Chapter 43: Though Thousands May Block the Way, Still I Will Go (Dedicated to the Patron)

Larson stood backstage at the New York television station, repeatedly glancing at the Rolex watch on his wrist. He had secured today's interview through connections at the network, spending over one hundred thousand dollars in total public relations fees.

The media influence of New York was the greatest in America, and countless sensational news stories were broken by the New York media. Larson had chosen the New York television station precisely because he wanted to manufacture public opinion here first.

The money had already been spent, but Larson was uncertain what kind of performance Li Dongling would deliver once on stage, and he could not help feeling a trace of anxiety.

Seeing the television station staff approach the backstage area, Li Dongling took a deep breath and followed the staff into the recording studio.

Brent sat inside the studio, holding the draft of the questions for the upcoming interview in his hand. He was the host of today's exclusive interview.

Brent was an old-school host and reporter who looked down upon heavily scripted interviews and reports; he wanted genuine reporting. Yet precisely because of this, he appeared somewhat out of step with the current media industry. Celebrities were unwilling to accept Brent's interviews—after all, which celebrity was willing to let the public know their flaws? Wasn't that exposing one's shortcomings in public?!

However, it was precisely this trait that lent an extra layer of authenticity to Brent's interviews, leading some viewers to firmly believe in the "truth" reported by Brent.

Upon seeing Li Dongling enter the studio, Brent frowned slightly. He did not harbor any racial prejudices, but Li Dongling's age certainly appeared very young. Moreover, as he had reviewed earlier, today's exclusive interview was about the patent dispute between Dongling High-Tech and Microsoft.

America had not yet entered the era of the Silicon Valley technology heroes, where twenty-something college students or even active undergraduates relied on the internet craze to become multi-millionaires or billionaires. Young people had not yet become the protagonists of technological wealth mythology.

Putting aside the questions Larson and the television station had previously agreed upon, Brent had no intention of following the script. He wanted to interview for the truth and refused to be anyone's pawn.

Li Dongling noticed Brent's action, but his expression remained composed as he calmly sat down opposite Brent.

Meanwhile, Larson saw Brent toss aside the pre-arranged questions and could not help swearing a curse. He tried to rush inside, but the television staff blocked him on the grounds that the recording had already begun.

"Pardon me, I have no intention of offending the company you built, nor the country of your origin. I am simply curious: is this Dongling High-Tech company you founded truly from China?!

I haven't collected data on the Asian technology industry, but as far as I know, the number of computer users over there doesn't seem to be very large!"

Right off the bat, Brent asked an aggressive question, questioning the authenticity of Dongling High-Tech. After all, at this moment, the total number of domestic computer users did not amount to much.

"Currently, the number of computer users in China is indeed less than one hundred thousand, and the price of a single computer exceeds two thousand five hundred dollars. Most families do not yet have the capacity to purchase a computer as a household necessity," Li Dongling answered truthfully.

"But this does not mean that computer-related technology companies have not emerged. On the contrary, a large batch of computer companies is striving to develop computers with better performance, just as American companies have done in the past. Technology companies all over the world are the same!

One must not stop exploring simply because one's hopes are small!"

Hearing Li Dongling's words, although Brent remained skeptical about whether a computer industry could develop domestically, he could not deny the existence of Dongling High-Tech. After all, America's current computer giants had also once grown from weakness to strength; to deny Dongling High-Tech was to deny the existence of companies like HP, Apple, and Dell.

"You are Li, correct? Today's interview was prompted by our seeing Dongling High-Tech's lawsuit against Microsoft. May I ask, did Microsoft truly infringe upon Dongling High-Tech's patents?" Brent asked.

Li Dongling produced several documents. "These are the eight patents regarding appearance, design, and technology submitted by Dongling High-Tech in America under the title 'US53421541: Display System X-Y Coordinate Position Indicator.' They are now entirely held by Dongling High-Tech!"

"This is the new product released by Microsoft at the Las Vegas Computer Expo, and this is the Mechanical Silver Marten mouse launched by Dongling High-Tech. Everyone can compare them for yourselves..."

Upon seeing Li Dongling present the mouse patents alongside the side-by-side comparison of the Mechanical Silver Marten and the Microsoft mouse, one could hardly call them merely similar; they looked like biological twins, with even the color coatings replicated on a one-to-one basis.

Even Brent felt that Microsoft had handled this job a bit too crudely—at the very least, they could have changed the color of the mouse! Even if he had wanted to raise doubts on Microsoft's behalf, he wouldn't have known where to begin.

Coughing lightly, Brent noted that today's interview time was limited to half an hour and he could not drag it out, prompting him to ask the final question of the day.

"Li, what do you think is your probability of winning this lawsuit against Microsoft? Of course, we all hope that justice can descend upon the world, but sometimes things do not go as we wish. If Dongling High-Tech fails in its lawsuit, do you think everything you've done still has any meaning?!"

Hearing this, Li Dongling's expression shifted abruptly. Brent, sitting opposite him, felt as though Li Dongling had transformed into an unsheathed sword, radiating a sharp and piercing edge.

"Not everything must pursue victory or so-called meaning; some things simply must be done by someone!"

"Mencius, a sage of ancient China who lived during the same era as Aristotle, once said: 'Though millions bar my way, I will go.' Microsoft is indeed a behemoth, but when a person stands before a behemoth or an enemy numbering in the tens of thousands, the moment he stands firm, dares to draw his blade, and flashes it at the enemy, he has already won!"

Hearing Li Dongling's words, Brent was filled with profound respect. In America and the Western world, heroes were deeply revered, especially lone heroes. Even if the end result was failure, the endeavor commanded admiration.

At that moment, if the background music could have cued up the Battle of the Bastards theme from *Game of Thrones*, broadcasting today's interview might have stirred the hearts of Americans even more deeply.

However, Li Dongling did not stop there. "Bill Gates is the technology hero I admire most. In China, countless young people like me regard him as a hero of the tech industry. He is that beam of light in the technology sector..."

After first flattering Bill Gates, Li Dongling abruptly changed his tone. "Yet this time, I find myself standing in opposition to Bill Gates. Today's Microsoft has lost its original aspiration. It has become a '3A' company: ambitious, aggressively predatory, and arrogant!"

All three English words began with the letter A; calling Microsoft a 3A company was entirely fitting.

"I know that the probability of failure in this lawsuit against Microsoft is likely much greater than the probability of success, but I need to stand up and do this!

For those who have suffered the same fate, for those young people currently starting their businesses, for those pursuing the American Dream, and to prevent them from suffering the same fate as I have, I must step forward and initiate this lawsuit."

"I know this lawsuit might resemble a lone man foolishly challenging a ferocious dragon—he might not even be able to hack off a single scale of the dragon. But I believe there will be a second, a third... warriors who will challenge the dragon, and one day, the dragon will be slain!"

"You may choose not to help those young people trying to slay the dragon, but please do not mock someone who stands against the wind and snow for the sake of a dream, paving the way for those who come after to climb the peak..."

Li Dongling's final remarks subtly shifted the narrative, directly equating Dongling High-Tech with the countless young people of America and declaring Microsoft to be a ferocious dragon and a malignant tumor. If it did not perish, the youth of America would never have their day in the sun; any product developed by Silicon Valley youngsters in the future would simply be plagiarized by Microsoft. Microsoft was stifling the American Dream of the youth, and if it wasn't slain, public outrage could not be appeased!

By the time Li Dongling finished speaking, the interview had exceeded the allotted time, but neither Brent nor the television station minded in the slightest.

Brent took the lead in applauding, and a wave of applause rippled through the studio. In Brent's eyes at that moment, Li Dongling was already a lonely dragon-slaying hero who knew defeat was certain, yet charged into the dragon's lair without hesitation, if only to awaken the world.

"Li, rest assured, today's interview will be broadcast in its entirety on television. I guarantee you that much... but good luck!"

Brent patted Li Dongling's shoulder, though a trace of helpless pity lingered in his eyes. He did not believe that such an interview could truly overthrow the Microsoft empire, which only made him feel a deeper sympathy for Li Dongling.

Upon returning backstage, Larson excitedly bumped fists with Li Dongling. "Damn it, Li, I just wanted to say that even if you went to Hollywood, you'd definitely make it big. Just now, even I actually believed your speech!

Next, leave it to me, dragon-slaying hero!"

After the interview concluded, Larson hurried away; there was very little left that required Li Dongling's personal attention.

The following day, after the New York television station broadcast Brent's interview with Li Dongling, it stirred up quite a stir in New York. It wasn't as though dirt on Microsoft and Bill Gates had never been exposed before, but those were mostly corporate rivalries that ordinary people didn't care much about.

Yet now, the appearance of a tragic hero touched a nerve among New Yorkers. A young man who had traveled across mountains and seas on an arduous journey, solely to fight a lawsuit destined for defeat—even if it were only to let people see the true face of Microsoft—such a tragic hero transcended gender, race, and national borders, naturally evoking deep empathy.

The youth of New York, in particular, resonated strongly with it. Substituting themselves into Li Dongling's position, they felt only despair, and curses rained down upon Microsoft.

The New York television interview served merely as a catalyst. Although it caused ripples in New York, it had not yet fully detonated the American media—until *The New York Times* published a feature article:

"Plagued by Scandals Repeatedly, What on Earth is Wrong with Microsoft?!"