Next, Richard worked tirelessly, skipping meals and sleep. The successful fabrication of the first chip had boosted his confidence, and the pace of the remaining chip production increased significantly, but it still took a considerable amount of time. This was mainly because the masks for each of the nine chips had to be made independently and without any errors.
Thus, the days flew by, over a couple of weeks.
Richard was busy and fulfilled, but Wan An and Mars outside were frantic. Wan An's temper flared more frequently, and Mars had to work even harder to minimize his presence and to keep a closer watch on Richard.
Outside the rickety three-story wooden building, Mars hid in a corner, glanced at the door that hadn't been opened in ages, and viciously bit into a piece of hard, salty fish meat, muttering, "Damn kid, making me eat salty fish every day, I'm turning into a salted fish myself!
