in2ebook Chapter 432 The Fantastic "Spy"
Chapter 432 The Fantastic "Spy"
The nights in Beijing are much colder than those in Jinan.
Liu Chuanzhi sat in the main seat of the conference room, a cup of cold tea in front of him. Three people sat opposite him: two were vice presidents of Yixiang, and the other was wearing a dark gray suit with his tie hanging loosely around his neck, as if he had just gotten off a plane and been dragged there.
This man's surname is Gu, and his English name is Gordon. He is a partner in the Asia-Pacific region at a mid-sized investment firm on Wall Street. His Chinese is not very good; he pronounces each word too clearly, as if he has a stone in his mouth.
"Lingyun's chip project is at least four months ahead of our expectations." Gu Gedeng pulled a document from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Liu Chuanzhi. The document cover had no title, only a string of numbers.
Liu Chuanzhi did not touch that document.
"Four months? Didn't you say before that it would take them at least two more years to finish tape-out?"
"We underestimated it before," Gu Gedeng shrugged. "Ni Guangnan's team, along with Li Mo's group, has exceeded everyone's expectations in terms of execution efficiency. According to our intelligence, the RTL design is complete, and the simulation verification has passed. It will be sent for tape-out in June."
The meeting room was silent for a few seconds. A radiator in the corner made a loud bang, then fell silent again.
Liu Chuanzhi picked up his teacup to take a sip, only to find the tea had gone cold. He put the cup back down, the bottom of it tapping softly on the mahogany table, but the vice president sitting to his left shrank back.
"If their chip tape-out is successful," Liu Chuanzhi said, "then we can forget about the MP3 market, we're already selling PCs at a loss, and mobile phones—"
"The phone is the key," Gordon Gu chimed in. "Our people inside Spark have heard some things. Ling Yun isn't just making chips; he's making phones. A complete system: chips, operating system, app store. If he succeeds, it's not just a pipe dream; Nokia and Motorola will all be overthrown."
Liu Chuanzhi tapped his fingers twice on the table.
"What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm trying to say is," Gordon leaned forward, placing his hands crossed on the table, "that it's not too late to stop him now."
"How can we stop it?"
Gu Gorden didn't answer directly. He took an envelope from his suit pocket, pulled out several photos, and laid them out on the table one by one. The photos showed the Spark R&D Center building, the parking lot entrance, and the window of Li Mo's office.
"We have a hidden agent inside Spark," said Gordon. "Code name 'Grey Sparrow.' It's been lying in wait for almost two years, and we haven't used it yet."
Liu Chuanzhi picked up a photo, glanced at it, and threw it back. "When did you plant it?"
“We didn’t plant them,” Gordon shook his head, a slight upward smirk playing on his lips, it was hard to tell if it was a smile or something else. “They came to us of their own accord. Two years ago, he racked up a huge gambling debt, and one of our outsiders helped him cover it. Since then, he’s been getting a monthly allowance from us. It’s not much, but enough for him to continue his little hobby.”
"Who is he? Where is he?"
"I can't reveal his name yet," Goudeng said, putting the photos back into the envelope one by one. "But I can tell you that he has access to chip design documents, and his access is quite extensive."
Liu Chuanzhi leaned back in his chair, watching Gu Gordon stuff the envelope back into his suit pocket. The vice president next to him finally couldn't help but speak up.
"Mr. Liu, if this matter gets found out—"
"What did you find out?" Liu Chuanzhi didn't look at him; his eyes were still fixed on Gu Gordon. "We don't know anything about any moles or 'Grey Sparrow.' We're having a meeting here tonight to discuss investment cooperation with President Gu."
Gu Gorden smiled, revealing two rows of very white teeth. "Mr. Liu is a smart man."
"Tell me your terms," Liu Chuanzhi said. "Your men ruined the chip deal for us, what do you want?"
"We want shares in Star Technology."
"Star Technology? That company is almost bankrupt due to internal strife."
"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse," said Gordon Gu. "StarCraft still has its brand and distribution channels in the US, and a substantial patent pool. If Yixiang can acquire control of StarCraft and integrate your PC production lines into it—"
"That's another matter," Liu Chuanzhi interrupted him. "I'm talking about now. What level can your 'Grey Sparrow' achieve?"
Gordon pulled a thin folder from his briefcase, opened the first page, and saw a few lines of English printed on it.
"Project Falcon," he pointed to the lines of text, "The first phase: obtain the core design documents of the StarCore chip, create a leak, and delay the tape-out process. The second phase: spread negative information within Starfire to undermine the trust between Ling Yun and his core team. The third phase—" he closed the folder, "if the first two phases are successful, before the StarPhone is released, ignite a scandal that will ruin Ling Yun's reputation."
Liu Chuanzhi remained silent for a while.
When will the first phase begin?
"It's already started," Gordon glanced at his watch. "Judging by the time difference, it should be around now."
The radiator in the room made another loud bang, this time even louder, as if something had bumped into it. Liu Chuanzhi stood up, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.
Outside was the night view of Beijing's Third Ring Road, with streetlights forming a string of yellow dotted lines. Occasionally, a car would drive by underneath, its taillights flashing briefly before disappearing among the buildings. He stood there watching for a long time, so long that Gordon couldn't help but cough.
"There's another question," Liu Chuanzhi turned around, his back to the window, "What are you after? When did Wall Street become so interested in a private Chinese chip company?"
Gu Gedeng slowly gathered the documents scattered on the table into his briefcase, as if carefully choosing his words. Finally, he looked up at Liu Chuanzhi.
"Mr. Liu, there are some questions that are best left unasked. Asking too many questions won't benefit either of us."
Liu Chuanzhi stared into his eyes for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Okay. I won't ask."
He walked back to the conference table, picked up the now-cold tea, and went to the water dispenser to pour it out. Tea leaves clung to the cup, so he turned on the tap and rinsed it twice; the sound of running water was particularly loud in the quiet conference room.
"That investor," Liu Chuanzhi turned off the tap, "is the person behind President Gu. How exactly does he want Ling Yun to die?"
Gu Gorden had already reached the door. Upon hearing this, he turned around and placed one hand on the doorknob.
“It’s not about killing him,” Gordon said, “it’s about making him obey. If he doesn’t—”
"So what?"
Gouden did not answer. He opened the door, and the light from the hallway flooded in, illuminating half of his face in light and half in shadow.
"Have your purchasing department drive up the prices of MP3 components first," he said, "to put some supply pressure on Spark. The rest, wait for my news."
The door closed behind him, and the sound of his footsteps faded away down the corridor.
Liu Chuanzhi stood alone in the conference room, clutching the disposable paper cup he hadn't put down yet; the cup was crumpled in several places. He looked down at it, then threw the cup into the trash can.