Chapter 82
Even a centipede that has died does not stiffen.
Ji Zhixing thought everything was settled and had even packed his bags to return to Guangling, but unexpectedly, another wave of trouble arose.
After the joint investigation team concluded that "Beichen-1" had fatal technical defects, Fan Ji'an struggled for a long time by relying on his connections built up over many years. Later, seeing that he was about to be held accountable by the Academic Supervision Committee, he revealed his last trump card - carbon-based materials.
Currently, the world's best chips use semiconductor silicon as their substrate, and carbon-based chips are considered one of the most likely technologies to replace silicon. This is because carbon-based chips, represented by graphene, are expected to outperform traditional silicon-based chips by more than 10 times, thus better realizing Moore's Law.
Although the carbon-based materials Fan Ji'an possessed were not yet mature, they had already achieved a certain degree of breakthrough. Therefore, the process of assigning responsibility to Fan Ji'an was suspended and remains unresolved.
The debate over character versus ability lasted a week, but the stalemate was broken by an unexpected event.
Yan Anjin submitted his research project completion report: Room-temperature superconducting materials based on the two-dimensional quantum material Nb3Br8. This is the second research project he has started since the completion of his protective gel project.
Superconductors are a class of materials that provide lossless conductivity, which can not only improve the performance of electronic products by 300 to 400 times, but may even usher in the terahertz era. They have wide applications in many fields and will pave the way for transformative development in the chip manufacturing industry—"Huaxin No. 2" is just around the corner.
Compared to superconductors, silicon-based and carbon-based semiconductors are nothing but relics of the past. Fan Ji'an's last trump card failed, and the accountability process was restarted.
In this unexpected way, Yan Anjin personally avenged herself for being tricked by Fan Ji'an ten years ago, and the rights and wrongs of that year were brought up once again.
Back then, due to Fan Ji'an's interference, it has never been clear whether the academic achievement of "boundary initial and boundary values of the Navier-Stokes equations" belongs to Yan Anjin or Pan Tu, and people in the academic community have different opinions.
It now appears that Pan Tu has been stuck in the Navier-Stokes equations circle for many years without making any progress, while Yan Anjin's student Ji Zhixing has cracked the Navier-Stokes equations in one fell swoop.
Pan Tu has yet to achieve anything, while Yan Anjin has successively developed protective gels and room-temperature superconducting materials. The two have vastly different research capabilities.
With this, Yan Anjin's grievances, which had been buried for ten years, were finally cleared.
Yenching University extended an olive branch to Yan Anjin, hoping that he would return to Yenching University to teach again.
Yan Anjin refused.
However, he was unable to return to Guangling University because he was transferred to the Photonic Chip Research Center to independently lead a chip substrate material research project.
Ji Zhixing was pleased with Professor Yan, but also fully appreciated the complex personnel entanglements in the capital city due to Fan Ji'an's near-death struggle. He finally made up his mind to establish his future base in Guangling City, which he was more familiar with.
...
As the plane slowly descended, Ji Zhixing sat by the window, overlooking the entire city of Guangling. He was finally back. He had always believed that the years he spent studying here were the most important period of his life, a turning point.
Upon returning to Guangling City, his first stop was Guangling University. His old belongings were still in dormitory 310, and he didn't have anywhere else to stay for the time being, so he planned to go back to the dormitory for a few days.
Because it was summer vacation, the school was much quieter than usual, and the dormitories were also quite empty. He quickly tidied up and then went to visit Zhu Ren in the administration building.
Zhu Ren was surprised to see Ji Zhixing reappear at Guangling University. That day, after the graduation photo session and the presentation of his diploma and degree certificate, although he verbally conveyed Guangling University's expectation that he stay on as a teacher, he didn't really think it was very likely. With Ji Zhixing's current achievements, Guangling University, a shallow pool, definitely couldn't retain him.
Wouldn't a photonic chip research center be a great option? It's a prestigious institution under the Ministry of Science and Technology, with high status, good benefits, and ample funding. Ji Zhixing is also the key figure who developed "Huaxin No. 1," so he doesn't need to wait for seniority to join; he'll be a founding member right away.
If Chih-hsing were to fall into the trap of "wanting something new and getting tired of the old" and want to switch to a different field, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and many other research institutes would welcome him with open arms.
Even if Ji Zhixing no longer wanted to do research and just wanted to find a job to live out the rest of his life, the two top universities in China had already extended olive branches to him, and renowned universities abroad such as Harvard and Princeton had once again extended offers to him—this time not to invite him to pursue graduate studies, but to hire him to teach.
Alternatively, he could live off his money for the rest of his life.
No matter how you look at it, there was no way Ji Zhixing could stay and teach at Guangling University. So Zhu Ren was surprised to see Ji Zhixing suddenly appear in his office, but what Ji Zhixing said surprised him even more.
"You want to establish a research institute?" Zhu Ren asked, looking at the young man in his twenties.
“Yes.” Ji Zhixing nodded. “This is my plan for the next stage.”
“This is a good plan,” Zhu Ren said hesitantly, “but I’m afraid it won’t be easy.”
Ji Zhixing meant that he wanted to establish a sole proprietorship research institute without any constraints. Just setting up a research institute from scratch requires a huge investment—land, laboratories, equipment—all of which are expensive.
Once the research institute is built, conducting scientific research and experiments requires a continuous influx of money, and there's no guarantee that valuable research results will be produced.
Ji Zhixing's academic career is illustrious. While still an undergraduate, he developed a zero-gravity seat, later solved the Navier-Stokes equations, and now boasts achievements in photonic chips. However, scientific research is not like farming, where planting guarantees a harvest. In reality, there are many scientists who have spent most of their lives in the lab without achieving anything. Furthermore, the returns from the commercialization of some research results fall far short of covering the investment.
Moreover, Zhu Ren always felt that Ji Zhixing, like Lao Yan, possessed a kind of intellectual aloofness and naiveté, unable to tolerate any wrongdoing. Such a person is actually not suitable to be a leader in society, but rather to stay in the ivory tower—Ji Zhixing has hardly left the campus in recent years.
In short, Zhu Ren felt that Ji Zhixing's plan was too risky. Not only might he lose all his savings, but he might also suffer heavy losses due to the management of the research institute and various interpersonal relationships in society.
In fact, Ji Zhixing had thought about these risks over and over again. However, he was more concerned that his next research goal might not be able to secure funding from universities or other research institutions, and even if it was, he might not receive long-term and stable support.
What he needs is a research environment that is completely unhindered; profits and losses are not currently within his consideration.
“As for business management and interpersonal skills, those are indeed things I’m not good at. So, I’m actually here today to poach talent.” Ji Zhixing looked at Zhu Ren sincerely.
"Huh?" Zhu Ren's eyes widened. "You mean...me?"
Ji Zhixing nodded: "Yes, I would like to hire you as the director of the research institute."
He didn't want to worry about anything outside of scientific research, so he had to find a trustworthy administrator and hand over all the administrative tasks to him.
From the time he started developing zero-gravity seats with Lin Lang and Xu Dongyang, he frequently came into contact with Zhu Ren and deeply felt that he was a rare management talent, and that he could trust his character.
However, the position of director of the university office is a stable and respectable job, while his own research institute is still in its infancy and its future is uncertain. He was not confident that he could persuade Zhu Ren to take the job.
Zhu Ren really had no intention of moving.
He's worked at Guangling University for decades, including ten years as the office director. He's adept at everything, practically able to do it with his eyes closed. Why bother starting all over again in a different place?
Moreover, since Ji Zhixing achieved outstanding results, Guangling University has been developing better and better. The number of applicants has quadrupled, the higher authorities have allocated funds readily, and there are various preferential policies to support it. As the director of the Guangling University Office, he couldn't have had a smooth life these past few years.
Ji Zhixing didn't press the matter: "Then could you please recommend some suitable candidates, Director? I don't know many people like that."
“Then I’ll keep an eye out.” This time Zhu Ren didn’t refuse. “Tell me roughly what the treatment is like on your end.”
Ji Zhixing said, "An annual salary of one million is fine. As for the rest, you can decide for yourself. I can agree to any reasonable request." He had only been thinking about how to configure the laboratory and hadn't considered much else.
"..." Zhu Ren remained silent for a long time before confirming again, "Are you sure it's a million-dollar annual salary?"
“Yes.” Ji Zhixing nodded affirmatively. “Because he was responsible for building the research institute from scratch, and the subsequent management also relied entirely on him, so an annual salary of one million is still worthwhile.”
"Well... how about I give it a try?" Zhu Ren said somewhat shyly.
His daughter is already discussing marriage, and he wants to buy her a house as premarital property so that she'll have somewhere to go even if they argue after marriage. But with the housing prices in Guangling City, even if he empties his savings of decades, he'll still be short by half.
He currently earns 15,000 yuan a month, and with performance bonuses, year-end bonuses, and other miscellaneous subsidies, his total annual salary is just over 200,000 yuan. By the time he has saved enough for his partner to buy a house, his grandson will probably already be in elementary school.
Therefore, when Ji Zhixing offered an annual salary of one million, he was very tempted.
Ji Zhixing was overjoyed; Zhu Ren's willingness to switch jobs was the best thing ever.
He took a card out of his pocket and handed it over: "This is the start-up capital I prepared. Director, you can decide what to do with it."
"..." Although he was touched by this trust, wasn't this action too hasty? Besides, he hadn't even figured out anything yet.
"Has the research institute been registered?" Zhu Ren asked.
"Not yet," Ji Zhixing replied.
"Where should we choose the address?" Zhu Ren asked again.
"have no idea."
Zhu Ren: ...
Ji Zhixing was quite frank; he simply didn't want to worry about these trivial matters, which was why he went to the trouble of finding a reliable administrator.
However, he wasn't unprepared: "I designed the laboratory according to the needs of scientific research, and the instruments needed for the first phase have all been listed and will be sent over later. The construction and procurement will be arranged by the director."
"Okay." Zhu Ren didn't ask any more questions. He could tell that, apart from things related to experiments, Ji Zhixing planned to completely relinquish control. But that was fine too; he wouldn't feel guilty taking the million-dollar annual salary.
He took the card: "Wait two days for me to complete the resignation procedures and then I'll start working."
Zhu Ren's efficiency was even higher than Ji Zhixing had expected; he had already achieved considerable results in just one week on the job.
“This place was a research institute built by a technology company a few years ago, but the project fell through and the institute was left unfinished.” Zhu Ren introduced the place while showing Ji Zhixing a few photos. “We haven’t found a suitable buyer over the years, but the building and basic office equipment are still in pretty good condition.”
"The initial plan was excellent, and it wouldn't be difficult to renovate the laboratory according to your design. Most importantly, there's a large area of unsold land behind it, so there will be space if there's a need for expansion in the future."
After Zhu Ren finished his introduction, he took out a map and pointed to the southern suburbs of the city: "If you want to plan and build entirely on your own, there is a suitable place here. I contacted the Municipal Construction Bureau, and the land price is approximately..."
“No need to trouble yourself, that idle research institute is just right,” Ji Zhixing said. Building from scratch might indeed be more to his liking, but starting research as soon as possible is the best option.
After Zhu Ren completed all the acquisition procedures, Ji Zhixing moved to the dormitory there.
Upon hearing that he had a fixed base, Professor Gao Xiao couldn't wait to send Deng Yi over—under the guise of a study tour.
As soon as Deng arrived at the research institute, he said with a grin, "I thought that since all my senior brothers and sisters had left, I would be the only confidant of the professor. But the professor said that I was a major threat and kicked me over here."
Ji Zhixing also laughed: "Professor Gao Xiao may complain, but he has good intentions."
Given Deng's aversion to constraints, he couldn't stay in any research institution; there was arguably no place more suitable for him than this one. Even if his research institute failed, Deng was merely here for a study tour and could return to continue his doctoral studies. This arrangement offered both offensive and defensive advantages.
Deng Yi wasn't ungrateful; he certainly understood Professor Gao Xiao's good intentions.
"My teacher said that as long as I can develop decent results, he'll count it as my doctoral graduation, following your example," Deng said with a smile. "I'm just a little worried that I might not be capable enough."
"How could that be? You were very capable when you were developing photonic chips," Ji Zhixing said. Deng Yi was indeed capable, and his thinking was imaginative and often came up with ingenious ideas, which greatly inspired Ji Zhixing. In fact, the inspiration for his next stage of research came from Deng Yi.
Deng Chi asked curiously, "What are you planning to research?"
"Have you read any cultivation novels? Isn't the spiritual energy in them very interesting?"
Huh? Deng Yi was stunned. This topic... would he ever graduate from it in his lifetime?
Zhu Ren, who had just entered the room with the purchase order in hand, was stunned. Was it too late for him to resign now?
Seeing the two of them freeze in surprise, Ji Zhixing couldn't help but chuckle: "Let me use a more scientific term—vacuum zero-point energy."
A note from the author:
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