Becoming A Tech Tycoon Begins With Regression-Chapter 226: Helix Aegis Launches

The lights of the Helix Global Convention Hall blazed like a manufactured sunrise.

Everything here right now had been designed in such a way that the first thing that would come to mind when one looked at it was,

Innovation.

Every inch of the stage had been set up for maximum impact, and a massive title rotating slowly on the screen.

HELIX TECH — THE FUTURE OF DIGITAL DEFENSE

Journalists filled the front rows, cameras already rolling. Investors sat just behind them, expressions carefully neutral but eyes sharp with expectation. Representatives from governments and private security firms occupied the VIP section, whispering quietly among themselves.

This wasn't just a product launch.

It was a declaration of war.

Backstage, the mood couldn't have been more different.

Sweat clung to collars. Ties were loosened. Tablets were gripped too tightly.

"Status," the Helix Tech director demanded, voice low but his nerves were clearly showing.

A technician swallowed. "System stability at ninety-two percent. Predictive module… still simulated."

The director closed his eyes for half a second.

"That's good enough," he said. "We go live."

Because there was no other choice.

The Collector stood in the shadows near the back wall, arms crossed, face unreadable.

His gaze flicked briefly to a private display in his peripheral vision, streams of data flowing far too smoothly, exactly as he wanted.

Tick tock, he thought.

On stage, the CEO of Helix Global stepped forward as the lights dimmed.

The crowd fell silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, voice rich with confidence, "over the past few months, the world has witnessed a revolution in cybersecurity."

The screen before them changed, forming the now-famous Sentinel emblem, then fractured and reassembled into something a lot more different.

"While some companies rushed to market unfinished miracles," he continued smoothly, "Helix Global unveils itself with a change in the world of cyber security."

The logo settled on the screen.

HELIX AEGIS

"We improved it."

A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall, the challenge in them doing this was very much obvious.

They weren't afraid to provoke OmniTech Corp.

"Our engineers have taken the core concepts behind next-generation adaptive cybersecurity and refined them. I guess you could say we strengthened and perfected them."

Behind the stage, several engineers flinched, that lie was so obvious but only to those that could see this back end mess on screen before them.

"Helix Aegis is not just reactive," the CEO said, gesturing as data of previous attacks that had been averted appeared on the screen. "It is anticipatory. It learns, It adapts. It evolves but most of all, it keeps your data, yours and yours only."

The screen showed cyberattacks dissolving before they could fully form.

Applause broke out though there were a few that were still hesitant, it was undoubtedly real. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"From corporate infrastructure to national defense networks, Helix Aegis represents the pinnacle of modern digital protection."

He smiled.

"And best of all? It's available starting today."

Cameras flashed.

Across the world, millions watched the live broadcast.

Most excited while others were skeptical, but what both parties had in common was the fact that they were curious.

Curious enough to see if this Helix Aegis would deliver on their promise, just as OmniTech had.

***

Ethan watched it all from his chair, one leg crossed over the other, chin resting lightly on his knuckles.

"Predictive, huh," he murmured.

On his screen, Athena overlaid Helix Aegis's live deployment telemetry with cold, merciless precision.

{Public-facing systems have been activated,} she reported.

{Predictive layer remains emulated rather than autonomous.}

Ethan chuckled softly.

"So they lied."

{Partially. Their system can approximate prediction within narrow datasets. However—}

"I know," Ethan said. "The moment something unexpected hits, it'll just self sabotage."

And that, in cybersecurity, was the death of the software.

The CEO continued his speech, confidence unwavering.

"Helix Aegis is the answer to an increasingly dangerous digital world. We invite enterprises, governments, and individuals alike to step into a safer future, with Helix."

Thunderous applause filled the hall.

Behind the scenes, the Collector smiled faintly, this was more of a pressure tactic than an attack, after all, till now OmniTech Corp had no competition, so how would they respond?

Excellent, he thought. Now let's see how long you last.

At that exact moment, a subtle fluctuation rippled through Helix Aegis's backend.

A single recursive loop appeared before it corrected itself.

Then stuttered again.

No alarms were triggered, nor did any warnings surface... It happened too fast for even the engineers to catch.

Athena tilted her head as the system reported the error to her as an administrator.

{Interesting,} she said. {Their system just attempted to self-correct based on a future state that does not exist.}

Ethan's smile widened.

"Ah," he said softly. "The beginning of the end."

On stage, the CEO raised his hands, basking in applause, utterly unaware that Helix Aegis had just made its very first mistake.

And unlike Sentinel,

It wouldn't see the second one coming.

***

After the applause, one of the journalist raised a hand, pulling the CEO's attention towards him.

"Yes?" The CEO gave him permission to speak.

Though, internally, he had a frown.

Why?

Well, because all the new channels invited had been paid to hype up this product launch and ask only questions that had been previously provided to them.

But this face was one he didn't recognize, so what was going on?

"Clement Eastwood from TechFront," the man introduced, standing up, "my concern is, unlike OmniTech's launch, all we've been shown is just data of Helix Aegis preventing a hack, as far as we know, those could just be pre-recorded simulations," Clement finished calmly.

"So my question is simple. Can Helix Aegis demonstrate a live, unscripted interception right now?"

The hall immediately went quiet.

Backstage, a technician's hand froze above his tablet.

The CEO's smile didn't falter, but if one looked close enough, they would notice that it was terribly strained.

"Of course," he replied smoothly.

"Transparency is one of Helix Global's core values."

Behind him, the Helix Aegis interface shifted, pulling up a live dashboard, global traffic flows, threat maps, encrypted streams lighting up the screen.

"We are already live across multiple client networks," the CEO continued. "What you're seeing now is Helix Aegis operating in real time."

Clement didn't sit down.

"With respect," he said, "those are still your networks. Your environment operating with your rules."

He then put his notepad to his side before saying, "what I want to see is a live hacking attempt."