The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

Washington.

Pennsylvania Avenue.

U.S. Treasury Building.

This is the heart of power.

It is also the meat grinder that all multinational capital fears most.

In an interrogation room without windows.

Behind the long metal table sat three white men in dark gray suits.

The one in the middle is bald, with eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

He is Smith, a senior reviewer at CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States).

On the table in front of him was a file on an acquisition that had just been abruptly halted.

This refers to the case of Microlight Technology's acquisition of Icarus Mining.

"Mr. Lin."

Smith was twirling a pen in his hand.

He didn't look at Lin Che sitting opposite him.

Instead, he stared at the document, his tone filled with the arrogance and scrutiny characteristic of bureaucrats.

"Yesterday afternoon, we received a report filed under a real name."

"The whistleblower claims that your acquisition of this near-bankrupt mining company was not for mining purposes."

"But for..."

Smith looked up.

Those gray eyes were fixed on Lin Che.

"In order to steal the underlying chip architecture technology of the United States for military purposes."

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Thomas, standing next to Lin Che, was feeling cramps in his legs.

Sweat streamed down his temples and dripped onto the expensive carpet.

That damn intern, Li!

He really did report it!

If the charge of "endangering national security" is proven, not only will the deal fall through, but the seller could even face imprisonment.

"Mr. Thomas, please sit down."

Smith gave Thomas a cold look.

"I'm asking the buyer."

Thomas slumped into a chair, his face ashen.

All eyes were on Lin Che.

We await his explanation.

however.

Lin Che is... playing on his phone.

He crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and used his phone in landscape mode, his thumb flying across the screen.

They even turned on the speakerphone.

"Fire in the hole!"

The jarring game sound effects echoed through the solemn review room.

Smith's face instantly darkened.

The two recorders beside him looked at each other, as if they had seen some kind of incredible creature.

"Mr. Lin!"

Smith slammed his hand on the table.

"I'm talking to you! This is a federal hearing, not your game room!"

"what?"

Lin Che seemed startled.

Hand trembled.

A scream came from the phone: "Game Over."

"He's dead."

Lin Che took off those frivolous-looking sunglasses and looked at Smith with annoyance.

"This level is too hard. The grenade's hit detection was faulty. That's why I bought that crappy company."

"determination?"

Smith was stunned.

This was not only completely different from what he had envisioned as a spy interrogation, but it was also on a completely different wavelength.

"Of course, it's a judgment!"

Lin Che threw his phone onto the table.

He has the smug look of a nouveau riche.

"Mr. Smith, do you know how much money my Microlight Entertainment made last year? A billion US dollars! How? By selling skins! By selling those glowing, useless virtual clothes!"

"but!"

Lin Che stood up.

Waving his arms around like a madman bragging to investors.

"The current chips are garbage! They can't even run my special effects! I want my players to see the trajectory of every single bullet! I want them to feel that the hundred dollars they spent was well worth it!"

"That... Open-V?"

Lin Che turned to look at Thomas.

"Is that its name?"

Thomas nodded frantically: "Yes! Yes! That's it!"

"Yes, it's this piece of junk."

Lin Che turned back and looked at the examiner with a look of disgust.

"Thomas said this thing lets me modify commands myself? It can specifically optimize the game engine? That's why I bought it. Otherwise, who would spend thirty million on a bunch of junk and a few nerds?"

"Military applications?"

Lin Che chuckled.

I sat back down in my chair and picked up my phone.

"Sir, I'm a businessman. Can missiles make me sell skins? If not, I have absolutely no interest in them."

Smith frowned.

He looked at the shallow, arrogant Chinese businessman in front of him, whose mind was only focused on money.

He'd seen plenty of people like that on Wall Street.

But as a CFIUS examiner, he must remain skeptical.

"Mr. Lin, as far as we know, although the RISC-V architecture is open source, it has a high degree of customizability. If it were used in a guidance system..."

"That's open source!"

Before Lin Che could speak, Thomas suddenly screamed.

He panicked.

He had to keep up the lie because it was for thirty million US dollars.

"Sir! This is a complete misunderstanding! The whistleblower was an intern I fired; he's retaliating! The Open-V code has been on GitHub for five years! Even Iranians can download it! If this is a state secret, Google should have been blocked long ago!"

"and……"

Thomas pulled a financial statement from his bag and handed it over with trembling hands.

"This lab has been losing money for five years and has no commercial value whatsoever. Apart from Mr. Lin, who is a 'dreamer' who doesn't care about the cost of the game, no one is willing to take it over."

Smith took the report.

I flipped through a few pages.

It's all in red.

The technology is outdated.

The equipment is aging.

There were only about twenty people.

And it is indeed based on the open-source license released by UC Berkeley.

None of the technologies are on the "export control list".

"This is just a pile of garbage."

Thomas delivered the final blow.

For money, he denigrated the high technology he once boasted about to be worthless.

Smith closed the file.

He looked at Lin Che.

Lin Che was wiping his sunglasses, seemingly unconcerned about the hearing that would decide the ownership of tens of millions of dollars.

"What if I don't approve it?"

Smith suddenly asked.

He was testing the waters.

"Not approved?"

Lin Che paused.

Then he looked up and gave a relieved smile.

"That's great."

He stood up, and even seemed inclined to shake hands with Smith.

"Really, sir, I actually drank too much last night before signing the document. I regretted it as soon as I woke up this morning. Thirty million for a game engine? I can get those college students back in China to write it for a million."

"If you can help me reject this case, I would like to thank you for saving me this unnecessary expense."

Done.

Lin Che turned and left.

He didn't even glance at Thomas.

"Come on, Thomas, it seems God doesn't want me to spend this money. You can cut that lab out."

"No! No!"

Thomas screamed in pain.

He looked at Smith in despair.

"Sir! This is just a normal business transaction! It will create jobs for California! It will pay taxes!"

Smith watched Lin Che's retreating figure, showing no sign of lingering.

My doubts were dispelled.

If someone is a spy, and they are there on a national mission, they will definitely argue their case and may even show signs of anxiety.

But this Chinese man...

He really seems to treat this as just a dispensable toy.

Moreover, Open-V is indeed a mainstream open-source product.

To obstruct the inflow of 30 million in foreign investment for the sake of a loss-making civilian laboratory is a politically undesirable move.

"etc."

Smith spoke up.

Lin Che stopped in his tracks.

He did not turn back.

Only the hands in his pockets were clenched into fists.

My palms were covered in cold sweat.

"Since it is a commercial transaction, CFIUS will not interfere unreasonably."

Smith picked up the red stamp.

It remained suspended in the air for one second.

This very second.

It felt like an eternity.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Bright red ink was stamped on the document.

【approve】

"You can take your toy now, Mr. Lin, but remember, if we find out you've put anything inappropriate into the game..."

"rest assured."

Lin Che turned around.

I put my sunglasses back on.

It concealed the red blood vessels under her eyes caused by excessive tension.

He picked up the document.

His movements were as casual as if he were picking up a supermarket receipt.

"Besides the pay-to-win button, there's nothing else in my game."

……

I walked out of the Ministry of Finance building.

The sunlight was blinding.

The streets of Washington were bustling with traffic and the wailing of sirens filled the air.

Lin Che stood on the steps.

I took a deep breath of the air, thick with the scent of capital.

"He's alive."

He said something in a low voice.

Just now inside, it was truly like dancing on the edge of a knife.

If only Smith had asked one more question, if only he had delved a little deeper into the definition of "open source," or if only he had been a little more sensitive to China's current situation.

All of this will vanish in an instant.

"Mr. Lin! That was fantastic! It was an Oscar-worthy performance!"

Thomas chased after them.

His face flushed with excitement.

"That Smith is such a stubborn old man! But he still fell for your trick! Haha! That skin thing... Good heavens, you sounded so convincing!"

Lin Che stopped in his tracks.

He watched the American gesticulating wildly with a cold eye.

"cheat?"

Lin Che handed the document with the red stamp to Xie Yu, who had been waiting at the door.

Xie Yu's hands were trembling.

He quickly locked the documents into his briefcase and then held them tightly to his chest.

Thomas.

Lin Che straightened his collar.

"I never lie."

"I only care about one thing."

"What?" Thomas was taken aback.

"Passed."

Lin Che looked eastward.

That's the direction of Beijing.

It is also the direction of the battlefield.

"However, the stakes are a bit high this time."

"So big...you can't afford to lose."

at this time.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

This is not a game notification.

This is a crypto news briefing from China:

[Breaking News: The U.S. Department of Commerce is drafting new export control rules targeting Warwick, and the entity list is expected to be released within 72 hours.]

Countdown: 72 hours.

It happened earlier than I remembered.

The butterfly of history has already flapped its wings.

A storm is coming.

"Xie Yu".

"exist."

"Notify Jim to go into seclusion. From now on, cut off all external networks of the lab. No one is allowed to contact him except through my dedicated line."

"Yes."

"besides."

Lin Che looked at Thomas, who was still grinning foolishly.

"Give him the money, right now."

"Tell him to take the money and get lost. The farther the better."