286: Chapter 286 The Polar Bear's Embrace

A contract worth $2.63 billion was finalized in just one hour.

Payment methods: Cash (settled in rmb): $1.5 billion. Gold: $500 million (calculated at London gold prices, approximately 80 tons). Long-term oil contracts: $630 million (delivered over three years with a 10% discount).

Delivery schedule: First batch: 10 Peregrine Falcon systems + 200 missiles, arriving at Port of Abbas within 30 days. Second batch: 20 Venus missiles + 100 comet missiles, within 60 days. Third batch: All remaining items, within 90 days.

As Masoud signed, his hand trembled slightly—not from fear, but from excitement.

The $2.63 billion was equivalent to 15% of Iran's annual military budget.

But these weapons could potentially change the landscape of war and peace in the Middle East.

He put down the pen and looked at Gu Xinghe. "CEO Gu, Xingchen has done us a great favor. Iran will not forget this."

Gu Xinghe stood up and shook his hand. "Xingchen's weapons are only intended for defense. I hope Iran can maintain regional peace and stability."

Masoud nodded without saying much more.

He knew the road ahead was still long.

But he also knew that at least today, Iran had obtained something capable of protecting itself.

As a tough nut to crack in the Middle East, Iran could break out into a new war at any time, making it the perfect testing ground for Xingchen's weapons; furthermore, it could cause trouble for the United States, which was exactly what Su Chen hoped for.

After Masoud and his party left, Gu Xinghe stood in the lobby, watching their cars disappear into the night.

His phone vibrated. It was a message from Su Chen:

“Come to my office for a moment.”

On the same day that Vietnam and Iran visited Xingchen Technology, in distant Moscow, the Kremlin was also making a major decision concerning Russia's future development plans.

The curtains in the President's office were tightly closed.

Vladimir Sergeyevich sat behind his desk with a document spread out before him.

The cover of the document was simple:

《Proposal for Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation with Xingchen Technology Group》

Subtitle: "Exchanging Land, Resources, Policy, and Markets for Technology"

He picked up the document and flipped through it page by page.

This was a report jointly submitted by the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Science and Technology, totaling 87 pages.

Part One: Assessment of Xingchen's Technological Advantages

chips: 14nm FD-SOI is in mass production, 7nm will be in mass production in 2019, leading Russia by 5 years.

AI: Zhulong System, 175 billion parameters, leading Russia by 10 years.

New Energy: Semi-solid-state battery energy density of 380Wh/kg, leading Russia by 15 years.

Robotics: Chixiao humanoid robot, leading Russia by 8 years.

Aerospace: Xuanming hydrogen-oxygen engine specific impulse of 450 seconds, leading Russia by 7 years.

Part Two: Russia's Current Technological Gaps

chips: The most advanced 'Elbrus' CPU, 65nm process, yield rate less than 50%.

AI: Yandex's AI model has 30 billion parameters, only 1/6th of Zhulong's.

New Energy: Lithium battery technology depends on imports, self-research progress lags behind.

Robotics: 70% of industrial robots depend on imports, humanoid robots are a blank slate.

Aerospace: RD-180 engine performance is excellent, but electronic systems are outdated.

Part Three: Cooperation Proposals

Provide 1 million square kilometers of land in the Far East to establish a Xingchen industrial cluster.

Priority extraction rights for Arctic oil and gas resources.

Operational rights for the Arctic Sea Route (Northern Sea Route).

Zero-tariff market access across all of Russia.

Joint research and development centers (Moscow + Novosibirsk).

Talent exchange program (5,000 people annually).

The President finished reading the last page and remained silent for a long time.

Foreign Minister Lavrov sat opposite him, observing his expression.

“This is the first time we have proposed this level of cooperation to a foreign company,” Lavrov said softly. “But we must face reality—Xingchen's technological advantage is comprehensive. If we keep chasing, the gap will only widen.”

The President nodded slowly.

He picked up the fountain pen on the desk and wrote an instruction on the last page of the document:

“Approved. Forward to the Ambassador to China for immediate execution.”

Then he signed his name:

Vladimir Sergeyevich

Ambassador Andrey Denisov was having dinner at a restaurant when he received the encrypted call from Moscow.

He put down his knife and fork and hurried into his office.

The content of the call was brief:

“Immediately arrange a meeting with Su Chen, the founder of Xingchen Group, and deliver the President's personal letter. No appointment needed, no waiting; it must be delivered tonight.”

Denisov was stunned for a moment.

A personal letter from the President to a private enterprise?

This had never happened in Russian diplomatic history.

But he did not hesitate and immediately dialed the number for Xingchen Headquarters.

“Hello, I am the Russian Ambassador to China, Andrey Denisov. I need to contact Mr. Su Chen immediately to discuss an urgent matter.”

Lin Wan answered the phone.

Her heart skipped a beat—the Russian Ambassador to China calling personally with such an urgent tone meant it was certainly no small matter.

“Please wait a moment, I will ask for instructions.”

Three minutes later, she called back:

“Mr. Ambassador, CEO Su is available tonight. I will send a car to the airport to pick you up.”

8:30 PM, Xingchen Headquarters, Su Chen's Office

When Denisov entered the office, Su Chen was already standing at the door to welcome him.

“Mr. Ambassador, welcome.”

The office was not large and the furnishings were simple: a desk, a set of sofas, and a world map hanging on the wall. There were no luxurious decorations, but the night view outside the window was beautiful—the lights of Shenzhen Bay stretched to the horizon.

Denisov sat on the sofa and took an envelope out of his briefcase.

The envelope was specially made, with the Russian national emblem embossed on the cover. The letter was an electronic scan, revealing the President's sincerity in inviting this cooperation. A personal letter is sometimes the most appropriate when a phone call is inconvenient, appearing intimate and sincere.

“Mr. Su Chen, this is a personal letter from our President to you.” Denisov solemnly handed it over with both hands.

Su Chen took the envelope, feeling its weight.

He opened the envelope and took out the stationery.

The original was in Russian, with a Chinese translation attached beside it.

“Dear Mr. Su Chen:

In the name of the President of the Russian Federation, I extend my most sincere greetings to you and the Xingchen Technology Group.

Russia is vast and rich in resources, possessing the world's most powerful nuclear arsenal and the most extensive territory. But we lack what Xingchen possesses—cutting-edge technology, efficient manufacturing, and a vision for the future.

We are willing to offer land in Siberia and the Far East, the Arctic shipping routes and resources, and a market of 140 million people in exchange for Xingchen's technology, products, and production lines.

It can be a joint venture, or it can be wholly-owned; all conditions are negotiable.

This is not a commercial cooperation; it is the complementarity of two civilization-level powers.

Looking forward to your reply.

Vladimir Sergeyevich

May 9, 2018, in Moscow”

Su Chen finished reading and remained silent for a full minute.

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

Denisov did not rush him. He knew the weight of this letter—this was the first time since Peter the Great's reforms that Russia had proactively proposed such comprehensive cooperation to a foreign enterprise.

Finally, Su Chen looked up.

“Mr. Ambassador, this is the first time Russia has issued such an invitation to a company.”

“Yes,” Denisov nodded. “Because Xingchen is the first company that has allowed Russia to see the future. Our scientists, engineers, and military officers watched your press conference and came back to tell me—this is the future.”

“We need time to consider.”

“How long?”

“Three days.”

Denisov stood up. “In three days, I will wait for your reply. Regardless of the outcome, Russia's doors will always be open to Xingchen.”

He reached out his hand.

Su Chen shook it.

“See you in three days, Mr. Ambassador.”