64: White Lies

He knew that although helicopters were called 'tank killers', the Mi-8 helicopters in their unit did not possess such powerful strike capability.

However, the most important thing now was to let the outside world know they were alive, so Taleb quickly opened the tank hatch, climbed out, and waved at the circling helicopter.

The pilot noticed them and lowered a rope ladder; a soldier climbed down the ladder, and as the soldier safely landed, the helicopter slowly ascended and flew into the distance.

The soldier said to them, "Are you alright? You are truly brave to dare to confront an entire tank formation alone."

Taleb jumped down from the tank, with Masoum close behind; he noticed the soldier's shoulder boards—he was a Captain.

"Officer, was it you who saved us?" Taleb asked.

"That's right, I've already sent a plane back for reinforcements, and I stayed behind to look after you; don't worry, there's a new base not far from here, and transport helicopters will come to pick us up soon."

Taleb asked in surprise, "You defeated a group of tanks with just one helicopter? Are this helicopter's missiles much stronger than the Mi-8's?"

The Captain laughed proudly, "Haha, this thing is even a bit more advanced than the United States' Apache; this is our newly introduced domestic 'Sky-I', equipped with a new type of air-to-ground missile, its name is a bit hard to pronounce, it's called 'World Destroyer Serpent'."

"This missile not only has a range of over twenty kilometers, but it also has dual guidance systems, laser and radar, making it as easy to destroy M1A1s as cutting vegetables."

So it was from the Rabbit Country, no wonder...

An expression of sudden understanding appeared on Taleb's face.

The Captain continued, "Don't keep saying 'Officer', 'Officer', just call me Rahman."

"With how bravely you performed this time, being promoted from Second Lieutenant to Captain should be a sure thing."

"Oh, I haven't asked which unit you are from and why you are in this place?"

"Taleb, from the Medina Division."

"I am Masoum, and I'm currently the only survivor in our platoon," Masoum said with a bitter smile.

Taleb's body trembled slightly, and he didn't speak.

Rahman's expression changed accordingly: "The Medina Division, ah, I heard long ago that you fought very well on the front lines and even repelled Great Britain's First Armored Division!"

"Thank you for the compliment," Taleb said humbly, "What about you?"

He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Let's not talk about us, the Tawakkalna Division, the one that was almost completely wiped out before."

Hearing this, Taleb's eyes lit up: "Is it the division that General Majid took over?"

"Unfortunately, good times didn't last."

"Once the troop withdrawal is complete, there might not be any combat for a short period; I heard that General Majid is planning to apply to study in the Rabbit Country."

Speaking of this, he sighed helplessly.

"So you also know that legendary figure, General Majid?"

Taleb said with a smile.

"Of course, I was under his command when he was a Lieutenant Colonel."

"Later, because I performed meritorious service, coupled with adjustments on the front line, I was transferred to the Medina Division."

Rahman looked at him in surprise, grabbed his hand, and asked, "So, you personally experienced those classic battles too?"

"What else could it be!"

"Of course, it was the moment he shot down the Eagle Country's stealth fighter and intercepted all the cruise missiles!"

"In just a few days, he was promoted several ranks, directly from Lieutenant Colonel to General!"

These were all the legendary deeds of General Majid.

Taleb swallowed, and the image of the person named Xu Ning appeared in his mind again.

But after thinking for a moment, he decided not to tell the truth.

"When the stealth fighter was shot down, I was indeed by his side..."

Let this be a white lie.

He didn't want to destroy General Majid's image as a hero in Rahman's heart.

After listening, Rahman was stunned, his mouth open but unable to speak.

And Taleb didn't notice that Masoum, standing behind him, had an even richer expression than Rahman at this moment.

"Achoo!"

Xu Ning rubbed his nose, feeling a bit puzzled; he had sneezed several times today, but he knew he didn't have a cold; could someone be thinking of me?

He smiled, shook his head gently, and muttered to himself, "Impossible..."

Then, he buried himself in reading the newspaper again; this was their second day in Shanghai.

There was a major news story in the newspaper that occupied an entire page, with the headline prominently stating: "The Most Tragic Scene of the Gulf War: One Hundred Thousand Iraq Troops Become Sacrifices, the Highway of Death Reappears."

Tang Ziwei, who was eating breakfast next to him, asked, "Little Xu, about the conditions of that Zhongxing Microelectronics company you mentioned before..."

Xu Ning's gaze left the newspaper, "Are you talking about how they only accept technology investment?"

Tang Ziwei nodded, "Yes, isn't that clearly making things difficult for us? If we had that technology, would we still need to invest in them?"

Xiao Jianhao, seeing that the two were not paying attention, quietly moved the steamed bun in front of Xu Ning to his side and said with a laugh, "Haha, in my opinion, we should just invest ten billion directly, like we did last time in the capital, and see if they give us shares!"

Having followed Xu Ning for a long time, Xiao Jianhao had become accustomed to such astronomical figures and was no longer surprised.

Xu Ning sighed, put down the newspaper, and said, "We can't entirely blame them for this; their attitude towards other domestic companies is the same; they don't dare to easily accept domestic funds now."

"The United States formulated the Wassenaar Arrangement back then precisely to restrict the development of our high-tech industry, including the chip industry, which is within the scope of the restrictions."

"If Zhongxing Microelectronics is labeled as supported by an organization, then other countries might not dare to sell equipment to them."

"I checked yesterday, and their current shareholders are all foreign investors; they should have leveraged General Manager Zhang Jianxia's connections."

Furthermore, the company is registered in the Cayman Islands, which allows them to position themselves as an international startup company, thereby avoiding the restrictions of the Wassenaar Arrangement."

"This way, they also don't have to worry about being sanctioned by the United States."

Thinking of his experiences in his previous life, Xu Ning was filled with respect for General Manager Zhang Jianxia, the founder of Zhongxing Microelectronics.

After all, Zhongxing Microelectronics was the predecessor of SMIC, and SMIC holds a crucial position in China's semiconductor industry, hailed as the cradle of domestic chip talent, and General Manager Zhang Jianxia is therefore respectfully referred to as a leading figure in China's chip industry.

Xiao Jianhao scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Can't we just build it ourselves?"

Xu Ning and another person exchanged glances, as if looking at an alien; Xu Ning sighed and explained, "Do you know what the Wassenaar Arrangement is for?"

"What's it for?"

"This agreement restricts companies in our country from purchasing the most advanced chip manufacturing equipment; even the newest second-hand equipment, we can't get our hands on."

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