Chapter 1164
The Reflector Reaches Godhood! Precision Surpasses ASM
"I've heard that the patrol teams from the Indian tribes on your border are becoming increasingly violent."
A truly powerful tribe will never tolerate the barbarity of a neighboring nation's soldiers on its homeland... Good luck to you.
This tiny "catalyst" is like a spark thrown into a powder keg.
The Denver border tribal militias, already experiencing some friction due to unclear border demarcations, gained new weapons that could significantly alter the local power balance, emboldening them greatly.
Several ambushes targeting Indian border patrol personnel occurred quickly, and Indian border posts were bombed.
When the news reached the Indian King's palace, he was furious, as if he had found a good opportunity to regain the face he had lost with the White Eagle Chief.
He roared at the cloud of generals below.
"This is outrageous! This is utterly outrageous! The Indian tribes are the eternal leaders of Africa! Tribes like Denver aren't even worthy of carrying our shoes! And now they dare to attack our sacred soldiers? This is a declaration of war against the entire great tribes!"
"Immediately! Right now! A merciless and thunderous retaliation is necessary! Let those bumpkins know who's in charge here! Mobilize the troops! Armored brigade! Crush them!"
The massive machine of the Indian army was set in motion, aggressively heading towards the disputed wasteland north of Denver's border. In their view, this would be a military walk with no suspense whatsoever.
however……
A week later, the frontline battle report plunged the entire Indian tribe into an icy silence and immense humiliation.
"How is this possible!"
The Indian king held the thin battle damage report, his arm trembling violently, his face turning from ashen to deathly pale.
The report states.
A-Sanfang.
XXX people were killed or missing; XX main battle tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed or damaged by the Denver Army's rocket launchers and man-portable anti-tank missiles, which were cleverly deployed using the terrain; several senior officers were killed in their command posts by precise artillery fire... The offensive was forced to a standstill.
Denver Formula.
...Battle casualties are unknown, but satellite imagery suggests that their core fighting force was not annihilated and is even organizing small-scale counterattacks...
The overwhelming advantage in equipment and manpower resulted in a staggering defeat!
"shame!
This is the greatest disgrace to our great tribe!
The roar echoed throughout the palace, smashing countless expensive decorations.
In the intelligence analysis room of the White Eagle Palace, the Chief looked at the front-line analysis map transmitted back by satellite. It clearly marked the location of the Denver armed forces' clever ambush of the Indian army using simple bunkers and anti-aircraft machine guns, as well as the red crosses on the remains of the Indian armored units.
He picked up a cigar, took a light puff, and for the first time in a while, a cold, almost cathartic smile appeared on his face.
"It seems that this Indian king still has a lot to learn."
Inside the luxurious mansion of the chief of the Bangzi tribe, a tiny place closer to the East China Sea than the Longxia tribe.
President Han Yin stood in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of green tea that had already cooled down.
Outside the window, the city lights shimmered, and traffic flowed busily, creating a vibrant and prosperous scene.
But deep down, he felt a cold, burning anxiety.
The secretary stood cautiously behind him, holding a recent economic briefing.
"Your Majesty, Samsung Electronics and Goli Semiconductor... fourth-quarter chip export data, especially orders from Longxia... year-on-year... fell by 41.7%. Inventory levels are approaching a five-year high... and are expected to further decline in the first quarter of next year..."
"enough!"
Han Yin suddenly turned around, his facial muscles twitching slightly.
"Longxia Tribe...Longxia Tribe!"
He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps questioning an invisible adversary.
"Chips! Semiconductors are the lifeblood of our tribe! The Longxia Market is the strongest lifeline of our lifeblood! Now, with just one sentence from the Great Chief of the Eagle Tribe, this vital artery has been severed!"
Are you forcing us to do some kind of cross-strait outsourcing with them, supporting that hopeless Indian tribe? What kind of cutting-edge chips can those Indians even make? Can they afford to buy a few of our display panels?!
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, and suddenly slammed the teacup in his hand to the ground. The expensive porcelain shattered instantly, and dark green tea stains quickly spread across the white wool carpet.
The secretary remained silent, trembling with fear.
"Their Eagle Tribe is making a fortune, holding the dragon by the neck! And what about us?"
Han Yin's face was so dark it looked like it was about to drip water.
"We have to listen to them and not sell to Longxia, which would cause our orders to be cut in half! But we're also afraid that if the Longxia tribe is really pushed to the limit, they'll develop their own research and development, and then turn around and take away our entire industry!"
He walked to his desk, looking at the encrypted red phone that connected directly to the White Eagle Palace. His eyes were filled with conflict, resentment, and even a hint of greed.
"We can't just sit here and wait to die! They've cut off our source of income, so the Eagle Tribe has to take responsibility! They have to compensate us! Do they expect us to starve and work as their henchmen without any benefits?"
He took a few deep breaths, as if he had made up his mind, and his eyes became cold and resolute.
He picked up the phone, took a deep breath, and pressed the speed dial button that led to the highest level of power.
The call was answered quickly, and a calm male voice answered.
"Your Excellency, the Great Chief."
Han Yin's voice conveyed just the right amount of respect, carrying a heavy burden.
"I am Han Yin."
"President Han, is there something you need?"
The voice on the other end of the phone was languid.
"Your Excellency, regarding your ministry's leading restrictions on Longxia's technology and the adjustments to our industrial chain."
Han Yin organized his thoughts, his tone filled with intense anxiety.
"I must tell you with heavy heart that this has already had a... catastrophic impact on our tribe's economic pillars—semiconductor and screen manufacturing! Our main markets are shrinking rapidly, and factory orders are plummeting..."
"Oh? The alternative plan from Longxia..."
"A replacement?" Han Yin interrupted immediately, his voice carrying an almost undisguised urgency.
"Great Chief! As you know, the Longxia market is enormous and irreplaceable! Moreover... they are striving for independent breakthroughs! Although the Loongson Lab has repeatedly encountered obstacles in advanced manufacturing processes, I've heard they're making strides in basic materials and some equipment..."
Are you questioning the global industrial strategy that I and my allies have developed?
The voice on the other end of the phone suddenly turned serious, carrying a cold and authoritative tone.
"No! No! Your Excellency Chief! Absolutely not! We stand with you and the free world!"
Han Yin's tone instantly became incredibly humble, urgent, and even tinged with panic.
"What I mean is... in order to fully implement your will, and in order to maintain sufficient pressure on Longxia's industrial chain in our competition with Longxia Chips, our own losses are simply too great!"
Our factories need to operate, our engineers need to be paid, and our entire high-tech supply chain needs sufficient breathing room to better serve you.
so……"
He paused for a moment, slowed his speech, and clearly typed each word into the microphone.
"On behalf of the Bangzi tribe, I earnestly request Your Excellency Chief and the Great White Eagle tribe to consider the special and enormous economic losses we have suffered in this strategic layout and the huge costs of industrial relocation... Could you... provide some necessary economic support and industrial adjustment compensation?"
Only when we are internally stable can we become a more reliable... strategic pivot in the direction you specify..."
The long silence on the other end of the phone seemed to freeze into a thick block of ice, weighing heavily on Han Yin's heart, making his palms sweat as he held the receiver. He could clearly hear the faint static coming from the receiver, and the faint, deep symphony of absolute power in the background of the White Eagle Palace in the distance.
Finally, that deep, authoritative voice rang out again, filled with heavy, undisguised impatience.
"President Han, you know very well that the resources of the free world are also limited."
All allies are paying the necessary price to combat technological threats worldwide.
The chieftain's tone was cold and flat, each word like a shard of ice hitting the fragile hope of the leader of the Korean tribe.
"Maintaining a strategic framework for security inherently requires paying a price."
Han Yin's heart sank. The other party had completely blocked any possibility of compensation!
"but."
The voice on the other end paused for a moment, revealing a condescending indifference.
"Considering the stability of your department as an important technology base and the continued pressure on Longxia's industries, we are evaluating our procurement plan for strategic material reserves, which may involve increasing the temporary stockpiling of some of your mature process chip products. The specific order volume and details will be discussed with you by our business team."
Stockpiling? Han Yin's mind raced, calculating the possibilities.
This is like stuffing a mountain of garbage into a national warehouse; the price will be drastically reduced, and the profit margin will be pitifully small! But this is probably the only tough nut to crack out of the eagle father right now.
Even a mosquito's leg is still meat, no matter how small. The feeling of frustration was like strong acid corroding his self-esteem, but he had to force a smile of immense gratitude onto his face, his voice rising eight octaves, filled with a choked sob of overwhelming gratitude.
"Thank you so much! I am extremely grateful for Your Excellency's understanding and support!"
This is truly a timely help! On behalf of all the people of the Korean tribe and my colleagues in the semiconductor industry, I extend my highest respect to you and the great Great White Eagle tribe! We will do our utmost to live up to your expectations!
The flattery was deafening.
"Ah."
The chieftain hummed a monotonous syllable through his nostrils, clearly showing little interest.
The Korean tribe's complaints of poverty and greed irritated him immensely, like a buzzing but unkillable little flying insect.
Han Yin, however, was unwilling to give up this opportunity. He quickly brought out his long-cherished idea, his voice even more respectful, carrying a strong sense of unease.
"Great Chieftain, there is one more thing... regarding the recent movements of the Dragonxia Tribe, especially that Dragon Heart Laboratory... our intelligence analysis shows that their breakthrough speed in some key bottlenecks... seems to have exceeded our previous estimates."
This poses an increasingly serious potential threat to our global dominance in technological supremacy! In order to effectively monitor and…and, if necessary, launch a strong countermeasure, our Korean tribe earnestly desires and desperately needs a stronger security commitment and…physical presence from the Great White Eagle tribe!
He took a deep breath and, almost pleadingly, voiced his core demand.
"I implore Your Majesty, Great Chieftain, to consider increasing the size and equipment of our garrison in our tribe! Especially... units with real-time precision reconnaissance capabilities! Only when a powerful blade hangs over their heads can they truly fear and restrain themselves!"
That was extremely blunt.
Han Yin had a very beautiful dream.
The more Eagle soldiers stand there, the safer the Korean tribe will be, and they can also collect more "protection fees" along the way!
A brief, even more suffocating silence fell on the other end of the phone.
Immediately following was a soft laugh, clearly mocking and even somewhat grating.
"Heh, a stronger security commitment? Physical existence? President Han, you've thought this through very thoroughly."
The chieftain's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a condescending and admonitory tone.
"But do you think the White Eagle's fleet and legions are omnipresent street patrols? Where is our strategic focus now? Is it on that dragon under your nose that can't cause any trouble? Or is it on the Persian scimitar hanging over the throat of the free world's energy lifeline?!"
He practically growled out the last half of the sentence!
Han Yin was stunned by the sudden and merciless rebuke, his face turning pale and then red.
He understood the chieftain's unspoken message.
The mess in Persia is what's really bothering me! You Koreans, just stay put and don't try to take advantage of this!
"Longxia's insignificant optical toys are nothing more than a cornered beast fighting desperately."
The chieftain resumed his cold, unquestionable tone.
"I will instruct the Western Pacific Command to appropriately strengthen its reconnaissance and deployment efforts regarding technological espionage and unusual movements around Longxia."
As for the troop presence… maintaining the current level is already the White Eagle Fleet's most steadfast commitment to the Western Pacific! President Han, remember your place! Do what you're supposed to do! Don't make any more unreasonable demands that exceed your authority!
With a "click," the phone was abruptly disconnected, leaving only a series of dial tones that seemed to mock Han Yin's pale face and his "dream," which had just been ignited and then instantly extinguished.
Only his heavy breathing and the glaring color of the still-wet tea stain on the floor remained in the room.
Deep inside the Longxin Laboratory, the air in the ultra-clean EUV pre-research workshop is so thick it's almost dripping with moisture.
The enormous vacuum chamber stands in the center like a crouching metal behemoth, with complex pipelines resembling its blood vessels and meridians.
What was once a place full of hope is now filled with a strong smell of tar and a chilling sense of defeat.
"It's still not working! It's shaking again!"
Beside the control panel, Yuan Tao stared at the chaotic, fluctuating position feedback curve on the monitor screen, gritted his teeth, and slammed his fist hard on the edge of the control panel.
The massive tremor triggered alarms from several nearby precision instruments.
Lu Guangjun, the deputy director of the integrated military factory, a weathered veteran reeking of engine oil, now had a flushed face, sweat beading on his forehead and a mixture of shame and indignation in his eyes. (End of Chapter)