184: Chapter 184 Breaking the Technological Impasse, Counterattacking the US Blockade

In the afternoon, at the Presidential Palace in Naypyidaw.

Li Lanzhi was presiding over a cabinet meeting.

She sat at the head of the long table, her presence commanding. Although she was facing a group of grown men, no one dared to underestimate this "First Lady" turned Prime Minister.

"Increase the Ministry of Education's budget by another ten percent!"

Li Lanzhi tapped the table, her tone brooking no argument. "We need to build more schools, especially in ethnic minority areas! We must ensure all children learn Mandarin and master technical skills! This is our country's future; we cannot skimp on a single cent!"

"But Prime Minister, the treasury is a bit tight…" The Minister of Finance wiped sweat from his brow. "Military expenditures are also significant…"

"Then deduct it from administrative expenses!" Li Lanzhi's eyes sharpened. "Cut all unnecessary official vehicles and banquets! Whoever dares to be extravagant and wasteful at a time like this, let them explain it to the President themselves!"

Mentioning the President caused the Minister of Finance to immediately shut his mouth. Explaining to that man? Wasn't that just asking for death?

"Also, regarding the universal healthcare pilot program." Li Lanzhi turned to the next page of the file. "The medical team from the Dragon Kingdom has arrived; all provinces must cooperate fully. My goal is that by the end of the year, every county will have a proper hospital, and every village will have a health clinic! No money? If there's no money, I'll go get a note approved by the President to open that treasury again!"

The ministers below scribbled furiously, secretly admiring her. This couple—one was out grabbing money (earning resources), and the other was at home spending it on development—their coordination was truly seamless.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and Zhang Cheng walked in with long strides.

"The President has arrived!"

Everyone stood up in a flash.

Zhang Cheng waved his hand to signal them to sit, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Everyone, I have good news to share."

He walked to the map and pointed to the small blue dot in the west—Kyaukpyu Port.

"Just now, I signed the agreement with Dragon Kingdom's special envoy, Zhao Gang."

Zhang Cheng's voice was not loud, but it exploded in the conference room like a nuclear bomb.

"The China-Myanmar railway and the China-Myanmar oil and gas pipeline are fully connected! On the first of next month, the first freight train departing from Chongqing will arrive directly at Kyaukpyu Port! The first 300,000-ton oil tanker from the Middle East will also dock at our terminal!"

"Whoosh—!"

The conference room instantly erupted!

What did this mean?

It meant that Myanmar had completely transformed into a golden hub connecting the Dragon Kingdom and the Indian Ocean! It meant countless transit fees, logistics fees, and service fees would come rolling in! It meant that from now on, this country could make money just by lying down!

"This is our foundation of confidence!"

Zhang Cheng looked at the excited crowd, his eyes deep and fervent. "From today on, it is not us begging the world, but the world that cannot do without us!"

"We are no longer that weak nation waiting to be slaughtered; we are—the Greater Myanmar Federation! We are the lion of Southeast Asia!"

"Long live! Long live the President!"

The cheers nearly blew the roof off.

Zhang Cheng turned his head to look at Li Lanzhi, who was sitting beside him. Their gazes met in the air, and both saw the excitement and deep affection in each other's eyes.

This was the beginning of the prosperous age they had built with their own hands.

But this was not enough.

Zhang Cheng knew clearly that with money, guns, and territory, the next step was to truly turn this country into a powerful nation that no one dared to provoke.

The system's points were still rising, and the technology tree was still being unlocked.

His gaze had already crossed the borders of Myanmar and was cast toward even more distant places.

Naypyidaw, the top-floor office of the Presidential Palace.

The sunlight outside the window was excessively blinding, but the air pressure inside the office was chillingly low. Li Lanzhi slammed a thick stack of documents onto the table, the noise startling Old K, who was dozing on the sofa, into opening his eyes.

"Brother Cheng, we can't go on like this!" Li Lanzhi said, her chest heaving with anger as she pointed at the files. "Those bastards from the USA are too underhanded! They can't beat us militarily, so now they're playing dirty. They've kicked us out of the SWIFT system, shipping insurance companies are refusing to insure our cargo ships, and even the jade and rare earths we export to Europe are being held at the ports, claiming they need to investigate 'forced labor'!"

She caught her breath and continued to vent: "Now, except for the trade with the Dragon Kingdom, our trade routes with the West are basically cut off. Relying solely on selling rocks and farming might keep these tens of millions of mouths fed, but we'll never get rich. Our 'Economic Takeoff' plan has had its wings clipped just as it was about to take flight!"

Zhang Cheng sat in his boss chair, twirling two premium jade walnuts he had confiscated from Bao Youxiang. There was no anger on his face; instead, a playful smile hung at the corners of his mouth.

"Why the rush?" Zhang Cheng said leisurely. "The USA is just 'at its wit's end.' They think that if they choke our throat, I'll have to kneel and sing for mercy? Childish."

"But Brother Cheng, an economic blockade is like a soft knife cutting into flesh—it hurts!" Li Lanzhi said anxiously. "We are currently short on foreign exchange and high-end equipment. Although the Dragon Kingdom is helping us, they are also being choked on some cutting-edge technologies, so even if they want to help, they are powerless."

Hearing this, the walnuts in Zhang Cheng's hands stopped moving abruptly.

"Well said." Zhang Cheng stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the Central Business District under construction in Naypyidaw. "Lan Zhi, remember one thing: being choked by others is because our necks aren't hard enough. The only way not to be choked is—"

He turned around abruptly, his eyes as sharp as knives: "Chop off their hands, or grow an indestructible head ourselves!"

"Old K!"

"Present!"

"How many points are in the system balance?"

"Reporting to the Master, after this period of recuperation, the current balance is: 3,854,000 points."

"3.85 million…" Zhang Cheng licked his lips, his eyes flashing with the madness of a gambler before going all-in. "Enough, that's enough for us to pull off something earth-shattering!"

Li Lanzhi was confused: "Brother Cheng, what are you going to do? Buy a nuclear bomb?"

"A nuclear bomb? That thing can only scare people; it can't be used as food." Zhang Cheng pointed to his head. "I'm going to do technology! Real high-tech! Doesn't the USA rely on its technological hegemony to act tough? Aren't they using some 'CHIPS Act' to blockade the Dragon Kingdom? Fine, I'll stab them right in the heart!"

"I'm going to build lithography machines! Build chips! Build graphics cards!"

Li Lanzhi was stunned and reached out to touch Zhang Cheng's forehead: "Brother Cheng, do you have a fever? That's a lithography machine, the pearl on the crown of human industry! Only ASML in the whole world can make the high-end ones. We here… we just finished building a decent screw factory, and you want to build chips?"

"Who says we can't make them?" Zhang Cheng smiled mysteriously, his consciousness diving directly into the system store.