51: Chapter 51 Elder Long Invites You

Below the stage, hundreds of reporters experienced a collective lapse of consciousness for three whole seconds amidst the extreme shock.

Starting point?

He called the Photolithography Machine... a starting point?

What level of a statement was this?

In the front row, a male reporter from a leading domestic tech media outlet was the first to snap out of his daze, raising his hand before anyone else.

"Chief Engineer Lin!"

"You just mentioned that the Photolithography Machine is only the starting point. May I ask what specific plans and directions you have for the future?"

This question voiced the thoughts of hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.

Every lens, every gaze, was once again locked onto that young face on the rostrum.

"Future plans..."

Lin Yuan paused for a moment, as if weighing his words.

"Personally, I do have a general vision for the future."

"I've also given it a rather good code name—"

His index finger tapped the tabletop with moderate force.

"south heaven gate."

Three words, crisp and clean.

But it was these three words that made the atmosphere in the entire press hall incredibly subtle in the next second.

The reporters' pens scribbled across their paper in unison. After noting down those three words, they all looked up simultaneously.

Waiting for him to continue.

The livestream chat was already flooded with countless question marks.

"south heaven gate? What does that mean?"

"This name... it's got something to it."

"Using the gate of the Heavenly Palace as a code name? This scale..."

However, Lin Yuan did not elaborate further.

He gave a faint smile, carrying a sense of restraint, as if saying "enough has been said."

"Alright, today is, after all, the press conference for the periodic results of the Lithography Machine Special Task Force."

He pushed the microphone forward slightly, a perfectly measured look of apology on his face, and leaned back into his chair.

"As for other matters, we can talk more about them when there's an opportunity in the future."

With one sentence, he cleanly shut the door that had just been cracked open.

"Don't!"

A reporter in the audience shouted out instinctively.

Many more stood there with their mouths open, words on the tips of their tongues, only to swallow them back down after seeing Lin Yuan's unquestionable smile.

That feeling of being left hanging, unable to go up or down, was driving every media professional crazy.

The bullet comments were in a complete uproar.

"Holy crap! That's it? You just give me a name and that's it?"

"No, Chief Engineer Lin, say a few more words! I'll gift you rockets!"

"south heaven gate project... the Photolithography Machine is just the starting point... Damn, my head is full of images, but there isn't a single detail. This is more torturous than saying nothing at all!"

Lin Yuan handed the microphone back to the host, ignoring the commotion in the room.

He didn't need to explain.

He certainly didn't need to elaborate.

He only needed to firmly plant the seed of "south heaven gate" into everyone's minds.

From today onwards, the name "south heaven gate" would take root, sprout, and grow wildly in the minds of countless people, becoming impossible to shake off.

And every speculation and every discussion would be a spontaneous, free form of promotion.

By the time it needed to sprout, the soil would already be as fertile as it could possibly be.

During the subsequent Q&A session, the rhythm was firmly controlled by the rostrum.

Whether it was about technical details, international cooperation, or talent cultivation, Lin Yuan and Chen Jingshan handled everything with ease and precision.

Finally, when the host announced the official conclusion of the press conference, Lin Yuan gave the camera a polite and calm smile.

That smile was like a signal.

"Clap!"

Below the stage, someone was the first to start clapping.

Immediately after, with a thunderous roar, applause like a mountain tsunami swept through the entire hall, starting from the Xia Country media in the front row.

In the middle and back rows, even the overseas news agency reporters who had kept straight faces the entire time stood up with complex expressions, mechanically clapping their hands.

The applause was thunderous and went on for a long time.

They knew that regardless of their stance, everything they had witnessed in this press hall today would surely go down in history.

...

Backstage lounge.

The moment the door closed, the noise from the press hall was shut out, but the atmosphere inside didn't become any more relaxed.

Wei Jiancheng was the first to speak.

"Six months..."

He turned his head and glared at Lin Yuan.

"Kid, you've really got some nerve."

"Showing your trump card so clearly in front of the whole world."

"If... I mean, if we fall just a bit short when the time comes, there's no taking back that boast."

He Yicheng sat opposite them. He didn't say anything, but the look he gave Lin Yuan carried a similar meaning.

It wasn't that they doubted Lin Yuan's judgment, but when those words were broadcast globally, their hearts had truly skipped a beat.

Six months.

Livestreamed across the internet, witnessed by the world—there was no denying it.

From today on, the whole world would be holding stopwatches, counting down the seconds for them.

Once that promise was made, there was no way back.

Chen Jingshan stood to the side with his hands behind his back, not in a hurry to interject.

He looked at Lin Yuan with a complex gaze—one of amazement, scrutiny, and even a hint of inquiry.

"Lin Yuan."

Chen Jingshan's voice was very low, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"You fought a beautiful battle on stage just now, and the effect of the results announcement far exceeded expectations."

"But a six-month deadline is easy to say..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear enough.

Lin Yuan smiled.

"Dean Chen, seniors."

He scanned the faces of everyone present, taking in the complex expressions of these top scientists.

"I, personally, never make empty promises."

"During this time in the special task force, working on the project with all of you, I haven't been idle either."

"As for the subsequent technical implementation, engineering integration, and system debugging... I already have some ideas for these stages."

His phrasing was very humble.

But no one present was a fool.

When this young man said "a little" or "some," for a normal person, it usually meant something earth-shattering.

"You mean..."

Wei Jiancheng spoke in a muffled voice, his body involuntarily leaning forward.

"You already have a solution for the key technical bottlenecks in the subsequent engineering phase?"

"I wouldn't call it a full solution, but the direction is clear."

"It won't be long."

Lin Yuan looked up, meeting everyone's burning gazes.

"I should be able to give everyone another little surprise."

After he said this, the lounge fell silent for two seconds.

Soon, Chen Jingshan's hands behind his back relaxed. He stared at Lin Yuan for a few seconds, and the lines on his steady face smoothed out into a deep smile.

"Good."

A single word, clean and decisive.

No further promises or explanations were needed.

This word represented the highest level of trust and entrustment.

Chen Jingshan was about to brief Lin Yuan on some follow-up work from the press conference, when there were two light knocks on the lounge door.

Then, the door opened, and Lin Jixian walked in quickly.

He was wearing a dark suit today, his hair combed meticulously, and he looked full of energy for a man in his forties.

"Dean Chen, Brother Lin."

He took a few quick steps, first nodding to Chen Jingshan, then looking at Lin Yuan with unconcealed fervor in his eyes.

"I watched the entire livestream of that press conference just now from the monitoring room in the media center."

"He gave a thumbs-up and praised sincerely."

"Brilliant! Simply brilliant!"

Lin Yuan responded with a smile.

"You were watching, Brother Lin?"

"Of course."

Lin Jixian chuckled, then reined in his expression, stepping half a step closer and lowering his voice.

"But I didn't just come here to congratulate you."

He withdrew his hand from Lin Yuan's shoulder and pointed vaguely upwards.

"Elder Long is waiting for you."