Chapter 33: The Foreign Moon Isn't Any Rounder
Li Tang paid no attention to the gossip swirling around him. He buried himself in the computer room, his fingers dancing across the keyboard as he continued organizing everything he remembered about bioleaching technology.
As expected, not long after, Zhao Hepu came to the Exploration Company to seek technical assistance from Qin Jianshe regarding bioleaching.
But in reality, it was just a way to reach out to Li Tang indirectly.
Li Tang had seen this coming from a mile away.
Even in the next two or three years, China still wouldn't have a fully mature domestic bioleaching technology.
Nor were there any institutions or individuals truly leading the field.
Sure, some companies—like Jiujiang Copper—had grasped the basic framework, but their tech was far from advanced.
Internationally, biohydrometallurgical techniques had already seen significant breakthroughs. Some mines overseas had already implemented large-scale production, and leaching rates had even reached 90%. So why didn't Chinese companies just go abroad and learn from these success stories?
Because foreign technology simply didn't fit domestic resources and mines.
The reason overseas bioleaching operations could achieve a 90% leaching rate was because they primarily worked with oxidized ores.
In contrast, more than 60% of China's copper deposits were chalcopyrite—a sulfide ore. The difference was like night and day.
The moon isn't any rounder on the other side.
What fits is what's best.
That's why Chinese experts and research teams continued to toil, painstakingly studying bioleaching.
And it was fair to say that, aside from Li Tang, there really wasn't anyone in China at the time with a truly advanced theoretical system for biohydrometallurgy.
"Li Tang! Come here—see what Director Zhao brought for you!" Qin Jianshe called out with a laugh, motioning for him to come to the office.
Zhao Hepu had brought over a few bottles of wine. Upon seeing Li Tang, his face lit up with its usual warm smile. "I just got back from Jiujiang Province. They still have some good liquor down there. Picked up quite a bit—brought some over for you all to try."
"Coming over here with gifts so openly? You definitely have something you want," Qin teased, seeing right through him. "You asked for Li Tang by name. Go on—what do you need?"
"Sit, Li Tang," Zhao said, gesturing toward the chair next to him. Only then did he plop down into his own seat. He glanced at the teapot, didn't care if the tea was hot or cold, and chugged three cups in a row before finally letting out a breath. "I just flew in from Jiujiang. Didn't drink a drop on the plane. Work is hard—and sometimes, we have no choice but to bite the bullet."
"I heard you went down to negotiate with Jiujiang about their bioleaching tech. From the looks of it, things didn't go well?" Qin said with a smirk.
"You see everything, don't you?" Zhao grumbled, clearly exasperated. "Not only did it not go well—it pissed me off. You know how much they quoted me? Five million!"
"Five million?" Qin was shocked as he poured a fresh pot of tea. "That's insane. Total daylight robbery."
"Exactly! And for a technology I don't even think that highly of!" Zhao sighed.
His trip had been a bust.
As he poured tea into each cup, Qin said, "Jiujiang Copper is a massive enterprise. If your offer's only in the tens of thousands, they won't even pick up the phone. If they're asking five million, it's because they're hoping to bleed someone dry. They don't need the money, and if you don't buy, they're not bothered."
"True," Zhao admitted. "They've got nothing to lose."
"Can't you bypass Jiujiang and go directly to the research institute they worked with? Maybe get the data straight from the source?"
"I thought about that too," Zhao said. "They collaborated with a university. But the entire research budget came from Jiujiang Copper. The patents are in Jiujiang's name. There's no way around them."
"So now what?" Qin and Zhao both turned to look at Li Tang, who had been quietly sitting off to the side, practically invisible.
When it came to serious discussions, Li Tang blended into the background. But when the topic turned to technical problems, he lit up like the sun.
"What do you think?" Qin asked with a grin.
"You already know—I've been compiling information on bioleaching lately," Li Tang replied, glancing at Zhao. "I have technical data. And it's advanced."
"How advanced?" Zhao asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"At least five to ten years ahead of what Jiujiang Copper has," Li Tang said confidently.
"What's the leaching rate?" Zhao asked quickly.
"Eighty to eighty-five percent," Li Tang replied. "And the cycle can be reduced from 800 days to just six months."
"From 60% to 85%? And from two years to half a year?" Zhao frowned. He had studied up on bioleaching lately, and this sounded… too good to be true.
No domestic mine had ever achieved that level.
Unless—unless Li Tang had somehow acquired a foreign technology.
But that wouldn't work either. Foreign systems didn't adapt well to Chinese ore conditions.
"This data comes from within the country," Li Tang added, reading Zhao's doubts. "I've gathered it from various research teams and published papers. These are actual experimental results from Chinese mines."
So it was homegrown technology—proven to work with China's chalcopyrite.
Zhao studied Li Tang's face for a long time.
"Can you share the files so we can review them first?" he finally asked.
"No," Li Tang said flatly. "Even if I gave them to you, it wouldn't help."
The files were stored on a disc in his pocket—but they were his. He had no obligation to hand them over for free.
"We're willing to pay for them," Zhao said sincerely. "If our tech team confirms the data is valid, we'll buy the technology from you."
"Director Zhao is a man of his word," Qin added.
"I believe that," Li Tang nodded. "But bioleaching isn't just a stack of papers—it's an entire system. I alone can't do it. And your company's team can't do it alone either."
"Then who can?" Zhao pressed.
"I can provide the theoretical framework and experimental data," Li Tang said. "But to build a real production line and a functioning industrial smelting system, you need a professional R&D team."
He paused, then said calmly, "The Metallurgical Research Institute under the China Nonferrous Metals Research Academy is one of the best in the field. To my knowledge, they're currently conducting research on bioleaching."
"You're suggesting we work with them?"
"I'll provide the research direction and theoretical framework. They handle the experiments and build the pilot plant. If the tests prove my theory, then we can move on to constructing a full-scale smelting facility."
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