My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 407 A Little Waiter in the Human World

Inside the factory building, which stretches for dozens of meters, handwritten slogans with red backgrounds and white lettering are pasted on the walls:
"Independence, self-reliance"

"Unite to strive for greater victories"

"Get nervous and race against time"

"Time is the command, efficiency is life"...

A huge red flag was hung flat on the wall in the very center.

The atmosphere of a major campaign, unique to the 1960s and 70s, was fully immersing the audience.

These computer researchers came from all over the world, regardless of their previous research areas.

They are now all concentrated on both sides of a long workbench.

When stainless steel was still a rare commodity, white polycarbonate sheets were used as the highest-grade furniture veneer, replacing traditional tabletops and facilitating the installation of various electronic components.

Wei Dong immediately recognized that the five Apple computers he had brought back last night had all been disassembled into pieces, with everything from the keyboard to the mouse being broken down to varying degrees.

The Macintosh computer's distinctive small screen, unibody design, floppy drive, and circuit boards were all neatly disassembled.

One machine even had all the chips, diodes, and transistors on the motherboard completely removed.

Some people were recording, some were surveying, and some were inspecting. The walls on both sides were piled with work cabinets with various numbers, testing equipment, and oscilloscopes.

There were several groups of people in the central area, and many of them were craning their necks to watch with gritted teeth.

Even though there were several industrial exhaust fans and ventilation equipment piled up in the corner, Jiangzhou in June and July was already as hot as an oven, with temperatures reaching nearly 40 degrees Celsius.

Perhaps to prevent the fan from affecting the various tiny components, these guys stubbornly endured the sweat pouring down their faces.

They were so focused that no one even noticed Wei Dong and the others walking in.

Only through the gaps could one see the people they surrounded, shirtless, huddled in front of the microscope, operating the equipment with both hands to solder circuit boards.

Someone nearby gently fanned her with a palm-leaf fan, being extremely careful not to disturb her even slightly.

The entire factory was busy but not noisy, with each team working on a specific part with meticulous analysis.

Stacks of brand-new blueprints were already piled up next to it.

Wei Dong was even more surprised to see that the Macintosh computer, Toshiba laptop, and Nintendo Famicom he had brought back earlier had been disassembled and each occupied a separate table, with the entire set neatly arranged down to the screws.

Each of them had a full-size drawing sheet, about one or two square meters in size, pasted on the wall. They clearly outlined the circuit diagrams, design concepts, and component numbers of foreign personal PCs. The drawing skills were quite exquisite, making even a layman like Wei Dong feel very comfortable looking at them.

The meticulous arrangement of space, so perfect it could cure obsessive-compulsive disorder, is like an industrial-style work of art.

Dong Xueqing, who had also learned to draw this kind of circuit diagram, gave her brother-in-law a thumbs up with admiration, silently praising him as a true master.

Finally, all the 6502 chips that had been transported back were neatly stacked in the corner.

Only the outermost box was opened, revealing a piece of foam with finger-sized grooves carved out, in which brand-new black chips were embedded.

At that moment, everyone in the crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as if they had been holding their breath, afraid that their breathing would disturb the delicate operation.

Then they all dispersed a bit more, and finally a technical expert whom Wei Dong recognized saw him and immediately came over to shake hands: "Since receiving the sample computer last night, several task forces have been working in shifts and have completed the last two steps of the restoration project. Please give us your instructions, Comrade Wei Dong!"

Simply put, apart from the main chip, such as the 6502, which is impossible to replicate using a 3-micron process, all other components, including memory chips, are replaced with domestically produced ones.

Since there are no ready-made integrated circuit boards available, we'll just make them by hand!
Copper wires were used to replace circuit boards to connect the various pins of the 6502 chip. From the moment we received the new 6502 chip, we tested whether we could replicate the Famicom using domestically produced parts.

We are all industry professionals, and we understand that as long as it can be produced by hand, we can find a way to mass-produce it; it's just a matter of yield rate.

As long as we can produce domestically made goods that can replace imported products, we can sell them and make money.

This path can bring in the much-needed funding for scientific research, allowing all currently stalled computer research and development to get back on track.

Steve Rogers built his first computer by hand in his garage using the same method and the 6502 chip.

The expert from the advance team explained that the few who were surrounded were the most skilled hand-crafting masters from various research institutes, whose precision and stability were roughly equivalent to that of a top surgeon wielding a scalpel.

When the equipment cannot meet the requirements, people are used to fill in the blanks.

Wei Dong nodded silently, pointed to the situation underway, and stepped back so as not to disturb the work that had reached its final crucial step.

The senior engineer who took over continued to operate the equipment. On the workbench, the circuit board, which was originally the size of an A4 sheet of paper, was expanded into a pile of flat components and copper wires the size of a small table.

The central processing unit, in essence, is also an integrated circuit "molded" by a machine; a piece the size of a thumb contains 32,768 transistors.

Let Wei Dong know that in the future, there will be CPUs that are only a few nanometers in size, not much larger than this, but capable of holding hundreds of millions of transistors.
So if you fall behind now, it will be especially painful to catch up in 30 or 40 years.

Others went on to reverse engineer other circuit boards, particularly Apple computers.

The entire factory was filled with an orderly and calm atmosphere. The clean and beautiful workshops, the slogans characteristic of the era, and especially the patched military uniforms, white coats, and even tattered vests, along with the gray hair and thick-rimmed glasses of many people, suddenly touched Wei Dong's heart.

He pulled out his camera bag from his waistband and started snapping photos in quick succession.
photo.

This scene of the most primitive chase was recorded.

I have an unwavering belief that I can surpass it.

And looking at those figures working silently in the viewfinder, he couldn't help but hum that tune:
"And I will love the world you love."

May you have the smile you desire;

I staggered to take your hand.
please take me to tomorrow
If you have ever been bitter to my sweetness
I want to live your wish

May it not be in vain, may you forge ahead bravely!

Every day in this prosperous age..."

Honestly, all the emotions I had in Shanghai before vanished instantly after seeing this scene.

Those compradors, unscrupulous merchants, and powerful figures who could command the wind and rain—in the long course of history, they were nothing but a fart.

Those who truly make history are these seemingly ordinary individuals.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of it.

Isn't this the very value of my existence?

Help these people avoid the shadows in the process, and let more people's faces be full of smiles.

A smile involuntarily spread across his face.

This song, which he listened to most during his two years at the security booth, especially in the time after the pandemic, greatly helped to alleviate the hostility faced by many security guards.

If the song "Wandering the World with a Sword" represented the ideal Wei Dong aspired to, then this song truly reflected his understanding of society as a whole.

It took countless ordinary people, generation after generation, to accumulate the situation that continues to evolve forty years later.

In fact, Jin Zhuoqun also had an artistic sense and had already signaled to his camera to record the event.

Hearing Wei Dong humming a melody, he exclaimed in surprise, "It's beautiful! What song is it?"

Wei Dong truly admires these songwriters. Every time he listens to this song, he can't help but feel his blood boil: "A friend sang it to me, 'Every day in this prosperous age...'"
The mountains and rivers are safe and sound, and the smoke of daily life remains as usual.

But you look as you wish
Children, sleep soundly.

Like the one you love so deeply… Can you hear the emotion contained here? So many martyrs sacrificed themselves, so many workers, farmers, and researchers toiled tirelessly in their posts—for what?

Jin Zhuoqun, a professional performer from a performing arts troupe, said: "It's all so the children can sleep peacefully! Absolutely amazing, the song's level of artistry is incredible! Come on, sing it from the beginning, I'll write it down..."

As he spoke, he pulled a small, palm-sized interview recorder out of his pocket.

Wei Dong was initially somewhat resistant.

Then Jin Zhuoqun said, "I have an idea. We should put this song at the end of the TV series. Why did these martyrs, who were relatively well-off back then, face death without fear? Wasn't it all for the life we ​​have today?"

Say "um" immediately...

Just then, it seemed that everyone's components were complete. They carefully assembled them together and finally pushed a crude switch box.

Hundreds of people held their breath as they watched the color TV that had been added to the table. The gray screen flickered, and just as someone couldn't help but sigh in disappointment and was about to start looking for the problem again, the classic opening scene of the Famicom appeared!

Some cheered, some calmly put away their welding torches, and some couldn't resist lighting a cigarette. Most people just wiped their sweat and kept going. One node was completed, but there were many more to come.

Rang Weidong finally put the camera back in his waistband, raised his hands and clapped twice: "Hello everyone! I am very happy to meet all the researchers who participated in the China Learning Machine project at this memorable moment. My name is Rang Weidong, Rang as in humility, but I will always guard the East. I am also the leader of the private enterprise that was restructured from the Computer Research Institute. I would like to take this opportunity to outline your future work directions..."

Instantly, the entire factory fell silent, and everyone turned to look in their direction.

Jin Zhuoqun immediately found a stool and tried to help Wei Dong stand on it.

Being rejected made Wei Dong not want to approach these frontline researchers with a sense of grandstanding. He always felt that he was just a servant, serving these backbone members well.

But the most interesting thing is that two years ago, when Wei Dong first met Lao Zhang at Liujin Photo Studio, he introduced himself as Rang, the same Rang as Cheng Rang.

At that time, I subconsciously had a kind of business acumen that believed in making money through harmony.

Now, facing so many researchers, he used the word "yield" without hesitation.

Only those who are truly confident will adopt a humble attitude.

(End of this chapter)