I'm The King of Business & Technology in the Modern World-Chapter 232: A Knock from the World

December 14, 2025 — 9:00 AM

Sentinel HQ, BGC — Mobility Division Executive Conference Room

Angel flipped the manila folder open as the morning sun flooded through the glass walls of the boardroom.

Printed inside was a letter—formal, crisp, written on thick white stationery bearing a seal she immediately recognized:

Republic of Singapore Ministry of Transport.

Matthew stood across the table, arms folded, watching her expression.

"You were right," Angel said, sliding the letter toward him.

Matthew skimmed it once. Twice. Then let out a low whistle.

"They're not beating around the bush, huh?"

It was an official request:

Singapore wanted to trial the Sentinel Aerus in a limited urban deployment.

Specifically, a pilot program for their "Green Urban Mobility Corridor" initiative—something they'd been quietly building for years. An experimental district designed to phase out combustion vehicles without being dependent solely on battery-electric cars.

And they weren't asking for permission to test it.

They were offering a direct procurement agreement.

Five Aerus units.

Full government logistical support.

Protected import status.

And more importantly:

Exclusive rights to showcase the Aerus at the 2026 ASEAN Mobility Expo in Marina Bay. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Matthew looked up. "They want to make us their flagship."

Angel leaned back, tapping the corner of the table.

"They see the writing on the wall. Everyone focused on EVs forgot the regions where EVs can't fully take over. Singapore's betting on diversification."

Carina, dialed into the conference from Subic, nodded at the screen.

"They're smart. Aerus fits a niche no one's covered yet—dense cities, short bursts, mixed fuels."

Julian from Comms chimed in. "If Singapore signs with us publicly, it's a credibility nuke. Every country on the fence will reconsider overnight."

Angel closed the folder.

"But it's also a double-edged sword," she said. "If we fail—even once—in Singapore, we'll be seen as a paper tiger. Vaporware dressed up as innovation."

Matthew smiled faintly.

"Then we don't fail."

—

December 14, 2025 — 12:00 PM

Sentinel HQ, Private Strategic Lounge

Only Matthew, Angel, and Carina remained.

The lunch plates sat untouched on the side table. No one had much of an appetite.

Angel stared at the terms of the draft agreement projected on the wall.

"They're offering to cover international freight," Carina noted. "That's rare. Shows how serious they are."

"But look closer," Angel said, highlighting two paragraphs.

Matthew leaned in.

"Performance clause?" he muttered.

Angel nodded. "If the Aerus fails to meet their urban noise limits or public perception surveys by even a few points… they can terminate early. No penalty."

Carina swore under her breath.

"They're hedging. Making sure they can cut loose if the backlash gets too hot."

Angel crossed her arms.

"We can't blame them. It's smart negotiating. But we have to treat this as an all-or-nothing play."

Matthew was already pulling up internal telemetry logs on his tablet.

"The numbers are good enough," he said. "But not perfect. Aerus Mark 1 runs whisper-quiet at cruise, but under full acceleration, we're 4 decibels above their residential threshold."

"4 decibels isn't much," Carina said.

Angel shook her head. "4 decibels is the difference between winning a nation—or losing a continent."

Silence.

Then Matthew smiled slightly.

"Then we fix it. Before January."

Angel glanced at him.

"You're serious?"

Matthew set the tablet down firmly.

"No half-measures. If Singapore becomes our first flag planted, it's not just about one deal. It's about setting a new center of gravity for urban mobility."

Angel stared at him a moment longer.

Then nodded once.

"Okay. Let's build Singapore's future."

—

December 15, 2025 — 8:00 AM

Subic — Sentinel Auto Advanced Fabrication Lab

The lab was in overdrive.

Special acoustic shielding crews worked on modifying the Aerus' rear exhaust diffuser—shaping it to channel airflow more cleanly, reducing harmonic vibration.

Materials engineers tested new sound-damping insulation that could line the turbine shell without adding significant weight.

Software teams were tweaking the ECU's startup profiles, adjusting turbine spin-up rates to prioritize low-noise acceleration curves.

The goal wasn't just to comply with regulations.

It was to pass public perception.

Singapore's pilot program would be judged partly by street-level surveys—random citizens rating the Aerus' noise profile without knowing what they were hearing.

Carina stood at the center of the floor, barking orders like a general.

"No deadweight! If you can't shave decibels, get off the task team! We have 28 days!"

Angel moved between stations with a tablet, overseeing changes line-by-line.

Matthew stayed in the test chamber, personally monitoring the adjusted turbine parameters.

Every hour mattered.

Every decibel mattered.

Failure wasn't an option anymore.

—

December 17, 2025 — 6:15 PM

Sentinel Subic — Closed Testing Loop

The Aerus rolled into the silent dusk, the turbine whir barely audible even to those standing twenty meters away.

Angel stood with a portable sound meter, recording data manually as the car cruised past at 30 kph, then 50, then 70.

Readings pinged into her tablet.

29.8 dB at idle.

38.1 dB at residential cruising.

44.7 dB under full acceleration.

Angel's heart hammered in her chest.

44.7 dB.

Singapore's maximum for new mobility vehicles was 45.

They had done it.

Barely—but enough.

Matthew rolled the Aerus to a soft stop and stepped out, grinning through his helmet.

"Well?" he asked.

Angel simply nodded, too tired and too relieved for words.

Carina laughed. "It's close enough to kiss the standard."

Matthew pulled off his gloves.

"Then we're ready."

—

December 18, 2025 — 9:30 AM

Sentinel HQ, BGC — Legal Department

The final paperwork was signed.

Official.

Singapore would receive its five Aerus units by mid-February.

Road deployment would begin in March.

And the contract would be revealed—publicly—at the ASEAN Mobility Expo under the full glare of international media.

Angel sat alone in her office after the last signature, staring out the tall glass window.

They weren't local anymore.

They weren't even regional anymore.

They were global.

And the world had just taken its first real step into their future.

Not because of politics.

Not because of hype.

Because of proof.

Matthew knocked lightly and entered, two glasses of champagne in hand.

"Deal's done," he said.

Angel accepted the glass.

"To Aerus?" he offered.

She smiled.

"To all the quiet revolutions," she said, clinking his glass.

They drank.

Outside, the city hummed with the old world.

Inside, in that high corner of glass and steel—

The new one was beginning.