Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 328 Genius Community
May 4th, a coincidental date.

The day the "Mechanical Core Research Institute" was officially put into use.

There was no ribbon-cutting ceremony or firecrackers, but it was still very meaningful.

At the entrance of the industrial park, a short figure hesitated and looked inside. Because it was located in the city and had been renovated in the last two years, the overall environment was quite good.

The building's structure, primarily composed of red bricks in a Soviet style, even evokes the feel of the later Beijing North AUV Startup Park.

Liu Hanlin walked along the road and soon saw the "clock tower" that the chairman had mentioned, which was indeed a very easy-to-recognize landmark.

By this time, seven or eight people had gathered downstairs. Liu Hanlin took a deep breath, feeling somewhat timid.

He appears timid and hesitant, but he is not actually afraid of socializing; he simply lacks self-confidence.

They lack confidence in all situations, regardless of their own circumstances.

Cheng Mo noticed Liu Hanlin's unfamiliarity and, remembering what Zhai Da had said earlier, took the initiative to shake hands, saying, "Hello, you must be 'Little Pencil', right? I'm 'Turing' Cheng Mo. May I ask your real name?"

Liu Hanlin quickly said, "I'm a 'mentor,' not a little pencil."

It's a bit awkward to talk about "code names" in public, perhaps because he's not familiar with them. Other members have known each other for longer, so they might not feel this way and might even call him by his first name.

At this moment, another person appeared behind Liu Hanlin, and the shadow completely obscured Liu Hanlin's body.

"Hello everyone, I'm here to participate in the 'π' event. I'm 'Little Pencil'."

Her voice was soft and sweet, and very endearing.

Cheng Mo tilted his head back, looking at the girl who was over 1.9 meters tall, and his eyelids twitched.

Your name is Little Pencil? Why are you called Little Pencil?
Is it because everyone you compare yourself to is just a small pencil?
The girl's appearance drew everyone's attention. Her height of over 1.9 meters was truly eye-catching. The key was that she wasn't the stocky type; she had normal proportions and was even quite slender. She also had a very handsome and dashing appearance.

There is a kind of beauty called delicate and refined, and there is a kind of beauty called bold and unrestrained.

"My name is Wang Qianyu. I am a senior at Harbin Engineering University, majoring in Computer Science."

Cheng Mo's heart skipped a beat, realizing that this was definitely someone cooperating with him to do UI design.

"Just a senior?" Several people subconsciously looked at Ge Qiaoqiao, who was also a senior.

Those girls are attending "big" university, while yours feels like "elementary" school.
Ge Qiaoqiao tilted her head back, having the unsettling feeling that she could have been born from Wang Qianyu.
Just then, a black luxury car drove up, and the protagonist who had gathered these geniuses finally arrived.

A long leg, matching the height of 183 cm, was the first to extend out of the car. Zhai Da waved and said:

"Morning everyone!"

Wu Yue and Lu Wei also disembarked in turn. All members of "π" at level two and above who arrived today were also included.
Zhai Da, president of the "Writers" Association; Wu Yue, the "Hunter"; and Lu Wei, the "Wooden Man".

"Turing" Cheng Mo, "Fortune Teller" Ge Qiaoqiao, "Painter" Lu Tao, "Strawberry Candy" Sun Ting, "Airship" Qi Lin.

And two new Level 3 members: "Little Pencil" Wang Qianyu and "Mentor" Liu Hanlin.

There were exactly ten people.

The other three level members are not available for immediate use, so only two were called.

"Well then, everyone, I'll give you a tour first, and everything else can wait."

The group followed the chairman into the factory.

To clarify beforehand, the front half of the first floor still looks like a conventional factory, but the craft brewery equipment has become increasingly complete and well-organized.

The assembly process was divided into two lines, left and right, and the assembly proceeded in a pulsating manner. This was a method that Xu Xuejun devised. When asked where he got the idea, Xu Xuejun said he saw it in a magazine, where American airplanes were assembled in this way.

The greetings of "Brother Da" and "Brother Yue" made the young people behind them, who had not yet entered society, feel a little magical. Occasionally, they could also hear "Sister-in-law Da" or "Sister-in-law Da".
Not only is he a well-known writer, but he also owns a company and a factory. Liu Hanlin and Wang Qianyu were both extremely shocked.

When you reach the center of the factory, the inverted tree hanging from the ceiling elevates the factory to a height it doesn't belong to.
The lush canopy is like a bowl lid, and you can vaguely see the branches spreading out behind the green leaves. The sunlight reflected from the high windows on all sides makes the green leaves seem to be glowing.

Sun Ting tilted her head back, thinking to herself, "This is so beautiful."
I immediately took out my phone and grabbed my boyfriend to take a picture!
Liu Hanlin, however, was puzzled. It was already rare for such a large tree to survive being planted upside down, and what was even stranger was...
Why aren't the branches growing upwards? Is it because the sunlight is coming from the side?

Just then, a commotion came from the treetops. A huge crow, seemingly hidden inside, cawed and flew down like a blur.

This scene startled everyone, and their eyes widened in surprise.

The crow perched steadily on someone's shoulder, raised one claw with a small, ankle-like device attached, and pecked at one of the buttons with its beak.

"Hello~"

Everyone: ? ! !
Little Black pecked again: "Hello~"

After a few hesitant words, each of them replied with a "hello," and Xiao Hei finally gave up.

Zhai Da patted Xiao Hei's head: "This is my pet Xiao Hei, um, a bird."

Looking at Xiao Hei, who was almost a head taller than Zhai Da and was standing on their shoulders, the group smacked their lips.

The president's bird is huge!

Zhai Da tossed a peanut to it, and Xiao Hei caught it and pecked at its leg ring again: "Thank you~"

If you listen carefully, you'll realize that this voice was recorded by Zhai Da himself, but it's a product of straining and tuning, making it sound like a genderless adult voice.

"The anklet was made as a little toy for it, but of course, it's quite intelligent; crows are among the most intelligent birds. It spends most of its time here, and you'll see it again later."

Just then, Xu Xuejun passed by and said to Xiao Hei, "Xiao Hei, you've finally come out. I thought you weren't coming today."

He and everyone in the factory were very familiar with the big black bird and liked the clever little guy very much.

Zhai Da smiled and pointed to Xu Xuejun: "This is Master Xu, the factory manager here, who will also join the 'Research Institute' to some extent in the future."

Zhai Da said, "Old Xu, come with us. Let me introduce you."

Xu Xuejun took off his work gloves: "I'm here every day, what's there to introduce?"

Despite saying that, she didn't refuse and smoothly joined the visiting group.

So Zhai Da led everyone upstairs, because the second floor was the real highlight.

First, there is a huge glass access control door with a time clock on the side.

Zhai Da smiled and asked everyone, "Did you bring your cards?"

Liu Hanlin, bewildered, took out the "π" identity card from his pocket. The mysterious patterns on the brass-colored metal surface and the variant "πc" design were particularly elegant.

"Try placing it on top; because it's a metal card, it needs to be completely pressed against you."

"Beep beep!" The automatic doors opened to both sides, and the "Mechanical Core Research Institute" officially appeared before everyone's eyes.

The entire space is a wide rectangle, the same as the first floor, 110 meters long and 50 meters wide, with a total area of ​​more than 5000 square meters, which is more than enough to accommodate a craft brewery.

The overall color scheme here is silver-gray, which fully embodies the word "technological".

With a factory-like ceiling height of seven or eight meters, it's impossible to simply stretch the walls all the way to the ceiling—that would be too oppressive. Therefore, designer Lu Tao, fully understanding Zhai Da's needs for "relaxation, comfort, and inspiration," adopted a stepped visual design with several loft elements.

It creates a "city within a building," giving the illusion of being outdoors.

For example, starting from the entrance, there is a difference in height on both sides. The "small first floor" is a regular office structure with a small staircase on the side, while the "small second floor" is a "rooftop" with a few chairs and wooden tables.

These combinations form a long line, revealing the passage in the middle.

Of course, certain areas need to take into account the laboratory's rigid requirements, such as sealing, ventilation, and light protection, and have reserved large areas of special structures for the necessary purposes. But it is precisely because there are both "conventional" and "unconventional" elements that the buildings appear to be of varying heights.

It feels like being in a cliffside town in Greece.

They all had the same feeling.

Working here would be absolutely fantastic!

I'd rather die inside than get out.

Look, there's even a small bar, a coffee table, and artificial grass there!

If there are more people and more things, what's the difference between this and a "community"?
Or perhaps a "community of geniuses"?
In comparison, those research institutes on campus are not even as good as prisons!

Cheng Mo felt his adrenaline surge. He would be the first member to officially lead the team here, and for him, the high-class environment could be directly converted into productivity!

If you had a top-down view, you would see that this place is more like a super-enlarged version of a rectangular lecture hall, divided into a "T" shape, becoming flatter towards the center and higher towards the sides.

And at the heart of it all is the Root Pool.

In the center of the second floor, the deep black pool of water still stood quietly. The only change was that its entire "water and fertilizer integration machine" had been hidden by Lu Tao in a small room nearby.

Zhai Da stood in front of the Root Pool, turned to the crowd and said, "This is the 'Mechanical Core Research Institute'. Let us thank 'artist' Lu Tao for his design, construction and acceptance."

Everyone exclaimed in shock, "What?"

Such an amazing place, and it was actually created by a college student?!
Lu Tao, who had always been taciturn, simply nodded. He had grown a lot, but his social anxiety had not been completely eradicated.

At most, things are relatively smoother when dealing with construction workers; it's all out of necessity.

Zhai Da laughed and said, "I've told each of you that you are all geniuses, otherwise you wouldn't have received invitations. Please believe that without a doubt."

"Of course, most of the rooms in the research institute are currently empty, and they will be gradually filled in according to demand. For example, Cheng Mo, you can choose the location you need in a moment. Lu Tao has reserved some areas suitable for software development, you can take a look."

In the initial plan, the first project to be launched was "Hongtu OS" led by Cheng Mo, followed by "Silicon Carbide Motor" by myself and Xu Xuejun. If both of these went smoothly, we would promote the chemical genius Sun Ting to start battery research. Chemistry is not the whole of batteries, but it is indispensable.

After the tour, the group sat down in the relaxation area around Genno-tan, and Zhai Da took out a few bottles of chilled drinks from the refrigerator and distributed them to everyone.

Chat, relax, and get to know each other.

Sun Ting dragged her boyfriend Qi Lin to take photos everywhere, while Ge Qiaoqiao pulled Lu Tao aside and asked him to introduce her to someone.

The bonus from "Executing Old Yu" seems to be starting to show; everyone feels happy and energetic.

Except for Cheng Mo.

Cheng Mo felt a little uncomfortable sitting alone at a table with Wang Qianyu, who was 1.9 meters tall. It wasn't that he "discriminated" against girls of that height, or rather, he secretly thought Wang Qianyu was very beautiful.

But every time I look up and find that the other person is a head taller than me, their code name always pops into my mind.

The phrase "little pencil" feels like it's referring to him.

Zhai Da watched the two break the ice and smiled without interfering.

Wang Qianyu is a genius in "computer science + animation design" at Harbin Engineering University. He submitted two manuscripts in different fields, both of which were recognized by the system. The former is his major, and the latter is his hobby.

This seemingly "big guy" girl is actually a fan of anime and manga.

Zhai Da turned to Lu Wei and asked, "Do you like it here?"

Lu Wei nodded decisively: "Very beautiful, and very relaxed."

That's right. Since large and expensive equipment can be borrowed from Harbin Institute of Technology, this place can be designed in a "lightweight" style to create the atmosphere of a "genius community". It's only a 20-minute drive from Harbin Institute of Technology, so we can consider arranging pick-up and drop-off services later.

If this project truly takes off, it would be appropriate to provide cars for these "executives" or "geniuses." The personal gains and the research institute's gains do not conflict; geniuses should enjoy the treatment of geniuses.

As for why we waited until after the first takeoff, it's because we've been spending a lot of money lately.
Cheng Mo's commercial development license alone cost a hundred million dollars, and the research institute renovation also cost three hundred million dollars. This was all under the condition that Lu Tao did his job conscientiously and did not take a single penny of kickback. The quality and price are proportional.

Then there are the salaries of the developers. Even for a small initial system version, Cheng Mo's team will need to expand to at least 20 people. Programmers are not cheap.

I've been spending money rather recklessly lately.

However, compared to the results he wanted to achieve, it was already a case of small investment yielding big returns. Others might be large companies with one or two "talented individuals," while he was precisely targeting "geniuses" and pairing them with small teams.

Zhai Da said to Lu Wei, "I've reserved a room specifically for you. You can use it for your future mathematical research. Although it doesn't require any special external conditions, at least the environment is good."

It has the added benefit of being an old elm.

Lu Wei thought for a moment and asked, "Will you come often in the future?"

"I'm afraid so, every few days."

"Then I'll come too."

After resting for more than ten minutes, Zhai Da clapped his hands and said, "I'll take everyone to eat in a bit. Let's take a picture now. Did Lu Tao bring any equipment?"

Lu Tao nodded and set up his DSLR camera, along with its tripod, on the rooftop of the "small second floor" inside, so that he could see the Root Pool and the surrounding area from above.

Then I set a timer to take pictures and quickly ran downstairs.

The ten youths tilted their heads back against the elegant and mysterious pool, and smiled together; the more lively ones even jumped up.

Lu Tao, who was running back, tripped over his own feet and leaped into the frame, his face showing fear and embarrassment.

This photo was later hung on the wall of the first and subsequent mechanical core research institutes, by which time everyone had become a leader in their respective fields.

There is also a time marker in the bottom right corner that never fades:

2009.5.4
(End of this chapter)