On September 21st, half of the two weeks that Chen Ke had promised had passed. Because Ji Wei had asked the research institute to postpone the negotiation with Expert Su, the news that Chen Ke would study and optimize the centrifugal pump within two weeks had spread throughout the research institute.
Everyone was filled with anxious anticipation.
Nobody wants to keep picking up what others have left behind, but everyone has had enough of the suffocating feeling of being so far behind that they can't hold their heads up high. So even though they know the chances of success are slim, they all hold onto the hope that a miracle will happen.
During this period, people from other institutes of the research institute walked very quietly when they approached one of the institutes, for fear of disturbing the comrades inside who were working on their abacuses.
Seeing stacks and stacks of draft paper being brought out of a laboratory, everyone silently admired them.
That evening, the research institute building was brightly lit, and all the leaders were gathered in a laboratory where Chen Ke was assembling the final parts.
Shi Ruzhong and Ji Wei looked solemn, while almost all the other leaders, big and small, looked tense and stared intently at Chen Ke's actions.
Everyone held their breath, waiting to witness this moment: success or failure.
Chen Ke was the most relaxed and calm among them all. The main body of the centrifugal pump had already been manufactured, but due to the limitations of current industrial technology, many aspects were quite different from what Chen Ke had expected.
Especially its core component, the impeller. Centrifugal pumps mainly output power through the high-speed rotation of the impeller, so the design and manufacturing requirements for the impeller are the highest, which is also where Chen Ke spent the most time.
After Chen Ke installed the sealing ring and tightened the last screw, his eyes were bloodshot when he looked up, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant. "Alright, Engineer Ji, I'll leave the rest of the experiment to you."
Ji Wei nodded, looking at Chen Ke's forced composure with a worried expression, "Alright, leave this to me, you go and get some rest."
After saying that, Ji Wei casually pointed to a colleague and asked him to take Chen Ke to the dormitory to get a good night's sleep. Chen Ke felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, so he didn't try to force himself and was helped away by his father.
The moment Chen Ke lay down on the bed, he fell asleep before he could even think of anything.
Looking at Chen Ke's stubble-covered face, dry lips, and utterly exhausted appearance, his colleague Li Guangpei was filled with admiration. Chen Ke was truly risking his life to meet the deadline. This was the first time he had ever been to bed in so many days; usually, he would just doze off at his desk or lean against a chair for a short while.
Fortunately, they made it through. Although they were extremely curious about the outcome, Li Guangpei still waited by Chen Ke's bedside, constantly monitoring his condition.
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Chen Ke regained consciousness again when the system woke him up.
"Master, wake up! Don't sleep! If you keep sleeping, the doctor will have to give you a shot!"
He opened his eyes groggily and found himself surrounded by a large group of doctors in white coats and carrying stethoscopes.
"Hey, he's awake!" the people around him exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, yes, he opened his eyes, no problem."
A doctor chuckled and put the stethoscope he had just taken out back into his pocket. "See? I told you there was nothing wrong. He really was just sleeping."
"Really? But he's been sleeping for three days. Is he really okay?" A familiar voice rang out.
Chen Ke's somewhat dazed mind gradually came to its senses. He realized he must have slept for too long, and his colleagues, worried, had taken him to the hospital.
"That's because his body was overworked, and his brain activated a protective mechanism. He definitely needs to rest for a long time before he wakes up. But it's right that you brought him to the hospital. He needs to be monitored closely. Let's put him on an IV drip to get some glucose."
Chen Ke's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and he slowly tugged at the corners of his mouth. "There's no need to trouble the doctor. I'll just have some porridge."
The doctor paused for a moment, then nodded when he saw that Chen Ke seemed to be fine. "Alright, try to eat liquid foods for the next couple of days, otherwise it can easily cause indigestion."
"Dr. Xing, we understand."
Only then did Chen Ke notice Jin Yue and Li Guangpei behind the doctor, both of whom looked relieved.
Before leaving, the doctor stood at the door and earnestly advised Chen Ke: "Young man, youth is an asset, but don't squander it. Nothing is more important than your health. I know your work is important, but what's the point if you lose your health?"
Knowing the doctor meant well, Chen Ke smiled and nodded, saying he understood. Jin Yue and Li Guangpei next to him also nodded repeatedly, saying they would definitely supervise his working hours in the future.
Seeing this, the doctor deliberately put on a stern face and said, "If he doesn't stop, bring him here for an injection!"
Chen Ke's eyelids twitched, and he gave a forced smile. "Don't worry, doctor, I'll definitely make sure I get plenty of rest from now on." He'll never come to the hospital again in his life.
A large group of doctors rushed out of the ward, and Jin Yue and Li Guangpei stood by Chen Ke's bedside, looking relieved. "Engineer Chen, you really can't push yourself like that next time. You don't know how worried your colleagues in the entire research institute were."
"That's not true. Especially Ji Gong and Shi Yuan, they checked on you by your bedside eight times the day before they brought you here, and they wouldn't leave until they could feel you were still breathing with their fingers."
Chen Ke touched his nose, feeling unusually embarrassed; he really was just sleeping.
"How's the experiment going?" Although Chen Ke was full of confidence, everything depended on the data.
After hearing Chen Ke's words, Jin Yue and Li Guangpei exchanged a glance, then couldn't contain their excitement and exclaimed, "Of course it was a success!"
"Hahaha, you don't know, Engineer Chen, after the functional evaluation, our centrifugal pump is much stronger than the prototype provided by the Soviet Union in terms of reliability and efficiency! My God, you don't know the expression on their faces when we put the centrifugal pump in front of them... tsk tsk tsk, how can I describe it?"
"Colorful?" Jin Yue added with a smile.
Li Guangpei's eyes lit up. "Not bad, it's the kind of colorful paint that's been spilled on a palette, very beautiful."
"This time we finally got our revenge and stood up for ourselves in front of the Soviet experts."
Li Guangpei suddenly lowered his voice, "I heard, I heard, that Engineer Chen's successful development of the high-performance centrifugal pump has even caught the attention of the higher-ups."
"Gasp!" Jin Yue gasped in surprise, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Really? Where did you hear that?"
"Ji, the comrades from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs felt more confident because we developed the centrifugal pump, and they dominated the negotiations. When they reported to their superiors, they specifically praised our research institute. And now, the leaders have noticed it and have given special praise to Engineer Chen. I heard there's even a letter of commendation. Congratulations in advance to Engineer Chen."
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