Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 351 I want this one.
The Chinese version of the Apollo moon landing had a huge impact on America.

From the outskirts of Alaska and Hawaii to the heart of Washington, New York, and California, whether they are rednecks in traditional red states or middle-class programmers in California's Silicon Valley, everyone reads a similar signal: America's decline is so significant.

It is evident that things we could do ourselves in the past can now only be achieved with the help of the Chinese people.

A very simple truth is that if China can replicate the Apollo moon landing, then surely NASA's information about the Apollo moon landing is not as good as what a Chinese student spent more than a year collecting.

Even if this Chinese student did indeed succeed after more than ten years, or even decades, with the assistance of the Chinese government, as the conspiracy theories fabricated by American media suggest.

Even so, does NASA have fewer and fewer technical documents than China?

Why can China replicate it, but we can't? Is it because we don't want to?
America could use the massive media machine controlled by the Elephant Party to suppress the discussions and doubts. It can be said that our goal is not just to land on the moon. We do not want to repeat the mistakes of 60 years ago and hope to build a base on the moon.

Yes, the media can promote it this way, by finding experts, scholars, and engineers working at various universities, NASA, and commercial space agencies to promote how advanced our ongoing Artemis program is.

This advanced technology only lasted for a year. The following year, after China successfully landed on the edge of Shackleton Crater at the south pole of the moon, this claim became untenable.

So the media simply froze the issue, pretending it never happened.

The media's strategy for freezing topics is simple: they will report on them, but they will specifically choose marginal times, such as after 11 p.m. or 7 a.m., these garbage times, to report on them.

The report is just a news item; it's over and done. There are no guest analysts, no detailed analysis of the event, and no explanation of the significance behind it.

If you want to know, you'll have to follow the information yourself and search for it yourself.

Even so, initiated by the White House, the media spontaneously downplayed topics related to the moon landing in order to ensure that America's kingdom on the mountaintop would remain forever and that the statues would fall to the ground and the lighthouse would be extinguished.

Even social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, at the explicit or implicit suggestion of the White House, have downgraded content related to the moon landing and stopped actively pushing it to users.

Despite all these external tactics, the topic of China's lunar landing was still the hottest on Reddit's R/space forum, even more so than the Falcon 9 and Starship.

The Chinese version of the Saturn V model aircraft, officially sold by Apollo Technology, cannot be directly imported into America. However, it can be resold on Reddit. It can be purchased for 1399 RMB on the Simplified Chinese internet and then sold for as high as 1000 USD in America. Moreover, it is in high demand and short supply.

There are countless space enthusiasts on Twitter who have spontaneously created accounts to track the progress of the Apollo moon landing and the construction of the lunar base. These accounts do not receive promotion from social media platforms, but rely on organic traffic to easily gain thousands of followers.

If this is the case with America, then in other countries around the world, discussions about America's decline are increasingly anchored in the Chinese version of the Apollo moon landing, and are constantly being extended and discussed.

The more countries were in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, the more in-depth these discussions became.

Therefore, while it might be an exaggeration to say that the White House was overjoyed that John Morgan Jr. was able to secure Apollo Technology and establish direct contact with Lin Ran, it would certainly be an exaggeration to say that they were happy to see it happen.

Even if you want to import behemoths like F-1 engines and J-2 engines into America as ordinary machinery, how could the White House possibly agree to that without permission?

The engineers sent by Apollo Technologies were using tourist visas to carry out their work. How could they have done that without White House permission?
It was precisely because of the tacit approval of both Washington and Beijing, and the personal approval of Lin Ran himself, that General Aerospace received a large amount of financial capital and practical support in America. In addition to the Morgan family itself, many other large capital investors also invested in it.

“Me, in command? You know I can’t go to America,” Lin Ran said.

John Morgan Jr. nodded and said, "I know. With such advanced communication technology now, you can command from China."

We hope to ensure this launch goes perfectly.

Lin Ran immediately understood why: "Because you're going public? Go public before the moon landing, and then if the moon landing is successful, your market value will rise along with it?"

Is America's only commercial space agency capable of landing on the moon?

America's capital operation sophistication far surpasses that of China. Even when Chinese companies receive significant benefits, most don't know how to apply them to the capital market to seek personal gain.

America is different. She can profit from listings, whether there's good news or bad news. She's much more ruthless than the A-shares market.

The reason why Chinese investors feel that US stocks are friendly is because they only buy the "Big 7" tech stocks and don't play with penny stocks. If they did play with penny stocks, they would still be driven crazy.

“Alright, here’s what we’ll do. I won’t make things difficult for you. 21-27 Wing Kut Street, Central. Give me a floor there. I’ll personally command this lunar mission,” Lin Ran said after a moment’s thought.

23-27 Wing Kuk Street, Central, is the commercial building that Hui Oi Chow promised to give him back then. At first, it was said to be one floor, but later it became the entire building.

I owned that place back then, and I hope to own it again now.

This was also a test for John Morgan Jr., to see if the other party could understand the implied meaning.

After listening, John Morgan Jr. said, "Okay, no problem, it's a deal."

For him, anything that can be solved with money isn't a problem. How much more expensive can a floor in Central really be?
“Professor, I have another business opportunity with me, and I’d like to see if you’d be interested,” John Morgan Jr. continued.

Lin Ran nodded, signaling him to speak directly.

“We hope to purchase the technology related to the Burning One modified rocket,” John Morgan Jr. said.

Lin Ran replied without hesitation, "Of course."

The logic behind this is that after General Aerospace acquired the technology for Burning One, they could only compete with SpaceX for market share.

The overlap between China's commercial space market and America's commercial space market is negligible and can be considered nonexistent.

Is it possible that NASA might hire a Chinese commercial space agency to launch rockets?
Obviously, neither is possible.

As for Europe, Eastern Europe might still turn to China, but those weirdos in Western Europe have been investigating Apollo Technology and launching anti-monopoly investigations at every turn these past two years. Forget about doing business, even opening an office carries the risk of receiving huge fines.

"Besides the price, I have only one small request: that our cooperation be made public, including the technology transfer of Saturn V, lunar module, command module, and Burning 1 modified rocket, which I commanded."

John Morgan Jr.'s smile hadn't faded yet. He thought the professor was such a good person. Negotiations had never gone so smoothly. He was even willing to sell the most advanced reusable rocket technology. He really didn't know what the other party had to do with his father.

My smile froze immediately. I was trying to play the independent research and development card, but your demands are excessive.

Originally, I wanted to package General Aerospace as America's pride, America's light, punching SpaceX and kicking Blue Origin; I was the new generation of von Blaine.

He could either take the helm of General Dynamics and develop it into an aerospace giant, seeking the position of head of the Morgan family, or he could take a job at NASA. Professor, you can't be the director of NASA, but I can. After taking the position, I can then seek a high-ranking position in the White House.

What you're doing now is turning me from a tech fanatic into a tech broker, a businessman with no scruples.

“Professor, I’m afraid this is inappropriate. There are the Wolf Amendment and various trade regulations in the country, which restrict our cooperation with China in the aerospace field.” John Morgan Jr. looked troubled but was secretly pleased, having found a perfectly legitimate reason.

It's not that I don't want to agree, it's that the White House won't let me.

Lin Ran stood up, leaned forward, and stared at John Morgan Jr. across the desk, saying softly:
"The Wolf Clause prohibits NASA from cooperating with Chinese-affiliated organizations and does not allow Chinese officials to enter NASA facilities. We are not a Chinese-affiliated organization, and you are not NASA officials."

《1990-1991财年外交关系授权法》公法101-246的第902节里，只是禁止阿美莉卡出口航天有关产品到华国，而非禁止华国产品和技术出口到阿美莉卡。

IDAR, ECRA, and BIS have not prohibited China from exporting technology to America.

After speaking, Lin Ran sat back in his office chair and pointed to the door: "The door to cooperation is always open."

John Morgan Jr. felt immense pressure during this brief conversation. On one hand, he was shocked by the other man's thorough knowledge of American law, something he had never heard of before—a professor or legal expert? On the other hand, the aura emanating from the other man put him under tremendous pressure, an aura far stronger than his father John Morgan's, and stronger than any other important figure he had ever met.

This reminded John Morgan Jr. of a term from his high school history textbook: "Johnson treatment."

This is Li Yiqing's third day in Hong Kong. He has one year left to graduate with his doctorate, and he is torn between working and going to a university.

Although academic qualifications are now severely devalued, a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree from Yenching University still have some value. Moreover, he is majoring in applied mathematics. If he goes abroad for two years as a postdoctoral fellow, he will have no problem staying in a university in a provincial or municipal city after returning to China.

But getting a job is just as appealing, especially if you can get into the financial industry. So when he received an internship offer from Morgan Stanley, even though housing in Hong Kong was incredibly expensive and there was even a risk of having to pay out of pocket to intern there, he accepted it without hesitation.

This is Morgan Stanley, the renowned firm in the financial industry. Even if this is just their Hong Kong branch, it's still a prestigious resume.

The day before he arrived, no work was assigned to him. His supervisor in the investment banking department, who was interning there, left him hanging. Perhaps he was too busy, or perhaps he simply didn't have time for an intern from mainland China.

"Ethan, I have something to entrust to you now. It's very important." Li Minyi, the head of the investment banking department, called him into her office. She was a shrewd and capable woman in her early forties, a financial whiz at first glance.

This relative, apart from showing a smile during our first meeting, always had a blank expression.

Ethan is Li Yiqing's English name; Ethan is not Eason.

Li Yiqing answered crisply, "Okay, please go ahead."

He was thinking to himself, "I've only been here two days, and you're already saying you have something very important to entrust to me?"

Would such a thing happen to me?

Could it be some kind of steamed bun served in a real pot?

"Don't overthink it. This is a task personally assigned by Jonathan Hale from Morgan Stanley's New York headquarters. He asked us to assess the potential acquisition of a property."

"Mr. Hale is a senior director at Morgan Stanley. This was handled beautifully. With just his nod, you can stay," Li Minyi said calmly.

When Jonathan Hale was mentioned, a quick, obsequious glint flashed across Li Minyi's face; it was almost imperceptible unless you looked closely.

"The specific information about the property has been sent to you via email. You need to carefully evaluate the detailed situation of the entire property, including recent unit transaction data, market valuation, owner distribution, potential risks, property ownership status, rental income of surrounding units, vacancy rate, etc."

At the same time, you should also conduct more on-site investigations, and the report should include specific photos.

I'll give you two days. I believe in your abilities.

After she finished speaking, Li Minyi waved her hand, indicating that he could leave.

21-27 Wing Kut Street, Central

Besides the standard format required content, the email contained only a short address.

Li Yiqing planned to search on Google first, and then go to the site for an on-site investigation.

Chengxing Commercial Building?
Located at 21-27 Wing Kut Street, Central, Western District, Hong Kong Island, this old-style commercial building is not exactly a landmark property.

The location is indeed prime, in the heart of Central's financial district, adjacent to HSBC headquarters and Lan Kwai Fong's nightlife area, but the problem is that it looks very old on Google Maps.

(Chengxing Commercial Building)
“Judging from the recent situation of commercial real estate in Hong Kong, rents have fallen by 50% since 2019, vacancy rates have continued to rise, and there are no signs of recovery for a long time.”

Li Yiqing couldn't understand why a big shot at Morgan Stanley headquarters would be interested in such commercial real estate.

Commercial real estate in Hong Kong has been declining since 2019, with various tycoons, led by Li Ka-shing, rushing to sell off their properties.

At this point in time, Li Yiqing was completely baffled as to why they would acquire such an old commercial real estate property.

Even if you are optimistic about the recovery of Hong Kong's commercial real estate market and its role as a bridge between East and West, there are plenty of properties of much higher quality that you could acquire.

Commercial properties in Hong Kong are classified into A, B, and C, with A being the highest and C the lowest. This commercial property is definitely a C-grade property because it is too old, a product from decades ago.

Li Yiqing packed his briefcase, thinking that perhaps he was unaware of the merits of this office building. He still needed to go to the site to investigate in order to understand the profound meaning behind the important person's words.

A senior director at Morgan Stanley headquarters was indeed a big shot to him.

Before going, Li Yiqing consulted with Pete, the senior employee who was in charge of mentoring him and was sitting next to him at his temporary workstation.

"Pete."

After Li Yiqing roughly explained the task that Li Minyi had assigned to him to Pete,

Pitt, dressed in a white shirt but without a tie (he usually only wears a suit when meeting clients), spoke with a furrowed brow as he typed on his computer:
"It's really strange. This property is an old building. I think I've been there before. It's not far from us, surrounded by tea restaurants and small shops, in a narrow alley in Central."

The location is indeed good, but unless the Hong Kong government undertakes a large-scale redevelopment, it is not a good investment target at present.

It's strange that a big boss in New York would be interested in a property like this.

Wait for me for five minutes.

Five minutes later, Pete continued, "I took a look, and if the surrounding buildings are valued as Grade C buildings, that office building is worth between HK$3.7 million and HK$4.5 million. Not to mention now, even if the rent for office buildings in Central recovers to its peak, the rental yield here will not exceed 3%."

Considering the cost of purchasing this property and the cash involved, it's hardly a good deal.

Renovating would raise the rent, but the current vacancy rate is extremely high, so renovation isn't cost-effective.

Never mind, that's not something we should worry about. Anyway, go and take a look. Remember to bring your iPad and record everything around you, including the location.

Wing Kut Street is a narrow alley connecting Queen's Road Central and Des Voeux Road Central. It's conveniently located near Lan Kwai Fong and Central stations; you can easily get there by MTR.

Pete couldn't answer Li Yiqing's questions, and he couldn't understand why the big boss in New York wanted to investigate this property.

Confused, Li Yiqing departed from the International Commerce Centre in Kowloon and took the MTR across the harbor to Central Station on Hong Kong Island.

Stepping off the platform, the early summer air was refreshing and humid.

Wing Kuk Street is located in the Western District of Central. It is a narrow, sloping street lined with old-style buildings. The Cheng Hing Commercial Building stands at Nos. 21-27: a gray-white 21-story building with some mottled exterior walls. The ground floor has a glass curtain wall entrance, and the security guards sit lazily in the lobby.

The surrounding area is bustling. Across the street is the Wing Kut Street Market, selling fresh fruits and vegetables and street food. Not far away are the upscale boutiques and banks on Queen's Road Central. The bar district of Lan Kwai Fong is just a few steps away. It is quiet during the day and becomes a lively nightlife district.

Traffic was congested, and pedestrians hurried by.

Li Yiqing stood in front of the building, took out her phone to take pictures, and thought that it looked a bit old, but the location was unbeatable. It was a 5-minute walk to the Central Ferry Pier and a 10-minute walk to the IFC Mall.

He walked into the lobby, and the cool air conditioning made him feel much better.

The lobby is simple, with marble floors, and a tenant directory is displayed in the elevator area: law firms, trading companies, accounting firms.

The security guard looked up: "Sir, is there something you need?"

“I’m here to conduct research,” Li Yiqing said, handing over her newly printed business card. “Morgan Stanley, we are interested in the property. Could you tell me about the owners?”

The security guard shook his head: "I don't know about those. Go check with the land registry."

Li Yiqing thanked him, walked out of the building, and continued to observe: the streets were bustling with traffic, it was indeed a prime location.

But what he learned from the land registry was not good; the properties here were owned in strata, meaning they were bought by different people rather than belonging to the same owner.

This means that negotiations will be protracted and there is no guarantee that an agreement will be reached.

The next day, Li Yiqing organized her notes in her office: the valuation was confirmed to be around HK$4 million, based on recent unit transactions, with an average price of HK$10000 per square foot. The site was lively, but the building was old.

Recommended next steps: Hire an appraiser and a lawyer to check the list of property owners.
(End of this chapter)