48: We're now admitting our mistakes! Sorry, we refuse!

The President of the USA sat slumped on the floor, completely losing his composure.

He remained silent for quite a while.

His chest heaved with heavy, raspy breaths, sounding like a bellows.

Only then did he speak:

"Connect all their calls."

"Yes, sir!"

As a company with immense global influence from the USA, Microsoft...

...was given priority.

It was the first to be connected.

Bill Gates first exchanged a few pleasantries with the President.

Then he got straight to the point.

"Mr. President, I believe the situation regarding Dragon Country's chips needs to stop."

"The chips they've produced have already reached the world's top level."

"If we cannot cooperate with them..."

"...then Dragon Country's own domestic technology industry..."

"...will, in a very short amount of time..."

"...quickly occupy the global market!"

"It will encroach upon the market share that we, Microsoft, have already achieved."

After Bill Gates finished speaking...

...the President slowly spoke.

"I will consider it."

Bill Gates seemed very dissatisfied upon hearing this.

He added one final sentence.

"You will be running in the next election, won't you?"

The President immediately understood what he meant.

This carried a hint of a threat.

If he didn't run...

...the consequences would be extremely troublesome and self-evident.

He didn't like being threatened, but Bill Gates had indeed provided him with a lot of support in the past.

So much so that he couldn't say anything particularly harsh.

Every tech company CEO who followed had more or less the same rhetoric as Bill Gates.

After the President hung up the phone...

...he suddenly felt so tired.

Even more tired than when he was campaigning for the presidency!

He looked at the Minister of National Defense.

The Minister of National Defense also stared back at him with wide eyes.

The two of them stared at each other for a long time.

Finally, he said:

"Have everyone come over."

"We're going to have a meeting."

"I will propose an agenda to cancel the chip sanctions bill against Dragon Country."

...Meanwhile, over in Netherlands.

Marco had just hung up the phone.

His confidant, the Minister of Economy, quickly asked from the side:

"How did it go?"

"What did they say on the USA side?"

Marco shook his head.

"Their tone was very firm."

The Minister of Economy's eyes narrowed slightly.

"I will absolutely not tolerate something that is so detrimental to our country's economy."

"I will absolutely not tolerate it."

"What do you want to do?" Marco asked.

"I will call those tech giants in the USA."

"This is also for their benefit!"

Prime Minister Marco asked another question:

"With our current strength..."

"...do we really have to humble ourselves to seek cooperation?"

The Minister of Economy's brow furrowed deeply.

"I don't want to either!"

"But now the tables have turned."

"Making us beg them to buy our machines..."

"...makes me feel like I've lost all face."

"Especially since we were the ones who imposed the chip sanctions bill on them before."

"But..."

At this point, a bitter smile appeared on the Minister of Economy's face.

"I've already talked to our Lithography Machine engineers."

"If our current technology wants to, within a short period of time..."

"...produce 1nm..."

"...it's absolutely impossible."

"Because we have no clue at all."

"You can understand it as all our previous experience being useless."

"Moreover, that machine Dragon Country showed at the press conference was too small."

"So small that we can't even figure out its principles."

"Therefore!"

The Minister of Economy spread his hands.

"Our only option is to pay them to buy it."

"No matter how much it costs."

"As long as we buy one back..."

"...we can figure out its original working principles."

"Then we can find a way to replicate it!"

Marco sighed.

"I didn't expect Dragon Country to be so strong now!!!"

"Who exactly is it?"

"I seriously suspect that Dragon Country now has an incredible super elite team."

"The scientific research level of the people in this team..."

"...far exceeds that of other countries in the world today."

"That's why they were able to make a 1nm chip!"

"This was simply unimaginable in Dragon Country before!"

...At this time, inside the presidential palace of India.

Modi was using his dark hands...

...to grab curry rice from the plate in front of him to eat.

While listening to his Minister of National Defense report the latest news.

"I don't know why."

"Regarding our actions, Dragon Country..."

"...has been backing down lately."

"They don't seem as aggressive as before."

Modi stopped eating his rice.

He reached out and wiped the oil on his clothes.

Then he said:

"This is normal."

"India's strength is increasing day by day."

"It's only natural for Dragon Country to be afraid."

"Now is the time to seize this opportunity."

"Yes, sir!" The Minister of National Defense nodded.

"There's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Dragon Country recently held a press conference."

"They released a brand new chip."

"They say it has reached 1nm!"

"What kind of chip?"

"What's it for?" Modi asked.

"It's for phones and computers!" the Minister of National Defense replied.

"Hahaha! So they want to get into the business of selling computers!" Modi said, slightly wobbling his head.

If you were to fix an Indian person's head with a rope when they speak...

...and also fix their wildly moving hands...

...they probably wouldn't be able to speak.

Modi wobbled his head and said:

"Now that Dragon Country is focused on computers..."

"...isn't that the perfect opportunity for us?"

"Yes, sir!" The Minister of National Defense agreed.

His gaze was resolute... Meanwhile, in the Dragon Country Cabinet.

Xu Tao shouted loudly:

"Joyous news!"

"Great news!"

"What is a dignified Minister of Foreign Affairs doing running over here to my place?"

Xu Tao was taken aback.

Then, with a look of joy, he said:

"It's because the Third Elder is too busy."

"He asked me to come over first."

For so many years, he hadn't cared much about food.

In the morning, a bowl of thick congee...

...along with a small dish of crisp pickles...

...was the most delicious breakfast.

"The joyous news you're talking about..."

"...should be that the USA President can't handle the pressure anymore..."

"...and is starting to cancel the plans they previously made, right?"

Xu Tao was stunned!

"That's right! How did you know?"

The Elder looked up slightly.

A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"The Third Elder must be swamped right now."

Xu Tao was stunned again.

"That's right!"

"You guessed right again!!"

"They're saying that countries in the world should all communicate more."

"For the common development of mankind."

"So we shouldn't be isolationist."

"Only through communication can there be development."

"The bill to cancel should be passed very soon."

"You should have seen their miserable, crestfallen expressions."

"It's truly hilarious!"

The Elder picked up a small piece of pickled radish and put it in his mouth.

The radish was crisp and tasty, with just the right amount of salt.

Eating it made his mood even more pleasant.

Then he met Xu Tao's exceptionally excited gaze.

He spoke slowly:

"You handle it as you see fit!!!"