Chapter 1642 I hope they are lucky

Later in the day.

Beijing, Torch Laboratory.

Chang Haonan casually rolled the mouse wheel with his index finger, watching the horror headlines on the screen flow by like water.

"The Death of Economic Globalization? China's Export Controls Deal a Heavy Dagger to a Green Future!"

"A new Iron Curtain is descending! The supply of key materials is cut off, foreshadowing the era of a technological Cold War!"

"Co-C-hBN ban: China's hand strangling the throat of new energy!"

……

The reports were filled with widespread grief and seemed like the end of the world, with unconcealable panic revealed between the lines.

Chang Haonan shook his head half helplessly and half sarcastically——

If you only look at these reports, it seems that China was the first to use administrative means to brazenly undermine the foundation of cooperation in the global technology industry.

They take it for granted that they enjoy the dividends of globalization, but once the rules are no longer completely under their control, they immediately use words such as "Iron Curtain" and "Cold War" that are full of ideological confrontation and accuse the victims of "breaking the rules."

"hypocritical."

He whispered two words and closed several web pages filled with pessimism.

Although he sneered, Chang Haonan's heart was not moved at all.

The card of Co-C-hBN materials is a hidden chess piece that he has been planning for a long time.

From the moment he published that groundbreaking paper in Nature, he foresaw the huge potential of this strategic-grade material and the storm it might cause.

It is not only the "holy grail" of the next generation of batteries, but also a key fulcrum for leveraging the global industrial landscape and reshaping technological discourse power.

Moreover, China has far more than just this one card in its hand.

It's just that the time to make a move has not come yet.

Chang Haonan's goal this time is not only to make the arrogant Americans suffer, but also to reverse the balance of power between the east and west coasts of the Pacific through a landmark victory and completely reshape the world order in the post-Cold War era.

In fact, this matter was not particularly urgent, but the turning point is that Chang Haonan now has some ideas for giving a theoretical solution to the NS equation.

In other words, the dawn of fusion energy is just around the corner.

The more countries stand on China's side, the faster controlled nuclear fusion can be turned from theory into reality, so it is necessary to show off its muscles to the world as soon as possible.

He would never allow himself to be stabbed in the back by some two-faced, power-hungry villains at the most critical moment.

Power, only absolute power, can intimidate the small crowd and clear the obstacles for this grand cause that concerns the future of human civilization.

We must let everyone see clearly who will control the rules in the new era.

At this moment, an inconspicuous news pop-up window suddenly flashed in the lower right corner of the computer screen.

The headline is concise yet powerful: "Tesla-LG Chem Joint Statement: Supply Chain Stable, Supply Commitment Remains Unchanged!"

Chang Haonan raised his eyebrows slightly and clicked it immediately.

It was the joint statement issued by Tesla and LG Chem.

His eyes quickly scanned the sentence: "Strictly follow established agreements and supply cycles, and continuously and steadily deliver high-quality, high-performance products and services to all customers worldwide..."

"Ah--"

Chang Haonan couldn't help but laughed out loud.

History will not simply repeat itself.

But it rhymes.

At the end of the news, there is the opening quote of Nasdaq.

Although there is still a downward trend overall, there is no sign of a cliff-like collapse or a triggering of systemic panic.

The situation should have been temporarily controlled by this timely statement.

"Quick reaction..."

Chang Haonan muttered to himself, but when he thought about it carefully, his brows furrowed slightly.

This doesn't make sense.

Batteries and cars are not commodities that can be traded in futures, but rather consumer electronics products with very sensitive delivery times.

If the other party dares to make such a public commitment that is equivalent to "guaranteeing timely and sufficient delivery", it means that they must have real and immediate supply capabilities, or have absolute certainty of resuming supply in a very short time.

Otherwise, within a month, the lies will be completely exposed by undeliverable orders and accumulated customer complaints, and the resulting collapse of market trust and chain reaction will be a hundred times more terrifying than the opening plunge.

Why do they?

Chang Haonan picked up the red confidential phone on the corner of the desk and dialed a number.

After a few short busy tones, the line was connected.

"Academician Zhang? I'm Chang Haonan." He got straight to the point, skipping all the pleasantries. "Did you see the joint statement from Tesla and LG?"

The person on the other end of the phone was naturally Academician Zhang Tao from the Lianhai Institute of Chemical Physics.

Since the Torch Laboratory has focused its main efforts on Ga-Ge (0001) in the past year, the Co-C-hBN material was mainly organized for research and development and promotion by the other party.

"I saw it. I just finished reading it." Zhang Tao's voice was a little sarcastic. "These Americans are learning pretty quickly. They even copied the wording."

"It's not a matter of wording..." Chang Haonan had just begun to speak when he heard the other party say:

"I know what you're asking... I've just reviewed all customs records and our internal flow monitoring data."

"What's the result?" Chang Haonan was unusually anxious.

"Whether it's finished Co-C-hBN products or key intermediate materials, the quantities flowing to LG Chem and Tesla's related supply chains over the past year have all been within the normal commercial contract range, and there is absolutely no abnormal stockpiling sufficient to support their large-scale mass production and installation."

"In other words, they can't just rely on inventory to sustain the situation." Chang Haonan rubbed his brow. "Then there's only one possibility left—they've already... or think they've mastered the technical route for independently synthesizing Co-C-hBN materials?"

After hesitating for a moment, the other party also expressed his agreement.

"Academician Zhang, in the past year or two, has the Institute of Physical Chemistry encountered any leaks in the core process of Co-C-hBN that warrant further investigation?"

This question is a bit sensitive, and most people would not be able to explain it so directly to Zhang Tao.

But Chang Haonan is obviously not an ordinary person.

And they had discussed the matter before.

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Tao seemed to be lost in memories.

After a short while, he spoke again:

"About a year ago, the security department uncovered a postdoc named Fu Qinxia. She attempted to steal some Co-C-hBN-related process documents with the intention of selling them overseas... However, her methods were extremely crude, even amateurish, so we targeted her before she even left the institute."

"Also, the information she obtained was exactly the same fake information that you, Academician Chang, had previously provided. In short, there is absolutely no possibility of a leak."

Chang Haonan didn't expect that someone would actually fall for his casual preparation.

"Is there anyone else on this line?"

"No," Zhang Tao confirmed. "Her superiors communicated via a single, encrypted network. Their operational instructions were crude and simple. The entire plan appeared to have taken several months, but the execution was riddled with flaws. It was completely unlike the work of a professional intelligence agency. The National Security Bureau believed it was a cannon fodder test, or perhaps a low-level mistake by some industrial espionage organization."

At this point, Chang Haonan can actually be sure that the possibility of leakage is basically zero.

The only thing left is to see whether the other party has received the false information arranged in advance.

"What about the people who had contact with Fu Qinxia? Is it possible that someone took advantage of her access to the data and stole other information without her knowledge?"

Zhang Tao laughed bitterly when he heard this:

"This investigation is incredibly broad... After all, the Lianhai Institute isn't completely closed off. Daily research exchanges, academic visits, students coming and going... personnel turnover is normal. Especially since Fu Qinxia's incident happened during graduate school graduation season, the constant comings and goings made the situation even more complicated."

"The security department conducted a lengthy investigation and ultimately confirmed that the core R&D team that truly mastered the complete Co-C-hBN synthesis route consisted of 24 people, including me. Our backgrounds and behavior were repeatedly verified and are absolutely reliable."

There was silence on the phone for a few seconds. Chang Haonan could imagine Zhang Tao's frown on the other end.

"Oh, right!"

Suddenly, the latter seemed to remember something and added:

"At the time, there was a master's student named Lin Han who worked in the same research group office as Fu Qinxia. She has been out of touch since graduation. Some say she applied to study abroad on her own initiative... However, no evidence has been found to support further investigation, and Fu Qinxia herself doesn't believe Lin Han was involved."

A newly graduated master's student left "just in time" before Fu Qinxia took action, and then disappeared?

This coincidence is a bit too deliberate.

From an investigative perspective, it is indeed difficult to proceed without evidence.

But Chang Haonan is not from the security department, and he does not rely strictly on evidence when considering issues.

"Academician Zhang, we should be lenient with our enemy," Chang Haonan said in a deep voice. "Let's assume that this Lin Han is the more hidden hand behind Fu Qinxia, the real 'hidden agent'..."

Zhang Tao found a moment to interrupt him. "Lin Han is just a master's student. Her research topic has nothing to do with the Co-C-hBN materials research and development team. She has no access to relevant laboratories or databases... Even if she really has a problem, she only has access to the fake data that Fu Qinxia stole. What use would that be?"

Hearing this, Chang Haonan's mind became active.

That's so useful.

"Which parts of the fake information were copied by Fu Qinxia?"

In order to ensure authenticity, Chang Haonan prepared the information very thoroughly even if it was fake.

It is unlikely that one person can take them all.

Zhang Tao recalled: "It's mainly a simplified version of the operating principle of the 'single-molecule array laser programming device', and... a specific adjustment method for adjusting the curvature of the carbon nanotube substrate. Those are probably the two parts."

Chang Haonan was silent for a few seconds, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. Suddenly, his tense expression relaxed, and he even let out a short, low laugh from deep in his throat.

"Ah……"

The light laughter reached Zhang Tao's ears through the receiver.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Tao was a little confused.

"Nothing." Chang Haonan suppressed his smile, but there was still a hint of ridicule in his tone, "If Tesla and LG really got that 'fake information' and regarded it as the 'true scripture'..."

"Then I can only wish them good luck..."