Ultimate Choice System: I Became The Richest!

After exchanging numbers with Lucas and Jasmine, Noah headed toward the exit, mind already plotting how to leverage their talents. His phone buzzed with a new message as he pushed through the double doors into the afternoon sun. Lieutenant Adam: Higher-ups want to meet. Reward for the scientist extraction mission. How soon can you get here? Noah's pace didn't falter. Noah typed back: ETA 40 minutes. "Sir, the pharmaceutical chaos has generated $17.2 million in profits. Would you like me to begin reinvestment protocols?" his AI assistant asked as he slid into the Bentley. "Start them. Standard pattern." "Processing now." ... Noah pulled into the security checkpoint. The guard's eyes widened slightly. "ID sir?" Noah handed over his card. The guard scanned it, then straightened his posture. "Right this way, sir." The elevator required another scan and a retinal check. As the doors closed, Noah felt the familiar drop in his stomach as they descended twelve floors below the building's official schematics. Lieutenant Adam waited at the bottom, his weathered face as unreadable as ever. "They're ready for you," Adam said, falling into step beside Noah. The debriefing room went quiet as Noah entered. Five stars and suits, all with expressions that mixed respect and calculation. "The rescue operation was a complete success," General Hayes began, cutting straight to the point. "The scientist is safe, his research secured, and a high-level mole exposed. Exceptional work, Captain Thompson." Colonel Winters nodded, grudging admiration in his eyes. "Taking down nineteen hostiles while protecting the VIP exceeded all operational parameters. The Joint Chiefs are impressed." Noah accepted the praise with a slight nod. No need to elaborate on what they already knew. "This operation has accelerated our timeline," Hayes continued, sliding a folder across the table. "Effective immediately, you're promoted to Major and granted Obsidian clearance." Noah's eyebrow raised slightly. Obsidian clearance meant access to the military's most classified projects. Few people below the rank of colonel ever received it. "Thank you," Noah said simply. "Don't thank us yet," Hayes replied with a thin smile. "Your next assignment has already been selected." He tapped the folder. "Alexander Volkov. Russian tech billionaire with concerning connections." Noah opened the file, scanning the key points. "Project Lazarus. Unknown parameters, but intelligence suggests it could shift the global power balance. Volkov will be at Cambridge in a few days. Guest lecture on innovation." Perfect timing. Noah closed the file. "I'll handle it." "We have no doubt," Hayes said, standing to signal the meeting's end. "Congratulations, Major Thompson. Use your new resources wisely." As the others filed out, Lieutenant Adam stayed behind. "Not bad for someone who should be worrying about freshman parties instead of national security," he said with a hint of a smile. Noah checked his phone. A message from Jasmine about tomorrow's study session. Noah was already thinking about Volkov, about the pharmaceutical markets, about Lucas and Jasmine's potential. Major Thompson. Obsidian clearance. With more pieces on his board, more moves are available. The drive back to his mansion flew by, Noah's mind racing through scenarios. His AI assistant's voice broke his thoughts. "Stock manipulation complete. $18.7 million secured. Where should I allocate funds?" "Leave them in the account for now," "Understood." The AI responded. ... The lecture hall buzzed with anticipation. Alexander Volkov—tech billionaire, rumoured genius, and a possible threat to national security, was Cambridge's guest of honour today. A few days had already passed by since Noah had been promoted. Noah slipped into the room fifteen minutes early. Lucas was already there, hunched over his laptop in the third row. Noah slid in beside him. "Didn't expect to see you here. Not exactly a programming lecture." Lucas's fingers paused over his keyboard. "Volkov's quantum computing research is legendary. Even if half the rumors are true..." "Which rumors?" "That he's developed a quantum system that can break any encryption in seconds." Noah's interest sharpened. Project Lazarus. This might be it. "You follow his work closely?" Lucas shrugged. "Hard not to when you're into cutting-edge tech." Students poured in, filling seats quickly. The doors at the front opened. A security team entered first, scanning the room. Then Volkov himself walked in. He wasn't what most people expected. No flashy suit, no entourage of assistants. Just a trim man in his fifties with sharp eyes and casual clothes that probably cost more than most cars. "Is that him? I've never seen a picture of him online," Lucas whispered. "Doesn't look like a tech demon." "They never do," Noah replied. Professor Jensen stepped forward to introduce their guest, but Volkov waved him off with a smile. "Let's skip the formalities," Volkov said, his Russian accent barely detectable. "You're not here to listen to your professor praise me." A laugh rippled through the audience. "I'm here to talk about the future. Not the one you'll see in ten years. The one you'll see in six months." Volkov tapped a button on the podium. The lights dimmed as a screen descended from the ceiling. "Project Aurora," Volkov announced. Noah's eyes narrowed. Not Lazarus? A cover name? "My team has developed a quantum computing architecture that accelerates machine learning by a factor of ten." Volkov clicked to the next slide showing comparison charts. "Who here understands what that means for the industry?" A few hands went up. Lucas's among them. "You." Volkov pointed at Lucas. "Explain it to your classmates." Lucas straightened, caught off guard. "It means AI training that currently takes weeks could be done in days. Models could be more complex without the current computational limitations." Volkov nodded. "Good start. But I'm interested in practical applications." His eyes moved to Noah. "What about you? What's the true implication?" Noah met his gaze coolly. "Faster drug development. More efficient financial models. Better predictive systems for everything from weather to market trends." "And military applications," Volkov added with a slight smile. "Let's not pretend that isn't where the real funding comes from." The room tensed slightly. Noah kept his expression neutral as Volkov's eyes lingered on him a moment too long.