I'm The King of Business & Technology in the Modern World-Chapter 227: Friction and Flight

Friction and Flight

Secure proprietary ECU firmware rights

Close design patent applications in PH, SG, KR, US

Build first batch of 100 pre-production Aerus units

Public unveiling — Q3 2026

"I know what some of you are thinking," Matthew said calmly. "It's too soon. It's too risky. It's a distraction. But yesterday, we broke rules that haven't been touched in a century."

He tapped the final bullet.

"We're not just building a car. We're redefining the drivetrain for an entire market no one else is serving. Southeast Asia. Island nations. Regions without grid density or lithium dependency."

He paused.

"This is not another EV. It's a turbine-powered revolution."

Director Lim was the first to speak. "We're not arguing the tech. The test results speak for themselves. But you're asking for reallocation of staff from Transit Ops and Tactical R&D. That will cause delays."

Angel, seated beside Matthew, cut in smoothly. "Which we've accounted for. Transit's phase-four modules are modular. Tactical has been overfunded since Q2. Sentinel Auto is absorbing cost through rebalanced quarterly spending and profits from the Pulse Metro expansion."

VP Galvez folded his hands. "And if Aerus flops?"

Matthew didn't blink. "Then we've built the most efficient aerospace-adjacent engine South Asia's ever seen. We sell the platform to military and drone manufacturers and make our money back fivefold."

The room was quiet.

Then someone clapped.

Slowly.

From the corner.

It was Hector Naves, Sentinel's largest private investor and former aerospace executive. "I was skeptical, Hesh," he said, using Matthew's old callsign. "But I've seen engines fail louder than yours succeeded. You have my support—on one condition."

"Name it," Matthew said.

"You need to show the world. Not just a demo for engineers. A real car, moving in the real world. A public test by Q2."

Angel looked at Matthew, then nodded. "We can do it."

"Then you have your green light," Hector said.

The motion passed. Unanimously.

But Matthew could still feel the friction in the room like static in the air.

—

4:30 PM — Sentinel Subic, Hall 3A

Carina stood at the base of the Aerus prototype, watching a tech team wheel over the production version of the fuel modulation unit. A few meters away, a robotic arm precisely welded a test chassis subframe.

Angel walked in, hair tied back, tablet in hand.

"We got board approval," she said simply.

Carina arched an eyebrow. "Even Lim?"

"Especially Lim. But there's a catch—we need a public road test by April."

Carina muttered something under her breath. "We'll need to adapt the test rig for urban maneuverability. Turbine intake filters weren't designed for Manila dust storms."

"I'll write the memo," Angel said. "We'll need to start calibrating for pothole variance anyway."

"Already on it. And… heads-up—some guys in Materials are talking about forming a spinoff team."

Angel raised a brow. "Disloyal?"

"No. Just hungry. They think this is a moonshot and they want to be on the rocket."

Angel smiled faintly. "We'll bring them aboard. No walls between departments for this."

"Good," Carina said. "Because you're gonna need them. We're not building a car anymore. We're building belief."

—

November 10, 2025 — 9:00 AM

Taguig — Old Fort Bonifacio Testing Grounds

The road was unassuming—barely two lanes wide and still patched in sections from early 2000s government projects. But it was closed, quiet, and above all: private.

Aerus Test Unit 01 sat at the center of it all, flanked by a handful of engineers, a drone crew, and a logistics van outfitted with live telemetry.

Matthew stood at the front bumper, adjusting his headset.

Angel joined him, handing over a small envelope.

"What's this?"

"A gift from legal," she said. "You're now officially registered as the test driver for Sentinel Auto's pre-production vehicle under DENR compliance standards."

Matthew grinned. "God, I love bureaucracy."

Carina stepped up with a new sensor wand. "Telemetry's patched in. Cameras rolling. And the drone's hot. You ready?"

"Always." freeweɓnøvel.com

Matthew slid into the cockpit and shut the door. The Aerus interior was minimal—matte gray controls, vertical displays, a heads-up overlay.

He took a breath.

Then activated ignition.

The turbine spun to life.

A low, steady hum.

The car rolled forward with eerie grace, then picked up speed. Fifty, seventy, ninety. The stretch of road zipped by in clean lines, no rattle, no drag. Just forward momentum.

From the viewing station, Angel watched the feed with tight focus.

"Telemetry clean," said one tech. "Power draw stable."

At 110 kph, the Aerus glided through a tight bend and coasted to a stop at the far checkpoint.

No smoke. No overheating.

Just silence.

Matthew stepped out of the cockpit, dusting his hands.

"Well?" Angel asked.

He held up a thumbs up. "Smooth as silk. Could've done it one-handed."

"You didn't," she said flatly.

"No, but I could have. Which is the point."

—

7:00 PM — Rockwell, Their Apartment

Angel rested on the couch, laptop balanced on one knee, while Aurora snored gently against her chest. The baby had insisted on staying up during the livestream of the test. She had lasted six minutes.

Matthew emerged from the kitchen with two mugs of tea and handed one over.

"You realize what this means," he said, sitting beside her.

"That we're officially insane?"

"That too. But more than that… we're in motion now. No brakes."

Angel smiled softly. "I don't want brakes."

She looked at her daughter sleeping peacefully.

"I want to show her that the world doesn't have to run on the same old fuel. That if you're bold enough to build something different, people will follow."

Matthew looked at the screen where the Aerus idled in freeze-frame.

"Then let's give them something worth following."