The men were so embarrassed they wished the ground would swallow them, but kindly laughter rose from the elderly scientists around them.
"They're young. They deserve a few more chances."
"Everyone grows through their mistakes. There's nothing to be embarrassed about. Our teachers scolded us plenty when we were young, too."
"Work hard, lads..."
At those words of encouragement, Wang Mian and the others felt their noses sting, and a surge of passion welled up in their chests.
Once Ji Ting saw that everyone had attached their wafers, he offered just one line to rally their spirits: "Alone, we break easily; together, we're hard to crush. Only we in Huaguo can unite to accomplish great things."
"Pork Knuckle, activate analysis mode."
Before anyone could figure out whom Ji Ting was addressing, an enormous holographic screen unfolded before their eyes. Displayed on it was a greatly magnified image of AL Company's latest generation of mass-produced 3nm chips.
Hundreds of millions of transistors were connected on a chip smaller than a quarter of a fingernail. This was precisely what lithography machines made possible.
If nuclear weapons symbolized a nation's military might, then lithography machines were the crown jewel of industry, bringing together the world's most advanced technologies.
Yet as the scientists present looked at this technologically advanced chip, what welled up within them was a profound sense of helplessness and sorrow.
They had been trying to catch up all along, but the lithography technology currently used domestically was only on par with what the Netherlands had possessed in 2010. How could that not hurt?
Just as that weight settled over everyone's chest, the projected image began slowly running backward.
From the parallel rays cast onto the chip, it traced back to the source that emitted them. The smallest parts came together to