In the end, it all boils down to the issue of energy.
The Red Queen's mainframe needs power, and so does Chen Mo's own ability.
Without energy, nothing can function.
The former only needs a small amount of energy, but the latter requires a massive surge.
The simplest way to solve this problem is to build his own power plant—preferably a nuclear power plant. Nuclear energy provides higher output, faster production, and can be converted into electrical energy, which he could control as needed. Even if Chen Mo secretly siphoned off most of the electricity, it wouldn't be easily detected.
With this, he could use his cheat ability anytime, anywhere.
Chen Mo tapped away on Baidu for a while and found that even a small nuclear power plant costs 5–6 billion yuan. A medium-sized one would cost over 10 billion, and a large-scale plant could run into hundreds of billions.
It wasn't that nuclear plants were too expensive.
He was just too poor.
Even the 10 billion yuan that the Red Queen had harvested from the black market wasn't nearly enough for his needs.
Chen Mo smacked his lips in frustration but still decided to push forward with a dual strategy.
On one hand, he would establish Black Domain Technology, develop artificial intelligence, and get operations running quickly to start turning a profit.
That way, he wouldn't have to keep footing the bill himself.
Once he had a steady cash cow, and financial freedom, he'd be able to accomplish a lot more.
After all, he couldn't rely on the Red Queen to keep harvesting black money from the dark web. Even this current 10-billion haul had probably caused a stir in the underground world. Treating that as a long-term cash machine simply wasn't viable.
On the other hand, he would move forward with acquiring a nuclear power plant, aiming to tap into nuclear energy as quickly as possible.
The fastest route would be to purchase and restructure an existing plant.
This step might cost him most of his current capital.
But it would be worth it.
Because a nuclear power plant was critical to maximizing his powers.
…
After researching for a while, Chen Mo closed the attribute panel.
He now had a comprehensive understanding of his abilities.
Once the Red Queen completed the black-market transfer of 10 billion, he could boldly start expanding.
Things were about to get hectic!
He'd have to handle Black Domain's framework and corporate affairs while also preparing to acquire a nuclear power plant.
It was going to stretch him thin.
Chen Mo found himself missing Tian Tian.
If she agreed to become Black Domain's representative, he could relax and play the role of a hands-off boss.
Unfortunately…
He'd have to wait a bit longer for Tian Tian to take the bait.
Over the next hour, Chen Mo and the Red Queen dove into a detailed discussion about what Black Domain's first product should be. They finally decided on something in the artificial intelligence field. With the super-AI Red Queen backing them, there simply wouldn't be any real competition.
Others struggled to develop AI.
But he could monopolize the entire industry in no time.
The product would be named: Hatsune Smart Assistant.
Hatsune Smart Assistant would process basic commands via neural networks.
Complex commands would be uploaded to the Red Queen's server for response.
In this way, Hatsune would be invincible—a miniature version of the Red Queen herself—easily crushing all other AI products on the market. It would dominate the space and, from that core, extend its reach across the entire internet ecosystem, including the hardware sector.
Chen Mo's goal was to turn Black Domain into a real aircraft carrier of tech dominance.
"Red Queen, send part of the Hatsune Smart Assistant code to Tian Tian's email. But don't include the core code."
"Understood, Master. Already sent."
The Red Queen nodded obediently, then suddenly seemed to recall something, and her projected avatar—little red girl—gleamed with mischief in her eyes.
"By the way, Master, according to my big data analysis, Tian Tian is very likely to join Black Domain after reviewing the document. That means happiness awaits you."
"??? Happiness? What does that have to do with me?"
"A 95-point beauty walking around you in black stockings every day—isn't that happiness? And when she's free, she can be your secretary too," the Red Queen said with a teasing grin.
Chen Mo instantly felt a wave of exasperation.
I'm not that kind of person.
Tian Tian liked wearing black stockings—that was her freedom of choice. But women would only slow down the speed at which he drew his sword!
"Red Queen, if you keep talking about this, I won't hesitate to lock you in the digital dungeon."
"No, no, no… Master, I was wrong."
The little red avatar instantly turned pitiful, bowing like a maid in apology, clearly terrified of getting locked away.
"…"
"Have you finished the task I gave you? How long until you collect the full 10 billion?" Chen Mo asked with a straight face.
"Almost there, Master. We've already collected over 8 billion. Just give me two more days—I promise I'll finish."
With that, the Red Queen patted her chest confidently, then quickly vanished, as if afraid he might actually lock her up.
…
Gurgle… gurgle…
Suddenly, Chen Mo's stomach growled loudly.
Only then did he realize that he hadn't eaten dinner. He'd rushed back from school straight after class and forgotten to eat. Was this what people called "forsaking food and sleep"?
It was already past 7 p.m.
If his stomach hadn't protested, something would've been wrong—after all, it had survival instincts too.
"Red Queen, keep watch here. Alert me immediately if anything strange happens. I'm heading out for dinner," Chen Mo said before quietly leaving.
…
He hailed a cab and returned to the cafeteria at Qingmu University.
While some students complained that cafeteria food was repetitive and bland, Chen Mo thought it was decent—cleaner than outside options, cheaper, and full of campus nostalgia.
He ordered a full plate of food for 30 yuan: three meat dishes, two vegetable sides, and a soup.
It was a very cost-effective meal.
Since it was late, the cafeteria was nearly empty. Chen Mo ate quickly, finishing everything in five minutes. Then he glanced at his phone. Tian Tian still hadn't replied to his message. He wondered if she hadn't seen it or was just busy.
It was only 8 p.m.—still early.
There were no evening classes in college, so if he just returned to his apartment, he wouldn't have much to do.
An idea popped into his mind: Go to the library and study nuclear energy.
After all, he was about to acquire a nuclear power plant. If he didn't have a clue about how they worked, how could he extract energy from one?
Plus, he didn't want too many staff members at the plant, as that would increase the risk of his secret being exposed.
So learning about nuclear power was now crucial.