54: Chapter 54 This is enough to redefine the future!

After Yang Tongan finished asking this question, his half-closed eyes finally opened completely.

The cloudiness and scrutiny in his eyes completely faded, revealing a simple and direct curiosity for the first time.

Lin Yuan did not answer directly.

His gaze lingered on Yang Tongan's face for a second before turning to Long Zhenguo.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of the two big shots, he gently shook his head.

"No."

Two words, light as a feather, yet they landed with the weight of a thunderbolt.

Upon hearing this, Yang Tongan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Oh?"

This answer was completely outside his expectations.

Just at the press conference that had just ended, this young man had personally defined the "Photolithography Machine as just the starting point," and then immediately threw out the codename "south heaven gate," whetting the appetite of the entire world.

But now, facing them, he was saying that it wasn't the next goal?

"Elder Yang, Elder Long."

Lin Yuan leaned back on the sofa, resting his hands on his knees with fingers interlaced.

"It's not that I'm being cryptic, but the scale of the south heaven gate project is in a completely different dimension compared to the Photolithography Machine."

When he said this, there wasn't a hint of exaggeration; he was simply stating a fact that had already been simulated countless times in his mind.

"No matter how difficult the Photolithography Machine is or how high the technical barriers are, its essence is still a piece of industrial equipment, an industrial chain monopolized by the West."

"What it solves is the problem of us not being 'strangled by the neck.'"

"But south heaven gate is different."

"south heaven gate is an extremely massive composite strategic objective; it's a whole set of future systems that I plan to achieve in the medium to long term."

He extended a finger, drawing an invisible dividing line between the two.

"The difference between the two is like heaven and earth."

Long Zhenguo put down his teacup, his well-defined hand tapping lightly on the tabletop.

He leaned forward slightly.

"Give us the specifics."

Lin Yuan nodded.

In the next second, using the most concise and sharpest language, he began to outline that grand blueprint hidden in the memories of his past life, word by word.

"The core of the south heaven gate project is 'Aero-Space Integrated' strategic dominance."

"First, the Luan Bird, an aero-space carrier. It will serve as the aerial hub and command platform for the entire system."

"Second, the Xuannü and the White Emperor. Two types of aero-space fighters—one unmanned and one manned—responsible for air superiority and strategic penetration respectively."

"Third, Chengying. An individual tactical mecha, used to solve precision strikes and ground suppression in any complex terrain."

"Fourth, Hanguang. A vertical take-off and landing penetration platform, bridging the rapid delivery channel between the ground and low Earth orbit."

Lin Yuan's voice paused for a moment.

"Finally..."

He raised an index finger.

"Connecting all the above combat units into a comprehensive strategic defense network with global coverage."

"Achieving a true four-in-one integration of Air, Space, Ground, and Sea."

His voice fell.

There was no deliberate embellishment, no passionate emotional appeal; Lin Yuan didn't even use a single unnecessary adjective.

But these few dry descriptions caused the atmosphere in the spacious office to suddenly become thick and scorching.

Yang Tongan's body froze stiffly against the sofa.

This pillar of the nation, who had weathered countless storms, now had hands resting on his knees that were actually trembling uncontrollably.

He had been stationed at Xishan for most of his life and knew better than anyone how far Xia Country's current national defense forces lagged behind those The Other Side of the Ocean in certain key areas.

And the things Lin Yuan had just casually listed...

Aero-space carriers.

Tactical mechas.

A global strategic defense system.

Which one of these wasn't a concept that only existed in science fiction movies and the dreams of fanatical military buffs?

If all of this could truly be realized...

No, even if only one of them was realized, it would be enough to shatter the existing global military landscape and redefine the rules of future warfare!

It was no wonder it was called the "south heaven gate project."

Inside the south heaven gate, that is the Heavenly Court!

After a long time, Yang Tongan spoke, his voice three shades hoarser than before.

"You're right."

He nodded heavily.

"south heaven gate and the Photolithography Machine are indeed not on the same level."

Long Zhenguo also nodded slowly, not saying much.

Looking at the two stunned big shots, Lin Yuan smiled.

"That's why I only dropped a name at the press conference and didn't elaborate."

"After all, the technological leap for every sub-project of south heaven gate far exceeds that of the Photolithography Machine."

"To turn these into reality, the 'confidence' required will surely be an astronomical figure."

Yang Tongan understood this sentence, and Long Zhenguo understood it too.

In the end, it was about making enough people sincerely believe that Lin Yuan could accomplish these things.

Building a Photolithography Machine in half a year—that lie was already crazy enough, but it was at least within the cognitive range of ordinary people; they at least knew the principles and what a Photolithography Machine looked like.

But an aero-space carrier?

Tactical mechas?

To the current general public, these concepts were no different from science fiction movies.

Getting tens of millions of people to believe a young man could build a Photolithography Machine versus getting billions of people to believe he could build such sci-fi equipment...

The chasm in between was unimaginably vast.

If thrown out prematurely, others would only take him for a delusional madman, and confidence would never rise.

"So, there's no rush."

Lin Yuan chuckled, his posture composed.

"south heaven gate is a vision for the future."

"To get to that point, there's still a long way to go in between."

"The public's trust is like building a tower; you have to accumulate it floor by floor and can't easily skip steps."

After hearing this, Yang Tongan fell silent for a moment.

To say he wasn't disappointed would be a lie.

Which of those sci-fi weapons hadn't been a dream he'd held his entire life?

But he was clear-headed.

Every word Lin Yuan said made sense; one must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.

Haste makes waste; trying to force growth would only lead to total defeat.

Long Zhenguo saw through his old friend's thoughts but didn't point it out.

He turned to look at Lin Yuan, pulling the topic back to a more pragmatic direction.

"Since south heaven gate is a long-term vision, how is the current progress on the Photolithography Machine?"

This question wasn't about scientific research, but about the system.

The three people sitting in this room all knew that what truly determined whether the Photolithography Machine could be quickly realized was that invisible and intangible progress bar.

Hearing this, Lin Yuan's mind moved slightly.

The translucent panel that only he could see quietly emerged before his eyes.

[Current Lie: Within half a year, lead a team to build a Photolithography Machine.]

[Total confidence: 31%]

The progress bar had surged from 15% before the press conference all the way to 31%.

And...

It was still rising slowly and steadily at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The content of that global live broadcast was being edited, reposted, analyzed, and discussed by countless media outlets.

The waves of secondary and tertiary dissemination had only just begun.

According to this trend, this number was far from reaching its peak.

Lin Yuan withdrew his consciousness and looked up.

On that young face, a confident smile appeared, showing that everything was under control.

"Soon."

"It should be... just a few more days!"