Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 126 Star Contact

Three days later, Zuo Cheng stood at the entrance of a private club in Hangzhou.

The clubhouse was called Yunxi Pavilion, hidden behind a bamboo grove in the west of the city. It had no signboard, only a small bronze plaque with three characters engraved on it. Zuo Cheng parked his car on the gravel road and walked in.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of bamboo leaves, and the stone path was damp from last night's rain. The bamboo on both sides was very tall, blocking out most of the sky, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows.

After walking for about three minutes, I came across a Chinese courtyard. It had gray tiles and white walls, and in the center of the courtyard stood an old osmanthus tree with lush foliage.

A middle-aged man in a black Zhongshan suit was waiting at the door.

"Mr. Zuo? Mr. Zhao is already inside. Please follow me."

Zuo Cheng followed him through the courtyard and into a simple tea room. There was a long wooden table, a few chairs, and a calligraphy scroll on the wall that read "Unity of Knowledge and Action".

Zhao Wenbo sat in the main seat, with a pot of tea in front of him.

He was younger than Zuo Cheng had imagined. In his early forties, he wore silver-rimmed glasses, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a dark blue shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his forearms. He was unpretentious, but his posture was very upright, exuding a calm and composed demeanor.

"Mr. Zuo, please have a seat." Zhao Wenbo stood up and extended his hand.

Zuo Cheng shook hands with him. Zhao Wenbo's palm was dry and warm, with a moderate pressure.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhao, for taking the time to see me," Zuo Cheng said.

"We can't refuse Zhou Henian's request," Zhao Wenbo smiled, gesturing for Zuo Cheng to sit down and personally pouring him a cup of tea. "Besides, 402 Technology has been making a big splash lately, with their exclusive 1.5 million yuan contract for the Sky Dome Phase IV project and their edge AI distributed architecture. To be honest, there aren't many companies in this field in China that can achieve this level."

Zuo Cheng picked up his teacup but didn't drink. He knew that every word Zhao Wenbo said carried weight; this man's position as Director of Strategic Cooperation at Xingchen Technology wasn't based on luck.

"Mr. Zhao, you flatter me," Zuo Cheng said. "402 is still small, and we're still figuring things out in many aspects."

"The word 'exploration' is well-chosen," Zhao Wenbo said, picking up his teacup. "The most important thing for a startup is whether it's on the right track. Technology can be accumulated gradually, and the market can be expanded slowly, but if the direction is wrong, even the best technology will be wasted."

He put down his teacup and looked at Zuo Cheng. "Mr. Zuo, let me be frank. Star Technology has been paying attention to 402. Not the Sky Dome Phase IV contract, but your edge AI distributed architecture, which has high synergistic value with several of Star Technology's core directions."

"Which directions?" Zuo Cheng asked.

"Neuromimetic computing, brain-computer interface, low-power smart terminal." Zhao Wenbo said three words, each of which made Zuo Cheng's heart stir slightly.

Neuromorphic computing. In the previous life, these four words were the trump card technology of Star Technology. Chips designed to mimic human brain neurons consume only one-thousandth of the power of traditional chips, and have several orders of magnitude higher computing efficiency.

Brain-computer interfaces. StarCraft has invested at least ten years in research and development in this field, and its technological reserves far exceed those of any other company.

Low-power smart terminals. This is exactly what Sky Dome Phase IV needs, with a satellite power consumption budget of only 5 watts.

But Zuo Cheng showed no unusual expression.

"Of these three areas, 402 currently only involves edge AI," he said. "We lack technological expertise in neuromorphism and brain-computer interfaces."

"That's why cooperation is necessary," Zhao Wenbo said.

He didn't rush to begin, but instead poured Zuo Cheng more tea and then leaned back in his chair.

"Mr. Zuo, I have a question for you. What level do you think 402 will reach in the next three years?"

Zuo Cheng thought for a moment. "We will achieve global leadership in AI solutions for satellite communications."

"Only satellite communication?"

Zuo Cheng looked at him.

Zhao Wenbo smiled slightly. "Mr. Zuo, I acknowledge your technical capabilities, but your vision could be broader. Satellite communication is a vertical field with a high ceiling but limited scope. If we extend the capabilities of edge AI to more scenarios—intelligent transportation, industrial manufacturing, healthcare—the scale of each direction is more than ten times that of satellite communication."

"The current team size at 402 is insufficient to support so many directions."

"That's why I said cooperation," Zhao Wenbo said calmly. "StarCraft has the hardware, and 402 has the software and algorithms. If the two parties join forces, StarCraft can provide the underlying chips and hardware platform, while 402 can handle the AI ​​algorithms and application implementation on the upper layer."

"That sounds good," Zuo Cheng said. "But the premise of cooperation is that both parties get what they need and the profits are distributed reasonably. What exactly is the cooperation framework that President Zhao mentioned?"

Zhao Wenbo did not answer immediately. He stood up, walked to the window, glanced at the osmanthus tree in the yard, and then turned around.

"A specific cooperation plan can't be discussed today," he said. "My main purpose today is to establish a basic understanding with Mr. Zuo. Xingchen Technology is interested in 402 and is sincere in its commitment. As for the depth and method of cooperation, that requires further discussion between both parties."

He took a business card out of his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Zuo Cheng.

"If you're interested, you can visit Xingchen Technology's headquarters next weekend," he said. "Some things are more useful to see than to hear."

Zuo Cheng picked up the business card. It was pure white, with no fancy design whatsoever, and only a few words on it:

Star Technology

Zhao Wenbo

Director of Strategic Cooperation Department

The back has an address and a phone number.

"Okay." Zuo Cheng put the business card in his pocket. "I'll go next week."

Zhao Wenbo nodded and picked up his teacup.

"Mr. Zuo, there's one more thing," he said. "Have you encountered any supply chain problems lately?"

Zuo Cheng's expression remained unchanged, but he was slightly on guard.

"There are a few minor issues, nothing serious."

Zhao Wenbo looked at him, his gaze calm but deep.

"Tianxing Capital, Zhao Tianxing," he said. "You should be familiar with this name."

Zuo Cheng remained silent.

"Zhao Tianxing has also been contacting us recently," Zhao Wenbo said. "However, Xingchen's decisions cannot be made by one person alone. We neither accepted nor rejected his offer of cooperation."

He paused for a moment. "I just want you to know that some information is transparent in the industry. We know about what happened between you and Zhao Tianxing."

Zuo Cheng picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was Longjing, and it tasted very authentic.

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Zhao."

"You're welcome." Zhao Wenbo stood up. "That concludes today's meeting. See you next week."

Zuo Cheng also stood up and shook hands with him.

As I stepped out of Yunxi Pavilion, the autumn sun shone brightly. The bamboo grove rustled softly in the wind, like someone speaking in hushed tones.

Zuo Cheng stood on the gravel road, going over the conversation in his mind.

Zhao Wenbo was more difficult to deal with than Zuo Cheng had imagined. Not because he was assertive; quite the opposite, it was because he was too mild-mannered. A man who rose to the position of Director of Strategic Cooperation at Xingchen Technology in his early forties couldn't possibly be just mild-mannered. Mildness was merely his facade; what lay beneath was something Zuo Cheng couldn't yet discern.

But one thing is certain.

Xingchen Technology is interested in 402 and has learned about Tianxing Capital and Zhao Tianxing. This means that Zuocheng has gained a potential ally, but also a more unpredictable adversary.

He got back into the car and started the engine.

I'm going to the headquarters of Xingchen Technology next week.

This step must be taken carefully.