After finishing the upgrades to my tech, I decided to start a new project, figuring out how to see the energy of any being.
I studied Walter J. Kilner's work. It was easy since I'd already gone through other scientists' research. Kilner was a medical electrician who developed Kilner's screen.
I managed to create Dycanian Glass and considered integrating it into my Smart Glasses.
At first, I thought the glass might break, which would force me to build another pair, or at least have backups.
So I made the frame out of Vibranium and incorporated AM-III into the lenses since it's the strongest glass available.
I ended up creating the strongest smart glasses in the world, at least on Earth. I don't know about other planets.
Two days before the court date, I started studying Hank Pym's work on Pym Particles. Some information was missing, and I'm pretty sure he left it out on purpose.
There was no data on temperature, material ratios, or certain components. I'd have to figure that out myself.
I also studied nanotech while trying to fill in the gaps on Pym Particles.
Then it was time for court. I skipped school that day.
The proceedings went smoothly as they discussed the divorce.
"Felix Cole Vale, proceed to the stand," they called. As I walked up, I heard the judge mutter, "This is the weirdest case, but it's still just another divorce."
They had me take the oath, which I did.
"Mr. Vale, what is your relationship with Mrs. Lauren Blaine?" Rick's lawyer asked.
"I don't know. There's no label," I said truthfully.
"Let me rephrase... are you having an affair with my client's wife?" he asked with a smug look.
"No. Was I supposed to?" I replied.
"Answer only the question, or I'll hold you in contempt, Mr. Vale," the judge warned.
"No, Your Honor," I said.
"Is it true you'll give my client $10 million if the divorce proceeds? And where will you get that money?" the lawyer asked.
"I'm the CEO and founder of Oseong Corporation, and yes, I said I'd give him up to $10 million," I answered.
Someone verified my claim for the judge.
"No further questions, Your Honor," the lawyer said, sitting down.
Lauren's lawyer stood. "Can we proceed with the divorce, Your Honor? I have no questions for Mr. Vale."
They signed the papers and handed them to the judge. He reviewed them, then said, "The divorce is finalized. All that remains is payment to Mr. Blaine."
"I didn't forget."
I stood, walked over to Rick, and handed him a $1 bill.
He stared at it, confused.
"What's this? Where's my $10 million?" he demanded.
"That's your money," I said.
"You said you'd give my client $10 million. Where's the rest?" his lawyer pressed.
"I never said I'd give him $10 million. I said up to $10 million. I never set a minimum. So yes, I can give him $1. And I did."
The judge accepted the payment and explained Rick's obligations. I was about to leave when the judge called me back.
"Mr. Vale, may I ask you a question? You don't have to answer."
"Okay."
"What is your relationship with Mr. Blaine?"
"He's my biological father, who tried to kill me and my mother," I said calmly.
Rick finally understood.
I left the court with Lauren.
I still hadn't upgraded my car.
We went to an estate agent to look for a building for the firm. We found one, and I bought it.
I named the company OSEONG LAWFIRM LLP.
We'd have to wait 7–14 days for the signage. I dropped Lauren off and transferred $200,000 to her before leaving.
By the end of Friday, I'd finished studying Pym Particles and nanotech. Over the weekend, I worked on combining nanotech with Pym Particles, and by Sunday, I succeeded.
On Monday morning, I went to the factory to check on things and started setting up phone production. During the week, I contacted companies to supply parts in bulk and secured deals.
The shipments arrived by Friday.
On Saturday, I decided to spend the whole day with Maria.
No training. No practice. Just the day.
It was perfect.
By next week, I got a call saying everything was ready at the law firm. I went to Lauren after school and took her to the building.
She saw that she already had an office under her name: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: LAUREN WHITMORE.
Lauren was the CEO, and I was the owner.
Technically, I was the Founder of Oseong Corporation, Oseong Lawfirm, and Oseong Factory.
I realized I needed to hire employees for both the factory and headquarters. I posted a job announcement online for the factory because I needed workers immediately.
By the end of the week, I had received a lot of applications. I sent a post informing everyone who applied, or anyone looking for a job, to come for interviews on Monday, along with the location, which would be at the factory.
I decided to find another use for the Smart Ring beyond monitoring my health. I developed an optical cloaking feature: anyone wearing the ring would be invisible to cameras within a 20-meter radius.
The limitation was that cameras beyond 20 meters could still see the person, and within 30 meters, the face wouldn't be visible.
I made five rings just in case.
Monday came, and I skipped school to conduct the interviews. I went straight to the factory and noticed a long line of applicants.
I opened the gates but stopped my car near the line to address them.
"Hello, you can enter the building. The interview will start at 08:00," I said, driving inside and opening the garage doors where the interviews would take place.
I went inside the building to wait with them. Some didn't recognize me and assumed I was applying with them.
I stayed close to them. I noticed some mutants among the applicants, but I didn't care.
When it was time, I shouted:
"IT'S 08:00. THE INTERVIEW IS ABOUT TO START!"
People nearby were surprised by my voice. I stepped in front to begin.
I told everyone who had applied to stand on one side and those who came directly to stand on the other.
Then I asked an important question:
"Those who hate mutants need to leave. They might become your colleagues, and I don't want tension."
To my surprise, some protested, but I just stared silently. About 50 people left, and the mutants stayed. I counted, they were about 213 applicants remaining. I asked anyone who had prior factory experience to stand on another side.
I told everyone they were hired but that they needed to attend a medical exam the next day.
By the end of the day, I had scheduled everyone's medical check-ups. The job would have been impossible for one person without SPACE.
I sent messages to coordinate the schedule: 50 people per day, and so on. By the end of the week, everyone had completed their medical exams, and the contracts were prepared.
The minimum wage for all workers was $6.53/hour, which was higher than other factories.
Those over 40 with prior factory experience became supervisors, there were nine of them. The oldest, at 51, became Senior Supervisor/Manager.
Wages were as follows:
• Workers: $6.53/hour
• Supervisors: $9.16/hour
• Senior Supervisor: $13.21/hour
• Overtime was 1.5x the wage, and holidays were 2x the wage.
I made it clear that any workplace discrimination or disputes would result in immediate dismissal. I demonstrated how everything worked before letting them start.
For three days, everyone learned the machinery, earned their qualifications, and the project officially began the following week: the first batch of phones.
[A/N: This was more about employment and the structure of the workplace. The MC just figured it out he needed employees and that everything could not be run by SPACE. SPACE can't handle manual jobs and manual paperwork.]