Chapter 305 - 180: My World, I Call the Shots

Chapter 305: Chapter 180: My World, I Call the Shots

"Boss, I need people! I need a huge number of researchers!"

A roar from his phone jolted Su Chen awake. He glanced at the phone on his pillow, still on a call, then at the brightening sky, feeling dazed.

He pinched the bridge of his nose to clear his head, then picked up the phone. "Professor Wu, don’t you ever sleep? It’s just after five in the morning!"

"Sleep? Who has time for sleep? What I need now is a lot of people! I’ve successfully fabricated the 10nm chip!" Professor Wu’s voice was filled with triumph.

"You succeeded?" Su Chen threw off his covers and shot out of bed. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the nightstand, lit one, and tried to calm his racing heart.

"Ahem. Well, not a complete success. You know that manufacturing the photolithography and etching machines also takes time. We managed to fabricate the 10nm chip using a workaround, but to achieve mass production, we’ll need more high-precision, cutting-edge machinery!"

"Just give me enough people, and in one month—just one month—I can build the mass production line for the 10nm chip!" Professor Wu promised, pounding his chest.

After all, he had the complete technical data for the chip. If he still couldn’t produce it, he wouldn’t deserve to be called the nation’s top semiconductor expert.

"Hire them. Hire as many as you want. But, Professor Wu, you know the confidentiality procedures. I suggest we recruit from within the G7 Alliance."

The main reason for recruiting from within the G7 Alliance was that its members had relatively clean backgrounds. This minimized the risk of internal problems. Even if a few bad apples slipped through, they could be screened out.

Su Chen had no desire to see something developed in his research facility end up on someone’s desk overseas the very next day.

Professor Wu had no issue with Su Chen’s request—if you could even call it that. After all, it was a simple one.

"Alright, no problem at all! Boss, I won’t disturb your rest any longer. Hanging up now!" Having gotten the answer he needed, Professor Wu had no intention of chatting. He hung up immediately.

Su Chen stared at the disconnected call, speechless for a moment. He couldn’t help but mutter, ’That old man definitely did this on purpose. He could have called any time, but no, it had to be this early.’

Though he complained out loud, he was already pondering what Professor Wu had just said.

It had been less than ten days since he had given the 10nm chip technology to Professor Wu. To fully digest all the data, conduct the research, and create a finished product in such a short time was no simple feat. It involved far more than just one or two steps. A single error in the data would have made a world of difference.

With this in mind, Su Chen called Xiao Peng. As the head of the campus, he would surely know what was going on with Professor Wu’s team.

The call connected after just two rings, which surprised Su Chen a little.

"Sir! Good morning!"

The voice on the other end sounded exceptionally alert.

"Yeah... what’s your situation? You answered so quickly. Don’t tell me you haven’t slept either?" Su Chen couldn’t help but ask, curious.

On the other end of the line, Xiao Peng gave a wry smile. He glanced through the glass curtain wall at the busy figures in the Dust-free Laboratory not far away and said, "Sir, I just switched shifts with Chen Fei."

"Switched shifts?" The words left Su Chen even more confused. Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Xiao Peng started to explain.

"Ever since Professor Wu got the data, he and his students have been holed up in the Dust-free Laboratory. They’ve been working nonstop for five or six days, sleeping only three or four hours a night."

"Chen Fei and I were worried about their health. We tried to get them to rest several times, but Professor Wu just shooed us away. He said that as long as they could successfully mass-produce the 10nm chip, he wouldn’t care if he ended up in the hospital for half a year."

"We had no choice. Chen Fei and I decided to split into two shifts, each with a few security guards and cooks, to make sure all their needs are met around the clock." By the end, Xiao Peng sounded a little aggrieved.

He really had no other options. It’s not like they could use force on Professor Wu. The last time he and Chen Fei had tried to persuade him, Professor Wu had chased them out with a thunderous look on his face.

This arrangement was the only solution they could come up with. Xiao Peng was convinced that if they actually tried to stop the research, Professor Wu would come at him with a piece of lab equipment.

Su Chen fell silent upon hearing this. He hadn’t expected Professor Wu to be so relentless.

But on second thought, it made perfect sense. The older generation of scientific experts had dedicated their entire lives to the country. They would live in anonymity, reside in the middle of nowhere, and use abacuses to verify one formula after another...

...all to develop the world-class technologies and advanced sciences their nation lacked, even if it cost them their lives.

Su Chen tapped himself lightly on the mouth a couple of times. And here he was, complaining just moments ago when Professor Wu called...

After a moment of contemplation, Su Chen spoke. "I understand. I’ll talk to Professor Wu later and tell him to get more rest and pull fewer all-nighters!"

"Also... I want you to build a new wellness center on campus. You handle staffing it. There’s only one requirement: ensure the health of Professor Wu and all the other researchers!"

"Understood, Sir!"

Su Chen talked with Xiao Peng for a little longer about the campus and the research facility. He also learned from him that Wei Xiuwen, the semiconductor expert from the Harbin Institute of Technology, had arrived a few days ago and had immediately joined Professor Wu in the lab.