From Wage Slave to Tycoon

"The road to developing our own chips is a long and arduous one. Right now, there are only a handful of companies in the country still researching them. You need to be prepared for the possibility of failure."

Elder Xiao added, not forgetting a word of caution. He was worried Su Chen was being too ambitious and trying to bite off more than he could chew. In the end, losing both the talent and the investment would be a terrible waste.

Hearing this...

Su Chen calmly set down his teacup. He looked at Elder Xiao and said in all seriousness, "Elder Xiao, don’t you worry. I wouldn’t take on a job I’m not equipped for. I never pick a fight I can’t win. As long as the research personnel and facilities are in place, I can achieve mass production in six months, tops."

Elder Xiao, who had been perfectly composed until then, felt his pupils contract upon hearing this. He was clearly taken aback by Su Chen’s confidence.

But the elder was a man of high standing who had seen it all. He recovered his composure in an instant.

A thought stirred in his mind, and he said with a faint smile, "Young people certainly talk big. Tell me, what kind of chip do you plan to mass-produce? What nanometer scale? You should know, the best that can be mass-produced worldwide right now is at the 14nm level. You can’t possibly be thinking of mass-producing 10nm chips, can you!"

Su Chen didn’t actually know the current state of global chip technology. But hearing that mass production of 14nm chips was only achieved last year, he felt completely unfazed.

He had mastered multiple chip technologies below 10nm. Give him enough research personnel, and he could replicate the production line in a short amount of time.

After all, chip manufacturing technology wasn’t just about the chips themselves; it also included the corresponding manufacturing machinery, like lithography and etching machines. It was just that Su Chen didn’t realize how important these things were.

Elder Xiao noticed Su Chen’s composure. He had said all that, yet the young man was still calmly sipping his tea. ’Could it be...?’

"You don’t actually have the manufacturing process for mass-producing 10nm-level chips, do you?"

After saying it, Elder Xiao gave a self-deprecating laugh. "How could you possibly have something like that? I guess this old man is getting carried away with wishful thinking."

"Now, Elder Xiao, you can’t underestimate people like that!" Su Chen said, the corner of his mouth curling into a smug grin.

Elder Xiao had just lifted his teacup. Hearing this, his hand trembled so much the tea nearly splashed out.

His gaze, now grave, instantly fell upon Su Chen.

"Xiaochen, this is no laughing matter." Elder Xiao’s expression grew serious.

’Mass production of 10nm chips... What would that mean?’

’It would mean Huaxia’s military-industrial technology could leap forward two whole tiers in a very short time. Right now, the best chips we can mass-produce domestically are 28nm. The gap between that and the international standard is enormous.’

’It would be a paradigm shift, an epoch-making revolution. How could Elder Xiao not be stunned? If Su Chen truly possessed the technology to mass-produce 10nm chips, they could catch up to, and even surpass, the most advanced international standards in many fields in a very short time.’

Su Chen hadn’t expected such a drastic reaction from the old man. He gave a wry smile and said, "Elder Xiao, I’m definitely not joking. If I were, I wouldn’t have asked Brother Chen for a large team of specialists and help finding a suitable location for a research institute and factory complex!"

Hearing this, Elder Xiao didn’t press with more questions. Instead, he lifted his teacup and took two quick sips, as if trying to calm the excitement surging within him.

After about twenty seconds, the elder finally spoke again, asking slowly, "May I ask where you obtained this technology? It’s all right if you’re not at liberty to say."

’So, we’ve finally gotten to the heart of the matter.’ Su Chen pretended to ponder the question for a long moment before looking up at Elder Xiao. "Elder Xiao, what if I said I stole it from other countries using my hacking skills? Would you believe me?"

In truth, Su Chen had already considered these questions before his visit. ’Rather than wait for suspicion to build after I start rolling out all sorts of advanced tech, I might as well rip the band-aid off and reveal my ’source’ now. Even if they have doubts, it gives them a plausible explanation.’

Besides, with hacking skills that he considered the best in the world, was there anywhere he couldn’t infiltrate?

If it came down to it, he could just give the old man a live demonstration.

"Hm? What are you two talking about, hacking skills and stealing?" At that moment, Xiao Chen walked out carrying two fruit platters. "Su Chen, you’re an expert hacker?" He clearly hadn’t heard the whole conversation.

Elder Xiao ignored Xiao Chen, his gaze still fixed on Su Chen, as if searching for any sign that he was lying.

But all he could see in Su Chen’s eyes was composure, without a single trace of panic.

The elder considered this for a moment. "Xiaochen," he said, "can you give me a demonstration?"

After all, the claim was simply unbelievable. Chip technology was a top priority for any major company or nation. If Su Chen had truly managed to "replicate" it, it could only mean his hacking skills were among the absolute best in the world.

Su Chen shrugged nonchalantly. "Of course."

He then turned to Xiao Chen and asked, "Brother Chen, do you have a computer here?"

Xiao Chen still hadn’t grasped what was happening, but they did, in fact, have a computer.

"Yeah, in my room. It’s a laptop, though." Xiao Chen made sure to add, "It’s a special internal-use model."

Su Chen glanced at Elder Xiao, seeking his opinion. This was directly related to his future plans, so he knew he had to put on a good show.

The elder shot up from his chair. "To the study!"