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

Lin Feng walked out of the room, showing no sign of fatigue. He went to the living room, where Zhao Weiguo was already standing guard by the window as usual.

"Brother Zhao, could you do some things for me next?"

Lin Feng's voice made Zhao Weiguo turn around immediately, standing at attention: "Mr. Lin, please speak."

"This is a resource list I've compiled." Lin Feng handed over two neatly bound documents. "Purchase all the materials, equipment, and reagents listed above according to the quantities indicated, and prepare at least three backups of each item."

The document covers are printed with simple numbers: "Shennong-01" and "Bian Que-01".

Zhao Weiguo took the book and turned to the first page, his pupils contracting slightly.

Shennong's list contains 374 items: from premium rice breeding substrates to gene editing kits, from full-spectrum simulated growth lamps to nanoscale nutrient solution monitors, and even includes 17 rare wild rice germplasm resources—some of which Zhao Weiguo had never heard of before.

Bian Que's list is even more complicated: more than 500 medical device components, neurophysiological recording systems, high-precision brain wave generators, customized cranial magnetic stimulation coils... Each item is marked with a precise model number and technical parameters, and some equipment is also marked with "If this model is not available, it can be customized according to the following standards".

"There's fifty million in this bank card," Lin Feng said, handing over another black card. "The PIN is six zeros. If it's not enough, just let me know."

Zhao Weiguo was stunned this time.

He had followed Lin Feng for many years and witnessed this young scientist mobilize national resources, but he had never seen him personally fund the purchase of such a large quantity of research materials. Fifty million is an astronomical figure for ordinary people, but compared to the massive projects Lin Feng had previously led, which often involved investments of tens of billions…

"Mr. Lin, do these materials need to go through the national project procurement channel?" Zhao Weiguo asked cautiously. "I can contact the Materials Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; they can get a more favorable price, and..."

"No need," Lin Feng interrupted him calmly. "This research will be completed using private resources. Although the list has many items, they are all within the scope of the civilian market. It just requires more effort to find them."

"Okay, Mr. Lin." Zhao Weiguo didn't ask any more questions, and solemnly put away the documents and bank card. "I will prepare all the supplies as soon as possible."

At nine o'clock that morning, a silent resource allocation operation began.

Forty-eight hours after the procurement list was sent out, the first batch of supplies had arrived at Harbin Institute of Technology.

Late at night, three unmarked vans drove into the professor's residential area. Personnel dressed in plainclothes but moving efficiently quickly unloaded the goods; all the boxes were treated for shock and magnetic protection, and only numbered on the outer packaging.

Zhao Weiguo personally supervised the inventory count.

When Lin Feng entered the living room, Zhao Weiguo had been waiting for a long time.

"Mr. Lin, all the materials have been stored in the basement temporary warehouse, arranged according to category and number." He placed a signed receipt and the black bank card on the table. "The total cost is 41.87 million, with 8.13 million remaining. This is the detailed expense list, and all receipts have been filed."

Lin Feng glanced at the total amount and pushed the bank card back: "You and the other brothers who protected me can divide this money among yourselves. Thank you all for your hard work these past few days."

Zhao Weiguo was about to decline when Lin Feng raised his hand to stop him, his voice softening: "I spend all my time in the lab, and you handle everything outside. This is what I deserve."

Zhao Weiguo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally bowed deeply: "On behalf of all the team members, thank you, Mr. Lin."

They really have it tough. They're on 24-hour shifts, dealing with all sorts of emergencies...

"Go ahead, I need absolutely quiet research time for the next few days."

"clear!"

Zhao Weiguo left the living room and gently closed the door.

In the underground laboratory, Lin Feng was already in the zone.

The 500-square-meter space is divided into two independent areas. On the left is the Shennong Laboratory, where three full-environment simulation growth chambers are in place, and the gene editing workstations are flashing their standby lights. On the right is the Bian Que Laboratory, where brainwave monitors, neural modulation platforms, and animal experiment areas are neatly arranged.

Lin Feng first headed towards Shennong District.

He opened the first safe, where seventeen cryogenic preservation tubes lay quietly in liquid nitrogen vapor. Each tube contained priceless wild rice germplasm resources, some of which were on the verge of extinction in nature, their genes containing precious codes for stress resistance, high yield, and high nutrition.

"Let's begin."

Wearing sterile gloves, Lin Feng's movements were as precise as if he were performing surgery.

Seed collection, sterilization, hatching, gene extraction—all steps had been simulated thousands of times in the system space, and now, operating in reality, they were as smooth as breathing. The gene editing system was activated, and the CRISPR-Cas9 molecular scissors, under program control, precisely cut the target gene sequence.

The disease and insect resistance gene was enhanced and the promoter was replaced with a highly active version;

The polymorphic sites of drought and flood resistant genes have been optimized, broadening their environmental adaptability range;

The genes for key enzymes in photosynthesis have been redesigned, increasing carbon fixation efficiency by 40%.

The expression timing of genes related to grain filling was adjusted, resulting in a longer grain-filling period but a shorter overall cycle...

Every step is based on a 100% mature theoretical foundation; there is no trial and error, only verification.

Three days later, the first-generation edited rice embryos were implanted into the growth chamber.

Full-spectrum lighting simulates optimal light conditions, nutrient solution is precisely delivered via a nano-level drip irrigation system, and temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide concentration are all automatically regulated. In-cabin sensors collect 3,000 data points per second, providing real-time feedback on growth status.

Lin Feng then turned his attention to the Bian Que project.

The core of the mental recovery device lies in the precise interpretation and regulation of human brain neural activity. This requires first establishing a reliable disease model.

He took twelve gene-edited mice from the animal testing area—these mice had been implanted with gene mutations associated with human mental illnesses and exhibited behavioral characteristics similar to depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment.

The first mouse was gently secured to a stainless steel experimental table.

The microelectrode array was implanted into the prefrontal cortex via minimally invasive surgery, with 360 electrode points recording the firing activity of neurons in real time. On the adjacent screen, the electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern undulated like a mountain range.

"Start baseline recording".

Lin Feng manipulated the neurophysiological system, capturing the complete brain activity of the mice in a sedated state. Then, he induced an anxiety state through specific stimuli—the mice's brainwave patterns instantly became disordered, and the connection strength between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala was abnormally increased, which are typical neurological characteristics of anxiety disorders.

"Now, test the repair plan."

He activated his self-assembled brainwave modulation device. A series of electromagnetic pulses at specific frequencies penetrated the mouse's skull, precisely targeting the prefrontal-amygdala circuit. The pulse intensity, frequency, and timing were all meticulously designed to reshape abnormal neural connections.

An hour later, the mouse's brain waves gradually returned to a stable state.

Behavioral tests showed that mice that would normally freeze in open areas began to explore cautiously; and their overreaction to stress stimuli was significantly reduced.

"efficient."

Lin Feng recorded the data, his eyes calm.

This is just the beginning.

He continued to optimize the parameters: the pulse frequency was adjusted from 5Hz to 10Hz, the stimulation duration was changed from intermittent to continuous, and the target location was expanded from a single brain region to whole-brain network regulation...

The seventh mouse achieved 98% of the theoretical therapeutic effect.

The tenth one had a success rate consistently above 99%.

Meanwhile, good news came from the Shennong Laboratory.

The first-generation edited rice had completed its entire life cycle inside the growth chamber. When Lin Feng opened the chamber door, the heavy rice ears almost reached the ground—the individual plant height reached 1.2 meters, the number of tillers was three times that of conventional varieties, and each ear contained more than three hundred grains.

He carefully cut off a few ears of grain and brought them back to the analysis table.

1000-grain weight: 42 grams, far exceeding the 25-30 grams of conventional varieties.

Protein content test: 14.7%, which is 0.3 percentage points higher than the theoretical value.

Resistance test: Completely immune to three major rice blast strains, with a yield reduction rate of only 8% under simulated drought conditions.

"First generation, meets the standard."

Lin Feng's hand trembled slightly as he wrote those words in the lab notebook.

It wasn't excitement, but confirmation—the theory of a 100% perfect system space has been perfectly verified in the real world.

The next two months will be a period of iterative optimization.

In the Shennong Project, Lin Feng has continuously cultivated four generations of rice. Each generation has further enhanced specific traits: by the fourth generation, the yield potential per mu had stabilized at over 2800 kg, the resistance had reached the theoretical limit, and the growth cycle had been shortened to ninety-six days.

In the Bian Que project, he expanded from mouse models to primate experiments, which are closer to humans. The rented macaques, after being implanted with a depression model, underwent three treatments, and their abnormal behavior essentially disappeared; neuroimaging showed that the damaged brain regions had recovered their function.

Day 63, 2 AM.

The lights in the underground laboratory were still bright.

Lin Feng stood at the junction of the two laboratories. In the growth chamber on the left, the fourth-generation super rice was golden and bright, and the fragrance of rice filled the air. On the experimental table on the right, a macaque that had once been troubled by a severe anxiety model was now quietly eating fruit with clear eyes.