213: Chapter 214: They actually spent 1 billion to acquire a small German factory
Munich, Germany, early morning. Mist enveloped the factory grounds of Rhine Photonics. This unassuming niche chip enterprise was currently wrapped in an invisible tension—today was the delivery date for the acquisition by Singularity Technology, and the final obstruction by Tianming Group was also quietly unfolding at dawn.
At the factory entrance, three black sedans suddenly pulled up sideways. A dozen burly men in black suits and sunglasses stepped out, blocking the acquisition team led by Song Zhiwei. The man in the lead brandished a 'temporary injunction,' saying in stiff Chinese: 'According to an emergency ruling by the Munich District Court, the acquisition of Rhine Photonics is suspected of endangering Germany's core technology security. Delivery is suspended!'
Song Zhiwei's expression remained unchanged. The German lawyer behind her immediately stepped forward, took the injunction document, scanned it quickly, and then sneered: 'This is a forgery! The Munich District Court did not issue any such ruling this morning. Your seal numbering does not match the official ones. You are suspected of forging judicial documents!'
Meanwhile, the security team arranged by Gu Jingshen around the factory acted swiftly, flanking from both sides. These security personnel were retired military elites specifically recruited through Qin Xue's official connections. Their movements were clean and efficient, quickly subduing the dozen burly men. The lead man tried to resist but was pinned to the ground by the security personnel, who searched him and found work ID cards for 'Polaris Investment,' a subsidiary of Tianming Group.
It seems Tianming Group is truly desperate. Song Zhiwei took out her phone and dialed a video call to Zhang Fan, her tone relaxed. Boss, we encountered a small problem at the delivery site. Tianming sent people to forge an injunction to obstruct us, but it's been resolved, and we caught them red-handed.
On the other end of the video, Zhang Fan was reviewing production data for the independent supply chain at Singularity headquarters. Hearing this, a cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth: Hand the evidence over to the German police. File a case for 'forging documents' and 'illegal trespassing.' Also, submit the evidence linking them to Polaris Investment to the German Ministry of Economy. Let them see how Tianming Group interferes with normal business operations of German companies. Continue with the delivery; don't waste time.
At 10:00 AM, the delivery ceremony was held as scheduled. Former shareholders of Rhine Photonics signed and stamped the equity transfer agreement. Song Zhiwei, representing Singularity Technology, took over control of the factory and the core technical materials. As the factory gates slowly rose, Singularity's technical team immediately moved in to begin comprehensive testing and integration of the production lines.
This is the core technology of Rhine Photonics—the complete design blueprints and production processes for the third-generation Photon Chip. Dr. Heinz, Chief Technology Officer of Rhine Photonics, handed an encrypted USB drive to Zhou Yurou, his tone laced with a hint of excitement. Our team has been researching this for eight years. We finally found a way to increase photon transmission efficiency by 3 times and reduce energy consumption by 40%. Unfortunately, we lacked the funds to achieve large-scale mass production. Now that it is in Singularity's hands, I believe you can make this technology change the world.
Zhou Yurou took the USB drive and inserted it into her laptop. The screen immediately displayed the 3D model and technical parameters of the Photon Chip. The more she looked, the more excited she became. She looked up at Dr. Heinz and said: Doctor, your technology is stunning! Our R&D team has already overcome the final hurdle for mass production. Now with your core data, we can achieve a monthly production scale of 300,000 units within three months, and costs can be reduced by 50%!
After the delivery was completed, the core technical team led by Dr. Heinz boarded a private plane to Jiangcheng, China. According to Zhang Fan's arrangements, Singularity would establish a 'Global Photon Chip R&D Center' in Jiangcheng, with Dr. Heinz serving as the Chief Scientist to fully advance the development of the next generation of Photon Chips.
Meanwhile, at Singularity headquarters, an emergency video conference was underway. Zhou Yurou projected the technical data of Rhine Photonics onto the screen and introduced it to the core team: Rhine Photonics' Photon Chip uses a '3D photon waveguide structure.' This is a technical bottleneck we hadn't broken through before. Combined with our own production processes, the performance of the mass-produced third-generation Photon Chip will comprehensively surpass Aivda's latest model, especially in AI computing power support and aerospace equipment adaptability. The advantages are extremely obvious.
The screen displayed comparative technical data in real-time: at the same power consumption, Singularity's third-generation Photon Chip reached 1200 TOPS of computing power, while Aivda's flagship product was only 900 TOPS. In extreme environment tests, the stability of the Singularity chip was 25% higher than Aivda's, fully meeting the space application requirements of the Star Core Engine.
Great! With this technology, we can completely crush Aivda at the summit! Song Zhiwei said excitedly. I've already had the overseas PR team release news that 'Singularity will release disruptive chip technology.' Now the international tech circle is speculating, and the attention has already surpassed Aivda's new product launch.
Gu Jingshen added: The bought-off technical supervisor has already confessed everything. Tianming Group planned to have him 'accidentally' leak a 'forged technical blueprint' at the summit, and then have Aivda CEO Mark Anderson come forward to accuse us of plagiarism. We have already prepared a complete chain of evidence, including his confession, Tianming's transfer records, and comparative analysis of the forged blueprints. On the day of the summit, we will definitely be able to ruin their reputation.
Zhang Fan nodded, his tone firm: Now, all our trump cards are ready. Zhou Yurou, you are responsible for the technical demonstration at the summit; ensure the Photon Chip's performance test is foolproof. Song Zhiwei, you coordinate with international media to ensure they focus on our presentation segment. Gu Jingshen, you arrange security personnel to ensure the safety of Dr. Heinz and the technical team, preventing Tianming from resorting to extreme measures. Wang Jingdong, prepare the patent open-licensing agreement; we will announce this news on the day of the summit.
Understood! everyone responded in unison, their faces beaming with confident smiles.
Far away in Switzerland, the 'Bishop' of Tianming Group was still being kept in the dark. He received a report from his subordinate saying that the 'action to obstruct the delivery failed,' but he didn't take it to heart. Instead, he thought: Even if they completed the acquisition, Rhine Photonics is just a niche enterprise, and its technology simply cannot compete with Aivda. On the day of the summit, we just need to produce the 'plagiarism evidence' to make them completely collapse.
He sent a message to Mark Anderson: Prepare your 'technical comparison report.' On the day of the summit, you must make everyone believe that Singularity's Photon Chip is plagiarized from yours. I have already arranged the media to broadcast your speech in full, making Zhang Fan the laughingstock of the global tech industry.
Mark Anderson replied: Rest assured, Bishop. I have already had the technical team produce a detailed 'comparison report' and even found a few 'similar technical nodes.' Even if their chip performance is actually good, we can frame it as being 'based on our technology improvements.'
Night fell, and the Singularity Technology headquarters in Jiangcheng remained brightly lit. Zhou Yurou's technical team was repeatedly testing the Photon Chip's demonstration equipment to ensure there would be no malfunctions on the day of the summit. Song Zhiwei was communicating broadcast details with overseas media to strive for maximum exposure. Gu Jingshen was checking the security plan for the summit venue to eliminate all safety hazards. Wang Jingdong was doing a final check on the legal terms of the patent open-licensing agreement to ensure it was foolproof.
Zhang Fan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the dazzling night view outside, feeling deeply moved. From fighting for Li Yong's innocence ten years ago to leading Singularity Technology against global technological blockades today, this path had been exceptionally difficult, but he had never backed down. Because he knew that what he was guarding was not just a company, but the hope of countless people—it was the expectation of cancer patients for 'brave peace and health,' the pursuit of independent innovation by tech workers, and the dream of Eastern technology to shake off dependence and go global.
Tianming Group, International Tech Summit, here we come. Zhang Fan said softly, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. We must win this war, and we will definitely win.
A final showdown that would determine the global technology landscape was about to kick off at the International Tech Summit in Switzerland. And Singularity Technology, holding disruptive technology and a complete chain of evidence, was ready to stage a stunning reversal in front of the whole world and open a new era belonging to Eastern technology.