I swallowed as I read the pile of documents in front of me. The financial reports, in particular, looked extremely dire. I couldn't believe how many red figures there were.
At this rate, the company would go under by next week.
"Sir! We just got a call from Huang Zhou Bank! They want you to repay the loan!"
William Wang, my secretary, burst into my office, looking panicked. He waved his smartphone at me, flustered.
"We might have to file for bankruptcy!"
"Ugh…we were so close…!"
I felt the frustration creep up inside me, even as I threw the documents onto the table. Turning to my computer, I studied the screen. The blueprint for my latest design was projected as a 3D model, but I didn't have the capital to build the product.
And without a product, my company couldn't make any money.
Removing my glasses, I rubbed my eyes for a few seconds and sighed. William cleared his throat, bringing me back to reality. Reluctantly, I put my glasses back on and turned back to him while shutting down my computer.
"We need more capital. If I could just get enough funds to construct the Titan…"
"Where are you going to get the funds from?" William asked caustically. "You've already borrowed a couple of million yuan from three banks. One of them is demanding that you pay the loan back now. Your company is on the verge of bankruptcy. I don't think any other bank is going to loan you the funds."
I kneaded my forehead, gritting my teeth in annoyance. Exhaling, I slammed my fist against the table.
"If I could just complete the Titan…I would be able to sell it to the military! I know I can recoup our losses and pay back all the loans, plus interest! We'll finally be able to make the profits we need!"
"Titan?" William looked skeptical. But I was no longer paying him any attention. I pulled the thumb drive out of my computer and strode out of the office. My secretary hurried after me, looking a little taken aback. "Sir, wait…!"
I ignored him and dropped into the garage down below. My company, Shen Industries, currently consisted of a single two-story warehouse, which meant the entire first story was converted into a garage. That left a small office on the second level, which I rarely occupied. I already regretted spending the last two hours in that cramped space, but I didn't have a choice. I had to deal with paperwork and financial reports, otherwise the landlord would evict me out of the warehouse.
Shen Industries…more like Shen Imbeciles.
Clutching my head, I hopped down to the place where there a half-completed war walker stood. A bipedal tank that was covered in titanium alloyed plates of armor, its torso resembled the fuselage of a plane. Upon its shoulders, missile racks were mounted, but obviously they were empty. We couldn't afford the missiles anyway. Its arms were massive laser barrels, each designed to deliver several thousand kilowatts of thermal energy.
"Trevor," William called out to me, a note of anger in his voice. He was also staring at the half-completed Titan, half in amazement and half in dismay. He turned to confront me. "This isn't going to work."
"Yes, it will," I insisted stubbornly. But my secretary shook his head sadly.
"Titans…war walkers just aren't economically viable. The military exosuits are simply more efficient."
He crossed over to the side of the room and with a flick of his hand, conjured up a holographic display. He swiftly switched channels until we saw the promo video of Han Industries' newest product.
"A single man, clad in the most hi-tech armor ever to walk the Earth," the narrator was saying. In the holographic screen, a single humanoid tank strode across uneven terrain, back-mounted plasma jets flaring to afford the wearer flight capability. About seven feet tall, the exosuit was an advanced armor that possessed sophisticated sensory systems and the firepower of a small tank. "…will be the equal of entire conventional regiments. Han Industries' Astral Crystal Exosuit is the future."
The soldier wearing the suit broke into a run, and figures appeared on the screen, indicating that he could run up to sixty kilometers per hour on foot, and reach speeds quadruple of that if he activated the back thrusters and flew.
"The Astral Crystal Exosuit has been tested on various battlefields and have always emerged triumphant…"
The narrator continued droning on in the background, but by now the screen had shifted to a new conflict. Insurgents by the border were firing at a single mechanized soldier, but the 5.56 mm rounds that were fired from their carbines failed to penetrate the thick armor of the exosuit.
The soldier raised one arm and unleashed a single ruby beam of energy that vaporized two insurgents. With his other arm, he launched a cluster of micro missiles that detonated against a wall that three rebels were using as cover, incinerating the screaming rebels.
Then he suddenly spun around and dove to the side. A tank round shrieked before exploding against the ground where the mechanized soldier was standing on. Rolling deftly to his feet, despite the thick and heavy armor that he was clad in, the soldier raised his left arm. The missile launcher clicked as a different set of micro missiles were loaded into its chamber and he let them loose. They streaked forward and struck the tank, causing the huge vehicle to shudder.
Within a few seconds, the tank vanished in a colossal conflagration.
Armor piercing micro missiles. Incredible. Not only was the mechanized soldier protected against small arms fire, he packed enough firepower to destroy a tank.
The next screen displayed an entire squad of these armored soldiers, marching forward and wrecking a fortress. Screaming enemy combatants fell, incinerated by lasers or torn apart by micro missiles. Several of the mechanized soldiers were equipped with heavy general purpose machine guns that usually required two unarmored soldiers to operate. They unleashed a suppressing stream of fire that cut down shrieking insurgents and turning them into clouds of blood and torn flesh.
"That is the future," William said, switching off the hologram. He turned to me, his expression stern, before he gestured at my half-finished product. "Not your Titan. I know you like giant robots, but they are obsolete. No one wants a Titan. The exosuits, they are smaller and more feasible. They can be mass produced in much larger numbers. They possess as much firepower as a tank. Your Titan, it's going to just be a massive walking target. Those exosuits will destroy your much more expensive Titan in a single coordinated strike. So who's going to buy your product?"
I fell silent for a moment, recognizing the truth in William's words. It was the same principle with how battleships became obsolete, back in the late twentieth century or early twenty-first century. As destroyers were mounted with more devastating weaponry, the battleships could no longer withstand the fearsome firepower of modern torpedoes and missiles. The lumbering dreadnoughts, once famed for being unsinkable, were phased out because their massive sizes made them easy targets. They were also costly to build, for very little return.
The new capital ships were the carriers, ferrying fighter planes and bombers – each of which had enough ordnance to sink massive battleships.
"That's why our company is making a loss. Nobody believes in your Titan. It's just…impractical."
I could hear the frustration in William's voice.
"If you don't believe in it, then why are you still working for me?" I asked quietly. William smiled.
"Because if I don't, you'll be left all alone. I can't let my best friend fend for himself, can I?"
"Thank you, William. I appreciate it. But…" I sighed and stared at my Titan. "You'll end up sinking with me, you know?"
"Hah! I already knew that when I signed up."
I couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, and I'm grateful for it."
William Wang was my only employee. Shen Industries, right now, was a two-man company. We had absolutely nothing to our name except a bunch of debt. The banks were chasing us, we were on the verge of bankruptcy, the landlord of this warehouse that we used as our office was going to evict us in the next month or so, and we had nothing to show for.
Nothing except this half-completed Titan.
Even so, I believed in my project. It was my dream to build giant robots, to see them dominate the battlefield…and I was determined to make sure it come true.
Unfortunately, there were too many obstacles in my way now…I needed more funding if I were to produce something that could compete against Han Industries' advanced exosuits. Something that would convince the military and investors that my Titan wasn't a pipe dream, wasn't just an obsolete, massive walking target that served as the butt of army jokes. I needed a reason for them to believe that the Titan was just as practical as the exosuits, or that its strengths were well worth the extra investment.
My eyes dropped to the exposed fuselage, where circuitry and wires continued to hang out.
"Hmm…" I rubbed my chin as I ran through several ideas in my head. "If the problem with my Titan right now is that it's a massive walking target that will be blown to bits by the cheaper and smaller Astral Crystal Exosuits, then I'll need to figure out a way to prevent that from happening."
"How do you propose you do that?" William asked skeptically.
"Like this…"
I hopped over to the fuselage and crawled into the cockpit. The Titan I had designed was a one-man bipedal tank, but because of my limited resources, I couldn't exactly build a comfortable cockpit. The confined space felt cramp, but I squeezed in without any complaints and flicked on a few switches.
There was a slight hum and a bluish-white field of energy flickered to life, surrounding my Titan.
"W…what the hell is that?!" William demanded, his jaw dropping in awe.
"A barrier. An energy shield." I grinned. "This is definitely something that Han Industries' exosuits don't have."
Then there was a whine before the energy shields faded away. I groaned and poked my head out of the narrow cockpit.
"Unfortunately, the problem is that you need a fairly large generator in order to create the shield. These generators can't fit on an exosuit."
"Amazing!" William laughed. "Trevor Shen, you're a genius! I knew I was right to stick with you!"
"Wait." I held up a hand. "Don't celebrate too early yet. The problem is that I can't get the shields to stay up for too long. Right now, I don't have the right components to produce a lasting shield. I need to buy more capacitators, as well as an ion galvanizer, an electromagnetic coil…"
"In other words, you need the funds to buy all those." William nodded, suddenly understanding why I was asking for more funds. He gritted his teeth and thought for a moment, but he was interrupted by his smartphone. Glancing at the screen, he grimaced before turning back to me. "Well, we have a dinner tonight. An invitation from Dian Electronics."
"Ugh…we don't have time for those," I complained. However, William shook his head and gave me a strict stare.
"Well, you have no choice. Qi Robotics, Qin Manufacturing and even the top brass from the military will be there too. If you want to find funding for your capacitators and shielding technology, they are your best shot."
"Huh…I guess you are right." I sighed and nodded reluctantly. Dropping out of the cockpit, I winced as I wiped the grease away from my jumpsuit and the smudges on the lenses of my glasses. "Damn, I'm going to have to change."
"Yeah, you can't go to the dinner looking like that," William agreed.
"I'm not sure I have a suit at home," I said, realizing in horror that I had been wearing nothing but casual clothes and jumpsuits in my office. Why shouldn't I? It wasn't as if there was anyone to see me.
"Don't worry, I got you covered, Trevor." William was already on the job. He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I'll lend you one of mine. I'm not sure you'll fit, though. You're too skinny."
"I'll just use a belt. It shouldn't be a problem."
While we discussed on the attire for the dinner, I began to make sure everything was secure before locking up the warehouse.