Chen Hao glanced down at his phone; the screen was still showing the transmission completion notification from the Mars base. He stuffed the phone into his trouser pocket, his fingers brushing against a hard edge—the experimental record sheet from yesterday that he hadn't had time to throw away.
"Shall we go?" Susan stood at the door, her dress sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing a section of the old watch strap on her wrist.
“If we don’t leave now, the celebration will turn into a funeral.” Karl loosened his tie, his voice a little hoarse. “I just saw the dean clearing his throat on stage.”
Nana was already standing at the elevator entrance, the light shining on the metal seams of her shoulders, reflecting a cold glint. "The outside temperature is seventeen degrees Celsius, the wind speed is level three, and it is recommended to maintain a smile for at least three seconds," she said, before reaching out to straighten Karl's crooked bow tie.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a bright light outside.
The red carpet stretched from the main entrance of the research building all the way to the center of the square, with reporters and staff standing on both sides. As soon as the flash went off, Chen Hao instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, only to hear a flurry of camera shutter clicks.
“Don’t hide,” Susan whispered. “You are now the man who can change the way humanity uses electricity.”
"I'm just a terrible student who can't even get his homework copied by anyone." He grinned and stepped onto the red carpet.
The rough texture of the carpet beneath his feet made his heels burn from the rubbing of his leather shoes. He walked slowly, waving at the camera as he went, as if he were greeting someone at a market.
"Dr. Chen, how are you feeling right now?" Someone squeezed through the crowd, holding a microphone.
“I think I overpaid for these shoes,” he said. “They cost two thousand yuan, and I want to take them off after wearing them for ten minutes.”
Laughter erupted around them. Susan gave him a gentle push, nearly causing him to miss the step.
As the four walked side by side onto the main stage, the host was reading the opening remarks. The audience was packed with people, including officials in white coats and ties, and several support staff members standing in a corner holding bouquets of flowers.
"Now, let's invite the four core members of this project to give their remarks." After the host finished speaking, he handed the microphone to Chen Hao.
Chen Hao took the microphone, his knuckles damp with a little water. He stared at the densely packed crowd below, suddenly recalling how frantic he'd been last night over data fluctuations. Back then, no one had imagined that several sleepless nights would lead to this scene.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
There was a moment of silence in the audience.
Nana stood on the side platform, her indicator light flashing six times. He understood; it was the "Don't be a coward" code they had agreed upon beforehand.
“There are four of us,” he finally said. “Two Earthlings, one cyborg, and one robot.” The audience laughed. “It doesn’t sound like a research team; it sounds more like a refugee group.”
The laughter grew louder.
“But it was this combination that turned the randomly jumping signals underground into something that could light up streetlights.” He paused. “I know many people think we were lucky. But I want to say that this luck was earned through hard work—working until 3 a.m. adjusting parameters, working until we felt nauseous from drinking coffee, working until we were even dreaming about calculating frequency offset values.”
Some people in the audience applauded.
“I’m not a genius; I’ve always copied other people’s homework.” He smiled. “But I have one advantage—when it’s time to persevere, I’ll never give up.”
Applause began to spread.
Susan's fingertips were a little cold when she took the microphone. She stood under the spotlight, looking at the senior researchers sitting in the first row, one of whom was quietly wiping the corner of his eye.
"Thank you to everyone who didn't withdraw funding, replace personnel, or urge us to 'shut down immediately' during our most difficult time," she said. "Special thanks to my family—you didn't ask me every day when I would get a promotion and a raise, but instead asked if the lab was heated enough."
A burst of laughter and applause erupted from the audience.
"And those technicians who helped us calibrate the equipment in the middle of the night, the circuit repairmen, the food delivery guys..." she lowered her voice, "Without you, our theories would just rot in the computer."
As she finished speaking, a burst of applause erupted from the audience. An elderly technician in overalls stood up and nodded to her. Susan returned the gesture with a bow.
When it was Carl's turn, his hand holding the microphone trembled slightly.
“I used to think that the knowledge in books was all dead,” he said. “You memorize it for the exam, and then you forget it after the exam.” He paused for a moment, “But now I know that it can keep the electrocardiogram machine running in remote hospitals and allow children in disaster areas to do their homework at night.”
The entire room fell silent.
"So I don't regret choosing this path." After he finished speaking, he handed the microphone back and took a half step back.
Nana stepped forward, and the light fell on her, revealing the fine scratches on her shoulder.
“This achievement doesn’t belong to any one name,” she said. “It’s the result of four people revising the plan seventy-three times, and it’s the sum of logs from countless restarts after failures.” She looked at the three people. “It’s also a task completed by humans and non-humans together.”
After she finished speaking, she raised her hand and gently placed it on Chen Hao's shoulder.
The four stood side by side, the light shining on their faces, and no one spoke.
The applause from the audience continued unabated. Some people started taking photos, while others raised their phones to live stream. The live chat was flooded with comments: #BlueLightTeamAchievedGodhood#, #ThisIsWhatA ScientistLooksLike#, #RealLifeOfAnUnderachiever'sTurnaround#
The host wanted to take the microphone to announce the end, but Chen Hao stopped him.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “I have one more thing to say.”
The entire room fell silent.
“At this time yesterday, we were working on repairing the system, fearing a data loss.” He looked around. “Now we stand here, receiving congratulations. But I want to say—this is not the end.”
Susan glanced at him.
“E-Source Ω has only just begun.” His voice deepened. “Mars is waiting to use it, disaster areas are waiting to use it, the whole world is waiting to use it.” He raised his champagne glass. “So after we finish this tonight, we have to go back to the lab tomorrow.”
There was silence in the audience at first, then even louder applause erupted.
Carl said in a low voice, "Can't you say something lighter?"
“I’m telling the truth.” Chen Hao took a sip of champagne, the sour taste making him frown. “I’m not here to receive an award, I’m here to announce that we’ll continue working.”
Susan smiled and took the other drink from the waiter. Her finger left a faint mark on the glass.
Nana remained standing in her original position, the light shining on the indicator light above her eyes, the blue light flashing steadily. She didn't speak, but her body leaned slightly towards the center of the team.
The celebration party moved into a free discussion session, and the crowd surged onto the stage. Reporters surrounded Chen Hao with questions, an intern asked Carl to sign his notebook, and Susan was stopped by several female researchers for photos.
Nana stepped back to the edge and watched all of this quietly.
A journalist approached her to interview her, but was interrupted by Chen Hao before he could even speak.
“She doesn’t give interviews,” he said, “but she can tell you—the next goal is to shrink the power module to the size of a mobile phone.”
The man was stunned: "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?" Chen Hao shrugged. "Anyway, we're not afraid of difficulties now."
Susan walked over, carrying two glasses of juice. "Here you go," she said, handing one to Nana.
Nana took the cup, her metal fingers gripping the body without leaving any marks.
"What do you think?" Susan asked.
"The temperature at the scene was 22 degrees Celsius, the noise level was 68 decibels, and the emotional index showed that the group's excitement level had reached its peak," Nana said. "It meets the standards for a celebration scene."
“I’m not asking about the data,” Susan said softly. “I’m asking you, are you happy?”
Nana remained silent for a few seconds.
Her indicator light slowly changed from blue to green, and then slowly returned to blue.
“I don’t know what happiness is,” she said, “but I know this moment is worth recording.”
Chen Hao appeared beside them at some point, carrying the rubbed leather shoe in his hand.
“I took my shoes off,” he said. “Nobody cares anyway.”
Music drifted from afar, and the lights changed rhythmically. The crowd remained lively, with applause erupting from time to time.
Carl was surrounded by a group of young people asking him questions. For once, he didn't bow his head but answered each question seriously.
Chen Hao tilted his head back and drank the last sip of juice, then crushed the glass and casually tossed it into the recycling bin next to him.
The box got stuck, and the paper cup didn't go in; it just hung on the edge, dangling.
He was too lazy to pick it up again.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com