MMB Chapter 1427 The Wind and Clouds Change
Chapter 1427 The Wind and Clouds Change
When Old Ye's voice came through the phone receiver, it was still catching his breath, as if he had just finished a long march: "Chen Jun, Chen Jun, you rascal... you rascal!" He said "you rascal" twice, followed by a "smack," probably from slamming his hand on the table, which made Chen Jun's ears hurt on the other end of the line. "Back then, I followed the old leader to work on the Two Bombs, One Satellite project, hoping for this day—that we would never have to look at other people's faces again! Never have to be held back again!" His voice was sometimes high-pitched, sometimes hoarse, as if he had used all the strength of his life on this sentence. "I just called my old buddy from back then, and that old guy cried on the phone, saying he had waited fifty years! Fifty years!" Holding the phone, Chen Jun could imagine what Old Ye looked like at this moment: his white hair standing on end, his eyes red-rimmed, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement, and in the teacup in front of him, the tea leaves were still swirling up and down, his favorite Biluochun tea—which Chen Jun had brought him from Taihu Lake last year.
As soon as Chen Jun hung up the phone with Elder Ye and placed it on the table, it started vibrating again. The screen displayed the name of Minister Zhang from the Ministry of Finance. "General Chen! Do you know how much money you saved us?" Minister Zhang's tone was filled with relief, as if he'd escaped a disaster. "Before, the West was going to triple the price of chips, and we were worried about how to get this year's budget approved—now it's all good! We can make them ourselves!" Next up was Jiang Ling from the National Security Bureau, his booming voice practically shattering glass even through the receiver: "Boss! I have a surprise for you! I'll send a helicopter to pick you up tomorrow, and we'll open that jar of 30-year-old Moutai we didn't finish last time!" Tang Tianhao from the Law Enforcement Department appeared more composed, but his excitement was still palpable: "Brother Chen, you did a great job! I've already given the order that all the brothers involved in the security operation will receive a third-class merit!"
The phone calls came in one after another, like a tidal wave.
Chen Jun's phone rang for a full hour and a half, finally falling silent when the battery dropped to 20%. If it were Lao Fan or Lao Wen, they probably would have been completely disoriented, but Chen Jun was different—he had experienced the loneliness of border infiltration, the life-or-death moments of bomb explosions, and the pain of losing comrades. These accolades and rewards were merely byproducts of completing a mission. He calmly responded to each call, his tone as even as if he had simply completed a routine patrol. Only his right hand, resting on the table, showed white knuckles from the pressure—his only outward expression of emotion.
That evening, instead of waiting for the planned time the next day, Long Shuai directly authorized official media to release the news that "Yan Country has developed a 4-nanometer chip." This news was like an atomic bomb dropped into a calm lake, instantly creating a huge upheaval.
In Zhongguancun, Beijing, a group of programmers emerged from their offices after working overtime. One of them, a young man wearing glasses, saw a news article and suddenly screamed, "Guys! We've made it! 4 nanometers!" His voice shattered the stillness of the night, drawing a crowd of onlookers. They stared at the headline on his phone screen, initially in disbelief, then erupting in wild cheers. They raised their laptops, shouting "China is awesome!" The sound echoed between the high-rises, attracting the attention of security guards, but no one cared—at that moment, all they wanted to do was celebrate.
In an electronics factory, workers were working through the night when someone suddenly shouted, "Watch the news!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and gathered around the television in the workshop. When the news anchor said the words "4-nanometer chip," the entire workshop erupted in cheers. An elderly worker with gray hair suddenly covered his face and burst into tears. A young worker next to him patted him on the shoulder: "Uncle Li, why are you crying? You should be laughing!" The old worker wiped away his tears and said, "I've spent my whole life assembling electronics, always learning from others. Today, it's finally their turn to learn from us!"
In a small town in the west, a group of elderly people sat on stone benches in the square, surrounding a transistor radio. When the radio broadcast the message "Breaking the century-old blockade of the West," they all looked up at the moon, their eyes filled with an unprecedented light. One of the elderly men stood up shakily and began to sing "Ode to the Motherland." The others joined in, their voices hoarse but full of strength. Young people passing by stopped, listening to their singing, their eyes welling with tears.
On social media, the top 50 trending topics on Weibo were all related to semiconductors: "China's 4-nanometer chip breaks Western blockade, a national hero," with each post exceeding 10 billion views. On WeChat Moments, people were frantically sharing news links with various captions: "I have to have a drink today! It's so satisfying!" "We must strive for self-improvement!" "Those who worship foreign things, wake up!" One online influencer even saw the news during a live stream, knelt down, kowtowed three times to the researchers on camera, and cried, "Thank you! Thank you for making us proud!"
When Chen Jun returned to the banquet to celebrate his achievements, he was immediately surrounded by experts. These scientists, who usually wore white coats and spoke softly, were now flushed with alcohol, holding wine glasses and insisting on toasting Chen Jun.
"Dean Chen! I toast you!" Professor Qian Jianguo from the Optoelectronics Group raised his glass, his hand trembling. "I've dedicated my whole life to researching optoelectronics, and I've never felt so proud!"
"Chief Engineer Chen! This toast is to the nation!" Academician Ma Ji of the physics group is already 80 years old. He drank quite a bit of wine, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out. "Back when I returned from studying abroad, people called me a 'traitor.' Today, I can finally hold my head high and speak with confidence!"
"General Chen!" Professor Zhao Gang from the chemistry group also came over. "You know what? When we were purifying silicon crystals, when you suggested adding lanthanum, I thought you were crazy—but I never expected it to actually work! You're a genius!"
Although Chen Jun was physically robust and had pushed the limits of human endurance, he couldn't withstand the drinking culture of Yan State. He drank glass after glass, from Moutai to Wuliangye, from beer to red wine, until finally he couldn't hold his liquor and had to be carried back to the hotel by several young experts. As they walked, they sang "Unity is Strength," their voices echoing in the hotel corridors, attracting the curiosity of other guests, but no one cared—at that moment, they were the happiest people in the world.
Chen Jun didn't wake up until noon the next day. He opened his eyes, his head throbbing. On the bedside table was a glass of honey water, next to which was a note: "Dean Chen, honey water to sober up. — Xiao Liu from the front desk." He reached for his phone and saw hundreds of missed calls and hundreds of news notifications, each proclaiming "Breakthrough in Chinese Chips." On Weibo, everyone was speculating about who was leading the chip research. Some said it was a "mysterious genius," others said it was a "secret team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences," but no official list was released—it was their agreement that all those involved in the research would remain anonymous, becoming heroes hidden behind history.
Lying in bed, Chen Jun's first thought was of An Ran. He dialed her number, and it rang for a long time before being answered: "Chen Jun? Is that you?" An Ran's voice was choked with tears, "Do you know how worried I was? You disappeared for two months, and I couldn't get through to you on the phone..."
“Anran, I’m sorry.” Chen Jun’s voice also became hoarse. “I have good news to tell you—we have successfully developed a chip. It’s 4 nanometers, better than the Western ones.”
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Anran's sobbing voice came through: "I know... I saw the news. Chen Jun, you're amazing! I'm so proud of you!"
"I miss you too," Chen Jun said softly. "I'll come back to see you after I've finished dealing with things here."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Jun got up, washed up, and went to a small eatery downstairs from the hotel. He was wearing a plain gray T-shirt and jeans, with a baseball cap pulled low over his shoulders, looking like an ordinary office worker. The eatery was small, with only four tables, and it was already full of people talking about chips.
"I heard this chip is twice as good as the American one!" said a young man sitting next to Chen Jun, holding a mobile phone with news about chips on the screen.
"Of course! Our scientists in Yan are not to be trifled with!" the middle-aged man opposite said. "Back when we were building the atomic bomb, we had nothing. Now, we can do the same to make chips!"
A grandfather sat by the window with his grandson. The grandfather held a newspaper with a headline about semiconductors. He patted his grandson's head and said, "Years ago, when I went to America, I wanted to buy a sample chip, but they wouldn't sell it to me. They said, 'You Chinese can't make them.' Today, we've made them ourselves, and they're even better than theirs!" The grandson raised his head proudly and said, "Grandpa! When I grow up, I want to be a scientist and build even more amazing things!"
Chen Jun listened to their conversation, a smile playing on his lips. He ordered a bowl of beef noodles, finished it, silently paid the bill, and left the snack shop. No one knew that this ordinary diner was the leader who had orchestrated this global storm—the Director of the National Strategic Security Bureau, a pillar of the nation, an unparalleled national hero. He blended into the crowd, disappearing around the street corner, his identity and name forever hidden.
Back at the Strategic Security Bureau's base, Chen Jun stood by the window, gazing at the verdant mountains and clear waters outside, lost in thought. The success of the chip was indeed something to celebrate, but he knew this was just the beginning. The West wouldn't give up easily; they would do everything in their power to sabotage and contain Yan's development. They would send spies, launch cyberattacks, and smear Yan internationally—Chen Jun had considered all of this.
"The coming period is going to be turbulent again!" Chen Jun muttered to himself. He turned and walked into his office, turning on his computer. The screen displayed the latest developments of the Western anti-China alliance. As the director of the Strategic Security Bureau, his responsibilities had only just begun—he had to guard against Western espionage, protect the security of chip technology, and maintain national stability.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, inside a white building, blond-haired guy was eating a hamburger and drinking coffee. He was wearing a red T-shirt with "Make America Great Again" printed on it, and half a serving of fries sat on the table in front of him. He was in a good mood because he had just made some money in the stock market, and the blockade by the Anti-Yan Alliance was beginning to take effect—at least that's what he thought.
"Sir!" The deputy suddenly rushed in, his face pale. "Something's happened!"
"What's wrong?" the blond-haired man asked casually. "Are the Yan people going to surrender?"
“No…” the deputy’s voice trembled, “The Yan people have developed a 4-nanometer chip! It’s even more advanced than our 8-nanometer chip!”
"What did you say?" The blond-haired man spat out a mouthful of coffee, which splashed onto his deputy's shirt, leaving a yellow stain. "Is this a joke? Is it April Fool's Day?"
"Mr. President, it's true!" The deputy handed over the phone. "Major media outlets have reported it! Our intelligence agencies have also confirmed it!"
The blond-haired man took the phone, quickly browsing the news, his smile gradually fading. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper, until finally he slammed the phone onto the table, the screen shattering into a spiderweb pattern: "This is impossible! How could they do this!"
"Mr. President, according to intelligence, the Yan Kingdom's research and development team only took two months..." the deputy said cautiously.
"Two months?" the blond-haired man roared. "We spent twenty years researching 8-nanometer chips! How could they possibly develop 4-nanometer chips in just two months?" He suddenly pointed at his deputy and said, "Our experts must have betrayed us! They sold the technology to the Yan people! Go, arrest all the chip experts and put them in isolation for investigation!"
"Mr. President, we simply don't have 4-nanometer technology..." the deputy said helplessly. "This was developed independently by the people of Yan..."
"Shut up!" the blond-haired man roared. "Are you questioning my judgment?" He suddenly calmed down, his eyes filled with madness: "Go tell the member states of the Anti-Yan Kingdom Alliance to take action! I want Yan Kingdom to pay the price!"
The deputy sighed and turned to leave. He knew the president had gone mad—faced with a suddenly rising adversary, he knew nothing but how to yell and give orders.
In the Japanese Prime Minister's office, the female Prime Minister had just finished a press conference. At the conference, she made some arrogant remarks, saying that "China will collapse within three months under Western blockade." Back in her office, she habitually took out her phone to browse the news, and the first headline almost made her drop her phone: "China Develops 4-Nanometer Chip! Breaking US Record!"
The female prime minister's face turned deathly pale instantly. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things, but the words "Yan Country" and "4-nanometer chip" in the news headline were clearly printed on the screen. Her hands began to tremble as she picked up the water glass on the table, but spilled water all over the floor because of her shaking.