Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 202 This is unlike any work we've ever done before (1 words)

Miller has always liked the Leipzig Trade Fair, seeing it as a rare opportunity to sell high-end liberal goods to the socialist camp.

Although the liberal camp does not buy products produced by the socialist camp, the socialist camp cannot produce high-end goods on its own and has to buy products from the liberal camp.

The Soviets wouldn't dare ban it, and even if they did, they would have countless ways to sell the goods to the socialist camp.

Therefore, every Leipzig Trade Fair fully satisfied Miller's vanity.

Especially in the electronics exhibition sector.

Looking at the most advanced products touted by the socialist camp, which at best could only be compared to products from the liberal camp a few years ago, Miller felt a surge of superiority.

This stemmed from both the sense of superiority derived from being West Germany, the leading power, and tangible benefits.

He can arbitrarily lower prices, reducing the prices of socialist goods while conveniently raising the prices of liberal goods in his possession.

Although it may be said that socialist products are not selling well, who doesn't have a few poor relatives in East Germany?

For him, selling East German goods to West Germany at the lowest possible price was also a considerable source of extra income.

That's right, he's a sales manager at BV.

BV's original name is too long, but all you need to know is that it was an electronics retailer in West Germany in the 60s.

The English company Bell Punch designed and manufactured the ANITA calculator (the world's first electronic calculator), and BV was responsible for its sales in West Germany. BV launched the ANITA at the Hamburg Commercial Equipment Exhibition on October 10, 1961.

Miller, dressed in a sharp suit and holding an ANITA brochure, walked steadily through the exhibition hall.

He was very confident because IBM didn't care about the electronic calculator market at all, and General Electric in America didn't care about the small market of East Germany. Therefore, ANITA was a game-changer here.

Miller himself didn't think he was looking for clients; he felt like he was surveying his own territory.

This delicious cake will be exclusively enjoyed by BV.

Miller looked at the banner above his head that read "800th Anniversary" and thought, "800th anniversary is great! The more grand the celebration, the better. It means more exhibitors and buyers will come to the event, which means their share of the pie will be even bigger."

Inside the exhibition hall, colorful booths showcased the latest technologies from various countries.

He would sometimes stop to talk to potential customers and introduce the ease of use of ANITA; at other times he would observe other booths and keep an eye out for potential competitors.

"Our latest product, of course, is leading the world. It is the best electronic calculator of this era. If you need a calculator with simple functions, ANITA is definitely your best choice," Miller said confidently.

Standing before him was his old friend, Hermann Schmidt, the purchasing manager of the East German state-owned store.

The term "old friend" should be in quotes because Miller views the other party as a sucker waiting to be fleeced.

Hermann Schmidt was clearly aware of this, but there was nothing he could do about it, because Bell Punch's distributor throughout Germany was BV.

Every year, Miller would sell a batch of high-priced ANITA to the other party. These high-priced ANITA were even second-hand goods that had been repaired. However, Hermann Schmidt had no right to refuse because the American goods were more expensive.

He felt something was off this time. When he introduced ANITA’s upcoming new product, the other party’s expression was not one of eagerness and anticipation, but rather a half-smile.

“Miller, you’re right, but will the electronic calculator you’re launching next year be able to calculate trigonometric functions?” Hermann Schmidt asked.

Miller was a little confused: "Of course not, this is a function that only computers can perform. Who would use a calculator to calculate trigonometric functions?"

Hermann Schmidt then asked, "What about logarithms or exponentials?"

Miller was getting impatient: "What you're talking about is what computers do. If you have that need, you should ask IBM. Oh, I forgot, IBM can only sell you products from five years ago."

Hermann Schmidt suggested, "I think you should check out the Chinese booth."

Miller may not have entered through the main entrance, or perhaps the Chinese flag on the poster subconsciously prevented him from carefully reading the contents.

In short, he didn't know that the flagship product brought by the Chinese this year was the calculator.

He blurted out, "China, I know that China's Panda brand radios are good, but do they also make calculators?"

Among the products Miller brought back from East Germany to West Germany, the Panda brand radios from China were indeed the best-selling, because they were of good quality and inexpensive, making them the most popular among West Germans.

So when the other party mentioned China, Miller subconsciously associated it with pandas.

Judging solely from the Panda brand radio, China's electronics industry is indeed not weak.

More accurately, it is considered one of the stronger ones among its fellow sufferers, socialism.

Hermann Schmidt added with a smile, "Yes, the Panda calculator they brought this year can not only calculate more complex functions such as trigonometric functions, logarithms, and exponents, but it is also much smaller than your ANITA."

Upon hearing this, Miller instinctively retorted, "Impossible! Our technology is the most advanced in all of Europe."

How could the Chinese possibly manufacture products so much more advanced than ours?

He didn't believe it at all.

It's worth noting that Bell Punch, the company that manufactured ANITA, is a long-established electronics company founded in 1878. It primarily produced public transportation ticketing machines and later expanded into areas such as movie theaters, racetrack ticketing systems, taxi meters, and mechanical calculators.

In Miller's mind, the only companies that could rival Bella Punch were those monster companies in America.

In Miller's mind, IBM, the blue giant, was an invincible force, a monster among monsters. This idea was further ingrained in his mind after he visited the Technology Ark in New York.

Hermann Schmidt feigned confusion: "Us? Does Bell Punch know that it's part of the same group as its distributors?"

Looking at Miller's dazed expression, he felt a sense of relief.

Miller, on the other hand, finally came to his senses. He finally understood why things had gone wrong in promoting ANITA in Leipzig today. Although these people still gave him face, not a single one placed an order.

This time he finally understood that it was the Chinese who were behind it all.

Miller thought to himself, "I'd like to see what good stuff the Chinese have brought."

As he approached a booth marked with the Chinese flag, the commotion caught his attention; it was indeed much more lively than the other booths.

A small electronic calculator was displayed on the stand, attracting a large number of visitors.

Miller squeezed through the crowd, his eyes fixed on the machine.

The demonstrator was operating the equipment skillfully, and a string of numbers quickly appeared on the screen.

"Look, this calculator can not only perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, but also calculate trigonometric functions and logarithms!" the demonstrator enthusiastically introduced in German, his fingers flying across the keys. He typed "sin(45)", and the screen almost instantly displayed "0.71".

Next, he demonstrated logarithmic calculations at an astonishing speed.

"Our XM-01 allows you to adjust the calculation precision. If you want to adjust it to calculate to four decimal places, you can do so here. However, the price for higher precision is a slight sacrifice in running speed, and the result feedback will take longer."

After a series of operations, the Chinese demonstrators recalculated SIN45, and the result displayed became 0.707.

Miller's eyes widened, and his heart raced.

"How is this possible?" he muttered to himself, the image of ANITA flashing through his mind.

That calculator, which excels at basic arithmetic and is popular in offices and business settings, is completely incapable of handling scientific calculations.

He felt a chill run down his spine: "If this machine enters the market, ANITA's sales will definitely be impacted, especially for business owners and engineers, this calculator is simply revolutionary!"

He forced himself to calm down, approached the booth, and tried to gather more information. He politely asked the demonstrator, "When will this calculator be available? What will the price be?"

Miller was actually cursing the Chinese man in front of him. He felt that his territory had been destroyed, the cake had been eaten, and his wonderful 800th anniversary Leipzig sweep was completely ruined.

He simply couldn't imagine who would need ANITA in front of this device called XM-01.

The Chinese demonstrator smiled and replied, "This is our latest prototype. The specific release date is yet to be determined, but we believe it will change the field of computing."

Miller felt that the other party's words were vague and that they were clearly unwilling to reveal trade secrets.

Little did he know that this was because China was producing such a globally leading electronic device for the first time, and had no idea what price to set.

The comrade in charge of foreign trade in Yanjing had a serious disagreement with Area 51 on pricing.

This time, Area 51 is absolutely not sure about a low price.

Miller frowned, feeling anxious.

He looked around, trying to find brochures or technical specifications, but there were only simple display boards on the booth.

He pulled out his notebook and quickly jotted down the details he observed: its compact size, clear display, and scientific computing capabilities. He knew he had to report this to BellPunch immediately.

Miller strode toward the fair's communications center, where telephone and telegraph services were available for exhibitors to handle emergencies.

He pushed open the glass door, and the staff behind the counter were busy answering phones. He waited in line, clutching his notebook, his mind already racing with thoughts of the conversation he was about to have.

When it was his turn, he took a deep breath and said to the staff, "I need to make an international call to BellPunch in London, it's urgent!"

The staff member nodded, handed him a phone, and dialed a number. Schmidt waited anxiously, the phone ringing in his ears.

"Hello, this is BellPunch." A steady voice came from the other end of the phone.

“Johnson? This is Miller Matthias, calling from Leipzig!” Miller tried to keep his voice calm, but his tone was urgent.

"Miller? What's up so late?" Sales Director Johnson asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

Leipzig is an hour ahead of London; it was already afternoon in London at that time.

"Sir, I saw a calculator from the socialist camp at the expo, from China. It can not only do basic calculations, but also handle scientific calculations such as trigonometric functions and logarithms! This poses a serious threat to our ANITA!" Schmidt said in one breath, his voice trembling slightly.

"What? Are you sure? Scientific calculations?" Johnson's voice suddenly rose, clearly shocked by the news.

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes! They are demonstrating it live. It is very powerful, easy to operate, and much smaller than ANITA."

"If ANITA were a cardboard box, it would only be the size of a lunchbox," Schmidt emphasized, recalling the scene at the booth.

"This is impossible!" Johnson screamed, followed by a long silence, as if he was processing the information.

Miller said with a wry smile, "Of course I hope it's impossible, but I saw it with my own eyes. The Chinese really did bring such a calculator that was ahead of its time."

Johnson asked, "Are you sure this isn't a smokescreen by the Chinese?"

Miller said, "I'm absolutely certain because I saw it with my own eyes. It has no cables, it's even battery-powered, and the battery life is beyond my comprehension."

I find it hard to imagine how many difficulties the Chinese people overcame to create such equipment.

Oh, by the way, its name is Panda.

Clearly, pandas are famous, and China's image in the industry has been linked to pandas from the outset.

Johnson snapped out of his daze: "Can you gather more details? Like the manufacturer, model, and launch plan? It would be best if you could take pictures of their internal structure and fax them over."

Miller gave another wry smile: "You overestimate me. This is their trade secret. How could they possibly reveal it to me at a trade fair?"

I only asked about the price, but they wouldn't reveal much, only saying it was a prototype.

Miller continued, "I'm not worried about it affecting our market. After all, it's unrealistic for a socialist product to enter the liberal market in large quantities."

My concern is that once IBM, GE, or Texas Instruments see this, they might build similar calculators ahead of time. In that case, our market, our customers, especially those who need scientific computing, will all turn to such calculators.

We don't have much time left!

Despite his arrogance and greed, Miller was very clear-headed.

“Okay, I understand.” Johnson’s tone became decisive. “I’ll call the team to discuss this immediately. You continue to observe and gather any useful information. Stay in touch!”

"Understood, sir!" Miller hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief, but the pressure in his heart did not lessen.

He knew that the emergence of the XM-01 was likely to change the competitive landscape of calculators.

Giants that initially looked down on this field are likely to enter the fray one after another.

More features mean higher pricing, which in turn means greater demand, resulting in larger profits and scale.

In the past, the giants looked down on it, but from now on, that may not be the case.

The headquarters of Bell Punch in London is located in a modern office building.

Johnson hung up the phone, his brow furrowed. He strode towards the conference room, calling his assistant along the way: "Notify Smith in engineering and Thompson in marketing that there will be an emergency meeting in ten minutes!"

In the conference room, several core members arrived one after another.

Johnson stood in front of the whiteboard and began in a serious tone: “Gentlemen, I just received a call from Miller, the West German distributor. At the Leipzig Trade Fair, a brand new calculator appeared that can perform scientific calculations, including trigonometric functions and logarithms. This is a potential threat to our ANITA.”

Smith, the head of the engineering department, adjusted his glasses, frowned, and asked, "Scientific computing? What specific functions does it involve? What is their technical level?"

“Schmidt mentioned functions including sine, cosine, and logarithmic functions, and that the machine is compact and easy to operate,” Johnson replied. “He saw a demonstration, and it was very fast.”

"That can't be right, can it?" Smith said with some skepticism. "Our ANITA uses transistor technology, which is already very advanced. Scientific computing requires much more complex circuits. How did they manage to do that? Do the Chinese have that kind of technology?"

“Perhaps it’s some kind of new chip, or they’ve optimized the algorithm,” interjected Thompson, the marketing manager. “But whatever the technical details, if this calculator enters the market, especially in a key market like West Germany, we might lose our customers.”

“No, there’s no need to worry about that. Chinese products can’t get in,” Smith analyzed, showing no concern whatsoever.

Johnson tapped the table: "Sorry, we call this kind of calculator a scientific calculator. Scientific calculators from China can't get in, so what about scientific calculators that other manufacturers imitate and make?"

For example, IBM, or Texas Instruments, can't they get in either?

We can't just sit here and wait to die!

Johnson was furious.

Smith said, "ANITA is designed for business and office use, focusing on basic computing. Adding scientific features would significantly increase the cost and complexity."

More importantly, we have absolutely no idea how the Chinese did it.

“I also believe we can’t just sit idly by,” Thompson said firmly. “If our competitors launch such products, we must respond. If Chinese products can’t get in, is it possible for us to buy the technology from China?”

“China is different from us; their technology isn’t something you can just buy,” Smith cautioned.

He continued, "And we need to confirm the reality of this threat. What Schmidt saw may be a prototype, not necessarily something that can be mass-produced."

Johnson nodded: "I think we need more intelligence. Thompson, contact our contacts in the socialist industry and see if we can learn more about this calculator. I don't believe it was entirely made by the Chinese themselves, without any cooperation from other socialist countries."

Mr. Smith, convene the R&D team to fully assess the feasibility of adding scientific functions to ANITA.

“Furthermore,” he paused, “we can send someone to Leipzig to verify Miller’s report in person. Time is of the essence; we must act swiftly.”

Following the meeting, a flurry of activity swept through BellPunch. Engineers worked through the night reviewing technical documents and discussing how to upgrade ANITA's circuit design.

The marketing department contacted socialism's partners via telegram and telephone in an attempt to uncover more leads.

Bell Punch is just one example.

All the manufacturers who came to the Leipzig Trade Fair had only one reaction after seeing the newly launched XM-01 from China: to place an order.

If it's something I can decide for myself, I'll decide for myself, and I'm willing to spend all of my budget to place an order.

Those who couldn't make decisions on their own, or felt they had too little disposable purchasing quota, frantically contacted headquarters, requesting more purchasing quota.

In short, the Chinese booth was packed with people from the very first day of the Leipzig Trade Fair.

The sounds of quoting prices, inquiries, and probing questions rose and fell.

Li Mingde, who was in charge of leading the team, had never seen such a scene before.

Even when Panda brand radios were popular among the Socialism camp, these buyers had never been this enthusiastic.

It's like money isn't money. The purchase price per unit has gone from the initial $1000 to now being quoted as high as $5,000.

However, Li Mingde knew very well that these people had ulterior motives.

Because their high prices come with a condition: they require you to deliver the goods as soon as possible, and they only order about ten units at a time.

Isn't the purpose obvious?
So, how did you reverse engineer it?

This is why Li Mingde is a Socialist, so these Western European buyers naturally wanted to drive down the price.

In reality, if they only sold one unit, they would all have to pay the $10,000 price tag.

Currently, IBM's mainframe computers range in price from $13 to $550 million.

The Chinese-made XM-01 certainly can't compare to IBM in terms of accuracy and applications, but the Chinese-made one is cheaper.

The XM-01, equipped with scientific computing capabilities, can largely replace the work of traditional minicomputers.

Compared to small computers that cost tens of thousands of dollars, China's XM-01 has a huge advantage.

Everyone wants to copy it as quickly as possible and seize this market.

This market is just too wonderful.

Seizing the opportunity only costs five thousand US dollars, which clearly shows they think Chinese people don't know what's good for them.

Li Mingde was also aware of this, and in his telegram back, he wrote:

To Yanjing:

The Leipzig Trade Fair is in a state of emergency.

Our advanced calculator exhibit attracted significant attention, with buyers from multiple countries submitting offers. Some buyers clearly intended to purchase and crack it to investigate our technological secrets. The delegation was deeply perplexed about pricing, fearing a misjudgment of the balance between market demand and technology protection.

We urgently need domestic guidance and hope to quickly discuss pricing strategies to protect our technological advantages and ensure market interests.

I look forward to your reply.

"Chinese delegation"

After the telegram was sent back to Yanjing, the atmosphere in the conference room there became very serious.

The pricing of the XM-01 was discussed between the staff of Area 51 in Yanjing and their colleagues in foreign trade.

This time, Dean Qian came to Yanjing to report on his work and personally communicated with Fang Yi.

The personal debate among the bigwigs made the atmosphere exceptionally tense.

Because if we still can't reach an agreement, we'll have to go up another level.

Essentially, that's all the good stuff the country has.

Finally, they had something decent to offer, but everyone was still extremely conflicted.

Fang Yi was dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, his face serious, holding a telegram in his hand, his brows furrowed.

As someone who has always been in charge of the economy, working in coastal areas, Shanghai, the financial sector, and even guiding economic work in Baiyue, he naturally understands how Dean Qian and his colleagues are thinking.

But the economy is never just about economics.

It's not that you can set any amount you want; you have to consider everything.

Fang Yi broke the silence first, handing the telegram to Dean Qian:
"Dean Qian, you see, what we need to assess now is not just the pricing issue, but also whether we should proceed with our original plan to export our calculators to the liberal camp through Finland."

Dean Qian nodded and said, "We must export to the free camp. Only by going there can we set a high price so that there is a market to absorb the production capacity of XM-01."

In today's context of strained trade relations between Soviet Russia and us, the snowball effect can only be achieved by setting high prices, selling to the liberal camp, reinvesting the foreign exchange earnings, maintaining the leading advantage of our products, and continuing to sell at high prices.

Only then can we maintain our advantage.

Fang Yi said gravely, “Dean Qian, this matter is not so simple.”

Your point of view is very reasonable, and I am also well aware that doing so is the most advantageous in terms of economic benefits.

But as you just said, only by setting a high price and selling to the liberal camp can they absorb our products.

This also means that our products will have limited sales within the Socialism camp, which could affect our relations with countries in the camp.

To put it more bluntly, our pricing strategy maximizes economic benefits, but from a political perspective, how will foreign comrades view us? If our products only focus on economic benefits, will we still pursue the path of national unity?

Even domestically, this could become a reason for others to attack us.

Fang Yi has already made it very clear.

If it weren't Dean Qian who came, he wouldn't have spoken so directly.

Fang Yi continued, "And as you said, our product is now world-leading, and the free camp doesn't have it either. They want to buy it and reverse engineer it."

But Dean Qian, have you considered what if, I mean what if, at this price, a large quantity were sold to the liberal camp?

They reverse-engineered it; for example, if you earn $5000 million this year, we'll inflate the figure.

After they cracked the code, you failed to achieve the snowball effect you expected. Instead, the other side, leveraging their alliance advantage, quickly seized the market.

We didn't even reach 50 million in the first year, 30 million in the second year, and 10 million in the third year.

How will you explain this? How will you account for it internally? You should think carefully: even if no one is held accountable at that point, won't you and your colleagues at the Academy of Sciences be affected?
Despite earning the country $80 million in valuable foreign exchange over three years, they received no benefit whatsoever.

Dean Qian, I understand the principles of economic operation very well, and I also understand whether your thinking is right or wrong.

But things are not as simple as you think.

We need to consider the overall picture from a holistic perspective.

In the past, the Bureau of Foreign Economic Relations has consistently disagreed with your proposal, not because we were targeting you, but because we respect the experts at the Academy of Sciences and acknowledge the achievements you have made for the country.

None of our colleagues who used the Panda brand electronic calculators had anything bad to say about them. Having had access to Soviet and East German products, we knew very well that our own products were far superior.

Far ahead.

Their electronic calculator, despite its large size, is far less efficient at calculations than our Panda brand calculator.

Therefore, the reason why our comrades do not agree to high prices and do not want you to sell to the liberal camp, but to take a low-price route to serve countries in Eastern Europe and Latin America, is actually to protect you.

Since you've come in person today, I'll explain the logic behind this to you in detail.

Dean Qian's expression became even more somber this time.

He used to think that the problem was only with Fang Yi.

Unexpectedly, there was such a deeper meaning.

What the other party said makes a lot of sense.

Many of the things they said even touched his heart.

He also knew that following Fang Yi's advice, although there would be no extra profits, it would at least be much safer.

The question is, can a more conservative approach really surpass America's?
Can Winner really catch up with America's progress in replicating the Raspberry Pi?

If they don't generate foreign exchange and buy more precision instruments and equipment from abroad, how can they maintain their leading position?

Dean Qian thought of the Raspberry Pi, the rapid development of the Silicon Valley computer industry he had seen in foreign science and technology magazines, and IBM's technological ark. He simply couldn't afford to play it safe.

Seeking stability means missing out on the hard-won glimmer of hope in this invisible competition.

Feedback from the Leipzig site confirmed that their panda-themed electronic calculator, just as they had predicted, had a broad market.

This means that a large amount of foreign exchange can enable them to import a large number of valuable and sophisticated equipment, academic journals, and more infrastructure.

After thinking for a moment, Dean Qian said, "Director Fang, thank you for your kindness, I fully understand."

But it's not that I wanted to take the risk; it's that at such a critical moment, we had no choice but to.

If it weren't for the Raspberry Pi, or if they didn't know about the existence of the Raspberry Pi and alien technology, Dean Qian would definitely have chosen the safer path, which is the path Fang Yi pointed out to them.

But it was precisely because they were very clear about what they were going to do and how high a mountain they were going to climb that they knew so well.

They cannot miss any opportunity, not even the smallest one, let alone an opportunity like this.

"Director Fang, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll report this to my superiors, and you can wait for further instructions." After saying this, Dean Qian shook hands with Director Fang, packed his notebook, grabbed his briefcase, and left.

Director Fang didn't know about Raspberry Pi, but he could sense something unusual from Dean Qian's expression, the explosive growth of China's semiconductor industry, and the recent activities of scientists.

Therefore, after Dean Qian left, Director Fang sighed inwardly and silently prayed for him.

He also wanted to do something to protect some people.

"Respected comrades, I would like to make an important suggestion today, which concerns the long-term development of science and technology and the economy of our country."

Our research team has developed a world-leading electronic calculator that can not only perform basic calculations but also handle scientific calculations such as trigonometric functions and logarithms. This achievement far surpasses that of the West, demonstrating the superiority of our system.

However, to catch up with America's leading position in the semiconductor industry, we urgently need precision instruments and advanced technologies, which can only be imported from liberal countries.

Therefore, we need a large amount of foreign exchange. I suggest that we sell our calculators to liberal countries such as Western Europe and America through entrepot trade via Finland to earn foreign exchange.

Direct sales are not feasible. COCOM, a Western country, restricts technology exports, and direct transactions would cause unnecessary trouble. Finland, as a neutral country, has a long-standing trade relationship with us, such as in the export of papermaking machinery, while maintaining close ties with the West. They could buy calculators from us and then export them under their own name, thus avoiding political risks.

I understand your concerns about technology leaks. Therefore, we have incorporated design features to minimize the risk of reverse engineering during the design phase.

Furthermore, while the calculator is advanced, its advancement lies more in its concept. The real challenge for the competitor lies in the light-emitting diode (LED), but America has many companies researching LED manufacturing. Our leading advantage is limited, and we must continue to increase R&D to maintain our leading edge.

Foreign exchange earnings will be used to import equipment, train talent, and ultimately achieve technological self-reliance, narrowing the gap with America.

Comrades, this is a strategic opportunity to leverage our technological advantages and drive national development. I earnestly request approval of this plan to add new impetus to national construction!
Comrades, I fully understand the sensitivity of this plan. I reiterate that this is not a compromise with the liberal camp, but rather using our technological advantages to serve our own interests. The foreign exchange will be directly used to strengthen our nation and reduce our dependence on the West. We can emphasize the strategic significance of this plan through propaganda, explaining its necessity to our comrades internally.

Dean Qian tried his best to gain understanding in public talks with various parties.

In private, within a small group of people who know Raspberry Pi, he was even more blunt:
"Our advantages are very limited. In terms of technology itself, we don't actually have any advantages."

America can make the transistors we can make, and she can make the LEDs we can make, within six months of America getting her hands on them.

If we don't seize the market share of the free camp, it's tantamount to handing the market over to them for nothing.

If we don't sell to the free camp, won't other countries sell to us?

I'm sure that the electronic calculators we sold to East Germany would be on the desks of electronics companies in West Berlin the next day, in London the third day, and in IBM and Texas Instruments labs in America a week later.

"If we don't sell, it's tantamount to handing over the entire free market to others, which completely negates the effect of technology secrecy."

At the small meeting, Dean Qian spoke much more bluntly.

"What we need to do now is to seize every opportunity, accumulate resources, and turn those resources into our own driving force for scientific and technological research and development, as well as our scientific and technological research and development achievements."

As you all have seen, the benefits of semiconductor research and development are evident. In the past, we could only learn from Western newspapers how powerful their Deep Blue was and which famous human chess player it defeated.

Now that we have electronic calculators, we can intuitively feel the changes brought about by the development of semiconductor technology.

It can turn any ordinary person into a computing expert overnight.

What used to take a lot of time to learn the abacus can now be done in half a day, and it's much better and faster than using the abacus.

This is the advantage of technology.

Lin Ran's point about the technological singularity is absolutely true.

If America achieved the technological singularity while we did not, it would be a more worrying technological lead than the atomic bomb.

Dean Qian was completely open and honest, putting personal gains and losses aside.

The meeting room was filled with smoke, and everyone nodded frequently.

"I'm curious about something. The report you submitted said that you suspect Lin Ran is a product of alien technology. I'm also very interested in that."

After the other party finished speaking, he looked at Dean Qian. Dean Qian pondered for a moment and then said, "This is just a suspicion."

Because he can do what no one else could do in the past.

We suspect that America acquired alien technology and used it to modify her biologically, making her brain different from that of an ordinary person. Just as Einstein was suspected of having a super brain, we suspect that hers is a modified super brain.

After listening, the other party laughed and said, "I have a doubt. I suspect that the technological singularity that Lin Ran mentioned may not actually refer to artificial intelligence."

To be more precise, it doesn't necessarily refer only to artificial intelligence.

This may also include bioengineering technologies.

We assume that Lin Ran was modified by extraterrestrial biotechnology.

If such modifications could lead to the mass production of scientists like Lin Ran.

That's a terrible thing.

Or rather, America figured out part of the principle and managed to increase the success rate while minimizing the degree of mutation.

For example, the ability to collectively transform the intellectual level of their citizens, making everyone possess the intellectual capacity of a PhD. How terrifying would that be?

This can also lead to a technological singularity.

Our entire nation is only at the junior high or even primary school level. Literacy education at most teaches them to recognize characters, while the other side's nation is full of PhDs. Just thinking about this gap keeps me up at night.

The more we emphasize the importance of people, the more we need to realize that if the other side can achieve racial upgrading, like what Little Mustache always wanted to do, such as the so-called pure-blooded Aryans.

If America can truly achieve pure-blooded Americaan civilization through alien technology, giving them a natural advantage in intelligence, then catching up with them will be equally difficult for us.

This coincides with the concept of the technological singularity.

Therefore, when you are working in Area 51, you should also consider this aspect and think outside the box.

This is unlike any work we've done in the past.

This demonstrates his superior thinking framework; his imagination is even richer than that of Dean Qian.

After listening, Dean Qian felt that although what the other party said was far-fetched, from the perspective of all the intelligence in Area 51, he had to admit that it made a lot of sense.

"A technological singularity is not necessarily a technological singularity brought about by artificial intelligence; it could also be a technological singularity brought about by humanity itself," he concluded.

"I agree in principle with Dean Qian's proposal."

Since we don't know what America's bio-engineering equipment looks like, I guess it must be extremely large, so much so that even if White Horse wanted to give it to us, he couldn't.

There are two paths now: one is computers, and the other is bioengineering. We are completely clueless about the latter, and our talent pool is almost zero. For us, this is an area where we might not get any return even if we put in a lot of effort; at most, we can only keep an eye on it.

Another path we have taken is through computers. We have made significant progress. If our computer technology makes a breakthrough, even if the other side modifies humans, we can still catch up by using a human-computer hybrid model.

This path can also generate substantial foreign exchange earnings, and can be extended from radios to televisions, calculators, and computers. There is no reason for us not to invest in computers and related technologies.

My suggestion is to delegate all aspects of Area 51's research, development, production, and operations to them, treating them like any other company. Our top priority should be catching up with America; we'll only look at the results, nothing else!

(End of this chapter)