1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 696 Unexpected Breakthrough! The Sakura Clan's Ambition! Undercurrents Surge! Pangu Project Demonstration Meeting!
Time flies, and before we knew it, it was 1930.

That year, the situation on the northern continent became even more complex, with a highly ambitious force stirring in the shadows.

In the midst of chaos and upheaval, everyone is caught in a situation beyond their control.

For ordinary people, simply living a good life is a luxury, and even scientists may not be able to control their own destiny.

Somewhere in Northeast China.

A scientific expedition team of more than a dozen people is searching for something in the fields.

Although these people were not dressed in fancy clothes, the aura they exuded was completely different from that of ordinary people.

The local farmers, seeing what they looked like, pointed and whispered, showing great curiosity.

"Hey! That's weird!"

"Even intellectuals are working in the fields!"

"Hahaha!"

"."

A researcher uses tools to collect soil from underfoot and then puts it into a specially made glass bottle.

Then, he walked to the front and said to the head of the inspection team:
"Dr. Ma, the samples here have been collected."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yucheng nodded and loudly addressed the crowd:

"Everyone has worked hard."

"Let's take a break for a while, and then continue!"

Wow!
Everyone applauded.

They've been exhausted during this period.

That's right, this expedition team was the research group led by Ma Yucheng, searching for Penicillium mold.

Under Bingzhi's arrangement, a total of 10 different groups on the mainland were simultaneously searching for high-yield Penicillium strains.

Because this depends entirely on luck, the more people, the better.

However, team members must possess the relevant biological and bacteriological knowledge, otherwise they may miss important discoveries.

Therefore, even though many people eagerly signed up, hoping to get on Professor Li's good side,

But after a rigorous selection process, they were only able to put together 10 teams, each with a dozen or so people.

The Ninth Squad, personally led by Ma Yucheng, was responsible for the northeastern region of mainland China.

If we can't find suitable Penicillium mold here, then we'll have to rely on other teams.

Ma Yucheng's face showed signs of aging, the marks left by wind and sun, and also proof of his contributions to the cause of Penicillium.

Although the results are not ideal so far, he has never given up.

He was full of hope for this place.

Penicillium is widely found in the natural environment, commonly found in soil, fruits, and areas rich in organic matter.

Therefore, the more fertile the environment, the more likely it is to produce high-yield Penicillium strains.

The Northeast region, known for its "black soil," is undoubtedly the top choice.

The Ninth Squad had previously discovered three different types of Penicillium mold here, although none of them met the requirements for mass production, but it was still encouraging.

At this moment, Ma Yucheng felt very gratified as he watched his team members emerge from the fields one after another.

His ninth squad was almost entirely composed of young people in their twenties, some of whom were even undergraduates.

They disregard their image and pride, studying and searching for various bacteria with the same care and dedication an old farmer has for his crops.

These young men, filled with enthusiasm, were determined to contribute their strength to the field of biology in their motherland.

Ma Yucheng's tired yet gentle eyes swept over everyone in turn.

suddenly!

He seemed to have seen something extremely important, and immediately shouted:
"Tongcun! Stop right there!"

Wow!
Everyone was shocked when they heard this!
Why is Dr. Ma so nervous?
Upon hearing the shout, the young man named Tongcun immediately stopped in his tracks, standing as still as a statue.

This shows his trust in Ma Yucheng.

Tong Cun is only 24 years old this year and graduated from Yenching University with a bachelor's degree in medicine.

Upon hearing about the recruitment of inspection team members, he immediately signed up.

His home was in Fengtian Shengjing, so he had a unique advantage. Coupled with his excellent professional skills, he was selected immediately.

Nowadays, everyone in China who is a biology or medical professional regards Ma Yucheng as an idol.

Break the European and American monopoly!

It might even be possible to develop the first true antibiotic in human history!
What an honor this is!

The thought of being able to participate in such a great cause filled Tong Cun with energy.

At this moment, he had his back to Ma Yucheng. Although he didn't know what had happened, he knew that Dr. Ma must have something important to say.

Ma Yucheng quickly walked behind Tongcun and then squatted down.

Amidst the curious onlookers, he extended his right hand, put on his glove, and gently wiped the sole of Tong Cun's shoe.

A bluish-green mark immediately appeared on his finger.

The people present had been searching for Penicillium mold for a long time, and they were very familiar with this phenomenon.

"My God!"

"The texture, the color..."

"What a fat Penicillium mold!"

The phrase "So fat" didn't make everyone laugh; instead, it made everyone gasp for breath.

Ma Yucheng's eyes, red from staying up late for so long, almost burst open!
A strong intuition rose within him: this was the high-yield Penicillium mold he had been searching for!

"Hard work pays off!"

He asked impatiently:

"Tongcun, where did you leave these footprints?"

At that moment, Tong Cun heard his colleagues' exclamations and understood what had happened.

His body was trembling slightly, a sign of extreme excitement.

"There was a small puddle not far away, and I accidentally stepped into it."

Wow!
After Ma Yucheng carefully scraped the soles of Tongcun's shoes clean, everyone went to the small puddle.

The surrounding green hue seemed to be the most beautiful color in the world.

At that moment, everyone wept with joy.

They succeeded!
They found a high-yielding Penicillium strain!

Ma Yucheng laughed heartily, as if he wanted to vent all the frustration he had been feeling lately.

Then, he patted Tongcun on the shoulder heavily:

"Brothers!"

"If penicillin is successfully developed, you will be instrumental in its success!"

"Professor Li will definitely reward you personally!"

Wow!
Everyone was excited.

They are a team and will share this honor.

And Tong Village will undoubtedly soar to new heights!
At this moment, young Tong Cun blushed and quickly said modestly:
"It's all thanks to Dr. Ma and everyone else; I'm just here to make up the numbers."

Everyone laughed.

Then he asked:
"Dr. Ma, are you going to take this Penicillium mold to Borneo for experiments?"

Ma Yucheng waved his hand.

"It's too far, I'm afraid something might happen."

"We also have a laboratory here in Shengjing, which can meet our early-stage research and development needs."

"I'll first find a way to stabilize the culture of this Penicillium mold, and then I'll consider large-scale production of penicillin!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Tong Cun was especially excited.

He was able to participate in the research and development work personally.

Finally, Ma Yucheng said:
"With the high-yield Penicillium mold, we overcame the biggest difficulty."

"But we must not let our guard down. Industrial production and laboratory production are not the same thing, and there are still many problems to be solved."

"I hope we can all work together!"

Roar!
Everyone responded.

"Finally, I want to emphasize this point."

"This matter needs to be kept secret to a certain extent."

"Although Professor Li has announced to the world the search for Penicillium, the specific details will be led by China." Tong Cun and the others nodded emphatically, understanding the stakes involved.

However, just as Ma Yucheng was carefully instructing everyone, and everyone was immersed in joy.

In a grove of trees not far away, a hidden figure was observing them through binoculars.

At this moment, the Cherry Clan wields considerable power in the northeastern region of the continent.

The moment Ma Yucheng and his delegation entered, they were noticed by the other party.

The Sakura Clan military learned from Sakurai Joji what a miraculous medicine Penicillium was, so they monitored Ma Yucheng's every move.

The smiles on Ma Yucheng's and Tong Cun's faces just now undoubtedly indicate that the inspection team has achieved great success.

Undercurrents are swirling!
-
Borneo, somewhere in the central region.

This place was originally a remote, pristine forest, where traces of the lives of local indigenous tribes could still be seen occasionally.

However, under the Cthulhu-esque large-scale development of Shanhe Group's industry, large areas of trees were cut down and factories sprang up.

To the outside world, this is a production base for special chemical raw materials; but internally, it will be the core laboratory of Project Pangu!
Accompanied by Hu Xizhong, Li Qiwei visited and inspected the construction progress at various locations.

Hu Xizhong, who is 63 years old this year, is one of the people Li Qiwei trusts the most.

He dedicated his entire life to serving the Li family.

Although Hu Xizhong couldn't understand Li Qiwei's various strategies, some of his companies even suffered losses year after year.

However, he remained steadfast in his adherence to Ridgeway's orders and will, and would not arbitrarily alter them.

"Young Master, as you requested, this area is mainly divided into two sections."

“The external company is a shell company, and it doesn’t have any employees on a regular basis.”

“When needed, our own people will immediately become full-time employees to confuse the public.”

“The British envoy Summers once came to inspect it, but he couldn’t see anything.”

Li Qiwei became interested.

"Oh?"

"Old Hu, how did you do that?"

A sly look crossed Hu Xizhong's old face.

"Because these shell companies are actually producing products."

"I've put some of the simpler processes on the production line here."

Li Qiwei smiled and nodded.

Hu Xizhong continued:

"The internal area is the exclusive area of ​​the Pangu Project."

"All the necessary factories and infrastructure have been built here according to your requirements, young master."

"In addition, there are employee rest areas, recreational areas, and so on."

Although Hu Xizhong did not understand the specific scientific principles, he was good at company operations.

He knew how to deceive the British right under their noses.

After all, there was no internet in this era, so it was too easy to operate.

Li Qiwei asked:
How many people can this place hold in total?

Hu Xizhong replied:
"Fifteen thousand people."

Li Qiwei nodded.

With the Manhattan Project as a template, he certainly wouldn't work in isolation.

All his plans and arrangements were modeled after the Manhattan Project.

Moreover, because he knew the pitfalls and more convenient methods, his arrangements were more reasonable, greatly reducing the complexity of the project.

The central area is the core and brain of Project Pangu, responsible for theoretical calculations and the final assembly of the atomic bomb.

In mythology, Pangu's head transformed into the Four Sacred Mountains.

Therefore, the secret code name here is "mountain," and this word is used when it is mentioned in various written documents or information.

However, people privately like to call it the "mountain character part".

At this point, Li Qiwei asked again:
"How is the construction of the [Water] section going?"

According to the plan, the Water Division is specifically used for the separation and purification of uranium-235.

It's like the lifeblood and driving force of the entire plan.

The blood of the great god Pangu transformed into rivers, lakes, and seas, hence this secret place is codenamed "Water".

Hu Xizhong said:
"It has been basically completed."

The Water section was the largest and most expensive part of the entire Pangu Project.

Although there are no large-scale instruments and equipment there yet, the layout of each factory was designed by Li Qiwei himself.

Only Hu Xizhong knew about this.

He was utterly astonished by his young master's extraordinary talent!

Because that cannot be explained by wisdom; it was pure prophecy.

However, being a wise and experienced man, he never mentioned a word about it.

"Young Master, are we going to the Water Department today?"

Li Qiwei waved his hand.

"No need for now."

"I need to hold a meeting here first."

The next day, February 10, 1930.

Inside a meeting room in the Shanzi Department.

All the core personnel of the Pangu Project have arrived.

Respectively:
Li Qiwei, Wang Zhengyang, Shen Jingqing;

Qian Wushi, Yu Yin, Deng Huaining, Qian Huzhou;

He Yujie, Xia Yuanli, Xu Qitai;

Li Bokai, Li Zhongxing, Hu Xizhong, Sheng Jingran;

When everyone saw Shen Jingqing, they were all shocked.

This young man was indeed given important responsibilities and was even included in the core of the Pangu Project.

Li Qiwei briefly introduced Shen Jingqing to everyone, and then said:

"The reason I've gathered everyone here today is to officially launch Project Pangu!"

Wow!
Everyone was immediately jolted awake, their breathing quickening.

Is the grand plan, which has been in the works for decades, finally about to begin?
Shen Jingqing, who had only recently joined, was the most shocked among them.

After studying these past few days, he finally understood what the dean meant when he said it would cost billions to build a weapon.

Simply appalling!
"There are 14 of us here, including myself, who know the full picture of the Pangu Project."

"Today I will reveal all the details to everyone."

"Apart from this, no one knows the specific details of the Pangu Project."

"You are all the people I trust the most."

"This time, I'm betting everything, not for my own wealth and glory, but for the rise of HX!"

boom!
Everyone was thrilled upon hearing this!

Li Qiwei's deep and domineering eyes swept over everyone.

An aura of kingship dominated the entire scene!
At this moment, even his eldest and second eldest brothers dared not defy his authority.

The two men knew very well that the person sitting in front of them was no longer their brother, but the ruler of Borneo!
The future god of science, the master of humanity!

Then, Li Qiwei continued:

"The secret weapon that the Pangu Project aims to create is called the atomic bomb."

"It can wipe a city of a million people off the map in an instant."

"And just recently, a breakthrough was finally achieved in the scientific principles of the atomic bomb."

"Today's discussion will focus on the specific manufacturing plan for the atomic bomb!"

hiss!
Even though this wasn't the first time everyone had heard this concept.

However, hearing such a certain tone from Li Qiwei's mouth, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

"What kind of world-destroying weapon is that?!"

(End of this chapter)