Chapter 43: Picometer-Scale Lithography Machine, Zhang Fan Shakes the World!

Liu Yan hurriedly tapped open Zhang Fan’s personal live-streaming room on Kuaishou.

One look was all it took for her to be astonished.

Zhang Fan was standing in the parking lot of his company building, surrounded tightly by a tide of reporters!

Not only that, but there were also over a thousand plainclothes security personnel mingling within the crowd.

A national flag was draped over a machine, not yet uncovered.

Seeing this, Logan immediately felt ashamed for his previous nervousness and let out a cold sneer.

"I actually thought he had really pulled off a picometer-level lithography machine!"

"It now seems he is merely exploiting my identity to hitch a ride on the trending topics."

"Right now, the entire nation of China, and even the entire world, knows about Zhang Fan. After this, even if Zhang Fan fails to develop the lithography machine, he will still become a very famous person. Once famous, making money will be effortless."

Liu Yan, however, could not smile; her expression even looked somewhat rigid.

"My dear, the Chinese generally do not use their national flag to cover unimportant items."

"If Zhang Fan were just seeking attention and used the national flag to boost his clout, he would undoubtedly face rejection from the entire populace."

"Yet right now, he is standing next to that machine with an expression of absolute confidence..."

Logan laughed wildly and patted Liu Yan on the shoulder.

"Then how do you explain him signing a fifty-billion-yuan contract with me?"

"Obviously, he is just playing to the gallery! He wants fame across the entire world."

"As for the fifty billion yuan in wager funds, naturally he cannot produce it. No matter how you look at it, this is a foolproof, win-win business for me."

A heavy stone seemed to weigh down on Liu Yan’s heart.

The national flag was exceptionally large; the picometer-level lithography machine underneath looked roughly the size of a heavy-duty truck.

Could it be that Zhang Fan had actually pulled this thing off?

Wasn't it said that even if Einstein were resurrected, he wouldn't be able to achieve this?

Just as Liu Yan was lost in thought and Logan was filled with sneering mockery, Zhang Fan glanced at his phone’s live stream and saw that a staggering seven million-plus people were watching. One must know that even a top-tier live-streamer usually only had twenty to thirty thousand concurrent viewers.

This proved that practically every netizen in China was paying attention to Zhang Fan!

And the viewer count was still skyrocketing!

No longer intentionally stalling, Zhang Fan laughed aloud toward the media outlets gathered from all directions.

"Today, I, Zhang Fan, hereby announce that following the provision of the picometer-level lithography machine blueprints by the Zhang Group, China has mobilized the strength of the entire nation to conquer the very field of lithography machines that has plagued us for decades!"

"We have thoroughly shattered the Western technological blockade on China's chip technology!"

"On the contrary, relying on our world-exclusive picometer-level technological advantage, we are far ahead!"

With that said.

With the assistance of his employees, Zhang Fan led the team in slowly lifting the national flag.

With a focused look, a lithography machine the size of a heavy-duty truck stood right before everyone's eyes!

Logan stared with wide eyes.

The shape of that lithography machine was indeed completely different from nanoscale lithography machines.

Yet, visible from the surface at the very least, that was unquestionably a lithography machine!

His emotions stirred, his face flushed red, and he shook his head repeatedly.

"Impossible! I must be dreaming!"

"A picometer-level lithography machine—even if the world's most brilliant scientists were to research it together today, it would take them a full ten or even twenty years."

"How could he, Zhang Fan, pull this off in a mere month? This cannot be real!"

Liu Yan’s complexion turned pale and powerless.

When she spotted those plainclothes personnel hidden within the crowd—agents whom foreigners might not recognize, but Chinese people could certainly distinguish—a terrible premonition had already taken root in her heart.

And now, Zhang Fan had actually brought out the picometer-level lithography machine right before the eyes of China's national media!

What made her even more flustered was that, although the live stream angle remained fixed, one could still make out numerous secret Chinese security teams lurking in the shadows to protect Zhang Fan.

What did this indicate?

Had the picometer-level lithography machine not been real, how could China possibly have dispatched so many elites to protect Zhang Fan?

Thinking of this, Liu Yan slumped onto the sofa, her expression dazed.

A myriad of complex emotions churned within her heart.

The live stream chat was scrolling at a blinding pace.

"Holy crap! Zhang Fan is a legend!"

"Damn it, I apologize for cursing at him earlier; I was too shallow!"

"All hail our great China! China is invincible under heaven! The technological barriers of the Westerners are, after all, no match for my China!"

Because so many people were typing messages, commenters couldn't even see their own posts.

Refusing to accept defeat, Logan hurriedly applied for a mic connection.

Here, before Zhang Fan even had the chance to answer the questions of the wildly excited reporters, he noticed the connection request.

He accepted the connection with a cheerful smile, and Logan’s face instantly appeared before all the Chinese viewers watching the broadcast.

"To keep nothing from you all, exactly one hour before this picometer-level lithography machine made its debut, I signed a high-stakes wager contract with Mr. Logan, the heir to the Rothschild family—worth fifty billion yuan!"

"As long as I could build it, he would give me fifty billion yuan."

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Logan for his tremendous support toward the Zhang Group and the development of China's chip industry!"

Logan’s face was ashen as he glared furiously at Zhang Fan on the screen.

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

"The wager contract—I did sign it with you, and it indeed was for fifty billion."

"But how do you intend to prove that your picometer-level lithography machine is truly a lithography machine, and capable of producing picometer-level chips? What if this thing is merely an empty shell?"

His remarks sparked anxiety among the netizens in the live stream, and the reporters at the scene immediately broke into chaotic discussions.

"Indeed, as much as I despise Logan, what he said isn't entirely unreasonable."

"That's right! I heard that the blueprints for this lithography machine were entirely provided by Zhang Fan alone. No matter how you look at it, that's a bit absurd."

"If it really turns out to be just an empty shell like Logan says, wouldn't China lose face in front of the entire world?"

Zhang Fan still appeared extremely confident, entirely unfazed as he smiled calmly.

"It seems you simply don't want to pay up, Mr. Logan."

"Right here before all these cameras, I am going to live-stream the production of a picometer-level chip!"

With a grand wave of his hand, dozens of engineers swarmed forward—without exception, all dispatched by China to assist him.

Under the meticulous operations of these engineers, the picometer-level lithography machine began its work.

Amid everyone's complex emotions, it wasn't long before the lithography machine flawlessly carved the circuit patterns onto a silicon wafer!

The entire venue erupted in an uproar!

Logan almost bit his tongue off.

Still refusing to believe it, he spoke in a near-roar.

"Impossible! To accomplish single-handedly what the entire world cannot do? Are you God?"

"You are faking this!"

"Right now, immediately, point a nanoscale microscope at that silicon wafer!"

Zhang Fan sneered, completely fearless, and immediately directed a nanoscale microscope toward the silicon wafer.

Yet, through the lens of the nanoscale microscope, the circuit patterns on the silicon wafer could not even be captured clearly!

It was visible to the naked eye alone that the circuit patterns on this silicon wafer required a picometer-level microscope just to be seen clearly!

Logan’s complexion turned ashen, looking as dreadful as if he had swallowed filth. Stunned to the extreme, he even forgot to cut off his camera feed.

He kept repeating the word "impossible" inside the live stream.

Meanwhile, the countless Chinese people present at the scene simultaneously burst into earth-shattering cheers!

Some rushed forward, attempting to surround Zhang Fan in a celebratory frenzy, though they were held back by the national security officers protecting him.

Others were so overwhelmed with excitement that they nearly fainted.

Seeing them so joyous, Zhang Fan was equally delighted that China had mastered such high-end technology, and cast a sarcastic glance toward Logan.

"Logan, I have successfully developed the picometer-level lithography machine. You and I signed a wager contract—where is that fifty billion of yours?"

"Transfer it over to me immediately!"

"Surely you aren't going to renege on your word in front of a global live audience, are you?"