Chapter 1151
A Nationwide Effort! Breaking the Deadlock with 250nm
He didn't finish his sentence, but the threatening undertone in his tone—"maybe we'll never be able to assess it"—was palpable.
Before Captain Wang could say anything more, Vasily strode into the passenger seat of the tall chassis, slammed the door shut, and shouted at the driver in Russian.
"Drive! To the airport! Get out of this awful place right now!"
The engine roared, kicking up a cloud of yellow sand, and the car sped away, leaving Longxia's geological team leader Wang Qiang and his team standing there in the swirling sandstorm, the briefing in their hands quickly turning a muddy yellow color.
"Captain Wang!"
The team members' voices were filled with shock and anger. Even a fool could hear the deep estrangement and affection for their "friends in the Eastern Wilderness" in Vasily's last words!
What does this mean? It's self-evident!
Wang Qiang, his face ashen, silently put away the briefing and turned to walk towards his mud-covered off-road jeep.
Instead of leaving immediately, he slammed his fist hard on the cold hood!
"Damn it... these Russian bastards!"
He watched as the dust kicked up by the Russian convoy disappeared into the distance, as if he could also see that "Northern Desert Energy Artery," once described as full of hope, being swallowed up by the yellow sand.
The message was reported up the chain of command to the heart of the Longxia tribe as quickly as possible.
"...The Russian geological engineering team withdrew from our collaborative work site three hours ago without prior consultation...the planned core data sharing work was not completed...the team leader, Vasily Ivankonov, was arrogant and clearly stated that he would prioritize technical cooperation with the eastern desert tribes of Japan..."
"...The Russian side has changed its public statement regarding the pipeline project, citing reasons such as complex geological structures and a reassessment of safety risks, and has indefinitely suspended the preliminary exploration phase..."
In the capital, in a conference room with a giant map hanging on the wall.
The leader sat at the head of the table, with the report laid out before him concerning the unilateral shelving of the Northwest "North Desert Pipeline" project by the Soviet Union. Energy leaders, foreign affairs officials, and military representatives sat on either side, the atmosphere heavy.
"Everyone, please share your thoughts."
The leader's voice was not angry, but rather carried a cold, penetrating quality, like a scalpel dissecting the surface phenomena.
"Clearly! The Russian bear is classic case of waiting for the highest bidder!"
"What geological risks? The joint exploration report was signed by their experts just a few months ago! They clearly think that Longxing Energy is about to make a breakthrough and that our dependence on natural gas and oil will decrease in the future!"
This is an attempt to drive up prices! They're trying to use energy pipelines as a noose to tighten their noose around our necks!
The foreign affairs official looked grim and spoke in a hurried tone.
"Moreover, they are now openly colluding with the Eastern Wilderness, and they are very close to each other!"
This is creating leverage and pressure, trying to force us to give in by attacking from two fronts! Either we agree to their demand for a higher share of the natural gas price, or... they will completely turn to the Eastern Wilderness!
They're playing both sides!
A high-ranking officer in the operations department, who was a general, snorted coldly.
"Take it all? Ha, Xiong Xin has quite the appetite! He's using our resources as bargaining chips and even colluding with those ingrates in the Eastern Wilderness!"
This is no longer a simple business transaction!
This is testing our bottom line!
Where is our bottom line?
The leader's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on the vast Gobi Desert in the northwest of the map. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, producing a steady, rhythmic tapping sound.
"Does the Russian bear think it can control us just because it holds the valves of the old oil wells? They're wrong."
He raised his head, his eyes revealing a calm and decisive understanding of everything.
"Time is on our side! Once the Tenglong-1 nuclear fusion power plant of Project Zhulong is deployed on a large scale, the energy artery of the Northern Desert? It will become an interesting but outdated project in the history museum!"
His tone suddenly turned sharp, carrying an undeniable force.
"No response! Let them ignore it! Let them go play in the Eastern Wilderness! We won't play this disgusting game of demanding higher prices and waiting for the best bidder among the Dragon Summer Tribe!"
"it is good!"
"understand!"
That's how it should be!
The meeting quickly reached a consensus.
We will adopt a policy of "strategic silence" regarding the so-called "pause" with the Russian bear and the "escalating" tensions with the Eastern Wilderness. You want to play? Go play by yourself. Long Xia doesn't have time to serve you.
...
However, the almost silent "ignoring" attitude of the Longxia tribe was like a spoonful of ice water being poured into boiling bear oil when it reached the distant Holy City!
In the Kremlin's imposing office.
The heavy oak tabletop made a dull thud! The glasses on the table, filled with ice and expensive vodka, shook violently.
A rough, large hand slammed down on the table. The owner of the hand was the man known as the Emperor, the supreme leader of the Bear Tribe, who was known for his toughness. His face was full of anger, and his hawk-like eyes burned with a fierce fire of offense!
He had just heard a report about how the Longxia tribe had "suspended" and ignored such a huge energy project.
The indifference conveyed by that report, that silent contempt that says "stop if you want, I won't play along," ignited the pride of the powerful and the deep, defiant rage in his bones!
How dare they?!
How could they ignore this?!
The Emperor's deep voice was like a storm from Siberia, containing a violent force about to be unleashed.
"Ivan! Listen to this!"
This is the so-called ally we once wholeheartedly supported!
He pointed to Energy Minister Ivanov, who was standing respectfully with his hands at his sides.
"A little defector's blueprints enabled them to create a spark of nuclear fusion electricity, and they've forgotten whose oil and gas supplies sustained them through those coldest winters?!"
Ivanov lowered his head and spoke cautiously.
"Your Majesty, according to intelligence, they claim... their controlled nuclear fusion is about to break through, so they may not really need it..."
"Shut up!"
The emperor abruptly interrupted him, his voice rising in extreme rage.
"Were you also blinded by the ghostly light of that stellarator?! How naive! Nuclear fusion? That kind of controlled mini-sun? Do you think it's that easy to achieve?!"
That's a feat that requires mountains of time, geniuses among geniuses, and countless resources to achieve! Those yellow-skinned monkeys from Longxia, they've only managed to create a tiny power generation device, and they dare claim they'll change the world's energy landscape?!
This is utter nonsense! It's an insult to science! And an insult to the great Russian tribe!
He breathed heavily a few times, his broad chest heaving violently.
A strong sense of humiliation, of being betrayed and belittled by the "advanced," gnawed at his pride as the master of the bear pack.
The subservient underling of the past has now grown a bit stronger and dares to openly defy him, the mighty polar bear who reigns supreme in the north? This is a blatant challenge to his authority!
"Do they think that having a toy-like Longxing means they can rest easy and get rid of their dependence on Russian natural gas energy?"
A ferocious, cold smile appeared on the Emperor's face, like a brown bear preparing to tear its prey apart on the Siberian ice field.
"Ignorance! Arrogance! And a grave blasphemy against me personally, against my supreme Bear Tribe!" He grabbed the heavy, gold-rimmed, encrypted satellite phone receiver from the table. His knuckles turned white from the force.
"Connect me to... the esteemed office of that person from the Eagle Tribe!"
He practically roared the instructions to the satellite phone system operator.
His gaze passed over the office's huge floor-to-ceiling windows, landing in the distant east, filled with a chilling, bone-deep hatred.
"Since that young lion cub thinks it's all grown up... and dares to bare its teeth at the king of the forest... then let our eagle friends bleed it a little! Let it remember who the real hunter is in this forest!"
the other side,
Inside the core R&D facility of Longxin Laboratory, the air carries the unique cold and dryness of a cleanroom.
Silicon wafers, gleaming with a cool metallic sheen, are being fed into the etching equipment area via conveyor belt, the machines humming softly and steadily.
Su Dingping stood in front of the huge monitoring screen wall, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
On the screen, the curve representing the yield rate was still crawling listlessly at the bottom. Although the initial 19.8% was barely pulled up to 25% through process adjustments, it was still a long way from the passing grade required for mass production.
In an inconspicuous corner of the screen, a tiny set of data—the impurity characteristic spectrum inside those silicon wafers—stung like a poisoned needle into Su Dingping's heart. The eagle's "dirty bomb" continued to contaminate the fuel of their burning chip dream.
Beside him, Professor Yuan Tao, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, held a cup of black coffee that had long since gone cold and was as strong as Chinese medicine, and reported in a hoarse voice.
"Chief Engineer Su, the import channels... are completely shut down. Those jackals in Wassenaar are now guarding every crack like mad dogs. Several small smuggling channels have reported that the risks are too high, and they dare not move anytime soon. Our little bit of smuggled silicon wafers... can't even fill a gap between their teeth..."
"boom!"
A dull thud came from the side.
A young researcher slammed his fist on the analysis table next to him, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
"Chief Engineer Su! Let me take some men out! I refuse to believe we can't break through those damn blockade lines! Let's engage them in close combat in the underground tunnels!"
"Shut up!"
Professor Yuan Tao turned around abruptly, shouting sternly, almost dropping his coffee cup in the process.
"Acting recklessly will only lead to a bloody mess!"
Those bastards are just hoping we'll throw ourselves into chaos!
Su Dingping neither scolded nor got agitated. He simply stared quietly at the stubbornly low number on the monitoring screen, his eyes as deep as an unfathomable pool.
Just as the oppressive atmosphere was making it hard to breathe, the partition door of the cleanroom slid open, and a young assistant researcher led a figure in quickly.
The figure's crisp footsteps broke the silence like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
"Wow, the Dragon Heart Laboratory looks so gloomy and desolate. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were holding a funeral."
Qin Mingzhu stood confidently in front of Su Dingping, her smart hunting jacket making her look dashing and spirited. She had a slightly teasing smile on her face, but her eyes were sharp and direct.
"Did a pot of toxic broth ruin the chip yield rate?"
Su Dingping's eyes finally twitched slightly, and his gaze fell on Qin Mingzhu's face.
"Miss Qin is very well-informed."
"When doing business, you naturally need to have a keen sense of smell."
Qin Mingzhu raised her chin slightly, her tone carrying her usual straightforwardness and confidence.
"Those bastards from the Eagles are really ruthless, using refurbished junk as a stepping stone? Ha, do they really think the whole world is like them, treating integrity like dog shit?"
Su Dingping ignored the sarcasm and simply asked a question.
"Miss Qin, you didn't come here at this time just to mock the eagle, did you?"
"Of course I'm not here to kick someone when they're down or act like a villain!"
Qin Mingzhu waved her hand dismissively.
"I know you're in a bind, desperately needing genuine ultra-high purity silicon wafers for your work! I came here to tell you this, and I, Qin Mingzhu, can help you solve part of the problem!"
Yuan Tao and the other researchers' eyes lit up instantly, like drowning people grabbing a piece of driftwood!
"You have connections?!"
Yuan Tao's voice was filled with disbelief and urgency.
"Can they bypass the blockade of those mad dogs, the Eagles?!"
"Nonsense, how could I make a living on this customs trade route without some tricks up my sleeve?"
Qin Mingzhu's lips curled into a slightly sly smile.
"Not all tribes in this world are on the same page as Eagle East Wilderness. There are plenty of tribes struggling to make ends meet! There are always some who are willing to take risks and do underground work for chests of gold, scarce resources, or other things they need."
I have several clandestine connections linking raw material producing countries and middlemen who are also fiercely oppressed by the US and possess considerable audacity. With silicon wafers, as long as you're willing to offer real hard currency or provide something the other party desperately needs in exchange, there's always someone willing to take the order!
She paused, then emphasized.
"Although the quantity won't be very large, and the risk factor isn't low, we guarantee that these are original, genuine products with intact crystal lattices, completely unprocessed! They are definitely not the kind of refurbished junk that looks good on the surface but is rotten inside!"
She met Su Dingping's scrutinizing gaze with an open and honest look.
"How about it? Want to give it a try?"
This was indeed a timely help! Everyone in the conference room held their breath, their eyes fixed on Su Dingping.
There was a few seconds of silence.
"want."
Su Dingping did not hesitate and said in a deep voice.
"We'll buy as much as you have! Price is no object! Whatever goods or technology you need in exchange, Longxin Laboratory will provide full parameter support for customized production! Miss Qin, Longxin Laboratory will remember this favor!"
His eyes showed genuine gratitude and determination.
"happy!"
Qin Mingzhu snapped her fingers, decisively and efficiently.
"Okay, wait for my news!"
Without any hesitation, she turned and walked out, acting swiftly and decisively.
Watching Qin Mingzhu's departing figure, Yuan Tao rubbed his hands together excitedly, his tone resolute.
"But it's not our only hope! Nor can it be our true source of confidence!"
He pushed back his chair and stood up, his gaze sweeping over Yuan Tao and the other core members of the materials team with a fiery intensity. (End of Chapter)