I arrived at Envid’s headquarters thirty minutes before the start of the board meeting.

On the day of the board meeting.

‘It’s probably good to show my face a little early.’

There were twelve board members in total, including myself.

However, any agenda item requiring a vote could be passed with a majority.

In other words, to get my proposal approved, I needed at least six votes.

The problem was, this structure itself was unfavorable to a new member like me. There weren’t many who would cast their vote for someone they’d never even spoken to.

‘It would be good to leave a favorable impression, even if just briefly, before the meeting.’

Normally, there was an unofficial networking time before the board meeting started.

So, I planned to use that short window to create an atmosphere favorable to me,

But…

“.......”

There was no one.

Other than the coffee and snacks prepared in the corner of the conference room, there wasn’t a single shadow of a person to be found.

‘This... it’s hard to believe this is just a coincidence.’

It was clearly intentional.

Someone had completely blocked me from contacting the other board members beforehand.

Most likely, Jackson was behind it.

‘Hmm.......’

I rested my chin on my hand and fell into thought for a moment.

There was only one piece of information to be read from this situation.

Jackson controlled the board.

Furthermore, it meant that beyond just checking me himself, he could control the actions of the entire board.

In theory, even if Jackson told them “Don’t meet with Ha Si-heon,” there was no reason they had to obey.

After all, a board exists to monitor and keep the CEO in check.

However, at this moment.

In this empty conference room, Jackson’s influence over the board was fully revealed.

As I let out a small smile.

Crash.

The conference room door swung open.

Jackson walked in briskly at the front, followed by the entire board entering in unison.

Almost as if they were one body.

As if to flaunt their unity.

Jackson raised the corners of his mouth slightly and spoke to me.

“Then, let’s get started with the meeting right away.”

There were several agenda items.

Envid’s performance, performance analysis, gaming GPU market share, data center expansion plans, and so on.

However, the most important issue was...

“The next topic is the schedule for our next product launch.”

This was it.

‘Next product launch schedule.’

But as soon as Jackson opened his mouth, the board members started chiming in one after another.

“Summer is definitely the right time.”

“Yes. An announcement like this needs a special occasion, and I think unveiling it at Computex would be ideal.”

Everyone immediately united around ‘summer.’

The direction was already set.

It was a clear demonstration of Jackson’s influence on the board.

However, I needed to go against this flow.

“According to the report just presented, product optimization has already been completed, and chip production is finished as well. So then, why wait another one or two months to launch?”

The board didn’t look surprised.

They must have already anticipated I would ask this question.

Anyway, I was taking the stance of opposing a summer launch.

Now was the timing for Jackson to say something...

“What if rushing it causes poor initial results?”

“That’s not just a simple ‘performance’ problem. Do you realize it could signal to the market that Envid is out of touch with industry trends?”

Two board members sharply targeted me.

Jackson sent them a satisfied smile, then spoke.

“We can’t just focus on risk and hesitate. Have you forgotten? We’ve always based our launch schedules on data. This time can’t be an exception.”

He turned his head and looked straight at me.

“Do you have any data to support your proposed accelerated schedule?”

His tone was full of certainty.

Certainty that ‘there’s no way I’d have such data.’

But I smiled lightly.

“Yes, I do. May I share it?”

A brief silence.

Jackson’s expression stiffened slightly, and another board member interjected.

“We have a lot of items to cover. Is it really necessary to see this?”

They were clearly trying to shield Jackson somehow.

However, “I’m not the one who insisted that numbers are most important.”

If they refused to see my data now, they’d lose their justification.

They could no longer insist “This is a data-based decision” as they had until now.

In the end, Jackson forced a strained smile and said.

“Fine. If there’s data, of course we should see it.”

“Then, I’ll get it ready.”

I immediately sent a text, and Nicole, my assistant waiting outside, came in carrying the prepared report and distributed it one by one.

“This is Pareto Innovation’s AI market analysis report.”

While the board members skimmed the documents, I highlighted only the key points succinctly.

“Our algorithm considers AI to be on the same level as the internet, mobile, and streaming revolutions. This is because we’re seeing identical indicator patterns in AI that appeared repeatedly during the early phases of those three revolutions.”

From here on, I had only one mission.

To ‘make them feel like we’re cousins with NetPlus.’

Various indicators in the AI market resemble those of NetPlus, so I would argue we would become just like them.

“From June to October, venture capital funding flowing into the AI sector surged by 350%.”

Of course, two billion dollars of that was my own investment.

But it wasn’t a lie.

“This trend is similar to the capital movement observed right before NetPlus took off. Furthermore, in the past two months alone, AI-related M&A cases increased by 58%...”

By repeatedly pushing this ‘We’re like NetPlus’ narrative.

Finally...

“According to our analysis, within the next couple of months, a decisive event that will shake up the AI market is expected to occur. A kind of catalyst event. If we launch as soon as possible, we’ll be able to ride that wave perfectly.”

I was basically saying that my algorithm was telling us to advance the launch date.

Then, one of the board members sneered and said.

“An algorithm, huh... How convenient. The reality is, we can’t even fully understand the principles behind it. Frankly, this could all just be data you fabricated, couldn’t it?”

He hit the mark.

However, I calmly smiled and answered.

"Even if you say that, I can’t reveal the rules of the algorithm. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to."

Here, I lowered my voice a bit.

"But if, as I said, a catalyst event does occur within the next couple of months, what will you do? If that causes us to miss out on an enormous opportunity, will you take responsibility for it?"

It’s easy to doubt my algorithm.

However, once you start talking about responsibility, the situation changes.

I was already famous as someone who had predicted numerous black swan events using this algorithm.

Then, Jackson spoke up.

"This is not the data we’re looking for."

His tone was firm.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he continued.

"We only base our decisions on empirical data as of the present moment. But this is just a predictive model built by pulling similar patterns from other industries… merely an estimate of the future, not true data in the real sense."

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

He was destroying the foundation of my argument.

And his point was accurate.

My report, which looked like sophisticated data analysis on the surface, was really just the epitome of reverse engineering.

It was a persuasion tool selectively constructed from numbers similar to NetPlus.

Key contexts like the unique risks the AI industry currently faces and the yet-to-be-formed infrastructure were intentionally left out.

"The indicators we refer to are clear. Real demand and ecosystem data, and only empirical data observable within the AI industry itself. Is there anything like that?"

Of course not.

Such solid data didn’t exist at this point.

"I understand your impatience. Wall Street has always been like that. They pour in money just by looking at potential, and if things go wrong, they immediately pull out. But we are different. Our investments are in factories, equipment, distribution networks, and people. Once we make a mistake, these are physical assets that can never be recovered. That’s why we value real demand and the ecosystem so highly."

His tone gradually shifted into that of a lecture.

"There is no world where technology leads and demand follows later. That expectation is exactly what causes bubbles. True growth evolves organically with all elements moving together. Trying to push the market forward with impatience… that’s just speculation and gambling. True investment always requires the element of time."

He wasn’t wrong.

But ironically, time was the very resource I lacked the most — that’s why I was struggling like this.

I let out a deep sigh inwardly.

'In the end… is there no other way?'

The final card I had always held back.

Once played, there would be no turning back.

It was time to decide whether to use it or not.

Honestly, I still hated the idea of using this method even now.

But at that moment, my gaze suddenly drifted to my wrist.

Through the slightly rolled-up sleeve, a black line peeked out.

This time, along with Milo’s name, I had also tattooed a Tyrannosaurus drawing, and because the tail was long, it showed even if I rolled my sleeve up just a little.

It felt as if that tail was asking me.

Are you really going to wait?

At last, I made up my mind.

"You’re wrong."

"...What?"

Jackson stopped speaking at my words.

What he had been saying was textbook orthodoxy.

But now I had directly refuted it as ‘wrong.’

"There’s an exception to every rule, isn’t there?

For example—"

I added with a meaningful smile.

"In the case of war."

"War?"

Jackson’s eyebrows shot up.

It was the reaction of someone hearing something completely unexpected.

I slowly nodded.

"That’s right. When a war breaks out, doesn’t technology advance first? And then, naturally, demand and the ecosystem follow behind."

"Furthermore, the speed is incomparable to peacetime. Take aviation technology during World War I, radar technology during World War II… Advancements that should have taken decades were achieved in just a few years."

That’s right.

War is the ultimate catalyst for rapidly advancing technology.

And in front of that, demand, ecosystem, timing — all become meaningless.

It’s truly an event that breaks all existing market rules and order.

"Are you predicting a World War III now?"

There was a hint of mockery in Jackson’s tone, but I smiled steadily.

"Of course not. But sometimes, there are wars without gunfire. Like the Cold War, for example."

"......"

"Back then, the technological battle for space supremacy between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was also considered a war by the world. And even in that war, technology moved first, followed by demand and the ecosystem."

After scanning the conference room once, I spoke as if declaring.

"I’m certain a similar kind of war will break out in the AI field. And much sooner than we expect."

"Is that also something your algorithm told you?"

One of the board members asked in a mocking tone, but I replied calmly.

"No. This time, I heard it directly."

"Directly? From whom?"

I intentionally paused for a beat, then answered clearly.

"Aaron Stark."

In an instant, the atmosphere in the conference room changed.

Their gazes darted around busily.

Who was Aaron Stark?

A genius maverick dreaming of immigration to Mars.

A man who burned money like fuel to pursue an absurd dream.

And an icon of innovation who made the impossible possible.

Most importantly…

A game-changer.

Then, why was Stark being mentioned here?

Before the tension fully dissipated, I declared again.

"Stark will soon declare an AI war."

Just like the Cold War.

Two giants will pour unimaginable resources and capital into a technological battle.

Of course, he can’t do it alone.

Every war needs an opponent.

An adversary to stand against Stark.

That opponent was already decided.

"Soon, Stark will directly challenge Gooble’s AI supremacy."

This was something that hadn’t happened in my previous life.

But that didn’t matter.

Because I would make it happen.