[Authors Note: There are now characters illustrations in the review section of the novel, You can check it out.]
Marina Theatre.
A sea of reporters and Marching Ant fans filled the venue for the much-anticipated press conference.
Ever since news broke that Marching Ant Company was hosting a product exhibition, it had drawn immense attention. The tech giant hadn't released many products in total, but every one had made a splash.
The launch of the revolutionary seismograph had solidified Marching Ant's dominance in tech. Even though the Clown Virus crisis currently dominated headlines, the anticipation surrounding Marching Ant's event still held strong.
Reporters from every major outlet came hoping to catch a glimpse of what the company would unveil next. With Marching Ant, expectations were always high—and the surprises, even higher.
Xia Xue, holding her phone nervously, stood near the stage.
Since her first live stream of a Marching Ant event, she'd gained a huge following. Now signed to a live-streaming platform, she'd become a well-known online personality. She had flown back from the capital just two days ago to stream the event.
Her live broadcast room was already packed, with over 300,000 viewers. The comment section was a chaotic flood of messages.
"Guess what Marching Ant is releasing today?" Xia Xue asked the camera.
"Mealman!"
"Robot girlfriend!"
"Electric Big Cucumber!"
"Wait, what's the 'Mealman' joke?"
"It's from that viral skit—'people need food like iron needs steel!'"
"…."
What began as a serious tech discussion quickly turned into a carnival of absurdity, leaving Xia Xue speechless. She could only admire the creativity of her chaotic viewers.
Other media outlets were also broadcasting the event live—including several foreign ones.
The theme of the conference was simple but intriguing: "New Life."
Many speculated that it hinted at something related to the Clown Virus, especially considering reports that Marching Ant had already developed antivirus software capable of neutralizing it. However, the company had remained tight-lipped—no comments, no interviews from executives.
After a brief opening video, Zhao Min took the stage, and the entire room fell silent.
Marching Ant's product launches were always clean and straightforward, free from the glitz and fluff most tech companies employed.
"Hello everyone," Zhao Min greeted. "Thank you for taking the time to attend our press conference."
She turned to the big screen. "Today, we're unveiling four new products: a Smart Whiteboard, Smart Notebook, Smart Office Computer, and one more…"
The screen displayed images of the three devices—but no sign of the mysterious fourth product.
"The real advantage of the first three devices," Zhao Min said with a smile, "comes from the fourth product."
Just as she finished speaking, the images on screen came to life, displaying the Marching Ant logo, followed by a sleek computer desktop featuring a cartoon marching ant mascot.
The crowd buzzed.
"Wait—is this a computer operating system?"
"A new OS? From Marching Ant?"
"A domestic OS?"
The chat in the live streams exploded. With one simple visual, everyone understood what was happening.
Zhao Min confirmed it: "The fourth product is a new computer operating system—Termite."
A murmur spread through the venue. Shock. Curiosity. Excitement.
No one had known that Marching Ant was even working on a computer OS. The surprise was total.
"The Termite system is built on the architecture of our existing Marching Ant system," Zhao Min explained. "It comes with an intelligent assistant and full voice control—just like our Butterfly Eye smartphones."
She began demonstrating voice-controlled operations in real-time, and the audience was visibly impressed.
"The Termite system has three key advantages," Zhao Min continued.
"First: High Efficiency. It includes a smart office assistant that drastically improves productivity.
Second: Application Compatibility. It supports both Android and Marching Ant system apps. You can run mobile apps directly on your computer."
While she walked through the features of the three smart devices, she clarified that for now, their primary target was the corporate office market, not general consumers. Ecosystem limitations and entrenched user habits would make civilian adoption slower.
"Third—and most important—is Security. The Termite system inherits the Marching Ant system's robust defenses. It comes with a built-in smart firewall that blocks all known computer viruses—including the Clown Virus."
That last line hit like a bombshell.
The Clown Virus still held London and New York hostage, with no resolution in sight. Both cities continued to suffer massive losses, and authorities had failed to catch the hackers or decrypt the virus.
Existing systems—Windows, macOS, Linux—were all compromised.
But now Marching Ant was claiming that Termite could resist it completely.
This raised a wave of speculation. Was this just a lucky opportunity? Or had Marching Ant planned to dominate the corporate PC market all along?
The timing couldn't have been better.
Enterprise offices, known for their need for stability and data security, were in crisis. With the Termite system offering a secure alternative, it was a no-brainer.
Zhao Min also unveiled the pricing:
Notebook: ¥8999
Desktop: ¥4999
Smart Whiteboard: ¥30,000
Termite System (Normal): ¥388
Professional: ¥888
Flagship: ¥1680
Enterprise versions: negotiable
The prices were competitive—more affordable than most current high-end devices—especially considering the added security.
Marching Ant had previously issued a challenge: anyone who could crack their system would receive 2 million yuan. No one had succeeded. That alone spoke volumes about their confidence in system security.
By the time the launch ended, the internet was on fire. Every major forum, tech blog, and news platform was flooded with Termite System coverage.
On Weibo, Marching Ant trended #1 again.
Many companies, especially in London and New York, began contacting Marching Ant to inquire about purchasing enterprise licenses for Termite.
Although the system wasn't designed for gaming and lacked broader ecosystem support, it was more than capable as a secure office OS.
The only drawback was the current lack of third-party applications. But that would change—sooner or later, other software developers would build for it. Ecosystem development was just a matter of time.
Back at the office, Zhao Min sat reviewing sales data from the previous day. Everything was going smoothly. The panic from the Clown Virus had driven a wave of companies to proactively switch to the Termite System.
Just then, Li Lingfeng pushed open the door and walked in, his face unusually serious.
Zhao Min raised her eyebrows—Li Lingfeng was always calm and composed. For him to look rattled meant something big had just happened.
She set the papers down.
"What is it?"