Rejecting Tsinghua and Peking Universities: I Will Lead Harbin Institute of Technology to World Lead

Seven days after the conclusion of the global army competition, the Ministry of Defense of the Free State quietly removed the promotional video of the Thor tank from its official website homepage.

The European Union has urgently revised its Army Development Plan, reducing the original timeline for gradually replacing its main battle tanks with a new generation from ten years to three years.

At an internal meeting, the president of the Northern Bear Kingdom only said two sentences: "First, immediately launch the Armata-Electromagnetic Railgun project; second, strengthen military technology cooperation with China."

As for the small country... their Army General Staff submitted a three-hundred-page "Temporary Plan for Countering the Threat of the Chinese Xuanwu Tank".

The global landscape of land warfare was completely rewritten after a single competition.

The one who created all of this was sitting in his study at home in the mountain city, completely unaware of the changing weather outside the window.

Three thick notebooks were spread out in front of Lin Feng.

The theoretical refinement of the Azure Dragon Primary Gene Agent has entered its final sprint stage.

Within the system space, the time flow rate is 1:10.

Four months in the real world, but he had spent three years and four months in that pure white realm.

On the first day, he reconstructed the gene-editing vector system. Traditional adenovirus vectors pose an immunogenic risk, so he designed a novel delivery system based on lipid nanoparticles that can penetrate cell membranes without triggering an immune response.

In the third month, he tackled the problem of directed evolution. How to make proteins evolve along a predetermined path instead of through random mutations? He introduced a quantum computing-assisted evolutionary prediction algorithm, which increased the success rate from 35% to 92%.

In the eighth month, he solved the problem of precise control over telomere repair. Lengthening telomeres can slow down aging, but overactivation can lead to cancer. He found an RNA aptamer that only initiates the repair process when telomeres shorten to a critical value.

The stabilizer formulation for the gene-based drug required a biocompatible material that could maintain its activity at room temperature for more than three years. Lin Feng tested 6,700 polymers and finally found the perfect solution in a derivative of a deep-sea sponge extract.

"Azure Dragon Primary Gene Agent, theoretical perfection 100%".

As the system notification sounded, Lin Feng's consciousness slowly awoke from the deep deduction.

"Now it's time to make your wish come true."

Lin Feng murmured to himself, his eyes filled with a calm yet resolute light.

He lived an unusually regular life for those four months.

At dinner, he put down his chopsticks, looked at his family, and said, "I'm leaving tomorrow."

The dining table fell silent instantly.

Lin Sibin hadn't even swallowed the food in his mouth when his eyes reddened: "Dad... are you leaving again?"

Lin Chuxue threw herself into Lin Feng's arms: "Big brother, don't go! You promised to teach me how to solve that math problem!"

Lin Feng gently hugged his younger sister and looked at his parents and wife.

Shen Moran lowered her head, gently stirring the contents of her bowl with her chopsticks. Su Wenqing turned her face away to wipe her eyes. Lin Guodong took a deep breath and patted his son's shoulder heavily: "Go on. We'll take care of things at home."

The next morning, Lin Feng gently kissed his two sleeping children, embraced his wife tightly, and solemnly said goodbye to his parents.

He did not return to Harbin Institute of Technology.

A private plane flew directly to Shanghai.

There, a brand-new biosafety level 4 laboratory has been quietly built on the shores of the East China Sea. Codenamed Azure Dragon, its security level is the same as that of the Black Tortoise base, but its security is even more stringent—because the technologies researched here directly affect human life itself.

The laboratory is built underground on an island, 150 meters below the rock strata. Access requires passing through seven airtight doors and three independent air filtration systems; all wastewater and exhaust gases undergo high-temperature, high-pressure treatment. Researchers must remain inside for at least three months before rotation.

When Lin Feng arrived, the special envoy sent by Elder Li was already waiting at the dock.

"Chief Engineer Lin, the laboratory is ready. According to your list, all equipment was tested and completed three days ago, and all key reagents are in place."

"Where is the expert team?"

"Assembly is underway. The first batch of thirty-seven people will arrive tonight. The second batch of forty-two people will all arrive tomorrow night."

Lin Feng nodded and boarded the private ferry to the island.

Forty-eight hours later, in the main conference room of the Azure Dragon Laboratory.

All seventy-nine top experts in the field of life sciences in China were present. Among them were academicians with full heads of white hair, discipline leaders in their prime, and several rising stars who were under forty years old but had already gained international renown.

Everyone looked at Lin Feng, who was in the main seat, their eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement and curiosity—being urgently transferred to participate in the Azure Dragon Project meant that it was a national strategic project.

"Dear teachers and seniors," Lin Feng said, opening the holographic projection, "I've invited you all here today to begin a brand new research field—gene enhancement."

On the screen, a simplified 3D model of the human body appears.

"We call this project Azure Dragon, a mythical creature from the East, symbolizing vitality, energy, and evolution."

He pulled up the first set of data: "The Azure Dragon Primary Gene Agent has four main effects: 1. Enhanced basic physical constitution; 2. Optimized immune system; 3. Extended lifespan and health; 4. Improved environmental adaptability."

Each item mentioned elicited a low gasp of surprise.

When the phrase "extending healthy lifespan by 30-50 years" appeared, the hands of several senior academicians began to tremble.

"Chief Engineer Lin," a white-haired genetics luminary slowly stood up, his voice hoarse with excitement, "what is the theoretical basis for what you're saying...? How do you address the safety issues of gene editing? Ethical review..."

"Academician Zhang, please look here." Lin Feng pulled up the technology roadmap. "We're using the brand-new CRISPR-Cas12 system, achieving editing precision at the single-base level. For safety, we've designed seven protection mechanisms: a tissue-specific promoter, a self-destructing guide RNA, an automatic degradation system after editing..."

He explained each point one by one, from molecular mechanisms to cellular effects, from animal experimental protocols to human clinical trial designs.

Two hours later, the number of questions gradually decreased.

It wasn't that there were no problems, but rather that there were too many, so many that they didn't know where to begin. More importantly, they discovered that every solution Lin Feng provided was frighteningly complete, as if it had been verified a thousand times.

"So," Academician Zhang finally took a deep breath, "the theoretical part... is it all finished?"

"Yes." Lin Feng nodded. "Next, what we need to do is turn theory into reality."

Suppressed cheers erupted in the conference room.

They had expected to engage in the most basic theoretical exploration, but Lin Feng had already built a complete framework. What they had to do was follow this proven path to the end.

This is the state that scientific researchers dream of—no need to grope in the fog, just move towards the clear light.

"Alright, let's begin." Lin Feng turned off the projector. "According to the division of labor, please proceed to your designated laboratories. This afternoon, we will conduct our first gene vector construction experiment."

Once the order was given, the laboratory began to operate like a sophisticated instrument.

The gene editing team led by Academician Zhang has begun synthesizing the first batch of mass-produced guide RNA.

A safety assessment team led by Professor Li, a leading authority in immunology, has initiated the construction of the first batch of mouse models.

Dr. Wang, a young protein engineering expert, began debugging the automated evolution culture system worth 30 million yuan.

Lin Feng, meanwhile, moved between the various laboratories.

He doesn't need to conduct the experiments himself, but he needs to provide the most precise guidance at every crucial juncture.