Chapter 159: I Am the Alien

Chen Mo wore a mask and goggles, dressed in a white lab coat, carefully taking out the reaction vessel from the instrument.

He separated the residue inside the reaction vessel, leaving behind a pale gray crystalline powder.

He examined the crystalline powder closely. By its color, it looked similar to what was synthesized before, but its purity could not be judged by the naked eye. After washing and drying the crystalline powder, Chen Mo took a small spoonful and began testing its purity.

A long time passed before he straightened up.

The purity was 92%. Achieving 92% purity in the first stage of synthesis meant they were already more than halfway to success. The initially synthesized material did not require a second Silicon-Carbon purification; it was pure enough to make superconducting circuits.

However, his goal did not stop at superconducting materials for circuits—he aimed for a Superconducting Chip. Using this material to create a Superconducting Chip was his ultimate target.

“Brother Mo, Sister Xiaoyu has entered the Experimental Zone.”

Just as Chen Mo was about to test the Silicon-Carbon powder, Ink Girl’s voice interrupted his actions.

“Record the data from the recent synthesis.”

Chen Mo took off his gear and left the Laboratory. As soon as he stepped out, he saw Xiaoyu walking down the corridor.

“Some equipment for Seismograph production has arrived. Sister Zhao asked if you want to go have a look,” Xiaoyu said as soon as she saw Chen Mo.

“So quickly?”

Chen Mo was surprised. Not long ago, he had told Li Chengzhi that they lacked production equipment for the Seismographs and had given him a list. He hadn’t expected the equipment to arrive this fast.

The efficiency for handling such special matters was unusually quick. Chen Mo did not refuse and left with Xiaoyu.

Zhao Min was at the parts processing factory. This was a factory they had acquired. Besides producing necessary components, parts for Robots and Seismographs were processed here.

To support this, Zhao Min had also used headhunters to recruit several highly skilled mechanics with high salaries.

The prototype Seismograph was assembled in this factory. Now that more Seismographs were needed, production would take place here as well.

When Zhao Min saw Chen Mo, she came over to greet him.

“These are all the pieces of equipment that Mr. Li had delivered.”

Zhao Min led Chen Mo over to the equipment. Everything consisted of precise machine tools and parts-processing machinery. With this equipment, they could increase the production speed of Seismographs several times over.

“These masters are the newly joined senior mechanics in the factory.” After presenting the equipment, Zhao Min introduced the factory’s mechanics to Chen Mo.

“Master Liu Meng, Master Hong Hailong, and Master Wang Jiadong—they each have over ten years of work experience.”

The factory originally had several experienced mechanics, whom Chen Mo had met during his previous visit to assemble the Seismograph. With these three added, they now had a significant number of skilled workers.

Tasks like scraping, grinding, and mechanical assembly, as well as producing highly precise templates, molds, and measuring tools, still relied on the craftsmanship of the workers. Since Chen Mo wasn’t skilled in these areas, the more talents they had, the better. They would certainly need these skills in many future projects.

“Hello.”

Chen Mo smiled and shook hands with each of them, also taking the chance to greet the other workers present.

His warmth made everyone feel a bit overwhelmed. At this point, Chen Mo could be considered a world-renowned figure. The Seismograph had a huge impact, and Chen Mo had gained widespread public favor.

Everyone knew that the factory’s owner was the Legion Ant Company. Many hadn’t expected to meet Chen Mo up close, especially the newer employees. Seeing the Big Boss being so amiable instantly increased their sense of belonging.

“How many people are here?” Chen Mo asked.

“Including the three newly joined masters, there are twenty-four people in total. We’ve selected the youngest and most skilled workers from the factory to serve as apprentices to each master mechanic, building up a talent pool for the future,” the manager of the parts processing factory promptly replied.

“Good.” Chen Mo nodded. “Seismograph production and assembly will take place here from now on. Every Seismograph is important—it concerns many lives. So, the quality requirements for every part are very high. You must be mentally prepared.”

“Understood.”

The workers nodded seriously. The earthquake event in the Island Nation was still fresh in their minds, giving them a deep understanding of disasters. Plus, the wages here weren’t low, so they had to take their jobs seriously—otherwise, they might lose them.

After walking around the factory and inspecting the production workshops, Chen Mo took a group photo with the workers before leaving.

“How are things with the Seismographs? How many countries have placed orders?” Chen Mo asked.

Recently, the Island Nation and the United States had been feuding online, but neither government had issued an official response.

The United States had retrieved the Seismograph from international waters, and since it didn’t belong to the Island Nation, there were no issues from their side. The Island Nation government didn’t bother with the matter either.

“Most are still waiting and watching. Since we’re setting up the network domestically first, we aren’t exporting for now. Many countries are just checking the prices. Because it’s so expensive, they’re holding off. But there’s no hurry. We’re the only ones in the world with Seismograph technology—even if it’s pricey, they’ll have to buy it. That’s the advantage of a monopoly,” Zhao Min said confidently.

Huaxia had suffered from monopolies more than once or twice during its decades of development. Not long ago, Samsung had raised memory card prices due to their monopoly, and their OLED screens had caused setbacks—all because Huaxia lacked the technology.

There were still many monopolized technologies internationally being sold to them at sky-high prices. Some technologies couldn’t even be bought at any price.

Now, Legion Ant Company could use their monopoly to counter those tactics. Sooner or later, others would come begging to buy, and whether they sold would depend on their mood. After all, they weren’t short on money now.

“By the way, Zhao Min, go import a Lithography Machine,” Chen Mo said.

“You want to make chips?” Zhao Min looked at Chen Mo in disbelief. Was this genius setting his sights on chip technology next?

“Indeed, I do.”

Chen Mo didn’t hide his intention, though he kept the Room Temperature Superconducting Material a secret. With his current capabilities, revealing it would bring endless trouble.

“I just want a Lithography Machine for experimental purposes.”

“I feel like I am the alien,” Zhao Min sighed helplessly. She knew that whenever Chen Mo entered a field, he would achieve something—his previous products had already proven that.

“Getting a mid-range Lithography Machine isn’t a big problem, but acquiring a high-end one is troublesome. It’s probably impossible to obtain,” Zhao Min said.

“An embargo?” Chen Mo immediately thought of the issue.

“Yes. The highest-end Lithography Machines are monopolized by the Dutch company ASML, and the Netherlands is a member of the Wassenaar Arrangement. For Europe to export high-tech products to us, they need approval from the United States.

Currently, even our country can’t import the most advanced 7-nanometer Lithography Machines, including the 14-nanometer EUV lithography systems. The Western countries guard against us as if we were thieves.”

Before Huaxia mastered certain technologies, the prices were exorbitant. Once the technology was acquired, the prices would plummet. Many companies in Europe and the United States had gone bankrupt because of this.

The main reason was their efforts to hinder Huaxia’s rise. Those countries would sometimes go to any lengths.

“If that’s not possible, a 22-nanometer one will do. If not that, then 32-nanometer. I only need it for experiments. If they refuse to sell, there’s no need to beg. Just try to get the highest precision Lithography Machine possible,” Chen Mo said.

“Do you really need a Lithography Machine?” Zhao Min asked.

“Yes, I need to work on a special chip design.”