85: Chapter 85, First Stage

In the office of the person in charge of A-705 Laboratory, Chen Youhua pushed the door open and bumped into Wang Zhe and Li Wei huddled in front of the computer screen, whispering to the holographic image of Qiming.

"Qiming, you say this neural synapse signal simulation, if we use this kind of gradient material..."

"Sister Li Wei, according to existing literature and my simulation analysis, this scheme poses significant risks in long-term biocompatibility, I suggest considering..."

"Ahem." Chen Youhua cleared his throat.

The two jumped apart, like students caught slacking off in class by the teacher.

Wang Zhe scratched his head awkwardly: "Youhua... we were... um... discussing cutting-edge issues!"

Chen Youhua ignored his defense, his eyes sweeping over Qiming, who was standing obediently on the screen, and cut straight to the point.

"The project proposal has been submitted, there shouldn't be much of a problem, and the funds and resources will be in place soon. By then, a batch of newcomers will flood into the laboratory, including recent master's graduates and experienced hands."

His tone was very flat, as if he were explaining an ordinary task.

"The two of you, as the backbone and actual managers of the laboratory, must be responsible for coordinating the daily operations well."

The ease on Wang Zhe and Li Wei's faces faded instantly, becoming serious.

They knew what Chen Youhua meant.

The laboratory is not an ivory tower; when there are many people, there are many minds.

Resource allocation, pressure on experimental progress, authorship of results, and even trivial daily frictions could all trigger conflicts.

As someone who has to do research and manage people, the burden is not light.

"Understood, we will be careful." Li Wei nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry, boss, I guarantee to keep everyone united!" Wang Zhe also patted his chest to guarantee, although his eyes still revealed a trace of anxiety.

Chen Youhua nodded and continued.

"There is one more thing, the laboratory is crowded and mixed, install a permission lock on this office as soon as possible. Except for the two of you, no one else is allowed to enter without permission."

He pointed to the computer where Qiming was.

Wang Zhe and Li Wei immediately understood the key point.

Qiming is the core of the core and must never be exposed.

"Externally, for all deep data processing and complex report generation that requires Qiming's participation," Chen Youhua added.

"Use a unified statement, say that we have a deep outsourcing cooperation with Xinghuo Research Institute. You two are responsible for collecting requirements, summarizing them, processing them uniformly, and then distributing the results. The process must be clear, and the traces must be controllable."

"Then... what about Senior Zhao Gang and Senior Sister Sun Qian? Can't they be exposed to it either?" Wang Zhe asked.

These two were poached from Professor Zhang and are considered relatively close insiders.

Chen Youhua shook his head, his tone without waves.

"Not for now. Bringing them here is to help you share specific experimental tasks and the pressure of personnel management. The laboratory's progress must be accelerated; there is no time to dawdle as you did before. Qiming," he glanced at the screen, "is a tool exclusive to you two. Use it well to improve efficiency."

Wang Zhe and Li Wei looked at each other, both seeing a heavy responsibility and a trace of urgency in the other's eyes.

Boss Chen's meaning is very clear.

Qiming is the core, but the two of them are the drivers and navigators; they must control the direction and keep the secret.

The success and speed of the laboratory largely depend on them.

"Understood!" The two spoke in unison.

...

A few days later, news of the project approval officially arrived, and funds began to arrive one after another.

The first all-staff meeting of A-705 Laboratory was held in a spacious conference room.

Chen Youhua stood at the end of the long table, looking at the people sitting full below.

In addition to the veterans like Wang Zhe, Li Wei, Zhao Gang, and Sun Qian, there were more than a dozen unfamiliar or semi-familiar faces.

There were recent master's graduates who had just come out of school, with excitement and a trace of ignorance in their eyes.

There were also senior Researchers in their thirties or forties, with calm expressions and scrutinizing eyes.

The laboratory finally had popularity, but it also brought a complex human field.

"The project proposal has passed."

Chen Youhua went straight to the point, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Everyone present, you should all know what this laboratory is going to do when you were interviewed."

"Bio-mechanical fusion prosthetics."

He did not passionately describe the great significance of the project, nor did he hide its huge difficulties.

"I know, some people must be thinking, is this goal too whimsical? Are we taking too big a step?"

His calm gaze swept across the audience, like a precise scanner, capturing everyone's subtle reactions.

Some eyes were focused, some frowned slightly, some looked down at their notebooks, and some were expressionless.

"It's normal to have thoughts. However," his tone changed, still stable but with an unquestionable force.

"Since you chose to join this laboratory and signed the contract, from today on, everyone's work focus and goal is only one."

"Moving towards this result."

He paused, his gaze becoming sharper.

"In my laboratory, I don't welcome slacking off, and even less can I tolerate saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back. If you have questions, you can raise them at the project discussion meeting; if you have difficulties, you can find Wang Zhe, Li Wei, or me to communicate. But complaining in private, shaking the morale, or pretending to work is not allowed."

He didn't raise his voice, but the weight in his words made the atmosphere in the conference room instantly heavy.

Several senior Researchers exchanged glances, their expressions more serious, while a few newcomers sat up straight subconsciously.

"The goal of the first phase of the project," Chen Youhua clicked on the projection behind him, which clearly stated, "is to find or build an interface material with bidirectional biological neural conduction function."

He explained: "Simply put, it requires a special bridge material. It must be able to be stably grafted onto biological nerves, capable of accurately translating chemical signals released by nerve cells and converting them into electrical signals to control prosthetics. At the same time, it must also be able to convert external information received by prosthetic sensors into electrical signals, and then translate them into chemical signals that nerve cells can understand, transmitting them back to the brain to realize sensory feedback."

Once this goal was thrown out, a suppressed gasp and low whispers sounded in the conference room.

"Bidirectional conduction? And realize sensory feedback?"

"This... this difficulty coefficient is too high!"

"Is there any mature technology now?"

The new Researcher, Dr. Xiao, a man in his forties with thick glasses who had been working in the field of neural materials for many years, couldn't help but push his glasses, his brows knotted, and he questioned directly:

"Professor Chen, with all due respect, is this goal setting... too aggressive?"

His voice carried the caution of a professional Researcher and a trace of imperceptible worry.

"As far as I know, the most cutting-edge research in the world, such as the artificial nerves of the NBS Laboratory in Eagle Country, has only made breakthrough progress in one-way signal transmission, and the transmission speed has indeed reached twice that of natural nerves. But even so, in terms of sensory feedback, they have only realized the most basic perception of cold and heat, which is still far from fine touch and proprioceptive feedback."

He looked around at his colleagues and continued.

"This in itself is a systematic project that requires long-term collaboration of top multidisciplinary teams! It involves extreme breakthroughs in multiple fields such as neurobiology, materials science, microelectronics, and signal processing. For our single laboratory, no matter how good the equipment is, wanting to conquer this hard bone in a short time... I'm afraid I can't be optimistic."

Researcher Xiao's words were like a stone thrown into water, stirring up more whispers of agreement and worry.

Several other experienced Researchers also nodded one after another, looking troubled.

The risk of challenging such a high-difficulty goal at the beginning of the project is really too great.

If there is a huge investment but no output for a long time, it is a blow to the team's morale and personal resume.

Chen Youhua listened quietly, with no expression of being offended or displeased on his face.

When the discussion subsided, he said calmly:

"The progress of the NBS Laboratory mentioned by Dr. Xiao, as well as the systematic difficulty of the project, are all objective facts. I know how difficult this goal is."

He admitted the difficulty without avoiding it.

"However," his tone changed, and his gaze swept over everyone.

"It is precisely because it is difficult that it is worth doing. Since Eagle Country can achieve a one-way breakthrough, why can't we try bidirectional? They are still exploring cold and heat perception, why can't we explore more refined feedback?"

His tone was still flat, but it revealed an unquestionable determination.

"Project difficulty is not a reason to stagnate. For a systematic project, break it down into executable and verifiable sub-topics. This is where everyone here needs to exert their talents."

He looked at Wang Zhe and Li Wei.

"Wang Zhe, Li Wei, you are responsible for coming up with a detailed research plan and technical roadmap for the first phase within a week, clarifying the division of labor and phased milestones for each group. Resources, equipment, and manpower will be guaranteed with priority."

"Yes!"

Wang Zhe and Li Wei responded immediately, under great pressure, but their eyes were firm.

"As for you all," Chen Youhua's gaze swept over all the Researchers again, including Dr. Xiao, who looked worried.

"The project has started, and the funds are in place. What needs to be done now is not to discuss whether it is possible, but to think about how to do it. Each of you was carefully selected, and I believe in your professional ability."

He concluded at the end.

"In the first phase, we don't seek to immediately produce a perfect finished material. The core is to verify feasibility, find a breakthrough, even if it is to achieve repeatable and quantifiable progress in a small link. Dismissed. Wang Zhe, Li Wei, stay."

The meeting ended.

The Researchers left the conference room one after another with complicated expressions.

There was heaviness, pressure, and a hidden fighting spirit ignited by the challenge.

Dr. Xiao walked last, looked back at Chen Youhua, who was whispering something to Wang Zhe and Li Wei, pushed his glasses, and his eyes were deep.

He knew that once on this boat, there was no turning back.

No matter how difficult the road ahead, he had to bite the bullet and walk on.

At least, this young boss looked very clear-headed and had clear goals.

And Chen Youhua, facing Wang Zhe and Li Wei, lowered his voice even more.

"Let Qiming start, let it fully intervene in the core simulation and material screening of the first phase, I want to see efficiency."

The existence of Qiming is his real confidence to set such a high-difficulty goal.

But this confidence can only be held by the two most core people.