Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 222 Giant Alliance

The news that 402's valuation had exceeded $22 billion had been circulating for a full week.

Goldman Sachs' report was like a stone thrown into a pond in the global tech world. The ripples spread from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, from Tokyo to Seoul. Four top investment banks collectively issued bullish reports, three international media outlets featured it on their front pages, and it simultaneously trended on social media. Financial bloggers were busy calculating Zuo Cheng's net worth, which, based on his over 40% stake, was close to $10 billion.

Zuo Cheng had just entered his office that morning when Han Lu was already waiting for him.

She was holding a stack of folders. Zuo Cheng glanced at them, said nothing, and sat down in a chair. Han Lu unfolded the folders one by one. Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon, IBM, Intel. Six companies, all of them the most valuable technology companies on Earth.

"Emails, phone calls, official letters—you name it," Han Lu said. "Microsoft sent its Asia-Pacific president, Lindeman, to Hangzhou next week. Google wants to invite you to visit their quantum computing lab in Silicon Valley. Cook personally emailed to discuss next-generation human-computer interaction. Amazon proposed a deep collaboration plan for cloud services. IBM and Intel also sent official letters—one wants to discuss quantum computing, and the other wants to discuss chips."

Zuo Cheng picked up Cook's email and read the first four lines. The wording was polite, mentioning the interstellar neural brain-computer interface, the Tianyan quantum computer, and the Tianqiong satellite system. All three core businesses of 402 were mentioned. He put the email down. Cook's handwriting was good.

Han Lu didn't laugh. She opened another folder, which contained her strategic intent analysis.

Microsoft wants to invest. The terms include a right of first refusal, capped at 10% equity. Han Lu marked it with a red line. Google has its sights set on quantum computing; they're burning through billions of dollars annually developing the Sycamore processor, and with the emergence of Tianyan, all the pressure is on them. Apple wants a brain-computer interface and is developing its next-generation human-computer interaction chip, Atlas. Amazon wants to connect its Tianqiong satellite network to AWS, replacing submarine cables with 402 low-Earth orbit satellites; the proposal includes a global coverage map from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara.

It was all opportunities. Han Lu closed the folder. It was also all traps.

Zuo Cheng stood in front of the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and drew six circles. Microsoft wanted a stake, Google wanted quantum computing, Apple wanted brain-computer interfaces, Amazon wanted satellites, IBM wanted to cut its losses, and Intel wanted to fill its gaps. He turned around. What did they have in common?

Han Lu thought for a moment. They're all here to find things, not to give them away.

"Yes." Zuo Cheng put down his marker. Their strategy department analyzed the technological barriers of each business line in 402, calculating the technological gap in each direction. They then concluded that instead of trying to catch up themselves, they should just take it directly.

That afternoon, Zuo Cheng convened his core team.

The conference table was covered with proposals from six tech giants. Chen Hao flipped through Google's document, his brows furrowed deeply. Shen Yiming read Microsoft's investment terms three times before looking up. This right of first refusal was like a ticket. Now it's 10%, next time 20%, and the time after that, control.

Zuo Cheng nodded. That means you understood.

Fang Ze closed Intel's copy. Their chip manufacturing process has been stuck at 3 nanometers for years. They wanted to use our quantum computing to accelerate the development of their new process. Han Lu added, "Use our technology to help them shorten their development cycle, and once the finished product is ready, it will be the first to block our tape-out."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Zuo Cheng said, "They're not just here to cooperate. They're here to probe the bottom." He turned to the last page of the Goldman Sachs report, pointing to a line of small print. It stated that 402's technological barriers had grown exponentially over the past eighteen months, with a significantly shorter technology iteration cycle than any other company of its kind globally. Source unknown.

"That's what they really want to know," Zuo Cheng said. "Nobody can explain why 402 accomplished in seven years what other companies took thirty. Wall Street can't explain it, and neither can Silicon Valley. Six top giants simultaneously lowered their prices not because we're worth $22 billion, but because they wanted to figure this out."

Han Lu leaned back in her chair. "So what's your attitude?"

"Keep your distance," Zuo Cheng said. "Observe first. Don't refuse, don't promise, don't get agitated. Greet everyone who comes; I'll meet with each one. But for each one I meet, I need to figure out three things: what they really want, whether they're willing to exchange something of equal value, and what technological directions they've tried but failed at."

He paused. The third point is the most important. The failure roadmaps of the world's top tech companies are far more valuable than their success reports. We can simply watch them make the mistakes they've made without having to repeat them ourselves.

Shen Yiming looked up. They were doing a free competitive analysis for us.

"Without spending a single penny," Zuo Cheng said. "Six companies brought over their most cutting-edge technological intelligence, thinking they were testing us."

Han Lu wrote a few words in her notebook: "Nurturing bandits is a way to maintain one's own importance."

"Not a bandit," Zuo Cheng said. "He's a sparring partner."

Liu Wei, who had been silent, finally spoke up: "When are we going to reveal our hand?"

Zuo Cheng walked to the window. The industrial park outside Hangzhou was bathed in a pale gold glow from the afternoon autumn sun. Seven years ago, he started his business in an incubator in this city, with four people and two tables, relying on electric heaters for heating. Now, the entire area outside the window is the territory of 402: research and development centers, research institutes, quantum computing centers, and satellite tracking stations, with the 402 logo lit up on the roof of every building.

He only reveals his hand when all his opponents are at the table. He turns back. Until then, he maintains distance and mystery. Let them guess. The longer they guess, the more conservative their strategic decisions become. No one dares to play first against an opponent whose strength is unclear.

After the meeting ended, Han Lu stayed in the conference room to organize the materials. Microsoft's letter of invitation was at the top of the list; it was from Lindeman, President of the Asia Pacific region, who was bringing a six-person strategic team to Hangzhou next Wednesday.

She looked at the letter and recalled what Zuo Cheng had said seven years ago in the incubator: "We want to make 402 the most valuable technology company in China." Now 402 is ranked third, and that young man who made such a boastful statement sits calmly in the next office, as if 22 billion is just a number.

Han Lu stood up and walked to the door of Zuo Cheng's office. Lindeman will arrive next Wednesday.

Zuo Cheng didn't even look up, his eyes fixed on the quantum computing data on the screen. The meeting room was ready.

How do you plan to negotiate?

"Listen first," Zuo Cheng said. "How thick his proposal is, how many people are on his team, how long the agenda has been planned. These things are more honest than what he says."

Han Lu nodded. "You've changed. Seven years ago, when you met Zhou Bo of Ginkgo Capital, you drew three flowcharts on a whiteboard. Now, six global giants are lining up to see you, and you're calculating how much R&D funding they can save us."

Zuo Cheng raised his head. Because seven years ago, we had nothing. Now they're here not to help us, but because they can't do anything to us.

The lights of Hangzhou outside the window lit up one by one. On the desk, the backend data of Xinghe Cloud Quantum displayed real-time computing requests from more than forty countries and regions around the world.

On the system panel, six new beams of light were generating in the civilization perception interface. These weren't beams indicating technological advancements, but rather beams representing the level of attention from external forces. For the first time, the technology tree was reacting to external competition without using system capabilities. Zuo Cheng closed the panel. Outside the window, a 402 logistics drone flew over the headquarters building, its green light flashing twice before disappearing into the twilight.