I'm The King of Business & Technology in the Modern World-Chapter 231: Lines are Drawn

December 10, 2025 — 8:30 AM

Sentinel HQ, BGC — Executive Briefing Room

The boardroom buzzed with an energy that was almost electric.

Screens along the wall flashed headlines from around the world:

"Jet Car Revolution: The Philippines Leads the Way?" — BBC

"Microturbine Disruption: How Sentinel's Aerus May Kill the EV Monopoly" — TechCrunch

"Too Good to Be True? Experts Skeptical of Turbine Vehicle Claims" — Automotive Insider

Angel stood at the head of the long polished table, flanked by Julian from Public Affairs and Anton from Legal. Matthew sat with a tablet in hand, scrolling through real-time sentiment metrics.

"Global exposure estimate," Julian announced. "Eighty million impressions in thirty-six hours. Sentiment running 64% positive, 22% neutral, 14% negative. Highest engagement from Southeast Asia, Japan, and Australia."

Matthew whistled low. "Fourteen percent negatives? Not bad, considering we just upended half the energy assumptions in the world."

Angel didn't smile.

She tapped the screen behind her. A new slide appeared:

RISKS

Increased industrial espionage

Regulatory stonewalling

Market manipulation by legacy auto giants

Potential diplomatic 'influence' pressures

"We need to be ready," she said crisply. "Ready for offers, for threats, for sabotage. The Aerus isn't just a product anymore. It's a target."

Anton leaned forward. "Already seeing the first waves. Three preliminary injunction attempts filed this morning in California—claiming turbine emissions aren't road-safe without years of secondary testing."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "California. Of course."

"They're not serious cases," Anton added. "They're just meant to slow us down. Tie us up in red tape."

Angel folded her arms. "They can try. But we don't fight them in court. We fight them in public opinion."

She looked around the table.

"We move faster."

—

December 10, 2025 — 11:00 AM

Subic — Assembly Hall 2

Carina stood on the catwalk above the main assembly floor, watching as the next two Aerus chassis rolled into final integration. Engineers moved like clockwork, their movements brisk but careful.

Below, Lara, the head of Advanced Materials, approached with a hardcase of new samples.

"Next-gen composite blends," she said, handing Carina a tablet loaded with specs. "Lower weight. Higher thermal tolerance. If we want mass production viability, this is the way."

Carina nodded. "And supply chain?"

"Local sourcing possible for 70%," Lara said. "The rest we still need from Japan and Korea."

Carina grimaced. "That'll be tricky now."

"Trickier after March."

Both women knew the game had changed. Every component would now be scrutinized. Every supplier lobbied. Every truck carrying turbine blades shadowed by interests who wanted Sentinel's revolution to stay buried in a prototype bay.

"Fast-track procurement," Carina said. "Secure backups for every critical material. Triple redundancy."

Lara grinned faintly. "I already started yesterday."

Carina smiled back.

"Good. Because we're not just building cars anymore."

"We're building proof."

—

December 11, 2025 — 1:00 PM

Manila Peninsula Hotel — Private Luncheon

Matthew sat across from a sharply dressed man in his fifties, dark suit, no tie. His name was Kenji Watanabe, supposedly a consultant for a "mobility solutions think tank" based in Tokyo.

In reality, he was a fixer.

A go-between for some of Japan's oldest and most powerful industrial families—the ones who had watched the Aerus drive with both fascination and dread.

"You've done something remarkable," Watanabe said, voice smooth as silk. "A leap forward. Naturally, such a leap invites... partnerships."

Matthew smiled politely. "Sentinel Auto isn't looking for partnerships at this time."

Watanabe chuckled, as if he expected this.

"Of course. But allow me to offer a different framing. Not a buyout. A collaboration. Licensing rights for Japan and Korea. In exchange, full infrastructure support for manufacturing and deployment. Accelerated road certifications. Access to government fleets."

Matthew sipped his water slowly.

"And in return?" he asked.

Watanabe smiled thinly. "You maintain equity. You retain your narrative. You simply... share the burden of progress."

Matthew set his glass down gently.

"Progress isn't a burden," he said quietly. "It's our purpose."

Watanabe's eyes sharpened slightly.

"Purpose," he echoed. "A beautiful word. Dangerous too, when it blinds."

Matthew leaned forward.

"We're not blind, Mr. Watanabe. We see very clearly. We see the future. And we're not handing it over."

The conversation ended politely, formally.

But the lines had been drawn.

—

December 12, 2025 — 8:45 AM

Sentinel HQ — Angel's Office

Angel tapped a file open on her laptop. A list of names scrolled down—a secret list.

The "offers" had begun flooding in.

Some obvious:

Major auto groups from Germany and the US.

Some quieter:

Oil consortiums offering "alternative fuel partnerships."

And a few darker:

Private equity firms with no clear ownership, offering obscene sums for undisclosed stakes.

Matthew entered carrying coffee. He set it down beside her.

"All refusals?" he asked.

Angel nodded.

"We're not here to be bought," she said. "Not when we're this close."

Matthew smiled faintly. "Good."

Because there was another problem brewing.

He tossed a slim folder onto her desk.

"New chatter," he said. "Anonymous sources claiming Aerus can't pass urban noise regulations. That it's a 'jet hazard' on residential streets."

Angel skimmed it.

"Baseless."

Matthew nodded. "Doesn't matter. They're not trying to win the argument. They're trying to create doubt."

Angel leaned back, thinking.

"Then we kill doubt the same way we kill fear."

Matthew smiled grimly.

"With proof."

—

December 13, 2025 — 5:00 AM

Sentinel Subic — Closed Test Zone

Before the sun rose, before the journalists arrived, before the world could react again—Sentinel moved.

A full urban simulation course was constructed overnight in a secured lot outside Subic:

Mock streets. Faux traffic lights. Concrete buildings.

Two Aerus units rolled quietly into position.

Drones hovered. Cameras recorded.

No noise violations.

No safety risks.

No emissions breach.

Just the hum of turbines against a pink sunrise.

By noon, the footage was edited.

By 3 PM, it was live.

No PR spin.

Just the simple caption:

"City-Ready. World-Ready."

The public roared louder than any engine ever could.

That evening, as news networks replayed the footage on endless loops, a shift rippled across industries.

Aerus wasn't a rumor anymore.

It was a reality.

And somewhere beyond the headlines and applause, in high towers and secret rooms, old empires began sharpening their knives.

Because revolutions never stayed quiet for long.