Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 99 Far Orange Battery
Two cars were parked on the street at the entrance of Orange Technology Alley. They were the new cars that Chen Mo and Gong Yun had driven back from the 4S store yesterday.

One is a Mercedes-Benz S-Class used to make a good impression, and the other is a Buick GL8 business van used for hospitality and team building activities.

The salesperson had recommended Fengtian Kaowell, which cost over two million yuan, to Chen Mo, but Chen Mo politely declined.

He knew very well that this car model, which only sold for 20 yuan in Japan, would be sold for ten times more in China, and he couldn't afford to pay this "stupidity tax".

Early in the morning, Chen Mo got into the driver's seat of the Mercedes-Benz, rolled down the window and instructed Zhao Tiezhu: "The K3V1 sample test report must be sent to me this afternoon. If there are no problems, place an order with Hai Si tomorrow."

Gong Yun stuffed the faded canvas bag into the passenger seat of the Buick and waved the car keys at Chen Mo from the curb.

"Mr. Chen! The renovation team will arrive at 8:00 AM sharp, and we'll confirm the interior design plan this afternoon."

Chen Mo stuck his hand out of the car window and gave her a thumbs up: "Sister Gong, you can handle it. Don't worry about spending money. Get them to finish the renovations as soon as possible so we can move!"

As the two cars started their engines and drove away from the alleyway, Zhao Tiezhu swallowed hard, staring at the "W221" logo on the rear of the Mercedes-Benz.

"Wait until I get my driver's license," he said, pulling out a driving test guide he'd "borrowed" from Old Zhang. His gaze swept over the corner of the small workshop, and suddenly he grinned.
Xiaomi was looking at him pitifully, with half a bag of cat food that Gong Yun had brought yesterday right next to it.

"Hehe! You little snob, I told you to bring me wealth but you wouldn't do it, now you're in my hands!" Zhao Tiezhu gripped the cat food bag and finally pinned down the little Mimi who was hiding everywhere, rubbing its round belly with satisfaction.

Little Mi protested with a ruffled "meow," its paws futilely kicking at his sweat-smelling work pants.

"Hehe! Good fortune!" Zhao Tiezhu pinched and shook Xiao Mi's chubby cheeks: "Go ahead and tell Sister Gong on me if you dare!"

Before he could finish speaking, a chill suddenly crept up the back of his neck. As he squatted on the ground, he felt a darkness before his eyes and heard the rustling sound of flat shoes behind him.

"Little Zhao!" Gong Yun's voice, with its sweet ending tone, sent a cold sweat down Zhao Tiezhu's back.

He turned around stiffly, meeting her crescent-shaped eyes, her gaze as cold as ice, making it seem as if she were about to pull a knife from her canvas pocket at any moment.

"Sister Gong!" Zhao Tiezhu suddenly released Xiaomi, which darted under the long table and hid.

He forced a smile, "I...I saw that Xiaomi was hungry, so I helped feed her something." As his Adam's apple bobbed, he caught a glimpse of Gong Yun's faded canvas bag strap hanging down her taut calves, swaying gently with her breath, like a whip that could be pulled out at any moment.

Zhao Tiezhu quickly tucked his knees together, afraid that she would kick him and cause him to suffer an eighth-degree disability. If it were more serious and turned into a seventh-degree disability, his lineage of the Zhao family would be extinct!

"Weren't you supposed to be overseeing the renovations?" He hurriedly changed the subject, pretending to be nonchalant as he put the remaining cat food back in his hand, clapped his hands, and stood up.

Gong Yun glanced at the cat food in his hand, tilted her head and smiled, which reminded Zhao Tiezhu of the fierce way she pinched him when she was laughing.

"I left my blueprints here!" She pointed to the floor plan rolled up on the table. As her hair brushed against her neck, Zhao Tiezhu could smell a faint scent of mint.

Zhao Tiezhu hurriedly ran over and handed over the blueprints: "Sister Gong! Here you go! Don't delay the renovation!"

Gong Yun chuckled as she took the blueprints. Little Mimi, unaware of what was happening, rubbed against her feet again, its tail affectionately wrapped around her ankle.

She bent down and picked up Xiaomi, her hair falling down to cover half her face, her voice carried on the wind: "Thanks!"

Only when the Buick GL8's taillights disappeared at the alley entrance did Zhao Tiezhu dare to breathe heavily.

He wiped non-existent cold sweat from his forehead. Luckily, he was quick-witted enough not to be noticed by this crazy woman.

Zhao Tiezhu also realized that Xiaomi was no longer a pet adopted by the company, but was clearly the daughter of this crazy woman. She even paid for cat food for it herself, and it ate better than him.

Chen Mo gripped the steering wheel. The car came with a three-year free trial of the Kelide system, which had pioneered the 3D navigation mode last year. The screen showed that they were still 500 meters away from the address sent by Liu, a fellow student from the urban village in Longgang, but it was clear that they couldn't drive into the dirt road ahead.

Chen Mo parked his car on the side of the road, got out, and called his senior brother Liu.

On the phone, Liu Jiping's voice came through a mix of his roommates' shouts as they played cards and the clatter of an old-fashioned flush toilet.

"Junior brother, hey, keep your voices down, I'm on the phone."

A short while later, Senior Brother Liu arrived, carrying a bag and running breathlessly.

"Junior brother! I'm staying in this shabby place, and you've come to pick me up."

"What are you saying!" Chen Mo opened the trunk, took out two bottles of water, and handed one to him: "It's a new car the company bought, so you can try it out, senior."

Just then, Senior Brother Liu's phone rang, and he looked at Chen Mo apologetically.

"Junior brother, I need to take this call!"

Chen Mo smiled and raised his hand, while he took the water and went back to the car to wait for him.

Before Liu Jiping hung up the phone, Chen Mo could vaguely hear a sharp scream suddenly erupt from the other end.

"Xiao Liu! Are you crazy? You turned down an offer from our factory and went to some small, unknown company?"

The voice was trembling with disbelief, and the final note almost burst through the receiver; even Chen Mo, sitting in the car, could hear it.

Five minutes later, Liu Jiping froze the moment he opened the car door.

The beige leather seats gleamed with a warm luster, and the wooden center console emitted a faint scent of cedar. His canvas shoes hovered on the carpet before daring to land.

"Mr. Chen! This must cost a lot of money!"

"Haha! What's the point of owning a car if you don't want to ride in it?" Chen Mo started the car, the blue light from the dashboard illuminating his eyes: "Senior, tell me, you resigned?"

Chen Mo thought that the other party, being the type to seek stability, would at least wait until he saw Yuan Cheng with his own eyes before making a decision.

Liu Jiping's account gradually shifted from resigning to marveling at the 3D surround sound system in his car.

By the time he realized what was happening, the new orange signboard of Yuancheng New Energy was already in front of him.

Xu Mingyuan and about twenty people waited at the door, their white coats billowing like sails in the morning breeze.

“President Xu! This is my senior colleague Liu Jiping!” Chen Mo put his arm around the still somewhat dazed Liu Jiping: “He’s an engineer poached from the Chrysanthemum Factory. From now on, we’ll rely on him to assist you in managing Yuancheng’s laboratory.”

Xu Mingyuan's smile froze on his face for half a second, then he reached out and shook hands with Liu Jiping.

"So you're a talented young man from the renowned Chrysanthemum Factory! From today onwards, you'll be the Technical Director of Far Orange!"

Upon suddenly being promoted to a "high position," Senior Brother Liu was momentarily stunned.

Xu Mingyuan glanced at the curve of Chen Mo's lips out of the corner of his eye, and raised his voice a few decibels.

"We at Yuancheng absolutely cannot overlook the talent recommended by General Manager Chen; we must entrust him with important responsibilities!" He introduced to the core team members: "Everyone must fully support Director Liu's work in the laboratory from now on, understand?"

Behind Xu Mingyuan, the original twenty-odd core members, each with their own thoughts, expressed their determination to support Director Liu's work.

As everyone walked into the factory, Liu Jiping deliberately lagged behind. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight with one hand, the white light from his phone screen revealed the words "Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221), starting price 198 million." He pinched his thigh hard.

The excruciating pain almost made him laugh out loud—Xu Mingyuan's words "technical director" had instantly ignited a burning passion within him.

But when he remembered Teacher Lin's meaningful words when they parted at the school gate that day: "If you don't compete, you'll win!", he toned it down and didn't get cocky.

After BTD delivered the equipment overnight, their engineers worked overtime to debug the small production line for gaseous lithium batteries.

In fact, they and the workers had already conducted small-batch trial production to verify the reliability of the production line.
But now... cough cough, none of the batteries produced before are considered the first batteries to officially roll off the production line.

Changing room in the workshop.

Xu Mingyuan handed over the white coat with both hands, and Chen Mo put it on deftly.

Senior Brother Liu stayed behind Chen Mo the whole time, holding up the elastic band of the dust hat for him until it left red marks on his fingers before finally putting it on.

Passing through two airtight doors, the faint humming sound of the production line in standby mode seemed to seep into one's ears, growing louder as it approached.

The start/stop buttons on the equipment, which BTD engineers worked through the night to debug, emitted a row of cold green light, and the conveyor belt cut out tiny silver reflections as it moved.

The workers, dressed in protective suits, were checking equipment parameters when they caught a glimpse of Xu Mingyuan leading a young man wearing a dust cap towards them. Their backs instantly straightened.

Although the person's face was not clearly visible, Mr. Xu's deliberately humble demeanor revealed the person's identity—the new boss of Yuancheng New Energy had arrived.

Xu Mingyuan practically jogged as he lifted the protective curtain of the constant temperature power distribution room, the sweat on his palms leaving blurry marks along the edge of the curtain.

"Mr. Chen! Please!"

The moment Chen Mo pressed his thumb on the start button, a series of urgent alarm bells rang throughout the workshop, signaling the start of operations.
All the indicator lights on the equipment turned red simultaneously, and then the semi-automated production line seemed to come alive, bursting into a loud buzzing sound.

The material is sprayed out from the injection port in a mist-like manner, and condenses into a pale golden fluid in the vacuum chamber.

The propeller blades agitate at a rate of 1200 rpm, kneading the solid nitride electrolyte powder and liquid lithium-based solvent into a uniform colloid, which is then injected into the diamond-shaped mold through the guide channel.

Argon gas nozzles spray cold mist at the right time, and a crystalline film quickly forms on the surface of the colloidal substance.
As the battery cell material on the stage is moved to the laser calibration stage, 21 red beams are simultaneously projected to correct the curvature of the battery cell frame with a precision of 100 micrometers, thus forming the battery cell frame of the MOF internal structure.

That's right! In order not to offend the users of the previous Orange 1, Chen Mo has not yet mass-produced the gaseous lithium battery with the (MOF-honeycomb) structure that Professor Jiang casually created.

Crystalline thin films and catalysts are used as materials, which are then fed into an injection machine and then filled into a cell frame for encapsulation.

The prototype of the first gaseous lithium battery is unfolding and taking shape at a speed visible to the naked eye in the ion halo of the injection machine.

As the first gaseous lithium battery slid out of the cooling tank on the production line, the quality inspector was already waiting with a testing instrument in hand.

The blue light jumped three times on the instrument screen, and she suddenly straightened up.

"Mr. Chen! Quality inspection passed!"

Chen Mo took the round label that read "Quality Inspection Passed" and felt the lingering warmth on the battery surface with his fingertips.

The production batch number of this battery certification sticker is: C-LiQ-2010-YC001-0001, representing orange, gaseous lithium, 2010, Far Orange Batch 1, the first piece.

Previously, there was also the C-LiQ-2010-ND001-0001 manufactured by Ningde, which is now in the desktop fan that Zhao Tiezhu handcrafted for Gong Yun.

The black adhesive tape with the battery's 3C certification information and production batch number gleamed coldly under the workshop lights.

He affixed the label to the right side, where the edges of the adhesive tape were slightly misaligned. This "acceptance" label perfectly covered up the extremely minor flaw.

"Clap clap clap clap~" A thunderous applause rang out.

Xu Mingyuan's face flushed red, and his hands clenched into fists: "This is a milestone for Yuancheng! Everyone!"

"Thank you all for your hard work!" Chen Mo raised his hand to interrupt, his eyes under his dust hat sweeping over the workers who were looking over curiously, as well as the engineers sent by BTD to provide support.

"Starting today, the production line will operate on a two-shift system, with wages calculated based on the previous twelve-hour system. We must ensure that everyone has eight hours of rest time each day!"

The workers looked at each other, surprise flashing in their eyes behind their goggles.

An engineer, still wearing his BTD badge, suddenly chuckled, and a production line worker next to him nudged his colleague with his elbow.

They calculated that the actual working hours remained the same after the two shifts were implemented, but the wages increased by half a unit. If they worked a 16-hour shift, wouldn't their wages triple?

When the applause rang out again, it was more sincere than before, and everyone's goodwill towards Chen Mo, their new boss, increased significantly.

Chen Mo turned to Xu Mingyuan, his voice very low.

"Mr. Xu! Allocate eight hours every day for BTD's engineers to calibrate the production line, so that our engineers can learn from them. The 10% capacity error must be reduced to 8% within a week. As for multi-specification batteries, we'll deal with the other two lines!"

Just as Xu Mingyuan was about to express his determination, Chen Mo had already turned around.

He beckoned three times to Liu Jiping, who was huddled at the edge of the crowd, and the latter immediately understood.

The two walked through the increasingly boisterous crowd of celebrations. The moment the airtight door closed, the cheers inside the workshop were shut out, leaving only a row of cold lights in the corridor, casting two slender shadows behind them.

Chen Mo took off his dust cap and casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Senior! The lab has a batch of Class A controlled materials, and the reserve supervision specialist checks them three times a day."

His gaze swept over the blast door at the end of the corridor, and he lowered his voice: "You follow the specialist and take notes. Don't touch anything that violates the procedures."

Liu Jiping's fingers unconsciously rubbed the pocket of his white coat, and Teacher Lin's words, "If you don't compete, you'll win," suddenly echoed in his ears.

As the cold white light shone on Chen Mo's face, Liu Jiping suddenly understood that this seemingly peripheral work arrangement contained the true Achilles' heel of Yuancheng.

"Understood!" He pushed up his slipping glasses, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "The ledger format for controlled items is all new stuff to me."

Chen Mo patted his shoulder heavily and said with a gentle smile, "Senior brother, don't underestimate this record. The flow data of every single gram of controlled substances must be compiled into a ledger and sent to me."

The last syllable of his voice as he turned was barely audible.

"If the accounts and the goods don't match, Yuancheng won't be able to start production. The National Security Bureau's inquiry letter can lock up our purchasing authority. What's the point of producing gaseous lithium batteries then!"

Previously, when the other side did not have large-scale production of catalysts, they could turn a blind eye and allow Chen Mo to produce a small amount in the national laboratory.

Now, try this merciless iron fist; it'll kill you in a matter of minutes.

The first Far Orange battery, with batch number C-LiQ-2010-YC001-0001, will be officially shipped the following day to Orange 1's assembly plant.

(End of this chapter)