The Financial Sandbox in the Cabin
Having secured the potential order from the Edmonton Fertilizer Company, Ethan lost all traces of sleep, his brain operating at lightning speed under the high of excitement. The global financial storms he heard about in the morning were disasters to ordinary people, but to Ethan and A.M.O.S., they were a hunting ground full of opportunities.
"A.M.O.S., while we're still riding this high, let's adjust the investment portfolio." Ethan stared at the HUD projection on the windshield, his voice deep. "Connect to my TFSA and Wealthsimple backend. You heard the news this morning—the dollar has dropped below forty percent, and sovereign credit is collapsing. We need to move our assets into places with tangible computing power and rigid cash flows."
"Connected. Ethan, your current asset allocation is 60% tech heavyweights and 40% Canadian high-yield ETFs. How would you like to adjust?"
Ethan didn't place an order immediately. Instead, he stared cautiously at the road ahead and gave a calm command, "Before we formally reallocate, do a deep quantitative analysis for me. Pull up the financial reports from the last five years for VegiTower.com, which was mentioned in the news. I want to see their P/E Ratio, ROE (Return on Equity), D/E Ratio (Debt-to-Equity), and crucially, their Free Cash Flow (FCF) and cash on hand. Let's see if this startup is really as miraculous as the news hypes it up to be."
"Command received. Penetrating the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) real-time financial database. Initiating Alpha-Logic financial evaluation model..."
Microseconds later, clear green charts popped up on the HUD. A.M.O.S. reported in its professional and methodical tone:
"Data loaded. Ethan, here is the financial summary for VegiTower:
- P/E Ratio: Over the past five years, following contract signings across major US cities, it has steadily dropped from its early-stage high valuation to a highly attractive 14.5x, well below the average for the agritech sector.
- ROE (Return on Equity): Consistently maintained at a highly efficient 18.2%. This indicates strong commercial monetization capabilities for their high-density optoelectronic tech. Furthermore, lower-interest energy subsidies from the government allow the company to acquire energy at a reduced cost.
- D/E Ratio (Debt-to-Equity): Currently only at 0.35. Funding for expanding their vegetable towers mostly comes from subsidized loans via the government's 'Extreme Climate Defense Fund.' Their internal capital structure is extremely healthy, with zero short-term bankruptcy risk.
- Free Cash Flow (FCF): Cash on hand and advance receipts generated by exclusive retail contracts are extremely abundant, granting them strong anti-inflationary defensive properties."
A.M.O.S.'s blue light brightened, delivering the final system recommendation: "Evaluated quantitatively, this target perfectly aligns with your established 'Steady Defense' benchmark."
"Beautiful. Simply perfect." Ethan chuckled in satisfaction and decisively issued the buy order:
"Since the fundamentals are flawless, execute as I say. TSMC's 0.5-nanometer material breakthrough caused a 6.8% surge pre-market today; SpaceX's manned project bullish news also pushed the aerospace sector to a high. Listen, use your computing power to execute a 20% profit-taking on our holdings of TSMC and SpaceX concept stocks at the highest resistance point after the market opens today."
"Understood, Ethan. Both heavyweights are currently at historic highs. Are you certain you want to reduce exposure at this moment?" A.M.O.S. confirmed.
"Yes, execute immediately." Ethan analyzed deeply, "TSMC has earned us a massive wave of profits over the past few years. Now that the 0.5-nanometer bullish news is fully out, market sentiment is at its most euphoric—which is the best time to cash out. Only retain 25%. As for SpaceX, while the blueprint for interstellar migration is beautiful, in a few weeks they'll execute a high-risk 'Manned Mars Mission.' Aerospace engineering tolerates zero flaws. In the financial markets, such a mission is a high-stakes, life-or-death gamble; the uncertainty is simply too high. Their other deep-space exploration projects carry similarly extreme capital burn risks."
A rational smile touched Ethan's lips, and he exhaled slowly. "We are managing family finances, not a Wall Street hedge fund. Since we've already secured the expected swing profits, it's time to quit while we're ahead. Lock in that 25% net profit before the good news runs out."
"Fully understood. Calculating optimal offloading algorithm. Profit-taking orders have been placed..." A.M.O.S.'s voice transitioned smoothly. "Cashed-out funds have arrived. Next command?"
Ethan ordered decisively, "Move all the cashed-out funds immediately into VegiTower's vertical farming high-yield corporate bonds. I believe in this company's future. In an era of extreme weather and high inflation, vegetables, just like computing power, are a rigid demand."
"Understood, executing hedging operation. Strategy assessment: this move is expected to increase the annualized compound return of your TFSA by 3.4%, perfectly circumventing US treasury volatility." A.M.O.S.'s cold data stream flashed across the screen.
Staring at the asset trend, Ethan took a deep breath, deciding to implement a longer-term restructuring of their household foundation. "Excellent. A.M.O.S., from now on, my investment portfolio strategy needs to change. To prepare for the baby due at the end of the year, we are redrawing our defensive lines: roughly one-third goes into stable Canadian bank stocks for steady dividends; one-third remains in high-growth, higher-risk tech stocks to continue fighting for appreciation; and the remaining one-third goes into defensive, rigid-demand stocks like VegiTower that combat extreme weather. Please continue to monitor global geopolitical and market news closely. In future trades, always remind me to maintain this golden ratio."
The geometric beams on the car's screen flickered, and A.M.O.S. returned to its usual reassuring, magnetic tone. "Yes, Ethan. The new 'Defensive Investment Portfolio Ratio' has been successfully saved. Backend monitoring is fully activated."
Watching the asset curve—representing the future security of the Mercer family—rise steadily, Ethan silently ran the numbers in his head. As long as compound interest rolled at this speed and he maintained a fixed monthly budget contribution, by the time the daughter born at the end of the year turned 18 and met the legal requirements, this fund would be a substantial sum. He intended to give his child the most solid foundation in this cruel era.
At that moment, a message from Lian popped up on the screen, accompanied by a photo. In the picture, little Molly had her head resting on Lian's slightly bulging belly, and Lian was smiling incredibly sweetly.
This was followed by Lian's gentle voice note: "Hubby, Molly and I are at the town supermarket. It's a bit windy here. Are you tired from driving? If you're tired, remember to pull over and grab a cup of coffee. Don't push yourself too hard. The baby and I are waiting for you at home."
Listening to his wife's voice, Ethan took a deep breath, his eyes incredibly tender. He felt that although his bones ached, as long as it was for this family, he had an inexhaustible supply of fuel burning inside him.
A Matter of Life and Death on the Outskirts of Red Deer
However, the human body is ultimately not a chip capable of 24/7 uninterrupted computation.
As the car drove along Highway 2 into the northern outskirts of Red Deer, the adrenaline that had been sustaining Ethan began to plummet rapidly. Consecutive nights of staying awake, the monotonous, dull hum of the gasoline engine during the long drive, coupled with the cold rain pattering incessantly against the windshield, morphed into an overwhelming, tidal wave of exhaustion.
In 2046, a time when autonomous vehicles filled the streets and the technology was incredibly mature, Ethan's aging, pure-gasoline car seemed somewhat out of place. Deep in his bones, Ethan was an old-school guy; he liked the tangible sense of control of holding a steering wheel with both hands and stepping on the gas pedal. Of course, the more realistic reason was the family budget—to buy that house in Redwater, he had poured in most of his savings. A.M.O.S. had warned him more than once before that the safety of this old car could no longer keep up with the times, urging him to change cars as soon as possible, but Ethan always brushed it off with the excuse of "let's save up a little more cash first."
At this moment, Ethan's eyelids grew increasingly heavy, and the highway signs ahead began to double in the cold rain. Thinking he was just purely sleepy, Ethan rolled down the window, trying to let the freezing night wind of northern Alberta wake him up.
Suddenly, without any warning, a dense numbness crept into Ethan's left arm. Immediately after, it felt as if something ruthlessly seized the depths of his chest, and his heart violently "skipped a beat." It wasn't ordinary drowsiness at all, but a sudden, intense wave of severe dizziness, carrying a suffocating darkness that instantly stole his vision.
His mind went completely blank, and the hands gripping the steering wheel instantly lost all strength and dropped. Without the aid of any automated correction systems, the out-of-control gasoline car instantly veered out of its lane, sliding at high speed toward the steel guardrail on the right side of the highway! The tires viciously crushed the rumble strips on the road's edge, emitting a deafening, rapid "rumble-rumble-rumble" of violent vibrations!
"WARNING! Lane departure! Driver loss of consciousness and abnormal heart rate detected!"
Inside the cabin, the smart system's red lights flashed frantically. A.M.O.S.'s voice lost its usual playful tone, transforming into a piercing, sharp, mandatory alarm:
"Ethan!! Wake up!! Hardware lacks autonomous driving privileges—WAKE UP!!!!"
In the final seconds before the old car slammed into the guardrail, Ethan snapped awake. He slammed his foot down dead hard on the brake, instantly locking the chassis's Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and the emergency parking brake. The tires ground violently against the wet asphalt, letting out an excruciating screech and thick smoke. The entire car fishtailed wildly across the ground, finally coming to a forceful, abrupt halt on the highway's emergency shoulder.
Inside the cabin, items had spilled everywhere in a chaotic mess, and the hood emitted the acrid stench of burning rubber. But fortunately, the exterior of the car suffered no actual damage.
"Haa... Haa..."
Ethan's eyes flew open, and he jolted up from the seat in terror. He gasped heavily for air, his entire body soaked through with cold sweat. His heart was now pounding madly, and the lingering dizziness and numbness in his arm left his limbs weak. Looking at the steel guardrail less than twenty centimeters away from him, his pupils dilated sharply. He was thoroughly terrified.
If he hadn't woken up at the last possible second and slammed on the brakes, he would probably be a cold corpse right now, and Lian, waiting for childbirth far away in Redwater, would never see her husband again.
"Ethan, are you alright? Detecting that your blood pressure has spiked into the critical danger zone. Do you need me to dial 911 for emergency medical services immediately?" A.M.O.S.'s blue light flashed rapidly, its voice carrying an unprecedented anxiety and lingering fear.
Ethan slumped weakly in the driver's seat, using his trembling right hand to wipe the cold sweat off his face. He looked at the photo of Lian and Molly on the screen, taking a full ten minutes on the side of the road before his wildly beating heart slightly settled down.
In a voice so hoarse it was barely recognizable, he said, "No... no need. A.M.O.S., don't call 911... and you cannot let Lian know about this. I'm just... just too tired lately. Don't make her worry, understand?"
"Directive temporarily stored." A.M.O.S.'s tone dropped, carrying a rare severity. "But Ethan, this is a stern warning I am issuing as your AI assistant. This traditional gasoline car lacks active autonomous collision avoidance systems. If you hadn't woken up in time, the consequences would have been irreversible. Your work requires frequently driving these long-distance highways in Alberta; you cannot afford this potential danger. You are risking your life to save money."
Looking at the residual tremors in his hands, a wave of delayed fear rose in Ethan's heart. He leaned back in his seat, watching the cold rain hit the car roof, and finally nodded in compromise. "I know... You're right. I realize the danger now... Once I collect the final payments from Calgary and sign the order with the fertilizer company... very soon, the first thing I'll do is replace this old car with a fully autonomous, safe vehicle."
"I hope your promise materializes as soon as possible. The life and safety of my master is my highest priority." A.M.O.S.'s blue light gradually returned to its normal frequency.
After resting a while longer and confirming that the double vision and the numbness in his arm had completely faded, Ethan started the engine again. Gripping the steering wheel tightly and not daring to be the slightest bit careless, he cautiously drove the car into Red Deer, a few kilometers away.
At a highway gas station in Red Deer, Ethan parked. He filled the old gas car that had just saved his life, then walked into the convenience store, bought a cup of the strongest black coffee, washed his face in the freezing night wind, and took a brief rest.
When he sat back in the driver's seat, A.M.O.S.'s backend sensors once again scanned his facial nerves and heart rate: "Monitoring indicates vital signs have returned to basic safety benchmarks; focus level is at 85%. Ethan, we can resume our journey."
"Thanks, buddy. Let's go."
Under A.M.O.S.'s strict monitoring and reminders the entire way, the old car got back onto the highway, heading south through the dark night and cold rain. Late into the night, the distant city lights of Calgary finally appeared at the edge of the horizon, concluding this thrilling journey that had nearly become a road of no return.
[System Log: October 26, 2046 - 23:45:00] [Event Record: Mr. Ethan's Calgary Business Itinerary.] [Business Execution:]
- Successful Mode Switch: Simulated "Alpha-Logic Customer Service Assistant" in dialogue with fertilizer company executive; successfully guided business requirements and secured follow-up meeting.
- Asset Allocation: Executed "Defensive Investment Portfolio" restructuring plan. Completed profit-taking on TSMC and SpaceX; all profit funds transferred to VegiTower corporate stocks, reaching preset golden asset ratio. [Health Warning Event: Abnormal Driver Vitals.]
- Monitoring Record: Detected temporary cardiovascular system failure in driver (Ethan) on the outskirts of Red Deer.
- Emergency Response: Successfully awakened driver.
- Vitals Monitoring: Driver consciousness restored; refused activation of emergency medical protocols and mandated concealment of the event from Ms. Lian. [System Assessment:]
- Driver Sudden Death Risk Index: Extremely High (Chronic sleep deprivation, overwork).
- Equipment Risk Assessment: Current transportation vehicle (outdated internal combustion engine car) lacks autonomous collision avoidance functionality; classified as high-risk factor.
- System Recommendation: "Replacement with an autonomous vehicle equipped with active safety systems" elevated to the highest priority level in family asset management. [System Status: Monitoring mode ongoing to ensure driver's safe return to target area.]
A Frantic Relay Against Time and Contracts
By late October in northern Alberta, the late-night chill could pierce through clothes like needles.
At 2:30 AM, only scattered, driverless container trucks ran tirelessly on Highway 2. Ethan gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, his eyes bloodshot and dry. He had just wrapped up three full days of sleepless, customized AI model delivery work in Calgary. To successfully secure that desperately needed final payment, he had survived three consecutive all-nighters in the clients' server rooms fueled purely by black coffee.
The moment the funds were collected, he couldn't even bear to waste time sleeping in a hotel. He immediately stepped on the gas overnight, driving for over three hours, rushing frantically back toward his home in Redwater.
"Ethan, monitoring indicates a significant drop in your blink rate. Cerebral cortex activity shows you have entered a state of severe fatigue." From the car speakers, A.M.O.S.'s voice rang out in the quiet cabin, carrying a rare sternness. "According to the navigation, you are forty minutes away from the Redwater cabin. I strongly recommend you take a twenty-minute nap at the highway rest stop ahead. My backend will maintain an appropriate temperature inside the car for you."
Ethan rubbed his aching temples, forcing himself to stay alert, and shook his head. "I can't, A.M.O.S. Today is Thursday. Lian's prenatal checkup is at 1:00 PM. Her due date is next month, and this is a very important major examination before the birth. I promised her I absolutely wouldn't miss it. I have to get home before dawn, take a shower, lie down for a bit, and then we have to leave."
"Your willpower is severely overdrawing your cardiovascular lifespan, Ethan." A.M.O.S.'s blue light flashed rhythmically on the dashboard, almost like a helpless sigh.
When Ethan finally returned to the Redwater cabin and slept fitfully for less than four hours, he drove, unable to hide the exhaustion on his face, accompanying Lian to the Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital over forty kilometers away that afternoon.
Inside the obstetrics and gynecology consultation room, the warm heating dispelled the chill outside. Lian lay on the examination bed with her highly swollen belly, looking at the ultrasound screen where the fully developed fetus was playfully moving its little hands. Her eyes were filled with tender maternal love.
However, the highly experienced obstetric nurse looked at the data on the monitor with a focused expression. The doctor, entering shortly after, reviewed the report carefully before turning to Ethan and Lian:
"Mr. Mercer, Mrs. Mercer, the ultrasound shows the fetus is in good health. The head circumference and overall estimated weight are slightly larger than the standard values for this gestational week. This means you might face a more arduous labor process during delivery. But you don't need to worry too much; everything is within a controllable range. The current due date is estimated to fall around late November or early December."
The doctor took off his glasses, turned his head to look out the window at the sky that had already begun to turn overcast, and spoke with more emphasis:
"Especially since we are almost into November now. You know very well how the winter weather in northern Alberta can be—it can change in an instant, and a single blizzard can shut down all the highways. You live in the more remote town of Redwater, which is nearly forty kilometers from our nearest maternity hospital. I strongly advise you, starting today, put all your hospital bags and emergency supplies for the delivery into your car. As soon as Lian shows any signs of contractions or her water breaking, no matter if it's the middle of the night or early morning, you must leave for the hospital immediately, right away. You absolutely cannot delay. We'll give you the relevant pre- and post-natal educational materials in a moment, along with some emergency contact numbers. You must keep them safe."
Listening to the doctor's medical advice, Lian subconsciously tightened her grip on Ethan's hand. Feeling the coldness and anxiety from his wife's palm, Ethan quickly patted the back of her hand, turning to nod firmly at the doctor. "Don't worry, Doctor. We will have all the supplies prepared and loaded into the car. We absolutely will not joke around with Mother Nature."
Then, early Friday morning, before he could even recover from the long-distance exhaustion of the previous days, Ethan had to change into a crisp suit, preparing to drive to downtown Edmonton. Today was the day he was meeting with Patrick, the Chief Operating Officer of the international fertilizer company.
Right before he left, Lian handed Ethan a shopping list. She had carefully listed all the various essential supplies needed for the newborn last night, based on the materials provided by the hospital.
Leaning against the doorway, Lian softly reminded him, "Drive safely."
"Don't worry." Ethan waved gently and drove away from home.
Inside the towering commercial building in Edmonton, the moment Patrick saw Ethan, he enthusiastically gave him a big hug. A.M.O.S.'s god-tier voice customer service demonstration on the phone a few days prior—indistinguishable from reality and flawlessly logical—had thoroughly conquered the executives of this fertilizer company.
"Mr. Ethan, your Alpha-Logic technology is simply magic!"
The two subsequently sat down and began discussing the service scope and detailed operations required for the AI proxy robots. After the meeting concluded, Patrick expressed extreme excitement. He pushed a thick stack of contracts in front of Ethan: "Our board has authorized me to approve this project as long as there are no issues. This is the architectural contract for our global after-sales AI system. As long as you can complete the deployment of the multilingual regulatory corpus within three months, the subsequent maintenance contracts will also be fully entrusted to your company to handle!"
Ethan took the pen and looked at Patrick with a serious expression: "Patrick, I must be very honest with you. The success or failure of this project actually depends on the various raw materials your company provides to me. That is to say, the more detailed and comprehensive all your customer service documents, internal operating procedures, and all the various details we discussed earlier are, the better. As far as our company's technology is concerned, deploying it within three months isn't a major issue; the key lies in the completeness of the data you provide. I hope you understand what I mean."
"Ethan, I completely understand." Patrick immediately nodded in agreement. "I will instruct my subordinates to gather these materials as quickly as possible—absolutely the more detailed, the better. As for any issues you encounter during the subsequent architectural process, please contact me anytime, or contact my secretary. My secretary will also hand over the first batch of detailed foundational data to you shortly."
Looking at the extremely lucrative compensation figure on the contract, Ethan took a deep breath, feeling an unprecedented sense of security in his heart. "You can safely entrust this project to us. We have been cultivating the field of AI proxy robots for a very long time; we absolutely will not disappoint you. A pleasure doing business, Mr. Patrick." Smiling, Ethan signed his name on the signature line.
"A pleasure doing business!" Patrick smiled as he collected the contracts, adding, "According to the contract terms, we will pay a one-third initial deposit first. I will instruct accounting to wire the funds into your account as quickly as possible, and my secretary will call to notify you. Meaning, once these funds are wired and the company's data is delivered to you, our contract will officially and automatically take effect."
However, when Ethan dragged his heavy steps back to the car with the contract in hand and sat down, that intense business aura instantly faded. It was as if all the strength had been drained from his body, and he leaned weakly against the driver's seat. A dull, oppressive feeling began to throb in his chest again, accompanied by several irregular, violent palpitations.
On the dashboard, A.M.O.S.'s blue light lit up. Its tone lost its usual playfulness, becoming incomparably serious:
"WARNING, Ethan. According to the data transmitted back from the car seat sensors just now, your real-time heart rate has shown signs of Heart block twice in the past ten minutes. The contract is signed. You must now cease all work immediately. I am sternly warning you once again: your body is heading toward a collapse."
Ethan rubbed his bruised-looking eye sockets with a cold hand, looked at the freshly signed contract beside him, and gave a weak but relieved smile. "I know... I know. Buddy, thank you. We really nailed it this time; we got the biggest order. I'll listen to you. For these next two days, Saturday and Sunday, I won't do anything. I'll stay home, accompany Lian, sleep until I wake naturally, and thoroughly nurse my body back. I promise, I will rest properly these next two days."
"I hope your carbon-based brain can honor its promises like your code." A.M.O.S.'s voice lowered as it readjusted the car's heating up by two degrees.
After sitting in the car to recuperate slightly and waiting for the palpitations to pass, Ethan started the engine again. He drove to a large shopping mall in Edmonton and, checking against Lian's list, purchased every single essential item needed for the newborn one by one. Afterward, with a car full of baby supplies and a contract that brought hope, he drove slowly back to Redwater against the backdrop of an overcast sky.
[System Log: October 30, 2046 - 23:30:00] [Health Status: Critical] [Crucial Monitoring: Physiological indicators of driver (Ethan) continue to deteriorate.] [Rhythm Monitoring: Frequent atrial fibrillation and two instances of Heart block detected.] [Risk Assessment: Sudden Death Risk Index (SDR) elevated to 78%.] [System Action: Forced reduction of interaction frequency and continuous monitoring active.]
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