Chapter 769 - 736 Precision Industry

"Have you heard, America is about to engage in space cooperation with us."

"Hasn’t Artemis already cooperated on the Moon?"

"Not that, I’m talking about large-scale cooperation, the kind where we build a space station together."

"You all stop spreading rumors, it’s clearly New Yuan and SpaceX planning commercial collaboration, they’re also jointly operating space tourism, it’s not on an international level at all."

"Isn’t America planning to rebuild the International Space Station with us? The current one is too old!"

"Why not reach out to Russia, the Union has so much black technology that should be put to use!"

"..."

In a factory site in Mountain City, dozens of engineering technicians gathered to discuss the hot topic intensely, only to stop and line up in order when Chen Jun’s car entered, waiting for the boss’s instructions.

Chen Jun opened the car door from the passenger side, but the engineers didn’t see any driver in the cockpit.

Instinctively they looked up towards the roof, but saw no laser radar, no vision recognition system, nothing but a bare surface.

It was an ordinary second-generation XC7 electric sedan, without the luxury version’s L2 assistive driving system, nor any signs of modification.

Just as they wondered if the car truly had driven itself here, two individuals in work uniforms descended from the back seat, their XAP logos glaringly conspicuous, prompting a burst of exclamations.

What New Yuan represented was clear to them; seeing people from the parent company in Xin’an meant new technology and financial investment.

Could it be advanced autonomous driving technology this time?

...

"Mr. Chen, this engineering vehicle needs special attention to confidentiality; we’ve installed an anti-theft mechanism which will be very troublesome to disarm if triggered."

"Understood, I know the rules."

Facing the two technicians, Chen Jun showed not the slightest contempt, instead he seemed to exhibit the demeanor of a local minister in the presence of a royal inspector.

Besides, receiving technology from the parent company was much more comfortable than the painstaking research and development by Xin’an itself.

The sedan he drove sported an ad hoc castrated autonomous driving system thrown together by New Yuan; New Yuan didn’t have the energy to focus solely on car manufacturing, and directly modified it from the aerospace computer, with a ridiculously high integration level.

Once transplanted, the system only needed the car’s basic data and could rely on its built-in 360 panoramic view along with GPS to achieve quite reliable autonomous driving. Adding other devices would enhance its capabilities even further, with plenty of computing power to deal with nearly all complex scenarios. Xin’an’s job was to disassemble, further castrate, and reduce the cost of the system.

However, today’s focus wasn’t on the car, but rather on the factory beneath his feet.

This site was originally an assembly plant for a dying new energy sub-brand of Second Auto, bought by Xin’an and slated to be transformed into the fully unmanned factory Lin Ju desired.

The two engineers who had arrived were there to see which equipment could be kept to facilitate integration with the OGAS system. Most of the market’s processing equipment and machinery have certain limitations, and only a part can be modified.

They and Xin’an’s engineers began to survey the factory inside and out, but after a complete round, there weren’t many machines deemed worthy of preservation, especially many foreign-made robotic arms that couldn’t be connected to the OGAS system due to embedded protection programs.

"So many robotic arms, all to be discarded?"

One of Xin’an’s engineers felt it was a pity, adding a comment:

"These are ABB’s, only used for two years. It’s not easy to deal with them if we disassemble, and domestic ones are still not as reliable."

The technician from New Yuan neither denied nor agreed, instead nodding in approval:

"There are indeed not many domestic brands that can withstand scrutiny, but the progress is definitely fast. If we had enough time, we really could order a custom batch from America, though it would cost a bit more."

"Custom order?"

The Xin’an engineer was a bit taken aback. America’s similar suppliers certainly had good products, but New Yuan’s requirement was to integrate with the OGAS system, demanding that vendors either open up their permissions or cooperate with improvements—something high-end suppliers wouldn’t readily agree to.

Even with New Yuan’s strength, it was by no means guaranteed that vendors would be willing to do so.

Yet the technician from New Yuan nodded as if it were a matter of course:

"New Yuan is not only preparing for another upgrade in manufacturing technology but also plans to produce similar equipment. We’re considering acquiring a batch of technology or patents, or perhaps even buying a similar company, to directly obtain production capacity and technology.

Right now, several American companies are in talks with us, willing to sell all their core technology.

Modifying a bit of equipment... shouldn’t be a problem."

The engineers hadn’t expected to stumble upon such sensational news. New Yuan was planning to enter the precision equipment field!

As for high-technology transactions potentially being restricted by America, everyone tactfully avoided the topic.

Since the New Yuan representative spoke with such confidence, they must have solid backing.

...

On September 15th, just a few days after Musk’s return to America, the so-called "opportunity" he mentioned to Tom appeared.

Following the United Nations meeting, while other countries were still unclear about what had transpired and were snooping around for information, the interaction between Huamei was extremely lively.

A Lockheed executive tweeted an imaginative image of the NOVA rocket and a photo of the F1R engine, tagging xap, claiming they could undertake United Mining’s lunar-earth fuel transport project.

To everyone’s surprise, XAP actually gave an official response, expressing optimism about NOVA’s performance and a hope for future collaboration.

Then, a former Federation official chimed in on the issue, highlighting the long-standing aerospace connections between the two countries (referring to Sir Qian) and slammed the Wolf provision as unreasonable, urging its complete repeal as soon as possible.

American officials hadn’t made any statements regarding the matter, but the Pentagon chief suddenly put forth a congressional proposal, contending that the existing system inadequately regulates spacecraft operated by various countries in space, which could significantly disrupt satellite operations.

Moreover, this time he brought up the Space Force again, openly stating that the Outer Space Treaty no longer matched the characteristics of the times and needed amendments.

As the outside world remained unsettled, speculating whether America had gone off its rocker or was harboring some earth-shattering secret, the American political and business circles privy to the news had already sprung into action.

High-tech American corporations such as SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed, and Pfizer converged in Washington, preparing for an unprecedented official visit.

Mixed amongst these behemoths was a lesser-known company called "Leitner Machinery Company," specializing in industrial robotic arm manufacturing, seemingly inconspicuous within the crowd.

Yet it had significant backing, being formed from a partnership between two American companies and one Canadian company, with a business range covering everything from precision machine tools to space robotic arms, possessing rare precision processing technology.

The so-called "insider" members had already been selected by both governments as a model for transactions, primarily aiming to import high-end industrial technology from America, with both technology and actual products being indispensable, an endeavor that would have been impossible in the past.