How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 509

The Best Place to Test the Stealth Capabilities of Rainmaking Bombs

The ideal location for testing artificial rainmaking bombs is a desert area, not the sea where moisture is abundant. Testing in a desert ensures that the results are due to the artificial rainmaking and not influenced by existing humidity.

However, Yang Chen’s objective extended beyond merely assessing the rainmaking bombs’ and cloud generators’ effectiveness. His primary focus was to evaluate the stealth capabilities of these rainmaking bombs.

Now, all they needed to do was wait a few hours to see if any ships would arrive to investigate, indicating that the bombs had been detected.

Before they realized it, almost five o’clock arrived, yet no coast guard vessels or other ships appeared to check the area. This raised questions about whether the stealth technology was truly effective.

Still somewhat uneasy, Yang Chen decided to call Chairman Li of Two Stars Group [a large South Korean conglomerate, similar to Samsung or LG].

The call connected quickly.

Chairman Li: “President Yang, what prompted you to call me?”

Yang Chen: “I missed you.”

Chairman Li: “Haha… Don’t joke with me. You must be missing Soo-yeon [Chairman Li’s daughter, implying a romantic interest].”

Yang Chen: “No, no, no, it’s only you I miss. If I were missing Miss Soo-yeon, I would have contacted her directly.”

Chairman Li: “Is that so? Then tell me, President Yang, why do you miss me?”

Yang Chen: “I wanted to ask, Chairman Li, if you have enough chips over there [referring to semiconductor chips, a key export of South Korea]. I’ll get you more when I have the chance.”

Chairman Li was completely taken in by Yang Chen’s flattery and immediately replied happily, “It’s no wonder Soo-yeon likes you so much. You’re a good friend. We really don’t have enough chips here. Please get us as many as you can.”

Yang Chen: “No problem. I’ll see which supplier’s quantity I can cut back on to supply more to you.”

Chairman Li: “Haha… President Yang, you’re a true friend.”

Yang Chen: “Since I’m being such a good friend, shouldn’t you express your appreciation too?”

Chairman Li: “Haha… Of course. Tell me, what do you want?”

Yang Chen: “I’d like Chairman Li to help me inquire with your military about any unusual activity detected in the direction of Hai City from 10:00 AM today until now. It’s important for me to get accurate and clear information.”

Chairman Li: “Ah? Why are you asking about that?”

Yang Chen: “That needs to remain confidential for now. Help me find out, and I’ll definitely let you know the reason in the future.”

Chairman Li figured that it was just inquiring about whether the THAAD system [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, a US anti-ballistic missile defense system deployed in South Korea] had reacted, which wasn’t a problem, so he agreed.

South Korea is sometimes referred to as the “Two Stars Empire” [a reference to the power and influence of the Two Stars Group]. Two Stars Group can even influence the creation and modification of laws.

Therefore, it was easy for Chairman Li to inquire whether the THAAD system had reacted.

More than ten minutes later, Chairman Li called Yang Chen back.

Chairman Li: “I can tell you for sure that the THAAD system has not had any reaction today.”

Yang Chen: “Okay, thank you, Chairman Li. Wait for my news. I’ll let you know when I’ve sorted out the chips.”

Chairman Li: “Haha… Thank you, President Yang. Come visit when you have time, and let Soo-yeon show you around.”

Yang Chen: “Okay, I’ll definitely go when I have time. Goodbye, stay busy.”

Hanging up the phone, Yang Chen smiled happily.

The THAAD system has a defense radius of 200 kilometers [approximately 124 miles], a range of 300 kilometers [approximately 186 miles], and an interception altitude of 40-180 kilometers [approximately 25-112 miles]. It was once considered the only ground-based anti-missile system in the world capable of intercepting ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere, making it much more powerful than Patriot missiles.

However,

With the increasing improvement of the Dragon Country’s [China’s] CNMD anti-missile system [Chinese National Missile Defense], Dragon Country has also successfully conducted multiple land-based mid-course anti-missile tests, and THAAD is no longer unique.

However,

Even such powerful anti-missile systems failed to detect the launch of an artificial rainmaking bomb, highlighting the impressive stealth capabilities of the rainmaking bomb produced by Starlight Defense.

Yang Chen immediately ordered a return to Hai City.

Back in Hai City, Yang Chen called Qiu Yuhong and others to the meeting room and instructed, “Follow-up tests must continue and be conducted in various climates. Also, prepare samples. We are going to do a live broadcast for sales.”

Qiu Yuhong: “Ah? Live broadcast for sales? Can we sell this way?”

Yang Chen: “Why not? What we need now is publicity and a chance to prove ourselves. Relying solely on finding customers and promoting our products ourselves will be too slow. We’ll do live sales. Whether we sell anything is secondary. We need to make a big splash and use the internet to spread awareness of our products as quickly as possible.”

Qiu Yuhong: “Understood. Director Zhao, please prepare on your end.”

Zhao He: “Okay. President Yang, rest assured, I will prepare the live broadcast as soon as possible.”

Yang Chen: “Yes. Wind and electricity generators should also be made into samples as soon as possible. We will use these products to break into Starlight Defense’s military equipment market.”

Soon, the yacht entered the port and docked.

After completing the handover procedures, Yang Chen left with Wang Jiayi.

After dinner, Yang Chen went home with Wang Jiayi.

While Wang Jiayi was working, Yang Chen called Gao Xinyi (the tech blogger Yang Chen had previously taken in).

With the support of Starlight Entertainment, Gao Xinyi has become a popular streamer with 5 million followers.

His current role involves creating technology videos and interacting with fans during live broadcasts. He initially wanted to emulate other streamers and sell products, but Yang Chen disagreed.

The internet celebrity division of Starlight Entertainment already has professional sales streamers, so Gao Xinyi doesn’t need to sell goods to earn money.

Yang Chen values the dedicated technology-focused audience he has cultivated, and now they are proving useful.

Yang Chen: “I’ll send you some information. Study it carefully and prepare for the first live sales broadcast. I’ll assist you with the ‘Undying Starlight’ account.”

Gao Xinyi: “President Yang, you’ve finally given me work. I was starting to get anxious. I feel bad getting paid for doing nothing.”

Yang Chen: “Haha… Don’t think like that. Just follow the company’s instructions. This live broadcast is very important, so take it seriously.”

Gao Xinyi: “Understood! President Yang, rest assured, I will do my best to make this live broadcast a success. What should I broadcast?”

Yang Chen: “I’ll send you the information. Prepare for the live broadcast based on the content in the information. Call me the day before the broadcast to discuss and prepare questions and answers in advance.”

Gao Xinyi: “Okay! President Yang, send me the information, and I’ll contact you after I’ve read it.”

Hanging up the phone, Yang Chen sent Gao Xinyi the public product information for the artificial rainmaking bomb and cloud generator.

Gao Xinyi, being a technology enthusiast, was immediately excited when he saw that the main feature of the artificial rainmaking bomb was stealth.

Who would have thought that the primary function of an artificial rainmaking bomb would be stealth rather than rainmaking?

As a technology blogger, Gao Xinyi likely understood Yang Chen’s plan.

Promote the military applications of artificial rainmaking bombs under the guise of civilian equipment.

After reviewing the information all night,

Gao Xinyi woke up early to create a preview video.

“Brothers, Xiao Gao is doing his first live sales broadcast. Don’t scroll away, listen up! The products Xiao Gao is selling are different from those of other streamers. As a technology streamer, Xiao Gao will naturally sell high-tech products. Xiao Gao’s first live broadcast will feature artificial rainmaking bombs and cloud generators, products from Starlight Machinery Factory under Starlight Defense Group, which is owned by the elusive Boss Yang, the online sensation who never shows his face. When Xiao Gao saw the product introduction, he was shocked. Why? Because the main feature of this set of artificial rainmaking bombs isn’t rainmaking, but stealth. According to the information and data provided by Starlight Defense, they’ve already conducted tests in the East Sea [also known as the Sea of Japan], and no air defense or anti-missile system detected the artificial rainmaking bomb. So, in addition to selling products, my first live broadcast also aims to test whether the stealth capability of the artificial rainmaking bomb produced by Starlight Defense is truly that powerful. Let’s see if our Dragon Country’s CNMD system can identify it and react in time. Brothers, after listening to Xiao Gao’s introduction, do you feel a sense of inexplicable excitement? That’s right, Xiao Gao is just as excited as you are. The live broadcast is currently being prepared, and if all goes well, we’ll start broadcasting on time at nine o’clock the day after tomorrow. Brothers, see you then.”

After the video was posted on Douyin [TikTok’s Chinese counterpart] and other platforms, it quickly garnered comments from fans.

“WTF! Really? The main feature of the artificial rainmaking bomb is stealth? What a joke!”

“It’s already been tested in the East Sea and hasn’t been discovered yet? Really? You’re testing in the East Sea, so not only can our air defense system identify it, but South Korea’s THAAD can also identify it. Are you saying that your artificial rainmaking bomb evaded CNMD and THAAD? I just don’t believe it.”

“This is ridiculous. An artificial rainmaking bomb can evade the air defense system? Is our air defense system just for show? Is THAAD still so powerful? I’ll definitely watch the live broadcast on time the day after tomorrow. If you dare to lie to us, I’ll definitely scold you and then unfollow you.”

“Damn! I’ll promote you. If what you said is true, you’ll become famous overnight, and Starlight Defense will reach a new level. If you’re making false claims, you and Starlight Defense will be finished together.”

…

Meanwhile, Huang Heping, a retired CNMD expert on vacation, was casually browsing Douyin.

Since retiring, Huang Heping, like Gao Xinyi, has been creating science and military-related content online. Thanks to his background, he’s now a prominent influencer with 8 million followers, even more than Gao Xinyi.

Because they are similar streamers, Douyin’s algorithm quickly showed Gao Xinyi’s video to Huang Heping.

After watching the video, Huang Heping chuckled and left his opinion in the comment section.

“Xiao Gao, I had high hopes for you young people, but now you’re learning from those internet celebrities and engaging in cheap hype? I haven’t heard that our air defense and anti-missile system has detected any anomalies from the East Sea. If an artificial rainmaking bomb really took off in the East Sea, we would definitely find it. You know, we also have our coast guard ships and aircraft carrier battle groups there. How could we miss an artificial rainmaking bomb? If we can’t even find an artificial rainmaking bomb from the sea, then the CNMD system would be useless, and THAAD would be meaningless.”

Huang Heping’s comments were supported by many netizens. They believed it was impossible for Starlight Defense to produce such an impressive artificial rainmaking bomb and that Gao Xinyi was deliberately exaggerating to attract attention.

Gao Xinyi saw Huang Heping’s comment and quickly replied.

“Thank you for Professor Huang’s comment. Professor Huang is my favorite technology blogger, bar none. Since Professor Huang said so, I’ll boldly invite Professor Huang to watch my live broadcast at nine o’clock the day after tomorrow. Whether I’m talking nonsense or not, we’ll find out then.”

Huang Heping, having nothing to do in retirement, decided to watch it.

So, he replied to Gao Xinyi.

“Okay, at nine o’clock the day after tomorrow, I’ll definitely watch your live broadcast.”

Yang Chen instructed Douyin and other platforms to promote Gao Xinyi’s video to reach a wider audience.

At the same time, Zhang Yulong, chairman of Baoli Technology Group, was calling Xu Jun, chairman of Baoli Group.

Zhang Yulong: “Chairman Xu, it’s done! We’ve signed a contract with the US, selling them 20,000 machine guns and 70 million bullets for 30 million US dollars. Also, the matter of Saudi Arabia purchasing 052Ds [a type of Chinese destroyer] has been officially put on the agenda. We’re inviting them to send people to inspect the actual ships. I’ll give them a good sales pitch and try to persuade them to place an order.”

Xu Jun: “Haha… Good, great. This is the best news I’ve heard recently.”

Just as he finished speaking, the secretary rushed in.

Xu Jun covered the microphone and asked, “What’s wrong? What is it?”

The secretary quickly handed the tablet to Xu Jun and said, “Chairman Xu, you’ll understand when you see it.”

The secretary showed Xu Jun the video posted by Gao Xinyi. When he heard that the artificial rainmaking bomb produced by Starlight Defense could evade THAAD and CNMD, Xu Jun was shaken.

“How… how is that possible? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! They can’t have such capabilities! It must be false advertising, absolutely impossible!” Xu Jun exclaimed in shock.

Rather than saying it was impossible, it was more like he couldn’t accept it.

Baoli Technology had just achieved some success, and now Starlight Defense had come up with a stealthy artificial rainmaking bomb, which Xu Jun found hard to believe.

If the artificial rainmaking bomb could be stealthy, wouldn’t that mean the material could also be used on airplanes and missiles?

The stealth material capable of evading CNMD and THAAD is as significant as developing a quantum chip.

If this technology and material were used in weapons, Dragon Country’s military capabilities would immediately jump to the forefront globally.

Dragon Country would likely be able to intercept other countries’ weapons.

However, other countries’ air defense systems wouldn’t be able to lock onto and intercept Dragon Country’s weapons because they couldn’t detect them, leaving them helpless as missiles fell and planes flew overhead. How desperate would that be?

Hearing Xu Jun repeatedly say impossible, Zhang Yulong anxiously asked, “Chairman Xu, what’s impossible? Are you saying that Saudi Arabia’s purchase of 052Ds is impossible?”

Xu Jun: “No! The secretary just showed me a video. In the video, a blogger said he’d be selling artificial rainmaking bombs and cloud generators produced by Starlight Defense the day after tomorrow. He even said that the artificial rainmaking bomb had been tested in the East Sea, and no air defense system had detected it. The main feature of this artificial rainmaking bomb is its stealth capability. Do you think this is possible?”

Zhang Yulong: “Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Our country’s radar can detect the world’s most advanced stealth equipment. How could Starlight Defense produce an artificial rainmaking bomb that can evade our air defense system? Impossible, I wouldn’t believe it even if you killed me! I know, Yang Chen must know that we’ve reached a cooperation with the US, so he’s deliberately releasing false information to mislead everyone.”

Xu Jun: “Whether it’s true or false, we’ll know at nine o’clock the day after tomorrow. Let’s hold back for now and discuss it after watching the live broadcast the day after tomorrow.”

Zhang Yulong: “Okay, I understand.”

Gao Xinyi’s video quickly spread to YouTube, causing a huge sensation. Netizens from all over the world left comments.

Kim Ji-min, a netizen from South Korea: “Haha… This is the funniest joke I’ve heard this year. An artificial rainmaking bomb claiming to be able to evade the most advanced THAAD system? Hilarious.”

Jason Wilson, a netizen from the United States: “No, no, I don’t believe this is true. Maybe it’s a translation error. I can tell you responsibly that there’s currently no equipment that can evade the THAAD system.”

Patak Modi, a netizen from India: “As the world’s third-largest military power, our country hasn’t dared to claim such technology. How dare this company in Dragon Country? If the Dragon Country government announced such news, I might believe it a little. I absolutely don’t believe that a private company has announced that it has mastered such technology. Unless they can prove it to me, I’ll only believe they’re talking nonsense.”

Alexander Rogers, a netizen from Russia: “Really? Is this true? Congratulations to Dragon Country for mastering such technology. As friends, we’re truly happy. I hope Dragon Country and our country will be friends for generations to come and will always be friends.”

Yokoyama Hisata, a netizen from Japan: “How is that possible? Even Papa America [a slang term for the United States] doesn’t have such technology. A private company in Dragon Country wants to master such technology? Give me 100 million, and I still won’t believe it.”

At this point, Chairman Li of Two Stars Group saw the news and immediately understood why Yang Chen had suddenly asked him to inquire whether the THAAD system had detected any anomalies in the direction of Hai City. It turned out that he had conducted an artificial rainmaking bomb stealth test at sea that day.

Chairman Li paused and called someone again to reconfirm whether the THAAD system had detected any anomalies.

Soon, the news came back.

After reconfirmation, the THAAD system had not detected any anomalies throughout the day.

This meant that the artificial rainmaking bomb produced by Starlight Defense had indeed evaded the THAAD system.

Chairman Li gasped. Was the THAAD that South Korea had been counting on useless?

And it was defeated by an artificial rainmaking bomb?

Soon, relevant departments noticed the public discussion online.

Therefore, relevant personnel called Yang Chen to inquire about the situation.

After understanding their intentions, Yang Chen replied very affirmatively: “That’s right, we did conduct the experiment. If your system didn’t detect any anomalies from the sea on October 10th, it means that our artificial rainmaking bomb evaded detection. This way, you can prepare well again. Tomorrow morning at nine o’clock, we’ll be selling goods by the sea. At that time, we’ll repeat the experiment in front of all the viewers. Please pay attention to whether the radar system reacts. Turn on all the radars and don’t hold back.”

The other party replied: “Okay! We’ll prepare immediately and conduct a test tomorrow morning.”

At ten o’clock in the evening, Gao Xinyi called Yang Chen, and they finalized the details for the live broadcast the next morning.

In short, Yang Chen would ask questions using the “Undying Starlight” account, and Gao Xinyi would answer, using this method to explain the performance of artificial rainmaking bombs and cloud generators in detail to the audience.

After the two finished their preparations, they quickly went to sleep.

Nine o’clock in the morning.

Gao Xinyi started broadcasting on time.

Douyin and other platforms promoted Gao Xinyi’s account to allow more netizens to witness the event.

In just ten minutes, the number of real-time online viewers in Gao Xinyi’s Douyin live broadcast room exceeded an astonishing 10 million.

The number of real-time online viewers on Kuaishou [another popular video-sharing platform in China] also exceeded 5 million.

Including Red Book [a social commerce platform] and other platforms, there were more than 23 million viewers watching at this time.

Achieving this kind of viewership at nine o’clock in the morning on a weekday was already remarkable.

Gao Xinyi: “Brothers, good morning. I’m now by the sea, and behind me are the cloud generator and artificial rainmaking bomb preparations. The staff is doing the final system checks to ensure there are no errors before we show the live experiment to everyone. How about it, does anyone have any questions to ask?”

The dense barrage in the live broadcast room was impossible to read, making it impossible to see what the netizens were asking.

At that moment, the Douyin system announced “Undying Starlight gave the anchor billions of stars that are not as good as you”.

“Billions of stars are not as good as you” is a gift specially created by Douyin for Yang Chen. The gift is worth 100,000 Dou coins [approximately $14,000 USD], and the special effect is very impressive. It depicts a character with Yang Chen’s outline as a general in an anime style, leading a large crowd of soldiers toward a girl. The soldiers kneel on one knee, and the general holds the sun and the moon in his hands and walks toward the girl, eventually turning into a ring and placing it on the girl’s finger.

Barrage.

“I’m going! Boss Starlight is here too!”

“What kind of amazing special effect is this? This is the first time I’ve seen this kind of gift. Is it Boss Starlight’s exclusive gift?”

“You can tell it’s not cheap just by looking at the special effects. It must cost at least 10,000 yuan [approximately $1,400 USD].”

…

Gao Xinyi: “Wow, thank you, Brother Starlight, for the billions of stars that are not as good as you. Thank you, thank you. Brother Starlight, do you have anything you want to know? Just ask, and I’ll definitely answer truthfully.”

Undying Starlight: “I want to know, can this artificial rainmaking bomb really be stealthy?”

Gao Xinyi: “Thank you, Brother Starlight, for asking. I solemnly guarantee to everyone here that this artificial rainmaking bomb is truly stealthy. Its surface uses the stealth material newly researched by the Starlight Technology Materials Team—a metasurface film. This material can evade the most advanced radars currently. It can be used not only on artificial rainmaking bombs but also on equipment such as airplanes. Let me put it this way, the selling point of this artificial rainmaking bomb isn’t its rainmaking ability of 1 bomb being equivalent to 8 bombs, but its super stealth ability. We’ll launch one later for everyone to see, and relevant departments will be able to verify whether the radar can scan it.”

Yang Chen continued to ask questions, and Gao Xinyi answered according to the answers they had agreed upon in advance.

The time reached ten o’clock, and all preparations were complete.

Gao Xinyi: “Brothers, our staff has completed the preparations to ensure everything is foolproof. Now, please follow the camera and join me in admiring the cloud generator and artificial rainmaking bomb up close.”

Ordinary artificial rainmaking bombs aren’t very big. The small ones are estimated to be the size of two beverage bottles, and the larger ones are only about one meter [approximately 3.3 feet] long.

The artificial rainmaking bomb from Starlight Defense is relatively large. After all, it’s equivalent to 1 bomb being equivalent to 8 bombs. It’s three meters [approximately 9.8 feet] high and one meter [approximately 3.3 feet] in diameter.

With this size, if it were filled with gunpowder, wouldn’t it instantly transform into a stealth missile?

Gao Xinyi: “This is the artificial rainmaking bomb that we’ll use for experiments to show everyone today. It’s more than twice as large as the rainmaking bomb used in the previous experiment at sea. If one of these is launched, it’ll guarantee heavy rain for more than an hour in 3-4 natural villages and the villagers’ fields, which will definitely solve the drought problem. We also have smaller rainmaking bombs and larger rainmaking bombs. Customers can decide how powerful a rainmaking bomb to buy based on their actual needs.”

Barrage.

“Damn! This is the biggest rainmaking bomb I’ve ever seen.”

“Is this a rainmaking bomb? Isn’t this a missile?”

“Why do I hear the anchor introducing it not as a rainmaking bomb, but as a missile? Decide how powerful a rainmaking bomb to buy according to your needs. Haha…”

“Is this expensive? One can guarantee the rainfall of 3-4 villages. It feels quite cost-effective. Maybe just a few can save Poyang Lake [China’s largest freshwater lake].”

…

The layman looks at the excitement, and the expert looks at the details.

At this time, Huang Heping and other professionals were staring intently at the screen, trying to discern what was so special about the rainmaking bomb produced by Starlight Defense through the lens.

But their eyes were strained, and they didn’t see anything special about the artificial rainmaking bomb.

From the outside, these are just ordinary rainmaking bombs, no different from the common ones. Do these things really have stealth capabilities?

Gao Xinyi was introducing the product seriously, but the audience didn’t have the patience to listen to his explanation. Everyone was now eager to see the effect of the product, instead of listening to him talking about it here.

Gao Xinyi still introduced the product step by step. Then, he said to the audience: “Okay, the product introduction is over. Now, we’re about to begin our experimental session. Everyone, don’t blink. Let’s first witness the effect of the artificial rainmaking bomb together, and see if it really has stealth capabilities.”