79: Chapter 79 A Drama of the Century!

This announcement was like a red-hot iron, searing itself onto the nerve endings of the global internet.

"Holy crap, negotiating chip collaborations? Am I seeing things? It's only been a few hours since the official Photolithography Machine announcement, and they're already opening for business?!"

"This speed—I'm calling it light-speed overtaking! One second we're moved to tears over breaking the blockade, the next second we've become the house!"

"What does it mean to flip the table? This is it! Not only did they flip the table, they even grabbed a table leg and gave the opposition a heavy blow right to the forehead!"

If the previous official announcement was the ecstasy of seeing the moon after the clouds cleared...

...then this announcement was a direct declaration of the end of the old era, a domineering manifesto for the start of a new age.

Of course, amidst the frenzy, there were also a few rational concerns mixed in.

"Everyone calm down. I just saw on the international web that the material embargo against us hasn't stopped; instead, it's being ramped up like crazy. Without specialized high-purity materials, a Photolithography Machine is just a hunk of iron!"

"Yeah, that's the most fatal part. The machine is ours, but the lifeblood of the preparation materials is still in the hands of others."

This concern was not without merit and quickly sparked small-scale discussions in the corners of some forums.

But before this faint voice could ferment, it was completely drowned out by a surge of overwhelming, almost faith-like comments.

"You're thinking too small, brother! If you, earning three thousand a month, can think of this problem, do you think the people in the national think tank wouldn't have thought of it?"

"Exactly! They conjured a Photolithography Machine out of thin air in two months; can mere material issues stop us? Put your heart back in your chest and just wait to watch the show!"

"I'll put it bluntly: three days from now will be a massive, epic face-slapping event, the kind broadcast live globally! I've got my sunflower seeds, cola, and stool ready, just waiting for the curtain to rise!"

...

The domestic public opinion was a mountain-shaking carnival.

Meanwhile, The Other Side of the Ocean, the executives of those international tech giants who were extremely dependent on the chip supply chain fell into a strange, collective silence.

Were they shocked?

Of course they were!

But after the shock came an even greater, incomprehensible confusion.

With the entire Western camp's sanction stance being so tough—one could say all upstream high-end materials and chemical reagent supplies were being death-gripped—how was Xia to carry out a global chip business in such a dead end?

What were they going to use for foundry work?

Air?

What made their scalps tingle even more was that within just one hour of this announcement being posted, they all received "well-intentioned" emails from the top three international chip foundry giants via unofficial channels.

There wasn't a single threat in the emails, nor did they even explicitly say they weren't allowed to go.

The wording was very subtle, merely reminding long-term partners to "prudently evaluate supply chain security risks" and "consciously abide by existing technical framework cooperation agreements."

But for these old foxes who had spent years in the business world, who couldn't understand the subtext?

To go, or not to go?

That was the question.

...

At the same time, that top-floor office, which had been a mess not long ago, had already regained its usual tidiness.

The blonde man sat alone in his leather chair, the screen in front of him frozen on that announcement from the Xia Academy of Sciences.

He stared at the small print "Three days later at 10:00 AM" for a long, long time.

Then, he slowly reached out his hand and lightly tapped that date on the screen with his long index finger.

"Three days later..."

His voice was low, echoing not at all in the empty office.

In those blue eyes, the previous rage had already faded, replaced by a wolf-like coldness and scrutiny.

...

The next day.

As the storm outside intensified, Lin Yuan did not step foot out of his door.

The reason declared to the public was that he was racing against time to organize the PDK technical documents concerning the future of Xia's chip industry.

In reality, he was leisurely reclining on his bed, occasionally picking up his phone to enjoy the global commotion he had personally directed with great interest.

Until it was nearly noon.

In the depths of Lin Yuan's consciousness, a light blue screen that only he could see suddenly lit up, accompanied by a crisp and pleasant notification sound that was like heavenly music.

[Current Lie: I possess the complete set of commercial PDKs from 28nm to 10nm.]

[Total confidence: 100%]

The lie had, once again, become reality!

Seeing this, Lin Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, sat up from the bed, and curled his lips into a playful arc.

Everything was ready.

He just had to wait three days for the curtain to rise on that show of the century.

...

Time passed in a flash amidst the anxious waiting and speculation of countless people.

The day of the press conference, Xia International Convention Center.

Before the sky was fully bright, countless reporters were already waiting anxiously outside the cordon, carrying their heavy camera equipment, their faces of various skin tones written with the same excitement, tension, and scrutiny.

At nine o'clock sharp in the morning, the venue officially opened.

The ultra-large main hall, which could accommodate thousands, was completely filled by a dense crowd in less than half an hour, with every seat taken.

In the front row were the chief reporters of major international news agencies, their lenses already locked onto the empty rostrum.

The middle and back rows were filled with invited representatives from tech companies.

They had varying expressions.

Some had furrowed brows and were whispering to each other.

Some were full of anticipation and restless.

More were talking in low voices with those beside them, their eyes flickering as they calculated something.

The air was filled with the faint hum of equipment cooling, the bursts of flashes from test shots, and a thick smell of gunpowder called "witnessing history."

Everyone understood.

What was about to happen here today would be another manifesto of the century capable of rewriting the global technological landscape.

When the clock hand, under the gaze of thousands, pointed steadily to 9:58.

At the rear side of the hall, the heavy wooden door used for VIP entry was silently pushed open from the inside by staff.

Swish—!

All the lenses in the room turned at the same moment, locking onto that entrance.

Under the focus of countless burning, questioning, and expectant gazes...

...two figures stepped out, one after the other.

Walking in front was the President of the Xia Academy of Sciences, Chen Jingshan.

In a well-tailored dark suit, his hair combed meticulously, his elegant face wore a gentle and steady expression that remained unchanged even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him.

And half a step behind him...

...was a man who was extremely young but made all the tech moguls and business giants present feel a catch in their breath.

Lin Yuan.

Facing the blinding matrix of flashes and the live broadcast lenses of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, there was no trace of the stage fright or awkwardness typical of his age on his face.

He had one hand casually tucked in his trouser pocket, his figure upright, and a faint, knowing smile on his lips.

The two of them walked like this, step by step, unhurriedly through the red-carpeted aisle.

Stepping to the heartbeat of the crowd that had suddenly fallen silent, they walked onto the press conference stage located in the center of the hall, which attracted the eyes of the whole world.

The press conference began!