### Chapter 007: Full Throttle
Hearing the word "startup," Butcher Shawn slammed his knife onto the cutting board with a thud, glaring at John. "Why are you always messing around?"
John rolled his eyes. "Even if I explained, you wouldn't understand. Just keep selling your meat. By the way, don't come looking for me these days. I'm busy and have no time."
With that, John turned and walked away, leaving Shawn cursing behind him.
Back home, John immediately put on the neural control device, connected the signal, and started working with the two robots again. Meanwhile, he busied himself assembling the third robot.
As evening approached, John was exhausted from a day's work. It seemed unlikely he would finish the third robot today, so he decided to continue the next day. John cooked the two pounds of fresh meat, set aside what he needed for tonight, and carefully stored the rest to keep it fresh longer.
He boiled some noodles, added stir-fried vegetables and meat, and enjoyed a hearty meal with pork head meat, finally experiencing the freedom to eat meat as much as he wanted.
Afterward, he spent some time self-studying computer technology, circuits, and mathematics, wrapping up his day's work.
Late at night, faint cries for help and screams could be heard outside the courtyard. The night sky was also filled with the sound of racing cars.
John felt like the outside world was a tumultuous sea, while this small courtyard was a tiny island in the midst of it, providing him solid ground and a safe harbor.
Watching the two tirelessly working robots, John smiled softly, as if looking at his children—although he had none, not even having dated anyone.
Standing quietly behind the robots, observing the constantly moving mechanical arms and the changing computer screens, John felt a glimmer of hope shining in the dark night.
With the neural control device on, John lay down on his bed.
Having adapted over time, he was now accustomed to working and sleeping with it on.
The next morning, before dawn, John got up and resumed assembling the third robot. By around 10 a.m., it was completed and tested for stability before being put to work. Then he started on the fourth one, finishing it by around 10 p.m.
Controlling four robots simultaneously, John clearly felt his computational power stretched to the limit, even requiring a bit of overclocking to handle the workload.
Creating a new generation of chips was urgent. John had some ideas but needed more knowledge and preparation before starting. Even after beginning, repeated trial and error, modifications, and adjustments would take considerable time to get it right.
"Starting tomorrow, I need to focus on intense self-study," John decided.
John had no choice but to hurry. In recent days, business at his shop had been booming, with a flood of customers and increasing orders. Even with four computers and robots running non-stop, he couldn't keep up.
The next day, with four computers and robots working tirelessly, John calculated his earnings and was pleasantly surprised to find that each computer earned an average of $168 that day, totaling $672. Monthly income now surpassed $20,000!
An income of $20,000 a month was comparable to that of high-level white-collar workers in office buildings.
In a chaotic area like the market district, except for the gangs, John could confidently say that his income was at the top.
"At this rate, I can repay Brother Shawn in less than three months, but there's no rush. I should expand first."
John still felt his earning pace was too slow.
This income might be high for an average person, but for the wealthy, it was nothing.
Wealthy people could spend more on a romantic dinner. A basic flying car cost over a million, and the skies over the city were crowded with flying cars, especially during peak hours.
To achieve his future goals, this money was far from enough.
The hope for freeing humanity didn't lie within the solar system but beyond it. To reach beyond the solar system, he at least needed to buy an interstellar spaceship. To build a base and develop, he would need various industrial equipment.
Flying cars were expensive, but compared to interstellar spaceships, they were nothing. Even the most basic short-range civilian spaceship, capable only of traveling to the Moon, Mars, and Venus, cost at least a billion.
"News said that last year, the Itan civilization sold about 1,000 civilian interstellar spaceships, with total sales reaching trillions of credits. This doesn't include second-hand ships and various transport and industrial ships."
There were far too many wealthy people in human civilization now. But at what cost?
It meant billions living in poverty, billions relying on cheap entertainment like online games for mental stimulation, countless gangs, and shootings so frequent they became numbing...
John knew this was all intentionally created by the Itans. Under the guise of interstellar friendship, they were exploiting and plundering humanity's resources.
The Itans took the lion's share, leaving scraps for their human collaborators.
"I need to make money quickly, expand my operations, and earn even more. But I must stay hidden, avoiding the Itans and the Earth Guard. If they notice, I'm dead."
However, relying on these four computers and a monthly income of $20,000 to expand quickly was too difficult.
A setup of one computer and one robot cost over $5,000. After daily expenses, utility bills, and research and experimentation costs for new computer chips, John could only afford two new setups a month, even if he delayed repaying Brother Shawn.
Too slow.
But currently, these four computers were running 24/7, unable to take on more orders, which meant no more income.
"I need these four computers to generate more income..."
As John pondered how to expand quickly, a new customer pinged him with an inquiry.
With all four computers busy, John had to respond via his phone.
"Boss, do you take orders for hunting the Serpent King on Ocean Planet?"