King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

It was already dark when I came out of the teahouse.

The chilly autumn wind cleared Chen Jianghe's head considerably.

The bloodthirstiness hidden in Chung Chiu-fai's words brought him back to his senses from his euphoria.

He suddenly had a strange feeling; that ten thousand yuan seemed to have become both heavy and burning hot…

It was late at night when I got back to the research institute.

As Chen Jianghe passed by the equipment department office, he glanced at it subconsciously.

Why were the lights on in the house on Sunday night?!

Curious, he approached the window and faintly heard a man making a phone call.

"...Yes, it's a real-name report, the evidence is conclusive...the impact is very bad...we will never tolerate it..."

It's Zhou Qidong!

Chen Jianghe's heart sank!

I suddenly remembered the Volga I saw in Huangzhuang this morning…

The people in that car…

Could it be Sun Yuanchao?

Or perhaps Zhou Qidong?

Chen Jianghe didn't dare linger and quickly returned to his dormitory.

My roommates were all asleep, and the room was filled with the sounds of snoring…

He climbed up to his upper bunk in the dark.

I took out several passbooks from different bank branches in Zhongguancun…

By the dim light from the window, I flipped through the books one by one…

Then put it in a kraft paper envelope and stuff it into the bottom of the artificial leather suitcase by the bedside.

This first pot of gold, like scorching hot coals, kept him awake all night.

Close your eyes, and you won't see Chung Chiu-fai's shrewd gaze...

It's what Zhou Qidong mentioned on the phone...

And then there's the allure of the exorbitant profits from Chinese character cards…

At this point, the web of money and technology had completely ensnared Chen Jianghe.

He can't turn back!

...

Three days later, one morning, Chen Jianghe walked into Su Wanqing's laboratory...

I noticed that Old Wang looked rather serious.

"Mr. Wang, what's wrong? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Old Wang whispered to Chen Jianghe, "The institute has set up an investigation team, and they might be stationed in our project team!"

Why?

"That bastard Sun Yuanchao has filed a formal complaint against our project team, accusing them of abusing their positions to misuse experimental equipment and technical data for personal gain!"

"Zhou Qidong is the head of the investigation team! And there are people from the confidentiality department too!"

Chen Jianghe's heart sank to the bottom!

Sun Yuanchao is so relentless, he's made things so big!

Moreover, they directly targeted Su Wanqing's project team!

Is this a deliberate attempt to destroy everything in the process?!

Chen Jianghe couldn't help but look at Su Wanqing.

She remained calm, lying in front of the disassembled "Spark" platform, staring at the oscilloscope.

He didn't even look up at Chen Jianghe: "You're here? Hope the floodwaters in Zhongguancun didn't get you wet?"

Chen Jianghe was startled!

Before he could even react, Su Wanqing continued, "Zhong Chaohui is no simple man; he's ruthless. You need to be careful."

Su Wanqing said calmly, "Remember your place! Don't get yourself into trouble for a pittance!"

A cold sweat instantly broke out on Chen Jianghe's back!

What exactly is the origin of Su Wanqing's "golden finger"?!

They even knew everything about his deal with Chung Chiu-fai?!

While he was speechless with shock, Su Wanqing handed him a small, strangely packaged black chip.

"There's something we need you to do before the investigation team arrives; it's also to help you!"

Chen Jianghe took the chip; it was cold to the touch.

The chip model was completely unfamiliar.

The front only features a few etched alphanumeric codes and a small, menacing eagle head logo.

It's somewhat like the early product prototypes of Lockheed and Martin Marietta...

No manufacturer markings, no standard packaging!

Yet it exudes a cold, mysterious aura!

"This is…?"

"This is one of the core secrets of the 'Spark' project: the coprocessor engine chip for image compression and decompression."

"According to regulations, you are not authorized to know your current identity!"

Su Wanqing lowered her voice even further.

"They implemented hardware-level encryption to lock it down."

"The outer casing cannot be opened physically without damage; forceful disassembly will cause it to self-destruct."

"Any unauthorized read attempt will trigger the internal fuse to self-destruct."

"The institute's existing analytical capabilities are simply insufficient to even begin."

"It's like a wordless book; without the key, you can't understand it at all."

"The deadline given by Department D is fast approaching!"

"If this can't be analyzed before the investigation team arrives, you might not be able to stay in the 'Spark' project team because of the Chinese character card issue!"

Chen Jianghe gasped!

Understood!

This is not only the most urgent and critical battle at hand!

It also determined his future path!

Just before the investigation team was about to move in, Su Wanqing handed over this "fortress of desperation" that would determine his fate and could not be breached by conventional means to him!

This challenge was far more difficult than any problem he had ever solved before!

Moreover, the risks are enormous!

The responsibility would be immense should failure or chip self-destruction occur!

But if it succeeds…

This will solidify his unshakeable core position within the project team and even the entire research institute!

By then, not only Sun Yuanchao and Zhou Qidong, but no one will dare to do anything to me easily!

This is also the ultimate battle to prove his true worth to Su Wanqing and to everyone!

Su Wanqing stared intently at Chen Jianghe.

"I don't care what method you use, as long as you obtain its firmware logic, even just a portion of its function instruction set, without triggering self-destruction..."

"Analyzing the key characteristics of its core compression algorithm!"

"In the equipment warehouse, there is an old Soviet-made low-frequency signal generator and a barely usable vector network analyzer. I can grant you access to use them."

"But all operations must be carried out under absolute secrecy, understand?"

Su Wanqing slammed a spare key to the equipment warehouse onto the table in front of Chen Jianghe.

"This is the warehouse key!"

"The investigation team will be stationed at the project site in 48 hours."

"If you succeed, you'll be a key contributor to the 'Spark' project! Nobody will dare to do anything to you!"

"If it fails..."

She paused, her eyes icy. "We'll share the responsibility for the project's failure and the investigation team's accountability!"

Su Wanqing staked out all her resources, along with a technological fortress engulfed in flames of death…

The entire burden rests on Chen Jianghe!

Chen Jianghe looked at the cold key on the table and the small but heavy encrypted chip in his hand.

The elation brought by his first pot of gold vanished instantly.

All that remained was the suffocating feeling of being pushed to the edge of a cliff, and the fighting spirit of being absolutely trusted!

The encrypted chip in front of him is the key to his future and destiny!

Breaking through it will establish his core position and shatter all conspiracies!

Technology is the only passport!

He reached out his slightly trembling hand and gripped the key tightly.

He gripped the encrypted chip tightly in his palm.

"Mr. Su, I'll take the call!"

Chen Jianghe looked up at Su Wanqing, his voice hoarse with excitement.

But his eyes shone with an astonishing light: "48 hours! Even if I die, I'll bite a hole in it!"

...