20: Chapter 20: The Change of Hegemony, the Standards of the Dragon Nation in the Quantum Age

The hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley was shut out by the heavy soundproof door.

Inside the VIP lounge, the air seemed to have solidified, carrying a trace of oppressive chill.

The scholarly, gentle smile on Professor Miller's face had long since vanished, replaced by a deep, forcibly suppressed turbulence.

Standing with his back to the blinds, mottled light and shadow fell upon his silver hair and straight back, yet they could not dispel the heavy aura radiating from him.

Lin Shen and Counselor Han remained in their seats, maintaining silence.

Lin Shen's expression was calm, but his heart was like the surface of a stormy sea, surging incessantly.

The stunning blow delivered via remote access had completely disrupted the opponent's rhythm and exceeded even his most optimistic estimates.

The boldness and decisiveness of the rear team shocked him, but also made him feel a surge of hot blood rushing through his chest.

"A brilliant mathematical performance."

After a long while, Professor Miller slowly turned around, his voice low, betraying neither joy nor anger.

"Topological invariants, homology group dimensionality reduction... these tools were applied with such proficiency that you even constructed a complete analytical framework targeting specific hypothetical ciphers."

"This is certainly not the work of a single day, nor is it something an 'initial exploration team' could have accomplished independently."

His gaze, like a searchlight, shot toward Lin Shen: "Mr. Lin, the depth of research and talent pool in Topological Quantum Computing and related mathematical foundations in your country likely far exceeds the outside world's imagination, and perhaps... even exceeds my own expectations."

Lin Shen knew that any defense or concealment at this moment would be pale and powerless.

The other party was a top-tier scholar; one look at that level of application of mathematical tools was enough to gauge the depth.

"On the path of scientific exploration, there are always some pioneers willing to toil silently in directions that no one pays attention to."

Lin Shen neither directly admitted nor denied it, but chose a more vague and philosophical response.

"We are just fortunate to stand on the shoulders of these pioneers, trying to connect some abstract theories with the real material world."

"As for depth... there is no end to the peaks of science, and we are always climbers."

"Climbers..."

Professor Miller chewed on the word, a subtle, indescribable curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Then, I wonder if this anonymous pioneer, who displayed such exquisite 'climbing techniques' at the critical moment, would be willing to appear and meet?"

"Or at least, let us know where this beacon, quietly lit in the field of topology, is located?"

This was a direct inquiry into the identity of the cracker and their affiliated institution.

Counselor Han coughed lightly at the appropriate moment and intervened with diplomatic language: "Professor Miller, academic exchange values the collision of ideas and the spark of inspiration."

"The specific contributors might prefer to remain anonymous and focus on the research itself."

"The important thing is, doesn't this demonstration itself prove that in the vast territory of quantum computing, there exist multiple possibilities and paths that have not been fully explored?"

"This is undoubtedly a good thing for the development of the entire discipline."

Professor Miller glanced at Counselor Han and did not continue to press for the identity, instead pulling the focus back to the technology itself: "A good thing... perhaps."

"But it also brings new problems, new uncertainties."

He walked to the sofa but did not sit down, resting his hands on the armrests, leaning forward slightly, and staring at Lin Shen.

"Mr. Lin, I admit that you have given me a... huge surprise in the mathematical foundations and some theoretical explorations of Topological Quantum Computing."

"However," he emphasized his tone, "the beauty of mathematics does not equal the reality of physics, and the potential of theory does not equal the feasibility of engineering."

"athena is a physical machine that is actually running, capable of executing complex quantum algorithms, and demonstrating exponential acceleration capabilities."

"It represents a technology path that has been rigorously verified by engineering and can be scaled."

"And Topological Quantum Computing," he straightened up and shook his head, "do Majorana zero modes really exist?"

"Can they be stably controlled? How can effective quantum gate operations be performed? How can scalable integration be achieved?..."

"These fundamental physical and engineering problems still loom before us like the Himalayas."

"You may have climbed over a small hill in theory, but you are still separated from the true peak by countless chasms."

His words regained that confidence and sense of oppression based on realistic achievements.

Lin Shen listened quietly without refuting.

He knew that what Professor Miller said was the truth and also the biggest dilemma currently facing the Xuance Group.

Theoretical flashes, if they cannot be converted into experimental evidence, are ultimately just castles in the air.

"Professor Miller is absolutely right."

Lin Shen nodded, his tone sincere. "This is also a problem our team thinks about and strives to overcome every day."

"Theory guides the direction, but ultimately it needs to be verified by experiments."

"We are cooperating with top domestic material growth and extreme condition experimental teams, trying to find traces of theoretical predictions in the real world."

"This road is destined to be long and difficult, but we believe it is worth walking."

He once again emphasized their pragmatic, cooperative, and exploratory attitude, both responding to the opponent's doubts and showing their determination.

Professor Miller looked deeply at Lin Shen, as if wanting to judge from his expression and words whether this was his true mindset or a clever disguise.

"It seems that our disagreement does not lie in whether we should explore, but in the priority of judging technological maturity and realistic threats."

Professor Miller finally said, his tone softening a little. "The Federation will continue to move forward rapidly along the verified path, ensuring our leading position and security in the quantum era."

"And your country... seems to prefer a more diverse and riskier long-term layout."

He paused and said meaningfully: "This may be a kind of wisdom, or it may be a kind of... strategic dispersion."

"Future competition will tell us the answer."

The meeting ended in this subtle and slightly cold atmosphere.

Professor Miller resumed his polite pleasantries and escorted Lin Shen and Counselor Han to the door.

On the way back to the hotel, Counselor Han remained silent until they entered the encrypted suite, when he let out a long sigh and looked at Lin Shen: "Lin Shen, today... it was too risky."

"Whose idea was that last move? Does the headquarters know?"

Lin Shen shook his head: "I was completely unaware beforehand."

"But to be able to react in that way at such a moment, and precisely use the mathematical tools that Researcher Lu and his team are studying... it could only come from the highest-level decision-making and the fastest coordination from the rear team."

He opened the specially processed, portable secure terminal he was carrying, and sure enough, he saw a highest-priority encrypted message from the firefly channel, sent less than a minute before the remote cracking occurred.

The content of the message was only one line of encoded instructions: "If you encounter a challenge regarding topological concepts, observe the changes calmly; there will be a response."

Obviously, the headquarters and the rear team had sufficient contingency plans and extremely rapid reaction capabilities for possible probings.

That stunning blow was both a response to the probing and a meticulously planned "unsheathing of the sword," aimed at showing muscles, deterring opponents, and reversing the situation of being underestimated in the field of topology.

"The effect is obvious."

Counselor Han recalled the look on Professor Miller's face at the end. "They were scared, or at least seriously shaken."

"They might have originally thought we were just bluffing in the topological direction, but now I'm afraid they will have to re-evaluate."

"But this will also make us a more conspicuous target."

"From the moment we decided to join the Jiuzhang Special Project and decided to explore Topological Quantum Computing, we were already targets."

Lin Shen said calmly, "The only difference is that before, they might have considered us potential trouble; now, we have become an opponent that needs to be taken seriously."

That evening, the mysterious "remote cracking" at the cryptography challenge meeting and the profound mathematical tools involved began to spread within a small circle of top-tier cryptography and quantum information experts, sparking much speculation and shock.

Although the conference organizers and the Federation tried their best to downplay it, describing it as "an anonymous, interesting academic demonstration," the shockwave it caused had already spread.

Over the next two days, Lin Shen continued to participate in other academic sessions of the conference as planned for exchange and learning.

But he could clearly feel that the gazes falling on him had become more complex.

More scholars took the initiative to talk to him, and the topics were no longer limited to pleasantries but began to delve into topological states of matter, quantum error correction thresholds, and even some very specific mathematical physics problems.

Obviously, that demonstration had won him a certain degree of attention and respect based on his strength.

At the same time, the attitude of the Federation experts also underwent subtle changes when communicating with him.

There was less of a condescending "guidance" tone and more cautious inquiry and debate.

Although the core competitive and defensive mindset would not change, at the academic level, he had at least gained a relatively more equal position for dialogue.

On the last day of the conference, Lin Shen received an encrypted satellite call from Academician Qin from back home.

"Lin Shen, the headquarters knows about your performance in Silicon Valley."

Academician Qin's voice was as steady as ever, but Lin Shen could hear a trace of imperceptible approval. "Decisive, precise, you showed spirit and demonstrated our level."

"Especially the on-the-spot handling by the rear team, very good."

"That old guy Miller is probably redrawing his map in his heart right now."

"Academician Qin, were we... too high-profile?" Lin Shen still asked the slight worry in his heart.

"High-profile? Sometimes, the necessary unsheathing of the sword is the best defense."

Academician Qin said in a deep voice. "Blind forbearance will only make others think you are easy to bully and push you step by step."

"Now, letting them know that we also have hard stuff in our hands, and have the determination and ability to fight, can actually win some space and time."

"Of course, follow-up precautions and responses must keep up. After you return to the country, security and confidentiality measures will be fully upgraded."

"Yes." Lin Shen replied.

"In addition, I have good news for you." Academician Qin's tone was a bit excited.

"The team of Professor Wu Qingquan just sent preliminary news."

"Using the optimized process, the first round of attempts to grow bismuth sulfide-niobium nitride heterojunction samples, preliminary X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy characterization showed that the interface quality reached expectations!"

"Although the detailed measurement of the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) still needs time, this is a very positive signal!"

"Engineer Shen Hong is coordinating to send the samples to the base as soon as possible for preliminary electrical property testing."

Lin Shen's spirits lifted!

This was truly timely help!

Theoretical exploration needs the nourishment of experiments, and the preliminary progress of the experiment is undoubtedly the most powerful support for the work of the entire Xuance Group, and can also partially respond to possible internal doubts.

"That's great! We will definitely follow up on the testing as soon as possible!" Lin Shen said excitedly.

"Hmm. The road of Topological Quantum Computing is difficult, but every step counts."

Academician Qin urged, "You showed your theoretical muscles in Silicon Valley, and next, you need to make these muscles stronger with experimental evidence as soon as possible."

"The high magnetic field time in four months is a key battle."

"In addition, other mainstream routes of the Jiuzhang Special Project are also stepping up their efforts."

"The team of Academician Liu on the superconducting route is said to have new ideas on new Josephson junction materials and control system integration; the team of Chief Tan on the ion trap route has also made progress in multi-qubit entanglement and coherence time extension."

"The competition is fierce, you must work hard."

Feeling the ardent expectations and heavy responsibility in Academician Qin's words, Lin Shen said solemnly: "Understood! We will definitely go all out!"

Hanging up the phone, Lin Shen looked at the brilliant night view of Silicon Valley outside the window.

This land nurtured "athena," which was still confidently shining with the light of quantum hegemony at this moment.

But in the distant East, in laboratories and computing networks unseen by countless people, new seeds had already broken through the soil, and new light was gathering.

Hegemony is never eternal.

The competition of the quantum era has just begun.

And the Dragon Kingdom already holds its own unique ticket and has begun to try to write new rules.

The first ray of theoretical light belonging to Topological Quantum Computing has already cast a clear shadow in the international academic community.

The next step is to make this shadow become heavier and heavier in the actual experimental data, until... it condenses into a sharp sword that pierces the clouds of the old hegemony.

The campaign of the second volume has temporarily come to an end with this confrontation in Silicon Valley.

And the truly decisive battlefield is unfolding quietly back home, in those tiny samples that are about to be tested under extreme conditions.