Becoming A Tech Tycoon Begins With Regression

Testing ONI had taken quite a while, mostly because the sensation of his mind being partitioned was pretty addictive.

He was deliberately trying to overwork all seven at the same time but he still didn't know the limit even after spending close to twelve hours on it.

{I think it's time to leave the lab,} Athena informed, {you haven't eaten since yesterday's breakfast with Irina.}

"I'm fine," Ethan responded, "I just need to run one more test."

{That's what you said eight hours ago,} Athena said before threatening, {if you refuse to go get something to eat, I'll send the camera footage of all your hours in the lab to María.}

Ethan's hand froze above the writing part of the wall, Athena's words took a moment to register before he asked, "are you blackmailing me?"

{Yes,} Athena responded, her tone sounding serious, {and I've already compiled all the footages and put them on a timer so even if you restrict my access to them, the video would be sent anyway.}

"Well that's new," Ethan said with a chuckle before walking away from the wall that was filled with math formulas that seemed to make no sense, "fine, I'll leave the lab."

He resigned, took off his lab coat before walking to the lab's bathroom for a quick shower.

A couple of minutes later, he stepped out with a new set of clothes on.. When he said Irina had gone overboard, he really meant she had gone completely overboard.

As if knowing that he would be spending nights at this lab, she had prepared a separate room, fitted with everything he might need, including clothes.

How she had known his sizes, Ethan had no idea but he didn't mind, since this was pretty convenient.

He walked out, making sure he locked it behind him. He noticed how the heat outside was a contrast to the constant coldness in the lab, provided by multiple ACs that were constantly on.

Slowly, he walked to his car, parked at the lab's/ warehouse's lot. Today was a pretty important day for three reasons.

Sentinel's launch and Google's partnership announcement, his real world test, and the beginning of Nathaniel's end.

Calmly, he drove towards his apartment since he wouldn't be needed at the company because Lillian was going to handle everything, plus he hadn't returned for probably two days now, so Isabela might be a bit worried.

He observed how much clearer the world around him was while watching through ONI.

Interfaces for accessing highway cameras and other tech connected to the Internet popped up the moment he entered the city.

Anyone else would've lost focus at the sudden appearance of texts even if it was at the edge of their vision, but Ethan already had a separate partition of his mind handling everything that, hence the reason why he didn't turn that feature off.

Calmly, he continued driving as he read through the options, none caught his interest so he just dismissed them.

ONI was also actively erasing his presence on camera's and any observation tech, a task previously handled by Athena...Well, it was technically still being handled by her since she was in charge of the AI part of ONI, but it's still on a minimal scale.

So, to Ethan was virtually invisible to every single tech that existed, a function he had added just because it sounded cool.

Arriving at downtown, he was immediately hit with the smell of freshly baked bread coming from a cafe, prompting him to stop.

Parking at the specified zone, he walked towards the Cafe's door and it welcomed him in with a ding of its bell.

The scent of freshly grounded coffee beans and bread immediately hit him as he walked into the cafe.

He stepped forward, scanning the glass until his eyes caught on a strawberry shortcake slice, it was light and sweet... Exactly what he needed right now.

"I'll have that," he told the barista, pointing at it, "and a cappuccino."

The girl behind the counter smiled politely before moving to box up his cake. Ethan paid, accepted his tray, and chose a seat near the window.

He calmly watched the cars pass by before picking up his cake and taking a bite, slowly savoring his spongy feel before taking a sip of his cappuccino.

His attention was suddenly drawn to the TV hanging behind.

"Breaking news: Google has announced a strategic partnership with OmniTech Corporation, a fast-rising technology firm. The collaboration is part of a new global initiative to strengthen digital defenses, anchored by OmniTech's next-generation security platform, Sentinel."

The screen shifted to footage of a press event with Amelia Rhodes at the podium, speaking into a row of microphones.

"Today marks a turning point in how we defend against online threats. With the launch of Sentinel by OmniTech Corp, we're witnessing a leap forward in adaptive security technology. Google is proud to be among the first to implement this system into our global infrastructure. OmniTech has shown remarkable innovation, and this partnership is only the beginning."

The café quieted as more people turned their heads toward the TV, drawn in by the gravity of the announcement.

Ethan, meanwhile, calmly lifted his cup of cappuccino and took a sip, the foam sticking to his upper lip.

"It seems Lillian's handling it pretty well," he muttered, referring to the launch of Sentinel, as he wiped off the foam with a tissue and glanced at the clock, noticing that it was currently 10 AM, which was a bit late.

The news anchor continued, "A few hours ago, OmniTech Corp officially launched its cybersecurity platform, Sentinel, which was quietly announced a few weeks ago but has already generated waves in the tech community. Analysts are calling it a paradigm shift in digital defense. What's even more intriguing is the secrecy surrounding OmniTech's leadership. To date, the identity of its CEO remains undisclosed."

The screen cut to a montage of interviews with security experts.

"We've never seen anything like this before," said one industry analyst, "I was skeptical at first, after that stunt during its launch announcement but the results have spoken for themselves."

"In just a few minutes us being allowed access to the software," he continued, "it has flagged over twenty Zero days in our systems alongside countless other possible exploit zones in our systems, and we still haven't dug deep in our systems."

Another voice chimed in: "The fact that Google, of all companies, has decided to rely on OmniTech as part of their infrastructure… it raises the question. If Google needs them, what does that mean for everyone else?"

Slowly Ethan rose from where he sat after finishing his cake and walked towards the door.

"That's step one completed," he muttered, "let's move to two."