The Trouble with Being a Top Student: Not Enough Points! (Please Keep Reading)

Everyone was stunned by Luo Yao's words.

Fight back?

How were they supposed to fight back?

Zhao Pei in particular was completely at a loss. Looking at Luo Yao, she shook her head and said, "It's useless. Shuilian has already fabricated evidence. Just like Shuijidian, they can't possibly speak up for us."

"The matter has already reached the Ugly Nation's commerce team. Shuilian was most likely threatened as well."

Shuilian and Shuijidian were both Water Island companies. Those companies all shared the same flaw—they were like mollusks, without a backbone.

The moment something happened, they dropped to their knees faster than anyone.

Yu Bei snorted coldly. "Just when ordinary companies are still trying to struggle, those people have already knelt. Shuilian is truly inhuman, joining foreign companies to screw over their own people."

"That's why it'll be too difficult to strike back now. Luo Yao, are you planning to start with Shuilian?" Rao Huiling asked.

"No." Luo Yao began speaking slowly.

"Going to Shuilian now would only prove that Sanhua didn't steal any technology. But then what?"

"Would Meishang withdraw its complaint?"

"Judging by the preparations Meishang made beforehand, their goal definitely isn't just to frame Sanhua."

"They're actually trying to seize Sanhua's orders in every country."

"Sanhua has already lost its overseas orders, and Meishang should be taking them over right now. Do you still naively expect them to spit out what they've already swallowed?" Luo Yao felt that these adults were even more naive than he was.

Rao Huiling immediately understood what Luo Yao meant. "You mean, make a breakthrough domestically?"

Luo Yao nodded. "Domestic demand is substantial too. Why not start from the domestic market?"

Wu Tianming's thoughts caught up as well. "Boss, you mean that since Sanhua's memory chips were good enough to be purchased by foreign companies and even took orders from overseas memory chip manufacturers, that proves Sanhua's technology isn't the problem?"

"Right. That's an endorsement for Sanhua."

"But there's one issue we need to solve first."

The serious, contemplative look on Luo Yao's face made everyone tense.

"Has Sanhua always used Shuijidian for foundry production?"

Zhao Pei nodded. "It's always been them. The wafers came from Shuilian."

"You mean that if the foundry changes, people may question the quality?" Yu Bei grasped the key point.

"Once the foundry changes, people will definitely question the quality. So we'll need someone dedicated to figuring out how to expand the market."

Luo Yao looked at Yu Bei.

"I know this stuff!" Yu Bei understood Luo Yao's signal.

"President Yu, go back to headquarters first and discuss the situation with President Zheng. See how we can find a breakthrough from the market side. We'll speed up the work of setting up the production line here," Rao Huiling said. Knowing they could not delay any longer, she immediately had Yu Bei return to Huaji.

"Alright. Let's split up and act!"

After Yu Bei left, everyone hurriedly got busy. They knew that what they were saving now was more than just one company!

If Meishang dared to target Sanhua so recklessly today, then the others would be next.

At that moment, everyone in the semiconductor industry understood what it meant for lips and teeth to depend on one another!

"Since they refuse to act like human beings, let's show them we're not so easy to bully either!"

"General Manager Zhao! Don't cry—we'll fight them!" Boss Liu consoled Zhao Pei with great vigor, then turned and headed for the lithography machine room to direct the chip engineers at work.

"Damn, I never thought I'd get caught up in something like this. Those bastards from the Ugly Nation are inhuman! Come on, let's go see what we can help with!"

"Sergei, you guys stop standing around too. Boss said we need to have the awareness to manage ourselves. Move!"

Wang Ye felt his blood boiling. He did not care whether he could actually be of any help; he just wanted to get moving first.

So before Luo Yao could say anything, Wang Ye and Wu Tianming led the geniuses into action.

Rao Huiling stared in a daze, thinking, That works too?

Luo Yao did not need to say a thing. His team had simply started working on their own.

Did geniuses only submit to other geniuses?

Having previously studied the Pangu code, the people from Fragrant Laboratory quickly finished debugging the equipment. Seeing that his equipment worked perfectly without needing any replacements, Boss Liu's face was covered in smiles.

"Your software is incredible. The engineers said every tool is much faster to use than the previous EDA software. You're practically benefiting all of us!"

"As long as it works. Boss Liu, we need to head to the next factory. Call me anytime if you need anything."

"No problem. Oh, I wanted to ask this young brother's name. Everything he said earlier hit the key points, and his mind is far sharper than mine. I'd like to get acquainted with him."

Smart and a Huaji employee—Boss Liu clearly wanted to make his acquaintance.

"Luo Yao. One of the geniuses we recruited," Rao Huiling answered for him at once, afraid Luo Yao might say something too outrageous.

"I'll remember it. Brother Luo Yao, stay for a meal before you leave! I've already arranged lunch."

"No need, Boss Liu. We still have another factory to visit. Since there are no problems with the equipment now, we'll be leaving first." Pressed for time, Rao Huiling quickly declined.

"We still need to go check on the packaging and testing plant."

"Alright, then I'll wait for your next visit!"

After Boss Liu hurriedly saw them off to the airport, he returned to the factory.

By noon, the group had boarded the plane without even having time to eat at the airport.

When they received their in-flight meals, every one of them frowned.

The vegetables and pale chicken were mixed together in a sticky mess that looked far from appetizing.

Just as everyone hesitated over whether to eat, Wang Ye noticed that Luo Yao, across the aisle, had actually started eating.

"Boss, can you stomach that?"

"It's alright."

"This can't possibly compare to Auntie's cooking, right?" Wang Ye thought. The Luo family ran a restaurant, so Luo Yao should have been pickier about food. But apparently, that was not the case at all.

"It's not as good as my mom's cooking, but it's better than my dad's." Luo Yao gave his assessment without changing expression.

Wang Ye: ...

So the Luo Family Restaurant was entirely held up by Luo Yao's mother.

For the next stretch of time, everyone followed the same relentless rhythm, rushing nonstop from one factory to the next.

Once they had finished calibrating the equipment at all the factories under their charge, they returned to Huaji.

On the flight back, Luo Yao received his first reward.

Congratulations, Pangu EDA has acquired customers and gained recognition!

You are now being awarded: 300 points!

The system's rewards were tied to recognition. The higher the recognition, the more points he received. But the EDA market itself was not large, so the recognition it could gain naturally would not be particularly high.

System, I want to activate the next task, Luo Yao silently said in his mind.

Task One: Aerospace Plane.

Task Two: Quantum Satellites.

Task Three: Super EUV Lithography Machine.

Luo Yao thought it was still too early to begin developing aerospace planes and Quantum Satellites.

To support the development of aerospace planes and Quantum Satellites, high-end chips were needed first. Yet Hua Nation's current chips could hardly support the precise control required for such spacecraft.

Strategic equipment like this could not possibly use imported chips. Therefore, without high-end chips, Luo Yao could not choose Task One or Task Two.

Super EUV Lithography Machine.

Lithography machines were equipment Hua Nation desperately lacked. Every lithography machine currently used by domestic manufacturers was imported. If foreign manufacturers cut off supplies, the entire Semiconductor industry would fall into despair.

Lithography machines were the core equipment for chip production. Their technological difficulty was extremely high—several times more difficult than EDA.

A single lithography machine could sell for eight or nine hundred million. Price-wise, it was even more expensive than a Boeing 737.

And the gross profit margin on lithography machines could reach around 44%.

The profits were enormous. Did people not want to make them?

Of course they did.

Everyone was desperate to build them, but the key core technologies were all held by AS Company. No matter how much others wanted to make them, it was pointless.

Since the system had given Luo Yao the option, he naturally knew that Task Three was best suited to his current circumstances.

With Pangu EDA and domestically built EUV lithography machines, Hua Nation's enterprises would no longer be at the mercy of others.

"Choose Task Three."

The instant Luo Yao finished speaking, the system responded.

Activating Task Three requires 200 points. Would you like to activate it?

It actually cost that much?

There truly was no such thing as a free lunch.

After making a quick estimate, Luo Yao knew that lithography machines would definitely earn him more points than EDA. He did not hesitate for long before activating Task Three.

The books you currently need to study include "System Integration Industrial Automation Control and PLC Programming," "Laser Principles and Technology," "Alloy Phases and Phase Transformations"...

The system was quite considerate. While providing Luo Yao with the technology, it also listed nearly a hundred specialized books for him to understand the technology it had given him.

But Luo Yao knew he was still missing one thing.

The lithography machine's engineering blueprints.

A person only had twenty-four hours in a day. He had completed Pangu EDA last time only by relying on his talent as a cheat. This time, with time so tight, he simply had no time to draw the engineering blueprints himself.

"System, I need the lithography machine's engineering blueprints."

Purchasing the lithography machine engineering blueprints requires 90 points. Would you like to purchase them?

That expensive?

In the real world, Luo Yao already counted as a rich man, but now he felt genuinely poor.

The points he had just obtained were almost gone!

Time waited for no one, so Luo Yao had no choice but to buy the design blueprint.

The blueprint you requested has been delivered to your hard drive. Please check it.

Hard drive? Luo Yao remembered the red hard drive he had bought. He wanted to take it out and check, but Wang Ye was sitting to his left and Rao Huiling to his right. Taking it out would definitely draw attention, so Luo Yao could only wait.

As soon as they arrived in East City, Rao Huiling called the group, who had been constantly running around outside, back home.

When Luo Yao got home, Sun Xiulan greeted him with delighted surprise. "Yao'er, you're back! Come here and let me see whether you've lost weight."

Luo Yao was preoccupied with the hard drive. After exchanging a few words with Sun Xiulan, he hurried upstairs and entered his room.