153: Chapter 153 Foreign Capital Stifles Chinese Technology

Inside the Singularity Technology conference room, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the blinds, casting dappled light onto Lu Qingyan's laptop screen.

He tapped his fingertips on the keyboard, and a set of encrypted files slowly unfolded.

The screenshot of the international medical journal that popped up on the screen was particularly striking—next to the title of the 'Traditional Chinese Medicine AI Diagnostic System' paper published by Lu Qingyan's team in a sub-journal of The Lancet, someone had marked it with the words 'High Threat' in red, and attached next to it was an internal rating table from the Polaris Capital 'Technology Screening Committee'.

I had someone investigate the Polaris executive who approached me. The committee behind them specializes in assessing the technical threat levels of Chinese technology companies.

Lu Qingyan's voice was as cold as ice. 'My medical ai paper was just published, and before it could even be implemented in hospitals, they already labeled it a 'High Threat'—they don't want to do medical business at all; they want to keep the technology in their own hands, either to shelve it or to dismantle it and sell it to Western pharmaceutical companies, ensuring our own Traditional Chinese Medicine AI can never be popularized.'

Gu Jingshen leaned toward the screen, his finger gently brushing over the 'High Threat' label, his eyes filled with shock. 'They want to destroy even life-saving technology? Their previous targeting of Singularity's Star Core Engine and Likely Yunqi Technology's cloud services—was that not just commercial competition, but an attempt to systematically suppress Chinese technology?'

I'm afraid it's more than that. Lu Qingyan pulled up a yellowed old photograph. In the photo, his younger father stood in a laboratory, holding a 5G communication module. 'My father mentioned to me before he passed away that ten years ago, when he was working on 5G communication modules, he encountered something similar—foreign capital feigned cooperation but actually stole technology and poached team members, eventually forcing the company to the brink of bankruptcy. Now that I think about it, they are step-by-step strangling China's cutting-edge technology, preventing us from making breakthroughs in critical fields. From game engines to medical ai, everything is their target.'

Zhang Fan's hand gripping the cup tightened slightly. The [Follow-up Intelligence Chain] fragments that the system had previously popped up were now completely verified—Polaris's 'Technology Plunder Plan' had long since covered multiple fields; they were by no means just simple commercial rivals. He remained calm on the surface. 'Mr. Lu, are you willing to bring out such an important project because you want to collaborate deeply with Singularity?'

'Yes.' Lu Qingyan nodded, the coldness in his eyes gone, replaced only by sincerity. 'The AI dynamic learning capability of the Star Core Engine is the most advanced I have ever seen—it can optimize game scenes in real-time based on player behavior. If applied to medical ai, it could adjust diagnostic models based on the characteristics of illnesses in different regions, potentially increasing accuracy from 89% to 95%. Plus, Singularity has just withstood the public opinion attacks from Polaris and has the financial backing of the Song family, giving me more confidence than if I were fighting alone.'

Zhou Yurou immediately took out a calculator, her fingertips moving rapidly. 'If the medical ai can be implemented, not only can we cooperate with community hospitals and top-tier hospitals to collect licensing fees, but we can also apply for national technology subsidies, which will help with Singularity's 'Technology + Humanity' brand positioning. More importantly, this can break Polaris's technology monopoly, which is a point of pride for Chinese technology companies. If we encounter similar suppression in the future, we will have a precedent to rely on.'

'From a technical standpoint, it is completely feasible.' Liu Ruyan pushed up her glasses and pulled up the algorithm framework diagram for the Star Core Engine. 'We can build an independent encrypted database, store patient privacy information and diagnostic models separately, and use the Star Core Engine's dynamic encryption technology for protection. Even if Polaris wants to steal the data, they won't be able to break through the firewall.'

Lin Wanyi watched the scene of lively discussion before her and suddenly smiled, the worry in her eyes gradually fading. 'I didn't expect Third Brother to have such an impressive project. If this AI can enter community hospitals in remote areas in the future, it could help diagnose many people who can't afford medical care. Mr. Zhang, if possible, I hope you can collaborate with my Third Brother. If you need publicity, I can help you shoot a public service promotional video for free, using my new song as background music.'

'I can help too!' Lu Qingan immediately chimed in, his tone more excited than when they were discussing the game collaboration. 'I know quite a few KOLs in the medical field, and I can also contact the CCTV program 'Light of Technology' to do a special report. I guarantee this project will be known by more people, giving Polaris no chance to shelve it!'

Lu Qingping watched the enthusiasm of his younger siblings, his heart filled with emotion—previously, he had always thought about using 'control' to protect his family, but he hadn't expected that after letting go of prejudices and cooperating sincerely, there could be so many possibilities.

He tapped the table, his tone firm. 'I support this! Likely Yunqi Technology can provide R&D space and medical resources, and contact top-tier hospitals for clinical testing; Singularity will provide the technology and algorithms. We'll split the profits 50/50, and the intellectual property rights for the medical ai will be shared by both parties.'

'No, let's split the profits 40/60, with Likely Yunqi Technology taking the larger share, since the core technology is yours.' Zhang Fan suddenly spoke up, interrupting Lu Qingping.

He looked at Lu Qingyan with a sincere gaze. 'Mr. Lu's three years of R&D effort should not be underestimated, and we are now allies against Polaris. Only by achieving a win-win can we go far. If we only calculate profits, it will instead create rifts, which is detrimental to future cooperation.'

Lu Qingyan was stunned for a moment, then revealed a long-lost smile, reaching out to shake Zhang Fan's hand. 'Alright, let's do it as Mr. Zhang says! In the future, when fighting against Polaris, Likely Yunqi Technology will definitely fight side-by-side with Singularity. If there's any need, we'll be there whenever you call.'

After the meeting ended, Lin Wanyi saw her brothers off to the bottom of the office building. Lu Qingan patted her shoulder, his tone much gentler than usual. 'Wanyi, it was brother's fault before, always thinking about interfering in your affairs. In the future, if Zhang Fan bullies you, or if you have trouble at work, just tell brother anytime, brother will back you up!'

'Got it, Second Brother.' Lin Wanyi nodded with a smile, watching their car disappear at the end of the street, her heart filled with warmth—the tense sibling relationship from her previous life had finally become gentle in this life through understanding and cooperation, like a quilt soaked in sunlight on a winter's day, soft and secure.

She turned back to Singularity, and just as she entered the elevator, she heard serious discussions coming from the direction of the conference room.

Through the half-open door, she saw Zhang Fan pointing at an email on the screen, his brows tightly locked. 'Ubisoft just sent an email saying 'strategic adjustment' and that they cannot cooperate for the time being. It must be Polaris playing tricks—they acquired the European cloud company 'Nebula Interconnect' and forced Ubisoft to retreat, just to cut off our overseas escape route and make the European and American launch plan for star path fall through.'

Zhou Yurou's expression was also very grave. 'Besides Ubisoft, Take-Two also replied saying they 'need to re-evaluate,' and the remaining EA hasn't replied yet; they've likely been pressured by Polaris too. If we can't find a publisher, even if Likely Yunqi Technology's servers are ready, the game won't be able to reach European and American players.'

Song Zhiwei also added, 'My dad has a branch in Europe and cooperates with many retail channels in Europe and America. We can help with offline promotion, for example, by placing star path demo equipment in game stores, and combined with online pre-heating, it should be able to make up for the lack of a publisher.'

Wang Chengsi took out a document. 'I have already consulted with Lawyer Wang. Should we contact the EU antitrust authorities and sue them for unfair competition?'

Lin Wanyi stood outside the door, not disturbing them further. She turned to the front desk, took a sticky note, and wrote a few lines: 'Mr. Zhang, don't worry about the Ubisoft matter. I just chatted with the producer of wings of rebirth, and they are willing to help me promote the song on European and American music platforms. We can bury Easter eggs for star path in the lyrics and use music to drive the game's popularity. I'm going to the recording studio first; contact me anytime if anything comes up.'

She handed the sticky note to the front desk and whispered, 'Pass this on after they finish their meeting. Don't disturb them.' After saying that, she carried her guitar on her back and left Singularity with light steps.