Chapter 327: Which Country Is Your Aircraft Carrier In? Oh, It's On The Seabed

"In that case," Chen Ming opened the folder and took out a document, "our side has prepared a preliminary agreement; we hope your side will consider it seriously."

Duweier reached out to take it, scanned it, and his complexion instantly turned ashen.

"This... this is impossible!" He squeezed the words out from between his teeth, "Mr. Chen, forgive my bluntness, but these terms are completely unreasonable!"

Chen Ming raised an eyebrow, "Which clause is unreasonable? Please point it out specifically."

Duweier almost slammed the document onto the table,

"All the terms are unreasonable! Demanding our side withdraw all troops? Compensation for war losses? Opening up technical exchanges? This is simply like terms proposed by a victor to a defeated nation!"

"Isn't it?" Long Country Military Representative General Zhang interjected coldly, "Where is your country's 'Ye Qi' aircraft carrier? Oh, that's right, it's on the seabed."

Someone in the Di Guo delegation stood up abruptly, "This is an insult to our country!"

Chen Ming raised a hand to signal General Zhang to stay calm, then turned to Duweier,

"Mr. Duweier, we are not here to argue. Facts speak louder than words; the battlefield situation has already proven that your country's military adventure has failed. Continuing the war benefits no one."

"But these terms..." Duweier's voice trembled slightly, "I have no authority to agree!"

"Then please consult your country's government," Chen Ming said calmly,

"We are not in a rush. Long Country has been a peace-loving nation since ancient times, but it has never feared war either."

Duweier took a deep breath, struggling to control his emotions, "Mr. Chen, I must remind you that Di Guo remains one of the most powerful nations in the world. We possess..."

"Mushroom weapons?" Chen Ming interrupted him, revealing a meaningful smile,

"Yes, we know. But please remember, technical superiority will not last forever. History has already proven this."

This sentence exploded in the conference room like a heavy bomb.

The members of the Di Guo delegation looked at each other, obvious panic showing in their eyes.

Duweier forced himself to remain calm, "I do not understand what you mean."

"You understand," Chen Ming said with a cryptic smile.

"I... I need to report to my country," Duweier finally found his voice, "Please give us some time to consider."

"Of course," Chen Ming nodded, "We can continue tomorrow. However, please remember, time is precious to everyone."

Inside the Di Guo embassy in Zhongli Guo, Duweier was reporting the negotiation situation to his country; his voice trembled with agitation.

"Sir, the situation is worse than we imagined! The Long Country people have a hardline attitude and have proposed a series of harsh conditions, and..."

He paused, lowering his voice, "They hinted that they have already mastered new technology!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, then the Leader's cold voice came through: "What are their specific conditions?"

Duweier listed the demands proposed by the Long Country side one by one; with every clause he spoke, his heart sank further.

"Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" A furious roar came from the other end of the phone, "These terms are equivalent to admitting our total defeat! This would be the greatest humiliation in the history of Di Guo!"

"But sir," Duweier said cautiously,

"Long Country has indeed demonstrated worrying military technology. Their anti-ship missiles have already proven their power, and intelligence departments have also confirmed that they are developing more advanced weapons..."

"Are you suggesting we surrender?" The Leader's voice was as cold as ice.

"No, sir, I am merely stating facts," Duweier wiped the sweat from his forehead,

"Perhaps we can try to buy time while strengthening intelligence work to figure out where Long Country's technology actually comes from."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, and finally, the Leader sighed: "Continue the negotiations and try to secure better terms. But remember, no clause that damages our national dignity can be accepted!!"

Meanwhile, at the Dongbei Jun Gongchang Yuanqu Jidi, Li Mingyuan was leading his team, working day and night.

In the laboratory, the first industrial robot prototype had already taken initial shape.

It was a mechanical arm slightly bulkier than the one in the design drawings, installed on a sturdy base, with a simple gripper attached to the end.

"Adjust the torque parameters of the third joint again," Li Mingyuan said to a young engineer, "The response time is still a bit slow."

"Yes, Chief Engineer Li," the engineer immediately adjusted the parameters and re-entered the data.

Li Mingyuan looked at this prototype, feeling a sense of emotion in his heart.

In the era before he traveled through time, industrial robots were already precise enough to perform microsurgery, yet now, they were excited over a simple grasping motion.

"Try it," Li Mingyuan ordered.

The engineer started the program, and the mechanical arm moved slowly and steadily, precisely picking up a small part on the table and placing it in the designated position.

A burst of cheers erupted throughout the laboratory.

"It succeeded!" Lao Liu clapped his hands excitedly, "It can really move on its own!"

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly, "This is just the first step. We still need to improve precision and speed, and add more functional modules."

But he knew in his heart that even such a crude robot was already an epoch-making invention in this era.

"Chief Engineer Li, you are too amazing!" a young technician said worshipfully, "How did you think of all this?"

Li Mingyuan smiled without answering, turning instead to ask: "How is the optimization progress of the Third-Generation Computer?"

"The basic architecture adjustment is complete," another engineer in charge of electronics reported, "According to your design, we added more memory units, rewired, and increased processing speed by about 30%. But..."

"But what?" Li Mingyuan asked.

"But we still don't understand what that 'operating system' you designed is," the engineer said, confused, "Why does a computer need an extra set of programs to manage itself?"

Li Mingyuan explained patiently: "Imagine if a computer could only perform one task, like it does now; its efficiency is limited. But if there is a system that can manage multiple tasks, coordinate resources, and provide a unified interface for the user, its value will multiply."

The engineers nodded as if they understood, but it was clear they hadn't fully grasped this advanced concept yet.

"Don't worry, once the system is built, you will understand," Li Mingyuan patted their shoulders, "Continue working."

Walking out of the main laboratory, Li Mingyuan came to a more secluded small room.

This was his private workshop, where only he could enter.

In the center of the room sat a slightly crude but well-functioning Third-Generation Computer, and next to it were several sketches—those were the design plans for the Centrifuge.

Li Mingyuan locked the door, walked to the computer, and began to input a series of commands.