Chapter 80: Finally, it's our turn to choke them.

Deputy Director Zhao stared at the blackboard, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.

How was that just a simple 'Nd' symbol?

In his eyes, it was clearly the power switch to a money-printing machine!

"This... this is just one element," Deputy Director Zhao muttered to himself.

"Exactly."

Lin Xi's knuckles lightly tapped the blackboard with a brisk rhythm.

"There are seventeen elements in mixed rare earths!"

"Lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, samarium..."

"What is waste today will be gold tomorrow."

"As technology develops in the future, every single one of them will find its irreplaceable use."

"For every gram, they will have to pay us in cold, hard cash."

The corners of Lin Xi's mouth curled up, his tone brook no argument.

"Since it's an exclusive business, it needs to have the prestige of one."

Slap!

Zhang Zhengguo slammed the table so hard that the teacups jumped.

"Good! A masterstroke of 'shutting the door to beat the dog'!"

Zhang Zhengguo laughed loudly.

"Those foreign devils used to rely on their technical blockades to choke us until I could barely breathe!"

"Now? Hmph, it's their turn to taste oxygen deprivation!"

What do you call this?

This is called 'the tables have turned; heaven spares no one!'

Just as the room was bubbling with excitement, Vice Minister Zhang of the First Ministry of Machine Building Industry frowned and poured cold water on the mood from a professional perspective.

"Xiao Lin, your logic is sound. But there's a risk."

Vice Minister Zhang tapped the tabletop, his tone serious.

"There's a fatal risk—once micro-motor technology is shared, it becomes a classic case of 'aiding the enemy'!"

"What if they reverse-engineer it? How long can we maintain our advantage?"

The question was sharp, but it hit the nail on the head.

After all, in this era, vigilance was etched into the bones of the cadres.

Lin Xi and Zhang Zhengguo exchanged a glance.

In that instant, a flash of cunning crossed Zhang Zhengguo's eyes—the tacit understanding between two old foxes.

"Vice Minister Zhang, you're overthinking it."

Lin Xi said calmly, "What we sell to them will always be version 1.0 technology."

"While what we use in our own labs is already version 2.0, or even 3.0."

Lin Xi held up three fingers, his gaze playful.

"Just like the Red Star shaver, the authorization we gave them is for the previous generation's technology."

"The truly core processes will always be locked in the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building Industry's safe."

"Business competition is like a race."

"We don't need to break our opponent's legs; we just need to always be one step ahead of them."

"Furthermore..."

Lin Xi paused, a devilishly innocent smile appearing on his face.

"Once they get used to buying our finished materials and making quick money, they'll realize—"

"Doing their own R&D is too exhausting, too slow, and too expensive."

"At that point, they will follow that classic saying—"

"'It's better to buy than to build.'"

Boom!

As soon as those words were spoken, the meeting room went silent for a second before erupting into a burst of knowing laughter.

Brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant!

The phrase 'better to buy than to build' was originally toxic soup used by the West to fool developing nations.

Now, Lin Xi had taken it exactly as it was and splashed it right back in the face of the Western world!

What was this? This was an open scheme!

A round of knowing chuckles echoed in the meeting room.

With the discussion reaching this point, the overall situation was settled.

Deputy Director Zhao, his face beaming, packed up his documents, ready to return and reply to those countries.

His mind was now entirely focused on how to phrase the 'price increase' in a way that was both subtle and domineering.

Just as everyone was preparing to adjourn.

Elder Xu, who had barely spoken the whole time, suddenly gave a light cough.

Elder Xu looked at Lin Xi with a smile; his gaze was like he was looking at a piece of top-quality uncut jade.

"Um... Xiao Lin."

Elder Xu rubbed his hands together, his tone kind and amiable.

"I see that you have quite a talent for chemistry and materials science."

"Nesting in a tiny Service Center is a crime against your talent!"

"Tell you what, come to my place."

"Special admission! No exams required, you can go straight into my doctoral program!"

Elder Xu dropped a bombshell: "I'll even keep the position of Deputy Lab Director open for you!"

As soon as these words came out, the smile on Zhang Zhengguo's face, which had been jovial, instantly froze.

Before Zhang Zhengguo could flare up, Vice Minister Zhang of the First Ministry of Machine Building Industry nearby also couldn't sit still.

"Hey, hey, hey, Elder Xu, that's not fair."

Vice Minister Zhang pushed Elder Xu aside and grabbed Lin Xi's arm.

"Why get a PhD? Scientific research is so boring! Facing bottles and jars all day will make a person go dull!"

Vice Minister Zhang had a look of righteousness on his face.

"A talent like Xiao Lin was born for industrial conversion!"

"He was practically made for our First Ministry of Machine Building Industry!"

"Xiao Lin, come to our ministry!"

"The First Ministry manages thousands of large factories across the country—that's where you can truly show what you're capable of!"

Lin Xi was sandwiched between the two big shots, looking completely innocent.

At this moment, the live stream bullet comments in his consciousness were laughing like crazy:

[Hahaha! Checking in for a classic scene: The Shura Field of talent poaching!]

[Boss Zhang (Seventh Ministry): Poaching my person right in front of me? Do you think I don't exist?]

[Elder Xu: Can a scholar's actions be called poaching? That's called cherishing talent!]

[Lin Xi: Stop fighting, stop fighting, I'm just a humble earth-tender.]

[Is this the legendary 'group favorite' treatment? So envious!]

Sure enough, the next second, Zhang Zhengguo exploded.

"Bullshit! Everyone, let go of him!"

Zhang Zhengguo, like an enraged bear, shielded Lin Xi behind his back and pointed at Vice Minister Zhang's nose, cursing.

"Big-Headed Zhang! Have you no shame?"

"This is our Seventh Ministry's man!"

"He was personally named by Elder Qian!"

"He is the precious darling of our Aerospace Sector! You dare reach for him?"

After saying that, he turned to Elder Xu. Though his tone was slightly more polite, his attitude remained firm.

"And you, Elder Xu!"

"You are a highly respected senior; why are you joining in the commotion?"

"If he goes to your place to shake test tubes, who's going to make money for me?"

Vice Minister Zhang wasn't to be outdone either, rolling up his sleeves to retort.

"Old Zhang, don't be a dog in the manger!"

"A business and industrial genius like Xiao Lin is wasted in that mountain gully of yours!"

"Who are you calling a manger? Huh? I dare you to say it again!"

"So what if I said it? If it's for the sake of the nation's industry, I'll snatch him today!"

Seeing these two ministerial-level big shots about to come to blows over a 'Service Center Deputy Manager,' Elder Xu was still fanning the flames from the side.

"I think science has no borders... a PhD is the right path..."

The scene was incredibly chaotic for a while, with a high volume of colorful language flying around.

Taking advantage of the moment when the big shots were spitting and pulling at each other.

Lin Xi shrunk his neck, gave the stunned Deputy Director Zhao a 'take care' look, and then hugged the wall, slipping away like he'd greased his feet.

When the gods fight, it's the mortals who suffer.

Time to go, time to go!

Just as he stepped out the main door, Lin Xi heard a roar from Zhang Zhengguo in the meeting room.

"Get lost! No one's taking away my God of Wealth! Anyone who tries will have to deal with me!!"