87: Chapter 87 Kyoto's Olive Branch

Hanging up the unknown call from Kyoto, Chen Fan sat in his office, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the desk. At this moment, his state of mind was exceptionally calm, even carrying a hint of expectation.

The invitation from the Equipment Industry Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology meant that the national level's thirst and sensitivity for core technological breakthroughs had reached a new height.

"Xiao Zhi," he called out softly, "retrieve the public resumes, academic backgrounds, and areas of responsibility for Director Gu of the Equipment Industry Department and his core team, as well as their recent public speeches and policy directions regarding high-end equipment. Simultaneously, analyze the potential changes in attention across various levels following the disclosure of the 'Xuan-Niao' material data."

"Understood, Boss. Data is being organized." Xiao Zhi's voice sounded steady. Chen Fan put on the Shenqi Helmet, and an invisible stream of data flashed through his consciousness, being rapidly filtered and refined.

A moment later, a concise but critical analysis report was prepared.

Director Gu, with a technical background and a pragmatic style, strongly advocated for independent innovation and provided significant support for "bottleneck" technologies. Recently, he had emphasized the importance of "unconventional paths" and "civilian surprise troops" in internal meetings multiple times. Meanwhile, the beyond-common-sense performance parameters of "Xuan-Niao" had already caused ripples within specific small circles.

"It seems that for this trip to Kyoto, 'Xuan-Niao' is the real stepping stone; I wonder how much they know about the photolithography machine situation now." Chen Fan knew this was his chance to knock on the door of the national technological strategic layout.

Lin Hao pushed open the door and entered, his face still carrying the lingering excitement brought by the photolithography machine: "Fan Zi, Engineer Li introduced several chip design companies that are very interested and want to talk to us in detail."

"You handle those first; I've already told you the negotiation bottom line and framework," Chen Fan interrupted him. "I have more important things to do. I've booked the earliest flight to Kyoto tomorrow. During my absence, you will have full authority over all major company decisions. If you encounter anything you're unsure of, contact me. On the Spark Alliance side, continue to stabilize people's hearts, but do not disclose where I've gone for the time being."

Lin Hao was stunned for a moment. Seeing Chen Fan's serious expression, he immediately realized the matter was not simple: "Understood! What big shot are you going to meet?"

Chen Fan didn't say much: "I'll tell you after I get back."

"Alright!" Lin Hao didn't ask further and hurriedly left to make arrangements.

Chen Fan closed his eyes and began to organize his response strategy in his mind. Facing the scrutiny and recruitment at the national level, honesty and cooperation were the foundation, but the core secret (the Amplification system) must remain a hard line. How to demonstrate value, gain trust, and win support while maintaining independence and the initiative for development required an extremely high sense of propriety and rhetoric.

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The following afternoon, Chen Fan arrived at Kyoto International Airport alone. He found an inconspicuous but strictly secured state-run hotel near the ministerial office area and checked in.

After a short rest, at 3:00 PM, he appeared punctually in front of the solemn building of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

After announcing his name, a young and capable secretary was already waiting at the door, politely leading him to a small meeting room.

Three people were already seated in the meeting room. In the center was a middle-aged man with glasses, a refined temperament, but sharp eyes; it was Director Gu.

On the left was a grey-haired, energetic old man wearing the badge of an Academician of the Academy of Sciences.

On the right was a middle-aged woman in a well-fitted suit with a serious expression; she was the Deputy Director in charge of technology projects in the department, Director Liu.

"Hello, leaders. I am Chen Fan," Chen Fan greeted them neither humbly nor arrogantly.

The secretary beside him introduced the leaders one by one.

"Comrade Chen Fan, welcome." Director Gu smiled and gestured for him to sit down, without much small talk. "Time is precious, so we'll get straight to the point. Your Fanxing Technology has been very eye-catching lately. You secured the role of core supplier for Keyu with your thermal insulation materials, and now you've produced a photolithography machine. Even earlier, there was a report on 'Xuan-Niao' superconducting materials that caused quite a discussion in the materials science community."

Academician Zhang took over the conversation, staring at Chen Fan with piercing eyes: "President Chen, I work in superconductivity. The data in the 'Xuan-Niao' report, especially the stability of critical temperature and current density under strong fields, is almost impossible to explain according to the existing theoretical framework. I'm very curious; what new physical mechanism is your R&D team based on, or what kind of subversive preparation process did you adopt?"

The question went straight to the core and was posed by a top expert, causing the pressure to surge.

Chen Fan was well-prepared. He sat up straight, his attitude sincere and rigorous: "Academician Zhang, Director Gu, Director Liu. First, I want to thank the leaders and experts for their attention to our Fanxing Technology, especially the 'Xuan-Niao' project. Regarding the performance of 'Xuan-Niao', we confirm that the experimental data is true and reliable. As for the mechanism behind it, to be honest, our team is still in the process of deep exploration and verification."

He paused briefly to organize his words: "It is not based on a complete subversion of existing theories, but rather on some unexpected breakthroughs in the extremely precise regulation of the material's microstructure and the design of new composite phase interfaces. We attribute it to a type of 'metastable optimization' under a 'limit process window'. The specific process involves several special preparation technologies we developed independently and harsh environmental control parameters, which are currently still in a highly confidential and continuous optimization stage."

These words were half-true and half-false, admitting the advanced and incomplete nature of the technology and using professional terminology to rationalize the abnormal data, while also emphasizing independence and the difficulties of continuous R&D to leave room for future "breakthroughs" and skillfully avoid the risk of leaking core secrets.

Academician Zhang frowned slightly, clearly not completely satisfied with this explanation, but he couldn't find much fault with Chen Fan's attitude and explanation. Frontier exploration was inherently full of unknowns.

Director Gu nodded, seemingly more concerned with practical application: "Then President Chen, based on your current judgment, where is the main bottleneck for the true industrialization of 'Xuan-Niao'? If you need support at the national level, what do you need most?"

"The main bottleneck lies in the extreme precision and stability of the process equipment, as well as the accompanying online detection and closed-loop control systems." Chen Fan seized the opportunity to state his needs, "If possible, if the policy can provide support in terms of funding, we can handle the technical problems ourselves."

He directed the demand toward "funding." In fact, with the photolithography machine successfully sold, he had no financial pressure. He proposed the need mainly to avoid appearing as if he didn't need anything, which would make him look too strong.

Director Liu was taking notes in her notebook and asked, "Regarding that photolithography machine, could President Chen explain its source and technical status in more detail? This is very important for assessing its reliability and subsequent cooperation value."

This question was even more sensitive. Chen Fan's expression remained unchanged as he answered calmly: "Director Liu, the source of this equipment involves some complex commercial dealings and confidentiality agreements; please forgive me for not being able to disclose specific details. However, I can guarantee with my personal reputation and the future of Fanxing Technology that its source is completely legal and compliant, involving no technical infringement or improper channels. The equipment itself is an experimental prototype base frame that was decommissioned early due to an obsolete technical route. After we acquired it, we invested a large amount of resources and our multidisciplinary team to conduct near-reconstruction-level deep repairs, key subsystem replacements, and overall performance optimization. Its current comprehensive performance, confirmed by our preliminary tests and invited third-party expert evaluations, can reach the threshold level of international mainstream first-generation EUV Photolithography Machines, suitable for the R&D and mass production of 7-nanometer and some more advanced processes."

He once again emphasized "repair and optimization" and "team effort," and positioned the performance at a "threshold level," which both demonstrated strength and left room, avoiding being too shocking.

Director Gu crossed his fingers on the table, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Chen Fan with deep eyes: "Comrade Chen Fan, the situation the country faces in breaking through high-end manufacturing is very severe. What we need is not one or two samples with good performance, but a systematic force capable of forming continuous innovation capabilities, overcoming key bottlenecks, and truly supporting industrial upgrading. This... 'point-like breakthrough' capability shown by your Fanxing Technology is very special and valuable. The Ministry is preliminary considering using your company as one of the core carriers to unite relevant domestic advantageous units and form an 'Innovation Union for High-Performance Materials and Core Equipment in Extreme Environments', incorporating it into the management system of relevant national major special projects. You provide the technology, the team, and the characteristic processes; the state will provide key preference and support in terms of policies, funding, projects, and industry resources. What do you think?"

Finally, the real olive branch was extended! This was not a simple order or investment, but a proposal to incorporate Fanxing Technology into the national strategic science and technology force sequence!

Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm. He quickly weighed the pros and cons: the benefits were obvious—backing from a powerful entity, no worries about resources, and a soaring status that could achieve technology transformation and industrial layout faster. However, potential constraints would also increase, transparency requirements would be higher, independent decision-making space might be affected to some extent, and he and the company would be more thoroughly exposed to various parties' scrutiny.

"Thank you to the state and the Ministry for your trust and attention!" Chen Fan first expressed his gratitude in a solemn tone. "Being able to participate in national major strategies and contribute to the independent control of high-end manufacturing is an honor for our Fanxing Technology and the direction we have been working toward."

He then changed the subject and raised his own concerns: "However, Director Gu, the specific operation model, decision-making mechanism, ownership of intellectual property rights, and commercialization path of the Innovation Union may need very detailed design to ensure that we can both concentrate our efforts on big tasks and fully stimulate the innovation vitality and efficiency of market entities like us. We hope to contribute within a framework that can follow national strategic guidance while maintaining sufficient flexibility and incentives."

He was striving for a voice and flexibility, unwilling to completely turn into a traditional "national team" model.

A hint of admiration flashed in Director Gu's eyes; he was clearly satisfied with Chen Fan's clear head and negotiation awareness. He nodded: "The specific institutional design can be discussed in detail later by a professional team with you. The principle is 'complementary advantages, shared risks, and shared benefits'; we won't adopt a one-size-fits-all approach.

The state supports innovation entities that can truly fight hard battles, not rigid institutions."

The meeting continued for over another hour, communicating on some preliminary principles and subsequent docking processes. The atmosphere was generally pragmatic and positive.

Finally, when Chen Fan rose to take his leave.

Director Gu smiled: "President Chen, I look forward to hearing more good news from you the next time we meet."

Leaving the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology building, the cool autumn breeze of Kyoto brushed against his face. Chen Fan took a deep breath, knowing that this move was a solid one.

The ticket to the national platform had been obtained. Although the road ahead would inevitably be accompanied by more complex games, more arduous tasks, and stricter scrutiny, it also meant a broader horizon, a more powerful backer, and a more glorious mission.

The threat of the Long Group seemed insignificant in the face of such a grand trend. But Chen Fan knew that Long Zaitian would definitely not let things go easily.

Returning to the hotel, Chen Fan opened his phone and saw dozens of messages and missed call notifications from Lin Hao. The latest one was: "Fan Zi, I've filtered several interested clients. Waiting for you to come back and finalize them."

Chen Fan replied: "Okay, I'll be back on tomorrow morning's flight."

Putting down his phone, Chen Fan lay on the hotel bed, but his mind did not stop, planning the next step on how to topple the towering tree that was the Long Corporation.