CHAPTER 133: EXPANSION

"It has barely been two months since your company released Sentinel, and already OmniTech Corp has become one of the most talked-about names in the tech world," said the interviewer, a well-dressed woman with an easy smile.

The studio lights reflected softly off the, minimalist News studio’s logo displayed behind them.

Across from her sat Lillian Hayes, dressed in an elegant cream suit, calmly looking at the interviewer before her.

"That’s true," Lillian said with a composed smile. "Sentinel was our first official product, and it exceeded every projection we had. We’ve already partnered with several major firms for implementation across multiple sectors — finance, aerospace, even government networks. But that’s only the beginning."

The interviewer leaned forward slightly, intrigued. "So, are you saying OmniTech’s next step is already in motion?"

"It is, and I think it’s time we talk about it." Lillian replied with a smile.

The interviewer gestured for her to continue, clearly eager. "You’ve been teasing this announcement for weeks, Ms. Hayes. What’s next for OmniTech Corp?"

Lillian clasped her hands on the table, her tone turning more deliberate. "Today, I’m officially announcing OmniTech’s expansion into the medical technology sector — what we call OmniMed."

"OmniMed?" the interviewer repeated, eyebrows raised. "That’s... quite a shift from cybersecurity."

"It’s not a shift," Lillian corrected gently, "it’s an evolution. The foundation of Sentinel was intelligence — autonomous systems that adapt, learn, and protect. The same core can be applied to medicine. Imagine AI-driven diagnostics that detect illnesses before symptoms even appear, or nanotech-assisted treatments that repair cellular damage in real time."

The interviewer blinked. "That sounds like something out of science fiction."

Lillian smiled. "It did, until now."

"We at OmniTech Corp promised to take humanity to the future and this is just one of the steps to fulfilling that promise." She completed and leaned back.

The interviewer quickly gathered herself. "This... is groundbreaking, Ms. Hayes. Does this mean OmniTech will be developing medical hardware as well?"

"We will," Lillian replied. "We’ve already assembled a team of brilliant researchers in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, and molecular robotics, the team is already completely assembled."

The interviewer leaned back, clearly realizing the magnitude of what had just been revealed. "Incredible. And when can the public expect to see the first results of this new venture?"

Lillian glanced toward the camera. "Soon. But for now, just know that OmniTech Corp isn’t just protecting the digital world anymore. We’re preparing to protect lives."

"I see," the interviewer nodded before giving a smile, "it’s been a pleasure having you at our studio today, Ms. Hayes. I’m sure our viewers are eager to see what OmniTech does next."

"The pleasure was mine," Lillian replied warmly, her professional smile unchanging as the camera light turned off, signaling the end of the live broadcast."

"—and we’re clear," said the producer from behind the glass wall, giving a thumbs-up.

The interviewer relaxed in her seat, exhaling softly as she turned to Lillian. "That was... honestly one of the most impressive interviews I’ve done this month."

"Thank you," Lillian said with a smile.

The interviewer chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "No, really. You make it sound so effortless—like launching a multi-billion-dollar division is as simple as ordering coffee."

Lillian gave a light laugh. "Effortless isn’t the word I’d use," she said, glancing toward the glass panel where producers were already replaying the footage. "But when you work with the right people... everything starts to look that way."

"Ah, the mysterious team behind the curtain," the interviewer teased. "You’ve got the media buzzing about OmniTech’s CEO, you know. Still no public appearance?"

Lillian’s smile didn’t falter. "He prefers to let the work speak for itself."

"That sounds really cryptic, Ms Hayes." The interviewer said, even more curious now.

"It is," Lillian answered with a chuckle, "but let’s just say the owner is someone who values privacy more than publicity, if he’s ready to reveal himself, you’d know."

"Then we’ll be waiting for that," the interviewer said, "once again, thank you for coming."

Moments later, she stood, thanked the host again, and exited the studio. The camera crews watched her leave as whispers rose among them.

OmniTech was already trending online, and the interview hadn’t even been up for five minutes.

Outside the glass doors, a matte-black car was already waiting. The driver opened the door without a word and Lillian stepped in and shut it gently behind her.

Ethan was inside, watching the broadcasted news on his tablet.

"You did good," he praised with a small smile.

"Thank you," she responded.

It had been close to a month since Ethan returned and saying that OmniTech’s expansion had been rapid would be an understatement.

During his stay in Boston, Lillian had secured a couple of important contracts that positioned OmniTech as more than just another cybersecurity company.

"The contracts gave us more than enough leverage," Ethan said, closing the tablet and glancing her way. "But the real challenge starts now. Every major medical corporation will see this as a threat."

"They already do," Lillian replied, crossing her legs. "My inbox is filled with requests for ’collaborations’—and not the friendly kind. Half of them are just trying to figure out what we’re building."

"Is that so?" He chuckled, "then they wouldn’t have to wait longer, our first Meditech product would soon hit the market and I’m sure it’ll shake them to their core."

He was confident enough in what the siblings were working on, after all, it was a tech the world hadn’t seen yet.

There was a bit of silence between the two, as the car continued forward towards their new headquarters.

Speaking of which, "how’s OmniTech’s expansion going?" He asked, turning to her again.

"Pretty smoothly," Lillian responded as she turned on the tablet and handed it over to him, " thanks to Irina’s help, we’ve acquired three new facilities this week alone," she said as Ethan took the tablet. "One in Palo Alto, one in Zurich, and another in Seoul. The Zurich site will handle AI model training and data analytics for OmniMed, while Seoul’s focused on hardware prototyping, our new server farm is in Palo Alto."

Ethan scrolled through the reports, his expression unreadable as rows of figures and projections flashed across the screen. "And staffing?"

"Handled," she replied. "HR’s running background checks through the new internal filter you designed. There’re no moles among them. Everyone’s clean so far."

"Good," Ethan said quietly, returning the tablet.

This was a slow step towards expanding to other countries, one that’d get bigger until OmniTech Corp was in every part of the world.

Why was that his goal?

Well, besides the fact that global expansion was the natural progression for any tech empire, Ethan had another reason,

[System Mission Three]

[Mission Title: The World Network

Objective: Expand OmniTech’s operational presence into at least five major global sectors within the next 12 months.

Progress: 3/5 territories established.

Reward: Unlock of TDI’s 4th Module — [REDACTED].

Bonus Reward: +20% global influence, +10% system version.

Failure Condition: If OmniTech loses majority operational control in any two sectors.]

The system’s blue holographic screen floated before his eyes as he read through again.

It had popped up a few days after he returned to Atlanta and that had been the main reason for Sentinel’s rapid expansion into other continents.

Although, he was currently way ahead of schedule so he could afford to take time and properly strengthen the acquired sectors before moving on to the next two.

Ethan closed the translucent screen, the faint hum of the car filling the silence as he stared out the tinted window.

For the first time in a long while, OmniTech had become exactly what he envisioned it to be—a global power in the making.

But he wasn’t naive. Expansion attracted attention, and attention attracted enemies.

"Once we secure stability in all three sectors," Ethan finally said, "we’ll move on to the next phase. Africa and the Middle East are next."

Lillian arched an eyebrow. "Any particular reason you’re choosing those regions first?"

"Two reasons," he replied. "One, emerging markets. Less competition, more room to establish infrastructure and partnerships without corporate interference. Two—" He paused, a faint smirk on his lips, "I’ve never been to any country in Africa."

"Eh?" Lillian let out, a bit taken aback at the response.

"What?" Ethan turned to her with a smile, the kind that hinted he knew exactly how unserious that sounded.

Lillian blinked, then sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with a faint smile of disbelief. "You’re impossible, you know that?"

"I’m very aware," he replied smoothly, resting his arm on the window frame. "But in all seriousness, I’m not just choosing Africa because of the markets. There’s potential there, untapped talent, underfunded research hubs, and a tech ecosystem ready to explode if someone just gives it the right tools."

Lillian tilted her head, considering his words. "And the Middle East?"

"Strategic positioning," Ethan said simply. "They have resources, influence, and a hunger for modernization. OmniTech can supply all three, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and now, medical technology. If we play it right, we’ll integrate into their digital backbone before any of the legacy corporations even realize what’s happening."

Before Lillian could say anything in response, Ethan added, "but that’s for the later future, right now.... Let’s focus on shaking the tech world again shall we."