39: Chapter 39 The Harvest!

The next day, in the overseas public opinion sphere, a meticulously planned sniping battle officially began.

The Other Side of the Ocean, "Market Pulse," the morning financial news program with the highest global ratings, aired on time.

The host, John, a blond man known for his sharp tongue and arrogant demeanor, held a cup of coffee and looked into the camera with an exaggerated, theatrical expression.

"Oh, friends, today we have a very... interesting story from the East."

He set down his coffee cup, and on the large screen behind him, a clip of the Q&A session from the Xia Academy of Sciences press conference appeared prominently.

"Yes, you read that right."

"Our friends in Xia country have officially announced that they are developing their own Photolithography Machine 'very smoothly'."

John performed an exaggerated shrug, and a wave of deliberately suppressed laughter came from the studio at just the right moment.

"'Smoothly,' I like that word. It is full of... an optimism unique to the East."

He picked up a document from the table and waved it casually in front of the camera.

"However, we happen to have obtained an assessment report jointly issued by some of the top experts in the industry."

"The report is very interesting; let me read you the most brilliant parts."

He cleared his throat and read in a modulated tone:

"...Among them, the 'Superconducting Acceleration Cavity' in Xia country's current procurement list is particularly eye-catching."

"This equipment is usually used for high-energy physics experiments. If used as a light source for a Photolithography Machine, it belongs to the 'Synchrotron Radiation' technical route, which was verified and abandoned by mainstream manufacturers in the 1990s."

"Due to inherent defects such as its massive size, high cost, and low efficiency, this route has long been eliminated by history..."

After reading, John looked up, his face wearing undisguised mockery.

"Ladies and gentlemen, did you understand?"

"They are trying to challenge the Mount Everest of modern industry with an antique plan that was thrown into the trash can thirty years ago!"

"This is no longer just wishful thinking; it is... an expensive farce."

This video, mixed with contempt and mockery and accompanied by subtitles in multiple languages, swept through overseas social networks like a virus within just a few hours.

Soon, this storm poured back into the internet in Xia country.

"What a joke! Xia country's Photolithography Machine project assessed by Western experts as an expensive farce!"

"In-depth analysis: Why is Xia country gambling on antique technology eliminated thirty years ago?"

When these posts, mixed with screenshots of the original text and translations, appeared on major domestic forums, the public opinion sphere, which had been overflowing with pride and celebration just yesterday, was suddenly doused with a bucket of cold water.

Immediately after, those opinion leaders who had just quieted down, claiming to be "rational, objective, and neutral," sprang up like mushrooms after rain, perfectly demonstrating what it means to flip-flop.

"See, I told you so. Science is rigorous; you can't succeed just by relying on passion! Now the foreign experts' assessment report is out, and facts speak louder than words!"

"Superconducting Acceleration Cavity, Synchrotron Radiation—do you even understand these technical terms? If you don't understand, don't get blindly excited! The experts' decades of research are much more reliable than you keyboard patriots!"

"Is it that hard to admit the gap? You insist on puffing up your cheeks to look fat, and now look, you've embarrassed yourselves in front of the whole world."

Once these arguments appeared, the patriotic netizens, who had been on a roll yesterday, were suddenly choked up.

They wanted to refute it, but found they had no way to start.

What is Synchrotron Radiation?

Why is the Superconducting Acceleration Cavity an outdated technology?

These questions were beyond the knowledge range of the vast majority of people.

A feeling of frustration and helplessness quickly spread in the comment sections.

"Is there any expert who can explain this? Is what they said true?"

"Are we really using an eliminated technology?"

"@TechObserver @ChipCore, begging for an analysis from the big shots!"

Countless private messages flooded those well-known tech bloggers, and even the comment section of the official Xia Academy of Sciences account was completely submerged by anxious inquiries.

Amidst the anxious waiting of the entire internet, the most well-known blogger in the domestic semiconductor field, "ChipCore," posted a long review.

"Regarding the foreign experts' assessment, I have read it, and it has some merit."

The very first sentence of the review made countless hearts sink.

"Synchrotron Radiation was one of the early exploration directions for Photolithography Machine light sources, and it was indeed abandoned due to various defects. From this perspective, the foreign experts' analysis is technically logical."

But immediately after, the blogger changed the tone.

"However, has everyone considered a most basic question?"

"A technology that has been eliminated by the mainstream for thirty years—if foreign experts know it, could our own experts not know it? Could the national think tank that planned this project not know it?"

"Would they be stupid enough to take tens of billions in real money to replicate an antique destined for failure?"

These few rhetorical questions struck hard at the heart of every netizen.

The blogger continued writing:

"When has our country ever lied on these major issues concerning our national destiny? When have we ever fought a battle unprepared?"

"Do you still remember the news about that 'major theoretical breakthrough' from a while ago? It was just a few words, vague and incomplete."

"So I have a bold guess: perhaps our country has already walked a brand-new, never-before-imagined side path on that seemingly abandoned road!"

"This is our 'overtaking on a bend'!"

This article, like a shot of adrenaline, was precisely injected into the wavering heart of the domestic public opinion sphere.

"Holy crap! The blogger has awakened the dreamer with a single word!"

"That's right! Our experts aren't stupid; how could they possibly pick up trash that others don't want!"

"Announce one generation, hide one generation, research one generation! This is the traditional skill of our Xia country! That theoretical breakthrough must be the key to the new side path!"

"I get it! We aren't catching up; we are switching tracks! Hahaha, let those foreigners laugh. When we bring out our results, let's see if they can still laugh!"

The public's emotions, after experiencing such ups and downs, instead condensed into an even firmer anticipation.

Although no one could guess what that "new side path" really was, since the authorities dared to make it public, it meant that the day to see the results could not be far off!

Amidst the eager anticipation of countless people, time passed day by day.

Inside Research Building No. 7, the ignited frenzy intensified even more because of the external public opinion storm.

An expensive farce?

Then they would let the foreigners see who exactly was the farce!

Lin Yuan still maintained his rhythm, shuttling between various laboratories, answering one technical problem after another.

This day, the Steady-state Micro-focused Light Source project, after hundreds of debugging and optimization sessions, finally ushered in a decisive moment.

In the control room, everyone held their breath, and even Wei Jiancheng's old face was taut.

With his trembling finger, he pressed the final virtual confirmation key on the screen.

A beam of light, bright to the extreme and deep blue, suddenly lit up in the vacuum target chamber!

The beam was stable!

The energy curve on the monitoring screen stretched into a line that could be called perfect!

All data met the standards!

Continuous, stable, high-energy beam output—success!

Watching this scene, a faint smile finally appeared on Lin Yuan's lips.

The fermentation of public opinion was already quite enough.

Those clowns had been performing on stage for long enough.

Now, it was time to give this intensifying global storm a clear answer.

It was also time to harvest these lush "fruits" that he had planted with his own hands.