A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

Ahem, let me clarify, our Mulan wouldn't be so casual in international settings.

What she actually said was:

"Since you are all so insistent on 'personal verification,' and we must ensure the absolute security of the host... perhaps we can offer a compromise."

Mulan pointed to the conspicuous, five-meter-long black data cable and the keyboard isolated in the distance.

"We will maintain the existing physical isolation configuration. We can temporarily load a separate demo subroutine into the test environment upon request."

"Loading a specific demo program requires additional system resources and manual monitoring. Therefore, each loading and run will cost 100. The time limit is three minutes, payable in cash upfront, and we do not guarantee that the program can meet all personalized 'experience' needs."

"One hundred? Three minutes? And there's no guarantee of results?" someone exclaimed.

"This is outrageous!"

"You are using technological barriers to extort money!"

Mulan remained unmoved by the accusations; instead, she nodded slightly, as if agreeing with the other person's statement while simultaneously criticizing herself.

"Therefore, my initial suggestion was the most efficient. Basic character input testing, which is free, is sufficient to verify that the device's response is accurate. But if you insist on tackling more complex logic... the additional costs and risks will naturally require additional compensation. To take it or not?"

“I’ll do it!” It was the same British representative, his face ashen, who pulled out his wallet.

With someone taking the lead, the gate was opened.

"Load that sorting demo! Here's a hundred bucks!"

"I want to see the template fill!"

"Cash! Take mine first!"

In an instant, the scene became even more chaotic. Since Mulan did not specify the currency, banknotes of various colors were pulled out of her suit pockets, wallets, and even her notebook as if by magic, and waved in the air.

Monkey and Xiaoqiang were originally just standing behind Mulan on guard, but suddenly, a bunch of colorful banknotes with different ink smells and portraits were stuffed into their arms.

Two tough men who remained unfazed by bullets on the battlefield looked down at the pile of "capitalist sugar-coated bullets" in their arms, their faces instantly filled with shock and helplessness.

They held the money stiffly, as if it were two hot potatoes, and looked at Mulan for help, their eyes full of questions: "Captain, is this...is this legal? Are you really accepting it? So much? And it's foreign money?"

Looking at the almost stunned expressions on her two subordinates' faces, Mulan felt a little colder and almost couldn't help but laugh.

He nodded to the two men: "Come on in, let's get on with it. Earning a little money is nothing to be ashamed of!"

Upon receiving the instructions, Monkey and Qiangzi exchanged a glance, took a deep breath, and tried to regain their usual toughness. However, the way they handled the money inevitably carried a hint of caution, as if they were facing an unknown "weapon," and they even clumsily tried to separate the different currencies...

This job is much harder than cross-country running with heavy loads or stealthy reconnaissance!

Mulan shifted her gaze from her subordinates and turned it back to the generous "experiencers."

These foreigners' greed and curiosity for technology easily outweighed their stinginess about money.

Fine, since we can't stop you, then... let you have your fun, and incidentally make a small "contribution" to the delegation's tight foreign exchange reserves.

Well, the clever Mulan calculated and calculated, but she didn't expect that the IEC conference wouldn't include food and accommodation.

Based on the experience of our colleagues who have attended domestic technical conferences in the past, the organizers would at least arrange basic accommodation. However, this international conference turned out to be so "stingy," only providing the venue and leaving everything else to the participants.

To everyone's surprise, the hotels in Geneva inconsiderately increased their accommodation prices fivefold, giving the newly arrived Chinese delegation a real rude awakening.

Even though they tried to be frugal and shared rooms, this unexpected overspending on accommodation left the entire delegation without a single bill in their pockets.

Don't blame her for overlooking this; after all, no one has experience attending such a large conference.

The experience has begun.

Each person who paid, under Mulan's strict timing and supervision, walked to the lonely keyboard and, within a limited three minutes, clumsily selected menu items using binoculars, watching Dahuang II operate with extremely simple logic to complete a data sorting or generate a line of text with a fixed format.

The process was brief, and the results were far less impressive than Jinzhen's previous demonstrations, but every participant watched intently, trying to glean any useful information from this limited interaction.

Physical isolation remains, and the core remains inaccessible. However, the flow of money seems to have given this superficial experience a veneer of a mutually agreeable transaction.

"This is outrageous! What kind of experience is this?"

"We paid for it, so we deserve a meaningful testing opportunity!"

"You're deliberately creating obstacles!"

Protests erupted again. But Mulan remained unmoved, even pointing to the monkey next to her who was happily counting a pile of banknotes, and then to the keyboard on the table, making her meaning clear: the money was given voluntarily, the keyboard is right here, and how much you can "experience" it is up to us.

Think you're losing out? Then don't play.

This almost "shameless" yet somehow elusive approach leaves many people frustrated and helpless.

Some people gave up, cursing and swearing, feeling that the hundred dollars had gone down the drain.

But many more people, especially representatives of large companies and organizations, were aroused with a stronger interest and desire to conquer.

The more difficult it is to access, the more valuable it is! What is a hundred dollars? Being able to see the "outer shell" and operation of this mysterious machine up close, even if it's just a very limited view, is worth it!

What if we could glimpse even the slightest secret?

Thus, a ridiculous scene unfolded: despite knowing that it was likely just futile typing and watching characters jump meaninglessly on another screen, the queue for the experience was still incredibly long.

The "typing experience" that costs 100 yuan per session has become a unique "attraction" during the IEC conference.

Mulan, on the other hand, is like a calm cashier and security guard, watching this group of well-dressed elites line up like pilgrims to "touch the idol," even though what they may touch is just the base of the idol, or even just the fence.

The clinking of money, the clatter of keyboards, and the hushed exclamations and doubts in various languages ​​mingled in the IEC exhibition hall.

That five-meter-long black line was like an invisible barrier, separating two worlds with different perceptions of "value" and "cost".

Mulan stands in the middle, both the rule-maker and an unexpected beneficiary, calmly observing everything.

As night fell, Geneva was dotted with twinkling lights.

By now, the sun should be rising over our motherland...

……

The noise will eventually subside.

As night fell completely over Geneva and the lights replaced the daylight, the IEC main venue finally fell silent.

But the torrent of information and desire quietly changed course, flowing towards a quiet little street on the edge of the city.

The Chinese delegation stayed in a simple, unassuming two-story hotel, which was far from comfortable inside.

Under the dim light of the porch lamp at the hotel entrance, figures came and went in an endless stream. Foreign representatives of different skin colors and clothing, either alone or in twos and threes, came for various reasons such as "paying a visit along the way," "exchanging conference experiences," and "discussing technical issues."

The hotel's old wooden door opened and closed so frequently that the hinges groaned under the strain.

Is this what they mean by "wealth even in remote mountains attracts distant relatives"?