113: Chapter 113 Always Stay Ahead

The press conference was still ongoing.

The Q&A session of the press conference continued for another ten minutes after Lin Yuan's half-joking response.

The remaining questions mostly revolved around the organizational structure of the task force, resource allocation, and the general timeline for industrialization.

These questions, which leaned toward macro-level coordination, were naturally handled one by one by Zhou Ping and several other department deputies on stage. Their answers were airtight, fully demonstrating the confidence of a major power.

Lin Yuan sat in the secondary seat, listening quietly.

Occasionally, when his name was called, he would add a concise technical explanation or two, his posture remaining calm and relaxed throughout.

As the final reporter's question was answered, Zhou Ping picked up the microphone in front of him, his steady and powerful voice carrying across the entire venue.

"Today's press conference is now concluded."

"Thank you, everyone."

As his voice fell, hundreds of reporters in the audience stood up abruptly from their seats. Carrying a head full of explosive material enough to write dozens of front-page headlines, they scrambled toward the exit.

Some hadn't even made it out the door before they were already impatiently pulling out their phones in the hallway, calling their editorial departments with voices so loud they could be heard throughout the corridor.

"It's me! Yes, Fifth-generation Communication! Brain-like Machine Intelligence! No, I didn't get it wrong, it really is the fifth generation! Hurry up and save the front page for me!"

The chaotic and frenzied crowd receded toward the main entrance, and the clamor gradually faded into the distance.

On the rostrum, staff members began to methodically pack up the equipment.

Lin Yuan stood up from his chair and stretched his limbs, giving a subtle yawn.

Zhou Ping walked to his side, and after nodding slightly to the other deputies on stage, he walked off the rostrum with Lin Yuan toward the side door passage.

Qin Meng was already waiting at the entrance of the passage. Seeing the two come out, she silently followed, trailing two steps behind.

In the hallway, the sound of footsteps echoed at a steady pace.

Zhou Ping walked with his hands behind his back, glancing at Lin Yuan. Still savoring the scenes on stage in his mind, he suddenly couldn't help but laugh.

"Lin Yuan."

"Hmm?"

Lin Yuan turned his head.

"What you said on stage earlier about preparing to branch out into other fields later on..."

Zhou Ping's pace slowed by half a beat, his gaze carrying a hint of probing.

"Energy, biological sciences... were you serious?"

Lin Yuan didn't stop walking, glancing at him with a natural expression.

"Otherwise?"

His tone was flat, as if he were discussing what to have for lunch today.

"Director Zhou, you should know me."

"I'm not someone who would ever spout empty words or tall tales in a setting like that."

Zhou Ping was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then he burst out laughing.

That's true. No matter how outrageous every word this kid said sounded, so far, not a single one had failed to come true.

Half a year ago, who would have dared to believe that a junior student who hadn't even graduated could lead a team to build an EUV Lithography Machine in two months?

And now?

Ten-nanometer chips were already nearing mass production.

The Western Semiconductor Alliance's faces had been slapped swollen!

Zhou Ping pulled back his smile and nodded gently.

"Good, then I'll be looking forward to it very much."

He turned slightly to look at Lin Yuan, his tone becoming rigorous again.

"However, you have to eat one bite at a time. The current focus must still be on cracking the tough nuts of communication and intelligence."

"After all, half a year isn't very long."

Lin Yuan laughed, his pace still unhurried.

"Don't worry, Director Zhou."

"Half a year—I am completely confident."

Zhou Ping raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? That much confidence?"

Lin Yuan didn't answer directly, but simply raised his right hand and tapped his temple lightly with his index finger.

"Many things are already in here."

A short sentence, light as a feather.

But as Zhou Ping watched that movement, his heart skipped a beat.

The expression on this young man's face as he tapped his head and said those words was excessively calm.

There was no empty boastfulness, no forced encouragement, and certainly no self-suggestion.

It was as if he were stating a fact for which the answer had already been written.

Zhou Ping stared at him for two seconds before slowly nodding.

"Good."

That "good" was said with great weight.

Lin Yuan withdrew his hand and suddenly remembered something, pausing slightly.

"By the way, Director Zhou, there's one more thing."

"Hmm? Go ahead."

"I'll need you to help notify the core members of the task forces from each unit again."

Lin Yuan stopped and turned to face Zhou Ping, a faint sharp glint flashing through his eyes.

"Tell them all to come to the Xia Academy of Sciences tomorrow."

"It's time to formally accelerate the progress."

Zhou Ping looked at him, falling silent for a beat.

Accelerate?

The briefing meeting had only just ended not long ago, and every unit was proceeding step-by-step. Lin Yuan was already starting to think it was too slow?

However, Zhou Ping didn't ask further questions or say anything more.

He simply clenched his fist and exhaled a single word heavily.

"Good!"

...

A few minutes later.

A black armored car pulled up steadily in front of the dedicated passage at the side door of the press hall.

The vehicle's body was low-profile, without any markings, but the exaggeratedly thick doors, the dark windows with special coating, and the reinforced steel plates faintly visible under the chassis all silently proclaimed the car's true protection level.

Qin Meng stepped forward first and pulled open the rear door.

Lin Yuan bent down to get into the car, leaning back against the wide and comfortable leather seat.

Qin Meng followed and sat in the passenger seat, her gaze scanning the surroundings outside the car like a hawk.

The sound of the car door closing was extremely muffled, as the thick seals completely blocked out all external noise.

The interior of the car became completely silent.

The driver said nothing, shifting into gear and pulling away. The car drove smoothly out of the passage and merged into the main road.

Lin Yuan leaned against the backrest, his eyes slightly closed.

He wasn't asleep; his brain was operating at high speed in an extremely excited state.

The effect of today's press conference was perfect.

Throwing out Fifth-generation Communication and Brain-like Machine Intelligence had directly ignited global public opinion.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire internet and global media, the confidence progress bar on the system panel had been instantly filled.

Not only that, the two leads of "energy" and "biological sciences" he had conveniently planted at the end must have already put the think tanks The Other Side of the Ocean on high alert.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

By the time the communication and intelligence technologies were implemented, these two seeds planted in advance would rapidly sprout in the subconscious of the entire world.

At that point, when he moved to advance new energy or biological sciences, the accumulation speed of confidence would reach a terrifying level.

This was the snowball effect of credibility.

As long as he always stayed ahead of everyone's perception, he, Lin Yuan, would be an insurmountable existence on this planet.

The car sped along the wide road.

Half an hour later, the motorcade drove through the heavily guarded gates of the Xia Academy of Sciences.

Passing through multiple security checkpoints, it finally stopped in front of an independent residential building.

Qin Meng got out and opened the car door.

Lin Yuan stepped out and walked straight into the building.

After returning to the temporary room arranged by the Xia Academy of Sciences.

The door closed automatically behind him with a soft "click."

The room was spacious and tidy, with the curtains half-drawn and the lighting soft and moderate.

Lin Yuan walked to the sofa and sat down, taking off his jacket and tossing it aside.

He leaned back, sinking deep into the soft backrest of the sofa, a finally unmasked, unrestrained curve curling at the corner of his lips.

In the next instant, Lin Yuan's mind focused.

A light blue light screen, which only he could see, suddenly lit up in the depths of his consciousness.

Looking at the familiar three-choice interface in front of him.

"Three."

Lin Yuan did not hesitate.