I built an armada.

Su Dingping gently put down the translation, walked to the window, looked at the desolate night view of the base, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"Arrest them? Why arrest them? We hold the key to lithography machines in our hands; they have no chance of even getting close to the core technology!"
No matter how much that eagle spy jumps around, he can't steal the core code. But that sailor…”

He paused, a sly glint in his eyes.

"The Ryukyu Military Intelligence Bureau made him not only guard against our leaks, but also protect his own semiconductors from being completely devoured by the Eagles, and keep a close eye on the progress of the negotiations. Can you imagine how busy he is? It's like his own people are guarding against each other, a dog-eat-dog spectacle. Why not watch it if you don't want to?"

Guo Xueyun was still worried.

"But the Eagle's spies have already obtained some of the parameters! What if..."

"Even a million chances won't turn it into a core technology."

Su Dingping waved his hand, his tone resolute.

"However, reminding Wanlong was the right thing to do."

He took out an encrypted communicator and issued instructions in a calm voice.

"Xiaolong, monitor encrypted channels in groups A and B, and keep a close watch on the target. Track and scan his behavior around the clock, and allow the use of harmless inducement methods to observe his reactions."

Any unauthorized contact attempts must be recorded and reported immediately. Also, security in all key areas of the base has been raised to Level 1, with two additional mobile sentry posts added.

"Yes!"

Wanlong's reply was concise and to the point.

The negotiations that followed continued for the next two days, with every inch of ground fiercely contested. Qiu Shang was still struggling with the final terms, Dong Weichang looked as bitter as a gourd, and Wu Qiming had almost run out of steam arguing his case.

Su Dingping remained calm and composed, controlling the pace of the negotiations. When he refused to compromise, he acted like a stabilizing force, but when he occasionally loosened his grip on a few non-core conditions, it was just right. This made Longxia appear both powerful and not entirely heartless.

Only during breaks and discussions with the technical staff would he "casually" sigh, a sound that, though not loud, would reach the ears of those who were paying attention.

"Sigh, the stability of the core light source power of Wangyue still has theoretical bottlenecks... The calibration algorithm for that top-tier lens has been iterated seventeen times and is still not satisfactory..."

His words were filled with the weariness and subtle unease of a top researcher facing the final hurdle, so genuine it was flawless. His assistant beside him also "accidentally" let slip a few words.

"Yes, Mr. Su, it's too difficult to maintain stable power for EUV. Unstable batches of consumables are a huge problem... Our own experimental lines are still repeatedly failing us!"

The voice was low, yet it tickled someone's ear with the precision of a feather.

The message, like a firefly in the dark, was quickly captured, processed, and encrypted, then flew away along two different secret channels. The Eagle Tribe's intelligence center.

The "experts" were unusually concerned about the information that "the core of the Longxia lithography machine has a major unresolved stability problem." (This information was shared within the Ryukyu Military Intelligence Bureau.)

The intelligence relayed by the "sailor" that Su Dingping was "exhausted and struggling to overcome difficulties" became an important bargaining chip in the high-level assessment—Longxia was indeed powerful, but not omnipotent. This caused the last remaining thought in their minds that they might still be able to maneuver and retain some autonomy to resurface faintly. Little did they know, this was precisely the "hope" that Su Dingping wanted them to see.

The grand finale of the night has arrived once again.

The final draft of the cooperation agreement was painstakingly finalized amidst a near-hysterical debate between the two legal teams! Dong Weichang let out a long breath, almost collapsing from exhaustion, and prepared to sign the agreement on the electronic screen with trembling hands.

To demonstrate their sincerity, the company immediately submitted the first batch of core technology data packages as agreed – a substantial package containing their packaging and testing system drawings, which they have relied on for many years in the global chip foundry industry, and a complete set of core design library keys for the 90nm node.

The massive server array began to hum, and the data stream representing precious intellectual wealth began to flow from the encrypted storage terminal of the ball merchant to the military receiving terminal pre-set by Longxia.

It was late at night. Li Zhe, the chief technical advisor of TSMC, had his honest, unassuming technician face hidden in the shadows of the dim light from the computer screen, but his eyes were as sharp as a venomous snake.

The hands of the specially made digital watch on his wrist vibrated slightly, a vibration that only the wearer could feel. The time had come!
His fingers flew across the specially designed device, disguised as an ordinary voice recorder, typing commands. A hidden interface was activated, and it began greedily reading the core logs of the critical data stream being transmitted.

He even successfully intercepted the metadata identifiers of several large-capacity design file packages!

"The backup of this batch of core data is complete..."

Li Zhe was overjoyed, but cold sweat trickled down his temples.

He had to compress and encrypt this information and send it out as soon as possible! Just as he was about to start the final step, the office door was silently pushed open a crack!

Li Zhe turned around abruptly like a startled rabbit, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat! A dark figure stood at the doorway—it was Wang Hao, the taciturn equipment maintenance worker from the negotiation team, whose gaze frequently swept over him!
"Consultant Li, are you still working so late? What good stuff are you copying?"

Wang Hao's voice was cold and calm, with a metallic quality. The teacup he was holding was obviously just a cover as he silently approached Li Zhe's workbench!

It's that "sailor" from Ryukyu!
He did find it!

He's trying to stop me from passing on TSMC's core technology to the Eagles!
In a flash, the huge word "betrayal" flashed through Li Zhe's mind!
He was trapped in the office with nowhere to escape!
Get out of the way!

This is none of your business!

Li Zhe growled and tried to grab the specially made device on the table.

Wang Hao moved like lightning, and with a standard blocking and grappling move, he grabbed Li Zhe's wrist!
The two immediately began wrestling in the cramped office filled with blueprints! Files flew everywhere, and chairs were knocked over with a loud crash! Although Li Zhe was well-trained, he was ultimately a technical person and was slightly weaker than the professional Wang Hao.

His arms were twisted tightly and he was pinned to the table, and the special equipment was about to be taken away!
No! We absolutely cannot let the mission fail! A glint of madness flashed in Li Zhe's eyes!
He used all his strength to slam backward and push Wang Hao aside, then grabbed a thick craft dictionary from the table and smashed it hard against Wang Hao's head! Wang Hao instinctively raised his hand to block, his body leaning back! In that instant, ignoring the excruciating pain in his wrist, Li Zhe lunged at the computer and, with all his might, pressed the preset encrypted transmission shortcut key!
A pulse message packet, compressed to the extreme and containing the most critical intelligence identifiers and the brief phrase "Liu has signed, the two machines are settled," shot into the vast sea of ​​network signals like a tiny bullet!

Damn it!

Wang Hao saw the success message flash by and then disappear in an instant, his eyes wide with rage!

He lunged forward and delivered a powerful chop to Li Zhe's neck! Li Zhe's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

The information still revealed the most crucial point.

Ryukyu and Ryukyu signed a secret agreement, and the first two trains have been put into service! Ryukyu Electric has completely betrayed them!

Eagle Tribe, Black Palace, highest-level situation briefing meeting.

The chieftain held a briefing that still smelled of ink, his face quickly turning from ashen to a deep red!

"Snapped!"

He slammed the thick crystal paperweight onto the floor, instantly tearing the expensive Persian carpet and leaving a terrible mark!

"Useless! All of you are useless!!!" The roar shook the thick bulletproof glass of the office, making it vibrate! The staff and advisors fell silent in fear.

"How dare they?! That ingrate Dong Weichang! And that devil Su Dingping!!"

The chieftain was breathing heavily.

"The fleet's shame hasn't been washed away yet! A five-star admiral was humiliated by Longxia in front of the whole world! Now, even our last technological trump card—semiconductors!—has been snatched from our cage?! And we're even going to sell them our most precious mothership?!"

In the past, he would have roared and ordered the Seventh Fleet to sail to Long Xia's doorstep to show off his power, using the massive shadows of the carrier battle group to tell the other side.

I set the rules! Disobey and be prepared to face my iron wrath!

But the roar that was about to come out was swallowed back down by him!
It felt like swallowing a fish bone with thorns! It was so painful it made his lungs ache!

How did Joseph's fleet get wiped out last time, only to return in disgrace with an exorbitant ransom? And what about Longxia's elusive anti-ship missiles!

That terrifying "divine spear" whose trajectory could not be detected at all! And that damned electromagnetic weapon, hidden somewhere, capable of blinding the entire fleet's electronic systems... Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, gnawed at his rage.

Longxia has changed!

The fangs that this giant dragon from the East bares are truly deadly! And it will bite relentlessly!
"Don't move! Damn it... don't move..."

The Great Chieftain slumped back into his massive leather chair, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. His immense power had become a heavy, unwieldy shackle, a feeling a hundred times worse than the annihilation of his fleet!
Unable to use force to deter, and with Li Hui, that "old friend" from Ryukyu, disappearing at a crucial moment... a tremendous sense of powerlessness and overwhelming anger had nowhere to go. His crimson eyes suddenly fixed on the intelligence chief.

"That Li... that guy codenamed Worker Bee! Is he still in that damn furnace on the mainland?"

The intelligence chief felt a chill run down his spine and quickly replied.

Yes, Your Excellency.

His secure information channels were confirmed to be active.

"Get him connected! At all costs!"

The chieftain, like a drowning man grasping at a thorny straw, spoke with a bloody stench.

"I want to see destruction! To see chaos!! Ideally... to make that Su Dingping disappear completely!"
That devil!

He's the root of all the trouble! Take him down! By any means you can think of! Now!!!

The command, bearing the highest-level "Furnace" insignia, instantly transformed into a destructive code, which was transmitted via a secret deep-sea channel to an encrypted receiver disguised as an ordinary watch on the other side of the ocean.

In the dimly lit room of the base's guesthouse, Li Zhe had just woken up from unconsciousness. His neck was throbbing with pain from Wang Hao's slash, and his head was buzzing.

He habitually activated his watch discreetly to check the communication security status—only after confirming that it was secure could he attempt to contact the outside world to escape or destroy evidence.

However, the moment the fingertip touched the sensor area on the side of the watch, a chilling encrypted command appeared on the retina screen like a brand.

[Code Name: Extinguish Flames. Eliminate Target: Su Dingping. Execution Rating: Highest Priority, No Consequences. Execution Method: Physical Elimination Preferred. Countdown: 48 Hours. Consequences of Failure: You will be marked as a defector by the system, and the elimination process will be initiated simultaneously.]

hum...

The buzzing in Li Zhe's head turned into thunderous roars!
He could almost see an invisible red dot firmly locking onto his head!

"Extinguish...extinguish the flames? Eliminate Su Dingping???"

He screamed silently and frantically in his heart.

"In Longxia's highest-level military base? You want me to assassinate their national treasure-level scientist?? You might as well just kill me right now!!"

This is no longer a matter of difficulty!
This is practically sending him on a one-way sightseeing trip to hell! And it takes effect immediately!

A chilling despair instantly overwhelmed him.

He's a spy, but he's not a madman from a suicide squad! The Eagle's leadership has gone mad! To vent their anger, they want to throw him into the incinerator like a disposable rag!

In the aftermath of immense panic, the ruthlessness honed through long-trained training began to operate under the sway of survival instincts. Assassinate the base? Create widespread chaos? That was a pipe dream! Assassinate Su Dingping?
Although both faced near-death experiences, at least the objective was focused... and based on several days of observation, that young mad scientist seemed a bit "crazy," a workaholic, and it wasn't impossible for him to act alone late at night...

Like a drowning man grasping at a single buoy, a crazy plan took shape in Li Zhe's mind.

"Poisoning...in the office! Only in close proximity...could he be unprotected..."

With trembling hands, he reached into the hidden compartment of the suitcase and pulled out a small bottle of highly concentrated nerve blocker that was pure, odorless, and almost undetectable by conventional equipment.

"Hellfire Lava"... That's a fucking apt codename for the operation!

He cursed inwardly, then poured the drop of ink-colored solution, capable of instantly dissolving and collapsing one's organs, into a miniature syringe disguised as an ordinary ballpoint pen.

The atmosphere on the final day of negotiations was surprisingly "harmonious".

Perhaps to lull the enemy into a false sense of security, or perhaps because the situation was already decided, Li Zhe's face was plastered with an almost fawning smile, a far cry from the sinister look of the previous night.

Wang Hao's eyes were gloomy, like a lone wolf being watched by a hunter. Although he had taken down Li Zhe last night, the most important alarm had been raised. He had to ensure that this crazy eagle spy could not pull any more tricks at the last moment, and at the same time protect the results of the negotiations!
He kept a close eye on Li Zhe's every move, almost never leaving his side.

The signing ceremony concluded successfully, with representatives from both sides shaking hands amidst flashing camera lights.

Dong Weichang gripped Su Dingping's hand tightly, his excitement evident in his expression.

"Director Su! We at TSMC will forever remember Long Xia's trustworthiness! We're counting on the first two pieces of equipment!"

Su Dingping smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry, Mr. Dong, the contract is a promise."

Within three months, Wangyue will arrive at your cleanroom on time.

He paused, his voice gentle yet weighty.

"While core technologies cannot be fully shared for the time being, please have faith in Longxia's potential in semiconductor equipment technology. The scope for future cooperation will undoubtedly far exceed what we have today." (End of Chapter)