134: The lithography machine was sunk by the US military.

During this time, Li Xiuwu often found himself spacing out.

The news of the Lithography Machine made him both excited and nervous; the ship had entered the South China Sea, with only the final leg of the journey remaining.

"Boss, the vessel is expected to dock in Guangzhou in five days. Will you be going there?" Lin Qian called Li Xiuwu again to notify him of the latest news.

Li Xiuwu was very tempted, his joy hard to express. This was the most cutting-edge technology, and he had actually managed to pull it off.

However, he restrained the excitement in his heart and, after some deep thought, eventually shook his head.

"I won't be going. You go instead. Have it transported directly to Xian; I'll wait for you there."

"Understood, Boss."

The disappearance of a Lithography Machine was no small matter. Once exposed, it would likely stir up quite a storm.

If this storm were to sweep through, it could swallow many people. Before fully mastering the technology, Li Xiuwu did not want to expose himself.

The Starfish stayed in the port of Singapore for three days before setting sail again to continue its voyage.

Except for Captain William, no one knew that the cargo on the ship had already been swapped out.

The Starfish also entered the South China Sea and docked in the Philippines again, staying for only one day before continuing north; however, Captain William suddenly fell ill, and the first mate took over the captain's duties for the remainder of the voyage.

After sailing through the Philippine Sea, as the freighter reached the waters near Guam, it suddenly turned east and entered the waters of the Mariana Trench.

As planned, the Lithography Machine sank into the ocean, and the freighter Starfish sank along with it.

A freighter losing contact was a major event in itself, let alone one carrying a Lithography Machine. Such a thing simply couldn't be kept secret.

The news of the sinking of the freighter carrying the Lithography Machine drew immediate attention upon exposure. The news that the onboard engineers had perished alongside it garnered global concern, and domestic media also provided follow-up reports.

Upon receiving the news, North America immediately called the Guam Navy to search for and salvage the wrecked freighter.

But in the vast ocean, they didn't even know where it had finally disappeared. Since this was near the Mariana Trench, the possibility of salvage was completely lost.

China also applied for salvage assistance from the ship's sovereign nation, but the application was not approved.

The only things they could understand were the satellite signals fed back throughout the voyage and the investigations conducted during the stop in the Philippines.

Because it was a special direct freight shipment, it should not have docked midway according to regulations. This stop in the Philippines was highly unreasonable.

And Singapore had no record of the Starfish docking.

The entertainment venues were all arranged by Xu Zhixuan; no one knew that the Starfish had docked at the port of Singapore.

The direction of their investigation was mainly focused on the stop in the Philippines. The Philippines was also one of the countries subject to the embargo on Lithography Machines.

Listening to the report, Li Xiuwu had Lin Qian release fake news overseas, saying that the freighter had been treated as a target ship by the US military and sunk.

When the news came out, it made the US military fume with rage. However, there were actually people who believed such claims because the US military had done it before.

Once this news broke, it once again led the investigation astray.

While North America and the Netherlands were investigating the ship, the Lithography Machine had already docked at the Guangzhou military port. The equipment was transferred to a military transport aircraft and flown to Xian.

In Xian, Li Xiuwu had already arrived. Qiu Lianhai was pacing back and forth in the office, muttering to himself.

"Professor Qiu, stay calm. It can be delivered today," Li Xiuwu reminded him.

"I can't stay calm. How can anyone stay calm?" He shook his head. A 12-inch Immersion Lithography Machine—this was the most advanced technology currently available.

This Lithography Machine could produce 65-nanometer or even higher precision chips. According to recently published tests, it could also produce 35-nanometer chips.

The best Lithography Machines in the country could only produce 130-nanometer chips, and the quantity was extremely small.

Li Xiuwu was also somewhat excited, but he managed to maintain his composure.

Qiu Lianhai couldn't stay in the office and walked out again: "Is everything cleared out? Clean it up and get ready."

"Old Qiu, what's gotten into you? This is a cleanroom lab. What equipment could possibly make you take it so seriously?" Du Tianhua looked at the clearly abnormal Qiu Lianhai and couldn't help but come over to ask.

Qiu Lianhai opened his mouth: "Forget it. If I tell you, you'll end up just like me, and then we're finished. You'd better not know and just focus on presiding over the overall situation."

After saying that, seeing that Du Tianhua was there to oversee things, he returned to the office.

He left behind a speechless Du Tianhua.

A moment later, Qiu Lianhai came out again, looking here and there, his whole demeanor appearing abnormal.

"Old Qiu, you really should just tell me, or else I'm going to want to send you to the hospital."

Qiu Lianhai looked at Du Tianhua and said earnestly, "Old Du, it's better if you don't know. I've been tortured by this news for over a month."

He shook his head, his feelings beyond words.

If you don't know, you won't think about it. But once you know, you think about it every day, praying every day for its safe arrival, wanting to call Li Xiuwu every day to ask where it is.

"What on earth is it?" Du Tianhua scratched his head. What could possibly make Qiu Lianhai turn out like this?

But since it was being delivered today, he had to take a good look.

At noon, Li Xiuwu ate a simple meal. Qiu Lianhai couldn't eat anything at all. He looked at Du Tianhua, who had finished a large bowl of noodles, with an envious gaze: "Ignorance truly is bliss."

"Damn you!" Du Tianhua slammed down his chopsticks, nearly getting into a duel with Qiu Lianhai.

In the afternoon, during the anxious wait, Li Xiuwu's phone rang.

Li Xiuwu glanced at the caller ID; it was Lin Qian. He stood up abruptly: "It's here!"

"It's here?" Qiu Lianhai looked shocked. "It's really here?"

The two went to the entrance. Seeing them come out, Du Tianhua also went to the entrance.

What exactly was it?

With police cars clearing the way and military vehicles for transport, the convoy arrived right at the lab entrance.

Lin Qian jumped down from a police car and jogged over to Li Xiuwu: "Boss, it's been delivered."

"Good!" Li Xiuwu's voice also carried a hint of excitement.

Qiu Lianhai had been waiting with bated breath for a long time. He couldn't help but run over, wanting to touch it, but was stopped by the escorts.

Even through the canvas, Qiu Lianhai's gaze remained firmly locked on it.

"This is kidnapping! We will not cooperate! You will face a reckoning!" Another car arrived, and several foreigners got out, shouting profanities in English.

Li Xiuwu looked at them in bewilderment, then at Lin Qian. They had kidnapped the engineers who accompanied the equipment as well. He remembered that kidnapping engineers wasn't in the plan.

"They're all engineers. Letting them sink into the sea would be too wasteful. We'll try to persuade as many as we can." Lin Qian bared his teeth, his smile looking very harmless.

While discussing the route with Foxis, he thought about how these people were supposed to sink with the ship, yet they were exactly the kind of talents needed for lithography. So, he took it upon himself to change the plan and kidnap the engineers. Foxis was unaware of these details.

Captain William knew, but he hadn't boarded the ship in the Philippines. Only god knows where he went.

"I see. Take them to the conference room; I'll have a heart-to-heart with them." A smile appeared on Li Xiuwu's face.

Dealing with non-cooperation—this was something he was good at.

"Okay." Lin Qian nodded.

Li Xiuwu turned back and said to Du Tianhua, "Professor Du, please prepare twelve lab employment contracts for me."

"Oh, alright." Du Tianhua looked at Li Xiuwu. He already knew that Li Xiuwu was the investor in this lab.

He looked again at the items being transported on the trucks outside. He didn't know exactly what they were yet, but seeing Qiu Lianhai's reaction and the scale of the transport team, it was definitely something extraordinary.

Li Xiuwu arrived at the conference room. The twelve engineers were brought in, each accompanied by a bodyguard watching them closely.

"Please, have a seat, everyone." Li Xiuwu gestured.

"Hmph." An older white man in his fifties sized up Li Xiuwu and then let out a snort.

Li Xiuwu didn't mind and sat in the head seat, looking at the group.

"The Starfish has already sunk into the Mariana Trench. You should be glad you're still alive."

The engineers' expressions changed upon hearing this. If they had been on the ship, would they have sunk into the ocean as well?

"You are all smart people. Without the cooperation of the ASML factory, we couldn't have completed this task."

"In other words, you were abandoned by ASML." Li Xiuwu had a mocking smile on his face. "Let me think. You must have had poor relationships or suffered from others' jealousy and exclusion to be sent on this suicidal voyage."

As Li Xiuwu finished speaking, the expressions on their faces shifted again.

In human nature, one always places oneself in the most important position.

In a soldier's account of a victorious battle, it's always about how hard he fought to achieve that victory.

These people were the same, believing they were exceptionally capable and brilliant, and thus targets of jealousy.

"You can also consider yourselves already dead. Sign this contract, and you can have a decent life—perhaps even see your families again one day."

"If you're dead, you're really dead."

Li Xiuwu tossed the employment contracts over.