Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 417 The Horn Sounds, Utopia Never Ends
As graduation draws near, the affairs of the research institute become increasingly complex, with a constant stream of visitors and observers.

Even though he didn't need to personally appear for every group of visitors, the continuous stream of large numbers of guests inevitably took up a lot of his time.

Fortunately, he mastered the core technology.

Time? Just use some cheat codes and you'll have it!
With the [Slow Time Cube (Pseudo)], I can close the door before going to sleep and half-lie in the void. It may seem like I've only studied for an hour, but it's actually equivalent to three or four hours.

However, the more he used the Rubik's Cube, the more he felt a side effect. Once, in order to meet the deadline, Zhai Da turned on the "Intracranial Disco Light" and stayed in a "slow-down state" for three hours, which was actually nearly ten hours in his consciousness.

The result was that after emerging from a long period of "slow time" that night, he suddenly had a subconscious illusion about the dimension of time.

When your movements slow down, you subconsciously move and breathe slowly.

Because in the "slow state," everything in his perception is slow, especially his physical body. Even after returning to normal, there are still some remnants that settle in his muscles and nervous system.

This alerted him, but fortunately he quickly found a way to overcome it.

With the addition of high-speed, high-intensity, and high-gravity physical training, the abnormal condition can be quickly recovered.

Thus, Zhai Da's daily routine became a repetitive cycle of "slow learning" and "fast exercise".

With each sip and bite, both mind and body gradually become stronger.

They can even find time to "build Lego" at the research institute.

------

Late at night, the research institute was almost deserted. Overtime work was discouraged here, but there was indeed a lot to do.

Overtime pay is also provided.

The cartoon image of "Yu Xiaobai" is still pasted on the wall, and occasionally appears on programmers' screensavers.

Most programmers tend to be a bit of a homebody, and the difference between a "homebody" and a "2D homebody" is just that they've been betrayed by reality twice.

There are always a few Koreans eating in the break room, and the office is always filled with the sound of keyboards being typed. Only the deep, secluded Root Pond remains forever quiet.

As midnight approached, the last group of people began to leave, turning off most of the lights, except for one corridor in the northeast corner, which remained open because they knew that Zhai Da had gone in at seven o'clock and had never come out.

Finally, after nearly half an hour, the laboratory door opened, and Zhai Da walked out, looking exhausted.

Then I saw the figure leaning against the wall, waiting at the end of the corridor.

Wearing a turtleneck sweater and a fitted jacket, he stood precisely on the line between light and shadow, like a secret agent waiting for the right moment to carry out a mission.

Wu Yue turned around and asked in confusion, "I thought you were doing an experiment. Why are you all sweaty?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously looked behind Zhai Da, seemingly worried that a second person might follow.

Zhai Da waved his hand: "Isn't it normal for your brain to sweat when you're doing mental work? You haven't done it before, that's just how science works."

In reality, it consisted of two hours of building blocks, two hours of slow learning, and one hour of high-gravity training.

Wu Yue didn't dwell on it; instead, she asked another question seriously:
"Are you hiding something from me?"

Zhai Da didn't hesitate for a second: "There are many. Which one are you talking about?"

Wu Yue:
Zhai Da didn't linger, and led Wu Yue out to his office.

Without any hesitation, he took off his shirt and openly wiped his muscular body. The clearly defined abdominal muscles and V-line made Wu Yue feel that he could let the "fortune teller" go rock climbing.

I'm envious. But Wu Yue herself can only manage to stay slim; abs are a distant dream.

Zhai Da changed into dry clothes: "Tell me, what did you find out I was hiding from you? I'll see if I need to silence you."

Wu Yue stared at Zhai Da seriously, as if he were putting pressure on him.

Zhai Da remained calm and composed.

Finally, after a few seconds, Wu Yue was the first to break down.

Wang Ba, who was a day student, couldn't help but laugh.

Wu Yue grinned from ear to ear: "You bastard! If I hadn't checked with the business registration authorities, I really wouldn't believe it!"

As he spoke, he took out his phone, found the screenshot, and tossed it to Zhai Da.

The above is a screenshot of business registration information: Bulk Province 'Utopia' Technology Development Co., Ltd.

"When did you register?! Didn't you say you couldn't register at first?!"

Zhai Da smiled and pushed the phone back: "Times have changed. Back then, we high school graduates couldn't even get such a special name, but things are different now."

When the group broke up that summer, Zhai Da tried to register Utopia, but registering a company name is not something that can be done "just pick any name and no one will use it"; it requires manual review.

The most typical example is names containing the character "中" (zhong). It's not that private enterprises are prohibited from using them, but rather that their strength and business operations must be verified. Not just any small business can use them. This is highly misleading, making uninformed people think that the company has a powerful background. What if the name is used for pyramid schemes?
While terms like "utopia" are not as strictly defined as the Chinese character "中" (zhong), they are still widely recognized. Anyway, Zhai Da failed twice that year, so he stopped worrying about it.

Zhai Da said, "Do you remember about half a year ago? Several educational institutions suddenly appeared in Dongyang, using our name, such as Birdtopia and Utopia New World. At that time, I asked Li Dongdong to deal with them. Those institutions changed their names immediately afterward, but I still took it to heart."

"I won't go into the small stuff like registering a company, but anyway, it was done in Jinling, and the publishing house also helped me find some connections."

Wu Yue looked at those words and was filled with emotion.

It's as if you can smell the scent of grass in the courtyard that summer from between the lines of each word.

If we're talking about who was happiest when the research institute decided to move to Dongyang, besides Zhai Da, it would probably be him.

Zhai Da first informed Lu Wei, and then him. Wu Yue can still recall her surprise and excitement that day, but she also knows that this romantic decision may not actually come to fruition.

So much so that when he later held meetings to solicit everyone's opinions, he was worried that he would be opposed by everyone, and Zhai Da changed his mind.

After all, that was his and Zhai Da's hometown, their utopian memories, and had little to do with the rest of Harbin.

Fortunately, things went too smoothly in the end, and everyone even made a "six-month agreement." After that, he began to plan the southward expansion of "Yueda Catering." Yes, he was also planning the six-month agreement.

The original plan was to expand nationwide. As a service industry deeply integrated with cities, it is only a matter of adjusting the direction of expansion. It will not affect the existing business scope. The business in the three northeastern provinces will continue and will continue to grow.

In the midst of her busy schedule, Wu Yue happened to recall a small regret from the past and decided to register the three words "Utopia".

That's how this was discovered.

Wu Yue asked excitedly, "Are you planning to use this title as soon as you return to Dongyang?"

Zhai Da shook his head: "No, the 'Mechanical Core Research Institute' is independent. The reason we registered Utopia was just so that if we were to be targeted by someone again, we would have a convenient legal way to resolve the issue."

Wu Yue was somewhat disappointed, but then said, "Can I use this title?"

These three words have special meaning for him.

That was the starting point of everything, the anchor behind countless journeys of overcoming obstacles.

But Zhai Da shook his head again: "I originally thought it was too early and I was too lazy to talk to you, but since you asked, this title is not only special to you, but also to me and to every one of my friends at the time."

“Over the past two years, many people have made good progress. For example, Chu Xiang and Xiang You’s game companies have made a lot of money and are planning to learn from our salary system reform to allow the utopian spirit to continue.” Wu Yue added, “And Ao Wen, I invested in his waste recycling project, which is also doing well.”

Zhai Da: "Liu Meng mentioned some time ago that she founded a public welfare organization. The incident at the Dongyang Welfare Home touched her deeply, and she wanted to devote more time to public welfare. This surprised me and impressed me greatly."

Wu Yue: "And Hailey, have you forgotten about your Shenzhen branch manager? She's grown beyond my expectations."

"Let's not even talk about Fan Junwei. He's the Asian boxing champion. He just defeated his senior last month. It's a bit of a pity that he only won the silver medal at the National Games. Did you know that he got an endorsement deal? He's giving away a new energy-saving refrigerator to every household in the sanitation workers' dormitory."

Wu Yue: "You don't mention Lin Shuyao at all. She works very hard in the School of Foreign Languages ​​and has already mastered three foreign languages."

With each name they uttered, the two felt a step closer to the courtyard. The two grown-up youths seemed to stand outside the gate, smiling and peering inside.

There, a person stood on a bench, holding a microphone, announcing the end of summer.

At that time, Zhai Da decided to put into practice the original intention posted on the "blackboard tree" to provide everyone with a "backbone" to walk out of the small town, to tell them that they are no weaker than anyone else, and to hold their heads high.

Let them open their eyes wide, be astute in observing the coming decade of rapid development, witness the times, and validate themselves.

They were just ordinary kids from a small town, who happened to meet each other and a "leader" who kept his promises. Then, with eyes that had witnessed miracles, they observed the world from different perspectives.

Some people are already running freely, while others are still accumulating energy. Pioneers like Zhai Da and Wu Yue always care more about and favor their fellow travelers, and are willing to provide support.

But they didn't all choose the same path, nor did they stand still, waiting to be pulled up.

Instead, they are all striving on their own paths.

In the wilderness outside the town, countless paths were worn out by the young men and women, leading to all corners of the country.

And now, those three words that represent everyone's shared memories, after going around in circles, seem to have finally returned to Zhai Da's hands.

Zhai Da sighed and said, "After the decision was made to relocate to Dongyang, I did have an idea: to gather everyone together. The research institute is indeed a research institute, but perhaps on a larger scale, there could be a 'Utopia Group.' We don't need to worry too much about management and equity. Even if it's just a formality, that would be good, wouldn't it?"

"But this idea is too immature."

Zhai Da tapped Wu Yue's phone screen, but when the screen was locked and then lit up again, it no longer showed the screenshot, but the screen saver.

But it was better than that cold, impersonal screenshot of business information, because the screensaver was a group photo taken in Utopia back then, which Wu Yue had used for many years and never changed.

Zhai Da sighed, "I don't want to throw everyone off balance because of my impulsiveness. They already have their own rhythm and plans, and I even have confidence in them. Even without my help, they can all achieve a good life."

Because he knew that once he spoke up, most people would actually change their life plans.

Unlike the research institute, which is genuinely under its leadership and has real business and development, Utopia...

Returning to the small town is not a must.

Perhaps staying in big cities and shining brightly there is the future they deserve.

Wu Yue disagreed. He stood up and said, "Just like when you decided to relocate the research institute, you thought you would face opposition from everyone. Perhaps that was just your own assumption."

"Perhaps, in everyone's eyes, they would rather follow utopia and follow you than these trivial details?"

Zhai Da was taken aback.
Wu Yue was not present on the day Lu Bu conducted his inspection.
Wu Yue said, “People can leave a place because of a beautiful view, a job, or a business opportunity. Why can’t they return to a place because of the word ‘utopia’? Even if you don’t say it, people will have this thought after they find out, but they will probably restrain themselves because they don’t want to cause trouble, because you, Zhai Da, are already a big celebrity and a big boss, and because you didn’t invite everyone back!”

"Instead of that, it's better to leave the choice to everyone. Dongyang is not only your hometown, but also everyone's hometown. Given the opportunity, who wouldn't want to have a good future in their own hometown?"

Zhai Da looked at Wu Yue seriously, while the latter responded calmly.

Even Zhai Da felt a little awkward making eye contact with him and awkwardly looked away.

"Let me think."

Wu Yue did not urge him; he understood Zhai Da's concerns, which were precisely a sense of responsibility.

A sense of responsibility that belongs to the "leader".

Zhai Da leaned back in his chair, the angle shifting slightly from time to time, as if he had returned to his usual relaxed state of "lying in the void," which had gradually become a small habit for him when thinking about problems.

Just as I unconsciously turned around, an object came into view.

That "rallying call" that was kept in the office, carefully preserved, and sounded almost every day.

Its brass color shone brightly under the light.

A very, very long time later.
Zhai Dayi gritted his teeth and finally said, "Just a side note, the choice is up to everyone."

Wu Yue slammed his fist on the table.

"Alright! The choice is yours!"

Zhai Da breathed a sigh of relief. Although the decision wasn't difficult, it was indeed important.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Do you know what made me change my mind?"

Wu Yue laughed and said, "Is it my piercing gaze?"

Zhai Da pursed his lips: "A week ago, when the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology came to inspect, Minister Lu commented on my idea of ​​moving to Dongyang, saying that my idea was quite romantic."

"Just now I suddenly remembered a sentence that my teacher said to me when he was telling his story and talking about his life. He said..."
'Leaving' can never be considered romantic.

"Return" is the true meaning.

Zhai Da smiled and said, "Then this time, why don't we leave the opportunity to choose romance to everyone?"

Wu Yue smiled and said, "Actually, I just thought of a sentence too."

"Which one?"

This time, we will not flee our hometown.

This time, we're building our hometown!

　Just a heads up, I'll be taking the day off tomorrow.

　　If we count from when she moved, Xiao Xin has been working continuously for over half a month; if we don't consider the move as a break, it's been almost a month. This is why her updates are getting later and later.

　　Make some adjustments so you can work better.

　　Also, it's worth mentioning that Dongyang in the book does have a real-world counterpart, with its geography, transportation, natural resources, and economic development all based on real-world examples.

　　It is a county town in northern Jiangsu Province. It was indeed a poor county in the province back then, but it has developed quite well now.

　　However, it is impossible to correspond one-to-one with specific people, events, and schools.

　　On the contrary, subsequent readers reported that there really is a "Dongyang" in Zhejiang, which made me feel embarrassed. The same thing happened with my previous book. I made up a name, "Qinghe County," and found a prototype in Guangdong. But there is a Qinghe in Hebei or somewhere else in reality. It just shows that China is too big and there are too few names that have not been used.

　　In conclusion, let's put it bluntly here: Northern Jiangsu, Suqian, and a small county town with "Yang" in its name.

　　This is merely a prototype; please do not take it personally.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)