NIP Chapter 122 A New Crisis
Chapter 122 A New Crisis
Lin Jianhua sat in his office on the 42nd floor of Huaxin Group, clutching a review report in his hand, the pages crumpled from being crumpled.
The score for the fourth phase of the Sky Dome is 5 to 2.
He lost again.
He didn't lose because of technical skill. The 97.1% accuracy rate speaks for itself; the data doesn't lie, and no amount of questioning can refute it. He lost because of timing and strategic vision. Within Lanwan Communications, the camp had already sided with Zuo Cheng. Zhou Henian, that old fox, outwardly gave him face by allowing him to participate in the review, but in reality, the voting structure was already predetermined. Six people supported 402, and two supported Huaxin—this wasn't competition, it was just going through the motions.
Huaxin lost two major projects this year, with the combined market share of Phase III and Phase IV reaching nearly 300 million yuan, all of which went into 402's pocket. Once this news reaches the board of directors, how long can he stay in his position as CTO? The view from the 42nd floor is great, but if he can't sit still, it's all for nothing.
Can't sit still.
He opened his phone's contacts, found a number he had saved for a long time, hesitated for two seconds, and then dialed it.
I answered the phone after it rang three times.
"Old Zhao, it's me."
"Oh, Jianhua, what's up?"
"402 Technology, Zuocheng, have you heard of them?"
"I've heard of it. They're riding high lately, with a 1.5 million yuan exclusive contract for Phase IV of Sky Dome."
Lin Jianhua stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, the skyscrapers and car lights of Shenzhen stretched out in a continuous expanse. His tone was calm and resolute: "I need you to check 402's supply chain for me. The chip procurement—which supplier, where they get them, the price, the delivery time—check it all."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Are you trying to withhold their goods?"
"It's not about blocking them, it's about letting them know the rules. A small company that's only been around for a few years got such a big contract; this industry isn't ruled by one person alone."
"Sure. Tianxing Capital has a significant presence in the chip industry chain; checking it out shouldn't be a problem."
"Don't make any big movements, and don't leave any marks."
"Don't worry, don't you know how I do things?"
After hanging up the phone, Lin Jianhua took a sip of his now-cold tea, which calmed him down a bit.
At the same time, in Hangzhou.
Zuo Cheng sat by the window of that small restaurant. Yu Ying had just left. There was still half a pot of tea left on the table, the lamplight reflecting off the tea leaves, swaying gently.
He had a lot on his mind.
The contract for the fourth phase of the Sky Dome project has been finalized, but the real challenge lies in the subsequent development and execution. With 480 satellites, each requiring at least one AI chip, plus backup and expansion capacity, at least 600 chips will be needed. Cambricon's customized MLU270-T version will take at least two to three months to produce samples, and where the chips will be supplied during this period is a question he's been pondering for the past few days.
Just then, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Han Lu.
"Brother Cheng, something's not right."
Han Lu is a very steady person; the fact that she started her conversation with "something's not right" means that something is amiss. Zuo Cheng immediately dialed back.
"What is it?"
"Our three component suppliers simultaneously notified us this afternoon that the price of the next batch of goods will increase by 30%."
Zuo Cheng's fingers tapped the table unconsciously. "Which three?"
"SMIC, Hanwei Electronics, and Jingrui Technology are all long-term suppliers for the Tianqiong Phase III project. We've been cooperating for three years, and their prices have remained very stable, never increasing."
"What's the reason?"
"They say it's due to rising raw material costs."
Do you believe it?
Han Lu paused for a second. "Brother Cheng, I've been dealing with Manager Wu from SMIC for three years. He's a very straightforward person; he never beats around the bush. If it were really due to rising raw material prices, he would have brought it up last month, not waited until our contract was signed to send out a notification."
Zuo Cheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling on the window. Pedestrians came and went on the street, and the streetlights illuminated everything brightly.
SMIC, the largest chip packaging and testing plant in Northern China, has stable production capacity. Hanwei Electronics manufactures signal conditioning chips; there are only a few companies in this field in China. Jingrui Technology makes power management chips; their prices are low, and they offer high-volume, readily available solutions.
The three companies have no overlap in their businesses, but they have one thing in common: they are all indispensable links in the 402 supply chain.
"Check if there's any connection between these three companies," Zuo Cheng said. "Check everything, including equity changes and investor information."
"good."
After hanging up the phone, the first name that flashed through Zuo Cheng's mind was Lin Jianhua.
Lin Jianhua suffered a humiliating defeat in the fourth round of judging, losing 5-2. This person was his nightmare in his previous life, who had completely wiped him out of the industry. In this life, having lost twice in the judging panel, Lin Jianhua, given his personality, would never swallow this insult.
But he needs evidence; he can't make a judgment based on guesswork.
He stood up, paid the bill, and left the restaurant. The autumn night air was a bit chilly, so he didn't call a taxi and walked slowly along the street. He passed a convenience store, went in, bought a bottle of water, and took a couple of sips while standing at the door.
The fourth phase of the Sky Dome project has just been signed, and the inventory of 402 chips is sufficient in the short term, so the direct impact of supplier price increases is not significant. However, if this trend continues, a gap will appear in the supply chain before Cambricon's customized version is available.
What alarmed him most was the intention behind this. It wasn't a simple commercial price adjustment; it was targeted at someone else.
About ten minutes later, Han Lu sent a message.
"Brother Cheng, I found it. SMIC, Hanwei Electronics, and Jingrui Technology all received investments from the same investment company in the first half of this year. That investment company is called Tianxing Capital."
Tianxing Capital.
Zuo Cheng stood under a streetlamp, staring at the message for three seconds. He wasn't familiar with the name; there were many institutions larger than Ginkgo Capital in the investment world, and Tianxing Capital wasn't in the top tier. But the fact that it could simultaneously acquire three companies in the chip industry chain at least indicated that this institution had a systematic layout in this field.
He replied: Continue to investigate Tianxing Capital, who the actual controller is, its investment direction, and which large companies it is related to.
"receive."
He continued walking, and a few minutes later, his phone rang again.
This time it wasn't Han Lu, it was Fang Ze.
"Brother Cheng, SMIC said the price increase is due to tight inventory, and they need to prioritize supplying major customers. We're no longer on the priority list."
Zuo Cheng replied with a single word: "Mm."
"Let Han Lu handle it; I'm not good at business matters."
"It's already being processed."
Fang Ze didn't say anything more. He was a doer, not a talker.
Zuo Cheng walked to the intersection and hailed a taxi. Before getting in, Han Lu's last message popped up.
"Brother Cheng, the actual controller of Tianxing Capital is Zhao Tianxing, a native of Shenzhen. He and Lin Jianhua were university classmates."
After reading the message, Zuo Cheng put his phone in his pocket.
verified.
It wasn't a coincidence; it was a premeditated attack. Lin Jianhua lost the review meeting, but he didn't admit defeat. He brought in Tianxing Capital to target the supply chain, aiming to cripple 402 from the ground up.
He got into the car and gave them the company's address. The night was deep, and the streetlights receded one by one. He rested his head against the car window and closed his eyes.
In his previous life, he lost in business competition not just because of technology. Supply chains, funding, connections, policies—any one of these could be a fatal weakness. In this life, he will not make the same mistake again.
If Lin Jianhua wants to play, then we'll play along to the end.