A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

A commercial bank thinks it can lend us money? That's incredibly naive.

Not to mention that "Dahuang II" and the computer technology it represents are strategic projects concerning the future of national science and technology and industry. Its research and development and promotion are planned and coordinated by the state. It is neither possible nor possible for foreign commercial bank capital to intervene in the core.

Even with loans, we can only negotiate cooperative projects with multilateral development institutions like the World Bank!

But even the World Bank was not an option under the circumstances at the time.

At that time, my country adhered to the fiscal principle of "no foreign debt and no domestic debt" in its economic development. This was a prudent decision made based on the international environment and domestic economic foundation at the time, aiming to maximize economic independence and avoid being controlled by others.

Therefore, they were extremely cautious about loans from foreign governments and international financial organizations. Even the relatively mild World Bank technical cooperation projects were not easily participated in under the political climate and principles at the time.

Of course, this is also related to a more fundamental fact: my country had not yet regained its legitimate seat in the World Bank at that time.

Yes, our seat was illegally occupied by that disobedient relative, and it wasn't rectified until 1980. Without a legitimate seat and the right to equal dialogue, no form of financial cooperation is possible.

Therefore, Schmidt's seemingly shrewd and tempting capital offer, in the eyes of Mulan and the position they represent, is not only a superficial attempt, but also reveals a presumptuous attempt to leverage capital to influence the direction of technology and even industry.

Jin Zhen looked at the beautifully printed business card in front of her, then at Schmidt's expectant and eager face, but remained expressionless.

He neither reached out to take it nor responded; he simply shook his head silently, then turned around and began tidying up the keyboards and tapes on the display stand.

For him, the demonstration was complete, and the task was finished.

As for financing and loans?

That wasn't a question he needed to think about, nor was it the purpose of "Dahuang's" creation.

Brother Jiangxia hadn't taught him this, and Sister Mulan hadn't mentioned it either. He just wanted some peace and quiet to think about the next task his brother had assigned him.

As for the chubby guy who had attracted everyone's curiosity, he had already slipped back behind the curtain and was happily playing with Jiang Dong.

Jin Zhen's completely dismissive technical response left Schmidt with nowhere to release his pent-up capital enthusiasm, his smile frozen on his face, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

The surrounding delegates didn't notice Schmidt's embarrassment; their attention was still firmly fixed on "Big Yellow Second Generation".

Jinzhen's actions of tidying up the keyboard and tapes, ironically, gave those who already harbored doubts an opportunity to launch an attack.

From the back of the crowd, the bearded Nordic company representative suddenly pushed his way out, raised his arm, and shouted, "Just watching a demonstration doesn't count! Who knows if this is a pre-arranged charade? I want to operate it myself! If I can successfully compile my data using it, I will only consider voting in favor after the conference discussion!"

His words immediately triggered a chain reaction, with several representatives who already harbored ulterior motives echoing, "Yes! We want to experience it for ourselves!"

"We need that operator and that...that data entry clerk to personally explain the logic behind each step! Otherwise, we won't accept the machine's performance!"

"It might just be a gimmick; the actual process is far more complex than that!"

A cacophony of shouts rose and fell, and many people made no attempt to conceal the greed and curiosity hidden in their eyes. Mulan stood to the side of the booth, taking in all of this.

Ha, you think you can hide this little trick from her?

Practical testing and voting are just a facade.

It wasn't that I wanted to take the opportunity to steal their skills!

Should Jinzhen and Pangdun return to the commentary booth?

All this high-sounding talk is just an attempt to get close to them, find out their true intentions, and even use the allure of the outside world to lure these two naive and promising young engineers away.

Money, immigration promises, so-called "scientific freedom"...

She'd seen these tricks all before.

What a pity, all that effort was wasted.

She didn't even need to lift a finger; Jin Zhen and Pang Dun, these two "problem children," had very little else in their minds besides those complex codes and the tasks assigned by Jiang Xia.

No matter how flashing the neon lights outside or how tempting the promises, nothing can compare to their trust in "Brother Jiangxia," who led them through their "unconventional" endeavors yet created miracles, nor can it compare to their unwavering patriotism.

Trying to poach our employees? Those employees are welded to the Great Wall of Steel!

However, Mulan did not intend to let Jinzhen and Pangdun deal with these people.

It's too mentally taxing, and unnecessary.

She took a few steps forward, her figure emerging from the shadows, instantly attracting most of the attention: "Everyone, please be patient. If you want to experience it, no problem, we'll accommodate you."

Mulan turned around and pulled out an inconspicuous black keyboard from behind the booth. The keyboard looked ordinary, even a bit rough, but the data cable connected to it was particularly eye-catching...

It was a full five meters long, a dark, thick snake.

She gestured for the staff to place the keyboard on the wooden table where the binoculars had been, and pointed to the keyboard: "Please, the keyboard is here. It's connected to the 'Big Yellow Second Generation' main unit. Everyone is welcome to try out the data entry and processing functions; we won't interfere."

A five-meter-long data cable! Everyone was stunned for a moment.

This is clearly a physical barrier!

Operators could only operate the system from a wooden table five meters away, unable to get close to the "Big Yellow II" main unit and core tape drive in the center of the booth, and could only get a rough view of the screen through binoculars.

The foreigners secretly cursed Mulan for treating them like thieves, but looking at the tempting computer, none of them could resist.

"You can experience the basic interactive function of 'typing on the keyboard and displaying the corresponding character on the screen'."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expectant crowd erupted in chaos, as if doused with a bucket of ice water.

"What?! That's it?!"

"Are you kidding me! We're here to experience data processing! To generate charts! Not to be typing practice students!"

"What kind of experience is this? It proves nothing! We need to actually use the table and chart functions that were just demonstrated!"

"Yes! Any teletype machine can do this basic function! We demand to experience the core program!"

A wave of doubt and dissatisfaction nearly overwhelmed Mulan. A representative from the Lobster Country, his face flushed, waved his arms: "Madam! If your side treats the sincerity of technical exchange with such a perfunctory attitude, then we have to question the authenticity of the previous demonstrations! Where is the spirit of cooperation in this conference?"

Despite the overwhelming public outcry, Mulan didn't even flinch.

She waited until the wave of noise subsided slightly before raising her hand and making a downward pressing gesture.

"The demonstration of the core program has been completed by our professionals."

"'Big Yellow' is a professional piece of equipment, not a toy from an amusement park. Its internal programs and data involve undisclosed research and development logic, and it is impossible for it to be opened to unverified third parties for arbitrary operation. This is a basic principle of technical security."

Mulan's gaze swept over the faces filled with dissatisfaction, doubt, and even anger, and the curve of her lips seemed to deepen slightly.

"but……"

Did you bring any cash today?

?

???

……