162: Made some small breakthroughs

Meanwhile, Li Peng of BYD was sitting with several core technical personnel, with some public industry reports and the data sent by Ji Jun displayed on the tablet in front of them.

"Search again!" Li Peng's voice was very low but his tone was urgent, "Use all our industry connections to investigate the material suppliers Xinghe Group has contacted in the past three years, the research institutions it has cooperated with—don't miss any clue!"

"President Li," a technical director said with a bitter face, "We have already pulled many strings, but Xinghe Group's confidentiality work is too good."

"The information we found, besides acquiring an obscure battery manufacturing plant some time ago, shows they have almost no other movements in the battery field."

"This is illogical!" Li Peng said in disbelief, "An enterprise cannot conjure disruptive technology out of thin air, and if they didn't have disruptive technology, they wouldn't dare hold a press conference with such a grand scale."

"They must have gone through some secret channels, such as cooperating with foreign laboratories or poaching a top team."

"Today's demonstration is key; you must keep a close eye on it. From energy density to charging speed, and then to safety tests, no data point can be overlooked!"

Tesla's Vice President for China, on the other hand, appeared relatively calm. He was conversing with his assistant, a professional smile on his face as usual.

"Their equity structure is very interesting," he said, looking at the background information about Xinghe Group on his phone, with a hint of playfulness in his tone, "Jiang Chen holds 99% of the shares, Ji Jun 1%, a typical founder absolute control model."

"This model allows for quick decisions, but it also means all R&D risks are borne by the individual, leading to high trial-and-error costs in new fields."

"So, do we need to prepare contingency plans in advance?" the assistant asked professionally.

"Of course," the Vice President smiled slightly, his gaze sharp, "Prepare two sets of plans. If the technology is real, contact their legal and business teams immediately to discuss exclusive cooperation and prioritize securing our electric vehicle supply chain."

"If it's fake, or the technology isn't mature enough, hehe..."

He let out a cold laugh and did not continue.

Yu Da Zui and Apple's Senior Vice President of Global Supply Chain unexpectedly met in the corridor. Both recognized each other, but only nodded symbolically without further exchange before leading their respective teams into the lounge.

After Yu Da Zui entered, he whispered to his secretary, "The data President Ji sent me, I had the technical department calculate it, and it's theoretically feasible."

"But theory and reality are two different things. Today, I must witness the physical demonstration and obtain first-hand data. If it's real, our 'Kirin Battery' project will need immediate adjustment."

Lei Bu Si, however, seemed somewhat different. He didn't discuss technical details with his team members but instead recalled the data in the email.

"Da Mi's path might need to accelerate because of today's press conference," he murmured.

Although everyone's thoughts differed, they all shared a common point: if the Solid-State Battery Technology announced by Xinghe Group was true, then it would indeed be a revolution, just like the theme of today's press conference, completely changing the landscape of the new energy market.

Just as everyone was still in the lounge, lost in their own thoughts, a staff member knocked on the door of each lounge.

"Distinguished guests, the press conference is about to begin. Please follow me to the main venue."

As the words fell, the lounge doors were opened one by one.

Under the guidance of the staff, Professor Zhang, Li Peng, Tesla's Strategic Director, Apple's Vice President, Yu Da Zui, Lei Bu Si, as well as representatives from other mobile phone manufacturers and car manufacturers, successively emerged from their respective lounges and walked along the corridor towards the main venue.

In the corridor, people brushed past each other; some nodded in greeting, while others kept their eyes straight ahead. An invisible tension filled the air.

Soon, everyone was guided to the entrance of the main venue on the other side of the viewing floor.

The doors opened, revealing a hall already packed to capacity. The gaze of hundreds of media reporters instantly focused, and the clicking of camera shutters filled the air.

Under the guidance of the staff, they walked to the first row of seats and took their places. Ji Jun and Xu Jinzhong also sat in the first row, personally accompanying these important guests, chatting with them from time to time.

There were five minutes left until the official start of the press conference.

In the newsroom behind the main stage of the press conference, Jiang Chen wore a headset, holding a speech manuscript in his right hand and a solid-state battery in his left.

He was not looking at the manuscript at this moment.

Instead, his gaze passed through a gap in the stage, falling on the guest seats in the first row.

Professor Zhang, Li Peng, Tesla's Vice President for China, Apple's Vice President, Yu Da Zui, Lei Bu Si... and domestic car manufacturers and other manufacturers—familiar faces, or faces he had only seen on his phone before, were all seated there, with various expressions.

Jiang Chen's gaze quickly swept across their faces, and a calm feeling of 'it's finally about to begin' suddenly rose in his heart.

A calm powerful enough to overturn this market.

Zhu Zhe quietly walked over and whispered, "Chairman Jiang, one minute left."

"I know."

Jiang Chen nodded slightly, took a deep breath, put the solid-state battery into his pocket, adjusted the collar of his suit, and then walked towards the center of the stage.

The next second, the lights in the venue suddenly dimmed.

On the giant LED screen on the stage, the four characters "Battery Revolution" appeared.

A spotlight accurately shone on him.

All eyes focused on the helmsman of Xinghe Group.

The entire venue instantly fell silent, with only the dense clicking of hundreds of camera shutters echoing in the air.

Jiang Chen stood under the spotlight, a perfectly appropriate smile on his face, and his voice, transmitted through his headset and the venue's sound system, reached every corner:

"Good morning, distinguished guests and media friends."

"I am Jiang Chen, and I welcome everyone to today's press conference."

"Today, I am not here to release a new mobile phone, nor am I here to launch a new car."

He paused, his gaze deepened slightly, and his tone became a few shades more solemn:

"What we are here to discuss today is energy, the core power driving the future."

"As you all know, over the past decade or so, countries around the world have been striving to find more efficient, safer, and cleaner energy solutions, and countless scientists and engineers have dedicated immense effort to this."

"Today, I am honored to tell you that Xinghe Group has made a small breakthrough on this path."

He raised his hand, gesturing towards the large screen behind him. The "Battery Revolution" on the screen changed to the characters "Xinghe Power · Energy Revolution."