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Zheng Xiwen nodded in strong agreement. After listening to so much, he finally felt a sense of participation.

Zheng Xiwen has basically forgotten the life lessons his elementary school teacher taught him.

But he always remembered a sentence his Chinese teacher wrote on the blackboard on his first day of first grade.

"Everything is difficult at the beginning!"

It's normal to not know where to start when embarking on a new venture.

Hearing Qiao Yu say those words gave Zheng Xiwen a sliver of comfort.

After all, the fact that this young man seemed to have no idea how to proceed made Zheng Xiwen feel that he was more like a human being.

Humans need to be able to overcome some challenge. If everything they do is successful, even if Zheng Xiwen received a materialistic education from childhood, he would start to doubt that the world is somewhat idealistic.

"Don't rush. Given the efficiency of the Academy of Sciences, this project will not be officially approved until at least next month. You can consider finding a few more capable people to share the burden and brainstorm ideas."

Qiao Yu turned her head and looked at Zheng Xiwen with some surprise, feeling that the tacit understanding between the two had deteriorated.

"No, no, no, Uncle Zheng, that's not what I meant. Artificial intelligence has been developing for so many years, and general artificial intelligence is something that has emerged in response to this need."

I have absolute confidence in the theoretical aspects, especially now. The subsequent application is simply to implement the theoretical concepts in engineering.

It's actually not that difficult. When I said I didn't know where to start, I meant I was considering which chicken to kill. Lately, both Microsoft and Google have gotten a bit too cocky.

They actually collaborated with official institutions at Xida University to research optical coating technology. Moreover, this coating technology was designed to improve laser reflection.

As for why we need to research this technology, Uncle Zheng, you certainly know better than I do. Actually, I really admire the spirit of self-improvement that Xida University possesses.

But Microsoft, Google, and other companies that heavily supported this research are mostly making money off our patents!

Using money earned through our authorization to research technology intended to defend against the SkyShield system—that's just not right anywhere, is it?

Zheng Xiwen remained silent.

He was aware that the other side was researching these things, of course. But actually, no one, from top to bottom, felt there was anything wrong with it.

After all, this is how China has lived for so many years.

Every time the opponent makes a move and a match is played, China has to study various countermeasures for a long time and update the contents of the wargame library.

In fact, from Huaxia's perspective, this is a relatively healthy form of competition.

The original intention of the Sky Shield system project was never hard destruction, but soft kill.

To put it bluntly, China's strategic goal is to reshape the rules of air combat. In fact, this goal has already been achieved.

As for Xida's desire to develop defensive measures, this is perfectly acceptable in China's view. Moreover, many people consider it healthy competition.

With someone chasing from behind, the leader won't let his guard down.

This is actually quite similar to long-distance running.

If you turn around and see no one behind you, you naturally lose most of your energy.

On the contrary, you will only have the motivation to move forward if there are always people chasing you from behind.

Therefore, the aerospace engineers have been researching how to upgrade the SkyShield system.

They're working on spectral adaptive systems, orbital energy satellites, and supposedly researching microwave drones to coordinate with the SkyShield system for electromagnetic composite attacks.

With a frequency of 95GHz, various electronic devices can be paralyzed from 100 kilometers away.

Of course, there are still many technical bottlenecks to overcome, such as power combining and atmospheric transmission challenges.

If the other side simply gives up and stops striving to catch up, the motivation for research in this area will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, many bigwigs actually see competition as a good thing.

Moreover, to be honest, while China does not underestimate Xida's research capabilities, it doesn't really care about their ability to monetize their research.

Even if they do develop a similar coating technology, it would be very difficult to mass-produce it domestically.

The inertia of the decadent empire's fall from its pedestal has yet to show any signs of reversing.

Even though the other side is clearly no longer the world's number one, but only second, its internal conflicts remain significant.

To put it simply, the conflict on the other side is still raging. Given the extreme confusion on a mental level, it would be incredibly difficult for anyone who entered the White House to make any progress.

Especially the political legacy left by the previous administration... how should I put it? It's like a lump of golden poop.

It looks as tempting as gold, but once you get it on you, it smells terrible.

If you don't get involved at all, you can't unify your thoughts. Well, actually, even if you do get involved, it's the same.

In short, no one can replicate the legend of the previous leader. It just goes to show that even the art of winning has its limits.

For politicians, blatant lying is an essential skill. But the problem is that some things are so obvious that even an idiot could see through them.

They may not understand the reports released by the statistics bureau, but they can sense that prices are rising steadily.

They may not understand what the ever-increasing interest rates on US Treasury bonds mean, but they can sense that the stock market is shrinking every day and pension payments are becoming increasingly problematic.

They may not understand the international situation, but the gradual decline of Xida's international influence is a certainty.

They may not understand what the SkyShield system means, but they've heard almost nothing about air raids in recent years...

At this point, copying the Winning School approach would really invite ridicule.

Of course, these are not the real problems. The real problem is that when the empire is about to collapse, the wealthy people who rely on it are not thinking about turning the tide, but about making one last big profit and then finding the next safe haven.

For example, recently, the prices of various assets in China and some surrounding areas have begun to rise rapidly.

Of course, this does not mean that there are no insightful people in the empire who want to change all of this.

For example, the person who moved into the white house this time introduced many measures, including a technology revival plan, but unfortunately, in the late years of an empire, the damage caused by insightful people is often greater.

After all, technological revival requires real money.

Just like what a well-known figure at Xida University once said: "The most important thing is the economy, you idiot!"

The problem with Xida University now is actually related to its economy.

But there's no way around it; everyone who wants to get things done needs the support of the wealthy to move into the White House.

Although he can turn his back on people after he becomes successful, those wealthy people will also teach him how to behave.

After all, even if he wanted to push through any policy from inside the White House, he would still need to go through Congress. If the members of Congress were not on his side, he wouldn't be able to do anything even if he lived there.

Even if some policies are passed, their implementation is completely distorted. Basically, as long as the super-rich see business opportunities in the policies, they can usually be passed; otherwise, there will be endless wrangling and disputes.

Four years is just the beginning. In the next four years, someone else will take over and the process will continue until the empire collapses...

Even if the one in the white house is really disobedient, he might not be able to continue working for two years.

After all, the midterm elections will determine the fate of lawmakers. If he gets rid of all his supporters and becomes a lone figurehead, he can basically retire.

So now Northwest University has truly entered a vicious cycle where the harder you work, the worse things get.

Anyone with eyes can see where the problem lies, but no one has the power to turn the tide.

Only those who are in the thick of it know the true weight of the words "vested interests".

What's even more frightening is that this loosely organized group automatically weeds out those who are not suitable.

For example, when one of them suddenly realizes that this is wrong, he will naturally be attacked by the group.

Moreover, they are often even more ruthless when dealing with their own kind.

Therefore, in Zheng Xiwen's view, there is no need to cause trouble at this stage.

We should just quietly watch Xida continue its inertial development.

If you're going to do scientific and technological research and development, then do it...

This will help those aerospace teams secure more funding. That's how Star Wars was done back in the day.

"What? You don't agree with my idea. Actually, I can roughly understand the considerations above, but from my perspective, they are just testing me."

You need to constantly set a bottom line for them, and every now and then you need to find a way to tell them what things they absolutely cannot do. This way, you can keep them constantly arguing amongst themselves.

Qiao Yu spoke with conviction.

Zheng Xiwen nodded and asked, "So what do you plan to do?"

"Both Microsoft and Google have conducted related research. In particular, Microsoft Research's Type-Theoretic AGI Core research has greatly contributed to general artificial intelligence."

So you should call Brad Smith and David Hopkins from Google and tell them that Raindrop Technology needs all the information about Microsoft's AI-related research projects.

Have them compile all the relevant information, package it, and authorize it to Xiyu Technology for use in general artificial intelligence research.

It's unfair to say that they can contribute money, manpower, and resources to support a seemingly useless project like optical coating, but are unwilling to support the development of artificial intelligence technology worldwide.

In return, when we finally develop our general artificial intelligence, we can license it to them at a 20% lower price than other companies.

Furthermore, I don't think companies like IBM need to exist anymore. They don't have a strong presence now anyway, and their business volume has shrunk significantly.

The company officially announced that after its license expires this year, FineRain Technology will not renew its licenses for quantum simulation technology with IBM. As for the reason... just make one up for me.

Oh, and don't get the order of these two things mixed up. But you're smart enough not to get it wrong. Hey, don't blame me for asking you to do this.

You know, FineRain Technology is just a shell company; they can't afford to support those talented people. Sending them to negotiate would be completely ineffective. I can't exactly go to them myself to ask for things, can I?

I feel more at ease leaving this to you. You're sure to keep those seasoned veterans in check. Plus, you can play the novice; when they say it's difficult, just say you don't understand. They only care about the results, and foreigners buy into that.

Zheng Xiwen pursed his lips.

Why is he always blamed for these things? He's not Qiao Yu's personal secretary.
The key issue is directly asking people for research materials...

To be honest, Zheng Xiwen felt a little embarrassed to say it out loud.

Having been by Qiao Yu's side for a long time, I naturally know that researching these things costs money. And a lot of money at that.

This is especially true for cutting-edge technologies.

Scientists need to be supported, right?

These scientists may not have high material requirements, but the instruments and supercomputers they use for research are very expensive.

Engineers also need to be supported, and they are the majority of the workforce.

For an idea to come to fruition, it requires the efforts of thousands, or even tens of thousands, of engineers.

Even the salaries of those programmers are not modest.

Almost all successes are developed through repeated trial and error.

All those trials and errors are costs.

Now Qiao Yu is reaching out and wanting it right away. No wonder this guy thinks it's not difficult at all...

For a moment, Zheng Xiwen felt that Qiao Yu's attitude was a little too much.

However, considering the enormous profits these companies once made, it all seems perfectly reasonable.

After all, these companies made a lot of money in the past. It's time to pay them back.

Thinking about it this way, Zheng Xiwen easily overcame his inner moral compass and nodded in agreement: "Alright, I'll arrange this later."

"Yes, get everything arranged as soon as possible, then our project can get started. By the way, have Richard and his eldest son's complete medical reports come out yet? Their health should be able to support this lunar trip, right?"

"Yes, the results are in. The doctor said it looks perfectly fine so far. But this isn't the final result. We'll have to see how the training goes. As the aerospace center says, this kind of thing depends not only on physical condition but also on willpower."

Qiao Yu nodded and replied with a smile, "Yes, that's for sure. As long as he's physically okay, that's fine. If Richard doesn't even have this much willpower, there's no way to expect him to amount to anything."

If all else fails, we can switch to another group. But to be honest, I really think Richard and Thomas have a good chance. I think they'll definitely pass the test. How about we make a bet? I'll bet you a month's salary. I bet they can do it!

Zheng Xiwen shook his head decisively and said, "Sorry, I never make bets with people!"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yu sighed inexplicably.

"What you said reminds me of someone. He was like that back then. When I was still quite poor, he was already a rich kid."

Of course, that's not the point. The point is, he was the first rich kid I targeted, and I didn't get a single penny out of him! Then, when he offered to invest 40 million in me, I didn't care about his money anymore! Sigh…

But it doesn't matter anymore! You see, back then I was poor, and he was an unknown rich kid. Now I'm rich too, and he's still an unknown rich kid. This is his fate for life.

Zheng Xiwen remained silent. He knew, of course, that Qiao Yu was referring to Yu Wei.

He also knew that even now, Qiao Yu and Yu Wei still occasionally keep in touch.

In fact, Zheng Xiwen had investigated Yu Wei and always felt that if the introverted guy hadn't met Qiao Yu, he might have become a mathematician.

After all, Yu Wei can be said to possess two important qualities of a successful mathematician!
He is interested in mathematics and comes from a wealthy family.

What a pity... (End of Chapter)