77: Chapter 77 Sorry, this... I've done my research too!

"Let him in!"

The blond man squeezed these words out from between his teeth, his chest heaving violently with anger.

Soon, the heavy solid wood door of the office was pushed open.

Dr. Harrison entered, his footsteps coming to a clearly discernible halt the moment he stepped onto the soft carpet.

The floor was a mess.

Shattered crystal, shredded documents, an overturned pen holder...

The sight of this office, which he had once been so familiar with, made the authority in the physics world's scalp tingle.

He subconsciously swallowed, carefully navigating around the wreckage as if walking through a minefield, eventually standing tremulously before the desk.

"The news, did you see it?"

The blond man did not ask him to sit, merely bracing his hands on the desk and coldly spitting out those words.

"I... I saw it."

Harrison's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice dry.

"Then I would like you to explain it to me."

The blond man's bloodshot blue eyes were fixed firmly on Harrison's pale face, like a hungry wolf choosing its prey.

"Two months."

He squeezed these two words out through gritted teeth.

"Dr. Harrison, what did you tell me before?"

"Absolutely impossible?"

"Every step requires a massive amount of time for trial, error, and iteration?"

He repeated it word for word; with every sentence he uttered, Harrison's shoulders slumped a bit further.

"You said it so decisively."

"So, I believed you!"

The blond man rounded the corner of the desk, approaching Harrison step by step.

He stopped in front of Harrison, less than half a meter away, an aura mixed with rage and pressure washing over him.

"But now, the Xia people's Photolithography Machine has been built."

"They are celebrating nationwide, while we have become the world's biggest joke."

Harrison opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

What else could he say?

The words 'absolutely impossible' had come from his own mouth, and it was his name signed in black and white on the evaluation report.

Now, that report had likely become the laughingstock of the global tech media.

Seeing his silence, the blond man suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with cold mockery.

"Just now, I received a call from the higher-ups."

"He is very dissatisfied with this result."

"Very."

He bit down hard on the emphasis of the last word.

"Chips are the oil of the twenty-first century."

“Xia's annual chip imports are as high as hundreds of billions of dollars.”

"That's hundreds of billions!"

He held up a finger, pointing it vaguely at Harrison.

"This astronomical amount of wealth was, in the past, determined by us."

"They could only obediently use our equipment and follow our rules."

"But now?"

Another cold laugh.

"The Xia people having their own Photolithography Machine means they can manufacture high-end chips themselves."

"This means this market of hundreds of billions of dollars a year will completely slip through our fingers."

Harrison stood motionless, cold sweat already dampening his temples and sliding frantically down his cheeks.

The blond man wasn't finished.

"That's not even the most critical part."

He took a step forward, his back like a mountain.

"You know better than I do what high-end chips mean."

"Once Xia achieves self-sufficiency in high-end chips, their catch-up speed in the military technology field will far exceed our estimates."

"Advanced radar systems, precision-guided weapons, the avionics cores of next-generation fighter jets... all of these rely on high-end chips."

The blond man suddenly pointed at Harrison's nose, his gaze fierce.

"And none of this was supposed to happen."

"All of this is our failure!"

Harrison's shirt was mostly soaked with cold sweat, the back sticking to the fabric with an indescribable discomfort.

His brain was working at high speed, desperately trying to find a life-saving straw.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he cried out hoarsely.

"Sir, the Photolithography Machine... is just a machine."

The blond man narrowed his eyes and said nothing.

Harrison took a heavy breath, as if a drowning man had caught the only piece of floating wood.

"Having the machine alone is useless."

"Manufacturing high-end chips requires a large amount of special materials, ultra-high purity chemical reagents, and an entire supporting upstream supply chain."

His voice trembled slightly, but he emphasized every word.

"The Xia people do not possess these things."

"Our sanction orders have already taken effect; the export channels for special materials are all shut tight!"

He swallowed, his voice barely steadying a bit.

"Even if the Xia people have the machine, without the materials, they... they can't produce anything."

The blond man stared at him for a full seven or eight seconds.

"Are you sure?"

Three words, neither light nor heavy.

But it was these three words that caused the little bit of confidence Harrison had just regained to shatter once more.

Last time, Harrison had gritted his teeth and spat out the words 'I'm sure'.

This time, his lips moved for a long time.

He said nothing.

The 'sure' from last time had resulted in this office full of wreckage today.

He didn't dare anymore.

The blond man took in his pathetic appearance, a flash of extreme disgust crossing his eyes.

He turned around, walked back behind the desk step by step, sat down, and rested his interlaced fingers on the table.

"You had better pray that things really develop as you say."

His voice had returned to its usual low pitch, but it was more spine-chilling than when he was angry.

"You should be very clear about the consequences of the higher-ups being dissatisfied."

"If I am finished—"

He looked up, his blue eyes reflecting Harrison's stiff face.

"You won't get away either."

On Harrison's forehead, beads of sweat dripped down one by one, hitting the surface of his polished leather shoes with a pitter-patter.

He didn't dare utter a single word in response.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Blue Planet.

Xia, the office of the Dean of the Xia Academy of Sciences.

In stark contrast to the desperate rage The Other Side of the Ocean, this office was filled with the aroma of tea, and the atmosphere was harmonious to the extreme.

Chen Jingshan personally brewed a cup of tea for Lin Yuan. Amidst the curling steam, the face of this leader of the Xia Academy of Sciences was full of gratification and emotion.

"This time, the whole country is boiling with excitement."

"I don't know how many calls I've taken today; my phone hasn't stopped ringing, all from various departments and CEOs of related companies."

Lin Yuan picked up the teacup, blew on it gently, and responded with a smile.

"Everyone's hard work during this period hasn't been in vain after all."

"It's more than just not being in vain."

Chen Jingshan waved his hand, his tone suddenly becoming more emphatic.

"This is a merit that rewrites history!"

After the emotional moment, Chen Jingshan put down his teacup, the smile on his face fading slightly as he returned to his rigorous demeanor.

"However, Comrade Lin Yuan, since the machine has been built, the next issue is commercial use."

Lin Yuan nodded, indicating he was listening.

"For a Photolithography Machine to truly be put into commercial production, having the hardware alone is far from enough."

"It also requires a complete, mature PDK."

Chen Jingshan looked at Lin Yuan with burning eyes.

"I called you over specifically for this matter."

"I intend to submit another report to the higher-ups to organize a new research team specifically to tackle the tough nut of PDK!"

He leaned forward, his eyes full of expectation.

"I wonder if you have the willingness to take on a bit more work and lead this new team?"

Hearing this, Lin Yuan put down his teacup.

The bottom of the cup collided with the tabletop, making a light clinking sound.

He looked up at the serious Chen Jingshan, who was waiting for his answer, and suddenly smiled.

"Dean Chen."

"As for this PDK thing, I actually... have also done a bit of research on it."