While the Magic City government was investigating information related to the Longxin project, the name "Longxin" and rumors of a ten-billion-yuan investment inevitably leaked out, catching the attention of many in the industry.
An investment in the tens of billions was enough to make waves in any field, let alone in the highly scrutinized and high-barrier chip manufacturing industry.
Naturally, almost none of them were particularly optimistic about Longxin.
The reason was simple; one only needed to look at the current dilemmas facing Zhongxin and Huahong.
Technological blockades, talent shortages, equipment embargoes, massive financial losses...
This path was destined to be covered in thorns, not to mention that the boss of the Longxin project was rumored to be a girl around twenty years old.
Was this a joke!
In the lounge of a technical department at Zhongxin, a few engineers brought up Longxin during their idle chatter.
"Have you heard? A new player seems to have popped up recently, called Longxin or something."
"How could I not have? They're making quite a fuss. Opening their mouths to declare a ten-billion investment in manufacturing, they sure have a lot of nerve."
"I had someone look into their background a bit, and guess what? The one spearheading it is a woman, supposedly not even twenty yet. It seems she hasn't even graduated from college, yet she dares to play around with chip manufacturing. This leap is wider than crossing the Pacific Ocean."
"Not even twenty? A girl?"
"Are you serious? This has to be a joke!"
"What could a twenty-year-old girl possibly know about lithography machines? Does she understand etching processes? Or yield management? She probably can't even tell the difference between a silicon slice and a wafer!"
The engineer's words caused his colleagues nearby to burst into laughter.
In this rigorous, seniority-based, and male-dominated hard tech industry, Liu Yutong's background and age inherently sounded like a joke. It was perfectly normal for them not to believe in her.
Of course, there were also those who felt this young woman was quite capable.
"You can laugh at her, but she does have money. She raised ten billion for the first phase alone. Who else has the ability to do that?"
"That's true, she's definitely impressive in that regard."
"I just don't know what those financial backers are thinking, daring to hand over so much money for a little girl to mess around with. If this money were invested in a mature enterprise with experience and a team, even if they invested it in Huahong or gave it to us to expand production, it would be better than throwing it down the drain like this."
"Exactly, it's a pity about all that money."
"..."
A few days later, Liu Yutong once again traveled by car to Magic City.
After all, she had received a formal invitation from the main leaders of the Magic City government. Regardless of whether Longxin would ultimately settle in Magic City, since the other party had invited her, she needed to go in person out of reason and courtesy. It was basic etiquette.
Not long after her car entered the borders of Magic City, Lan Die, who was sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly frowned slightly and spoke up.
"Miss, there are two cars behind us that don't seem right. They've been following us."
Hearing this, Liu Yutong tilted her head slightly and looked behind through the rearview mirror.
A white van and a black SUV were following them, keeping a steady distance.
"Are you sure they're following us?" Her assistant, Su Mansu, also grew alert.
"I'm seventy to eighty percent sure. They've followed us through three intersections, and they change lanes whenever we do," Lan Die said.
Liu Yutong's expression remained unchanged. "Don't be nervous. Keep driving and let's see what they want to do."
The car continued forward, but deliberately changed routes, arriving in a relatively remote area.
Sure enough, seeing an opportunity, the white van suddenly accelerated to overtake them, then sharply turned the steering wheel, blocking the front of the Maybach!
The car slammed on its brakes, the tires rubbing against the ground and emitting a sharp, piercing screech.
Fortunately, the driver was prepared and managed to keep control, preventing a direct collision. However, Liu Yutong and the others inside the car were still thrown forward by the inertia.
"Miss, are you alright?" Lan Die immediately turned her head around and asked with concern.
Liu Yutong sat up straight, her eyes instantly turning cold. "I'm fine. Let's see what they are up to."
At this moment, the white van blocking their path slid open its side doors with a loud clatter.
Seven or eight people jumped out of the van. Each of them was dressed in flashy clothes, deliberately showing off the tattoos on their necks and arms. They were holding baseball bats and steel pipes in their hands, and one of them was even wielding a terrifyingly long machete.
At the same time, the black SUV behind them accelerated and caught up, blocking the Maybach's retreat.
With one car in front and one in back, the Maybach that Liu Yutong was riding in was completely boxed in.
Five people also got out of the black SUV, dressed similarly to the ones from the van. The leader was a slightly cross-eyed thug with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, giving off the illusion of being arrogant and insufferably haughty.
The cross-eyed thug first looked over the expensive Maybach in front of him, then spoke up: "People inside the car, come down and have a chat, why don't you?"
Lan Die was the first to get out of the car, standing protectively in front of the Maybach's door.
Seeing that a glamorous and aloof woman had stepped out, the group of thugs was visibly taken aback for a moment.
"Are you the one in charge? Tell your boss to get out, our Brother Biao has something to discuss with your boss!"
Lan Die's voice was icy. "If you have something to say, say it directly to me."
"Say it to you? Who do you think you are?"
The cross-eyed thug spat disdainfully. "We are looking for the main person. I heard it's a little chick surnamed Liu. Tell her to come out and talk."
As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Yutong, who was still inside the car, instantly deduced that this was not a random robbery or kidnapping. It was premeditated, and these people had likely been hired by someone who had a grudge against her, just to teach her a lesson.
A cold sneer tugged at the corners of Liu Yutong's mouth as she pushed open the car door and stepped outside.
Su Mansu followed closely behind.
Today, Liu Yutong was wearing an off-white trench coat, dressed in a rather casual style. Simply standing there by the car, the powerful aura radiating from within her instantly caused the rowdy group of thugs opposite her to quiet down significantly.
"I am Liu Yutong. What can I do for you?"
Seeing that their actual target was such a young, beautiful, and exceptionally elegant girl, the group of thugs couldn't help but start muttering among themselves again.
"Damn, it really is a woman?"
"Nonsense! The employer already said it was a woman."
"She's way too gorgeous, isn't she?"
"Shut up!"
The cross-eyed Brother Biao turned back and glared at his subordinates, then turned to Liu Yutong, putting on a fierce expression. "I wouldn't call it advice, little lady. I heard... uh, word on the street is that you're quite the troublemaker. It's one thing to jump around in other places, but coming to our territory in Magic City without paying your respects to the local bosses?"
Liu Yutong frowned slightly. What was all this nonsense? Was this gang just here to be a joke?
Even a fool could see that they were acting on someone else's orders. To come up with such a lame excuse was truly hard to comment on.
"I am just a legitimate businessperson. I didn't know Magic City still had such rules. Which boss do I need to send my greetings to? Why don't you tell me the procedure and how much money I need to pay, and I'll deliver it right to their door?"
