Chapter 223: Crystal Project Finally Wins Bid—Lithography Technology Shows Its Edge

When Zhao Jianguo stuffed the drawings into his briefcase, Jia Dongxu was standing at the doorway dusting off his pant legs. He looked up at the sky, then down at his own pair of bleached-white cloth shoes.

Really going?

"We've prepared this long." Zhao Jianguo tugged at his collar, "Not going would be inexcusable."

Jia Dongxu said nothing more, just slung his backpack on and followed him out of the Siheyuan. On the way they didn't talk much—one was thinking about how to explain the technical parameters later, the other was calculating whether the review board would ask about the material source. A wind blew in from the Hutongkou, swirling a few fallen leaves.

The bidding meeting was held at the technology building in the west of the city. As they entered, staff checked the list; the moment Jia Dongxu's name was called, the man in dark blue workwear seated nearby lifted his head. He wore a silver badge on his chest, his gaze lingered on them for two seconds, then he lowered his eyes to the documents.

The venue wasn't large, about twenty tables arranged in a semicircle. The review panel sat in the front row; the middle-aged, gray-haired elder held a pen, scribbling in his notebook. When Jia Dongxu went on stage his hand trembled a little, but as soon as he spoke he steadied.

"The lithography system we brought has its core in an extreme-ultraviolet light source coupled to a nano-positioning module. Simply put, it can push the Crystal circuit precision below 120 nanometers."

Some people in the audience whispered to each other. The man in blue workwear in the back row suddenly leaned forward.

"Where did you get this structural diagram…?"

Jia Dongxu paused: "Independent development."

"Could you elaborate on the design logic of the stacked lens group?"

"That's a classified part; procedure forbids disclosure." Zhao Jianguo took over, "But we have complete experimental records and test data that can be submitted for review."

The man didn't press further, just tapped the tabletop with his pen tip.

The following questions were not difficult; Jia Dongxu answered fluently. When he mentioned the cooling module, he casually sketched a simple diagram indicating airflow direction. On the review panel's side, some began to nod.

In the final ten minutes, the projection switched to a 3D model. The lithography machine's internal structure slowly rotated, parts disassembling one by one in demonstration. When the main control algorithm interface popped up, the man in blue workwear sprang to his feet, then quickly sat down again, only his face changed.

When the dismissal bell rang, the hall fell silent.

The panel chief cleared his throat: "Based on the overall scores, the winning unit is the Siheyuan Technology Institute."

Applause exploded. Jia Dongxu stood on stage, his mouth stretched wide for a long time without closing. Zhao Jianguo sat below, fingers gripping the edge of his bag, knuckles whitening.

As they walked downstairs, Jia Dongxu was still laughing: "Did we really win?"

We won.

We gotta treat the crew to a meal when we get back!

Zhao Jianguo was about to nod when someone tapped his shoulder.

He turned to see the man in blue workwear standing behind him, close by, voice lowered.

"Mr. Zhao, I'm from the Northern Semiconductor Research Institute. That design just now… is too similar to our internal project. The director wants to meet you to discuss the technical route."

Zhao Jianguo remained expressionless: "Thank you for your institute's attention."

"It's not just polite talk." The other's eyes didn't flicker, "This concerns the security of a key national project. If you don't come, the subsequent review process could get messy."

Having said that, it's no longer an invitation.

Zhao Jianguo was about to speak when his head suddenly buzzed.

【Detected Spacetime Observer】

【Advice: Refuse Contact】

A red-frame prompt popped up before his eyes, flashing like a warning light. His breath hitched, and he immediately stepped back half a step.

"Thanks for the goodwill." He smiled, "But all our technology is registered; we're going through the proper reporting channel. No need to meet."

The man frowned slightly, said nothing more, just pulled a card from his pocket and shoved it into his hand, then turned and walked away.

Jia Dongxu watched the man's back disappear around the stairwell corner, then asked softly: "Who was that?"

"I don't know." Zhao Jianguo flipped the card over—it bore only a phone number, no name or unit.

"Then why didn't you accept just now? What a great opportunity."

"Opportunities also depend on who's giving them." Zhao Jianguo folded the card twice, slipped it into his inner pocket, "Go back to the lab right now and encrypt and seal all the data we presented today. Add extra guards to the clean room; without my signature, no one can access the originals."

Jia Dongxu stared: "Is it really necessary? We did win the bid."

"Precisely because we won the bid, we need to be more careful." Zhao Jianguo looked at the window at the end of the hallway, "Some people won't see you as a breakthrough; they'll only suspect you stole it from somewhere."

As the two walked out of the building, the sunlight was just right. A black sedan was parked across the street, its windows heavily tinted. As Zhao Jianguo passed, he glanced again and noticed a square device on the passenger seat, its antenna pointed this way.

He didn't stop, his steps stayed steady, but his right hand slipped into his pocket and gripped the communicator.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll adjust the shift schedule." He told Jia Dongxu, "After ten p. m., no one may stay alone in the lab. Monitoring hard drives will be backed up daily, and old data will be physically destroyed."

Do you know something?

I don't know." Zhao Jianguo glanced back at the building lobby, "But I now realize some things are harder than making them—it's how to guard them."

They turned into a narrow alley, their footsteps echoing off the walls. Zhao Jianguo kept to the outer side, his shoulder blocking the wind.

As they neared the Siheyuan gate, he suddenly stopped.

"Do you still remember how the kids looked practicing the abacus yesterday?"

Jia Dongxu nodded: "I remember, little Fatty could bend his fingers till they turned red."

"Back then we thought, as long as the technology is passed on, it's fine." Zhao Jianguo said softly, "But now it's different. Before passing it on, we must first protect the root."

Jia Dongxu fell silent for a moment, then gave a heavy grunt.

At the courtyard gate, a child's floral shirt hung on the clothesline, swaying lightly in the breeze. Zhao Jianguo reached out to push it aside and stepped over the threshold.

On the table inside lay the design draft of the intelligent abacus. He walked over, picked up a pencil, wrote a "prohibited" symbol in the lower right corner, circled it, and added the date.

Just as he set the pen down, the communicator vibrated.

He took it out and glanced at it—the screen lit up, signal bars full, but there was no call record.

He pressed the power button twice more to confirm it wasn't a mis-touch.

Outside the window, a gang of kids chased a rubber ball, their laughter bouncing off the walls.