Chapter 952
The Future Is in Our Hands
The meeting officially ended at 5:40 p.m.
Qi Gang stood up, about to call several technical team leaders down to assign tasks, but Wang Donglai raised his hand and gestured for everyone to sit down first: "There are some things I'd like to talk to you about. It's not about tasks or goals, just a chat."
He walked to the multimedia equipment and pulled up a photo.
That was the first high-resolution panoramic photo transmitted back from the moon by Pioneer 1. The silver-gray rocket body lay horizontally on the gray lunar surface, surrounded by the Yugong robot that was unfolding its mechanical arms.
"Everyone, please look at this photo first."
His voice wasn't loud, but the entire conference room fell silent.
"From the moment Pioneer 1 landed steadily on the lunar surface, humanity had the prototype of its first permanent base on the moon. This was a remarkable achievement, and the whole world congratulated us."
"I have some good news to share: the United States and European countries have expressed their desire to cooperate with us."
"I think everyone can figure out why they did this."
"And how they did it before should be easy for everyone to find out online."
Upon hearing Wang Donglai's news, everyone present showed joy and excitement.
Over the years, as a once backward and populous country, the difficulty of catching up in various fields of science and technology in my country is unimaginable, and the grievances suffered in the process are naturally considerable.
Now, finally being able to hold our heads high in the aerospace field is naturally inspiring.
Wang Donglai waited a while until everyone calmed down before continuing his story.
With a flick of the wrist, the next photo was switched.
It was a completely different scene. Against a dark cosmic background, a huge concept image slowly unfolded: a silver-gray space carrier hovered in near-Earth orbit, flanked by neatly arranged space fighters. The entire formation resembled a sharp sword pointing into deep space.
"But today I want to talk about something else."
He turned around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present. His voice became lower than before, but every word seemed to carry weight.
“Our Nantianmen Project is not about building a few beautiful bases on the moon, not about publishing a few papers and winning a few awards, and not even just about enabling humanity to go further. These things are certainly important, but they are not the most important.”
He tapped his finger on the screen, and the outline of the space carrier was enlarged, revealing details of the weapon systems marked on the hull.
"What's the most important thing? It's that once this thing takes to the skies, no force will be able to swagger around our doorstep anymore."
The air in the conference room seemed to freeze at that moment.
“You’re all tech people, and there are some things you don’t like to hear normally, but I have to make it clear today.”
Wang Donglai's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a knife being slowly drawn, its sharpness revealed inch by inch.
"There has never been true peace in this world, only a balance of power. The reason we can sit here quietly and conduct research is not because others do not want to mess with us, but because our predecessors provided us with an umbrella with the development of nuclear weapons and satellites. That umbrella has protected us for decades, allowing us to transform from a country that could not even build a tractor into what we are today."
He paused, his voice carrying something many of those present had never seen in him before—not anger, not excitement, but a deeper, bone-deep clarity.
"But now, that umbrella is not enough. Stealth bombers can fly past where we can't see them, and hypersonic missiles can cross oceans in minutes. Our existing defense system is not bad, but it is not enough. What Project Nantianmen is going to do is to provide this country with a new umbrella, an umbrella that no one can ever get through."
He switched to the next slide, which showed comparative data on several key technologies: atmospheric target interception capability, orbital altitude coverage, multi-target simultaneous processing capability, and enemy penetration probability assessment.
Next to each data point is the theoretical value after achieving the goal; it's not about catching up, it's about surpassing.
"Deploying an aerospace carrier in low Earth orbit is like hanging a sword over the enemy's head. Any target attempting to approach us from the air, sea, or space will be detected, tracked, and destroyed immediately, if necessary. Aerospace fighters can freely move inside and outside the atmosphere, giving them a global strike capability within one hour. Plasma engines and anti-gravity devices enable these platforms to remain in place for extended periods, so the question is no longer 'can we intercept them?' but 'do you dare to come?'"
He put down the remote control, looked at everyone present, and lowered his voice, but every word was like a nail driven into the hearts of those in the room.
"This is the core significance of the South Heaven Gate Project. It is not for invasion or hegemony, but to make those who still use force to speak understand that they have to reason with us."
After he finished speaking, the conference room was silent for several seconds.
Qi Gang sat in the first row, his hands unconsciously clenching on the table.
Beside him, Zhuge Fang's lips were slightly pursed, and something gleamed in his eyes, which were usually as calm as a deep pool.
"Of course, this is not just a military matter."
Wang Donglai's voice returned to its normal tone as he continued, "Any breakthrough in cutting-edge military technology will ultimately drive a revolution in civilian technology. The development of the atomic bomb spurred leaps in computer science, new materials, and automatic control; the development of aerospace led to comprehensive upgrades in communications, navigation, meteorology, and remote sensing. What would it mean if the Nantianmen Project succeeded in developing technologies such as plasma propulsion, antigravity, ultra-high-strength materials, and superconducting energy systems?"
He tapped his finger lightly on the table: "It means that going to the moon for business will be just like taking an airplane; it means that the engineering of controlled nuclear fusion has a real energy foundation; it means that humans leaving the solar system is not a scene from science fiction. This is the spillover effect of military technology: pay one price, open two doors."
He stopped and his gaze swept over every young face in the room.
Some of the engineers and researchers in their thirties and early forties clenched their fists, some were scribbling something quickly in their notebooks, and some were just sitting quietly, but their eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
"Looking further ahead, human civilization has come this far not by simply lying low. If we stop exploring, sooner or later, an asteroid, a solar storm, or a climate change could send our entire civilization back to the Stone Age. Leaving Earth is not for romance, but for survival. But before we go out, we must first stand firm. The Nantianmen Project is what will allow this country to stand firm."
He closed the remote control, walked to the desktop terminal, and opened a financial report.
"Finally, let me say something practical!"
Several lines of bold data appeared on the screen.
The Nantianmen Project Core Team Special Incentive Plan includes: four key milestones, with rewards ranging from 20 million to 50 million RMB at each stage, directly allocated within the team; a core technology breakthrough award, with additional shareholding for employees and accompanying educational support for their children until university graduation; and signing contracts with core researchers, who will be automatically included in the national specially appointed expert management system.
"Honor and ideals are important, but honor can't put food on the table, and ideals can't pay off a mortgage. Everyone who comes here has some idealism, but I never want to rely on your idealism to sustain me."
He looked up at everyone.
"We have a strong technological foundation; the profits from Evergreen Liquid and Beauty Water are enough to support several Nantianmen (a type of traditional Chinese medicine); we have policy support; the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) grants priority to our research funding, and new budget applications are approved within a week; we have comprehensive support for children's education, with dedicated personnel to assist children entering kindergarten and administrative staff accompanying primary school teachers on home visits."
"I want you to devote yourselves wholeheartedly to this, without worrying about daily necessities, school district housing for your children, or going bankrupt due to a serious illness in a family member. Just charge forward, and I'll take care of things from behind."
He closed the report, his voice returning to its normal tone, but deeper than when he was giving the report.
“I won’t give you a vague pie in the sky; I’ll give you a solid promise. You’re betting your youth and wisdom on the security of this country for the next few decades, on whether the umbrella over the next generation is strong enough. I bet you’ll win. The Nantianmen Project will definitely be realized in all of our hands.”
The meeting room fell silent for a moment.
Then Qi Gang stood up. This old aerospace engineer, with gray hair and who had never shed a tear in public in his entire life, didn't say anything, but simply bowed slightly to Wang Donglai. Behind him, Zhuge Fang also stood up, followed by Academician Zhao, Chief Designer Li, and all the young researchers and engineers.
No one spoke, but everyone's eyes revealed a resolute expression.
Wang Donglai did not return the gift.
He simply nodded to them and then calmly said, "We have a meeting tomorrow, so go home and get some rest today."
He stood up, turned around, and walked out of the conference room.
The people in the conference room looked at each other, and a vibrant, energetic atmosphere arose spontaneously.
……
Baili Xiu couldn't remember how long she had been in this underground laboratory.
The date displayed on the electronic access control is September 2019, which means it must be autumn outside.
In September in Tangdu, the sun still carries the lingering warmth of summer, and the ginkgo trees at the foot of the Qinling Mountains are just beginning to turn yellow.
But none of this mattered to him. His activities were strictly confined to the three layers of protective doors in the M-15 experimental area. Cell phone signals were blocked, external networks were physically disconnected, all experimental data had to be transmitted through an encrypted internal network, and even the air in the corridor had to be filtered three times.
He is the nominal head of Galaxy Bio, controlling the supply chains of two cash cows, Evergreen Liquid and Beauty Water, managing thousands of people, and generating annual revenue of tens of billions.
Logically, he shouldn't be in a place without even windows, where he can only stare at the data stream on an electronic screen every day.
But when Wang Donglai assigned him this task, he didn't hesitate at all, only asking one question: "How important is this project?"
Wang Donglai did not give a direct answer at the time, but only said, "More important than anything you can think of."
Baili Xiu didn't ask any more questions.
He followed Wang Donglai since his freshman year, working his way up from product manager of Changqing Liquid to head of Yinhe Biotechnology. He witnessed Wang Donglai do so many things, and those technological breakthroughs that seemed impossible to others never encountered any real resistance from Wang Donglai.
He had long since learned one thing: when Wang Dong said something was "important," there was no need to ask why; he just needed to do it!
So he selected twenty-three core researchers from various research and development centers of Galaxy Bio to form an independent research and development team.
They publicly claimed it was a long-term basic research project, but internally they implemented strict physical isolation.
All participants signed a supplementary confidentiality agreement, and the penalty for violating the agreement could bankrupt a person.
The research and development site was chosen on the third basement floor of the Galaxy Bio Tangdu Research and Development Center, a closed space that was originally used as a backup data center.
What he didn't understand was why this project needed such a high level of confidentiality.
The technical information that Wang Donglai provided him was a complete drug development plan, not a conceptual framework or a literature review, but a detailed plan from antigen design to adjuvant screening to production process.
It is precise down to the ratio of each reagent, the temperature profile of each process, and the passage parameters for each step of cell culture.
Anyone with drug development experience could proceed with this plan without even looking at it.
Their job was to execute the documents given by Wang Donglai exactly as they were given.
If any problems arise, Wang Dong will then resolve them.
Currently, they have encountered a technical challenge that has left them helpless: the spike protein spontaneously aggregates after being expressed in vitro, which prevents the neutralizing antibody from reaching a high titer.
Baili Xiu looked up at the clock on the electronic screen; it was exactly three o'clock in the afternoon.
It was the day Wang Donglai had arranged to come to the lab.
The electronic access control system beeped softly, the security door slid open, and Wang Donglai walked in.
He was wearing protective clothing and was fully equipped.
"Where's the information? Show it to me."
Without exchanging pleasantries, Wang Donglai walked directly to the main control panel.
The young researcher next to him quickly brought up the data interface, and a three-dimensional structure diagram of the spike protein popped up on the screen. Different colored blocks marked the different functional regions of the protein, including the receptor binding domain, fusion peptide, heptapeptide repeat region, and transmembrane region.
Next to it are the data curves from the in vitro expression experiment, showing the degree of aggregation under different conditions, and a comparison of the neutralizing antibody titers.
Wang Dong looked at it for two minutes, then walked to the whiteboard and picked up a marker.
He drew a simplified diagram of a spike protein trimer on the whiteboard, and then drew a set of molecular structures from the top left corner, resembling a small molecule compound with a specific configuration.
"Your problem lies in the exposed portion of the receptor-binding domain. During expression, the hydrophobic residues in this portion spontaneously bind and form aggregates. Blocking the hydrophobic interactions will solve the problem. This type of small molecule is not difficult to synthesize, has high biocompatibility, and its degradation products can be naturally metabolized by the immune system without causing antibody deviation."
He wrote the synthetic pathway of the compound on the edge of the whiteboard, using only two lines.
The reaction conditions and purification steps are not detailed, but any graduate student majoring in organic chemistry can fill in the rest.
"Baili, after preparing the solution, inject it into the in vitro expression reactor. Add it during the protein refolding stage, and keep the concentration below micromoles. There's no need to change any expression process; you're just adding a stabilizer."
Baili Xiu stared at the synthesis path on the whiteboard for several seconds, then turned to the researcher next to him and said, "Arrange the synthesis immediately, and run a test run first."
The researcher quickly left.
The laboratory returned to silence, with only the low-frequency hum of the liquid nitrogen tank.
Wang Donglai looked at Baili Xiu and suddenly said, "Baili, aren't you curious?"
Upon hearing this, Baili Xiu immediately laughed and said, "To be honest, I am indeed very curious, but I also understand the gap between us. Since you say this matter is very important and are willing to trust me and entrust it to me, then I have only one thought: to do this well!"
"As for the real reason behind this, I'm not that curious!"
Baili Xiu's words were firm, each syllable resounding and powerful. (End of Chapter)