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

At 11 p.m., the lights were still on in the office of the president of the National Medical College.

Old Qi gripped the phone slightly, and the wrinkles on his face appeared particularly deep under the light.

"Yes, I've verified it myself, and the theory is entirely feasible."

"I have repeatedly verified every piece of data, and the logical chain is impeccable."

"This is not a breakthrough, this is a revolution."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a resolute voice: "Okay, I'll arrange for the project to be approved immediately. Lao Qi, what do you need?"

"Supreme authority, optimal resources, and..." Old Qi paused, "...the most outstanding talent."

Three days later, the Dawn Project was officially approved as a national top-level scientific research project, with its confidentiality level set at the highest level.

On the afternoon of the day the official document was issued, five black sedans silently drove into the underground parking lot of the National Medical College. Stepping out of the cars were leading figures in various fields of medicine in China—Immunology luminary Academician Chen, molecular biology authority Professor Zhang, medicinal chemistry pioneer Academician Wang…

The small conference room was filled with fifteen top experts, each of whom was a powerful figure in their respective fields.

"Old Qi, what's all this fuss about? What are you researching?" Academician Chen asked first, his tone tinged with curiosity.

Standing in front of the projection screen, Mr. Qi looked around at everyone and slowly uttered four words: "Anti-cancer drugs."

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

A collective gasp followed.

"Anti-cancer drugs?" Professor Zhang pushed up his glasses. "Old Qi, you're not kidding, are you? Trillions of dollars have been invested globally for decades without any substantial breakthroughs, and now we..."

"We have a theory," Old Qi interrupted him, his voice not loud, but it silenced the entire conference room once again.

The projection screen lit up, and the title of the first page caught everyone's eye: "A Theoretical System for Cancer Treatment Based on Immune Reprogramming and Targeted Delivery".

For the next three hours, the meeting room was completely silent.

The only sounds were the flipping of slides and the occasional gasp of cold air.

When the last slide finished playing, Mr. Qi turned off the projector and turned on the lights in the conference room.

Under the lights, the expressions of the fifteen experts were remarkably consistent—shock, disbelief, yet unable to refute.

"This theory..." Academician Wang's voice was somewhat hoarse, "...who proposed it?"

The meeting room door was then pushed open.

Lin Feng walked in.

All eyes instantly focused on the young man. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and black trousers, looking more like a medical student than a researcher capable of proposing such a groundbreaking theory.

"Hello everyone, I am Lin Feng."

The self-introduction was brief and calm.

The next half hour was filled with a long silence and scrutiny. There were skeptical glances, disdainful expressions, and curious observations.

It wasn't until Elder Qi spoke up: "This entire theory originated from Lin Feng."

"What?!"

"How old is he?"

"Old Qi, this is no joke!"

Questions and criticisms arose one after another.

Lin Feng stood quietly until the sound subsided before walking to the whiteboard and picking up a marker.

"I know you teachers have questions. How about this, let's discuss it here. I'm willing to answer any questions about the theory."

Academician Chen was the first to raise the issue: "How exactly does the immune cell reprogramming mentioned on page 37 address the cytokine storm problem?"

Without consulting any materials, Lin Feng directly drew a complex signaling pathway diagram on the whiteboard: "The key lies in setting the regulatory threshold for T cells. I designed a three-stage activation system that will only trigger a full-scale attack when cancer cells simultaneously express three specific antigens..."

He explained and wrote at the same time, his writing so fluent that it was as if the knowledge was already ingrained in his bones.

Professor Zhang then asked, "How is the targeting accuracy of the drug delivery system guaranteed?"

"We employed a dual recognition mechanism. The first layer is antibody-mediated active targeting, and the second layer is passive targeting based on the tumor microenvironment response..."

The question-and-answer session lasted for two hours.

The questions became increasingly in-depth, and the answers increasingly insightful.

After the last expert's question was perfectly answered, the only sound in the conference room was the scratching of pens on paper—everyone was frantically taking notes of the conversation.

Seeing this, Old Qi smiled with satisfaction.

"Is there anyone still against Lin Feng being appointed as the special chief researcher?"

No one answered.

Silence is the best form of recognition.

Project Dawn was officially launched.

Over the next two months, the third basement level of the National Medical College was completely transformed into a cutting-edge laboratory. It is equipped with the most advanced instruments and equipment in the country and has gathered the most outstanding research teams.

Lin Feng and Professor Qi stood side by side in front of the command platform in the center of the laboratory, with busy researchers behind them.

Every day brings new progress.

In the first week, the initial experiment of reprogramming immune cells was successful. The modified T cells accurately identified and attacked cancer cells in in vitro experiments.

In the second week, the core carrier of the drug delivery system was successfully developed, achieving an astonishing targeting accuracy of 93.7%.

In the third week, a breakthrough was achieved in the extraction process of active ingredients from traditional Chinese medicine, with a purity reaching 99.99%...

The progress was astonishingly fast.

Everyone was immersed in the joy of the breakthrough until the last Tuesday of the second month.

"Mr. Lin, the data is incorrect."

At 3 a.m., an urgent report came from the drug synthesis laboratory.

Lin Feng and Old Qi arrived at almost the same time.

The screen displayed a set of glaring red data—the stability of the drug molecules in a simulated human environment was only 42%, far below the theoretical value of 95%.

"Do it again," Old Qi said in a deep voice.

The same result.

Even after redoing it, the result was still the same.

Within three days, the team tried seventeen different synthetic routes, changed eight catalysts, and adjusted countless reaction conditions.

However, the stability of drug molecules has never been able to exceed 50%.

The problem lies not in theory, but in technology.

"Our synthesis precision is insufficient." Lin Feng stared at the molecular structure diagram on the screen, his voice calm but tinged with helplessness. "To synthesize molecules with this structure, atomic-level manipulation precision is required. But the current equipment is limited to the nanometer level."

The laboratory fell silent.

This gap is an order of magnitude difference.

It's like trying to measure the diameter of a hair with a ruler—it's not that it's impossible, but the tools are simply not on the same level.

"Elder Qi," Lin Feng turned around and said with a wry smile, "it seems we've moved too fast."

He recalled Project Fuxi, that mega-project that had also been shelved due to technological bottlenecks. Its quantum computing theory was flawless, but limited by existing materials science and precision manufacturing technologies, it remained only on paper.

History is repeating itself.

Old Qi stared at the experimental data in silence for a long time before patting Lin Feng on the shoulder.

"It's not that we're moving too fast, it's that you've shown us too far-fetched scenery."

He walked to the window and looked at the gradually brightening sky outside: "Previous research was like groping in the dark, taking it one step at a time. But your theory is like building a lighthouse in a dark ocean—we can clearly see the other side, only to find that the ship isn't fast enough."

"But the lighthouse has already been built." Old Qi turned around, his gaze firm. "Ships can be built slowly, and technology can be improved slowly. At least now, we know the direction, we know the destination."

Lin Feng nodded.

He understood what Professor Qi meant. Scientific development is never linear; theoretical breakthroughs often precede technological advancements by decades or even centuries. When Einstein proposed the theory of relativity, humanity couldn't even build rockets.

"The theoretical research is complete." Lin Feng sorted through the materials in his hand. "The remaining technical challenges may take one year, two years, or even longer to overcome."

He paused for a moment: "So I'm planning to leave."

Old Qi did not show any surprise.

Working together for the past two months has made him realize that this young man's abilities extend far beyond cancer research. Confining him to a project stalled due to technical bottlenecks would be a waste of his talent.

"Okay." Old Qi said only one word, but it contained a thousand words.

He walked up to Lin Feng and extended his right hand: "If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime. The door to Project Dawn is always open for you."

Their hands were clasped tightly together.

One represents the present of China's medical community, and the other represents the future of China's scientific community.

That afternoon, Lin Feng packed his personal belongings and left the National Medical College quietly.

There was no farewell ceremony, no send-off party. Just like when he arrived, it was quiet and unassuming.

But as he walked out of the building, he glanced back at the sign that read "Project Dawn Laboratory".

The technological barrier has temporarily blocked our progress, but the light has already shone through.

Lin Feng got into the waiting car and said to Zhao Weiguo, "To the airport."

"Back to Harbin Institute of Technology, Mr. Lin?"

"Hmm." Lin Feng looked out the window at the fleeting street scene. "Back to Harbin Institute of Technology."