Free Web NovelChapter 145: Chapter 125: Astonishing Results
To be blunt, a room-temperature superconductor wasn’t something that could be developed in a short amount of time...
C Machinery Co., Ltd.’s current objectives were to complete the Alisu Battery and wireless charging technology, secure a factory, and establish connections with major corporations!
Then, they would go into full-scale production, open up the market, increase output, enter a virtuous cycle, and ultimately, make a fortune—
Large-scale manufacturing is notoriously complex! Even with the university’s support, and even with Shen Zhou Industry being the best in the world in this era—dubbed the "Industrial Cthulhu"—this was by no means something that could be accomplished in a short time.
No matter how much they wanted to fast-track the room-temperature superconductor, they had to wait until the battery and wireless charging technologies were on the right track before they could even consider moving forward with it...
To put it bluntly, if the battery and wireless charging technology could be finalized and launched into the market this year, the efficiency would already be terrifyingly high!
In other words, no matter how rushed they were, the room-temperature superconductor project could not be started this year—
Lu Keke would have to wait at least a year before she could possibly join C Company and begin to lead the room-temperature superconductor project.
Clearing his thoughts, Chu Bamboo looked directly at Lu Keke. "So, what are your thoughts?"
"I will consider it carefully!" Lu Keke stood up and bowed to Chu Bamboo. "As for the specifics, I will give you a concrete answer after the college entrance exams are over! Thank you for thinking so highly of me!"
Chu Bamboo gave Lu Keke a long, searching look, nodded, and turned to leave.
...
「Five in the afternoon.」
Outside Jinling University.
Inside a Golden Arches.
Chu Bamboo casually stirred the ice in his Coke with his straw and mused, "Kids in high school these days... one is more precocious than the next. It’s almost too much!"
Chu Bamboo thought back to himself. ’Eh, better not use myself as a comparison.’ His situation was special, after all. He glanced at his best buddy and couldn’t help but sigh... The Lin Xia he knew in high school and Lu Keke were like night and day!
"Huh? What’s gotten into you?" Lin Xia, munching on a burger, looked up with a blank expression. He had the subtle feeling that he’d just been called out.
After a moment of silence, Lin Xia saw that Chu Bamboo wasn’t replying right away and didn’t press the issue.
He tapped the table. "I’m done eating. Log into your Douyin account! And look at the contract... It should be mostly fine. I got a senior from the law department to look it over for me this afternoon! But if you’re not comfortable, you should take another look."
"Also, about the company registration, I had that same law senior advise me. The application process has started over here... but I feel like it’ll still be a while before the official registration documents come through?" Lin Xia finished the last of his burger and started on his fries.
"It’s just, running the company!" Lin Xia shook his head, looking troubled. "Right now, we first need to produce some results. Only then can we take a finished product to a major corporation... Based on what you said before about the Alisu Battery’s energy density, we have a crushing advantage over every other battery manufacturer on the market."
"All the major phone manufacturers, and even the new energy vehicle companies that are so popular right now... none of them will be able to resist us! The only problem is, we might face a hostile takeover, right? After all, when you threaten vested interests, they’ll stop at nothing... My personal opinion is that we should wait until you become a sports superstar and can tap into some powerful connections before we... "
"No need! I’ve already got a plan for that." The moment Chu Bamboo finished speaking, the phone he had placed on the table began to vibrate.
He raised an eyebrow and showed the phone to Lin Xia. The screen clearly displayed the name "Principal Li." "Well, speak of the devil!"
The next moment.
He answered the call.
...
「Jinling University, inside the engineering materials laboratory.」
Li Quanyuan silently stared at the data from the battery before him. The battery itself still had wires exposed; overall, it looked extremely crude.
And yet, the test results had rendered every professor and associate professor from the relevant departments speechless and left them utterly shaken.
Professor Liu Aiguo from the School of Materials Science and Engineering primarily researched key materials and related technologies for fuel cells—including positive and negative electrode materials for lithium batteries and high-performance novel chemical power sources!
When he had first received the principal’s notice, he had found the whole thing laughable. He only rushed over as a favor, just to give the principal some face.
When he heard that the professors from the neighboring mathematics department had confirmed the large mathematical model in the thesis was real, his opinion began to shift slightly—
He figured... ’Maybe it’s just a student who exaggerated a little to get some attention? But considering there’s some real substance here, I can understand and accept a bit of a flippant attitude!’
And that brought him to the present moment...
Following the instructions in the thesis, he adjusted the ratios of elements like lithium, cobalt, and manganese, synthesized an entirely new lithium battery, and optimized it according to the thesis’s large mathematical model... Finally, the tests confirmed the final result was exactly as the thesis had described—
Identical!!!
At that moment, he was stunned.
No, it was beyond mere shock! It was as if his entire worldview had shattered.
’You’re for real?!!’
"Principal... This! That is..." Liu Aiguo stammered. He desperately wanted to ask: Which department is this student from? How can they be so incredible? Does this student have a graduate advisor? If not... do you think I’d be a good fit?
"Don’t say anything for now." Li Quanyuan waved his hand. He closed his eyes, his mind racing. After a great deal of hesitation, he finally made a call. It was, of course, to Chu Bamboo.
Hearing the call connect on the other end, he let out a long breath.
"Lao Li, sounds like you guys succeeded with the practical test over there?" Chu Bamboo’s smiling voice came through the phone.
"???" Li Quanyuan stared blankly. ’How did I suddenly get promoted to ’Lao Li’? You weren’t like this last time you called!’
’That attitude change was so fast... Did you spend the afternoon taking a masterclass in Sichuan Province?!’
"So, there shouldn’t be any more doubts about the university’s investment, right?" Chu Bamboo asked casually.
"Theoretically, no! But." Li Quanyuan struggled for a moment before finally gritting his teeth. "But, I don’t recommend you take the university’s investment!"
After saying this, Li Quanyuan finally let out a long sigh of relief, his expression returning to normal. Perhaps it was due to his own academic integrity; he couldn’t quite bring himself to take advantage of a student!
"Your results are already very complete! The university’s resources are useless to you," Li Quanyuan said, choosing his words carefully. "Back when your Senior Zhao came to the university for help, it was the same situation!"
"We gave him a student loan and set him up with a room on campus as an office... Of course, he moved out later on!"
"Just like how we didn’t ask for any shares in his Z Company back then, it’s the same for you! If you’re short on cash, we can approve a student loan for you..."
"No, no, no!" Chu Bamboo cut him off. "Lao Li! This isn’t about letting you take advantage of us. It’s about giving you the tough jobs to handle."
Li Quanyuan: "?"
"We have the technology in our hands! But we don’t have the means to turn this technology into a tangible industrial product in the shortest possible time," Chu Bamboo explained eloquently. "And we have no money!"
"If the university invests for a stake in the company, you’ll need to help us solve the following problems..."
"First, bank loans! Not student loans—what good is that little bit of money? The loans we need will be in the hundreds of millions! If we just go to a bank ourselves, it will be a huge hassle! The patent application process takes way too long! At least, I can’t wait that long. But if the university gets involved and uses its reputation as collateral, the path will be clear!"
"Second, the factory problem! We need to find a contract manufacturer, and we don’t have the connections for that either. We need the university’s support... I know what you’re going to ask! Yes, we can try to make contact ourselves, but first, both parties have to verify their identities! And then, when they see we’re a brand-new company, will they look down on us? Will they even try to cut corners on the products they manufacture for us? I’m not naive about how this society works!"
Chu Bamboo didn’t actually have much experience in the real world, but that didn’t matter. In the Dream World, he had been brutally beaten down far too many times.
He had seen firsthand just how dark human nature could be—
He never hesitated to assume the worst intentions in others!
"Third, the buyers. The university should have connections with the big corporations, right? Major electric vehicle companies, major phone manufacturers, and the like! Compared to a brand-new company like us, they’ll definitely trust the university more."
Li Quanyuan listened quietly.
"Fourth," Chu Bamboo hesitated slightly, glancing at the dazed-looking Lin Xia before sighing. "The issue of risk! Even with the technology, a tech company is most vulnerable right after it’s founded! The university is currently our best option."
"These risks don’t just come from suppression by giants in the same industry, or even hostile takeovers... They might also come from the Officials."
Although Chu Bamboo’s words were cryptic, Li Quanyuan understood their meaning instantly.
"I see!" Li Quanyuan murmured. After a long silence, he repeated himself, "So that’s how it is... Alright! I understand. It’s true! Forcing students who haven’t even graduated yet to face all that... it’s really too much to ask."
Since things had been laid out so clearly, Li Quanyuan no longer tried to refuse. Before, he just didn’t want to take advantage of a student... but now it was clear they genuinely needed something from him... In that case, there was nothing more to be said!
’Take their money, do their work!’
After pacing back and forth a few times, Li Quanyuan spoke, his voice slightly hoarse. "Alright then, come to my office tomorrow..."
"Oh! Let’s skip that," Chu Bamboo interrupted him calmly.
Li Quanyuan: "...?"
"Lin Xia!" Chu Bamboo grabbed his good friend—who was currently looking completely dumbfounded and questioning his very existence after realizing he was on the phone with the principal and witnessing Chu Bamboo’s attitude toward him—and pulled him over. "My classmate!"
"Principal Li, he’s the man I’ve chosen to be the future CEO of C Machinery Co., Ltd.! I’ll just be the Chairman and rule from behind the scenes. So, for these discussions... you and Lin Xia can handle them."
"...Wait, you! I..." Li Quanyuan was left speechless. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to call Chu Bamboo lazy or bold.
’Who delegates such an important matter completely to someone else?’
’From the sound of it, you’re not even going to show up?!’
"Alright, that’s settled then! Just decide on a time and place and send it to me in a message," Chu Bamboo said frankly. "Well then, bye-bye!"
The next moment, Chu Bamboo hung up.
...
Inside the laboratory.
Li Quanyuan listened to the dial tone for a long time, his face growing cold before he finally shoved the phone into his pocket.
"Professor Liu!" Li Quanyuan turned around, his expression unreadable. "What was it you wanted to say to me earlier?"
"N-nothing..." Liu Aiguo shrank back. He had just witnessed the thesis author’s attitude toward Li Quanyuan firsthand. How could he possibly dare to make a peep now?
Besides, anyone who wasn’t an idiot could see that Li Quanyuan was fuming. He had to make himself as unnoticeable as possible! He didn’t want to be the one to set off the principal’s powder keg of anger...
"Colleagues." Li Quanyuan took a few deep breaths, finally managing to compose himself. His expression turned serious as he scanned the faces of everyone present. "You’ve all witnessed the entire process, so you know just how sensitive... this battery technology is!"
"Although it seems... the other party has an even more advanced battery, my view is that it’s better to be strict now to avoid problems later—I need you all to sign a patent confidentiality agreement!"
"I do not want information about this battery to leak from our side and cause trouble for them..." Li Quanyuan said, emphasizing every word. Jinling University was now committed to getting involved. In other words, this battery business was now the university’s business... Naturally, his level of concern had gone up by more than just one level!
The people on site exchanged glances, but of course, no one objected. They came forward one by one.
