143: Chapter 143 Job-hopping Turmoil

Chen Youhua and enlightenment continued their conquest of various games. Time flew by in the virtual world, and in the blink of an eye, the year-end was approaching.

The Spring Festival came exceptionally early this year, with New Year's Eve falling at the end of January.

Chen Youhua thoroughly implemented his policy of balancing work and leisure. Every day, he indulged himself by letting enlightenment carry him through various games, from MOBAs to FPSs and strategy games, enjoying himself immensely.

His main philosophy was that if enlightenment was powerful, then he was powerful; he was determined to experience the skill ceiling of every game genre.

However, this cheat-like gaming experience eventually caught the attention of the authorities.

At the Penguin Games Security Center, a technician held a report and briefed his supervisor.

"Supervisor, this account's behavioral patterns are too abnormal."

"The PC operational precision far exceeds human limits, yet the mouse trajectory detection shows natural jitter, which isn't a characteristic of scripts."

"The mobile side is even more ridiculous. The reaction speed, operational precision, and global awareness are all at a non-human level. It has reached the very top tier of the server in almost every game."

"Player complaint emails are piling up like a mountain, all questioning if it's an internal staff member or someone using cheats."

The supervisor rubbed his temples; he had been monitoring this account for a while.

What gave him an even bigger headache was that this account's real-name verification information was specially flagged in the system with extremely high authority; they couldn't even query the specific identity.

This meant the person behind the account had an unfathomably deep background.

This was also the reason why the account hadn't been banned yet.

"I see."

The supervisor sighed.

"Find a time to use the official customer service account to try and contact the owner. Be polite and ask what the situation is."

"Try to negotiate and see if they can... uh... restrain themselves a bit, or provide a reasonable explanation."

He was also helpless; dealing with an account that clearly had a background made him feel tied down.

Naturally, enlightenment was using Chen Youhua's real-name information to register.

Under Rabbit Country's powerful personal information protection mechanism,

Chen Youhua's information was as if locked in the highest-level safe; no so-called big data or social engineering databases could peek into it.

The Penguin officials could only stare blankly.

Just as Chen Youhua was pondering which game to conquer next, Li Wei came to find him again.

This time, her expression was exceptionally serious, even carrying a hint of anxiety.

"Youhua, there's something I must report to you."

Li Wei closed the office door and kept her voice very low.

"Recently, Researchers from several groups in the laboratory have privately reported the situation to me."

"They've been receiving headhunter calls, emails, and even social media messages through various channels, all containing invitations for high-salary poaching."

"Most are from other domestic laboratories, and some are even from... overseas institutions."

"The conditions offered are quite exaggerated: direct housing gifts, private cars with female assistants, and salaries at least three times what we offer here..."

Li Wei paused, observing Chen Youhua's reaction.

"Some team members... are already a bit tempted."

"Especially those with heavy life pressures—some are saving for a down payment, some are repaying huge mortgages, and a few are in their thirties."

"Because they're busy with work and have small social circles, they've remained single and haven't even had a girlfriend... they feel this is a chance to change their lives."

After listening, Chen Youhua didn't show much surprise. He just gave a faint "Oh" and asked,

"How did you handle it?"

The anxiety on Li Wei's face surfaced immediately.

"I talked to them immediately!"

"I emphasized that the prosthetic limb project is currently in a critical phase of tackling key problems, and the only reason they're getting these invitations is because they participated in our project!"

"Most people understand the logic, but... but some people's real-life pressures are just too great!"

Chen Youhua sighed softly, expressing understanding.

"Yes, people always strive for higher ground."

"We indeed cannot stop others from pursuing a better life."

"But!"

Li Wei's voice rose sharply, tinged with a sense of grievance.

"They all signed non-disclosure agreements! And there's the PI system!"

"Now that the project is halfway through, core members are job-hopping—what is that supposed to mean? Do they still want a future in the academic circle?"

"What's even more ridiculous is that a few have even considered jumping directly to overseas companies! They're completely disregarding the non-disclosure agreements!"

"How many have clearly stated they want to leave?" Chen Youhua asked, his tone remaining calm.

"Currently, three or four backbones have clearly stated their position, are already preparing for handovers, and are even asking about the resignation process! They're all in key positions!"

Li Wei was deeply worried.

"What I fear most is that once this gap is opened,"

"once those three or four leave and the others who were already wavering see that nothing happened, they'll surely follow!"

"When the laboratory team falls apart, what will happen to the project? Will it just come to a standstill?"

Chen Youhua said faintly,

"Job-hopping overseas is impossible. Our project is a key national support project with strict confidentiality levels."

"They can leave as individuals, but if they want to run out with the things in their heads, that's wishful thinking."

Chen Youhua paused and then continued,

"The biggest fear is that they first jump to other seemingly safe places domestically, then leak information through back channels, and finally flee abroad."

"The Weihua Company had several such examples before."

"That's why I'm so anxious! If the Researchers really all run away, how can we push this project forward? Wang Zhe is also at his wit's end over there..."

Li Wei's eyes turned slightly red, and her voice choked up a bit.

"And once the data is fully leaked, all our first-mover advantages and all our results will be gone. All that research funding will directly become someone else's gain."

She was, after all, a PhD who came from under Professor Zhang Zhenhua, with first-rate scientific research capabilities.

But her management experience was still shallow. Especially when facing such organized, high-specification, and precision-strike poaching methods aimed at team morale, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness and grievance.

Back then, when she and Wang Zhe were invited by Chen Youhua to become the actual heads of this key project, it was an honor but also a pressure.

Now that the team was facing fragmentation, she felt she hadn't done well in all aspects.

Chen Youhua looked at Li Wei's reddened eyes and fell silent for a moment.

He didn't offer comfort but instead stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the campus outside, where the crowds were thinning as the holidays approached.

"I see."

He said calmly.

"For those few who are determined to leave, approve all of them."

Li Wei was stunned, unable to believe what she had heard.

"Youhua, what... what are you saying? Is the prosthetic project not going to continue?"

Chen Youhua turned around. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were deep.

"Don't they want to leave? Let them go. As long as they don't leak the data later, there won't be any problem."

Li Wei was completely bewildered.

"Let them go? Then... then the others..."

"Do as I say."

Chen Youhua's tone brooked no doubt.

"For those who leave, let them leave cleanly. As for the others... and the project you're worried about..."

The corners of his mouth curled into an extremely faint arc.

"Won't it be fine if I solve it?"