Great Power Reclamation

The call was from Yifei. As soon as Ye Yuze answered, he heard Yifei's anxious voice: "Dad, can you and Uncle Yang come back to Junken City as soon as possible? Something terrible has happened!"

Ye Yuze's heart skipped a beat. Yifei was a calm and composed person, and since taking charge of the military reclamation city, she had become even more shrewd, remaining unfazed even in the face of a collapsing mountain. For her to speak in such a tone, it was no small matter. He immediately pressed the speakerphone button so that Yang Geyong could also hear.

"Don't rush, tell me slowly, what happened?" Ye Yuze asked in a deep voice.

"It's the core material for our new energy project, a special low-temperature insulation material needed for superconducting energy storage coils, called 'Heart of the Glacier'," Yifei's voice carried a hint of fatigue and anxiety.

"The sole supplier, Kronos Materials Group of Europe, suddenly and unilaterally broke the long-term supply agreement and stopped all supply and technical support!"

"What?!" Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong exclaimed simultaneously. They knew the importance of the "Heart of the Glacier" material.

The new energy system of Junken City, especially the stable output of large fusion reactors and peak shaving of the power grid, relies heavily on superconducting energy storage devices built based on this material.

This material has extremely unique properties, maintaining excellent insulation and stability at ultra-low temperatures, making it irreplaceable in the short term.

Once the reserves are depleted, the energy supply of the entire military reclamation city and even some key projects of the Warrior New Energy Group will be severely affected, and may even lead to the stagnation of research.

"What's the reason? Are they crazy? The penalty for breach of contract is astronomical!" Yang Geyong roared.

"The other party is willing to pay an exorbitant penalty for breach of contract!"

Yifei's tone was grave. "Our initial assessment is that this is definitely not a commercial act. There is likely non-commercial interference and pressure behind it, a precise attack on our entire industry chain. Moreover, they seem to have accurately calculated our inventory and the progress of alternative product development, and the timing is extremely critical."

Ye Yuze's face instantly darkened. He immediately thought of the situation in Africa. The rise of the Sodom Alliance and the promotion of Hope Grass technology were bound to threaten the interests of certain established powers.

Unable to defeat Ye Rou head-on in Africa, they began searching for weaknesses in their sister companies globally to attack, attempting to undermine them from the ground up. The new energy industry in Junken City was one of the core driving forces of their sister companies and the entire rear support system.

"How long can our inventory last? What about developing alternatives?" Ye Yuze quickly pressed.

"Under the premise of fully guaranteeing the core project, at most three months! Although the laboratory synthesis of the alternative material 'Kunlun Chalcedony' has been successful, there are still at least six months of technical barriers to overcome before large-scale and stable industrial production, and the cost is also frighteningly high," Yifei replied.

“Three months…” Ye Yuze pondered for a moment, a sharp glint in his eyes. “Okay, I understand. Your Uncle Yang and I will go back right away.”

"Notify all relevant technical personnel to prepare for a meeting. In addition, activate all backup channels and search globally for possible alternative sources or second-hand inventory, even if it's just a little bit, it can buy us time."

"Understood, Dad. Please hurry!"

The atmosphere in the restaurant instantly became heavy after the phone call ended. Even the aroma of the spicy hot pot seemed to have faded somewhat.

"Damn it! Playing dirty tricks, huh?" Yang Geyong slammed his hand on the table, making the bowls and chopsticks jump. "It must be those bastards who can't stand to see us doing well! They can't win in a direct confrontation, so they resort to these underhanded methods!"

Li Ming listened with a pounding heart. Although he didn't know all the details, he understood that this was a matter of life and death for the group.

Ye Yuze stood up, his eyes chillingly calm: "Old Yang, getting angry won't help. This is war, a commercial and technological war. They've made their move, so we'll respond. Let's go back to Junken City!"

He then looked at Li Ming: "Li Ming, please take good care of the farm and things here. Especially the research and data related to Hope Grass, it can't stop. We also need continued support in Africa."

"Don't worry, Mr. Ye, I will do my best!" Li Ming immediately assured him.

Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong set off almost immediately, their private jet flying directly to China.

Throughout the journey, the two maintained communication via satellite phone with clandestine information channels in the military settlement, Africa, and Europe, attempting to piece together a more complete picture.

The situation is worse than imagined. The Kronos Group has taken an extremely hard line, completely refusing to negotiate. Some official levels in Europe have also expressed ambiguity, suggesting this is a "self-determined business decision."

Meanwhile, the technical team at the military reclamation city reported that the industrial mass production of "Kunlun chalcedony" has encountered several key technical bottlenecks, involving complex nanoscale lattice control and ultrapure material preparation, and the hope of breaking through in a short period of time is slim.

The opponent's strike was both precise and ruthless.

It was late at night when the plane landed at the military reclamation city airport. Yifei personally came to pick them up, along with Wang Lina and a group from the Soldier New Energy Company. Their faces all wore deep remorse…

If they could solve it, it wouldn't be up to Yifei, the top leader, to worry about it.

"Dad, Uncle Yang, the situation isn't good. The technical team is still working through the night, but progress is slow. A global search hasn't found a suitable mass-produced alternative, and the small amount of inventory we have is just a drop in the bucket," Yifei reported the latest developments.

"Take us to the lab," Ye Yuze ordered without any pleasantries.

The core laboratory for new energy in Junken City is brightly lit. The enormous "Kunlun Chalcedony" synthesis device stands like a complex metal behemoth, with densely packed data and simulation curves scrolling across the screen.

The technical team, led by Mr. Ni, all had furrowed brows. Wang Nannan and her team were busy at work.

"President Ye, President Yang," Old Ni saw them and quickly walked over, pointing to a complex molecular simulation diagram on the screen.

"We're stuck here. We can't stably control the orientation and defect density of crystal growth in a large reactor. The batch yield is extremely low, and the performance fluctuates greatly, failing to meet the stability standards of the 'Heart of the Glacier'."

Although Ye Yuze wasn't a materials science expert, he possessed the intuition of a top engineer and a profound understanding of technology. He stared silently at the dazzling array of data and structural diagrams.

Yang Geyong was completely bewildered and wrung his hands anxiously: "Old Ni, just tell me, what else do you want? We'll give you money if you need money, manpower if you need manpower, and equipment if you need equipment! We'll sell everything we own to get it done!"

Professor Xie smiled wryly: "Mr. Yang, this isn't a matter of money or equipment; it's a matter of breakthroughs in basic science and technology, which takes time..."

“What we lack most is time,” Yifei said softly.

The laboratory was silent except for the faint hum of the equipment.

Suddenly, Ye Yuze raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and asked a seemingly unrelated question: "Why do we have to completely replicate the 'Heart of the Glacier'?"

Everyone was stunned.

Wang Nannan hesitated, "Because...because the design of the superconducting energy storage coil is based on the material parameters of 'Glacier Heart'. Changing the material means redesigning the entire coil or even part of the system, which involves a much larger workload..."

"What if there were a material that didn't need to meet all the parameters of the 'Heart of the Glacier,' but could meet the requirements for certain key indicators, or even make up for its shortcomings through new structural designs?"

Ye Yuze said slowly, his thinking once again breaking out of the conventional framework, "Or rather, can we change our approach and stop thinking about 'replacing' and instead think about 'surpassing' or 'bypassing'?"

He walked to a whiteboard, picked up a pen, and said, "I remember that there were many different technical paths in early superconductivity research. The low-temperature superconducting insulating material represented by 'Glacier Heart' was one path, but what about high-temperature superconducting materials? Although they also require special insulation and cooling, the requirements might be different?"

"Furthermore, are we too fixated on single large-scale energy storage devices? Could we design distributed, modular small energy storage units to reduce our reliance on the extremely high performance of a single material?"

Ye Yuze's words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting the stagnant air in the laboratory!

Old Ni suddenly slapped his forehead: "That's right! We've been getting stuck in a rut! We're always thinking about how to replicate 'Heart of the Glacier,' how to catch up with others on their track, but why don't we think about changing our track?"

"High-temperature superconductivity has indeed made progress in recent years! Although the overall system may be more complex, the choice of insulating materials may be more flexible! And modular design... yes! It disperses risks and can even be combined with our latest smart grid technology for optimized scheduling!"

Mr. Ni was originally an outsider to these things; as someone who works on chips, he knew nothing about materials.

However, the current Military Reclamation Research Institute is a hodgepodge, and Wang Nannan's research team also belongs to the institute, so he had no choice but to start his own research. His words seemed to inject a powerful boost into the entire technical team, and they immediately began a heated discussion around the new idea proposed by Ye Yuze. New simulation calculations began, and different material databases were retrieved, filtered, and compared again.

"President Ye, your idea is crucial!" Hope rekindled in Wang Nannan's eyes.

Although Yang Geyong still didn't quite understand the technical details, he could tell that the atmosphere had changed. He grinned and said, "I knew you were up to something, Lao Ye... uh, you're hiding a big move!"

Ye Yuze, however, did not relax at all: "Ideas are just directions; implementation is the key. Wang Nannan, immediately organize manpower and launch a two-pronged attack. You take the lead and don't make Old Ni worry too much."

"First, continue to optimize the process of 'Kunlun Chalcedony'. Even if the yield rate is low, we must ensure the continuous supply of core experimental equipment."

"Second, establish a new task force to focus all efforts on tackling the challenges of high-temperature superconductivity pathways and modular distributed energy storage design schemes! And do it quickly!"

"Yes, Mr. Ye!" Wang Nannan accepted the order and immediately led her team back into battle.

Leaving the lab, Ye Yuze said to Wang Lina:

“We are doing our best to break through the technical barriers, but we cannot let up on the commercial and political pressures. The other party has torn up the agreement and violated international trade rules. Our legal team needs to get moving and initiate lawsuits in major jurisdictions around the world. Even if it takes time, we will keep them occupied and make things difficult for them.”

"At the same time, we will use all available business resources and personal connections to put pressure on the Kronos Group and test whether there are any internal divisions that we can exploit."

"Understood! I've already instructed the International Legal Department to prepare." Wang Lina nodded.

“Furthermore,” Ye Yuze said, his gaze deep, “we need to find out exactly who is behind this. Only by finding the root cause can we take targeted action.”

In the days that followed, the military reclamation city resembled a war machine running at full speed. The technical team worked day and night, exploring every possible technological approach.

The legal team launched a series of lawsuits around the world. The business intelligence department worked at full capacity to uncover the Kronos Group and the network of influence behind it.

Ye Yuze, stationed at the central command, slept only three or four hours a day, listening to reports from all sides and making decisions. Yang Geyong, on the other hand, leveraged his expertise, utilizing his past connections and extensive network to gather information through various informal channels, even personally contacting some international "gray" information brokers.

A week later, Yang Geyong brought a crucial piece of information:
"Old Ye, we've got a lead. It points to those old-guard military-industrial complex giants in the Tri-Colored Country! They've had a deep partnership with the Kronos Group. Damn, looks like they didn't get any advantage in Djibouti and the Horn of Africa, so they're coming here to cause trouble!"

Almost simultaneously, the legal team also reported that Kronos Group was not a monolithic entity. The breach of the agreement was forced upon the CEO by a few major shareholders and external pressure, which caused dissatisfaction among some board members and executives, especially given the huge penalty for breach of contract and reputational damage.

Technically, the preliminary test results of the new high-temperature superconductor combined with novel composite insulating materials are encouraging!
Although it is still far from being widely applied, it proves that this path is feasible! The design scheme for modular distributed energy storage has also been completed in its first draft, which greatly reduces the extreme requirements for the performance of a single material.

"Alright!" Ye Yuze slammed his hand on the table. "Yifei, get ready, I'm going to Europe myself!"

"Dad, it's too dangerous! They're so despicable..." Yifei said worriedly.

"The more critical the moment, the more we must confront them head-on," Ye Yuze said resolutely. "They think cutting off our material supply will make us kneel and beg for mercy? I'll show them how our brother company stands tall!"

"I'm not going there to beg them, I'm going to put final pressure on them! At the same time, I also need to reach out to the shareholders and executives who are dissatisfied with the CEO!"

He paused, a cold smile appearing on his face: "Besides, who said I only have two cards: 'ask' or 'bet'?"

Ye Yuze secretly contacted Ye Rou. Soon after, the Somon Business Department issued a noteworthy tender notice:

"For the planned 'Horn of Africa Economic Community' cross-regional smart grid project, we will procure hundreds of billions of dollars worth of new energy equipment, energy storage systems and related materials, and give priority to suppliers that can provide comprehensive technical solutions and localized production cooperation."

This announcement has dropped a bombshell in the global new energy industry! Warrior Group is undoubtedly one of the strongest competitors. However, if Warrior New Energy collapses due to material issues, this huge market share will fall into the hands of others.

Ye Yuze took this "bargaining chip" and some "fringe evidence" collected by the Warrior Group's legal team regarding the Kronos Group's potential involvement in unfair competition or even commercial bribery, and flew to Europe.

Instead of going directly to the Kronos Group headquarters, he met extensively with investment institutions, industry partners, and those "dissatisfied" within the Kronos Group.

He clearly conveyed several messages:

1. Warrior New Energy will never fall; technological alternatives are on the way.

2. The actions of the Kronos Group constitute breach of contract and unfair competition, and the Warrior Group will fight to the end.

3. If Kronos Group pulls back from the brink, resumes supply and compensates for losses, Warrior Group could consider cooperating with them on future large African orders (implying inclusion in the supply chain).

4. If they remain obstinate, the Warrior Group will not only pursue legal action to the end, but will also ensure that the Kronos Group and the forces behind it are forever excluded from Africa, as well as from the Warrior Group and its sister companies' vast future cooperation system.

Meanwhile, the technical team from Junken City brought more good news!

After trying thousands of combinations of process parameters, they unexpectedly discovered that under a special magnetic field and temperature gradient environment, the crystal growth of "Kunlun Chalcedony" exhibited a highly ordered phenomenon! The batch yield rate improved significantly! Although the cost is still high, it at least proves that large-scale industrial production is possible!
When the news reached Europe, it became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The CEO of Kronos Group felt immense pressure from both internal and external forces. Internally, shareholder discontent was escalating; externally, he faced massive lawsuits and the risk of losing future markets; and externally, the competitor's technological breakthrough meant that the strategy of holding them back was about to fail.

Finally, on the tenth day after Ye Yuze arrived in Europe, the board of directors of Kronos Group held an emergency meeting and passed a resolution to take the initiative to contact Ye Yuze and request negotiations.

The negotiations were extremely difficult, but the outcome was satisfactory:

1. Kronos Group admitted to breach of contract and paid a huge sum in damages.

2. Immediately restore the supply of "Glacier Heart" material and commit to a stable supply at preferential prices for the next ten years.

3. Establish a joint venture R&D center with Warrior New Energy to jointly develop a new generation of superconducting insulating materials.

4. The Kronos Group used its influence to lobby relevant European institutions to stop the informal crackdown on the Warriors Group.

A sudden crisis ended in a complete victory for the warrior group. They not only resolved the immediate crisis but also gained control of upstream material suppliers, clearing a major obstacle for future development.

When Ye Yuze returned in triumph to the military reclamation city, he received a hero's welcome.

Yang Geyong pounded his shoulder hard: "Old Ye, you're really something! You're still got it! Let's see if those bastards dare to be so cocky now!"

Yifei looked at her father with eyes full of admiration. Her father not only pointed out the direction in terms of technology, but also, on the business and strategic levels, used tough and intelligent means to thwart the opponent's conspiracy and achieve a comeback from the brink of defeat.

Looking at the revitalized laboratory and production line, Ye Yuze didn't feel much joy. He simply said to Yifei, Elder Ni, and the others:

"The crisis has been temporarily averted, but we must remember the lessons. We must master core technologies ourselves, and our supply chain cannot be too reliant on a single technology. The 'Kunlun Chalcedony' project cannot be stopped; we must continue to optimize it and reduce costs. Research on high-temperature superconductivity and distributed energy storage must also be accelerated. We need to be prepared in multiple ways so that we can stand firm in the face of any storm."

He walked to the window, gazing at the thriving scene of the military reclamation city, and said softly:
"This is not just a victory in a business war, but a declaration. It tells everyone that any attempt to hinder our development through unfair means will only make us stronger."

Upon hearing the news, Ye Rou, who was far away in Africa, sent a short message: "Dad, I'm proud of you."

The energy heart of Junken City beats strong and steady once again, supporting the dreams and future of this land and the wider world it connects to.

Through this ordeal, the resilience of Warrior New Energy and the technological capabilities of the Military Reclamation City have reached a new level. The real challenges have just begun, but they have already proven once again that they can cope. (End of Chapter)