Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 282 The Technology Gap

By mid-September, everything else was proceeding as planned when Gu Yuanheng came looking for him.

In He Yuzhu's office, Gu Yuanheng was complaining while holding a list.

"Boss, we've run into a tough customer with the helicopter." Gu Yuanheng's brows furrowed with deep exhaustion.

He Yuzhu took the list and looked at it for a long time without understanding it. Although he had studied mechanics, he had never studied it in depth, and that was all twenty years ago. He was completely ignorant about new things.

Putting down the list in his hand, He Yuzhu gestured to Gu Yuanheng before saying, "Old Gu, don't rush, take your time. Which bone are you having trouble chewing?"

"We can't crack the rotor system, transmission gearbox, or core components of the turboshaft engine," Gu Yuanheng said helplessly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Explain in detail, what is the reason?"

Gu Yuanheng took the list and pointed to the densely packed technical requirements and annotations on it, saying, "Boss, we have studied the materials you brought back repeatedly and made many attempts, but the material properties and processing precision of many key components are simply beyond our current technical reserves and equipment capabilities to meet the design specifications."

He turned to a page with a specially listed equipment list and pointed heavily at it with his fingertip: "We are currently lacking these equipment: a dual-furnace system of vacuum induction and electroslag remelting, a directional solidification furnace, a Reishauer RZ400 gear grinding machine, a 40MW rotor tower, a 5000kW turboshaft test bench, a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) system, and a millimeter-wave radar anechoic chamber."

Then he launched into a long explanation, "You see, materials require a large vacuum induction melting furnace combined with an electroslag remelting furnace for dual refining to ensure the purity and uniformity of the high-temperature alloy. Blade manufacturing requires a directional solidification furnace to control the grain orientation and improve high-temperature creep performance. High-precision, high-hardness transmission gears, especially those in the main reducer, cannot be separated from gear grinding machines."

He Yuzhu interrupted him abruptly, "Stop, stop, stop! This is too technical. I can't understand it if you just tell me where I can buy these things!"

“We can’t buy them. Any one of these pieces of equipment is top-of-the-line in its respective field, with extremely high technological barriers. They won’t destroy their own foundation,” Gu Yuanheng sighed.

"Have you asked them?"

"Yes, I've inquired. I can't find it on the black market, let alone the official market."

"Then you must have found out where these things are available, right?"

After Gu Yuanheng left, He Yuzhu sat in his large office chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping the desk. The list weighed heavily on his mind, and Gu Yuanheng's words still echoed in his ears:

"Boss, those equipment... are too difficult to obtain. The dual-furnace system combining vacuum induction and electroslag remelting, capable of achieving the required purity for high-temperature alloys, is only possessed by a few special steel mills in Russia and a handful of companies like ThyssenKrupp in West Rhine. The technology blockade is extremely tight. Directional solidification furnaces are crucial for manufacturing single-crystal blades; the US's PCC Group (Precision Casting Company) and Britain's Rolls-Royce are keeping a close eye on them and would never sell them. Reishauer's RZ400 gear grinding machine, a Swiss product, requires extremely high precision and is the core for machining main reducer gears; forget about buying it, even a visit is difficult. As for the 40MW rotor tower, the 5000kW turboshaft test bench, the hot isostatic pressing equipment, and the millimeter-wave radar anechoic chamber—these are all national treasure-level infrastructure, core military capabilities; which country would sell them?"

Gu Yuanheng's tone was full of helplessness and frustration. It wasn't that he hadn't tried, but the technological barrier was too high and too thick. With the existing resources and channels, he couldn't even pry open a crack in the door.

This resonated deeply with He Yuzhu. It wasn't just a year or two behind; it was decades. He Yuzhu could now somewhat understand the helplessness of being exploited by others using these technologies for decades to come.

He Yuzhu pondered for a while, then picked up the intercom on the table: "Old Bai, come to my office."

A few minutes later, Bai Yifeng pushed open the door and came in: "Boss."

"Sit down." He Yuzhu pushed the equipment list left by Gu Yuanheng over.

"Boss, I don't understand what's on this." Bai Yifeng looked at it, then put it down, and said with a bitter face.

"Oh, wait a moment." He Yuzhu said, picking up a piece of paper from the table and starting to write. He translated the equipment names into Chinese, then marked the places that Gu Yuanheng had just mentioned, and handed the finished paper to Bai Yifeng.

"Boss, what are all these things for? I've never even heard of them!"

"You don't need to know what it is for. Even if you ask me, I can't explain it clearly. You just need to help me figure out where these things are and what the current situation is."

"Boss, this may take quite a while. You've already listed several countries, and we don't even know where the others are yet."

"Can it be done?"

“I’ll give it a try. Now I’m somewhat glad that the boss made the decision to let those old brothers leave Hong Kong. They’ve settled all over the world and no one wants to come back now.”

"From what I'm saying, you also want to go out for a walk."

"Hehe, who wouldn't want to go out and broaden their horizons if possible?" Bai Yifeng laughed.

"Let's wait for a better opportunity later. It's not possible now. Hong Kong needs you to stay and oversee things."

“I know, but boss, if even Lao Gu’s network of connections can’t find these things, it’s probably going to be very difficult. You know, even though Lao Gu has been in the automotive business, his network of connections is quite extensive.”

"Isn't that obvious? Otherwise, why would I be looking for you?" He Yuzhu said irritably.

"That's true, I'll make arrangements when I get back. By the way, about the engine we talked about earlier, I'll report to you on that."

"explain."

"Mi-8s are unavailable; they're not sold at all. I did manage to find out about a few on the black market, but I can't be sure if it's a scam or if they're Indians or Chinese."

"If we can't buy them, so be it. Let's go find out about these things first."

"Yes, I'll go now." Bai Yifeng folded the paper and put it away, then got up and walked out.

"Try to be quick. You don't need to find out everything before letting me know. Just tell me when you have it."

"clear."

A week later, Bai Yifeng brought back the first message:
[Dual furnace combining vacuum induction and electroslag remelting]

[Location: Decommissioned warehouse in Pennsylvania, belonging to a former Consrac production line, shut down and sealed in 1973.]

He Yuzhu made an excuse to go to North America and arrived in San Francisco.

The warehouse was managed by a metal recycling company. He Yuzhu went to check on the warehouse at night. The warehouse's invoice stated that the main furnace had been dismantled and sold, and only the auxiliary furnace body and the electrical control cabinet remained in the warehouse.

Then He Yuzhu found a place to call Xian Xingyao to ask if it was usable. After confirming that it was usable, He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief, finally his trip wasn't in vain.

That night, the entire set of equipment disappeared from the warehouse. The company immediately called the police, but after a thorough investigation, the police found nothing. The company could only accept its bad luck and consider it a pile of scrap metal that had been lost.

Before even returning to Hong Kong, He Yuzhu received a second message:

Directional solidification furnace

[Location: Small-batch pilot production workshop in Rolls-Royce, Britain; sealed off in 1974 due to budget freeze.]

He Yuzhu went directly to Britain and, after some investigation, learned that the workshop supervisor was worried about the space occupied by the equipment. So He Yuzhu helped him solve the problem and also took the operation manual and maintenance guide with him.

After that, the equipment in Rollo's file was disposed of as depreciation, and its whereabouts were not recorded.

Then there's the Reishauer RZ400 gear grinding machine, located on the old production line at the Sulzer plant in neutral countries. It was discontinued in the spring of 1975 due to insufficient orders.

[40 MW rotor tower, location: a flight materials testing center in West Rhine Federal Republic, decommissioned in 1974 due to a test flight accident.]

[5000 kW turboshaft test stand, location: NRC Montreal decommissioning site, established in 1974 as an experimental model, mothballed after the project was cancelled.]

[Hot isostatic pressing (HIP), Location: Bankruptcy liquidation of a powder metallurgy plant in Northern Europe, auctioned in the summer of 1975, no bidders, and shelved.]

[Millimeter-wave radar anechoic chamber, location: basement of an old electrical engineering building at a university in North America, abandoned after the project ended in 1973.]

For three months, He Yuzhu transformed into a hardworking bee, flying all over the world, except that he wasn't collecting honey, but rather acting as a waste collector.

Every time He Yuzhu got a set of equipment, he would curse it out. These guys would rather let it rust than sell it. It's true that technology has no borders, but people who possess technology do.

After acquiring the last piece of radar anechoic chamber equipment, He Yuzhu did not immediately return to Hong Kong. He received an urgent message from Dongda University: the Grand Hyatt Group's New York headquarters was facing serious problems with finances and project progress.

CEO Jack Weber appears to have lost control.

New York, Grand Hyatt Group headquarters, CEO's office.

Jack Webber stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the Grand Hyatt Hotel under construction across the street, a slight, disdainful smile playing on his lips.

The receptionist just reported that the mysterious boss has arrived.

To his surprise, the boss was actually an Asian.

No wonder Wilson was put in charge; now that Wilson, that troublesome fellow, is finally gone, it's Jack Webber's turn to truly take control.

He had long been fed up with being just an executor.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when the office door was pushed open and He Yuzhu walked in.

“Mr. Chen, welcome to visit and provide guidance.” Jack Weber forced a professional smile and extended his hand.

He Yuzhu gave him a light handshake and then let go: "Manager Jack, I heard that there have been some hiccups in the progress at Junyue?"

Jack Webber was startled, but remained outwardly calm: "A mishap? Where did Mr. Chen hear this rumor? Mr. Wilson? He's no longer in New York and probably doesn't know the actual situation. The company is operating perfectly well."

"Whether it's just hearsay or not, you can tell by looking at the accounts and project reports." He Yuzhu's tone was calm, but his gaze was sharp as a knife.

Jack Webber's eyes flickered, then he looked offended: "Mr. Chen, are you implying a lack of trust in my professional management abilities? Under my leadership, all of Grand Hyatt's businesses are steadily improving..."

"Is it steady improvement, or steady hollowing out?" He Yuzhu interrupted him and went straight to sit down behind his desk.

Jack Webber's face darkened completely.

In his view, the guy opposite him taking the initiative was a provocation.

"What about the trust between us, Mr. Chen?" "Trust? I'm sorry, it's our first meeting, I don't think there's any trust between us!"

"Hahaha, so you've come here today to kick me out?"

"I didn't originally plan to, but now I do," He Yuzhu said calmly.

"Who do you think you are? You're just a yellow-skinned monkey. This is New York. You think you can drive me away?"

"And you? You're nothing but a white dog begging for food under my command! We'll see if you can handle it."

"FK, I'd like to see what you're going to use to get rid of me."

With a ferocious expression, Jack Webber slammed his fist on the table. Greed and the desire to take risks had overwhelmed his reason. He slammed his fist on a button.

A dozen seconds later, the side door of the office was kicked open, and three burly, fierce-looking white bodyguards rushed in.

“Drag him out, lock him up, and later I’ll have Mr. Chen sign a few documents, then I can ‘peacefully’ go on a long vacation,” Jack Webber said, pointing at He Yuzhu with a sinister grin.

“Listen to him, drag him out and lock him up,” He Yuzhu added.

"Yes, boss." The group bowed slightly to He Yuzhu, then dragged Jack Webber away.

"FK, I pay the salaries of you idiots, why should you listen to him?"

"Your money came from Junyue. Shut him up and lock him up somewhere."

"Yes, boss."

Several burly men went out, and Zhang Qiang walked in.

"Boss, what should we do with this kid?"

"Make him spit out what he swallowed, make him disappear from New York."

"Yes, I'll do it right away."

After Zhang Qiang left, He Yuzhu dialed the number for Horizon Technology Consulting Company.

"Allen, this is He Fei. You and Thomas come to Junyue's office."

"Boss, when did you come to New York?"

"I just arrived. Please come over as soon as possible. I have something to tell you."

"Okay, boss, we'll be right there."

A little over an hour later, Alan Sheffield and Thomas Reed arrived.

"Sit down. How's it going over there on the 'Horizon'?"

Allen sat down and sighed, “Boss, we’re hitting a snag. Those companies with core technologies are either under close government scrutiny or have hardliners on their boards who value technology more than life itself. We offer high prices, but they always use ‘national security’ or ‘domestic priority’ as excuses, and even demand that we prove the final buyer is a North American company, which is simply unreasonable.”

Thomas added, "Yeah, boss. Back in Hong Kong, it was tough, but there seemed to be room to maneuver. But here, I realized what a monolithic entity looks like. They'd rather watch the company lose money or have their technology rot in their hands than sell it to outsiders."

He Yuzhu nodded, not surprised by the result: "This is the arrogance of the rule-makers. It was the same in Europe a hundred years ago, and it is the same in North America now. Technology itself has no borders, but those who control the technology have their own positions and interests. There's no need to be discouraged; this was going to be a difficult and protracted battle all along."

“I didn’t feel it this strongly before; I only realized it after coming to North America,” Thomas Reed said.

He grew up in Hong Kong, so naturally he has a higher degree of identification with Hong Kong.

"They were doing this all over the world a hundred years ago, but back then it was Europe, now it's North America," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Yes." The two were speechless.

"I've called you here to get your opinions. Now that the CEO of Grand Hyatt has left, Allen, are you interested in getting into real estate?"

"This is quite a leap, isn't it, boss?" Alan Sheffield exclaimed in surprise.

"You'll never feel like you can't do it if you don't try. You've worked in many industries, don't you have confidence in yourself?"

"No, no, I'm just a little surprised, it was too sudden."

"So, do you dare to take on this real estate project that requires an investment of several hundred million?"

“I’ll take it,” Alan Sheffield said through gritted teeth. The biggest deal he’d ever done before was in the tens of millions, and this was an opportunity.

"Okay, then go find the security manager now and have him take you to check the Grand Hyatt's financial and project-related documents."

"Security?"

"Yes, they also came from Hong Kong."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

After Alan Sheffield left, He Yuzhu noticed that Thomas Reed was looking at him with shining eyes, clearly also wanting an opportunity.

"Thomas, what are your own thoughts?"

“I heard that Mr. Wilson went to Hong Kong. I wonder if I could take his place?” Thomas Reed replied.

"Oh? Do you know what Wilson did before? Do you know why he didn't come back?"

“I’ve guessed some of it. It’s related to those technologies, and it might also be related to this company.” Thomas Reed pointed to the office floor.

“I admire your courage, but whether you are capable of taking over his work still needs his own evaluation, so you need to go back to Hong Kong.”

"Now?"

"Yes, Wilson has other things that need to be done together in North America."

"Okay, I'll go back and pack my things and then I'll leave."

“Okay, go out and tell Allen. After all, we need to give some instructions to Horizon.”

"Got it. What about Mark Jensen? He's the only one left over there."

"Let's go back together. We need his skills right now."

"Okay, I'll go back and tell him that he's already tired of it and complains every day that he'd rather stay in the lab."

"Heh, is that really what he thinks? Then so be it!"

Thomas Reed gaped, dumbfounded. He was just joking; he knew Mark Jensen had actually escaped from the lab.

"Alright, go ahead, see you in Hong Kong."

Goodbye, Hong Kong.

The Jack Webber incident was quickly resolved, and He Yuzhu stayed for a few days to observe.

Allen was indeed driven; he quickly took control of the finance department and froze all suspicious accounts and fund flows.

Then he personally oversaw the project site, renegotiated with the contractors, and eliminated inflated prices and questionable intermediaries.

Although progress was indeed delayed due to the previous chaos, the chaos was quickly contained, and the entire company began to regroup and move in the right direction.

Allen's enthusiasm convinced He Yuzhu that this platform might truly unleash his greater potential.

Having confirmed that Allen had initially taken control of the situation, He Yuzhu did not linger. He had more important things to do—the engine that Gu Yuanheng had been longing for.

He flew to Mesa, Arizona.

The objective was clear: Hughes Helicopters' spare turboshaft engine for the AH-64 Apache prototype project.

The Apache project was suspended because of He Yuzhu, and an inconspicuous but heavily guarded warehouse on the outskirts of Mesa became the temporary home for these spare engines.

The warehouse was poorly guarded, and He Yuzhu sneaked in and took everything inside.

Upon returning, He Yuzhu examined the results and was astonished to find ten well-packaged T700-GE-700 turboshaft engines, along with matching maintenance tools, some technical documents, and other spare parts, which would save him a lot of trouble.

Another unexpected find was the five CH-47 Chinook helicopters inside, presumably for transport purposes, which benefited He Yuzhu.

The following day, when the warehouse manager conducted a routine inspection, he was so shocked by the empty area that he almost collapsed.

The news was reported up the chain of command, eventually triggering another earthquake within Hughes and related intelligence agencies.

The backup engine has also disappeared!
That proves that the 'thief' has returned to North America. The CA has taken action, the FBI has taken action, and Mesa has become the focus of attention in North America.

Our Comrade He Yuzhu has now changed his identity and boarded a plane to Yezi Country. CA is keeping such a close watch on him, so it's safer to switch places.

(End of this chapter)