Chapter 145 Hidden Dangers within the Team and the First Signs of an Internal Sinister Detective

With the equipment problems resolved, Zhou Jimin's team unleashed unprecedented enthusiasm for research and development.

The entire research institute was brightly lit, and the low hum of the machines and the researchers' heated discussions intertwined to create an inspiring symphony of progress.

Bai Zhu was very satisfied with this thriving atmosphere.

However, the good times didn't last long.

This surge of enthusiasm, after five days, was suddenly dampened by a bucket of cold water.

"No! I disagree! This plan is too radical, with too many variables. If it fails, all our previous simulation data will be rendered useless!"

A furious roar erupted from the R&D department.

The speaker was Zhang Cheng, Zhou Jimin's deputy. He was a middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and with his hair neatly combed.

At that moment, his face was flushed red as he pointed at the nose of a young researcher opposite him.

"Engineer Zhang, how can this be called radical? This is a technological breakthrough! We've got such good equipment, are we going to cling to those outdated data models? Besides, how do we know it won't work if we don't try?"

The young researcher, Sun Lei, was hot-blooded and resentful.

"Try? Do you know how much it costs to try? Do you know how much failure will slow down the entire project? Young man, scientific research requires a down-to-earth approach, not just enthusiasm!"

Zhang Cheng was heartbroken, with an expression that said, "I'm doing this all for your own good."

"But we're racing against time! Other countries have already..."

"Foreign countries are foreign countries! We have our own national conditions! Don't you understand?!"

The argument grew louder, dividing the entire R&D department into two distinct factions. One side, led by deputy Zhang Cheng, advocated a steady and methodical approach, proceeding step by step.

On the other hand, there is the younger generation, represented by Sun Lei, who are active in their thinking, eager to try new things, and use new equipment to forge a new path that no one has ever taken before.

Zhou Jimin was caught in the middle, feeling extremely troubled.

He's a pure tech fanatic; he can work on research and development for three days and three nights straight without sleep. But getting him to handle interpersonal relationships and mediate team conflicts is harder than asking him to conjure an atomic bomb with his bare hands.

"Everyone...everyone, say less. We're all just trying to make a living. Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth..."

He rubbed his hands together, offering dry, perfunctory advice, but both sides were blinded by rage and neither would listen.

Seeing that the hard-won momentum was about to be completely wiped out by internal strife, Zhou Jimin was so worried that a few more strands of hair turned white. Helpless, he could only bite the bullet and knock on Bai Shu's office door.

"Chairman Bai, I...I'm useless. I can't even handle this little thing..." As soon as Zhou Jimin entered the room, he hung his head, looking like a child who had done something wrong, his face full of guilt and helplessness.

Bai Shu was looking at a financial report sent from Shanghai when she heard this. She looked up at the professor, who was a genius in technology but a "giant baby" in management, without the slightest reproach.

“Professor Zhou, this is not your fault.” Su Wantang’s voice was calm.

"Professionals should do professional things. Your expertise lies in the laboratory, not in interpersonal relationships."

One sentence dispelled most of Zhou Jimin's guilt, replacing it with deep gratitude.

"Go, call all the researchers to the conference room." Su Wantang stood up.

Fifteen minutes later, the conference room was full of people.

Conservatives and radicals sat across the aisle, not saying a word, but the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Everyone assumed that the newly arrived, excessively young Chairman Bai would begin to exercise the authority of the boss, either by mediating disputes or by making a final decision on which side to support, thus offending the other.

Bai Zhu walked into the conference room, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces.

Instead of getting straight to the point, she slowly walked onto the stage, picked up a piece of chalk, and drew two circles on the blackboard.

"Let me tell you a story."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, and the conference room fell silent instantly.

"Decades ago, there were two carriage workshops. Workshop A gathered the best craftsmen in the city. They meticulously crafted the most perfect, durable, and comfortable carriage wheels. Workshop B only had a group of young lads. Their skills were very rough, and the wheels they made would creak when they went fast. But they had only one advantage: they were fast. They could assemble a carriage in three months."

"The master craftsmen of Workshop A ridiculed Workshop B for being opportunistic and a disgrace to the industry. They spent a whole year finally making a pair of perfect wheels, but when they pushed them to the market, they were dumbfounded."

Bai Shu paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"The market is full of dilapidated horse-drawn carriages from Workshop B. Customers sit there cursing, yet business is booming. Why?"

She looked down at the audience, but no one answered.

"Because for most people, they don't need a wheel that can run for a hundred years; they just need a vehicle that can take them from the east side of town to the west side immediately. By the time Workshop A's perfect wheel is made, the market will have already been taken over by Workshop B, and they won't even have a taste of the soup."

After the story was told, the meeting room fell silent.

Sun Lei and the other young people had excited glints in their eyes.

Meanwhile, Zhang Cheng and his fellow researchers fell into deep thought, their stubbornness softening considerably.

“I’m not saying Workshop A is wrong,” Bai Shu’s voice rang out again.

"Technological excellence is the foundation of our business. However, R&D that is detached from the market is just self-indulgence. Our competitors will not stop and wait for us."

She put down the chalk and patted the chalk dust off her hands.

“So, my decision is,” her gaze sharpened.

"From today onwards, the R&D department will be divided into two groups. Group A, led by Comrade Zhang Cheng, will continue to advance steadily according to the original plan. Group B, led by Comrade Sun Lei, is free to boldly try out your new solutions."

"ah?"

Everyone was stunned. What kind of move was this?

“I only have one request,” Bai Shu continued, completely ignoring their shock.

"Healthy competition. Whoever can produce feasible and marketable results the fastest will be the core technology direction for Haitang Technology's future. To support everyone, the R&D funding for both groups will be doubled!"

All the researchers, young and old, stood up excitedly, their faces filled with unbelievable ecstasy.

That was a brilliant decision!

It neither favored any side nor failed to respect everyone's ideas, and it ignited everyone's fighting spirit in the most direct way—competition and money!

"Chairman Bai is awesome!"

Someone shouted something, and then thunderous applause resounded throughout the entire conference room.

Zhou Jimin stood aside, looking at the calm and composed young figure on the stage who seemed to be in control of everything, his admiration reaching its peak.

He was completely convinced. This Mr. Bai was not only incredibly wealthy, but also a genius in management! Compared to him, he was utterly incompetent!

He even felt that with Haitang Technology in her hands, it was only a matter of time before they not only caught up with foreign countries, but also surpassed them!

After the meeting, Bai Shu returned to his office, his smile fading and replaced by a calm expression.

Qin Zheng walked in, holding a security log in his hand.

"Miss, there's something going on about the place you asked me to keep an eye on."

"Speak." Su Wantang picked up her teacup and gently blew on it.

"I check the institute's security log every day. Most of it is normal, but there's only one thing that's not right." Qin Zheng opened the log and pointed to a few lines of records.

“My deputy, Zhang Cheng, has entered the archives room alone three times in the past two weeks, after 11 p.m. Each time he stayed for a short time, about 15 minutes, and he always went in when the staff on duty went to the toilet. His whereabouts are very secretive.”

Su Wantang paused in her movements.

The archives room stores the core data and paper backups of all projects.

Zhang Cheng...

This name, like a key, instantly unlocked a corner deep in her memory.

The ledger left behind by Su Yuting was filled with detailed records of the "Eagle's Nest's" pawns planted in various locations. She remembered the section on Beijing very clearly; one name was among them: Zhang Cheng!

The note following it reads: "Usable, but proceed with caution."

I see.

Their conservative approach to technology, even resorting to inciting conflict to slow down progress, is not a matter of ideological clashes at all.

He was a thorn in Zhou Jimin's side, planted by "Eagle's Nest"!

The venomous snake finally revealed its fangs.

“Young Miss, should I…” A fierce glint flashed in Qin Zheng’s eyes as he made a grabbing gesture.

"No." Su Wantang put down her teacup, the bottom of which made a soft sound as it hit the table.

"Taking action against him now would only alert him. We haven't yet found out who's behind him."

A small fish can't make much of a splash. What she wants is to pull the fisherman behind her out of the water along with the fishing line!

“You’re doing this,” Su Wantang said in a low voice, a cold calculation flashing in her eyes.

"Find a way to install a miniature listening device in the archives, the most discreet kind. Also, make a copy of our most crucial 'Dawn' project data."

Qin Zheng was somewhat puzzled: "Make a copy?"

“Yes.” Su Wantang’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“Not only will I copy it, but I will also personally ‘modify’ it. I will add a few insignificant but potentially fatal algorithmic errors.”

Qin Zheng understood instantly.

"I understand, Miss! I'll take care of it right away!" Qin Zheng accepted the order, turned around and strode away, his back view carrying a chilling aura.

Su Wantang was the only one left in the office.

She walked to the window, looking at the bustling yet peaceful factory area outside, but her eyes were as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month.

Eagle's Nest...

You guys are really quick.

Since you want my technology so much, I'll make a "big gift" and personally deliver it to you.

I just don't know if you guys can swallow this "generous gift" that's been spiced up!

She was going to wait, to wait for Zhang Cheng, this fish, to bite the poisoned hook himself.

Then, capture them all in one fell swoop!