Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

The office of Star Media.

The whiteboard in the center of the office was covered with sticky notes, and a flowchart of the "Zero" 24-hour breakthrough plan was drawn with a marker.

"At 18:00 sharp: The CG teaser trailer will be released online, premiering on Bilibili, Weibo, and Douyin."

"At 19:00: Ten leading tech KOLs simultaneously released in-depth review videos."

"At 20:00 PM sharp: The purchased trending topic #TheFirstTrueVirtualIdol# must jump into the top three!"

"At 21:00 sharp: Collaborate with top actress Zhao Lusi to post an interactive Weibo post with 'Zero'. The caption must appear natural and surprising."

"At 22:00 sharp: 'Zero's' first virtual concert will be exclusively streamed on Bilibili, with a target of one million online viewers!"

The steps are precise to the minute, and a large amount of resources and funds have been invested in each step.

Wang Min, Liu Liu, and Zhang Hong, wearing noise-canceling headphones and with bloodshot eyes, stared intently at the screen in front of them. Their fingers flew across the keyboard, directing their online trolls and preparing to manipulate public opinion.

Gu Ming remained calm.

He sat in the boss's chair with his feet propped up on the table, his face expressionless.

He would sometimes move between different groups, listen to reports, issue instructions, and resolve unexpected problems.

Sometimes he would return to Professor Zhang's AI lab and argue with the group of technicians about a certain micro-expression parameter that was "zero".

He mobilized the entire team, and they all worked efficiently.

Damn, this is the feeling I wanted.

He was no longer charging ahead alone, but rather acting as a commander, watching his team execute the plan.

……

"Motion capture room, test number 58, prepare!"

At Gu Ming's command, the assistant next to him pressed the record button.

In the starkly lit motion capture room, a figure dressed in a black motion capture suit, covered in white markers, began to move again.

It's Chen Mo.

As the music began, she started repeating a dance that blended modern dance and martial arts.

Her spins, jumps, and points of force were all very precise.

Sweat soaked through her tight-fitting clothes, which clung to her body, outlining her muscle lines.

She was almost out of energy.

But her gaze remained focused, and her movements remained unchanged.

Gu Ming knelt on one knee, carrying a DSLR camera, the lens locked on Chen Mo.

He wanted a close-up.

Trembling when muscles are exerting force.

The blue veins that bulge on the neck when there is a lack of oxygen.

The moment sweat slid down his chin.

"stop!"

When the last movement was frozen in time, Gu Ming called for a stop.

Chen Mo remained kneeling on one knee, panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, sweat dripping onto the floor, leaving a dark stain.

Gu Ming stepped forward without saying a word, and simply handed her a bottle of water with the cap unscrewed.

Chen Mo took it, tilted his head back, and drank it all.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Gu Ming looked at her flushed face after exercising, and at her eyes glistening with sweat, and said softly:

"My warrior."

Chen Mo's body trembled slightly.

She looked up at Gu Ming without saying a word, but her eyes lit up.

"Gu Ming! Gu Ming! Look!"

A hurried voice came from behind.

Shen Lian rushed over, threw her Hermes bag on the ground, and held her phone up to Gu Ming.

"Look! I told them we've secured the splash screens for several major video apps and Weibo tomorrow night!"

On the screen is a WeChat group called "Shanghai's Number One Beautiful Girl Group", where people are discussing whose resources to use to promote "Zero's" debut.

"My dad just acquired the 'Fan Circle' app, and I told them to change the header of every page to 'zero' tomorrow!"

"I'm telling my buddy to make all the players in his esports club change their profile pictures to 'Zero' tomorrow!"

"This is such a small matter, An'an, you can just ask. I've already asked my company to convert all of next month's Google budgets across all channels into zero-dollar endorsements!"

Gu Ming's eyes twitched as he looked at the chat logs.

Is this how rich people promote their products?

Simple and straightforward.

But it fucking works.

"Well done." Gu Ming patted Shen Lian'an's head.

"Of course!" Shen Lian raised her chin. "My people must be the most capable!"

Just then, Gu Ming's phone rang.

It's Su Qingying.

He walked to a quiet corner and answered the phone.

The voice on the other end of the phone was calm and professional.

"Gu Ming, everything is arranged."

"I have contacted several editors-in-chief of CBN, Wall Street Journal and 36Kr, and they are all very interested in the 'Digital Life' project."

"I also personally revised the press release, downplaying the entertainment aspect and emphasizing the strategic value of 'AI autonomous interaction' and 'personalized development' in the future metaverse business ecosystem."

"As soon as your virtual concert data comes out, I guarantee that within twelve hours, the concept of 'the first stock in the metaverse' will spread throughout the entire capital circle."

Gu Ming listened quietly.

He knew that Su Qingying had used the reputation and connections she had built up in the investment banking industry over the past decade.

She supported him with her career.

"Qingying," Gu Ming paused, then said softly, "thank you."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a soft, amused hum from Su Qingying.

"Don't forget, I invested in the 'Personal Special Fund'."

"My investment can't afford to lose money."

……

Time passed second by second.

As the clock struck midnight, the countdown to the official release of "Zero" began.

All preparations are complete.

The offices and laboratories, which had been noisy all day, finally quieted down.

All that remained was the regular hum of the server chassis fans.

Everyone was exhausted.

The three Wang sisters fell asleep on the table.

Professor Zhang and his team were snoring as they lay on cots and beanbag chairs.

Chen Mo leaned against the corner of the training hall wall, hugging his knees as he fell asleep.

Gu Ming walked alone into the empty studio.

This is the main stage for tomorrow's virtual concert.

He walked to the control panel and pressed a few buttons.

The LED screen that occupied the entire wall in the center of the stage lit up.

On the screen, a figure gradually became clearer from a blurry image.

She was wearing a silver-white performance costume with a pale blue halo flowing through the fabric.

She had long, waist-length silver hair draped down her back.

She has delicate features, fair skin, and a pair of sky-blue eyes.

Virtual human, "Zero".

She stood quietly in the center of the screen.

Seemingly noticing Gu Ming in the audience, she tilted her head slightly, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Then, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

Gu Ming stood below the stage, looking up at her on the screen.

Looking at this achievement, built from code, motion capture, countless sleepless nights, and the hard work of the entire team.

This is his child.

It was his first work of his own since he came into this world.

He spoke softly to the screen, to the virtual figure, in a voice only he could hear:

"Go."

"To amaze the world."

The words fell.

The "zero" on the screen seemed to understand him and winked at him.