The Politburo Standing Committee convened.
It was a meeting attended by the seven most powerful figures, including President Li Guocheng of China.
At this meeting, the direction of China’s state affairs was decided.
Once the direction was set here, the government would take it up and implement it.
It was the de facto supreme organ of power.
The meeting was held strictly behind closed doors.
All seven standing committee members took their seats.
In front of each of them lay several pieces of Ascend.
The expressions of all the committee members in attendance were bright.
There was not a trace of worry to be seen.
It was a meeting that handled the great and small affairs of a nation.
It was always grave, always lined with difficult agenda items, but recently things had been different.
And understandably so, because recently, every article was nothing but positive news about China.
The press was full of articles showing good signals.
They were not fabricated articles produced through media control.
The results had genuinely improved tremendously.
It was the greatest boom since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
This month had recorded the highest export volume in history, and next month’s results were expected to be even better.
In the process, a minor problem called overwork had arisen, but it was nothing serious.
News of technological development also continued to pour in.
There had even been a report that GPUs, which China had struggled to make until recently, could now be sufficiently produced with Chinese technology.
The shortage of GPUs had been the greatest obstacle to AI development, but even that seemed likely to be resolved.
From now on, China could become an AI powerhouse.
There was also news that innovative developments had been made in lithium-ion battery technology and all-solid-state battery technology.
They were still in the testing phase, but the reports were extremely positive.
They said there had also been satisfying results in displays and optics, fiber-optic cables and data centers, and cloud hardware.
On top of that, meaningful results had been achieved in the field of new materials, such as superconductors, graphene, and new alloys.
All of this was thanks to Ascend.
These were results that came about as concentration improved after taking Ascend.
With successive development successes and exports, China was in a festive mood.
China’s stock prices were reaching all-time highs.
Stocks were climbing as if they knew no fear of the heavens.
Even stray dogs were putting money into stocks, saying they would invest.
It was not only the economy and technology sectors that had produced results.
In the arts as well, works that drew the world’s attention were emerging one after another.
Recently released novels, paintings, music, and films had all gained international recognition.
Praise for those works continued.
But the greatest highlight of all was, without a doubt, academia.
The research papers written by Chinese researchers were remarkable.
Nearly every academic journal was filled with papers by Chinese research teams.
Research teams from other countries could barely even submit papers.
Among them, the field of astrophysics in particular showed tremendous progress.
Astrophysics transcends the concepts of time and space that we experience in everyday life.
One must observe and study celestial bodies hundreds of millions or billions of light-years away, and one cannot touch those objects or bring them into a laboratory to study them.
On top of that, one must know various physics theories, including the theory of relativity, and possess advanced mathematical thinking.
But the greater problem was that humanity still did not know what the universe was made of, and the equipment used to measure it had clear limitations when it came to measuring the cosmos.
That was why astrophysics was difficult.
And yet papers by Chinese researchers were pouring like mad into that field of cosmic physics.
Papers kept being submitted that made one wonder how they had been written, as if the authors had truly gone to space and seen it with their own eyes.
Whether the papers were right or wrong could not be confirmed.
Since they could not go to space and conduct experiments, it could not be helped.
Only after a very long time would verification become possible.
However, the papers themselves possessed perfect logic, and they were more than worthy of being accepted as new theories.
Thanks to that, they were published in world-class academic journals.
In the field of astrophysics, China was becoming the undisputed top nation.
******
“Why do you keep asking to see me? I’m busy. Just do it over the phone.”
“How could I discuss something this important over the phone?”
I had come to Beijing again.
Because Zhou Qiming had called me.
“Whether it’s over the phone or face-to-face, you’re going to do whatever you want in the end anyway.”
“No. That’s a misunderstanding. A misunderstanding.”
“Then why did you hold the event like that?”
“I told you, I thought everything had been agreed upon at the time.”
“Ugh, forget it. So why did you ask to see me?”
“Let’s move first. There’s somewhere we need to go.”
“Why, are you going to kidnap me again? Not tying me up this time? Are there no agents around?”
“Ahem… I’m sorry about that. Haven’t I apologized several times?”
“Does apologizing make what happened disappear?”
“I’m sorry. This time, it’s something that absolutely has to be kept secret, so I couldn’t tell you. I ask for your understanding.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll know as soon as we get there.”
The place we arrived at by car was a residential district in China.
Rows of similarly built detached houses stood there, and the car drove into one of them.
As soon as I got out, dozens of people who looked like bodyguards were standing there.
The bodyguards searched me.
Not that they’d be able to find anything in my inventory anyway, but they sure were diligent.
After the search was over, we passed through tight security and entered the building.
Before opening the door and going in, Zhou Qiming asked,
“Do you know whom we’ve come to meet?”
“I’m not a ghost, so how would I know that? You have to tell me for me to know.”
“Don’t be surprised. We’ve come to see President Li Guocheng. The president told me to keep it secret, but I’m telling you in advance because I thought you might be too shocked.”
To be honest, I was a little surprised.
Who was I for the president to meet me?
Even if we met, I didn’t think there would be much to say.
There was nothing I wanted to ask for, either.
If I had time for this, I should’ve eaten another plate of Dongpo pork.
Still, if he was in front of me, it was only polite to at least greet him.
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Alex.”
I bowed at the waist.
Then Li Guocheng would say, “Nice to meet you,” and extend his hand, and I could shake it, right?
That was what I thought, but Li Guocheng did not move as I expected.
Li Guocheng strode over and pulled me into a tight embrace.
What is this? What is this situation right now?
Who is hugging me right now?
The people around us also seemed extremely surprised by Li Guocheng’s behavior.
Zhou Qiming, in particular, seemed the most shocked.
I had watched him up close, but Zhou Qiming had never acted like that.
“It is good to meet you. China’s hero. China’s torch. I truly wanted to see you. I have much to thank you for.”
He spoke while still hugging me.
Why are you talking right into my ear?
This is seriously uncomfortable.
I carefully slipped out of Li Guocheng’s arms and spoke modestly.
“Not at all. It wasn’t me who did it. Wasn’t it the Chinese people who accomplished it?”
“Hahahaha. You even speak beautifully, my friend. Let’s sit down and talk first.”
We sat down in plush chairs.
“I was originally going to summon you to my office in Zhongnanhai, but Zhou Qiming said it would be better for both of us to meet quietly, so I called you here.”
“Yes. I also prefer meeting quietly.”
“I suggested giving you the Medal of Friendship, at least, but everyone opposed it. Apparently there are many procedures involved in awarding it. They said it would be more inconvenient for you than for me.”
“Your words alone are more than enough.”
That was right.
If I received an order like that, it would be splashed all over the media.
On top of that, the Medal of Friendship was not something given to ordinary people like me, but to heads of friendly states.
There was no reason for me to receive something like that, and I shouldn’t receive it, either.
If I accepted such a thing, my existence would be completely exposed.
For people like us who lived in the shadows, that was the thing we had to avoid most.
In that respect, Zhou Qiming was good at his job.
He hid me well.
Or maybe he just wanted to step forward himself.
“If there’s anything you need, say it freely. I’ll grant it all.”
“Hahaha. It’s all right. I didn’t start this because I wanted something.”
“Even so, if you’ve produced results, you should receive the corresponding reward. First, I told them to issue you a green card. Stay in China whenever and for as long as you like.”
“Thank you.”
“If you need anything else, say anything, and I will help with whatever I can.”
“What I have now is already enough.”
“By the way. Would it be possible to increase the supply a little more?”
“I believe I already conveyed through Minister Zhou Qiming that we are already producing at full capacity.”
“I received the report, but the supply is still far too insufficient.”
“We are also looking for countermeasures.”
“What about building more factories? We will invest in all the necessary costs, land, and manpower. If they are built in China, they could be constructed much faster.”
“Hmm… If you’re going that far… may I make one proposal?”
“A proposal? Go ahead.”
“In truth, the drug in Ascend that improves concentration exists separately. We put it into candy to make it easy to consume.”
“I know that as well.”
“The reason the supply is insufficient, and the reason production takes so long, is entirely because of the time needed to make the candy. The concentrate that improves concentration can be made quickly. So what I’m saying is, how about making the candy here yourselves?”
When they heard that, I could feel Li Guocheng and Zhou Qiming’s expressions brighten.
From their perspective right now, it must have seemed as though I had set the table and brought it right in front of them.
Dozens, hundreds of business ideas must have been flashing through their minds.
“Then you would only export the concentrate, and we would build candy factories and manufacture it?”
“That’s right. Then you could choose various sizes and flavors for the candy, and it wouldn’t necessarily have to be candy. Gummies, chocolate. Or you could mix it into other foods or snacks.”
“That is a truly excellent idea. I’ll set it in motion immediately. By the way, have you no intention of moving the factory that makes that concentrate to China?”
“I think that would be difficult. The friends who make it are very shy.”
“Then what about supplying it exclusively to China?”
“Pardon?”
“We want to make Ascend an item belonging only to China. Supply Ascend exclusively to China.”
The moment Li Guocheng said that, I cheered inwardly.
At last, the words I wanted had come out.
Still, I had to demur at least once.
“Ah… In that case, the unit price won’t work out. We’re not people who do business for money… but we still have to cover labor costs. We also need research and development funds to make other products.”
“Of course I understand. I know. I know that you are doing business for the sake of the Chinese Dream. We, too, will provide compensation worthy of that. Don’t worry about that part. We will make sure it is never lacking.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“What is there to think about? If you need more, say so. Through conversation, can’t we find common ground?”
I paused for a long while, pretending to think.
Then I answered.
“Hmm, I really shouldn’t, but since you have shown me such goodwill, Mr. President, I’ll go ahead and make it exclusive to China.”
“Hahahahaha. You are truly my genuine friend. If you ever need my help, do not hesitate to call me.”
Li Guocheng handed me his personal number.
But why is he hugging me again?
.
.
.
I had agonized over it for quite a long time.
I had intended to return China to the opium era.
I wanted to make every Chinese person dependent on drugs.
Since they shouldn’t die while taking drugs, I planned to distribute a healthy drug.
I thought about it for a long time and made plans.
But not a single plan I had made had ever proceeded as I intended.
The situation changed every time, and each time I had no choice but to improvise and respond accordingly.
That was how drastic Ascend was, and each time, it created change.
The first plan, which had been to bundle them in tens and twenties and sell them while going around clubs and bars,
had changed into the absurd form of official Ascend stores.
There was no need for smuggling, nor any need for the black market.
People’s reactions also went far beyond what I had imagined.
How was I supposed to predict and deal with a situation like this?
Even so, there was something I had to prepare for.
I had to make an exit.
The Ascend craze was still in its early stages, but looking at the long term, I had to prepare.
So my decision was to put China forward as the front.
From now on, the whole world would show interest in Ascend.
They would search for the source of Ascend.
I planned to redirect that to China.
We produce only the most important ingredient of Ascend ourselves. The rest, we leave to China.
Money? Let China make plenty of that.
In the end, it’s bound to come to us.
There’s no need to rush.
We have to wait so the fish caught on the hook can be lured in even more securely.
We had to scatter the bait properly.
It isn’t time to yank the line yet.
That was why I allowed Li Guoqing’s monopoly.
China makes it, and the whole world buys it.
China draws all the attention, and I collect the money from behind the scenes.
That was the exit strategy I had in mind.
*******
Elliot Grayson poured himself a cup of tea and drank it.
The mild aroma and faint sweetness left his mouth feeling refreshed.
One of the good things about staying in China was that he could drink a great deal of tea.
He had drunk plenty of tea in England as well, but Chinese tea was special.
Its flavor was deeper, more dignified.
The pleasure of drinking tea was immense.
That pleasure was the only delight that allowed him to endure his difficult life in China.
Elliot had come all the way to distant China for the sake of writing a novel.
He was an outstanding novelist, to the point that he had received the Nobel Prize in Literature ten years ago.
But ever since then, he had been in a slump for ten years.
Leaving aside the poor performance of his novels, writing itself had become painfully difficult for Elliot.
It felt as if writing had abandoned him.
Then one day, he happened to watch a documentary related to China.
It piqued his interest.
He thought it might be good to write a novel on that subject.
After drafting a simple plot, he came to China to gather detailed information.
Because if he was going to write a novel using China as its subject matter, he thought it only right to write it in China.
He wanted to collect vivid, living material.
And so he had been staying in China long-term, gathering material and writing his novel.
The only pleasure he had in China was the moment he drank tea.
But except for those moments of drinking tea,
everything else was deeply unsatisfactory.
First of all, the internet didn’t work.
To be precise, the censorship was so severe that there were far too many sites he couldn’t access.
Google didn’t work, nor could he see Instagram or YouTube.
Of course, he could use a VPN, but for Elliot, who was nearing sixty, that was not an easy task.
Even when he finally managed to connect through a VPN, it was unstable.
The speed was slow and inconvenient.
On top of that, there was a strong tendency to look at foreigners with rejection.
It was less so in big cities, but once he entered even slightly rural villages, everyone stared at Elliot with strange eyes.
For the timid Elliot, that situation was quite burdensome.
He had come all the way to China because he wanted to see with his own eyes the rural Chinese villages that would become the subject of his novel,
because he wanted to meet real Chinese people and talk with them, but in the face of their cold gazes, there was nothing he could do.
He had no material, and he couldn’t communicate with people.
He tried using a translator, but the device could not translate the subtle intonations or nuances they displayed.
It would have been better to just look things up on the internet and write.
The exhaust fumes and bottled water, the greasy foods and heavily spiced dishes only tormented Elliot further when he was already struggling to adapt.
The honking that blared everywhere, the smell of cigarettes, and the disorder in public places wore Elliot down even more.
He wanted to return to England.
But he had written too little, and he had failed to properly research his material.
He needed living material from China, yet obtaining such material in China was even harder.
If anything, Google seemed better.
It was suffocating.
Then one day, a friend who helped him with work stopped by with a bright expression.
He was a local assistant who lightly helped him with things on-site.
Elliot had asked him to get a few items he needed, and he had brought them.
But today, for some reason, the man’s expression looked especially bright.
“Did something good happen?”
“Not exactly something good. Elliot, do you know Ascend?”
“Ascend? Are you asking me what the word means?”
“Hahaha. So you don’t know. It’s a new functional candy that came out recently.”
“Functional candy?”
“Yeah. When you eat it, your mind clears up, and your concentration improves tremendously. I’ve been eating it while studying lately. It helps me focus so well.”
“Haha. What kind of candy does that?”
“I’m telling you, it’s real. Elliot, do you want to try one too?”
“I don’t eat things like candy.”
“Still, try it. You never know. It might help you write your novel.”
“Then leave one here. I’ll try it later.”
Of course, Elliot had no intention of eating some candy.
He had merely accepted the gesture so the friend who offered it would not feel embarrassed.
After the local assistant left, Elliot remained alone.
He sat down in front of his laptop again, but the cursor was still only blinking on the blank screen.
He could not write even a single letter.
Thinking perhaps a cup of tea might help, he was on his way to prepare some when he noticed the candy the local assistant had left behind.
Since his writing was going so poorly, he wondered if he should just try one.
As he got older, he had kept his distance from sweets.
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he last ate candy.
The moment he peeled off the wrapper and put it in his mouth, a refreshing sweetness filled his mouth.
It’s just candy, what’s so—
The instant he thought that.
A thrilling sensation stimulated his brain.
Is this really candy?
What is this? Even as he wondered, he found himself enjoying that thrill.
It was a pleasant, electrifying feeling.
In a good mood for the first time in a while, he sat down in front of his laptop again.
He didn’t need tea.
When he placed his hands on the keyboard to write, countless inspirations poured down.
No, they overflowed.
So many sentences came to mind that he didn’t know which one to write first.
The era of China that would form the setting of his novel, the characters, and the events all seemed to structure themselves clearly.
As if rearranging the furniture in a house, he tried changing the characters and shifting the placement of events.
Each time, new incidents and events continued to come to him.
It felt as if he had discovered an endlessly gushing source of inspiration.
So this was it.
This was why they called it the candy of concentration.
They called it Ascend, did they?
With this, he could write novels as much as he wanted.
But then his suddenly clear vision blurred, and the structure of the novel that had been so distinct just moments ago all disappeared.
Like a midsummer night’s dream.
And then an extreme hunger came over him.
What is this?
First, he was so hungry that he opened the refrigerator and began taking out anything he could find to eat.
Elliot usually ate very little, so there was not much food in the refrigerator, but he rummaged through it thoroughly and put whatever he could find into his mouth.
After eating, Elliot’s expression changed.
He needed Ascend.
It was the Chinese night street he did not want to go out into, but Elliot took money with him and left.
To buy Ascend.
No one had told him, but Elliot knew.
In order to complete his novel, Ascend was absolutely necessary.
.
.
.
There was no need to write the novel in China.
He did not want to stay in a place like this any longer.
As long as he had Ascend, China unfolded inside his head no matter where he was.
That era, that scene, those events unfolded vividly.
The characters lived and breathed.
All Elliot had to do was transfer it into writing.
After buying a large amount of Ascend, he went to the airport.
Now he would leave China and return to his comfortable home.
He would return home and devote himself to writing.
It was certain that the greatest masterpiece of his life would emerge.
And then he arrived at the airport.
The check-in counters were busy.
What is this?
Why is it like this?
He looked at the people.
Everyone had their suitcases opened, and the contents were being checked one by one.
What is this?
Only then did Elliot see the notice written in large letters.
- Ascend has been classified as an important national technology, and its export overseas is prohibited.
- In order to take Ascend out of the country, permission must be obtained from the relevant authorities.
- Anyone who exports Ascend will be subject to imprisonment of up to five years or a fine.
Huh? What is this?
Why is taking Ascend out prohibited?
What makes that an important national technology?
Elliot despaired.
He considered pretending not to know and trying to bring it through.
But judging by the atmosphere, he could see that all the Ascend belonging to people who had tried to sneak it through was being confiscated.
There was no need to take a risk over something like this.
The Ascend he had now was something he had barely managed to obtain after standing in line for a long time.
There was already a shortage of stock, so these days they did not sell much at a time.
He had no choice but to cancel his ticket again and get into a taxi heading back to his lodging, where horns blared loudly and the air was full of exhaust fumes and cigarette smoke.