21: Chapter 21 Breaking the Impasse on Two Fronts! Rare Metals Break Through, Space Defense Line Initially Established

On the way back to the hotel in his private car, Mu Li's expression remained calm, but his mind was rapidly organizing the new crises he had detected. The rare metal blockade and the Star Alliance Nation Space Force's secret weapons—these two threats were far more troublesome than the previous assassination attempts and technical slander. The former choked the lifeline of technical mass production, while the latter could bring about a devastating blow.

"Chairman Zhang, contact Chairman Lin of Huaguang Rare Earth immediately, as well as the relevant person in charge at the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. We'll hold an emergency video conference tomorrow morning," Mu Li said to Zhang Hongyuan beside him, his tone carrying an unquestionable firmness. "In addition, have the R&D team immediately compile a list of all core components in our existing technical system that involve rare metals, marking the use of each metal and the possibility of replacement."

Zhang Hongyuan immediately took out his phone to record: "Alright, Engineer Mu, I'll arrange it now. By the way, the representatives from more than a dozen provinces and cities who signed contracts at the summit just now have sent messages. They hope to finalize the landing details of the pilot projects as soon as possible. Should we interface with them first?"

"The pilot projects cannot stop, but their priority will temporarily give way to crisis response." Mu Li shook his head. "First, have the team prepare a standardized interface plan and send it over, explaining that we will arrange for dedicated personnel to go to various places in batches to interface in the near future to stabilize their emotions. Now, we must concentrate our energy on dealing with the threats of rare metals and the Space Force."

Back at the hotel, Mu Li did not rest; he walked straight into the temporary office area and opened the system panel. The 117,000 system points were enough to support him in redeeming key technologies. He did not hesitate and directly locked onto two core directions: the 'Rare Metal Alternative Material R&D Technology Package' and the 'Space Energy Detection and Defense System Blueprint'.

[Redemption successful! The Rare Metal Alternative Material R&D Technology Package has been issued, including metal-free alternative solutions and low-cost synthesis processes for key rare metals such as Neodymium, Terbium, and Dysprosium.]

[Redemption successful! The Space Energy Detection and Defense System Blueprint has been unlocked, allowing for the development of energy detection satellites covering low Earth orbit and directed-energy defense weapons to provide early warning and intercept space threats.]

Looking at the technical data provided by the system, Mu Li's hanging heart eased slightly. With these two technologies, he could shift from passive defense to actively breaking the deadlock. He immediately forwarded the alternative material technical data to Dr. Chen, letting the R&D team conduct experiments overnight; at the same time, he began organizing the R&D ideas for the space defense system, preparing to interface with the National Space Department.

At nine o'clock the next morning, the emergency video conference was held on time. On the other end of the screen, Lin Godong of Huaguang Rare Earth, Wang Kai, Director of the Raw Materials Industry Department of the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the heads of several large domestic rare metal mining enterprises had all arrived.

"Engineer Mu, we have preliminarily verified the rare metal blockade situation you mentioned." Director Wang Kai spoke first, his face solemn. "The top fifteen rare metal suppliers in the world collectively issued announcements early this morning, suspending the supply of rare metals to China's new energy sector. Especially for key metals like Neodymium, Terbium, and Dysprosium used in high-end permanent magnets and energy storage batteries, the prices have directly soared twenty-fold. According to intelligence, it is indeed international energy giants working with Western capital to manipulate this."

Lin Guodong also frowned and added: "Our Huaguang Rare Earth's rare earth mine capacity is limited. Even with full-scale mining, it can only meet 10% of the pilot projects' needs. Moreover, for heavy rare earths like Terbium, domestic reserves are inherently small and mostly rely on imports. Now that the blockade has started, subsequent mass production will indeed be greatly affected."

"Everyone, there's no need to panic; I have a solution here." Mu Li raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet and shared the technical data for the rare metal alternative materials redeemed from the system onto the conference screen. "This is the latest rare metal alternative material technology I've developed. Among them, the performance of the rare-earth-free permanent magnet material is superior to traditional Neodymium-Dysprosium-Boron alloys, while the cost is reduced by 30%; the Terbium metal required for energy storage batteries can also be replaced by the new ceramic material we synthesized, with performance completely unaffected."

As soon as the technical data on the screen was displayed, the whole room instantly boiled over.

"This... this is incredible! Rare-earth-free permanent magnets can actually reach these performance parameters?" Lin Guodong stood up excitedly, his eyes fixed on the experimental data on the screen. "With this technology, we can completely rid ourselves of dependence on imported rare metals!"

"Engineer Mu, is this technology mature? Can it be rapidly mass-produced?" Director Wang Kai also asked eagerly.

"The technology has been verified in the laboratory, and its maturity is over 95%," Mu Li said affirmatively. "I have already had the R&D team conduct pilot experiments overnight, and it's expected that qualified samples can be produced within a week. Next, we need Huaguang Rare Earth and domestic material companies to cooperate, rapidly transform production lines, and push forward mass production. At the national level, the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also needs to coordinate the supply of raw materials to ensure the production of alternative materials."

"No problem! The state will provide full support!" Director Wang Kai stated on the spot. "I will immediately coordinate with relevant departments to establish a special task force to provide all-round protection for the R&D and mass production of alternative materials in terms of policy, funding, and resources. In addition, we will work with customs and market supervision departments to crack down severely on the hoarding of rare metals domestically to stabilize market order."

Lin Guodong also patted his chest and guaranteed: "Engineer Mu, we at Huaguang Rare Earth will immediately suspend other production lines and go all out to transform the production workshops for alternative materials, striving to achieve mass production within half a month!"

The meeting lasted for two hours, finally finalizing a detailed cooperation plan: Universal Energy would be responsible for providing core technical support, Huaguang Rare Earth would take the lead in promoting the mass production of alternative materials, the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology would coordinate resource guarantees, and other domestic material companies would cooperate with the industrial chain supporting facilities. The crisis of the rare metal blockade was thus preliminarily resolved under Mu Li's advance planning.

After the meeting ended, Zhang Hongyuan walked in with a document: "Engineer Mu, the head of the National Space Department has taken the initiative to contact us. They said they saw the Energy Shield Technology you displayed at the summit and hope to discuss cooperation in space energy technology with you. In addition, they have also received intelligence that the Star Alliance Nation Space Force has had abnormal movements recently, possibly deploying space weapons targeting our country's new energy facilities."

"They came at just the right time." A sharp light flashed in Mu Li's eyes. "I was just thinking of interfacing with them for the R&D of the space defense system. Arrange it; I will personally visit the space department at three o'clock this afternoon."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, under the escort of his security team, Mu Li arrived at the headquarters of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Many top experts and leaders from the space department were already waiting there, led by Academician Zhou Ming, the Chief Engineer of the Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

"Engineer Mu, I've heard so much about you! Your Wireless Power Transmission Technology and Energy Shield Technology are truly the pride of Chinese technology!" Academician Zhou Ming stepped forward warmly and shook Mu Li's hand. "We invited you here today, firstly to explore cooperation in space energy transmission, and secondly to ask for your advice on how to deal with the threat of space weapons."

"Academician Zhou is too kind; I also came with the sincerity of cooperation." Mu Li responded with a smile and then displayed the Space Energy Detection and Defense System Blueprint. "This is the space defense system I designed, which includes three core parts: energy detection satellites covering low Earth orbit, directed-energy defense weapons, and space energy replenishment stations. Among them, the energy detection satellites can provide early warning of the deployment and attack of space weapons; directed-energy defense weapons can use the energy provided by Wireless Power Transmission Technology to precisely intercept incoming targets; the space energy replenishment stations can provide wireless energy replenishment for our country's space stations, satellites, and other spacecraft, ridding them of dependence on traditional fuel."

Academician Zhou Ming and the experts present leaned forward to carefully examine the blueprint. The more they looked, the more excited they became, their eyes full of shock and disbelief.

"This... this is simply a disruptive design!" an aerospace expert couldn't help but exclaim. "The energy conversion efficiency of the directed-energy defense weapons can actually reach 99.5%-99.9%, far exceeding the 60% of our existing technology; and space wireless energy replenishment solves a major pain point for our country's aerospace industry!"

"Engineer Mu, if this technology can be implemented, our country's space defense capabilities and aerospace technology level will both achieve a leapfrog improvement!" Academician Zhou Ming said excitedly. "We at the Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation are willing to fully cooperate with your R&D plan, mobilizing the top scientific research strength and production resources to push the project to fruition!"

"With Academician Zhou's support, I am relieved." Mu Li nodded. "I suggest establishing a joint R&D center, with me taking the lead in core technology R&D, and your corporation being responsible for engineering implementation and manufacturing. In addition, the space defense system requires a large amount of energy support; my Wireless Power Transmission Technology can provide a stable energy supply for ground control centers and launch bases."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Both parties reached a cooperation agreement on the spot and drafted a plan for the establishment of a joint R&D center, clarifying the timeline for technological development: complete the prototype development of the energy detection satellite within three months, finish ground testing of the directed energy defense weapon within six months, and achieve the initial deployment of the space energy supply station within one year.

When leaving the Aerospace Science and Technology Group, the sun was already setting. Mu Li sat in his car, watching the sunset glow outside the window, but his heart felt no sense of relaxation. Although the response plans for the rare metal blockade and the space force threat had been tentatively finalized, the subsequent R&D and implementation process would inevitably be full of challenges.

Just then, Dr. Chen called, his tone filled with excitement: "Engineer Mu, good news! The pilot test for the rare-earth-free permanent magnet has been successful! The sample's performance parameters are even better than expected; the maximum energy product reached 55MGOe, far exceeding the 50MGOe of traditional neodymium-dysprosium-boron alloys, and the stability fully meets the requirements!"

"That's great!" Mu Li felt a surge of joy. "Send the samples to Huaguang Rare Earth immediately and have them accelerate the progress of their production line renovation. In addition, compile the experimental data into a report and send it to the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and relevant enterprises to stabilize everyone's confidence."

After hanging up, Zhang Hongyuan also brought good news: "Engineer Mu, representatives from over a dozen provinces and cities have expressed understanding and support after receiving our standardized docking plan. Shanghai and Shen City have already sent specific site selection plans for the pilot projects, hoping we can prioritize arranging personnel for coordination."

"Then arrange two groups of personnel to head to Shanghai and Shen City tomorrow, respectively, to coordinate the site selection and preliminary preparation for the pilot projects," Mu Li said. "The pilot projects are key to technology promotion; we cannot stagnate just because we are responding to a crisis. We must handle crisis response and project advancement simultaneously and effectively."

However, things were not that smooth. That evening, Mu Li received an urgent notification from the China Security Bureau: "Engineer Mu, we have monitored that international energy giants, in league with Western capital, are lobbying the Europa Alliance, Sakura Island, and Korea to prohibit the export of any equipment and technology related to alternative material R&D to our country. At the same time, remnants of the Shadow Organization have disseminated false information in multiple domestic cities, spreading rumors that your alternative material technology has serious safety hazards and could cause environmental pollution and energy leaks."

"There's such a thing?" Mu Li's gaze turned cold instantly. "Is the spread of this false information wide? Has it caused any impact on the pilot projects and the R&D of alternative materials?"

"The current scope of spread is still relatively limited, and we have joined forces with the cyberspace administration to control it and debunk the rumors," the staff member from the China Security Bureau said. "However, the technology blockade from the Europa Alliance, Sakura Island, and Korea has already begun to manifest. Several high-precision processing machines needed for Huaguang Rare Earth's production line renovation, which were already negotiated for import, have now had their contracts unilaterally terminated by the other party."

"Terminated the contract? It doesn't matter; we can build them ourselves." Mu Li smiled faintly. "Tell Chairman Lin of Huaguang Rare Earth not to worry. I will provide the core technical blueprints for the high-precision processing equipment, and domestic machine tool enterprises can absolutely produce equipment that meets the requirements. In addition, have the cyberspace administration step up efforts to debunk the rumors, and at the same time, we will proactively release the safety inspection reports and environmental impact assessment reports for the alternative materials to break the rumors with facts."

After hanging up, Mu Li opened the system panel and used his remaining system points to redeem "Core Technology for High-Precision Machine Tools." With this technology, he could completely get rid of the reliance on high-end manufacturing equipment from abroad, not only solving the difficult problem of Huaguang Rare Earth's production line renovation but also promoting the development of domestic high-end manufacturing.

[Redemption successful! Core technology for high-precision machine tools has been issued, including core design blueprints and manufacturing processes for equipment such as five-axis linkage CNC machine tools and high-precision grinders.]

Mu Li immediately forwarded the technical blueprints to Lin Guodong and contacted the person in charge of the country's top machine tool enterprise—China Shen City Machine Tool Group—inviting them to participate in the R&D and production of the high-precision processing equipment. Upon seeing the technical blueprints, the person in charge of China Shen City Machine Tool Group immediately expressed their willingness to cooperate fully, mobilizing core R&D forces to produce the equipment that met the requirements as soon as possible.

Over the next few days, Mu Li devoted himself wholeheartedly to the coordination and advancement of various tasks. The establishment of the joint R&D center proceeded smoothly, and the first batch of core R&D personnel were already in place. Preparations for the mass production of rare-earth-free permanent magnets were proceeding in an orderly manner, and the R&D of high-precision processing equipment by China Shen City Machine Tool Group had also made initial progress. The site selection for the pilot projects in Shanghai and Shen City had been completed, and the preliminary geological surveys and planning and design work had officially begun.

Meanwhile, the rumor-debunking work by the cyberspace administration also achieved significant results. The safety inspection report and environmental impact assessment report for the alternative materials released by Universal Energy used detailed data to prove the safety and environmental friendliness of the technology, completely shattering the false information spread by the Shadow Organization. The domestic public opinion atmosphere gradually improved, and more and more enterprises and local administrative bureaus came forward to discuss cooperation.

A week later, Mu Li received news from Huaguang Rare Earth: "Engineer Mu, the high-precision processing equipment from China Shen City Machine Tool Group has arrived at the factory site, the production line renovation has been completed, and mass production of the rare-earth-free permanent magnets officially begins today! The performance parameters of the first batch of products fully meet the requirements, and the output can meet the needs of the pilot projects!"

Almost at the same time, good news also came from the Aerospace Science and Technology Group: "Engineer Mu, the core sensor for the energy detection satellite has been successfully developed, and all performance indicators have met the design requirements. We expect to complete the assembly and testing of the prototype within a month!"

The breakthrough of these two critical nodes allowed Mu Li to breathe a sigh of relief. He knew that the crisis of the rare metal blockade had been basically resolved, and the R&D of the space defense system was on the right track.

That evening, Mu Li stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel, overlooking the night view of Beijing. The system's voice rang in his mind: [Detected that the host has successfully resolved the rare metal blockade crisis, advanced the R&D of the space defense system, promoted the implementation of the pilot projects, and completed the "Dual-Line Breakthrough" plot challenge, gaining 40,000 system points. Current system points: 117,000 - 100,000 (redeemed two technologies) + 40,000 = 57,000 points.]

[Unlocked new feature: High-End Manufacturing Supply Chain Integration System, which can precisely match upstream and downstream resources in the supply chain, optimize production processes, and improve manufacturing efficiency.]

[Obtained reward: Core technical blueprints for a space solar power station, which can be used to develop an efficient space solar power station. When combined with Wireless Power Transmission Technology, it can achieve comprehensive global energy supply.]

Mu Li felt a surge of joy. The space solar power station technology was a key link in his construction of a global energy network. With this technology, he could collect solar energy in space and transmit it to the ground via Wireless Power Transmission Technology, completely getting rid of the reliance on Earth's resources.

Just then, the China Security Bureau sent urgent intelligence again: "Engineer Mu, we have monitored that the Star Alliance Nation Space Force has deployed a 'space-based kinetic weapon' into low Earth orbit, with targets suspected to be our country's new energy pilot projects and aerospace launch bases. In addition, international energy giants are also plotting an attack on our country's financial market, attempting to disrupt our energy industry development by shorting the stocks of new energy-related enterprises."

A new crisis had arrived, and it was even more dangerous than before. The power of the space-based kinetic weapon was immense; if the attack succeeded, it would cause devastating consequences. The attack on the financial market could shake the funding foundation for technology promotion.

Mu Li's gaze instantly became sharp. He knew that this contest with international forces had entered a white-hot stage. But he was fearless because he had strong technical strength, the country's support, and the system's help.

"Chairman Zhang, immediately contact domestic financial institutions and regulatory departments to issue a warning about the risk of financial attacks and prepare response plans," Mu Li issued instructions immediately. "In addition, notify Academician Zhou of the Aerospace Science and Technology Group to accelerate the testing progress of the energy detection satellite, deploy it to low Earth orbit ahead of schedule, and closely monitor the movements of the space-based kinetic weapon."

"Okay, Engineer Mu, I will arrange it immediately!" Zhang Hongyuan dared not delay and immediately began contacting the relevant departments.

Mu Li walked to the desk, opened the technical blueprints for the space solar power station, his eyes firm. He knew that to win this contest completely, he had to not only resolve the immediate crisis but also accelerate the progress of technology R&D, using more advanced technology to build an impregnable energy and security defense line.

The night was deep, and the lights of Beijing were still brilliant. On Mu Li's desk, the technical blueprints under the light shimmered; that was the hope for the rise of China's energy, and also the cornerstone of his energy empire.

Technology is king, strength is supreme. Anyone who wants to block his path forward will be completely crushed by him! This energy revolution sweeping the globe has just entered its climax!