Special Forces: At the beginning, An Ran pulled him to get his certificate.

Chen Jun sat in his office, staring at the chip R&D budget on his desk, his brow furrowed. Six hundred billion yuan—this was the total amount of funds he had raised from the military and government departments, but it was merely a drop in the ocean compared to the "money-devouring behemoth" that was chip R&D.

The complexity of chip development is beyond imagination: from material purification to lithography machine manufacturing, from circuit design to packaging and testing, every step requires massive investment. Chen Jun calculated that to produce a chip that reaches international advanced levels within two years, at least 300 billion yuan would be needed. And right now, he's still far from that goal.

“Xu Zhengyang is right, Lao Wen is indeed a veritable treasure trove of connections.” Chen Jun recalled the guard chief’s earlier reminder and picked up his phone. Wen Tiankeng—this “old fox” who had worked in the law enforcement system for decades, although he had made quite a few laughs in developing undercover agents and was jokingly called “Tiankeng” (meaning “pitfall”), his ability in social situations was unparalleled. Before retiring, he was the director of the Donghai City Law Enforcement Bureau, and over the years he had befriended countless entrepreneurs, from listed company owners to reclusive tycoons, covering elites from various industries.

The phone rang three times before Old Wen's slightly lazy voice came from the other end: "Hello, who is it?"

Chen Jun's lips curled up, and he deliberately said in a serious tone, "It's me."

The person on the other end of the phone immediately perked up: "Boss! What made you suddenly want to call me?"

At this moment, Lao Wen was lying on his bed in the base dormitory, staring blankly at the ceiling. Lately, Chen Jun had been taking Lao Fan on missions, leaving him, a newly promoted major general, out in the cold, which inevitably made him feel somewhat disappointed. He even began to doubt whether he could keep up with Chen Jun's pace.

"Where?" Chen Jun asked.

"I'm at the base! I was just about to go for a walk." Old Wen quickly lied, afraid that Chen Jun would think he was slacking off.

"Don't go out, wait for me in the dorm, I have an important mission." Chen Jun hung up the phone after saying that, got up, put on his coat, and walked towards Lao Wen's dorm.

Old Wen hung up the phone, immediately jumped out of bed, and hurriedly tidied his clothes and bed. He took out his treasured Yixing teapot, boiled water, and prepared to brew a pot of Da Hong Pao—Chen Jun's favorite tea.

"The boss finally called me!" Old Wen excitedly paced around the room twice, his wrinkles smoothing out.

Ten minutes later, Chen Jun pushed open Lao Wen's dormitory door. A fragrant aroma of tea wafted out, and Lao Wen was standing by the coffee table, smiling like a child who had just received candy.

"Boss, please have a seat! Try my freshly brewed Da Hong Pao!" Old Wen said, handing the teacup to Chen Jun.

Chen Jun sat down, took a sip of tea, and nodded: "Not bad."

"Boss, what important mission do you want to give me? Is it a mission overseas? I'm all ready!" Old Wen rubbed his hands together, eager to try.

Chen Jun laughed: "It's not an overseas mission, it's to let you use your expertise - making money."

"Make money?" Old Wen was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant, his eyes lighting up like light bulbs. "You mean, like the missile fundraising last time?"

“Yes.” Chen Jun nodded. “The West has imposed a chip technology blockade on us, and the country has decided to mobilize the entire nation to develop chips and break the blockade. We don’t have enough funds right now, so we need to raise funds from entrepreneurs.”

Old Wen patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, boss! This is my forte! I have more than twenty business groups on my phone, all of them are good friends. I only need to say one word, and they'll definitely come!"

As he spoke, Lao Wen took out his phone and opened a chat interface called "Donghai Business Elite Group." The group had over three hundred members, all prominent entrepreneurs in Donghai City. He thought for a moment and typed a message:

"Brothers! Urgent notice! The nation is making every effort to develop chips to break the Western technological blockade! This fundraising dinner, personally spearheaded by the young war god General Chen Jun, will be held tomorrow night at the Cloud Top Winery in the suburbs. Anyone interested in contributing to the nation, please message me to sign up!"

The moment the message was sent, the group chat exploded:

"Director Wen! Really? General Chen is coming too?"

"Since Director Wen has intervened, it can't be fake! I'm the first to sign up!"

"Chips are a matter of national importance, and we must support them!"

"I'll transfer the deposit right now!"

Old Wen's phone kept ringing—private messages, phone calls, and direct transfers. In less than half an hour, the number of registered participants exceeded three hundred. He then sent messages in several other groups, and in less than an hour, the number of registered participants surpassed five hundred—not only entrepreneurs from Donghai, but also bigwigs from Beijing, Shenzhen, and even several overseas Chinese entrepreneurs who expressed their intention to fly back to participate.

"Boss! It's a success! More than 500 people signed up! They're all top entrepreneurs in their respective industries!" Old Wen excitedly ran up to Chen Jun, the list of applicants scrolling nonstop on his phone screen.

Looking at the list, Chen Jun smiled with satisfaction: "Well done. You'll come with me tomorrow night."

"Okay! I'll go prepare right now!" Old Wen walked out excitedly, as if he had become ten years younger.

The following evening, Chen Jun, dressed in a sharp black suit with a dark tie at the collar of his white shirt, appeared exceptionally composed. He, along with Lao Fan and Lao Wen, boarded a private helicopter to the Genting Winery. On the helicopter, Chen Jun gazed at the night view outside the window, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Just a few days ago, he had been "sweeping" through the capital, from the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion to the military headquarters, trying to secure funding; now, he was seeking donations from entrepreneurs. The funding gap for chip research and development was like a bottomless pit, but he knew it had to be filled.

"General Chen, this fundraising should raise quite a bit of money, right?" Old Fan asked, sitting next to him.

"It's hard to say, but at least it can alleviate the current pressure." Chen Jun looked ahead with a determined gaze. "Chip development is the future of the country, and we must succeed."

The helicopter landed on the private helipad of Genting Winery. The winery is situated on a small hill in the suburbs, surrounded by dense forests. The buildings are in a typical European castle style, brightly lit, like a palace from a fairy tale. Next to the helipad, various luxury cars—Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Maybachs…—were already parked, one after another, stretching to the winery entrance.

The head of the local chamber of commerce was already waiting there. When he saw Chen Jun come down, he immediately came forward to greet him: "General Chen! Welcome, welcome! I am Zhao Gang, the president of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce!"

"President Zhao, thank you for your hard work." Chen Jun reached out and shook hands with him.

“Serving the country is no hardship!” Zhao Gang said with a smile. “We’ve specially arranged a stretched Lincoln van, please!”

Chen Jun followed Zhao Gang to the van. The door opened, and the luxurious interior immediately caught his eye: genuine leather seats, a solid wood center console, a mini-bar, massage functions… it had everything. Standing beside the van was a tall, slender female secretary in professional attire, with a sweet smile, resembling a movie star.

"General Chen, hello! I'm your secretary, Xiao Jiang!" The female secretary greeted him with a smile and reached out to open the car door for Chen Jun.

Chen Jun waved his hand, gesturing for her to sit in the passenger seat: "No need, I can do it myself."

The female secretary paused for a moment, then obediently sat in the passenger seat. She had met many powerful and influential people, but she had never seen anyone as calm and low-key as Chen Jun.

The extended van smoothly drove into the winery. The interior was even more luxurious, with gleaming marble floors, softly glowing crystal chandeliers, and walls adorned with various valuable oil paintings. The entrepreneurs had already arrived and were chatting in small groups.

"Mr. Li! What brings you here? Didn't you say you were retiring?" a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses asked.

"How could I not come when the country is calling on us?" Mr. Li replied with a smile. "My wife specifically asked me to come, saying that semiconductors are a matter of national importance, and she even cancelled all her designer bags for this year!"

"Haha! What a coincidence! I was forced to come by my wife too!" Mr. Wang patted Mr. Li on the shoulder. "She said that only by following the country's lead can one have a future. She even made me cancel my golf membership!"

"Hey, Director Wen's here! That young man next to him must be the legendary young war god Chen Jun!" someone said, pointing to the doorway.

All eyes immediately turned to Chen Jun. He was dressed in a sharp suit, his posture upright like a pine tree, his eyes deep like an eagle's, exuding the dignity and confidence of a soldier.

"General Chen! Welcome, welcome!"

"Finally, we've met you in person! We've heard all about your deeds!"

"It is our honor to be able to contribute to the country!"

The entrepreneurs swarmed around Chen Jun, surrounding him, and the scene erupted in cheers. Zhao Gang quickly stepped in to maintain order: "Please be quiet! General Chen, let's hear what you have to say!"

The crowd gradually quieted down, and all eyes were on Chen Jun. Chen Jun walked to the center of the hall, looked at the more than five hundred entrepreneurs in front of him, and took a deep breath:

"Gentlemen! I stand here today as a soldier. The West has imposed a chip technology blockade on us. This is not targeted at any one company, but at the entire nation of Yan! Chips are the heart of modern technology. Without chips, our mobile phones, computers, and cars will become scrap metal, and our fighter jets, missiles, and aircraft carriers will lose their eyes!"

Chen Jun's voice wasn't loud, but it was full of power, like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart.

"Only when the nation is strong can enterprises have dignity; only when the nation is rejuvenated can each of us live a good life. Today, on behalf of the country, I am launching this fundraising campaign, and every penny will be used for chip research and development! I assure you all that we will definitely develop chips that belong to Yan and break the Western blockade!"

Chen Jun's speech, though brief, was incredibly inspiring. The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause that lasted for a long time.

"General Chen! I'll donate 100 million!" A young man in a white shirt shouted first from the crowd.

"I'll donate 500 million!"

"I'll donate 1 billion!"

"I'll donate two billion!"

An elderly businessman with graying hair stepped forward. He was Wang Guo, a real estate tycoon from Donghai City who had been retired for many years. He patted his chest and said, "General Chen! I've mortgaged all my properties and can raise five billion! I'll donate it all to chip research and development!"

The son standing next to him smiled and said, "Dad! You did the right thing! I support you!"

"Mr. Wang! Well done!"

"We'll donate too!"

The atmosphere at the scene grew increasingly heated, with entrepreneurs raising placards to donate, and the figures kept climbing: 5 billion, 8 billion, 10 billion...

Old Wen stood to the side, watching all this, his eyes welling up with tears. He hadn't expected that these entrepreneurs, usually referred to as "capitalists," would be so generous and so selfless in the face of national interests.

……

It was nighttime at a hotel in Beijing.

Chen Jun lay on the sofa, looking at the funds and list of donors for tonight's fundraising.

Old Wen, who was standing next to him, said, "Boss, this time it's over 300 billion. It seems the entrepreneurs are really supportive. Also, some entrepreneurs who couldn't come have contacted me after hearing about this fundraising, planning to donate privately. What do you think?"

“They are willing to support the country’s chip research, so why not? You can compile their names. Once the chip research is successful, there will be some resources that need to be allocated to them as a return gift. I will write a proposal first, and I will leave the follow-up work of the fundraising to you.”

Old Wen paused for a moment, indicating that it wasn't hard work, and then he left Chen Jun's room.

Chen Jun opened his notebook and continued working on his chip research plan. He was writing the integrated chip technology into a course, and once the team was established, he would personally become the teacher and teach everyone.

It must be quite tiring to think about, doing research, teaching, and personally securing resources... However, Chen Jun, a former soldier, worked tirelessly without the slightest fear. His eyes were like those of a wolf, never giving up until he achieved his goal.

After a while, Lao Wen brought over a pot of hot tea and then quietly left the room.

That night, Chen Jun did not rest. Since everyone was so supportive and had given him their wealth, he also needed to give it his all.

At present, funding is not a problem, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has also brought in many top talents from different fields, just waiting for him to get started.

At six o'clock in the morning, after it was light, Chen Jun finally shut down his laptop.

He couldn't help but sigh, "The deeper you go into this stuff, the more troublesome it becomes. No wonder the country spends so much money every year but still can't achieve any substantial leap forward, while the United States has been gloating for decades. Fortunately, I have the help of the system, and this dream must be realized in this generation."

There was a knock on the door outside.

When Chen Jun opened the door, he saw Lao Wen standing in front of him, looking like a panda with dark circles under his eyes, yawning incessantly. Judging from his appearance, he hadn't slept all night either.

"What did you go to do?"

"Haha, I didn't have time to sleep. So many entrepreneurs contacted me last night. After they heard that this fundraising was to support the country's chip research, many entrepreneurs gave their all and kept contacting me to donate money. That's why I was busy all night..."

"Stop rambling and get straight to the point."