My capital is quite large.

Chapter 229 Patriotism

Hong Kong, Happy Valley, Mid-Levels.

Inside the super-large penthouse on the eleventh floor, sunlight streams through the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a breathtaking view of the shimmering waters of Victoria Harbour.

Zhang Xinyu leaned lazily against the custom-made chaise lounge, holding a cup of warm bird's nest soup in her hand.

Compared to the unease she felt when she first arrived in Hong Kong, her eyes were now beaming with pride.

Just last night, she received a phone call.

It was Li Feng calling.

Although the boss, who was always aloof and superior, still spoke in a stiff tone on the phone, he only asked a few cold questions such as "Are you getting used to living there?" and "Is there anything you need?"

But in Zhang Xinyu's mind, the value of this phone call was undeniable.

"My boss is such a busy person, he even finds parties too noisy, yet he actually called to check on me..."

Zhang Xinyu gently stroked her belly, which was not yet showing, and couldn't help but smile.

She knows Li Feng too well.

That man has always used money and resources to get rid of women. When has he ever shown such clumsy "concern" to anyone?

"If you count the days, the boss will be twenty-eight this year."

Zhang Xinyu secretly pondered to herself, "Men, when they're in their early twenties, are young and impetuous, and like to linger among women. But as they get older, their thoughts naturally become less wild, and they'll always remember the good times with their exes."

In this vast Haofeng Empire, even Liu Yifei and Yang Mi are newcomers in Zhang Xinyu's eyes!

Although the boss never admitted it outright, Zhang Xinyu knew perfectly well that she was definitely the boss's first woman!

This kind of revolutionary friendship, forged through humble beginnings and shared journeys, is something that female celebrities who only rely on their looks to gain favor can never achieve!

"There's always a special feeling associated with the first woman."

Zhang Xinyu's gaze passed over the floor-to-ceiling window, as if piercing through the floors, looking down at Yang Mi, who was still struggling on the first floor, and looking up at the fairy sister who was temporarily in charge on the twelfth floor.

"In two months, we can go to the hospital to check the results." Zhang Xinyu's fingers tightened slightly.

"As long as it's a son in my belly..."

"Given my relationship with the boss, it's still uncertain who will win!"

……

at the same time.

Huaxin Technology Semiconductor Industrial Park, Xincheng Economic Development Zone, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province.

Outside a super-large cleanroom guarded by armed police.

Li Feng, dressed in an anti-static suit, stared ahead with a stern expression.

Escorted by more than a dozen heavy-duty constant-temperature air cushion trucks, several huge shockproof wooden crates bearing the "ASML" logo were carefully unloaded and slowly transported into the workshop.

We waited for over a year!

The lithography machine ordered by Huaxin Technology from the Dutch company ASML has finally been delivered!

However, looking at these ten precision instruments, which can be described as the crown jewels of human industry, Li Feng's face showed no joy, but rather frustration and powerlessness.

"Mr. Li, all ten pieces of equipment have been verified to be correct."

Professor Chen, the head of R&D at Huaxin Technology and a professor at Jinling University, walked up to Li Feng, his voice tinged with bitterness:

"These Dutchmen are so rude."

"Sixty million US dollars per unit! Ten units would be a full six hundred million US dollars! We're throwing money away, and they're treating us like thieves!"

Li Feng's original plan was to spend money to buy forty of the most advanced 16nm or 14nm EUV extreme ultraviolet lithography machines currently on the market!

The results of it?

ASML and the US behind it have initiated export controls under the Wassenaar Arrangement!

16/14nm core equipment? They simply won't sell it to mainland Chinese companies! No amount of money will get them!

After more than half a year of humiliating negotiations and layers of approvals, ASML reluctantly agreed to sell ten outdated 28nm process DUV deep ultraviolet lithography machines to Huaxin, as if it were a charity!

"I've truly experienced the arrogance of technological monopolies today," Li Feng said, clearly displeased.

But he also knew in his heart that he had no one to blame but himself.

Lithography machines are something that no single country can manufacture independently!

That's the culmination of the world's top technologies! American control software, German Zeiss lenses, Swedish bearings, Japanese special composite materials…

Whoever controls the source of the supply chain has the right to be superior.

If you don't accept your fate, what else can you do?

"Mr. Li, don't be too discouraged."

Seeing Li Feng's gloomy face, Old Chen quickly comforted him, "We didn't really waste this six hundred million US dollars."

"Oh? What insightful opinion does Elder Chen have?" Li Feng turned his head.

Old Chen adjusted his glasses: "These ten 28nm lithography machines, while not the most advanced, are still priceless treasures in our country's current semiconductor landscape!"

"With these ten physical units, our team at Jinda University, along with the experts you poached from Silicon Valley, can begin in-depth reverse engineering research!"

"First, we can learn some tricks of EUV lithography technology from the manufacturing process of the mirrors and optical lenses."

"More importantly!"

Mr. Chen's tone was somewhat excited: "We can completely achieve a leap forward in manufacturing processes by making improvements in software and technology!"

"There's a technique called SAQP (Self-Aligned Quadruple Patterning Multiple Exposure)!"

"Simply put, it means using this 28nm lithography machine to repeatedly expose and etch the same wafer! As long as our alignment precision is high enough, we can control the yield rate..."

"We can use this 28nm machine to create chips with equivalent performance to 14nm or even 7nm!"

Upon hearing Old Chen's explanation, Li Feng's eyes lit up!

He had heard in his previous life that when the country couldn't buy the most advanced lithography machines, it relied on this "multiple exposure" method to improve the manufacturing process!

"Great! With Elder Chen's words, the 4 billion yuan was well spent!" Most of the gloom in Li Feng's heart was swept away.

however.

Before Li Feng could be happy for long, Old Chen's expression suddenly turned serious. He waved his hand, signaling his entourage to step back.

"Mr. Li... although we can bridge the manufacturing gap through technological means, I must report some potential problems to you!"

Looking at the ASML lithography machines that had already been transported into the workshop, Old Chen's eyes were full of apprehension.

"These ten machines appear to be in our hands, but the remote controls are still with ASML!"

Li Feng's heart sank: "What do you mean?"

"ASML has implemented a soft lock at the underlying level of these machines!"

Old Chen explained the control methods to Li Feng point by point:

"The first thing is the software license!"

"For a lithography machine to function properly, it not only needs power, but also a software license key provided by ASML! And this key isn't permanent; it needs to be renewed periodically!"

"Once the contract expires, if ASML refuses to renew it or stops updates due to some kind of 'force majeure' reason, this machine, worth 400 million RMB, will become a pile of unusable scrap metal!"

Li Feng's scalp tingled: "How can this be allowed?!"

"There's something even more disgusting!"

Mr. Chen said indignantly, "In the delivery agreement, ASML strongly demanded that we connect these ten lithography machines to their global Internet maintenance network, ostensibly to facilitate their 'remote monitoring and real-time maintenance'."

"But I firmly refused! I only allowed them to conduct stand-alone debugging in a completely isolated local area network!"

"Mr. Li, you may not know this, but there's been a 'hidden' rumor in the industry... Back then, TSMC bought an EUV lithography machine because of a slight disagreement with ASML over network instructions."

"ASML engineers used encrypted remote network commands to cripple that TSMC machine for a full 48 hours!"

"As long as they have internet access, they can shut down our factory anytime they're on the other side of the ocean with a few keystrokes!"

Hearing this, Li Feng became somewhat impatient.

This isn't buying a machine; it's like paying to bring back a living ancestor to worship!

"And there's something even more deadly."

Mr. Chen's tone was full of helplessness. "There are hundreds of thousands of delicate and vulnerable parts and core optical consumables in a lithography machine. These things have a very short lifespan and must be replaced regularly. And in the whole world, only ASML and its core suppliers can provide these parts. If we don't listen to them and the supply of parts is cut off, even if our machines can run the software, they won't last more than a few months."

After listening to Old Chen's suffocating report.

Li Feng stood outside the workshop, watching the cleanroom door slowly close, and fell into a long silence.

It was only at this moment that he truly realized how pale and powerless the power of money was in the face of Western technological hegemony.

They bought the machine, but they couldn't buy the lifeline.

Under the crushing weight of technological gaps, even if someone sells you the machines, they can still treat you like a dog they can lead at any time!

"Six years..."

Li Feng silently calculated the timeline in his mind.

It's 2013 now.

There are only six years left until 2019, the year when the golden-haired man tore off the mask and imposed a blockade on Dongda University for chips and lithography machines!

Do they think they can achieve a leapfrog development in a field that has been monopolized by the West for decades and completely break through ASML's technological barriers in just six years?

That's an impossible task!

But soon, Li Feng grasped the key to it.

"I don't need to beat ASML in six years."

"All I need to do is outrun all my domestic competitors!"

He finally understood the true meaning behind his investment of tens of billions!

"If I can, within six years, using these ten lithography machines as a starting point, produce chips that, even if several generations behind the international market, are still domestically independent and controllable!"

"As long as Xiaomi phones dare to claim at their launch events that they are equipped with purely domestically produced chips!"

"By then, my phones will no longer be selling specifications, but rather the spirit of the nation!"

"Buying Xiaomi is supporting domestic products! Buying Huawei chips is breaking the blockade!"

"As long as I, Li Feng, can successfully associate myself with the word 'patriotism'! As long as I become synonymous with resisting technological hegemony!"

Li Feng clenched his fists, feeling his heart pounding wildly.

This halo will be his most reliable get-out-of-jail-free card to protect his wealth and status!