Chapter 3

I pulled out my phone and sent a Snapchat message to Cole.

"Help me look up Starlight Corp's biggest bidding project recently, and find out what technical issues they are facing."

Starlight Corp was Vivian’s company, a publicly-traded electronics manufacturer.

Within two hours, Cole sent me a highly detailed report.

The report showed that while Starlight Corp looked successful on the outside, they were under massive pressure. Their revenue and net profit had plummeted over the past year, and their stock price was tanking.

They desperately needed a win to restore investor confidence.

The multi-million smart IoT terminal project from Omni Group was their holy grail.

It wasn't just a lucrative contract; more importantly, Starlight wanted to secure a long-term partnership with a giant like Omni Group.

The core requirement of the bid was to design a smart management system that could seamlessly integrate with Omni’s standards while maintaining flawless quality control.

Starlight’s tech team had been working day and night, but they couldn't solve the integration lag.

On top of that, another company was eyeing the project.

Vance Technologies, a smaller but highly innovative firm.

However, Vance Tech was also stuck on the exact same technical bottleneck.

I closed the file and leaned back, closing my eyes to think.

Since Starlight and Vivian had bet their entire future on this, I would strike them exactly where they were weakest—their technology.

Once my plan was set, I contacted Cole again and asked him to introduce me to Marcus Vance, the CEO of Vance Technologies.

Cole’s efficiency was unmatched.

The next afternoon, I met Marcus Vance in a private VIP room of an exclusive club.

I didn't waste time on small talk. I pushed a technical proposal across the table. It contained the exact solution for the Omni Group project.

Marcus, having a strong engineering background himself, scanned the paper.

I watched his expression go from skepticism to absolute shock. He sat straight up, his eyes wide.

"Mr. Miller... this is genius! This system doesn't just solve the compatibility issue; it increases the overall efficiency by twenty percent! How did you develop this so quickly?"

I replied calmly, "How I did it doesn't matter. What matters is, can this proposal win you the Omni Group contract?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Marcus said, his voice shaking with excitement. He looked at me eagerly. "Mr. Miller, please join Vance Tech. The Chief Technology Officer position is yours. We can start at a million-dollar base salary plus stock options!"

It was an offer that would tempt anyone, but I shook my head.

"Thank you, Mr. Vance, but I have no interest in joining full-time. However, I can act as your special technical consultant for this project to help your team implement it."

"I have only one condition: my identity must remain strictly confidential until the contract is signed."

Marcus nodded vigorously. "Deal. I'll personally handle the NDA. Having you on our side is the best thing that ever happened to Vance Tech."

On the day of the bidding event, I arrived early and sat in a quiet, dimly lit corner at the back of the auditorium.

Vivian, representing Starlight Corp, was the lead presenter. She wore a sharp white suit, her makeup was flawless, and she exuded authority.

She stood on stage, demonstrating her polished slides and explaining Starlight's solution.

Her delivery was perfect, her data was solid, and her confident aura had the judges and Omni Group executives nodding in approval.

Everything seemed to be going exactly as she had planned.

Until the Q&A session.

Marcus Vance raised his hand.

He took the microphone and skipped the pleasantries, pointing directly at a flaw in Vivian’s presentation.

"Vivian, your high-concurrency data solution might look good on paper, but under real-world testing, it will cause severe latency on Omni's assembly lines."

The question was highly technical and sharp. Vivian’s face paled for a fraction of a second, but she quickly forced a bright smile.

She adjusted her headset and responded smoothly.

"Thank you, Marcus. Our team actually anticipated that risk. We have designed a three-tier dynamic buffer to handle it. In our industry right now, this is the absolute best solution available."

Vivian’s quick thinking was impressive, and she quickly regained control of the room.

But Marcus just smiled, a sharp edge in his eyes.

"The best solution? I beg to differ. Ladies and gentlemen, Vance Tech has developed a brand-new system architecture. It doesn't just fix the latency; it boosts overall system efficiency by over twenty percent. I’d like to invite our special technical consultant to explain the details."

A murmur ran through the crowd.

Vivian’s brow furrowed, a trace of anxiety flickering in her eyes. But mostly, she looked annoyed. She didn't believe Vance Tech could have a better solution, let alone some random "consultant."

Under the spotlight, I slowly stood up, straightened my suit jacket, and walked toward the stage under a sea of curious eyes.