I, from the Celestial Empire, have parachuted into Teyvat.

Chapter 446 Beijing Science and Technology Exhibition

Four days have passed since the Western bloc, led by the United States, announced sanctions against China.

It was midday, and the sun was shining brightly.

A black Chiqi luxury sedan is speeding along the inner ring road of Beijing.

Sitting in the back of the two cars was a man in his sixties wearing a bespoke suit. If a Chinese person were sitting next to him now, they would recognize him at a glance and call out his name—Xiao Guangqi.

As the head of Guangnian Technology, a semiconductor company known throughout the entire planet Earth, Xiao Guangqi's name has frequently appeared in major news headlines and media videos in the past two years.

The reason is that two years ago, the M country government launched an investigation into Lightyear Technology, claiming that the chips manufactured by Lightyear Technology were equipped with eavesdropping and data collection backdoors, which violated the laws of the M country. Therefore, sanctions were imposed on Lightyear Technology, restricting the supply of raw materials to Lightyear Technology by major companies in the semiconductor industry.

If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext.

The so-called eavesdropping and data collection backdoors alleged by the United States are, of course, fabricated out of thin air. The real reason why the Western bloc sanctioned Lightyear Technology is because Lightyear Technology achieved a great victory in the new round of communication technology iteration standards across the entire planet.

Throughout Earth's history, advancements in communication technology have been dominated by Western companies. China could only follow suit and build its communication systems according to their standards. Because Western companies held the power to set communication rules and possessed numerous patents, China had to pay substantial patent fees to the West for every communication base station it built a decade or two ago. This resulted in the persistently high cost of internet access for the Chinese people.

However, this situation was completely changed by the emergence of Lightyear Technology.

Lightyear Technology was founded very early; in fact, it existed during the early iterations and innovations of communication technology on Earth. However, at that time, China's semiconductor industry started relatively late, and its related technologies and processes lagged behind the West. Therefore, Lightyear Technology had almost no influence in the communications industry. Recognizing its gap with the West, Lightyear Technology quietly honed its skills for twenty years, until it finally emerged with remarkable achievements in recent years.

Lightyear Technology has achieved technological catch-up, overtaking, and then absolute domination over the West. It has mastered more than 60% of the patents in the new generation of communication technology. Its massive technological strength has also enabled Lightyear Technology to obtain the rule-making power in the new generation of communication technology internationally, completely breaking the West's monopoly on communication technology on Earth.

As the saying goes, "A man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure." The rapid rise of Lightyear Technology naturally attracted the attention of Western countries. Two years ago, the Ministry of Commerce of the United States launched an investigation into Lightyear Technology, claiming that Lightyear Technology's related chips had backdoors for information theft, and announced sanctions against Lightyear Technology.

The sanctions dealt a heavy blow to Lightyear Technology. Although Lightyear Technology held a large number of patents and technologies in related fields, the sanctions imposed by the United States cut off its source of raw materials for chip manufacturing, causing a significant drop in its production capacity, which at one point even dropped to zero. As production capacity declined, Lightyear Technology gradually lost its market share on BlueStar International. Within two years, its revenue plummeted from the top spot in the entire BlueStar semiconductor industry to outside the top ten, a truly devastating loss.

Fortunately, Lightyear Technology still has a large number of patents and technologies. Relying on patent fees and other income, as well as subsidies from the Chinese government, Lightyear Technology managed to survive the sanctions.

Times have changed. Today, Xiao Guangqi flew all the way from Shanghai to Beijing because he received an invitation to a science and technology exhibition.

This invitation is no ordinary one; the organizer of the event is a heavyweight—the Chinese Academy of Sciences, whose name resounds throughout the entire planet Earth.

No foreign companies or organizations attended this technology exhibition. The organizers invited only domestic Chinese companies, including more than 30 Chinese national enterprises such as Lightyear Technology, all of which are leaders in their respective industries.

The China Academy of Sciences, the organizer of this science and technology exhibition, has not yet revealed the theme, but the mere name of the China Academy of Sciences is enough to attract major entrepreneurs, including Xiao Guangqi.

Of course, besides this, given the current backdrop of comprehensive sanctions imposed on China by the US and other Western countries, plunging the entire industry into a downturn, the significance of the Chinese Academy of Sciences holding such a technology exhibition is thought-provoking. As a successful entrepreneur, Xiao Guangqi could vaguely sense that this technology exhibition was probably not as simple as it seemed.

The car pulled up to the parking lot of the Beijing International Convention and Exhibition Center, which is where the exhibition will be held.

Xiao Guangqi pushed open the car door and got out, but as soon as one foot touched the ground, a familiar voice came from afar.

"Old Xiao!"

Xiao Guangqi looked up and saw a man dressed in a suit and leather shoes, about the same age as him, getting out of a van and waving as he walked toward him.

Xiao Guangqi raised an eyebrow: "Old Meng?"

The visitor's name was Meng Kaigu, the chairman of Honghu Terminal Technology Company.

Honghu Terminal Technology is a technology company that produces terminal products such as smartphones and smart home devices. Its products are sold all over the world, and its market share ranks first in China and second in the entire country. It can be said to be one of the dominant players in the smart terminal manufacturing industry.

Meng Kaigu, chairman of HONGHU Terminal Technology, and Xiao Guangqi are old acquaintances. They were classmates in college and later started their own businesses. One chose to work behind the scenes to found Guangnian Technology, while the other chose to step into the limelight and found HONGHU Terminal.

Upon seeing Meng Kaigu here, Xiao Guangqi asked with some curiosity, "Old Meng, it's rare to see you come to the exhibition in person."

Meng Kaigu laughed loudly, "Isn't this hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences? We can't afford to offend the country, no matter whose face we're dealing with. How's your company doing lately?"

Xiao Guangqi smiled helplessly: "It's the same as always. You don't know, but there's been a joke circulating in our company these past few days. A few days ago, the US and other groups announced a comprehensive sanction against China. Our company suffered the least loss in this sanction—because we were already sanctioned two years ago."

Meng Kaigu sighed: "Ever since you were sanctioned, the number of chips available to our terminal industry has immediately decreased by more than half, which has led to us being able to use foreign chips for the past two years. You don't know which foreign companies, just because there was no one to check them, joined forces to demand exorbitant prices, directly raising chip costs by half... I get angry just thinking about it now."

"The past two years have been tough for everyone in the industry..."

After chatting for a couple more minutes, Meng Kaigu brought up the exhibition.

"Speaking of which, Lao Xiao, do you think the fact that the Academy of Sciences is holding a science and technology exhibition at this crucial juncture might mean that some new technologies will emerge?"

Xiao Guangqi pondered, "New technologies certainly exist; after all, this is the Chinese Academy of Sciences. However, even if new technologies emerge, they may not necessarily alleviate the current predicament in various industries, unless they are disruptive technologies, the kind that disrupt society... But disruptive technologies don't appear so easily. In the more than a thousand years of human history on Earth, disruptive technologies have only appeared a few times..."

"There's no need to be so pessimistic; there might be a pleasant surprise."

After offering a word of comfort to his old classmate, Meng Kaigu raised his wrist to check the time.

"It's almost time, let's go in."

Xiao Guangqi nodded, and the two stopped chatting. Accompanied by their secretaries, assistants, and other staff, they stepped into the exhibition hall.

Chapter 447 The Mysterious East Exhibition Area

The Beijing International Convention and Exhibition Center covers an area of ​​over 100,000 square meters and has a very large interior space.

In the past, organizers of exhibitions held at the Beijing International Convention and Exhibition Center often found themselves unable to utilize all the booths. In most cases, there would be many empty booths after an exhibition, which is the norm for most exhibitions across the entire planet.

But this exhibition is completely different.

Xiao Guangqi and Meng Kaigu's first impression upon entering the venue was that it was packed.

It's way too full.

Looking around, there was hardly a single empty booth. Each booth was surrounded by a large number of visitors, making the huge venue seem exceptionally crowded.

Xiao Guangqi said with some surprise, "There are so many people..."

Meng Kaigu nodded: "Yes, I saw several familiar faces over there, from all walks of life. It seems that this exhibition covers a wide range of topics."

At this moment, Xiao Guangqi caught sight of a figure in the distance and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Hmm? Isn't that Old Zheng over there?"

"Old Zheng?"

Following Xiao Guangqi's gaze, Meng Kaigu saw a man of similar age to the two of them standing in front of a display stand, accompanied by a group of people, staring intently at the exhibits on the stand.

"It really is Zheng Guoqiu. Let's go take a look."

The two walked toward Zheng Guoqiu's booth and called out from afar.

"Old Zheng."

Zheng Guoqiu, who was engrossed in looking at the exhibit descriptions, suddenly heard a familiar voice and quickly turned around.

"Old Xiao, Old Meng? Oh my, long time no see! You two are only just arriving?"

"We arrived a long time ago."

Xiao and Meng shook hands with Zheng Guoqiu, and then Consultant Meng Kai said, "Old Zheng, I heard that your company's production capacity has hit a bottleneck and you are looking for a new breakthrough?"

Zheng Guoqiu sighed and said, "That's how it is in our chemical materials industry. Once the technology reaches its limit, without major breakthroughs, cost becomes the biggest problem. Unless we expand production to spread costs or reduce costs in other areas, or we need new technologies. But speaking of which, the Western bloc, led by the US, has launched a comprehensive sanction against China, which has also reduced our company's sales to other countries. It's a way of indirectly reducing our production capacity needs, so there's no need to invest so much. It's a blessing in disguise. Lao Xiao, how's your company doing?"

Xiao Guangqi laughed twice: "Us? We've been sanctioned for over two years, so we're completely unfazed. This comprehensive sanction has basically no impact on us. We'll just continue as before. But you, you can't have come to this exhibition for nothing, can you? Did you find anything?"

"Of course."

Zheng Guoqiu gestured towards the booth in front of him: "This is it. I've been longing for this technology for a year. It's a new material synthesis technology that causes less material loss compared to previous procedures, saving nearly 30% of the cost. I saw this technology at an exhibition in Shanghai last year. It was developed by a team led by Academician Wu Minghui of the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. However, at that time, the technology was only in the early stages of research and development. I didn't expect it to be completely completed in just one year! I think this is probably the biggest gain from this trip."

"Mr. Zheng, you're probably speaking too soon."

Suddenly, a voice came from the booth. Zheng, Xiao, and Meng, who were standing around the booth, looked up and saw an elderly man in his seventies with gray hair, wearing a checkered shirt and black-rimmed glasses, who was still very energetic.

Zheng Guoqiu immediately recognized the other person as Professor Wu Minghui, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences who developed the material synthesis technology. He quickly shook hands with him and said, "Professor Wu, hello."

The other two also shook hands with Wu Minghui and greeted him.

Wu Minghui smiled and asked, "What does President Zheng think of our technology?"

"subversion."

Zheng Guoqiu gave a thumbs up: "Professor Wu, I'm sorry I can't find the words to describe the innovation of this technology. It can reduce the cost of material synthesis by 30% or even more. This is truly a disruptive technology. If this technology can be fully implemented in production, the cost savings will be astronomical, and it can also significantly reduce the price of materials."

"It seems Mr. Zheng really likes our technology," Wu Minghui continued with a smile. "However, Mr. Wu, I still maintain that if you consider this your biggest takeaway today, you're sorely mistaken."

Zheng Guoqiu was taken aback, and said in a low voice, "Professor Wu, you mean...?"

Wu Minghui kept everyone in suspense: "Gentlemen, today's exhibition is divided into two phases. The first phase showcases some of the research results from various institutes of our Academy of Sciences in recent years, covering a wide range of industries. The second phase will begin in an hour and will take place in the East Exhibition Area, which is not yet open. At that time, the East Exhibition Area will exhibit some new things. These new things will not only interest General Manager Zheng, but also General Manager Meng and General Manager Xiao, and I think they will surprise you all."

What new things will interest them and surprise them?

At this point, Xiao Guangqi suddenly recalled his conversation with Meng Kaigu outside the convention center. Could there really be revolutionary technology from the pinnacle of society?

Xiao Guangqi looked up at Meng Kaigu, only to find that the other man was also looking at him. Clearly, the two of them were thinking the same thing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have to leave now. Please remember not to miss this phase of the exhibition in the East Exhibition Area in an hour."

After reminding the three of them again, Wu Minghui left.

Meng Kaigu sighed, "Old Xiao, Old Zheng, it seems we made the right choice coming here today."

Xiao Guangqi lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then bid farewell to the two men, saying, "Gentlemen, I'll go take a look around first. We'll meet again in the East Exhibition Area in an hour."

Watching Xiao Guangqi's hurried departure, Meng Kaigu smiled and said, "Looks like Old Xiao can't wait... Well, I'll be going now too. Old Zheng, see you in the East Exhibition Area in an hour."

After saying goodbye to Zheng Guoqiu, Meng Kaigu also left.

An hour passed quickly, and the exhibition entered its second half.

The three met again in front of the East Exhibition Area, which was not yet open to the public.

Upon meeting, Meng Kaigu couldn't help but tease Xiao Guangqi, "How was it, Lao Xiao? You were in such a hurry just now, did you come across anything interesting or any technology?"

Xiao Guangqi smiled helplessly, "Unfortunately, no. Our company's technology is already among the most advanced in the industry. Our biggest difficulty right now is that we're being held back by raw materials and some manufacturing processes. This isn't something that can be easily solved, which is why I was pessimistic before coming to this exhibition. After all, if you don't have high expectations, you won't be disappointed. All my expectations are now focused on the East Exhibition Area... What about you, Lao Meng?"

"As for me? Our company is doing alright. After all, we are a product-oriented company, and our main focus is on design innovation and programming, so it is relatively easy for us to innovate. I just saw a few very impressive system-level innovations, which will be of great help to us in the future. I have to say, the Academy of Sciences has a really rich technological reserve."

After chatting for a while, Zheng Guoqiu interrupted their conversation. The two looked ahead and saw that the exhibition staff had removed the barriers in the east exhibition area.

Thus, amidst the anticipation of a large number of visitors, the East Exhibition Area finally opened.

Chapter 448 What exactly is this thing?

"Please enter in an orderly manner. Thank you for your cooperation. Sir, thank you for your cooperation..."

Under the guidance of the exhibition hall staff, all visitors entered the East Exhibition Area one by one through the open passage.

Visitors, regardless of wealth or social status, are treated equally and without any special privileges.

Xiao Guangqi, Meng Kaigu, and Zheng Guoqiu also entered with the main group.

Upon arriving at the East Exhibition Area, everyone was surprised to realize that it was different from the other exhibition areas.

In the other exhibition areas, the relevant exhibits are placed on booths with accompanying pictures and text descriptions. There is a booth at regular intervals. If it is a technology, the booth will display a technical model on an electronic screen, and the technology developers will be there to explain the technology.

The East Exhibition Area, however, is completely different. Due to the design of the Beijing International Convention and Exhibition Center, the east and west exhibition areas are independent of the main exhibition hall, connected by a long corridor in the middle. The East Exhibition Area in front of us is a huge domed exhibition hall independent of the main exhibition hall. There are no extra booths here. Instead, a stage is set up in the middle of the originally spacious exhibition hall, with a single booth placed on the stage. Seats are arranged all around, somewhat like the layout of an opera house. However, compared to the dimness of an opera house, the bright lights here are more like an auction hall.