66: Capital frenzy

The next morning, Titan Headquarters held a press conference.

Director Emerald stood against a starry background created by a holographic projection, her violet trench coat outlining her elegant figure. The hall was packed with reporters from various countries, their cameras and microphones pointed at the central stage.

"As per the boss's instructions, Titan Strategic Investment Department has deliberated," her voice resonated directly in everyone's ears through neural conduction technology, "and the first batch of authorized companies for holographic projection technology is as follows."

Golden text appeared in the air:

Consumer Electronics: EastWei, Four Star, Niso

Semiconductor Manufacturing: FrogSemi, SALM

Aerospace: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Zeus

Automotive Industry: Tianfeng, Dachong, Yongtong, Tefu

The venue instantly erupted. A Global Messenger reporter loudly asked, "Why were these companies chosen?"

"Price," Director Emerald smiled. "These companies offered us prices and preferential terms we couldn't refuse."

A BCC reporter sharply pressed, "Including the sanctioned EastWei?"

"Business decisions are not political," a glint flashed in Director Emerald's eyes. "On a side note, Longteng Technology, a joint venture between Titan and EastWei, has obtained special permission from the Qianhai Free Trade Zone and will participate in technology transfer in the East Tai region."

The most shocking question came from a Golden Snake Street Daily reporter: "Are Lockheed Martin and Zeus receiving military authorization?"

Director Emerald did not answer directly, but instead brought up a video: soldiers conducting tactical exercises on a holographic sandbox, with even explosion effects appearing lifelike.

"Training casualties reduced by 85%," she added softly. "This is in the best interest of all humanity, isn't it?"

The scene instantly filled with chatter, everyone whispering to each other. With Titan possessing such military training technology, it was no wonder they could easily clear out the warlords of Emerald Principality and force the Emerald Principality government to submit.

Emily Stone, a tech reporter from New Township Times, suddenly raised her hand: "Director Emerald, the authorized companies you just mentioned cover consumer electronics, semiconductor manufacturing, and even the military industry, but a crucial industry seems to have been omitted: chip design!"

She pushed up her glasses, her tone sharp: "Why aren't semiconductor giants like Low Pass and Mittel on the list? Does this mean Titan has a technical weakness in the chip sector?"

The venue immediately fell silent, everyone holding their breath for the answer.

Director Emerald's lips curved slightly, and she tapped the podium with her fingertip: "An interesting question." She turned to the holographic projection, "Topaz, retrieve the benchmark test data for 'Starlight-1'."

At her command, the projection, which had displayed the authorized companies' logos, suddenly decomposed and reassembled into a crystal structure as intricate as a work of art. Nano-scale circuits flowed in blue light, like a cascading galaxy.

"It seems our demonstration order needs to be adjusted," Director Emerald's voice carried a hint of playfulness. "The 'technical weakness' you all just asked about..."

She suddenly snapped her fingers, and the chip projection dramatically expanded into a performance comparison chart:

[Starlight-1 vs. Mittel's Latest Flagship]

Single-core Performance: +120%

Power Efficiency: -70%

Neural Network Computing: +300%

"It seems to exist in another universe."

The venue instantly fell into dead silence. That chip, suspended in the air, now appeared in everyone's eyes as a sharp sword cutting down the old order.

As Director Emerald's words fell, the expressions of reporters and industry representatives from various countries in the venue varied. Some were ecstatic, some were ashen-faced, and many more were shocked and disbelieving.

"Titan is directly involved in chip design?!"

"Doesn't that mean that giants like Low Pass, Mittel, and BMD have all been excluded?!"

"Wait, if Titan's chip is really that powerful, then the global semiconductor market..."

Everyone stared intently at the chip suspended in the air, as if looking at a bomb about to detonate the global market.

1.2 times the performance! 30% power consumption!

What did this mean? A complete reshuffle of the global semiconductor industry! All existing chip manufacturers, overnight, would become obsolete capacity! The entire technology industry chain would be completely reshaped by Titan!

John Carter's face instantly turned pale. He asked with a trembling voice, "Th-this how is this possible?! If Titan has already mastered such technology, then why do they still need FrogSemi and SALM?"

Director Emerald smiled slightly, and with a flick of her finger, the holographic projection changed again, displaying a breakdown of the chip manufacturing process.

"We can indeed produce independently," she said leisurely. "But business cooperation is about win-win, and Titan prefers to focus its energy on the iteration of core technologies, entrusting the manufacturing process to the most professional partners."

The implication: Titan wasn't unable to do it, just too lazy to. FrogSemi and SALM made the list purely because they still had value to be exploited. As for Low Pass and Mittel?

Sorry, you don't even qualify to be exploited.

In the venue, the representatives of several chip giants had ashen faces, while FrogSemi's executives breathed a sigh of relief, but then immediately became nervous again. Titan's technology could at any moment render them obsolete as well.

"Furthermore," Director Emerald suddenly changed the subject, revealing a meaningful smile, "we are very happy to cooperate with any sincere company, provided that..."

She gently tapped the communicator by her ear, and the large screen in the venue suddenly switched, playing a video.

New Union House of Representatives, an interview outside Capitol Hill before the meeting three days ago.

"We must stop the spread of Titan's technology!" an 議員 roared into the camera. "If they allow it to fully enter the market, many of our industries will completely collapse!"

"Agreed!" another 議員 echoed. "I will propose an immediate and comprehensive embargo on Titan and unite allies to blockade its supply chain!"

The video abruptly stopped.

Director Emerald's gaze slowly swept across the entire hall, the corners of her mouth slightly raised: "As you can see, it's not that Titan is unwilling to cooperate, but rather that some people don't seem to welcome fair competition."

Boom!

The entire hall was in an uproar!

This was a blatant slap in the face!

The Nova United States had just passed the "Anti-Titan Act," and as a result, Titan immediately pulled out chip technology that crushed the entire world! This was no longer just commercial competition, but a direct confrontation of technological hegemony!

The reporters below frantically typed on their keyboards, scrambling to report this explosive news. Meanwhile, representatives from several New Union chip companies were ashen-faced, knowing that the market had already begun to abandon them.

Mandala International Convention and Exhibition Center, signing ceremony.

The first row of the audience was occupied by representatives from various companies, clearly divided into two camps: on the left were the beaming CEOs of the authorized companies, and on the right were the ashen faces of the executives from the unsuccessful companies.

"Please, representatives of the authorized companies, come to the stage to sign," Director Emerald's voice echoed in everyone's ears.

Lockheed Martin CEO James Teklite was the first to stride onto the stage, his hands trembling as he signed.

"Oh God..." Teklite stared at the signed contract and an additional clause, as if he had seen immense wealth. "They even included a low-cost authorization for nanomedical technology? I'm rich!"

Below, Strong Rise's CEO looked pale and whispered to the Gray Rui representative beside him, "We might be in trouble..."

At the signing ceremony, in the VIP room.

Niso CEO Ichiro Yoshida was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror when he suddenly heard suppressed sobs behind him. He turned to see Low Pass CEO Cristiano Amon slumped on the sofa, his whiskey glass shaking uncontrollably.

"Chris... I'm so sorry," Yoshida said awkwardly.

"Shut up!" Amon suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "You traitors! Do you know what it means to not have holographic authorization?!" He pointed out the window, "In three months, your phones can become the next generation's essential items, what good is it if our chips are fast?!"

The door was suddenly pushed open, and Four Star Electronics President Lee Jae-yong walked in, followed by FrogSemi President C. C. Wei. Seeing the situation inside, they tacitly backed out. But Amon, as if insane, lunged at them: "Wei! You promised to prioritize our supply!"

"Business is business," C. C. Wei gently pushed him away. "Furthermore, traditional chips also need some adaptation to be used with all holographic projection devices. At most, I can give you some inventory; I can't do more."

New Village Stock Exchange, one hour before opening.

The electronic clock in the trading hall showed 06:00, but it was already bustling with activity. Low Prosper's trading director, Mike Watson, stared at the scrolling list of authorized companies on the giant screen, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Lockheed Martin's stock pre-market trading showed a surge of 63%, while Gray Rui's stock plummeted by 28%. Low Prosper's trading director, Mike Watson, stared at this bizarre numerical comparison and suddenly understood something.

"Raise Boeing's margin to 300%!" he yelled into his Bluetooth headset. "Buy all of Zeus's option contracts!"

"Clear all pharmaceutical stocks! Go all-in on military and semiconductors!" he yelled into his Bluetooth headset. "Quick! Before others react!"

Amidst the surrounding noise, traders from investment banks like Blue Lion Capital and Jinfan Group were also in a frenzy. Anna from Heilin Investment squeezed next to Watson: "Have you heard? Lockheed Martin raised its annual forecast overnight! Zeus just announced the acquisition of Moke Group's biological laboratory!"

Watson's pupils contracted. Military industrial groups were starting to harvest the pharmaceutical sector!

Before he could answer, the opening bell suddenly rang. In an instant, all screens simultaneously turned red. It wasn't the warning red of a crash, but the ecstatic red of stock prices soaring like rockets.

"Oh God..." Anna looked at Boeing's stock price instantly surging by 47%. "This is more exaggerated than Bitcoin at its craziest!"

New Village, White Stone Group Headquarters. CEO Su Jiemin watched the real-time changes in the asset distribution map; the blue of the military sector was devouring the red of the pharmaceutical sector at a visible rate. Behind him, an analyst was reporting:

"Lockheed Martin's market value has exceeded the combined total of Gray Rui, Strong Rise, and Moke..."

"Zeus has acquired three Biotechnica companies through stock swaps..."

"Boeing is lobbying Congress to include aviation medical equipment in military spending..."

Su Jiemin suddenly burst out laughing: "Titan's 'driving a tiger to swallow a wolf' move is brilliant!" He turned and ordered: "Immediately establish a military-industrial and pharmaceutical M&A fund! And be quick about it!"

In the top-floor conference room of the Huge Rong Consortium, a dozen financial magnates sat around a long table, the air thick with tension and greed.

Low Prosper CEO David Hopes stared at the real-time K-line chart, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Pharmaceutical stocks are crashing, but military-industrial stocks are soaring... Interesting."

"Lockheed Martin just received military authorization from Titan," the Blue Lion Capital president sneered. "Now those people in the military are probably frantically placing more orders."

"That's not important," the Blackrock Feller Consortium president tapped on the table. "The key issue is..."

Federal Center, Roman Palace war room.

The President's knuckles rapped heavily on the table, making the ice cubes in his glass clink. "Where are Gray Rui's new CEO? Strong Rise's chairman?" His voice echoed in the enclosed space. "They should have been here thirty minutes ago!"

National Security Advisor Mark Reynolds scrolled through his tablet: "Mr. President, Gray Rui's helicopter is stranded in New York due to the heavy rain. However..." He hesitated, "Mr. Damon from the Huge Rong Consortium just sent a message saying that Golden Serpent Street has formed a temporary alliance."

"Alliance?" The President scoffed, pointing at the real-time plummeting medical stock curve. "They're just going to carve up the pie!"

The screen flickered, and SIA Director Robert Hayes appeared urgently: "Latest intelligence, Bolton Life Sciences is secretly negotiating with Zeus to sell its Biotechnica-related business!"

"Damn it!" Minister of Defense Grayson Mitchell sprang to his feet. "That's a core supplier of military biosensor technology!"

Secretary of State Carter quickly pulled up a set of data: "What's worse, Moke Group's vaccine division is being acquired by White Water Company. If PMC controls the vaccine production line..."

The President suddenly grabbed the communicator: "Connect me to the Huge Rong Consortium! Immediately!"

New Village, Huge Rong Consortium headquarters, top-floor conference room.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, rain poured down, but the conference room was stiflingly hot. Low Prosper CEO Mike Watson loosened his tie and downed his whiskey: "Listen, Gray Rui's oncology drug pipeline must be taken over by us! Cancer drugs aren't worth anything anymore anyway!"

"Alright! How about Strong Rise for us then?!" The Blackrock Feller Consortium president slammed his tablet onto the table, and a 3D model of a nanomedical robot projected into the air. "Strong Rise's surgical robot division used to be a gold mine! Do you know how much a Da Vinci costs now?"

The conference room door suddenly burst open, and Zeus CEO John Smith stormed in, smelling of gunpowder: "Gentlemen, Starlight Command just approved an 18 billion special budget." He looked around at everyone. "It's for acquiring all companies involved in nanomedical patents."

"The military wants to monopolize it?" Anna from Black Forest Investments sneered. "Ask the Securities Regulatory Commission if they agree!"

In the shadows of the corner, the Lockheed Martin CEO lit a cigar and said nothing.

Boston, Gray Rui headquarters, emergency conference room.

Albert crushed an anti-anxiety pill into his whiskey, his distorted face reflected in the glass. Outside, a dozen media drones circled like vultures.

"How much is Strong Rise offering?" he asked hoarsely.

"62 eagle dollars per share," the CFO's voice trembled. "That's 43% lower than the opening price..."

"Tell White Stone Group," Albert suddenly smashed his glass against the front page of the Wall Street Journal, the headline 'Titan Ends the Era of Cancer' soaked in whiskey. "75 dollars, sell all the labs to them as a package!"

The CFO suddenly shrieked: "No! Merck South Group just sent a message, they are willing to use..."

Before he could finish, another call came through. The Blue Lion Capital CEO's voice emerged: "80 eagle dollars per share, cash transaction. The condition is to spin off the vaccine patents separately..."

The video call that the HR director had just connected interrupted the conversation. An old man in a general's uniform said coldly: "According to the Defense Production Act, these technologies now belong to Starlight Command!"

Old Silver Mountain, Tiff Auto secret conference room.

Jim Farley enlarged the holographic map, a gift brought after signing, overlaying the distribution map of Silicon Valley tech giants with the automotive supply chain network. "Listen," he told the representatives of Rattles and Apple, "Titan's chips can be used universally in cars and phones, two generations more advanced than ours!"

"So?" Apple CEO Cook raised an eyebrow.

"So!" Farley slammed his fist onto the projection, as the stock codes of Tiff and General Motors struggled in the nanotech chip data stream. "We form an alliance, using Apple's ecosystem + Tiff's productivity +..."

The conference room door suddenly burst open, and Mittel CEO Pat Gelsinger, drenched in sweat, cried: "Include me! We can provide..."

"Too late," Cook sneered, showing his phone. A joint statement from Longteng Technology and EastWei was scrolling across the screen. "You've already been eliminated."

Federal Center, Capitol Hill underground emergency passage.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch was cornered by a group of suited men at the elevator. An insurance lobbyist tugged at his tie: "The Medical Patent Protection Act must be passed!"

"Get lost!" The representative of the military-industrial complex directly held his chin. "Those nanotechnologies belong to national defense projects!"

Around the corner, energy magnates were stuffing checks into congressmen's pockets: "Shale oil subsidies for chip factory tax breaks..."

Federal Center, Roman Palace Oval Office.

The President slammed three vastly different healthcare reform proposals onto his desk, papers scattering everywhere. Outside, the roar of protestors penetrated the bulletproof glass: "Healthcare is not a commodity!" "Disband the pharmaceutical complex!"

"Can someone explain," the President's finger tapped on Zeus's latest financial report, "why a missile manufacturer suddenly became the largest generic drug supplier in the entire Nova United States?"

Minister of Defense Mitchell synchronized the news to the large screen. In the footage, the Zeus CEO stood in front of a brand new nanopharmaceutical factory: "Thanks to our technical cooperation with Titan, our nanomedical robots have achieved..."

"Cooperation?" The President suddenly interrupted. "When was that approved? Who signed it?"

National Security Advisor Reynolds scrolled his tablet: "According to Section 1275 of the National Defense Authorization Act, anything involving military medical technology..."

"Nonsense!" The President grabbed a copy of the Golden Snake Street Daily and threw it. In the front-page photo, Zeus's 'War Pickaxe' missile and blood pressure medication were displayed on the same stand. "Are these military supplies?!"

The Minister of Finance rushed in: "Latest news, United Health Insurance Group just acquired Merck South's vaccine patent library! They announced they will be using Titan's nano-synthesis technology."

"An insurance company making vaccines?" The President's cold sneer froze on his face. "What about Gray Rui?"

"It was... carved up." The Minister of Finance pulled up the equity structure chart. Gray Rui's logo was torn apart by colorful dividing lines. "White Stone Group took the R&D center, Essen Red Rock Energy snatched the pharmaceutical factories, even Walmart acquired their retail pharmacies..."

The President suddenly noticed the silent SIA Director in the corner: "Robert, what about the leverage you have on those pharmaceutical companies?"

The Director gave a bitter smile: "It's useless. Strong Rise's board of directors collectively resigned this morning, replaced by Low Prosper's people. Now there's a saying on Golden Serpent Street, 'Either embrace nanomedicine, or be sent to the nanofurnace.'"

"I don't even understand why a holographic technology launch dismantled the pharmaceutical conglomerates?"

As if to answer the question, a cheer suddenly erupted outside the window. The President pulled back the curtain, seeing protestors dancing and singing around Titan's mobile medical pod, the slogan 'Donated by Lockheed Martin' on its side stinging his eyes.

"Gentlemen," the President slowly turned, "shouldn't we re-evaluate our..." to Titan?

Before he could finish, the economic advisor rushed in: "The stock market circuit-breaker triggered! The entire medical sector hit its lower limit!" He gasped, "But military-industrial stocks, military-industrial stocks are all soaring!"

"Because of Zeus?"

"No! Not just Zeus! Several major military-industrial giants have successively announced that they have obtained Titan's nanomedical technology authorization." The advisor pulled up the news. "Boeing is even more exaggerated; they say they will reduce the price of domestic nano-drugs to 600 eagle dollars!"

The President suddenly raised his hand to stop him, his gaze fixed on the real-time market screen. The trillions in market value that once belonged to pharmaceutical giants were now flowing like sand through an hourglass to military-industrial, energy, and even retail groups.

"My God!" The President slumped into his chair. "They're not acquiring, this is... dismemberment!"