281: Chapter 280 Guard One

"An investment project?"

Chen Zhongxuan was slightly surprised and did not reply immediately, but instead said to someone outside the screen: "Bangguo, you go out for a moment."

A muffled voice replied: "Very well, sir."

Not until the sound of the door closing did Chen Zhongxuan turn his head back to look at Wang Shuo on the screen, his tone rising slightly: "Tell me first, what kind of investment project is it?"

Wang Shuo sat up straight, his expression calm, and calmly spat out two words: "Chip."

Clatter. Wang Shuo heard the sound of a teacup shattering on the other end, and immediately saw Chen Zhongxuan leave the front of the screen, with the sound of heavy breathing coming through his ears.

Five minutes later, Chen Zhongxuan reappeared in front of the video, his expression serious.

"Wang Shuo, if I heard you correctly, you said... Chip?"

Wang Shuo nodded slightly.

"Is it that Chip?"

Chen Zhongxuan gestured.

Wang Shuo nodded again.

Having received confirmation, Chen Zhongxuan gasped; even though he had already had some expectations, he was still somewhat shocked.

Making Chips?

Even though the path he had set for Zhongzhi Pengcheng from the beginning was to unwaveringly follow a technological route, and even though he had great confidence in his own abilities, he had never thought about getting involved in projects related to Chips.

Not even the slightest thought.

Having struggled in the business world for decades, he knew very well that this was a piece of meat on the chopping block, a taboo, a nightmare that everyone wanted to try to touch but which had left countless people battered and bruised.

Now, Wang Shuo wanted to touch it?

Chen Zhongxuan licked his dry lips: "Why Chips?"

Wang Shuo waved his hand and said to someone outside the screen: "Zero, send the files to Uncle Chen and display them on a split screen."

The next second, Chen Zhongxuan saw a page appear on a split screen on his monitor. Unable to spare a moment for surprise, he carefully examined the content.

"This is..."

Chen Zhongxuan was secretly shocked. These people were truly ruthless; they were trying to cut off the very foundation of the zero egg.

"I am also forced into this."

Wang Shuo's expression was somewhat helpless, but for some reason, Chen Zhongxuan could not feel any anxiety or helplessness from him.

It was as if what he was facing now was not a life-or-death crisis, but rather some naughty child accidentally knocking over his rice bowl.

"If I don't make an effort, the money-making machine I worked so hard to create will be broken by others."

Chen Zhongxuan was slightly speechless.

So... you chose to make Chips?

Although this reason was very sufficient, why did it sound so awkward?

"So... what are you planning to do?"

"Very simple." Wang Shuo spread his hands: "Recruit people, raise money, choose a location, done."

"..." Chen Zhongxuan was silent for two seconds, then suddenly roared angrily: "Wang Shuo, be serious! This is not the time for jokes!"

"I am not joking."

Wang Shuo's expression returned to seriousness, and he said blandly: "I have already handled the recruitment. The project team has been initially established, with technical support provided by me and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Now there are only two problems left: money and land."

"Huazhong University of Science and Technology is participating too?"

Chen Zhongxuan was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Wang Shuo to bring in such a heavyweight institution.

"Yes, they will not only provide people, but also money."

Wang Shuo was not lying.

This was also one of the items he had negotiated with Principal Ding previously, but... funding is funding, how much they can actually provide is a matter of opinion.

"This..."

Chen Zhongxuan hesitated.

Originally, he thought it was just Wang Shuo's one-sided talk, nothing more than a child's joke that wasn't worth serious consideration. But now, the actual situation at Frontier Technology, Wang Shuo's calm attitude, and the participation of Huazhong University of Science and Technology all made him feel that Wang Shuo was not joking; he was serious.

He was really going to make Chips, and was currently preparing for this goal.

So, should he invest his own livelihood and gamble big?

Chen Zhongxuan felt his palms sweating slightly; even he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy at this moment.

Chips—that was a red-hot industry right now. If it could be done, even if they only got a few scraps, it could instantly elevate the Chen Group by several orders of magnitude.

But conversely, if it failed, the Chen Group would cease to exist from then on.

At this moment, he seemed to be standing at the same crossroads where Chen Xin had once made her choice, and he deeply understood how Chen Xin must have felt back then.

Watching the hesitant Chen Zhongxuan, Wang Shuo did not urge him, waiting quietly.

Chips were indeed too cutting-edge for the Chen Group, so cutting-edge that the Chen Group would be powerless even if they wanted to get involved.

To put it bluntly, if Chen Zhongxuan truly got carried away and wanted to make Chips himself, then given the current size of the Chen Group, throwing it straight into the project wouldn't even cause a ripple.

Not to mention anything else, performance and the market were insurmountable barriers.

After a long while, Chen Zhongxuan finally spoke: "Wang Shuo, this matter is of great importance, allow me to consider it."

In the end, he still hadn't made up his mind.

"Very well, Uncle Chen." Wang Shuo nodded: "You can contact me whenever you have made your decision."

Chen Zhongxuan pondered slightly and said: "If you don't mind, I can personally invest one billion, listed under Chen Xin's name."

Wang Shuo was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "No problem."

One billion, and private at that; this had probably drained Chen Zhongxuan's liquid assets.

"In addition, I have stayed in Hanzhong City for a week, and the matters that needed to be handled have been mostly taken care of, so it is time for me to go back."

"You're going back?"

Wang Shuo frowned slightly.

He always kept the threat of Ning Hao in mind. Although no danger had occurred yet, it did not mean that the danger did not exist.

Among all the major cities in the country, only Hanzhong City, which had upgraded its Skynet, had a slightly higher safety index in his mind, and as his relationship with the Hanzhong City Police Department continued to develop well, the safety index would rise further.

This was the reason why he had asked Chen Zhongxuan to come to Hanzhong City the first moment he learned the news.

In his heart, he still deeply respected this old man who had single-handedly supported the Chen Group for decades.

Of course, whether there was the underlying reason that Chen Zhongxuan was Chen Xin's father, there was no way to know.

"Uncle Chen, won't you stay for another two days?"

Wang Shuo tried to say: "Chen Xin, she..."

"That is also what I wanted to talk to you about." Chen Zhongxuan interrupted Wang Shuo, glaring with his eyes: "I have no problem with Chen Xin staying here, but you brat, stay away from her. If I find out you did anything you shouldn't have..."

Chen Zhongxuan returned to his previous hot-tempered demeanor and said sternly: "I will break your legs!"

Wang Shuo touched his nose.

Why did that sound so lacking in conviction?

Besides, what could he possibly do to Chen Xin? Don't you have any idea what that girl's temper is like?

He muttered a complaint to himself, and seeing that Chen Zhongxuan had made up his mind, he had no choice but to say: "Going back is fine, then let Li Chengcai and Wang Lingcheng go back with you."

These two had been in Hanzhong City for more than half a month since they were sent by Chen Zhongxuan to follow Chen Xin.

And since the Cheng Brothers had been following him around, Chen Zhongxuan had almost none of his capable lieutenants by his side.

"No!"

Chen Zhongxuan shook his head decisively.

Wang Shuo was somewhat puzzled: "Uncle Chen, Hanzhong City is very safe now, there is no need for too many people. Having the Cheng Brothers follow Chen Xin is enough. Besides, isn't there that Uncle Bangguo here..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Chen Zhongxuan with a dark face: "I said, no!"

The tone was firm, and the attitude resolute.

Seeming to feel that his tone was a bit harsh, Chen Zhongxuan softened slightly and said: "That girl Chen Xin likes to run around, let Li Chengcai and Wang Lingcheng follow her. Under no circumstances must she be allowed to face the same danger as last time."

"Then let the Cheng Brothers go with you. In any case, I will never let you go back to Beijing alone."

Wang Shuo also stated his position.

Chen Zhongxuan looked at him with a half-smile: "Are you worried about me?"

Wang Shuo nodded candidly.

Chen Zhongxuan laughed, his expression indifferent: "Rest assured, I, Chen Zhongxuan, have been in the business world for so long; what kind of storms haven't I seen? A few people are not yet my match."

As he spoke, he changed the subject: "However, since you've said so, I will listen to you. I will take Cheng He and Cheng Ye with me. You take care of yourself."

Only then was Wang Shuo slightly relieved, and he nodded gently.

The call ended.

Wang Shuo looked at the screen that had gone black and was slightly silent.

He always felt that he seemed to have overlooked something.

After thinking for a while without any leads, Wang Shuo looked up and said: "Zero, help me retrieve file No. 47 from the repository and display it on the main screen."

"Very well, sir, it is now displayed for you."

On the screen appeared a fragmented blueprint, with various parts separated and stacked on top of each other; for a moment, it was impossible to tell what the object was.

Wang Shuo, however, was not troubled in the slightest. He picked up the wireless mouse on the table and began to examine it in detail, occasionally making modifications to some parts.

He had already embedded the gesture control code into Zero's core, and it could be used normally, but for such detailed scenarios, Zero was not yet able to make accurate judgments; this required him to further improve the algorithms and provide hardware support.

Half an hour later, Wang Shuo put down the mouse.

"Zero, integrate."

"Very well, sir."

As Zero's voice fell, the messy blueprint on the screen began to piece together one by one, eventually forming a complete entity.

A semi-streamlined body, with the large head facing forward and the small head facing backward, was white all over. In addition to the tail rotor arm extending backward, there were two rotor arms extending to both sides, with supports extending from the roots of the cantilever arms to gently prop up the fuselage.

The overall design was very sci-fi, but it did not seem too far ahead of its time.

Wang Shuo looked at the Drone blueprint in front of him with satisfaction and nodded gently.

"Zero, start manufacturing, give me one hundred for the first batch."

"Very well sir, it has entered the manufacturing list and has been added to the procurement registry."

Zero's voice was prompt.

"Sir, please name the new device."

Wang Shuo crossed his arms over his chest, rubbed his chin, and a name blurted out.

"Let's call it..."

"Guard No. 1!"