Chapter 397: Steel Dragon On The Moon
Lin Ran has always pursued time.
As for 4v, it was just an operation under Cold War thinking.
Through strategic planning, treating the region’s economy, industry, and population as pawns, the entire region fell into unprecedented turmoil.
America achieved victory in finance and is also gradually eroding TSMC, with TSMC’s factory in Arizona expanding investment scale, and cooperation between TSMC, Samsung, and Intel.
From an outsider’s perspective, America is absolutely making a huge profit, profiting massively, but this cruelty toward “allies” also startled Japan and Korea.
These two places, in the past six months, clearly dared not even breathe heavily toward China.
Secondly, under the deteriorating 4v environment, the number of factories built in China and people coming to work has clearly risen, especially on the southeast coast, with Taiwanese capital rising more than 50% year-over-year in the first half of last year.
China gained population and mid-to-low-end industry.
Song Nanping felt this move was akin to a strike from beyond the skies. From the reaction in the Taipei area, it achieved extremely good results; this was something that hadn’t been accomplished in decades of past efforts.
Voices claiming to be Chinese persons began to appear in large numbers.
According to polls from various sources, Chinese identity has risen sharply; in polls from some blue-leaning institutions, Chinese identity even overwhelmingly gained the upper hand.
Five years? Song Nanping felt Lin Ran was still too pessimistic. With China’s current development speed and degree of involution, this should save at least ten years.
“Professor, I’m very curious, how did you convince John Morgan to cooperate with you? From Yanjing’s perspective, this technology transfer almost hit the upper limit of their agreed conditions.”
Song Nanping had worked with Lin Ran for nearly five years, and he knew Lin Ran’s style well: straight to the point. In the past, such questions would definitely be hard to ask, but now with a foundation of mutual trust, he couldn’t suppress his inner curiosity.
Negotiations have limits, with a range; the upper and lower limits of the range can differ greatly.
For example, in corporate bidding, for a 1 million bid, the company definitely hopes the winning bidder quotes as low as possible under equal quality; maybe marked at 1 million, but when actually signing the contract, it’s down to 100,000.
This is the so-called range: 1 million is what they show you, 100,000 is what you actually get.
The negotiations with America were the same. For obtaining semiconductor technology, Yanjing took an attitude of whatever they could get, they cared more about eliminating future governance cost and shattering the region’s expectations.
“Yanjing never imagined Japan would be willing to export so much technology.
Lithography machine equipment is one thing, since China is about to overcome 28nm itself, just one final push away; exporting technology right before that final push is a common trick of developed countries.
But the bundled sale of a large amount of second-tier materials-related technologies was truly surprising.
Japan plays a unique role in the semiconductor industrial chain.
It doesn’t dominate chip design and high-end equipment like America, nor does it have huge advantages in storage chips and panels like Korea.
The pillar of Japan’s semiconductor industry lies in upstream materials and equipment, especially in the 28nm mature process.
Among the 19 key materials required for semiconductor manufacturing, Japanese companies hold over 50% global market share in 14 of them.
This includes high-purity silicon wafers, photoresist, high-purity chemicals, and various specialty gases.
Once China achieves full independent development of the 28nm industrial chain, local companies will prioritize domestic materials, directly impacting the profits and market share of Japanese material suppliers.
For these Japanese companies, China is a huge market.
Losing this market would be a devastating blow.
From Yanjing’s view, this time Japan was somewhat scared by our alliance with Washington, even starting to feed itself to the tiger.
America would agree, this is really a bit.”
Song Nanping was somewhat at a loss for words; he originally thought it would be nibbling bit by bit, slow negotiations, who would have thought they’d directly serve a chicken-rib feast.
Perhaps on the books, China’s revenue isn’t as direct as America’s, but in the long run, under steady trickle, saving billions of US dollars in foreign exchange reserves each year is still quite substantial.
“Haha, because I know exactly how to deal with Old John Morgan; I know exactly what he wants.
Wall Street has no concept of treason; they only have number games, with only numbers in their minds.
If we price it right, they’d be willing to rename the White House the Black House.” Lin Ran didn’t elaborate, just made a joke.
Song Nanping was puzzled inside: Black House? Why Black House?
He felt this metaphor was utterly baffling.
Yanjing
“Black House? Interesting.”
“What do Wall Street capitalists fear most?”
“Of course, losses, uncontrollable risks.”
“No, those are superficial. What they truly fear is losing absolute control.
Whether financial market fluctuations or government regulation, as long as they control it, it’s not fear.
Washington, whether White House or Congress, is just a tool for Wall Street. They can use this tool to plunder global wealth and set rules favorable to them.
But when this tool starts showing uncertainty, even possibly slipping from their control, they feel fear.”
“I think the ‘Black House’ Lin Ran mentioned refers to Wall Street itself becoming the White House.
John Adams Morgan coming out of retirement at this age isn’t just about this harvest of 4v’s economy; he wants to place Wall Street’s will completely above the American government.
He wants the White House to become Wall Street’s puppet, an institution serving capital only, like in the past, institutionally avoiding another big T.
“So, this deal with us is a pledge of allegiance for him.
He shows us that Wall Street can reach such a major strategic cooperation with us without White House official approval.
He’s demonstrating to us his ability to bypass America’s government system and deal directly with us. And this ability is his trump card for controlling the American government in the future.”
“So Lin Ran isn’t simply exchanging interests with Morgan, but leveraging Wall Street’s thirst for power between two superpowers to win us precious time and technology?”
“In the future, we and Wall Street will be a pair of special partners.
They will continue using us to check the White House, and we will use them to develop ourselves.
This is like a game without end; who laughs last depends on whose wisdom is superior.”
Lin Ran would think Yanjing is overthinking; can a dandy like Old John Morgan have such ambitions? I thought of Black House too; it was advice I once gave Martin Luther King.
Chen Minghui is a veteran who has rolled in the semiconductor industry for twenty years, now founder and chairman of Minghui Precision Chemicals.
His company, though small-scale, is somewhat famous in semiconductor encapsulation materials, providing high-quality specialty chemicals to major manufacturers like TSMC and UMC.
Mainly two flagship products: high-purity epoxy resin and specialty solder paste; these two materials are crucial for chip-to-substrate connections—even parts per million impurities can cause chip failure.
His company is a microcosm of the thousands of SMEs in the entire 4v semiconductor industry ecosystem, one in the industry’s capillaries.
It is these large and small semiconductor companies that build up 4v’s semiconductor industry.
Capillaries are easily overlooked, but when they start clogging, no matter how strong the heart, it stops beating.
The initial panic began in April this year.
The stock market plummeted without warning, but Chen Minghui didn’t pay much attention, thinking it was normal market fluctuation. Until May, analysis reports from Wall Street began spreading wildly in the circle, targeting upstream and downstream enterprises in its semiconductor industrial chain.
The report claimed that with America and Japan loosening semiconductor technology controls on China, China’s independent R&D process accelerates, and Chinese local companies will rapidly rise, replacing 4v’s component suppliers.
“Are they crazy?” Chen Minghui angrily shouted to his shareholders over the phone, “Do they know what we’re doing? We’ve cooperated with TSMC for decades; can mainland companies match our product quality?”
However, market panic spread like a virus.
Stock prices of component vendors reliant on the mainland China market collapsed like dominoes.
Though Chen Minghui’s company isn’t listed, it was also affected.
Banks started tightening loans, client orders became hesitant, and he even heard layoff rumors.
“Dad, shouldn’t we consider it?” His son, a young engineer just back from studying in America, looked at the company’s latest monthly financial report and said worriedly.
Chen Minghui fell silent.
He knew this wasn’t accidental.
Worse was yet to come: Yanjing suddenly announced suspension of some tariff exemptions for 4v region products.
This partial product strike was very clever, precisely targeting 28nm products, making everyone in 4v’s semiconductor field feel doused with cold water, chilling from head to toe.
Because what does this mean? Not only that after getting Japan’s technology transfer, China will keep all the cake for mainland companies, but more despairingly, the window dividend is gone.
America’s suppression and harvesting has no end in sight, and China closed the window dividend.
Just as Chen Minghui fell into despair, a call from the mainland gave him a turning point.
“Director Chen, I’m Wang Ping from Lugida City Economic Development Bureau.” On the other end, “We understand your company’s current difficulties. We believe technology and talent are the core of the semiconductor industry. The mainland warmly welcomes SMEs like yours. We’ve provided multiple preferential policies, including land, tax revenue, and talent subsidies. We hope you’ll come to the mainland to develop and grow the semiconductor industry together.”
Chen Minghui felt a mix of emotions.
He knew this call was an olive branch extended by the mainland to entrepreneurs like them.
He considered for a few days and finally decided to fly to Lugida.
In a semiconductor industrial park in Lugida, Chen Minghui met Wang Ping, this Chinese technocrat who was very professional on technology, worked hard, and was already waiting in the park early during break time.
This reminded Chen Minghui of decades ago, when 4v’s technocrats were also so diligent and hardworking.
“What? You’re a Tsinghua University graduate? And a PhD?” In casual chat, Chen Minghui was shocked, as the other only introduced himself as a clerk, no position.
He certainly knew the value of China’s Tsinghua University and Yenching University, absolute Top 2; a PhD in chemistry, no wonder so professional, very clear on the pain points of relocating companies like theirs.
Wang Ping is still a PhD; with such background and resume, in the mainland, he can only be a small local government clerk?
“Yes, mainland PhDs being civil servants in a quasi-first-tier city like Lugida is already pretty good; the mainland is vast, and also very competitive—everyone has to compete.” Wang Ping smiled wryly.
He knew the implication; this was something he had to explain when dealing with many entrepreneurs coming from 4v to the mainland for the first time.
Mainland PhDs doing labor dispatch in street offices isn’t even news anymore.
Chen Minghui inwardly resolved: still need to get his son to immigrate to America; the mainland is too terrifying—with his son’s nature, he definitely can’t compete with these kings of involution.
He also met a mainland peer, an engineer named Li Jianguo.
“Director Chen, I’ve always admired your precision processes in semiconductor encapsulation materials.” Li Jianguo shook Chen Minghui’s hand warmly and said, “We have R&D too, but in material stability, purity, and yield rate, we still have a considerable gap with you; we’ve always wanted to learn your know-how.”
Pride surged in Chen Minghui’s heart, but more was sorrow.
Through dialogue with Li Jianguo, Chen Minghui sensed from these mainland peers a near-fanatical pursuit of technology; they also knew Japan and America gave them chicken ribs, but they believed with these chicken ribs, they could break through technical bottlenecks faster.
After touring mainland factories, Chen Minghui was shocked.
Though behind 4v in core technology, they showed astonishing speed in infrastructure, automation, and talent reserves, and work intensity—indeed as Taiwanese businessmen who built factories there before said, the mainland is really competitive.
A glimpse reveals the whole.
In one week in China, Chen Minghui gained a more direct understanding of China; in the entire China map, Lugida isn’t even a semiconductor industry heavy town—the real heavy towns are in Shanghai, Pengcheng, Yanjing, Wuxi, Gusu.
Lugida isn’t scraps, but has a bit of scrap flavor.
If Lugida is like this, what about other cities? The entire China map?
At least in the semiconductor industrial chain around mature processes, 4v local companies have no foothold, Chen Minghui thought.
When Chen Minghui returned to 4v to handle company relocation, he planned to move part of the business to Lugida, thinking of gradual migration.
“We can’t put all our eggs in one basket.” Chen Minghui pointed to the global supply chain map on the projector and said, “Here in 4v, we are core suppliers to TSMC, UMC, etc.—this relationship can’t be easily cut, so we retain the R&D center and some production lines in Taiwan, mainly for the most advanced high-end products, like ultra-high-purity epoxy resin and solder for 3nm chips.”
“On the mainland side, we mainly set up mid-to-low-end product lines.” He continued, “Utilizing their land, talent, and supply chain advantages to produce materials for 28nm and below mature processes.
This way, we both seize the huge mainland market and avoid 4v’s current storm.
At the same time, this is also an account to the authorities: we haven’t abandoned 4v, just doing global layout.”
As a veteran of over twenty years, Chen Minghui knew the risks of “all-in”.
He knew clearly that setting up factories on the mainland was necessary, but it didn’t mean abandoning everything now.
After making this decision, he received a call from Hsinchu city officials.
“Brother Minghui, please think twice!” The official’s voice on the phone was full of anxiety, “We know you’re aggrieved, but now’s not the time to leave; the city government is working hard to stabilize the market—we can’t let the mainland succeed, can’t let them devour our industry.”
Chen Minghui gave a wry smile: “Sir, it’s not that we want to go; circumstances force us.
I’m a small businessman; I need to survive, feed my employees.”
Hsinchu? Hsinchu city also dares talk stabilizing the market?
If the authorities can’t do it, a small county-level city like Hsinchu, not even a green county city, what right to talk stabilizing the market?
“We’re working on talking with Yanjing, hoping Yanjing gives blue county cities some leeway; Brother Minghui, can you delay the decision a bit?”
Blue is always so confident, thinking past deceptions still work now.
Chen Minghui said: “Okay, one month; after one month, if I see no change.”
“No change, we absolutely won’t stop you!” The official on the phone said.
August 29, 2025, Yanjing time 11:52 AM.
Across China, countless eyes are focused on the Lunar South Pole, hundreds of thousands of kilometers away.
Because today is the day the Lunar electromagnetic rail smoothly opens to traffic.
Between Shackleton Crater and Degelach Crater, a five-kilometer-long silver-gray rail like a sword thrusting into the darkness.
This is humanity’s technological limit, and Apollo Technology’s latest masterpiece: Lunar electromagnetic rail launch system.
In the past year, there have been all sorts of arguments around the Lunar electromagnetic rail launch system.
From Chinese Internet to external network, everyone has recognition, doubts—various voices.
Space Gate is a famous YouTube space blogger; host Alex once worked at European Space Agency, always focusing on in-depth analysis of global aerospace projects, cutting-edge technology, and future of space exploration.
Alex did a special episode titled “Steel Dragon on the Moon” to introduce this project.
Program opens with lens slowly moving in vast universe background, majestic mysterious BGM. Blogger Alex appears center screen, wearing a T-shirt printed with Burning One Modified pattern from Yiwu, no Apollo Technology IP authorization, eyes full of exploration passion.
“Hello, space explorers.
Today, we turn our gaze to a project shocking the world.
It’s the Lunar electromagnetic rail project proclaimed by Professor Randolph Lin; China is now building humanity’s first Lunar electromagnetic rail at Lunar South Pole.
From media to industry, all believe this isn’t a simple technical breakthrough, but a rewrite of space rules.
China’s Lunar construction speed over the past three years has shocked the globe, greatly elevating the Moon’s importance; after Elon Musk became NASA director, his Moon stance changed—no longer saying Moon unimportant, Mars most important.
From NASA’s statements, their elevation of Moon’s importance to Mars level is evident.
This is the change brought by Lunar electromagnetic rail and Lunar Ultra-Low Temperature Laboratory.
Besides NASA, global aerospace agencies in the past year have rolled out their own Moon base plans, with varying completion times: 2035, 2050, this century.
At United Nations Space Committee, accusations against China grow fiercer and more serious, so let’s re-examine this rule-rewriting project: Steel Dragon on the Moon!”
“Everyone look, this is Apollo Technology’s officially released engineering construction video and live footage.” Alex switches to real-time Lunar imagery with his deep commentary. “This rail isn’t built on flat ground; it connects two huge craters, Shackleton and Degelach.
Just like China’s breathtaking Earth infrastructure in the past, backed by genius engineering design.
They utilized the permanently shadowed regions of these two craters, with temperatures as low as minus 170 Celsius, providing natural cooling for superconducting coils.
This saves massive complex energy-consuming refrigeration systems—truly turning decay into magic.”
He paused, screen switching to construction robots.
“Moreover, most construction is done by these intelligent robots.
They use moon soil for 3D printing, building foundations directly on Lunar Surface—aka Lunar bricks.
This solves the biggest problem: transporting construction materials from Earth.
Know that, every kilogram of materials to the Moon costs tens of thousands of US dollars.
Apollo Technology greatly reduced construction costs with this method.”
Chinese official claims this Lunar electromagnetic rail will further lower transportation costs between Moon and Earth, while serving as transport rail connecting Shackleton Crater and Degelach Crater.
But the project’s true purpose is unknown.” Alex faced the lens, expression complex. “Apollo Technology says it’s for future Lunar exploration and resource use, but Washington’s officials prefer believing deeper strategic considerations lurk.
This is a sharp sword; it can launch spaceships, probes, but also weapons.
More critically, if one day this sword threatens Earth, who can stop it?
China transporting weapons to the Moon—who can detect it?
Don’t say it’s impossible; first, its core technology.
Electromagnetic rail is essentially a huge linear accelerator.
It can accelerate payloads to Lunar escape velocity, or higher.
This means it can launch any object with mass.
If loading weapon systems, even kinetic weapons, onto this rail, it becomes a powerful space cannon.”
“Secondly, stealth.” Alex’s voice grew lower, “On Earth, every missile launch is monitored by satellites and radar networks.
But the Moon is a completely different world.
No atmosphere, no radar net, no global infrastructure for effective launch monitoring.
China can secretly transport and assemble weapons on the Moon, undiscovered in real-time from Earth.
If they transport weapons to the Moon, how do we know? We have no way to know.”
“More fatally, defense difficulty.” He looked at the lens, expression complex. “Weapons launched from the Moon have trajectories and speeds totally unlike traditional intercontinental missiles.
They can approach Earth from any direction at extreme speeds.
Our existing missile defense systems are designed for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles from specific directions.
For attacks from the Moon, whether our defense systems can cope effectively is a huge unknown.”
Alex sighed, shook his head. “I’m not saying China will definitely do this.
I just want everyone to realize the huge strategic risks this technology brings.
This is no longer pure scientific exploration, but a gamble on future geopolitics balance.
We can’t just stand on Earth applauding; we must think: how to ensure peaceful Moon use? How to establish a transparent, credible international space agreement?”
He switched back to Lunar rail: “Apollo Technology gave a beautiful future vision, but we can’t naively believe it.
We need to view this technology more cautiously, more soberly.
Because this sword may in the future benefit humanity or threaten us all.”
Essentially, Americans would do this; you carry a hammer daily, smashing every nail on Earth, so you think others will too, finding a hammer for a smashing spree.
For Lunar electromagnetic rail, Chinese persons just think we’ve built infrastructure to the Moon—too awesome.
But foreigners’ first reaction: are you weaponizing the Moon? How can we regulate you? Can’t regulate at all.
But this time, they didn’t guess wrong; Lin Ran’s Cold War-era cultivated mindset isn’t very Chinese.
“This is why major global countries now propose their own Lunar strategies, hoping like China to have brand-new deterrence weapons.
This is the real Star Wars Program!” Alex said.
“However,” Alex’s tone turned serious, “this also raises huge questions.
First, energy issues.
The rail needs massive energy; nuclear reactor construction and operation are extremely complex, solar cell arrays can’t work during lunar night.
China’s small nuclear reactors not only proved their technical strength; their tech is mature enough for stable Lunar power supply. Apollo Technology’s official site dense small cylindrical photos give intensive phobia feeling.
And they proved their moon landing maturity: not only 100% success rate, but Lunar landings light as feathers, no nuclear reactor anomalies.
Can other countries do these two? Even America; Europe even more a big question mark.
As for India, well, I know I have many Indian viewers; Indian viewers care deeply about China’s Lunar progress, main proponents of China Lunar threat theory.
I’d like to say India has a chance, but reality is, India’s hopes are more slim.”
Alex is already accommodating Indian viewers, not saying no hope.
“In any case, this project will go down in human history.
China has proven ability to build large infrastructure on the Moon.
This means future Lunar exploration is no longer single-nation competition, but a new era of Lunar industrialization.”
He raised his coffee cup: “Cheers, the future of space races toward us at unprecedented speed. Next few days, we’ll continue following project updates, including first launch test—stay tuned.
