Unrepentant to the End? Jiang Fang Sought Help from the Nation

Looking at the all-too-familiar place, Jiang Fang silently reflected on whether he had been having a streak of bad luck lately. He had been checking in at the police station every day; anyone unaware of the situation might have thought he was an outside staff member of the station.

Just as he was about to enter, a police car suddenly pulled up at the entrance.

Two officers stepped out, escorting a masked woman in handcuffs.

Jiang Fang recognized her at once. She was the person who had ambushed him outside his home and thrown sulfuric acid at him.

As the woman passed Jiang Fang with the officers, she turned her head toward him. Her eyes were openly filled with vicious malice. When she saw that his face was completely unharmed, that he did not even have any serious injuries on him and could still stand there perfectly well, a flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes.

Clearly, even now, this woman still refused to repent.

Jiang Fang even knew that if she were given another chance, she would act again.

Tsk. He had provoked a lunatic.

But Jiang Fang was not afraid. A lunatic naturally belonged where lunatics ought to be.

"What are you looking at? Move!" The officer responsible for arresting the woman sharply sensed her hostility and immediately pulled her back, escorting her toward the interrogation room.

The officer beside Jiang Fang, who was taking his statement, saw the scene and immediately reassured him. "Don't worry. We'll definitely ensure your safety."

Qin Yan gently patted Jiang Fang's hand in comfort.

Jiang Fang watched the direction she had left in, seemingly lost in thought.

--

"Ji Lan—tell us. Where did you get the concentrated sulfuric acid? And why did you target Jiang Fang?" The interrogator looked through the available information on the person being questioned and froze when he reached her basic personal details.

Eighteen years old, freshly graduated from high school, the same age as Jiang Fang.

So young, yet she was doing nothing worthwhile.

At the officer's question, Ji Lan, who had been relatively calm until then, instantly became agitated.

Her cuffed hands slammed excitedly against the small desk before her. "What do you people know?! A nobody amateur—what right did he have to go against Ziyu? He deserved to die! Why hadn't he died from that fall the first time?!" Her violent movements made her loose hair even more disheveled, making her look like a lunatic.

"Quiet!" The interrogator frowned and sharply rapped on the desk.

She was still young. No matter how crazy she was, once she had committed a crime and faced the police, she still felt an instinctive fear.

Like a mouse seeing a cat, she immediately fell silent.

"You just came of age, right? Do you know that what you did was a crime?!" The officer's voice rose unconsciously.

Ji Lan was startled by the shout and muttered, "But isn't he perfectly fine...?"

"And I'm not an adult yet. I won't turn eighteen for another month."

Hearing that, the interrogator became even angrier.

She was obviously relying on that without fear?!

Did she really think that just because she was underage and Jiang Fang had not suffered anything too serious, there was nothing they could do to her?!

Angry as he was, the interrogator also knew that with all those factors stacked together, she would not be sentenced for very long in the end.

That was the most infuriating part.

After Jiang Fang finished helping the police with his statement, he had barely walked out and was about to turn the corner when he heard people discussing what had just happened.

"Students these days are really stupid from idol worship. Revenge for Bai Ziyu? What the hell did she think the law was? If you ask me, the entertainment industry needs a crackdown. Murder and acid attacks are all gathering in one place."

"She even said she was underage, and Jiang Fang wasn't seriously hurt, so even if they locked her up, it wouldn't be for long. I was almost furious to death. Do kids learn the law these days so they can get lighter sentences for their own crimes? That's ridiculously absurd."

"She's got no fear at all! But this really is difficult to handle. If her parents come here and make a fuss too, then in the end... sigh, what can we do? It's not up to us."

"Alright, alright, don't discuss this here."

"I know. I was just too angry, so I couldn't help quietly complaining to you."

Jiang Fang stood where he was. Only after the two fell silent and their footsteps gradually faded away did he turn the corner.

"Jiang Fang!" Someone patted his shoulder, and Qin Yan's voice came from behind him.

"I'll take you home. Go back and get some proper rest today."

Who could have expected that one trouble would follow another?

"Thanks for the trouble, Brother Qin."

Qin Yan looked at his distracted expression and rubbed his head. "Don't worry. Even if she gets out, she won't have another chance to hurt you."

Jiang Fang stared at him in surprise.

What did that mean?

Qin Yan did not explain. He merely winked at him, indicating that he would find out later.

--

Apartment.

Jiang Fang turned on the lights and changed into the new slippers he had bought.

He had barely touched anything in the apartment. After all, they had belonged to the original owner. He had already planned to buy the place and find somewhere else to live. Today's acid attack and the reporters had only accelerated that idea.

He was now half a public figure. Once his address was exposed, he probably would not have any peace in the future.

He turned on the television in the living room, and the house, which had been so quiet it felt lonely, immediately seemed more lived-in.

An emergency news report was playing on the television.

"It has been reported that a vicious sulfuric acid attack occurred this morning at Yunan Residential Complex in City B, sparking widespread online discussion. The incident has currently resulted in one injury, and the perpetrator has been arrested..."

Jiang Fang paused. That was really fast.

He had only turned on the television for some background noise. Seeing that the sunlight outside was just right, Jiang Fang carried his computer over to the balcony and began typing away.

The news on the television continued.

"Next report: Pretty Nation announced chip restrictions yesterday and will impose export limitations on chip manufacturing equipment..."

As the news continued to broadcast, the blazing sunlight gradually sank, dyeing the sky a vivid orange. The orange slowly faded, and the sky gradually darkened.

The moon and stars went to work one after another.

Before he knew it, accompanied by the tapping of his keyboard, the moon had climbed high overhead. The various sounds outside the window gradually disappeared, leaving only the croaking of summer frogs and chirping insects.

After staying up for three consecutive nights, Jiang Fang finally created what he wanted.

The top aristocratic families of his previous life had not been all talk. The reason the Jiang Family had remained unshakable was largely because of its irreplaceability.

The Jiang Family's businesses spanned every industry, but their main focus had been technology. As the Jiang Family's sole heir, Jiang Fang had not picked up the bad habits of a spoiled rich second-generation heir.

On the contrary, because of him, the Jiang Corporation had risen another level and become the undisputed head of the top families, backed by the state.

When it came to Jiang Fang, he truly was the kind of child every parent wished they had.

Good family background, good brain, good personality.

He had completed an accelerated bachelor's and master's program in microelectronics science and engineering at Qingbei, minored in computer science, and after earning his master's degree, directly applied for a doctorate at MIT. By the time he finished his studies and returned to Huaguo, if not for the help of the Jiang Family and the state—as well as his own intelligence—he might not even have been able to return to the country.

It was in the years after Jiang Fang returned to Huaguo that the Jiang Corporation developed rapidly.

Relying on the network of contacts he had built, Jiang Fang started his own venture and forcibly carved out a path. In ten years, he accomplished something that had seemed nearly impossible—successfully developing Huaguo's first 5nm Lithography Machine!

From lithography technology to the lithography machine's high-precision lenses and high-precision parts, no one knew how they had endured those years.

If the Jiang Corporation had not been controlled by the Jiang Family, it could never have funded a laboratory that everyone believed could not succeed, much less supported it for ten years.

Fortunately, they had achieved success.

At the time, the open and covert struggles between Huaguo and foreign countries had been no less intense than in this world. Being choked by others was an unbearable feeling.

The birth of 5nm Lithography Machine Technology directly made Jiang Fang legendary.

The team Jiang Fang belonged to was also invited into the National Microelectronics Research Institute and given an extremely high status.

As the saying went, when one person rose to power, even their chickens and dogs ascended to heaven. The Jiang Family consequently leaped into the position of Huaguo's leading technology enterprise, becoming an existence other companies could only look up to in microelectronics.

Looking at the documents before him, which were so familiar he could recite them backward, Jiang Fang sighed. This was truly a waste of his talents.

But this was fine too. In his previous life, aside from managing the company, he had needed to make time for research at the institute. In the end, he had not enjoyed anything before dying in a car accident.

He would not start a company in this life. He would obediently be an ordinary researcher instead. When he was not working, he could travel around and have fun. It was just a pity that going abroad in the future would probably be troublesome.

Having figured that out, Jiang Fang thought it over, searched online for the contact information of the people in charge, frowned, and then rapidly worked on his computer.

He divided the lithography technology documents into three parts and sent them separately to the private email addresses of Huaguo's Minister of Science and Technology, the president of the Huaguo Academy of Sciences, and the head of Huaguo's Academy of Engineering.

Of course, Jiang Fang had only sent the first half of the lithography technology.

All that remained was to wait peacefully for the nation to send someone over.

While he still had some free time, he would first go out and enjoy himself.

--

Emergency Confidential Meeting on Lithography Technology.

The atmosphere in the meeting was heavy, with anger and helplessness hanging over everyone.

"Pretty Nation's sinister intentions never died! They actually joined forces with Sakura Nation and the Netherlands to restrict lithography machine exports. They are blatantly targeting our country!"

"Our chip technology relies too heavily on foreign countries, so naturally they can choke us. Pretty Nation is a venomous snake, greedily eyeing Huaguo's great prize."

"Sakura Nation's imperialist desire to destroy us has never died. Our generation must work even harder!"

"Ministry of Science and Technology, everyone must keep working hard."

Qin Tang, the Minister of Science and Technology, nodded, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders and the immense pressure above him.

Breaking through in high-end chip technology was easier said than done.

After the senior leader finished speaking, he turned to the presidents of the two academies.

"The Academy of Engineering and the Huaguo Academy of Sciences must also work hard. Strive to break through the encirclement as soon as possible. Huaguo's road to revival requires us to overcome every difficulty!"

President Long of the Huaguo Academy of Sciences said, "Please rest assured, sir!"

President Xu of the Academy of Engineering said, "We will do everything in our power!"

After the meeting ended, everyone filed out of the conference room one after another and went to retrieve their phones from the centralized storage area.

Suddenly—

"Ding-dong~"

"Ding-dong~"

"Ding-dong~"

Three email notification sounds rang out in succession.

The attendees were immediately stunned.

Wasn't that a little too much of a coincidence?

The thought flashed through their minds, but no one thought much of it. Their phones had been left outside the meeting room, so there was no risk of a leak. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

The moment President Long retrieved his phone, he discovered that his private email account had received an unnamed email.

How strange. His private email was kept confidential; ordinary people should not have known it.

Spam?

That seemed unlikely too. The state had specialized interception systems installed on their phones.

The sudden email piqued his curiosity while instantly putting him on guard.

After a brief pause, he opened the email.

Several large words instantly caught his eye—5nm Lithography Technology

5nm Lithography Technology?

Was this a joke?

His first thought was that someone was playing another prank.

Huaguo's most advanced independently developed lithography machine could currently only achieve 22nm.

Twenty-two and five did not seem far apart in everyday terms, but in high-end technology like chips, even an improvement of one nanometer was enough to excite people. Let alone an advancement of seventeen full nanometers!

After all, even the Netherlands, which currently possessed the world's most advanced lithography technology, could only achieve 5nm at best!

If Huaguo truly had 5nm Lithography Machine Technology, would it still need to fear being choked by Pretty Nation?!

The more he thought about it, the heavier President Long felt the burden on his shoulders become, and the greater his pressure grew.

Just as he was about to close the email—

He suddenly froze.

Wait!

This was! This was!

Looking at the highly professional terminology, research plans, design concepts, and the current challenges facing Huaguo's lithography machines along with their solutions, President Long grew more excited the further he read, until his face turned red.

His heart pounded wildly.

Could it be? Could someone truly have developed a 5nm lithography machine?

He continued reading.

President Long specialized in integrated circuit design and integrated systems, which happened to be within the microelectronics field, so he could understand many of the advanced sections in the document.

Precisely because he could understand them, he knew even better the value behind this document!

After hurriedly finishing it, he was like a child holding an incomparably precious treasure, so happy that he nearly danced with joy.

He continued downward and turned the page—

Why would it not turn?

He looked closely!

There was nothing left!

President Long's mind went blank.

Why was there no more? What happened to the beautiful vision? What happened to the promised 5nm Lithography Technology? Why had it been cut off?!

In a flash of realization, he suddenly remembered the three email notifications that had sounded in succession when they retrieved their phones.

President Long:!!!

Oh no, oh no. So much time had passed. They must have gone far by now.

Who would have thought that the moment President Long raised his head, he would see several colleagues and senior leaders standing ahead of him, looking at him with broad smiles.

Seeing President Long look up and notice them, Engineer Xu of the Academy of Engineering teased with a smile, "What's gotten into President Long? I nearly thought he was some young man experiencing first love."

President Long had always been synonymous with composure. Who had ever seen this side of him?

At that moment, President Long had no time for their teasing. He composed his expression and said seriously:

"Everyone, may I ask whose phones just received emails? I mean the three notification sounds when we retrieved our phones."

Seeing his expression, everyone immediately became serious.

"What happened?" the chief asked upon seeing this.

President Long leaned close and whispered a few words into the chief's ear. The chief's expression changed, turning grave in an instant.

"Really?"

President Long nodded.

This document was absolutely not a castle in the air, but a technology that truly had a chance of being realized!

They had to find the person who sent the email as soon as possible.

At that moment, President Xu of the Academy of Engineering and Qin Tang from the Ministry of Science and Technology also saw the email.

"I received an untitled email here."

"So did I!"

The chief made a prompt decision and immediately reconvened the meeting. Other than President Long, President Xu, and Minister Qin, no one was allowed to bring a phone into the meeting room.

An emergency meeting began, and everyone was mobilized once more.

Although those who had not received the email did not know what had happened, the fact that the meeting had been raised directly from classified to top secret spoke volumes.

Those qualified to attend a top-secret meeting were naturally heavyweights among heavyweights.

After President Long compared and confirmed the emails with President Xu and Minister Qin, the importance he attached to this document rose by countless levels.

When President Xu saw the contents of the email, his scalp went numb from shock, and his entire body stiffened.

5nm Lithography Machine Technology?

This had to be a scam, right?

The moment that thought surfaced, he recalled President Long's reaction just now.

Could it be?

Could it be real?!

Thus, another cooked shrimp was born.

Minister Qin was similarly stunned when he saw the contents. Remembering President Long's reaction, he suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued reading.

Thus—there was a third cooked shrimp.

5nm lithography machine technology!

5nm!

If it succeeded, it would mean that Huaguo's high-end chip technology would no longer be subject to foreign blockades!

Just thinking about that scene made Qin Tang feel good all over!

He impatiently turned to the next page.

Smack—

That was it?

That was it!!!

How could it just end like this?! Qin Tang nearly lost control.

"This emergency meeting was convened because President Long, President Xu, and Minister Qin each received an email with the same subject but different contents."

"The content was—5nm Lithography Technology."

The moment those words were spoken, the room erupted.

Some people at the meeting lost their composure and stood up, while others looked at Long, Xu, and Qin in astonishment.

"How is that possible?"

"Right now, only the Netherlands and Sakura Nation have mastered the most advanced lithography machine technology." It was not that they looked down on their own people; it was simply a fact that Huaguo's high-end chip technology lagged far behind foreign countries.

For that very reason, even at a national meeting, some people voiced their doubts.

Of course, some were quick-minded.

Since the chief had urgently convened a meeting at the top-secret level, it meant that this email was not baseless. It might even be possible to realize it!

Those who thought of this immediately sucked in a breath, then became wildly overjoyed!

If they truly mastered 5nm Lithography Machine Technology, Pretty Nation would no longer be able to choke them by the throat!

After President Xu and Minister Qin finished reading their respective emails, both were unable to contain their excitement, their eyes even brimming with tears.

They both nodded to the chief.

This document—the author's understanding, approach, data, and even the design blueprints—was all feasible. It had even thoughtfully prepared a solution for high-precision lens components!

To Huaguo as it was now, it was no different from an oasis to a thirsty traveler lost in the desert!

"Reporting to the chief! The lithography technology described in the email is real! But even when the three emails are put together, part of it is still missing! We must find the person who sent the emails as soon as possible!"

It was real!

It was real!

Real 5nm Lithography Technology!

Boundless joy swept through everyone present, but the following words brought them crashing back down to earth.

Damn it! A part was actually missing.

Everyone regained their composure, but they still could not understand why the person behind this had done such a thing.

"Could it be a trap?" someone asked.

But everyone knew that even if it was a trap, they had no choice but to pursue it.

Jiang Fang, whose original intention had been to give the nation a helping hand, had no idea he was being subjected to conspiracy theories.

"Even if it's a trap, we have to try! Contact the technical team immediately. We must find the person who sent the emails."