Chapter 76 Research and Development of Mech Outer Panel Materials
Kong Li stared blankly at the man who stepped out of the van, his mind going blank for a moment.
"Hello, I'd like to ask if Mr. Kong Li has his office upstairs here?"
If Fang Zhuo hadn't come and seen it for himself, he would have found it hard to imagine that there was actually a materials laboratory inside this dilapidated three-story building, and that the prototype of the widely used mecha hand material was about to be born in such a simple place.
He didn't know the specific composition of the other party's team, and this part of the plot wasn't mentioned in the book at all, so Fang Zhuo had no choice but to ask for the names of the core R&D personnel from the original book.
Upon hearing this question, the other person's face was filled with undisguised surprise.
Kong Li was about to faint.
His mind was filled with the thought that President Fang had come directly for him.
He recalled the talented grassroots players discovered by the owner of the JR team, and then thought of the posts on the forum explaining the family backgrounds of the new players, and his heart was filled with emotion.
Good days have finally arrived. He's almost thirty this year, and he never expected that at such an advanced age, President Fang would discover his potential as a mecha pilot.
Kong Li excitedly claimed the spotlight, saying, "President Fang, I am Kong Li. Are you here to ask me to be a contestant?"
Fang Zhuo: "..."
He ruthlessly shattered the other party's beautiful illusion: "Uh, I saw your team's latest research project before, and you're planning to invest here. Could you introduce me to the team leader?"
Kong Li became even more excited, running towards the building in quick succession while shouting excitedly, "Senior brother, senior brother, we're saved!"
Kong Li pushed open the laboratory door. The resentment inside was so strong that even the Evil Sword Immortal would have to retreat. The black aura was so thick that it could be used to forge a Myriad Soul Banner. The senior female doctor was muttering to herself as she lit several incense sticks, attempting to perform an exorcism ritual on the sample instruments.
His balding male colleague was kneeling devoutly in front of the instrument, his hands clasped together and his brows slightly furrowed, looking like a concubine in the cold palace who had been driven mad by scientific research for five years.
Everyone was in excellent spirits. If an old professor told them that as long as they kowtowed to the instrument, the sample properties would meet the standards, they would definitely join hands and kowtow until they left afterimages, display their style, and become powerful.
The experiment was making little progress, and the raw materials were running out. If things continued like this, they would soon be in debt to start their business. The fact that they could still continue their daily scientific research work was truly a testament to their extraordinary resilience.
Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice; the laboratory is truly out of supplies.
If they can't attract investment, it's only a matter of time before their experiment is shut down. They can only pray that they can make a breakthrough in the final period of time, even if they can only fool one investor.
Seeing Kong Li barging in, the senior student who had graduated from the same school as Kong Li sighed helplessly:
"Another one has gone mad. Xiao Kong's symptoms are even more severe. I think we should all get a brain CT scan this weekend. This can't go on like this..."
Following Kong Li upstairs, Fang Zhuo got a general idea of the team's current situation from the room's layout.
Everyone had heavy dark circles under their eyes, or a bald head, or so much white hair that it looked like it had been highlighted, and they all exuded a faint sense of death.
The aroma of incense filled the corridor. Fang Zhuo didn't go straight into the laboratory, but instead placed the research paper on the new mecha outer plate material he was holding on a cabinet by the corridor.
"Hello everyone, let me introduce myself. I am the executive director of Giant Technology. I would like to ask if any of you are interested in joining Giant Technology. The monthly salary for PhDs is 250,000 yuan, the monthly salary for Master's degree holders is 150,000 yuan, the team's patent revenue is 8%, and there is no limit to experimental resources."
"I also have a proposal for the outer panel material of the mecha. Please try to produce a mass-producible sample within three weeks."
In the half-minute he spoke, everyone in the lab reacted as if they were zombies smelling fresh meat, their various physiological responses gradually reviving. The girl who had been burning incense even shouted, "I told you metaphysics works!"
The oldest PhD in the team was so moved that he quickly walked over, firmly grasped Fang Zhuo's hand, and recited all the auspicious words he had ever learned in his life:
"Mr. Fang, I've been watching JR's matches for a year now. I especially admire your unique and unconventional perspective. What's even more admirable than your wealth is your powerful personal charisma."
"I felt an instant connection with you the moment I saw you; you and our team must have a special bond..."
Seeing his senior brother, who usually had a sharp tongue that could kill him, now fawning over him so much he practically had a tail, Kong Li covered the lower half of his face and secretly asked his senior sister beside him:
"How come I didn't know that our senior brother used to follow small team mecha competitions?"
The senior sister was still holding those incense sticks in her hand, with an expression that suggested she was already in a meditative state.
"Watch and learn carefully. The senior brother will only demonstrate the true meaning of life to you once. Otherwise, why do you think our team sent him out to explain the plan to investors? The ability to beg for alms is more important than scientific research."
Seeing that President Fang had casually handed his senior brother a bank card with 1 billion yuan of experimental funds pre-deposited on it without any expression, Kong Li was so moved that tears streamed down his face.
I had only seen videos of Juke's financial strength online before, and I thought it was all marketing. I didn't expect it to be 100% additive-free.
He had worked for other companies before, and those leading enterprises were always talking about reducing costs and increasing efficiency, and they would break down every hundred yuan of raw material costs to explain the necessity to the project leaders.
If a single application exceeds one million, that would be even more alarming; the supervising leader might even be pulled aside to inquire about the intended use of the funds.
That's a billion...
It's still a billion that their team can access at any time.
Moreover, even when the original rubber factory owner had the most ample budget, he only paid the PhDs in the team an annual salary of 900,000. Now, that salary has tripled, and he has also promised them a share of the patent fees that far exceeds the Star Alliance's regulations.
If Kong Li hadn't met Mr. Fang in person, he would have definitely thought this was a scam.
If every "pig butchering scam" could give him an advance of 150,000 yuan a month, he would accept being scammed.
After counting his annual salary on his fingers since joining Juke, Kong Li could hardly recognize the numbers.
Who would believe that a master's graduate could earn 1.8 million a year just three years after graduation? And what's even more terrifying is that if you add the share of the patent for the mecha outer plate research that Boss Fang gave him, his future annual salary will be far more than that.
"Senior sister, do you think President Fang is training suicide soldiers? You mean, feeding them well and taking care of them until the crucial moment, then pushing them out to risk their lives to settle things for their master?"
She stopped burning incense and felt much more alert. Having regained her senses, her intelligence returned, and she replied with a gentle smile:
"Aren't you overestimating yourself, or underestimating President Fang? If President Fang wanted to train assassins, would he only offer such a small amount of money? Besides, with your small frame and weak willpower, what kind of trouble could you possibly solve for others?"
"Hurry up and help tidy up the remaining materials in the lab. Don't make me laugh again."
Kong Li: "...Senior sister, you should lick your lips less often. It feels like you've poisoned them."
The team leader in front of him was still tirelessly praising Giant Technology, making it sound like it was unparalleled in the world, as if the Star Alliance couldn't survive without it. Fang Zhuo glanced at the investment notification that popped up in the system—
[Investment Target No. 6: Materials R&D Team (7 people signed in total)]
[Initial valuation: 4,050,000]
After confirming the investment was successful, he appropriately interrupted the other party's polite conversation and sent them the company address:
“I have a ready-made R&D facility with relatively complete mechanical equipment. Can you see if we need to add any other material-related testing instruments? The instruments in your current laboratory are too outdated.”
"Just swipe your card if you need anything, and let me know anytime if it's not enough."
"I can't accept this, Mr. Fang, you're too kind. I'm so lucky to have a leader like you..."
The team leader was quite adept at handling things. He led the others to escort Fang Zhuo back to his car, even jogging alongside the van for a couple of steps until Fang Zhuo could no longer see them in the rearview mirror, at which point they stopped waving.
...He's a real talent, with such strong social skills, he'll succeed no matter what he does.
On the way back, Fang Zhuo took a moment to look at the recent performance report of the JR team.
Before Ling Han even took to the field, the other three had already led their team to victory against all the teams in the sixth division, emerging from the brutal Swiss rounds with a record of five wins and zero losses, and successfully becoming the winners of the final season.
Next, the four winners from the four seasons of the secondary league will compete for the final championship, and only the champion can get a spot in the main league.
If JR can win this semi-final, they will face their toughest opponent since the team's inception in the final – the veteran team MUG, which dominated the sixth region for five years.
MUG had just loaned two players last season, and the final roster they formed was considered luxurious in the main league. It was clear that they had noticed JR's recent strong momentum and wanted to suppress them to secure a spot.
Fang Zhuo sent Tao Tao a message: [Tell Ling Han to prepare these next few days for the finals.]
The usually composed Tao Tao sent three terrified cat staring emojis in a row.
[Mr. Fang, isn't this a bit too aggressive? Ling Han hasn't played a match in almost five years. I think we can let him practice in the semifinals first.]
[Or we could postpone it further and let Ling Han play in the main league, since the main league is a double-elimination format, giving us one more chance to avoid failure. If we want to advance from the secondary league, we absolutely cannot afford to lose a single match.]
[I have another idea. We have a best-of-three format, right? If we win the first game, how about letting Ling Han try out?]
Fang Zhuo chuckled at Tao Tao's use of tildes and replied: [I believe in Ling Han, I believe in your training level]
Tao Tao replied with an emoji of a kitten fainting on the spot.
Having finalized Ling Han's playing time, Fang Zhuo then sent a message to the business liaison person of the sixth division league organizer:
Please send me a tiered chart of sponsorship fees for the event.
The chat window kept showing "typing," so I finally had to bite the bullet and explain:
[I'm so sorry, Mr. Fang!! The advertising sponsorship slots for the secondary league finals were booked six months ago, and we really can't make any last-minute changes. TvT]
[If you are interested, you can reserve a sponsorship spot for next year's event now, and we can offer you a discount.]
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