358: Chapter 358 Boeing's Betrayal

In June, the sky over Seattle was as gloomy as a lead plate.

Inside the CEO's office at Boeing headquarters, continuous rain clouds and distant snow-capped mountains were visible outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. This city was famous for its rainy days, but today's atmosphere was even more oppressive than the weather.

The six-story gray building was located in the northern suburbs of Seattle. It looked unremarkable from the outside, but every move within could influence the direction of the global aviation industry. In the corridors, employees spoke in low voices, each face wearing an indescribable anxiety.

David Calhoun sat behind his desk. The sixty-year-old Boeing CEO wore a dark blue suit, his hair graying and his face weary. He had been with Boeing for thirty-five years, rising from engineer to CEO, experiencing the darkest moments of the 737 MAX crisis and the devastating impact of the pandemic on the aviation industry.

But at this moment, he was facing another kind of crisis—a generational gap in technology.

On the screen in front of him was Wu Yi's face. Wu Yi was in Shenzhen, with a sunny skyline outside his window. There were no pleasantries, no formalities.

Calhoun cut straight to the chase, his voice raspy: "Mr. Wu, Boeing can offer the same cooperation plan as Airbus."

Wu Yi smiled, a composure typical of a business veteran in his expression: "Mr. Calhoun, Airbus signed for twenty billion. Boeing only had two billion last year."

Calhoun fell silent for three seconds. In those three seconds, he thought of many things. He thought of the sales data for the Airbus A350, the order delays for the Boeing 777X, and the anxious faces of the board of directors.

"That's because we didn't know Xinghuo's materials could reduce the weight of the 777X by eighteen percent and fuel consumption by twelve percent."

He paused: "Now we know. Boeing wants to upgrade the order. Fifteen billion US dollars."

Wu Yi didn't answer immediately. He picked up a report on his desk and flipped through it. It contained the technical parameters of the Boeing 777X and the simulated data after combining it with Spark Materials.

Then he looked up: "Mr. Calhoun, fifteen billion is acceptable. But the condition is—Boeing must not participate in any sanctions against Xinghuo."

Calhoun gave a bitter smile, a sense of resigned helplessness in it: "Mr. Wu, Boeing is the one being sanctioned, not the one sanctioning others. We're being suffocated by tariffs and strangled by the supply chain. Do you think we're in any position to sanction anyone?"

Wu Yi nodded: "Then let's sign." The image on the screen froze for a second. Then both men nodded simultaneously.

June 22nd, Washington.

The U.S. Department of Commerce building is a massive gray structure located in the center of Washington, D.C., just a few blocks from the White House. Every office in the building could decide the fate of a multinational corporation.

Assistant Secretary Michael Brown sat behind his desk. At fifty-five, he was the head of industrial security at the Department of Commerce, holding the switch to the big stick of sanctions. At this moment, the phone screen in front of him displayed the number for Boeing headquarters.

He took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

It rang three times before connecting. "David, I heard you're talking about a big deal with Xinghuo?"

Calhoun's voice came through the receiver, as calm as if he were chatting about the weather: "Michael, trade secrets."

Brown's tone became stern: "The White House asked me to tell you—stop the negotiations immediately, or a national security investigation will be launched."

On the other end of the line, Calhoun was silent for three seconds.

Then he asked, "Michael, let me ask you a question."

Brown was taken aback: "What?"

Calhoun's voice was unhurried: "Does the United States have a manufacturer that can replace Xinghuo's ceramic matrix composites?"

Brown was stunned. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Calhoun continued: "Does the United States have anyone who can replace Xinghuo's third-generation high-strength steel? It has a strength of 2,200 megapascals and costs thirty-seven percent less than ours."

Sweat broke out on Brown's forehead.

Calhoun's voice turned cold and hard: "If you have it, I'll stop immediately. If not, don't stand in the way of Boeing's survival."

The call disconnected. Brown sat blankly as the dial tone hummed in the receiver.

June 30th, in the press hall of Spark Materials headquarters, more than three hundred reporters were already seated. On the large screen, the Xinghuo emblem rotated slowly, with a line of small text below: "Spark Materials · Global Aviation Era."

Wu Yi walked onto the stage, wearing a dark gray suit today, his hair combed meticulously. Behind him was a giant world map marking Xingchen Materials' global clients.

He stood behind the podium, his gaze sweeping across the audience.

"Today, Spark Materials announces—we have reached a strategic procurement agreement with Boeing. Over the next five years, Boeing will purchase fifteen billion US dollars' worth of aviation materials from Xinghuo."

A tsunami of camera flashes erupted below the stage.

Wu Yi paused: "Boeing chose Xinghuo because Xinghuo's technology can create the future."

A reporter raised their hand; it was a senior reporter from The Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Wu, the U.S. Department of Commerce has threatened an investigation. Isn't Boeing afraid?"

Wu Yi smiled, a composure that saw through everything in his expression: "You should ask Boeing that question. But I can tell you—the United States has no substitute. If Boeing is prevented from using new materials, then Boeing will eventually slowly fade away."

A burst of laughter rose from the audience.

Another reporter raised their hand: "Mr. Wu, Airbus is twenty billion, Boeing is fifteen billion. Can Xinghuo's production capacity keep up?"

Wu Yi nodded: "Xingchen's Wuhan base is expanding, and the Chengdu base will go into production next month. In the next three years, our aviation material production capacity will triple."

He paused: "Xinghuo's principle is—first come, first served. Although Boeing arrived late, their sincerity was sufficient, so we signed."

There was another burst of laughter from the audience.

At 4:00 PM, at the New York Stock Exchange.

Boeing stock price: +5%.

Airbus stock price: -3%.

Traders looked at each other in surprise.

"What happened?"

"Boeing signed a big material deal with Xinghuo."

"Didn't Airbus sign one too?"

"Airbus was twenty billion, Boeing is fifteen billion, but the market feels that Boeing having the guts to sign despite threats from Congress shows more boldness."

"Wall Street's logic is so fucking weird."

At 7:00 PM, in Su Chen's office, Wu Yi pushed the door open and entered.

"Mr. Su, Boeing signed. Fifteen billion."

Su Chen replied nonchalantly, "As expected."

Wu Yi asked, "Will the U.S. side really sanction Boeing?"

Su Chen turned around: "Sanction Boeing? That's an American company. If they sanction them and Boeing goes bankrupt, Airbus will dominate, and the U.S. aviation industry will be finished."

He walked back to the window: "Let them bark. The louder they bark, the more it shows they have no other options. We've worked hard for four years to finally take the crown in the field of materials. The grievances we've endured and the losses we've suffered in the past, we're going to take them back bit by bit."

Over the past two years, Su Chen had spent over a hundred billion in System funds through the System to purchase a large amount of high technology, far exceeding the technology of this era. Finally, these were gradually tested and implemented by the Xingchen Academy of Sciences before reaching mass production. This led to the technological explosion of the last two years."}],