Chapter 502

Seeing how confident Rachel was, Tyler nodded.

“Alright. How much are you putting into this project?”

“Five hundred million.”

That was all the combined funds of Lloyd Enterprise and herself.

Tyler let out a hoarse chuckle that echoed through the spacious meeting room. Even people outside heard it.

He lowered his head, slowly pulled out a cigarette, and placed it between his lips. His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Ms. Rachel, are you expecting me to play the fool and invest in this?”

Everyone knew a new project like this wouldn’t just cost five hundred million. It would take at least two billion to get off the ground. Rachel was basically gambling with the future of both companies.

If anything went wrong at any point, both LS Enterprise and the Lloyd Enterprise would go bankrupt.

But Rachel remained confident.

“Mr. Hunt, I’ve been researching this project for years. Right now, the country’s development still mostly relies on people, and to some extent, machines. But why can’t we push forward with artificial intelligence?

“Artificial intelligence could bring real convenience to people here. Overseas, robots are already starting to emerge. Of course, the project we’re creating doesn’t directly tie into either of our companies' current business scopes. But Mr. Hunt, you’ve worked with overseas partners before. You should understand this better than anyone.”

Tyler’s brows furrowed. He lifted his chin slightly and flicked the ash from his cigarette.

“Oh? So I’m just your stepping stone now?”

Rachel explained further. “I’ve researched this thoroughly. As long as the algorithm is right, it can run smoothly.”

But Tyler stood up.

“This project is no small matter. I can’t give you an answer just yet."

He truly hadn’t expected her to be so ambitious.

Rachel saw Tyler walking toward the meeting room door and instinctively wanted to call out to him, but then she realized there were too many people outside. If she forced him to stay and think it over now, it would only put him on the spot.

If he decided to drop the act, she would be the one humiliated today.

Even if he was coerced to agree, the problems would come later.

Outside the room, everyone had heard Rachel’s pitch word for word. At first, they were stunned. Then came disbelief. Soon, people began looking at her like she’d lost her mind.

A wave of murmurs broke out.

“We’re done for! This company is finished. Rachel’s gone completely mad.”

“I’ve never seen someone so delusional. Artificial intelligence? Get real! Sure, the Lloyd Enterprise dabbles in a bit of everything, but we’re still a small firm. Launching a project like this is just ridiculous.”

“She probably let her dreams run wild and forgot how harsh reality is. Every failed entrepreneur thinks they’ll someday pull a lever and shift the world. They then wake up to find it was all a pipe dream.”

“If the shareholders find out about this project, they’ll shut it down instantly.”

“Isn’t that obvious? All our shareholders are old-timers. None of them is that forward-thinking.”

“I knew she’d embarrass herself, but I didn’t think it’d be this bad.”

Just then, Sharon walked up with a cup of coffee and almost bumped into Tyler on his way out.

“Mr. Hunt…”

Tyler glanced at the coffee in her hand. “Give it to Ms. Rachel.”

Rachel knew Tyler was already being as polite as he could. If it were his usual self, he probably would’ve added ‘to help her sober up.’