Chapter 470: Yuri’s Ambitions
Yuri Grigoryevich, a senior engineer at the Moscow Institute of Aerospace Research, one of Valentin Petrovich’s most trusted students.
Arranged by Valentin to serve as technical liaison officer, he went ahead to Shanghai’s Apollo Technology to begin preliminary communication with Chinese counterparts.
Yuri was also highly expected by Valentin to become a leading character in the next generation of Russian Aerospace.
In the cultivation of elites, the core logic of various countries is largely similar, still following the apprentice system model.
Start with characters who can establish long-term deep trust relationships.
Positions such as student, assistant, secretary, etc., allow them to live day and night with their mentor, observe the subtleties of decision making, understand the logic of power operation, and the personal style in handling crises.
This kind of long-term subtle influence is insider education that books and classrooms cannot provide, which can also be called hidden studies.
Once the trust relationship is established, these selected elites will be arranged to different positions for trials, which can be roughly understood as leveling up, to prove their comprehensive ability.
In this spacetime, one of the most important tasks in any Russian industry is to build good relations with China.
As an elite from Moscow who has not yet risen to power, Yuri knows this cruel reality all too well; elites who cannot see this or accept it have long gone to the free world.
“Hello, Mister Yuri Grigoryevich, I’m Anatoly Zak, just call me Zak, I’m a staff member of Far East Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. responsible for receiving you.”
A brown-haired, black-eyed man wearing strange sunglasses held a Russian Language sign and stopped him at the international flight exit of Pudong International Airport, showing his identification while speaking.
Yuri stared at Zak for a good while, then said thoughtfully: “Have you published articles in ‘Astronomy and Spaceflight’ before?”
Zak showed a surprised expression: “Mister, you still remember that? That was over twenty years ago.”
Yuri’s heavy suitcase was taken by the other party; he pointed to his head with the freed hand: “You know, people in our line have very good memory.”
The two walked outward while talking.
Zak suddenly realized: “Mister, your memory is really impressive. When I was studying at Moscow State University’s School of Journalism, and for a long time afterward, I was indeed a special editor for ‘Astronomy and Spaceflight’.
But later I immigrated to America.”
This time it was Yuri’s turn to be stunned; he couldn’t understand how a Russian who immigrated to America could hold such a key position.
Far East Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. involves businesses and information that are the best weapons for America.
Zak continued: “Mister, please calm down, your fist is clenched a bit too tight.
Rest assured, I’ve returned to Russia, my wife and daughter are back in Moscow.
You know, there was a golden age in the past when Moscow and Washington were intimate.
In those years, even though I immigrated to America, I could still visit Baikonur Cosmodrome and meet those legendary figures in Russian space.
Like Boris Chertok, Yuri Semyonov, Alexei Leonov, etc. After visiting these legendary figures, in 2013, I completed a book on the history of Russian space exploration published by Apogee Prime.
But you know, in 2022, everything changed, I lost my job, I was endlessly interrogated by America’s investigation bureau, they insisted I was still working for Moscow.”
Yuri of course knew what the other was referring to, that war, that war changed too much.
However, Yuri felt no sympathy for Zak’s experience; instead, he corrected: “You’re right, that time was a golden age for people like you, but for the grassroots Russians, it was hardly golden.
We exchanged the massive assets from the Soviet Union era for merely the good face of the Western world; such a transaction is something only a fool like Gorbachev would do.”
Yuri’s voice wasn’t loud, but the disdain in his tone was undisguised.
Gorbachev even more symbolized the complete collapse of national will and the humiliation of selling resources cheaply.
“Mister, you are correct.
I must admit, my golden age was built on the overall blood loss of the country.
But I must clarify one point: what I miss is that atmosphere of openness, exchange, and joint exploration.
It’s being able to discuss flight control system design with figures like Boris Chertok at Baikonur, rather than being interrogated in an investigation bureau’s room.
(Anatoly Zak at Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2003)
“Now, everything has changed,” Zak sighed, starting the luggage cart in his hand, Yuri’s suitcase loaded steadily onto it, “We now have only one path to take.
When I lost everything in Washington, I discovered that the one truly willing to accept me was Moscow.
The employment invitation from Far East Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. gave me a second life.
Moreover, frankly speaking, the environment here in Shanghai is more vibrant than anywhere else; believe me, you’ll fall in love with it.”
After hearing this, Yuri naturally knew what background this guy had: top-tier Celestial Dragon.
Being able to go to America in the 1990s, in 2013 as a Slavic immigrant still boldly chatting and laughing with Russian Aerospace legends, after being targeted in 2022 able to return and still be heavily reused.
If this isn’t a Celestial Dragon, what is?
After the luggage was loaded, Zak turned to Yuri, his eyes showing admiration: “Mister, restarting the N1, especially the NK-33 engine, that’s a technological miracle, and the best way to comfort the Soviet martyrs.
This will be the best tribute to Soviet Aerospace; here, I will loyally record this history.”
Yuri fell silent.
He didn’t want to doubt Zak’s motives, because in history, in that dim 1990s, too many talents ran to America.
Sitting in a Moscow building where heating supply stopped from time to time, you know, by the 1990s, the Space Agency was no hot department, often hearing colleagues say who got a visa and was preparing to go to America.
Yuri had always been clear that talents like them were very welcome in America, with solid science and engineering foundations and eager enough to stay in America.
Zak back then just made the same choice as the vast majority.
Everyone voted with their feet.
This isn’t the fault of individuals, it’s the fault of the era, the fault of those big figures in the Kremlin; they made Russians lose everything, and what he needs to do now is to reclaim the lost glory.
If Russia can successfully land on the Moon with the N1 rocket, it can at least prove that the rocket design ability of Soviet engineers back then was no less than America’s.
“Alright, Zak,” Yuri finally said, his tone much softer: “I hope the vitality you speak of isn’t just referring to the construction and consumer goods here.
I hope it manifests in the enthusiasm for aerospace.”
Zak showed a strange smile: “Mister, rest assured on that; I dare guarantee you that if you’re not satisfied here, I really can’t imagine which place in the world has engineers that could satisfy you.
And there’s no country in the world that still has as much enthusiasm for aerospace as China.
I’ve stayed in Houston for a while; even there, their enthusiasm for aerospace is far less than a tenth of here.
China’s desire for technology is more intense than you imagine.
You’ll soon discover that the work pace and resource investment here will completely overturn your perception of the aerospace industry.”
Chinese people value performance the most; with performance, you will receive unprecedented support.
Given the time Lin Ran has spent in the field of aerospace, the achievements made, and the significance of aerospace itself, in this spacetime, Shanghai has out of thin air gained a status like Houston to America.
Completely overturn? Yuri pondered; he knew before coming that Chinese people were very intense, could it be even more intense than he imagined?
The two sat in the car, a two-seater sedan; compared to typical two-seater sports cars, this sedan’s space was much larger, giving each person space comparable to first class, and more importantly, it had no driver’s seat.
Yuri shifted the topic to the car: “Is this China’s autonomous driving? I often see it in the news, hyped by news anchors as a symbol of China’s technological progress, but isn’t this model not for sale to individuals?
Otherwise, I should be seeing it on the streets of Moscow too.”
After 2022, China’s new energy vehicles were everywhere in Moscow.
Familiar Western brands like Toyota, Honda, Ford in the past were replaced by Chinese brands.
This isn’t a victory in products; it’s the Western camp voluntarily giving up the market to show support for so-called justice.
Zak explained: “Yes, Mister, if you use TikTok, you should often see Russian travel bloggers or Russian bloggers in China filming usage experience videos of it.
It’s far from as rare in China as you see in the news.
Because it will be sold to enterprise users; as the fulcrum of the Space Agency in the Far East, we naturally procured a batch for receiving Moscow guests.”
Yuri gazed at the scenery rapidly receding outside the window, his heart filled with a thousand words and mixed feelings.
The technology itself isn’t rare; autonomous driving has been hyped for many years.
Including in the news, Yuri has seen how advanced China’s autonomous driving technology is, true L5 level, with driving speed and smoothness no less than humans.
Seeing is seeing, but truly experiencing it is still different.
China’s technology development speed is really too fast; similar feelings have appeared countless times in his mind, but this time, this feeling is so clear and so intuitive.
“This is not the East we imagined.” After a moment of silence, Yuri murmured to himself.
Zak looked matter-of-fact: “Of course, before coming to Shanghai, my impression of China was still stuck in those blurry documentaries from the 1980s and simple Soviet-style architecture.
Facts prove that China is completely different from my stereotypes.
Here is unexpectedly developed and prosperous.
I used to think this was Shanghai, a showcase for all of China, so I specially drove to the surrounding rural areas to see.
I drove south, and it was even more unexpected: why are their highway service areas built as luxuriously as resort areas, and their rural areas so clean, tidy, and beautiful?
I really can’t imagine this is still the China in my impression? Here is built even better than the America I was in before.”
This is also Zak not looking in the right place, specifically going to rural areas around Shanghai.
He should go to the central and western regions, but even those are much better than most areas.
Yuri recalled Valentin’s entrustment to him before departure: “Yuri, they have what we don’t.
Put down your pride and go learn.”
Of course, what Valentin wanted Yuri to learn wasn’t infrastructure or technology.
What Valentin wanted Yuri to learn was organizational management ability.
The outside world marvels at Apollo Technology’s technological progress; as an insider, Valentin is more curious about management: how Apollo Technology manages so many people and makes them all perform as they should.
“Those technological gaps can be compensated by purchase, cooperation, reverse engineering.
But the real gap lies in organization and efficiency.
Look at the Americans, Yuri.
SpaceX’s success is not because Musk is an omnipotent deity.
The 2195 aluminum-lithium alloy used in the Falcon rocket wasn’t invented out of thin air; it’s the rich legacy from tens of billions of US Dollars poured into the American space shuttle project in the 1980s and 1990s.
It comes from Alcan Global ATI, the aerospace and transportation division under Rio Tinto Aluminium.
In the past, we also cooperated with them; VSMPO-AVISMA and they established a joint venture in Moscow.
If Musk were truly omnipotent, why didn’t he choose to build the Falcon 9 and Starship in South Africa or Maple Leaf Country?
He had to go to America, with the deepest technological accumulation and the most mature industrial system!
What he did was excavate the rich assets dormant in American aerospace after the Cold War through advanced management methods!
The same thing, Apollo Technology’s Lin also did once.
We can’t go to America to learn SpaceX’s management; that system may not suit us, and may not even be the best.
But China, Apollo Technology—they started almost from zero and completed catching up and surpassing in just a few years.
How do they manage this massive team and maximize everyone’s strength?
Yuri, your task is to learn Apollo Technology’s management studies.
Go observe their project allocation mechanism, their talent incentive system, their resource allocation efficiency.
How do they make tens of thousands of engineers work frantically for the construction of the Moon Base without large-scale internal consumption?
N1 is important, the Slavs’ first Moon landing is equally important, but more importantly, bring back a management system that can reactivate the soul of Russian Aerospace.
This is the key to us returning to the Moon and regaining great power dignity.
Go, learn their management methods, bring such management methods back to Moscow, and excavate our own legacy.”
As Yuri watched the steel forest flashing by outside the window, what surfaced in his mind was Valentin’s final entrustment before leaving Moscow.
