Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 263 Sugar-coated bullets
Ah B never imagined that he would be involved in America's national security in his lifetime.

Li Ni was a little confused.

Every high-level executive, from God's perspective, will inevitably make foolish decisions. But from the perspective of the person in charge, when making decisions, they are basically making the local optimal solution that they can see at the time.

Li Ni's IQ and EQ are definitely on point. She understood immediately that the two decrees that CFO Fan Xin mentioned, which were only promulgated last year, were, in essence, aimed at Huawei.

The purpose is to prevent manufacturers with deep cooperative relationships with Huawei from listing on America's capital market.

The cooperation between these Chinese companies that were already listed on America and Huawei was nothing more than advertising Huawei on their own platforms.

Surely the Americans can't stop Pinduoduo from selling Huawei's digital products?

Of course, if the situation develops further, the US may restrict all Chinese companies listed in the US from purchasing Huawei's B2B communication equipment.

She asked softly, "Mr. Fan, have the two laws you just mentioned been implemented since they were promulgated last year and amended in the first half of this year?"

Fan Xin shook his head: "Based on our information gathering, including consultations with the law firms that cooperate with America, this law has never been implemented."

"Heh~" Li Ni chuckled. It seems that these two laws were originally intended to target Huawei, but by sheer accident, Huawei ended up being targeted by them instead.

"What are Nasdaq's demands?" Li Ni then asked.

Fan Xin did not answer.

Chen Rui spoke up: "Nasdaq's official statement is that they are going to launch an investigation into us."

To put it bluntly, everyone knows the real reason behind it.

If you want to add guilt, why bother?

The CEO of Morgan Stanley Greater China contacted me, hoping we could act as a go-between; they wanted to talk to Mr. Lin.

In terms of wealth, Lin Ran cannot be compared to Chen Rui, but in terms of social influence and official status in Laos and China, Chen Rui is far inferior to Lin Ran.

Even in Shanghai, if the Shanghai authorities were to choose between Apollo Technology and Bilibili, they would struggle with the decision, but would ultimately choose Apollo Technology without hesitation.

"Huang Min?" Li Ni asked.

Chen Rui nodded: "That's right, I can guess what they're going to talk about. Morgan wants to invest, and after the investment, we'll help them settle things."

Another point is to postpone the moon landing. Even if you could go, you can't go now.

You can only go up after America's Artemis Project succeeds.

It's really just about these two things.

Chen Rui's face was gloomy, feeling as if an unexpected disaster had befallen him.

Bilibili went public on Nasdaq in 2018, with Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America Merrill Lynch as the underwriters.

Merrill Lynch and America Bank merged during the 2008 financial crisis.

Bilibili's stock price plummeted 13% after news broke that the Nasdaq committee had decided to investigate the company.

Before Bilibili could even act as a go-between, the CEO of Morgan Stanley Greater China came knocking on their door.

The other party followed the same path as Lin Ran's father.

After Lin Ran's parents divorced, his father rarely appeared in his life except to provide living expenses. It was only when he graduated from university that his father wrote him a letter of recommendation, which provided a little help in his application for doctoral studies.

His father is a professor at a prestigious 985 university in Guangzhou.

Lin Ran didn't know how Morgan Stanley had persuaded his father.

However, people are built upon various social relationships, so if the other party wants to meet, then let's meet.

Lin Ran also wanted to see what kind of melon the Americans were selling.

"Professor Lin, hello! Seeing is believing, you are much younger than I imagined."

The other person had the air of a sophisticated financial professional, the kind of air most common among women in Shanghai's Lujiazui district. Lin Ran thought to himself that once the women in Lujiazui got older, whether they worked in state-owned enterprises, foreign companies, or private companies, they all had almost the same air about them.

They fawn over superiors while bullying inferiors; they are subservient in the beginning and obsequious in the end.

Lin Ran knew this so clearly because he had an internship in Lujiazui before going abroad.

"Hello, Ms. Huang," Lin Ran said, glancing at his Huawei watch. "I'm sorry, I have limited time. Please get straight to the point."

The other party nodded. "Okay, that's right. America hopes you can slow down your moon landing."

Lin Ran raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do we slow it down?"

Huang Min said, "It would be best if you waited until the Artemis program was successful before you went to the moon. The Artemis program is expected to be completed in 2024."

Lin Ran laughed: "Given the turmoil at NASA, is it really possible to complete it by 2024?"

"Of course, please have faith in America and NASA's capabilities. Fifty-two years ago, it was NASA that sent human astronauts to the moon." A confident smile appeared on Huang Min's face.

Lin Ran's smile faded: "It would only be possible if I were still at NASA."

Alright, I see you don't understand anything either; you're just a messenger.

Let me put it more clearly: why 2024, and why is this year so stressful?

Because next year is the midterm election, the Democratic Party does not want any unexpected factors to affect the midterm election.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties have 50 seats in the Senate, but they have a slight advantage due to the vice president's influence, and they also have a majority in the House of Representatives.

But next year's election is uncertain, especially given the sensitive situation in the Senate.

To elaborate further, members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years, while senators are elected every six years. Therefore, senators have greater status and power than members of the House of Representatives.

At the same time, 2022 is not a traditional Senate election year, but for various reasons, a total of 35 seats are up for re-election.

"For the White House, if they want to drag out both the 2022 and 2024 elections, it would be an unacceptable blow to the Democratic Party if a Chinese private space agency were to land on the moon before America, or even send Aldrin to the moon."

Ms. Huang, with just one command module launch, I wiped out half of NASA's top brass. Imagine what would happen if I launched another Apollo lunar module—how many people in Washington would be ousted by me next year? And how many more would be ousted from the White House in the presidential election three years from now?

Lin Ran's smile was full of mockery, stemming from the fact that the other party was acting as America's mouthpiece without understanding the situation.

Huang Min clapped and said, "Professor, your assessment of America's situation is very accurate, far more accurate than mine."

Since you are so aware of the impact your actions have on America, I suppose you wouldn't want to be America's enemy.

Lin Ran stated frankly: "I'm sorry, whether America is an enemy or a friend is not important to me. In any case, I will never leave China."

But with such a huge profit, what will America offer in exchange?

What price would America ask for if I didn't continue going to the moon?

That's the key point.

Huang Min replied, "You can gain the friendship of America and the White House."

Morgan Stanley is willing to invest in you so that Apollo Technologies can be listed on Nasdaq.

She knew perfectly well that these conditions were nothing compared to what she had presented today: "As a token of our sincerity, we are willing to provide SpaceX's reusable rocket technology to Apollo Technologies."

After listening, Lin Ran raised an eyebrow: "As expected of Morgan, his sense of smell is really sharp."

It looks like a win-win situation, but in reality, you can offer conditions that allow you to win alone.

Huang Min was somewhat surprised: "What do you mean by 'we win alone'?"

Professor Lin, this is SpaceX's reusable rocket technology! It's been unique in the world for so many years, and no other company has been able to do it.

To put it simply, if you master reusable rockets, you'll be China's Elon Musk. Add to that Apollo Technologies' listing on NASDAQ, and you'll be a billionaire worth at least tens of billions of dollars.

Her tone was seductive.

Lin Ran waved his hand and said, "First of all, I never wanted to become the Musk of China. I'm sorry, I don't think Musk can compare to me. This is not to belittle him, but rather a clear understanding of myself."

Secondly, your tactics are a bit too outdated. Do you really think I'm some naive young person living in an ivory tower? You've been emphasizing my youth from the very beginning, as if you really think I'm easy to fool.

SpaceX can only rely on orders from the America Alliance; it can't enter China because it can't obtain launch permits and therefore can't access the Chinese market. This means that SpaceX, despite possessing the technology, has lost a significant market share, which can be filled by Apollo Technologies, which is backed by Morgan Stanley and other America Alliance capital.

What is this if not a calculated scheme?
As for why you don't cooperate with other Chinese companies, it's because before I appeared, no private aerospace company in China had the potential to develop its own reusable rockets. I demonstrated this potential, so you went along with it and used the technology that we could handle ourselves to do us a favor.

They can also make a fortune from this deal.

If you're going to continue playing dumb, let me suggest another name: Lenovo Lingtuo.

Huang Min's expression suddenly changed.

Because Lin Ran was too honest.

Lenovo Nettop is a company founded on November 28, 2018, which is a significant date.

(Information from Qichacha regarding Lenovo Lingtuo)
Prior to this, China had proposed to "remove IOE," which means replacing equipment from IBM, Oracle, and EMC with domestically produced equipment.

Chinese companies don't just use these three companies; these three are just general terms for servers, databases, and storage devices, respectively.

It was mentioned a long time ago, but starting in 2018, it was no longer emphasized as a must.

You must use domestic alternatives; this is a task for large state-owned enterprises, with timelines, targets, and performance evaluations.

One of the American storage companies is Netapp, which is the same company behind Lenovo's NetApp. They are quite cunning and want to continue doing business with Chinese companies. So they proposed a merger, with us holding 49% of the shares and Lenovo holding 51%. This way, we would be a Chinese company and could continue to survive in the Chinese market.

(Lenovo's shareholding ratio)

Huang Min flattered him from the moment she entered, praising his youth and talent, but in reality, youth came first and talent came second.

She thought that Lin Ran would be overjoyed when he heard the conditions she offered, feeling that he was about to reach the pinnacle of life and gain both money and fame.

They just didn't expect Lin Ran to so calmly expose their true thoughts.

They not only have a keen eye for political phenomena in Washington, but also see clearly the bullets they use disguised as sweet words.

"So what's wrong with that?" Huang Min still tried to argue: "Even Lenovo chose to cooperate with us after careful consideration. Professor Lin, you can get everything you want by cooperating with us."

Lin Ran shook his head: "What you're saying is all nonsense. We don't play games. Lenovo can lead the way, but I can't. It's that simple."

Just pass on my message: $10 billion a year, with renewals when it expires. I was originally going to go to the moon this year, but the White House wants me to delay it for a year, so send me $10 billion.

If they don't renew my subscription when it expires, I'll launch a rocket.

Lin Ran managed to turn this into a paid membership system, but the price was a bit high.

Lin Ran continued, "It just so happens that I have a collaboration with Mr. Ma from Tencent. I'll have them offer a 'Moon Landing' premium membership on QQ, which costs $100 billion a year. You can complete the payment in Hong Kong, and just renew it when it expires."

Lin Ran's actions were tantamount to killing someone by attacking their spirit.

Not only do they want the other party to pay, but they also want it made public so the whole world knows that the US pays $100 billion a year just to prevent a private company from landing on the moon.

"Professor Lin, are you joking?" Huang Min asked in a dry voice.

Lin Ran looked puzzled: "Didn't you start the joke?"

On October 1st, National Day, the Saturn V rocket, built by a Chinese company, completed its final assembly and testing in Wenchang.

Because of its enormous size, it could not be transported to other places and could only be assembled and tested on-site.

This rocket is huge.

Take, for example, the first comprehensive rocket test base for commercial aerospace built by China in Xintai City, Shandong Province this year, 2021. This test base is specifically designed to provide services to domestic private aerospace institutions.

It can only support engine tests with a single thrust of up to 300 tons and rocket propulsion system tests with a thrust of up to 1000 tons.

The F-1 rocket engine has a sea-level thrust of up to 680 tons, far exceeding the maximum capacity of the base.

Needless to say, the Saturn V was also a supersonic projector.

Before going to Hengshan Hotel, there was no place in the entire country that could support testing this thing.

The massive rocket stands at the launch site, awaiting its final test before the Apollo missions to the moon.

Tim flew from Shanghai to Haikou Meilan Airport, and then took a special car to the Wenchang Space Launch Site. His heart was filled with excitement and a mix of emotions.

Because he got the opportunity to interview Lin Ran.

This interview will be held in front of the Saturn V rocket, which was built by a Chinese company, with the Saturn V as the backdrop.

The amount of traffic, views, coins, and likes is no longer important; what matters is the significance of this event.

Tim and his team set off overnight after receiving notification from Bilibili, arriving in Wenchang that same evening.

Because they have to go through the strictest security checks before they can finally see Lin Ran.

"Professor Lin, hello. It's a great honor to be able to interview you at such a crucial time," Tim said with a smile.

Lin Ran glanced at Tim's team members and asked, "Has the interview started?"

Tim said, "It's up to you. If you think it's okay, we can start."

Lin Ran said, "Okay, let's get started. I don't have much time."

The interview began after Tim shouted "Action!" as the device started up.

After repeating the pleasantries, Tim asked, "Professor, I only found out I got this opportunity before I came here. When we came to visit Apollo Technology's launch in Jiuquan, there were three content creators: me, Lao Fanqie, and Bi Dao."

Then Bilibili notified me that you specifically requested me for the interview. I guess I even beat Teacher Sa, and I feel truly honored.

I'd like to ask you, why did you choose me?
"Is there any quality about me that you particularly admire?" Tim looked into Lin Ran's eyes as he spoke, then turned to look at the camera with an expectant expression.

Lin Ran replied without hesitation, "Actually, no, it's just that America has been causing all sorts of trouble lately, hasn't she?"

So CCTV asked me if I should come out and respond.

I felt that CCTV's interviews were too formal, and I couldn't speak freely about many things, or they would cut out what I said.

So I don't want to go anymore.

As for why I chose you among you, Lao Fanqie, and Bi Dao, isn't it obvious?
Old Tomato is from Fudan University; we at Jiaotong University and Fudan don't get along. Bi Dao is from Tsinghua University; we Top 3 universities naturally don't like Top 2 universities. Your English undergraduate degree is a good fit.

After Lin Ran finished speaking, Tim, who had been smiling, froze. "So that's why. Sometimes having a low level of education is an advantage. Thank you, alma mater."

Tim then asked, "So, Professor, do you watch Bilibili regularly? I can tell you know a bit about us."

Lin Ran nodded: "See, I used to read it a lot when I was in school. But as I said in my first lecture at the beginning of the semester, I got busier and busier. I rarely had time for myself. Even when I did, I just wanted to space out and not scroll through my phone."

Tim exclaimed, "Indeed, the professor is visibly busy. In just one year, from Burning One and Lunar Command Module to this huge behemoth behind us, our big rocket, the amount of work he's done is nothing short of a miracle."

It is a miracle in humanity's journey to space.

"Professor, does it have a name?"

Tim pointed to the huge rocket standing behind him and asked.

What he really wanted to ask was, "Could it be called Saturn V?"

However, considering the taboo, Tim didn't ask, preferring to wait for the professor to answer himself.

Lin Ran said, "We call it the Big Rocket. That's what we call it internally."

Tim grinned, knowing that Lin Ran didn't want to admit that he was imitating the Saturn V.

Before he could react, Lin Ran continued, "To put it bluntly, it's the Saturn V. It's exactly the same as the Saturn V in every parameter."

We spent 1 billion RMB to replicate two Saturn V rockets. Two days later, we will launch one for testing, to test the interaction with the lunar orbit. Then, on December 25th, which is Christmas Day, we will officially land on the moon.

I see people online speculating, everyone is keeping it to themselves, and the White House has started making all sorts of accusations.

To put it bluntly, we replicated the F-1 engine, J-2 engine, and other similar products based on publicly available information.

And the product of their combined power, the Saturn V, is right behind you.

(End of this chapter)