. Sometimes he’d excitedly talk about loans and how crises were opportunities, sometimes he’d mention Napoleon or stories of princes seeking revenge.
None of that mattered to Sophia. She didn’t care. But Adam spent less time listening to her play the harmonica, which made her a little sad, though she could accept it. She knew Adam was busy—ever since his third passionate rant about 'loans' and 'all-or-nothing' bets, he’d been really busy.
The company grew fast, and production scaled up quickly too.
And he rarely came home anymore.
Until one day, Adam came back. He'd prepared a candlelit dinner, and during the meal, by candlelight, he cheerfully announced that the company was about to go public—ready to ride the storm and soar in the capital markets.
"When it comes to financial games, I'm a real pro. Once I get into this field, no one can stop me. One day, Sophia, one day I'll make... those guys pay." Adam downed his glass of red wine, his whole demeanor sharp as a sword, then softened into a gentle smile. "Come to the company, Sophia. Tomorrow's a big day."
That day, Adam was confident and gentle. It had been a long time since they'd been so close, and Sophia was really happy.
The next day—bang—a bullet shot into Adam's chest.