Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 470 Yuri's Ambition

Yuri Grigorievich, a senior engineer at the Moscow Space Research Institute, was one of Valentin Petrovich's most trusted students.

Assigned by Valentin as a technical liaison officer, he went to Apollo Technology in Shanghai ahead of time to conduct preliminary communication with his Chinese counterparts.

Yuri was also highly regarded by Valentin, who believed he would be the next leader in Russian spaceflight.

In the cultivation of elites, the core logic of each country is roughly the same, and they all follow the apprenticeship model.

Start with those who can build long-term, deep trust relationships.

Positions such as student, assistant, and secretary allow them to spend time with their mentors, observe the nuances of decision-making, understand the logic of power operation, and learn personal styles in handling crises.

This kind of long-term, immersive learning is an insider education that books and classrooms cannot provide; it can also be called esoteric learning.

Once a relationship of trust is established, these selected elites will be assigned to various positions to gain experience, which can be roughly understood as leveling up in a game to prove their comprehensive abilities.

In this time and space, for any industry in Russia, one of the most important tasks is to maintain good relations with China.

As an elite in Moscow who had not yet risen to power, Yuri was well aware of this harsh reality. Those elites who could not see or accept this fact would have long since gone to the free world.

"Hello, Mr. Yuri Grigorievich, I am Anatoly Zak, just call me Zak. I am a staff member from Far East Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. who is responsible for receiving you."

A brown-haired, dark-eyed man wearing strange sunglasses stopped him at the international flight exit of Pudong International Airport, holding a sign in Russian, and showed him his identification while speaking.

Yuri stared at Zack for a while, then said thoughtfully, "Didn't you publish an article in Astronomy and Cosmology before?"

Zack looked slightly surprised: "Sir, you remember this? That was more than twenty years ago."

Yuri handed over his heavy luggage to the other man, and pointed to his head with his free hand: "You know, people in our line of work all have excellent memories."

The two talked as they walked outside.

Zach suddenly realized: "Sir, your memory is excellent. When I was studying at the Journalism Institute of Moscow State University, and for a long time afterward, I was indeed a contributing editor of Astronomy and Cosmology."

However, I later immigrated to America.

This time it was Yuri's turn to be stunned. He couldn't understand how a Russian immigrant to America could hold such a crucial position.

Far East Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., with its business and information, was America's best weapon.

Zack continued, "Sir, please calm down. You're clenching your fist a little too tightly."

Don't worry, I'm back in Russia, and my wife and daughter are back in Moscow.

You know, there was a golden age in the past when Moscow and Washington were very close.

During those years, even though I emigrated to America, I was still able to visit the Baikonur Cosmodrome and meet those legendary figures in Russian space.

After visiting legendary figures like Boris Chertok, Yuri Semyonov, and Alexei Leonov, I completed a book on the history of Russian space exploration published by Apogee Prime in 2013.

However, as you know, everything changed in 2022. I lost my job, and I was endlessly interrogated by America's investigation bureau, who insisted that I was still working for Moscow.

Yuri knew perfectly well what the other person was referring to: that war, that war that changed so much.

However, Yuri showed no sympathy for Zak's plight. Instead, he corrected him, saying, "You're right. That period was a golden age for people like you, but it wasn't exactly golden for the lower-class Russians."

We traded our vast assets from the Soviet era for nothing more than a friendly face from the West. Only a fool like Gogol would make such a deal.

Yuri's voice wasn't loud, but the contempt in his tone was unmistakable.

The Gobi map symbolizes the complete collapse of national will and the humiliation of selling off resources at bargain prices.

"Sir, you are right."

I must admit that my golden age was built on the blood loss of the nation as a whole.

But I must clarify one point: what I miss is that atmosphere of openness, communication, and collaborative exploration.

It's about being able to discuss flight control system design with figures like Boris Chertok in Baikonur, instead of being interrogated in an intelligence office room.

(Anatoly Zak at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2003)
“Now, everything has changed,” Zack sighed, starting the luggage cart in his hand, and Yuri’s suitcase was smoothly loaded onto it. “Now we only have one way to go.”

When I lost everything in Washington, I discovered that it was Moscow that was truly willing to accept me.

The job offer from Far East Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. gave me a second life.

Moreover, to be frank, the environment here in Shenhai is more vibrant than anywhere else; believe me, you'll love it.

After hearing this, Yuri naturally knew what kind of background this guy had: a top-tier Celestial Dragon.

In the 1990s, they were able to go to America; in 2013, as Slavic immigrants, they could chat and laugh with Russian space legends; after being targeted in 2022, they were able to come back and continue to be highly valued.

If this isn't a Celestial Dragon, then what is?
After putting away his luggage, Zak turned to Yuri, his eyes filled with admiration: "Sir, restarting N1, especially the NK-33 engine, is a technological miracle and the best way to comfort the Soviet martyrs."

This will be the best tribute to Soviet spaceflight, and I am here to faithfully record this history.

Yuri fell silent.

He didn't want to question Zach's motives, because in history, in that dark 1990s, far too many talented people went to America.

He was sitting in a building in Moscow where the heating would occasionally stop. You know, back in the 1990s, the space agency wasn't exactly a popular department. You'd often hear colleagues talking about who had gotten a visa and was going to America.

Yuri had always been well aware that talented people like them were highly sought after in America, possessing a solid foundation in science and engineering and working hard enough to stay in America.

Zach simply made the same choice as the vast majority of people back then.

People are simply voting with their feet.

This is not the fault of any individual, but the fault of the times, the fault of those bigwigs in the Kremlin. They made the Russians lose everything, and now what we need to do is to reclaim our lost glory.

If Russia can successfully land on the moon with the N1 rocket, it would at least prove that the Soviet engineers' rocket design capabilities were no less than America's.

“Okay, Zack,” Yuri finally said, his tone much softer. “I hope the vitality you’re referring to isn’t just about the buildings and consumer goods here.”

I hope it will be reflected in a passion for space exploration.

Zack gave a strange smile: "Sir, don't worry about that. I can assure you that if this place doesn't satisfy you, then I really can't imagine where in the world an engineer could satisfy you."

Furthermore, no other country in the world still possesses the same passion for space exploration as China. I once spent some time in Houston, and even there, their enthusiasm for space exploration was less than a tenth of what it is here.

China's thirst for technology is more intense than you might imagine.

You will soon discover that the pace of work and the resources invested here will completely overturn your understanding of the aerospace industry.

Chinese people value performance above all else; if you have good performance, you will receive unprecedented support.

Given Lin Ran's time spent in the aerospace field, his achievements, and the significance of aerospace itself, Shen Hai has, in this time and space, added the status of Houston to America.

A complete upheaval? Yuri pondered. He knew before he came that the Chinese were very stubborn, but could they be even more stubborn than he imagined?
The two sat in the car, a two-seater sedan. Compared to a typical sports car-style two-seater sedan, this one was much more spacious, offering each person a space comparable to first class. More importantly, it had no driver's seat.

Yuri shifted the topic to the car: "Is this the Chinese self-driving car? I often see it on the news, where news anchors describe it as a symbol of China's technological progress. But isn't this car not allowed to be sold to individuals?"

Otherwise, I should be able to see it on every street corner in Moscow.”

After 2022, Chinese new energy vehicles will be a common sight in Moscow.

Familiar Western brands like Toyota, Honda, and Ford have been replaced by Chinese brands.

This is not a victory in terms of products; it is a market that the Western camp has voluntarily ceded in order to demonstrate their support for so-called justice.

Zack explained, “Yes, sir, I think if you use TikTok, you should often see Russian travel bloggers or Russian bloggers in China making videos about their experience using it.”

It is far less rare in China than you see in the news.

Because it will be sold to corporate users, and as the space agency's foothold in the Far East, we naturally purchased a batch for use in receiving guests from Moscow.

Yuri gazed at the scenery rushing past the window, his heart filled with a thousand words and a myriad of emotions.

The technology itself is not new; autonomous driving has been touted for many years.

Yuri had also seen in the news how advanced China's autonomous driving technology was, reaching true Level 5, with driving speed and smoothness comparable to humans.

Seeing is one thing, but experiencing it firsthand is another.

The speed of China's technological development is simply too fast. Similar feelings have appeared in his mind countless times, but this time, the feeling is so clear and so intuitive.

“This is not the East we imagined.” After a moment of silence, Yuri murmured to himself.

Zach said matter-of-factly, “Of course, before I came to Shenhai, my impression of China was still based on those blurry documentaries from the 1980s and simple Soviet-style buildings.”

As it turns out, China is completely different from my stereotypes.

This place is more developed and prosperous than I expected.

I used to think that this was Shenhai, a model for the whole of China, so I even drove to the surrounding rural areas to take a look.

As I drove south, I was even more surprised. Why were their highway service areas built as luxuriously as resorts, and their rural areas so clean, tidy and beautiful?

I find it hard to believe this is still the China I remember. It's even better developed than America, where I used to live.

This is also why Zack didn't choose the right place and instead went to the rural areas around Shanghai.

He had to go to the Midwest, but that was still much better than most other areas.

Yuri remembered Valentin's words to him before he set off: "Yuri, they have what we don't."

Put aside your pride and go learn.

Of course, Valentin didn't want Yuri to learn about infrastructure or technology.

Valentin wanted Yuri to learn organizational and management skills.

Outsiders are amazed by Apollo Technology's technological advancements, but as an industry insider, Valentin is more curious about its management: how does Apollo Technology manage so many people and ensure they all play their proper roles?

"Those technological gaps can be bridged through purchasing, cooperation, and reverse engineering."

But the real difference lies in organization and efficiency.

Look at the American people, Yuri.

SpaceX's success is by no means due to Musk being an omnipotent god.

The 2195 aluminum-lithium alloy used in the Falcon rocket was not invented out of thin air; it was a legacy of hundreds of billions of dollars invested in the America space shuttle program in the 1980s and 90s.

It comes from Alcan Global ATI, the aerospace and transportation division of Rio Tinto Aluminium.

We have also cooperated with them in the past; VSMPO-AVISMA and they have established a joint venture in Moscow.

If Musk is truly omnipotent, why doesn't he choose to build the Falcon 9 and Starship in South Africa or Canada?
He had to go to America, which had the deepest technological foundation and the most mature industrial system!
What he did was to unearth America's rich, dormant assets from the post-Cold War era through advanced management methods!

Lin from Apollo Technology did the same thing once.

We can't learn SpaceX's management from America; that system might not be suitable for us, and it might not be the best either.

But China's Apollo Technology—they started from almost nothing and caught up and surpassed others in just a few years.

How did they manage such a large team and maximize the strength of each individual?

Yuri, your mission is to learn the management principles of Apollo Technology.

Observe their project allocation mechanism, their talent incentive system, and their resource allocation efficiency.

How did they manage to get tens of thousands of engineers working like crazy to build a lunar base without causing massive internal losses?

N1 was important, and the first Slavic moon landing was equally important, but even more important was bringing back a management system that could revitalize the spirit of Russian spaceflight.

This is the key to our return to the moon and regaining our dignity as a great power.

Go, learn their management style, bring it back to Moscow, and unearth our own legacy.

As Yuri looked out the window at the steel forest flashing by, he recalled Valentin's last words before leaving Moscow.

(End of this chapter)