Chapter 250 - 189: No Lead is Safe

Chapter 250: Chapter 189: No Lead is Safe

"And," Robert paused before continuing, "according to the information I’ve received from my channels in Huaxia..."

His tone grew increasingly grave.

"Huaxia’s top leadership has made the sovereign development and control of cutting-edge chips the next major focus of their industrial development."

"The capital and manpower they’re investing are astronomical."

"What does this mean?"

Robert’s gaze, projected through the camera, seemed to pierce through to the very heart of every participant.

"It means that Huaxia will very likely close, or even surpass, the technological gap with the USA in AI hardware within the next few years."

As he finished speaking, a collective sharp intake of breath could be heard from the participants on the call.

Arthur Wayne nodded slowly.

"That’s right."

His voice grew even heavier.

"Robert is right."

"AI hardware is not a safe domain for us."

"In fact," Arthur’s gaze swept over the participants again, "in every critical technological field, the USA’s lead is no longer secure."

He paused for a moment, then, in an exceptionally grave tone, posed a question that sent a jolt through everyone present.

"I want everyone to think about this carefully."

"If, in every critical technological field, the USA is caught up to by Huaxia..."

Arthur asked, enunciating each word,

"What does that mean?"

"What does it mean for all of you here, and for the investment firms you represent?"

The question landed like a sledgehammer, striking every participant to the core.

Fred sat in his office, completely stunned.

His mind raced, searching for the answer to that question.

’It would mean the USA’s position on Blue Star would face an unprecedented challenge, including the status of the Dollar.’

’And for these investment firms here today...’

Fred’s heart suddenly began to race.

’He suddenly realized that probably not a single person attending this meeting would choose to stand steadfastly with the USA to confront Huaxia.’

’These people lived and worked in the USA simply because it was the easiest place in the world to make money.’

’But if, one day, some other place became easier to make money...’

’...they would abandon the USA in a heartbeat.’

’Fred knew he was no different.’

’Capital, after all, has no motherland.’

As Fred was lost in his thoughts, Marcus, the black participant, spoke up again on the call.

"Arthur, if I may."

Marcus’s voice was still calm, but his tone carried an irrefutable certainty.

"The fact is, Huaxia’s technological development is already unstoppable."

He paused, then continued,

"The Huaxia of today is the most powerful industrial nation in human history."

"It possesses the world’s most complete industrial system, the largest corps of engineers, and the most efficient governmental execution."

"When Huaxia’s technological level catches up to or even surpasses the USA’s..."

Marcus’s voice dropped even lower.

"The result is self-evident."

However, before he could finish, he was unceremoniously interrupted by another, older voice.

"Marcus, I must cut you off there."

Fred looked toward the speaker and saw an elderly man, around seventy years old, with a full head of silver hair.

His name was Charles Wilson, one of the founders of the Vanguard Group and one of the most respected titans on all of Wall Street.

Charles’s voice, though aged, was still full and resonant.

"I understand your point, Marcus."

"But," his tone shifted, becoming serious, "we can slow the pace of Huaxia’s development."

"Currently, the bulk of everyone’s investments here are still in the USA."

"We need time to gradually withdraw our capital from the USA and slowly reinvest it in Huaxia, to enjoy the fruits of their development, and even, to go a step further and try to control a portion of those important results."

Charles paused slightly here, then added in an incredibly cold tone,

"Therefore, it is necessary to slow Huaxia’s development to buy ourselves enough time to complete this transfer."

Hearing this, Fred was deeply shaken.

He understood instantly.

’This meeting wasn’t a simple analysis session at all.’

’This was a briefing that Arthur Wayne and a few of Wall Street’s top investment magnates had planned long ago to get everyone on the same page.’

’What they had decided to do wasn’t to confront Huaxia, but to delay its rise as much as possible—while ensuring their own interests were protected—to buy themselves enough time to complete the transfer of their investments and lay the groundwork for infiltration!’

Sure enough, Arthur Wayne, sitting in the moderator’s position, nodded slightly.

"Charles is correct."

His tone became incredibly resolute.

"We need time."

Just then, Peter Harris, who had been argued into silence earlier, suddenly found an opportunity and asked,

"So, how do we slow it down?"

His tone held a hint of defiance, as if he wanted to use this question to prove he still had a voice in the room.

However, the one who answered was a voice that took Fred by surprise.

It was a male voice, sounding like someone in his early forties, tinged with a hint of languor.

Fred looked toward the speaker and saw a middle-aged man with long, golden hair and features so refined he could have been a Hollywood star.

His name was Alex Rothschild.

Just hearing that surname made Fred suck in a sharp breath.

The Rothschild Family!

The legendary family that had commanded the world of finance for centuries!

Alex leaned back languidly in his chair, a cynical smile playing on his lips.

"Peter, that’s a good question."

His voice sounded like he was offering praise, but his tone was clearly tinged with mockery.

"To slow Huaxia’s development, the first step is to identify and make contact with the key figures there."

"Then," a meaningful smile played on Alex’s lips, "we consider the next move based on the specifics of the situation."

He paused, his gaze falling on the paused video feed on the screen—on the young Asian man writing furiously on a whiteboard.

"For example," Alex said in an extremely casual tone, "this Chen Lin."

"Does anyone have channels to get to him?"

On the call, hearing Alex Rothschild’s question, Robert Stone—the one who had previously mentioned his extensive research on Huaxia—furrowed his brow.

He mulled it over for a moment before speaking slowly,

"Alex, we do have a list of key figures in Huaxia’s tech sector, especially the younger ones with potential who haven’t yet reached truly critical positions."

Robert paused, his tone turning somewhat helpless.

"But the intelligence on this Chen Lin is just too scarce."

He pulled up his files, glanced at them, and continued,

"According to the information we currently have, this person only really started appearing in the public eye this July, which is less than four months ago."