Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

Ten minutes. It only took ten minutes.

The No. 1 conference room of the High-Tech Industry Department was already full of people.

Those department heads and deputy department heads who had previously used "business learning" and "going down to the grassroots level for research" as excuses were now all sitting obediently in their seats like well-behaved primary school students, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Sun Zhiyuan and Li Tiande, those two "dead chickens" used as a warning to others, have probably already been thrown onto the street outside the National Development and Reform Commission. Those who witnessed Liu Ming's ruthless methods are now filled with deep awe and fear for this new director.

This isn't some young man here to gain experience; he's clearly a living Yama wielding a sword of Damocles, ready to chop people down at any moment!

Liu Ming sat in the main seat, her gaze calmly sweeping over everyone present.

There were no small talk. No platitudes.

He pulled the microphone in front of him right up to his mouth.

My name is Liu Ming.

"From today onwards, I am your director."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority, echoing throughout the spacious conference room.

"I don't care who you were working for before, or who your powerful backers are. Once you've entered this door and are sitting at this table, you only have one identity—cadres of the High-Tech Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission of China."

"The sole purpose of our company's existence is not to act as compradors for those foreign giants, not to issue kickbacks to those shell companies, and certainly not to sit in the office drinking tea, reading newspapers, and wasting our lives!"

Liu Ming suddenly stood up.

He didn't bring any notes, nor did he turn on the multimedia projector. He just stood there, like a straight javelin piercing the sky.

"Our purpose in existing is to be able to fight in the technological wars of the next fifty years!"

He held up three fingers, his tone suddenly rising like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

"The first set of data. Last year, my country's total imports of chips exceeded 300 billion US dollars. What does this mean? That's equivalent to twice the total amount of crude oil we imported last year! We used twice the amount of our country's energy resources to buy a bunch of tiny silicon wafers that others could use to strangle us at any time!"

"The second set of data. Among the world's top ten semiconductor equipment manufacturers, not a single one is from China. Not only that, but even the most basic lithography machine light source technology is completely blocked by Western patent pools; we can't even touch it!"

"The third set of data. Over 90% of the underlying architecture and core algorithms of our so-called 'high-tech internet giants' are built on other people's open-source code. Once those interfaces are closed, our trillion-dollar business empires will instantly become a pile of electronic waste!"

These three stark statistics plunged the entire conference room into a deathly silence.

Those officials who were usually aloof and used to manipulating reports were now pale-faced and sweating profusely. They certainly knew what these figures meant, but no one had ever dared to tear away this fig leaf so completely in such a public setting and in such a chilling way.

Do you think this is normal?

Liu Ming looked at them, her eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

"Do you really think that as long as we honestly act as the 'world's factory,' doing OEM work for others and earning a meager living, they'll let us have a way out?"

"wrong!"

"Completely wrong!"

Liu Ming slammed her hand heavily on the table.

"Those capitalists sitting on Wall Street drinking red wine, what they want isn't our obedience. What they want is to keep us forever at the bottom of the value chain, to be their slaves and bloodsuckers forever!"

"This is no longer ordinary business competition. This is a war without gunfire! A life-or-death battle concerning the survival of the nation and the continuation of the people!"

He walked to the conference table, his gaze sweeping over everyone with an almost tangible intensity.

"So, starting today."

"All work of the High-Tech Industries Division must be completely transformed."

"I don't care what methods you use, I don't care how many outdated rules and customs you want to break."

"I only want one result."

Liu Ming took a deep breath and said, word by word:

"—Sparing no expense, we will conduct independent research and development!"

"Anyone who dares to talk to me about that bullshit logic of 'it's better to buy than to build, and better to rent than to buy' at this critical juncture."

"Anyone who dares to act as an agent for foreign capital and betray everyone's interests for those petty, shady gains would be a traitor."

His eyes turned colder than ever before.

"I guarantee it. He'll spend the rest of his life in Qincheng Prison, contemplating his philosophy of life."

Silence reigned. You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned by Liu Ming's words. It was a tremor that came from the depths of their souls.

Looking at the young man on the stage, who was not yet thirty, they seemed to see a lone general, fully armed and ready to fight to the death.

In this suffocating silence.

Suddenly, a solitary yet exceptionally clear round of applause rang out from the last row of the conference room.

"Slap, slap, slap."

Everyone turned around.

An elderly man with gray hair and wearing an old jacket slowly stood up.

That was the former director of the National Development and Reform Commission, a highly respected figure within the system who rarely appeared in public.

The old director looked at Liu Ming, and his cloudy eyes were glistening with tears of emotion.

"good!"

The old director's voice was a little hoarse, but it conveyed an irrepressible sense of satisfaction.

"Well said!"

He strode forward, looked at the silent cadres, and shouted loudly.

"Our National Development and Reform Commission has been silent for far too long! And has compromised for far too long!"

"What we lack now is not stable, predictable bureaucrats, but rather 'madmen' like Comrade Liu Ming—those who dare to think big, act boldly, and dare to make a huge leap forward!"

The old director turned around, patted Liu Ming's shoulder hard, and looked at her with expectation.

"Xiao Liu, go for it! As long as it's for the country, even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, this old man will support you and walk with his back!"

These words were like a reassuring pill, and also like a bugle call to charge.

In the conference room, the cadres, who had initially been intimidated, began to show a strange glint in their eyes. It was a long-lost sense of courage and responsibility.

Liu Ming looked at the old director, smiled slightly, and didn't say anything. She simply nodded heavily.

The pre-battle mobilization was even more effective than he had anticipated. The fire had been lit. Now, it was time to let those lurking demons and monsters in the shadows witness the power of this fire.