Capítulo 780: Chapter 258: Take a Step Back and the Sea Will Open Up Before You

Of course, some people hold different opinions.

“Everyone, please calm down. Right now, none of us truly know if Huaxia is willing to share this technology with us! Think carefully, will the beautiful blueprint they painted really come to pass?

Especially when our competition is becoming increasingly fierce! Helping us train talent in quantum simulation theory? You can’t seriously believe that, right? Perhaps this is just a delaying tactic! The terms they offer are not equitable!”

These words brought a moment of silence in the meeting room, followed by someone asking, “Evidence, Mr. Francis! Please present evidence! Without evidence, we can’t just bump heads with Huaxia based on your speculation, can we?”

Francis was momentarily stunned…

He had no evidence whatsoever.

Huaxia protected Qiao Yu so well, it was impossible to meet with him without going through layers of scrutiny. Could he somehow open Qiao Yu’s mind from afar to see what he was thinking?

Not to mention, high-level communication between the two sides had become very difficult. The other side often wouldn’t even pick up the phone. But this seemed to indicate that they were not hopeful about cooperation either.

He quickly said, “Isn’t it clear enough? They directly refused to participate in the world conference on quantum technology that we initiated! Not just the quantum conference, they rejected any invitation.

This even included the NAS medal that the American Academy of Sciences was planning to award him, which he also refused. At the World Mathematician Conference held in Philadelphia, he left hastily after just two days! Doesn’t this show that he doesn’t regard us as friends at all!”

These words made everyone’s expression in the room peculiar.

Perhaps ordinary people didn’t know, but they were well aware of why Qiao Yu was invited to the world conference on quantum technology, and why many people wanted Qiao Yu to set foot on American soil again.

But these were unspoken secrets, and having them said out loud made everyone feel a bit disgraced, even if they could shamelessly pursue interests.

So, someone quickly retorted, “Well, Mr. Francis, after saying those words, if Huaxia were to suddenly invite you to a financial conference there, would you choose to go immediately?”

Francis took a deep breath, then looked at the narrow-minded old fellow who asked the question, not knowing if he should answer affirmatively.

Without a doubt, if this really happened, he certainly wouldn’t go.

After all, he was already on Huaxia’s unwelcome list. Even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t put himself in jeopardy.

So how should he answer?

If he answered contrary to his heart without hesitation, they might actually scheme him into a reason to go to Huaxia soon.

Unity? It doesn’t exist!

This country has partly embarked on a path where some are willing to sacrifice their own for others!

At this moment, he hesitated!

Martyrdom isn’t something he could do. He believed that no one in this meeting room could do it either.

On the contrary, these people invest astronomical amounts in the field of life sciences every year to live a few more years. Of course, he did too!

Anyone who possesses substantial wealth wishes to live longer. At least until they have truly grown tired of life, they don’t wish to say a formal goodbye to this world.

Francis understood well that these people’s so-called “equality” was about equally discriminating against everyone.

Understanding so clearly what these people thought and were capable of doing was because he was one of them too.

Unity? Seeking common ground while maintaining differences? A win-win situation? It doesn’t exist!

Everyone here represents the interests of a large group. When there was enough cake to go around, it was tolerable. Now, the cake isn’t enough, and everyone thinks about how they can take a bite from someone else. He couldn’t bring himself to be involved.

Taking a deep breath, Francis said in a deep voice, “These are two different situations, I am not a scientist!”

“Yes, you are not a scientist. You are not as smart as a scientist. But you know how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages! So this evidence is utterly ridiculous!

Everyone here is well aware of this! You can’t take everyone else here besides you for fools! But the evidence we just heard is very clear. And your analysis is ridiculous!”

Being continuously refuted had already made Francis lose patience, and he shouted angrily, “So what if this is just a delaying tactic by the Huaxia people?

Are you all planning to sit and watch as in two or three years, or even in just a year, our quantum technology falls completely behind?! At that time, we will have no power to retaliate.

The global financial market could be threatened by the Huaxia people! Gentlemen, wake up, any weakness from us now may be exploited by Huaxia! In a few years, perhaps we will lose everything!”

“Enough! Francis! I can answer your question! No matter if it’s in a year, two years, or even three or five years as you said, our weapons are still there!

We all know that as long as they are properly maintained, our weapons won’t suddenly vanish or lose capability due to disuse! We can launch a retaliation for falling behind now, and we can do the same in the future!

So why not try cooperating? Unless you can confidently guarantee an absolute victory! Francis, ask yourself, if a full-scale war breaks out now, do you think we are completely ready? Do you have confidence in an absolute victory?

Can you ensure that even if things don’t go well initially, there will still be a stable situation and support from the rear? Can you even guarantee one hundred percent that all our allies will continue to stand by us as always?”

Francis was speechless.

Because he couldn’t guarantee a single one of the questions that the Federal Reserve head asked him to assure.

In fact, if anyone could guarantee two of these things, he wouldn’t need to say anything; the United States wouldn’t be so polite anymore.

It’s widely known that politics is the extension of economics, and war is a continuation of politics.

When a colossal entity owes a $40 trillion external debt, and economic means are not sufficient to harvest enough wealth to help the economy recover, the world remains at peace primarily because the opposing side has become too strong.

Strong to the point where there’s no guaranteed victory facing this other giant that has grown up as well. Even if victory is achieved in the end, it would be a pyrrhic one.

Simply put, over the past thirty years, strategically, they have already lost, and lost badly. Changing everything now is indeed too difficult.

So these weak individuals chose to first draw the blade towards their own people…

This realization made Francis feel very sad, and so he chose—compromise.

He had no choice; no one was on his side. Not even God could do anything facing this situation.

If he didn’t compromise, that blade might come down on him. No one here would choose sacrifice, and he was certainly no exception.

Seeing Francis fall silent, everyone quickly reached a resolution.

“It seems our opinions are unified! We should facilitate this cooperation. Of course, at the same time, we cannot abandon our development path.

If Microsoft’s technology is genuinely advanced, it should be shared with more partners to ensure our future quantum advantage. This is what they should pay as a price!

So the next step is to calm the Huaxia people down as soon as possible, bringing everything back on track, even if it requires some cost. Does anyone have other opinions?”

Although it sounded like he was asking everyone, the chairman kept his eyes fixed on Francis’s old face.

Seeing that this obstinate fellow said nothing, the elder nodded in satisfaction.

“So be it. Indeed, we also ought to respect Francis’s opinion. By gathering all the strength of our scientists, perhaps we can overtake on the hardware level! On that day, we will all be thankful for Microsoft’s contribution today!”