67: Chapter 67 Capital and True Colors

The cold sense of despair brought by Zhang Wei's resignation had not yet completely dissipated from Deng Renfang's heart before it was forcibly pried open by a brief, tens-of-seconds-long news report on TV about the Qiming Industrial AI Platform.

He practically lunged toward the old, buzzing computer on his desk.

His oil-stained fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard, searching for the official website of the Qiming Intelligent Manufacturing Engine.

The page redirected.

It featured a simple color scheme of deep blue and silver-gray, devoid of any flashy animations, showing only clear functional modules and a cold entrance for technical documentation.

In the most prominent position was a striking application channel for corporate qualification certification, flanked by strict audit terms and a list of required materials.

“National-Level Industrial Artificial Intelligence Basic Platform”

A striking bold headline carried a heavy sense of official authority.

“It's real!” Deng Renfang's heart began to pound uncontrollably.

He quickly clicked the application entrance, and a dense array of forms and requirements met his eyes.

Corporate legal person information, equity structure descriptions—requiring transparency down to the ultimate natural person—main products and technical direction, annual revenue and R&D investment ratio, qualifications of the safety officer, data management commitment letters... The requirements were extremely detailed, even requiring brief descriptions and bottleneck analyses of core R&D projects from the past three years.

Normally, seeing such tedious requirements might have given Deng Renfang a headache.

But at this moment, this tediousness became a synonym for reliability in his eyes!

When the state takes action, this level of rigor and control is exactly what's expected!

Without any hesitation, he immediately rummaged through his things, finding the company seal, business license copy, financial audit reports, patent certificates...

He then personally drafted the R&D bottleneck description, clearly outlining the core pain points: the insufficient strength of Stardust-III material under high temperature and pressure, and the exorbitant costs of repeated trial and error.

“Data! Simulation! Optimization capabilities!”

Deng Renfang muttered to himself as he organized and scanned the files for upload, a long-absent light burning in his eyes.

“As long as we can accurately predict the behavior of molecular chain structures under extreme conditions and optimize the formula, we can save a massive amount in trial-and-error costs! The money saved can be burned elsewhere! We can keep going!”

He wouldn't pin all his hopes on an as-yet-unknown platform.

Taking advantage of the gap while files were uploading, he grabbed his phone and started making calls.

The first call was to Wu Zhiqiang, CEO Wu.

Wu Zhiqiang's company was much larger than his, specializing in precision bearings, which made them upstream and downstream in the industrial chain. The two had a good personal relationship and often discussed the industry's difficulties.

“Hello? Brother Wu!”

When the call connected, Deng Renfang tried his best not to let his voice sound too eager.

“Busy? I wanted to ask you something. Have you heard about that Qiming Industrial AI Platform lately? Is it moving fast? Have you applied?”

Wu Zhiqiang's hearty laughter came from the other end, with the hum of machine tools in the background.

“Haha, Old Deng! You're quite well-informed! You've got your eye on it as soon as it came out? Of course I've applied! You'd be a fool not to scramble for a powerful tool like this that dropped from the sky!”

Deng Renfang felt a surge of joy.

“Then do you think... it's reliable? Compared to the Rock we used before...”

“Rock?” Wu Zhiqiang's voice carried obvious disdain.

“That thing is just a fancy calculator! How can it compare to enlightenment? Old Deng, I'll tell you something from the heart, but don't spread it around!”

He lowered his voice.

“I have a close friend who's in one of the research institutes leading the Qiming project. He's not at the core, but he's an insider. I had the cheek to ask him about it, and guess what he said?”

“What did he say?” Deng Renfang held his breath.

“He just said six words!”

Wu Zhiqiang emphasized each word.

“'Use it or be phased out!' Then he urged me to apply immediately, the sooner the better! When I tried to ask for more details, like exactly where its strengths lie, his mouth shut tight like a clam. He only said I'd know once I used it and that it's absolutely worth it! My authorization is still in the queue, and the suspense is killing me!”

“That's great!”

Deng Renfang couldn't help but pump his fist; the heavy stone weighing on his heart loosened a bit more.

“Brother Wu, thanks! I'll buy you a drink another day! Let's have a good chat!”

“Sure! I'll wait for your news! Remember to tell me about the experience once your authorization comes through!” Wu Zhiqiang laughed and hung up.

Deng Renfang's spirits were greatly bolstered, and he proceeded to call several other factory owners he knew who had purely domestic backgrounds.

The results were surprisingly consistent.

“Applied! It's a must!”

“A platform developed by the state has guaranteed security; it's better than using the foreign Titan!”

“Exactly! No matter how good Titan is, it belongs to outsiders! Feeding it data? What's the difference between that and telling a robber the password to your safe? They'll just turn around and use your data to make products that steal your livelihood! Old Zhang took a huge hit like that last year, and he didn't even have a shoulder to cry on!”

“Old Deng, you'd better hurry too! This thing might actually be a lifesaver!”

After a round of phone calls, Deng Renfang felt much lighter all over.

Although the new product was still nowhere in sight and the deep pit of R&D was still there, at least he saw a path that might bypass the endless burning of money on trial and error and lead straight to the core problem!

The powerful data processing and simulation capabilities provided by enlightenment were the axe that could potentially cleave through the darkness!

The money saved could continue to support R&D, to support his dream!

He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief, feeling the fatigue of many days dissipate significantly.

Even the sunlight outside the window seemed a bit brighter.

Just then, the phone on his desk rang again.

Deng Renfang glanced at the screen; the caller ID read: Fatty Li.

A cold sneer curled his lips. Was the debt collector back again?

He slowly picked up the phone and pressed the answer key, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate laziness and subtle mockery.

“Oh, CEO Li? What wind blew you here today? Come to check on our little company's R&D progress again? Don't worry, we're still burning money, haven't burned out that golden nugget you want yet.”

Unexpectedly, Fatty Li on the other end was not as aggressive as before; instead, he let out an unusually gentle, even somewhat flattering laugh.

“Aiyaya, CEO Deng! What you're saying is too hurtful! We've collaborated for so many years; am I, Old Li, the kind of person who only looks at immediate interests?”

Fatty Li's voice was as cloying as if it were smeared with honey.

“Scientific innovation, after all, doesn't happen overnight! That high-end sealing ring of yours is something the country's heavy equipment needs; it can't be rushed! Take your time, we shareholders all understand and support you!”

Deng Renfang held the phone, his brow furrowed and alarm bells ringing in his mind.

A weasel paying a New Year's visit to a chicken? What trick did Fatty Li have up his sleeve?

Sure enough, Fatty Li changed the subject, his tone becoming even more sincere.

“Actually, several of us shareholders put our heads together. Seeing the company's recent heavy R&D investment, the cash flow might be a bit... well, tight.

We're all in the same boat, so we should shoulder the difficulties together! So, we wanted to ask, CEO Deng... do you have any intention of selling your shares? Don't worry! The price will definitely satisfy you! We'll go with... three times the price of your last transfer! How's that? Generous enough, right?”

Three times?!

Deng Renfang's hand holding the phone suddenly tightened! His heart felt as if it were gripped by a cold hand!

The fire of hope that had just been ignited by enlightenment was instantly doused by a bucket of ice water from this sudden high-priced buyout offer!

A chill crawled all the way up his spine!

Fatty Li and his lot were as cunning as ghosts!

Previously, they couldn't wait to cut the project to stop the losses, but now they were suddenly willing to pay three times the price to buy the life-saving shares in his hands? Why?

The answer was glaringly obvious!

They must have found out about enlightenment too!

They might even know more clearly than he did, through certain channels, about the terrifying potential of enlightenment in the field of high-end material R&D!

They saw the immense value that could explode once the Stardust project was connected to enlightenment!

They wanted to take advantage of the window while Deng Renfang was still frazzled over funds and before the authorization came through, using a seemingly generous price to pluck the ripening peach in advance!

A mixture of anger at being plotted against and a cold chill of being coveted surged into his heart.

Deng Renfang took a deep breath, suppressed his tumbling emotions, and suddenly let out an ambiguous low laugh into the phone.

“Heh... CEO Li, you're quite well-informed.”

He paused, his voice returning to its previous calmness, even carrying a hint of ease.

“As for the shares... I have no plans to sell for now. No matter how difficult the company gets, I, Deng Renfang, must produce this leak-proof ring. As for the funds...”

Deng Renfang's gaze fell on the Qiming official website interface on his computer screen, which displayed 'Application submitted, awaiting audit,' and a firm curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“No need for CEO Li and the other shareholders to worry. I, Deng Renfang, haven't reached the end of my rope yet. I can still carry on with this project myself!”

With that, without waiting for the other party's reaction, he hung up the phone decisively.

Silence returned to the office.

Deng Renfang leaned back in his chair, staring at the simple Qiming logo on the screen, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

The scent of capital was indeed more sensitive than a shark's.

Hope was within reach, but the coveters had also bared their fangs.

This time, Deng Renfang would never back down easily!