While Li Zheng and Chang Keqing were preparing the next set of samples, Shi Yang and Mo Nian had already breathed a sigh of relief, having completed the "rotational" CT.
Though it was only a brief three minutes, the 3.73G of data had already been transmitted to the storage array, but at this point, it was still just a collection of high-precision images. To parse them into three-dimensional structural maps still required the help of software and algorithms.
Behind Shi Yang, Liu Tao looked at the screen, where a tiny molecule looked like a lump of black coal, and involuntarily leaned in to adjust his glasses.
"Not bad... so clear on the first try..."
"I’m also shocked..." Shi Yang wiped the sweat from his brow, "The difficulty in playing with cryo-electron microscopy mainly lies in the preparation of sample crystals. As long as the sample purity and parameters are in place, anyone can read out a beautiful structure… But this time... it seems like we just ground it carelessly?"
Mo Nian nodded in agreement, "To be exact, we just carelessly ground some progesterone that was on hand in the Chemical Institute."
"Wait a second..." Shen Yiyun, who was beside them, was surprised, "Wasn’t this sample carefully prepared by you guys?"
Mo Nian spread his hands, "We just took it casually from the consumables."
"How come... Why?" Shen Yiyun scratched her head and yelled, "It takes our group ten days or half a month to prepare a qualified sample. It’s pretty good if we can get one usable crystal out of a whole bunch."
"It’s not the same, fundamentally it’s not the same." Mo Nian gestured, "It’s like your standard electron microscopy strategy, which is still within the realm of biological thinking. Following biological thinking, you believe that cryo-electron microscopy is inherently meant for analyzing some rare, complex large molecules, protein structures. In order to eliminate interference and analyze specific information, the demand on the samples is stringent. In contrast, we just wanted to look at simple small molecule structures, which are ubiquitous and ultra-pure."
"But isn’t the gold standard for analyzing small molecule structures X-ray crystallography?" Shen Yiyun gesticulated urgently, "Getting a qualified crystal is also extremely difficult."
"That’s why we use the microscope!" Shi Yang excitedly grabbed Shen Yiyun’s shoulders, "We’ve upgraded it, sister! We’ve taken chemical microscopy to another dimension, from X-rays to CT."
"But… this… " Shen Yiyun even ignored the fact that Shi Yang hadn’t washed his hands, she simply said in a daze, "It’s too simple... 3 minutes?"
By this time, Li Zheng, who had prepared the next sample, had already come over.
"It should be 10 minutes." After looking at the screen, Li Zheng turned to Liu Tao and said, "Next, we’ll use the Adaboost algorithm to screen for suitable images for three-dimensional construction."
"Burp... oh." Liu Tao, caught off guard, let out a burp, "Someone come with me to work on the stations outside."
"Me me me!" Shi Yang leaped up with eyes shining and nodded towards Li Zheng. Then without a word, he pushed Liu Tao out of the lab.
Li Zheng then sat down at the operation console.
"Set this group for 140° diffraction, rotating 0.5° per second, with a resolution of 0.8Å." Li Zheng took a breath, loosened his neck, and then turned to the still-dazed Shen Yiyun beside him, "Trouble you for some guidance."
Meanwhile, the most lackluster duo, Lin Moming and another, began preparing the next set of samples. However, their eyes were locked on the microscope itself the entire time.
Tu Yikou: Need to think of a way to dismantle one...
Lin Moming: Need to think of a way to buy one...
Just as they placed their third batch of samples into the microscope, suddenly, the sound of glass breaking was heard.
Shi Yang was outside gesticulating wildly, desperately waving his hands.
"Shit... It can’t be..." Shen Yiyun exclaimed, glancing unconsciously at the clock, "13 minutes?"
Li Zheng had just blown a strand of hair from his forehead and stood up, saying, "Keep an eye on it, I’ll be right back."
"I also want to go see!!!"
"Next time, next time."
Li Zheng jogged to the door, and as soon as he opened it, Shi Yang’s shouting came pouring into the inner chamber like a flood.
"Li Zheng, son of Ganni! It’s done!!!"
Upon hearing this, everyone inside could no longer hold back, dropped their experiments, and chased out.
Only the lackluster leader stayed in place, taking advantage of their distraction to covertly move closer to the microscope itself.
In the outer room, everyone crowded around the workstation screen, pushing the bewildered Liu Tao to the very back.
"This is way too fast, too simple!" Shi Yang kept yelling non-stop at the screen, "The X-ray work that takes half a month might not even come out well, yet the microscope got it done in 10 minutes!"
"Ah..." Shen Yiyun, staring at the screen that displayed a structure like a mole’s burrow, took off her glasses and rubbed them hard, then looked again, "Although it’s a bit rough... this structure... is definitely progesterone..."
Behind them, Lin Moming had to jump several times just to barely see the image, but still dared not get too excited, panting and asking, "This, this… is it really this simple? If it’s so simple, why hasn’t anyone discovered it? Are we the first?!"
"For now... but... it is indeed too simple." Li Zheng, satisfied with the first resolved structure, still furrowed his brows and, after some thought, finally took out his phone and said to Shi Yang, "Send this image immediately to Zhou Chenghuan. I want to apply to expedite the process."
"OK! I’ll send an email directly and include the parameters as well." Shi Yang’s chubby hands began to operate at lightning speed, toggling between three screens and three keyboards.
...
Forty minutes later.
When Zhou Yi rushed into the lab, he saw Liu Tao in a daze, Shen Yiyun pondering life, Li Zheng processing data, and Chang Keqing filling out the experiment report.
Ignoring the greetings with Zhou Yi and that Zhou Yi ignored the greetings from everyone else, he went straight to the screen, seized the mouse, and quickly reviewed the analysis images of the three experiments.
A moment later, Zhou Yi suddenly turned around, nearly losing his glasses, "Liu Tao, did you watch the whole process being done with your own eyes?"
Liu Tao was stunned for a while before he remembered to nod, "Yes... yes... it’s simpler and clearer than any other 100% experiment..."
Zhou Yi immediately trembled uncontrollably, failing several times to straighten his glasses. In the end, he simply discarded them and scooped up Li Zheng.
"Oh my God!!!" Zhou Yi clutched Li Zheng’s head tightly, his eyes bulging with intensity as if he wanted to press his forehead against his, "How the fuck did you think to do it like this!!!"
"It was a... a stroke of inspiration..." Li Zheng dared not look directly at Zhou Yi for fear of causing turmoil, "I apologize for disturbing you at this time... but considering how the experiment is too simple, if we don’t do it, someone else will eventually succeed. It’s just a matter of time. If the Evolution Institute is to claim this achievement, I hope you can find a way to secure us more lab time."
"We must secure it!!" Zhou Yi put down Li Zheng, picked up his glasses, and glared through the window at Mo Nian and Shi Yang, who were still carefully operating inside. Pointing inside, he said, "Immediately produce a simple experimental report, close enough to the truth, with graphs attached. I’ll use it to slap the director in the face and secure for you a 7x24 hour electron microscope treatment!!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Chang Keqing, who was working at a nearby station, looked up, "It’s already been sent to your email. If you need a printed copy, I can get it right away."
Zhou Yi whipped around, his glasses flung off once again, "It’s only been two hours!!"
"To be precise, it was about 1 hour and 10 minutes," Li Zheng said as he bent down to pick up Zhou Yi’s glasses, "Ah... they’re broken..."
"Damn, what a hassle." Zhou Yi took his glasses and simply poked out the broken lens before hurriedly wearing them again. He then promptly pulled up Li Zheng, "Let’s go! We’re heading to the director’s place!!"
Having said that, he turned and stared at Liu Tao, "Liu, I’m afraid you’ll have to work hard today. Don’t leave until they’re done."
"... Oh."
...
The smooth progress of the experiment exceeded everyone’s expectations. When Li Zheng sat in Director Zhang Shilei’s living room at the Chemical Institute at 9:40 pm, the situation still felt surreal.
In the scientific community, although issues like scholar factions are heavily criticized, there is one aspect where it is categorically better than all other fields.
That is, the leadership actually understands the technology.
At least in the hardcore disciplines of science and engineering, those in power must possess significant academic achievements. It would be unthinkable for those without knowledge to lead the experts.
Although Zhang Shilei had thinning hair, an unimpressive appearance, and was besieged with daily administrative tasks, his Academic Power still reached 2482, far surpassing Zhou Yi’s Scholastic Wealth by over ten thousand.
Generally speaking, once Li Zheng sees such data, he knows the situation is stable.
Sure enough, after Zhang Shilei asked a few questions and called Liu Tao, he retreated into his study to initiate a flurry of communications.
According to Zhou Yi, the cryo-electron microscope was mainly used by Hu Zengwu’s organic photovoltaics team. To allocate all the upcoming usage rights to the Li Zheng group, he must explain the situation to Hu Zengwu and appease him.
Hu Zengwu, after all, is a leading figure in a major scientific direction. Even Zhang Shilei couldn’t possibly seize the lab time without his approval.
Zhou Yi was determined, but when he thought about Hu Zengwu, he inevitably had some concerns.
"If only you hadn’t provoked him during the training..." Zhou Yi took off his glasses and mumbled as he wiped the empty frame, "Who knew we’d run into this situation..."
"Yes, who would have known." Li Zheng shook his head and sighed. "It’s okay, Dean Zhou. If Professor Hu disagrees, we can work overtime at night, from seven in the evening to seven in the morning, if we have to."
"Never mind if you guys can hold up, the lab maintenance staff might revolt..."
"Hmm... we have a team member who can pay them overtime."
"Ha... haha..."
"She’s serious. She joined the group with funding specifically to address such unforeseen problems."
"There are also those who join groups with funding?" Zhou Yi leaned back on the sofa, shaking his head and sighing, "But that’s vision for you. If everyone knew you could achieve this and so quickly, half the circle would have begged you to join with funding."
As they were talking, Zhang Shilei came out of the study, his face showing surprise.
Li Zheng and Zhou Yi quickly stood up. From his expression, it seemed the negotiation hadn’t gone well.
"Old Hu, Old Hu..." Zhang Shilei repeatedly shook his head as he walked to the coffee table, "How could he... just agree like that?!"
Li Zheng and Zhou Yi were both startled.
Zhang Shilei, however, couldn’t understand and said to Li Zheng, "Professor Hu was dead set against it, but as soon as he heard your name, he relented, saying you have potential."
"???" Zhou Yi was taken aback, his glasses losing control again, "Is this the Hu Zengwu I know?"
Zhang Shilei then asked Li Zheng, "Do you guys have a relationship?"
"Uh... I’ve helped in Teacher Hu’s lab before." Li Zheng scratched his head and smiled, "Teacher Hu is solid, he’s got the right stuff."
Zhang Shilei paused, glanced at Zhou Yi, and they both burst out laughing.
"I’ll be sure to pass it on to Old Hu."
"It seems Little Li’s approval is very important."
After settling back down, the dean’s wife also brought over the tea.
Li Zheng was eager to return to the lab and leave the two deans to talk in detail, but he was forcefully convinced to stay.
People of every age and viewpoint see things differently and think in various ways.
For the two deans, the data from the past two hours had already proven that this experiment would inevitably yield significant results.
After dealing with Hu Zengwu, compared to Li Zheng’s race against time, they had already unspokenly thought of the next step.
After exchanging glances, Zhang Shilei put down the experimental report in his hands and looked at Li Zheng solemnly as he tapped the table, "Li Zheng, according to my and Dean Zhou’s judgment, this deserves a CNS."
When Li Zheng heard this, he didn’t show much expression.
Of course it was worth it!
After all, it was cutting-edge breakthrough content from the system.
CNS here is not a telecommunications operator, but rather it refers to three prestigious scientific journals.
Cell, Nature, and Science.
For most scientists, aside from the rather impractical Nobel Prize, publishing a paper in one of the CNS journals is pretty much everyone’s highest aspiration.
In other words, anyone who has published in a CNS journal can rightfully be called a ’big shot’ wherever they go.
Using this as a standard of strength might seem a bit old-fashioned or leaning towards Western worship.
But unfortunately, it is still the most reliable standard to this day.
Not just reliable, but also valuable.
In almost any reputable institution in China, successfully publishing a CNS paper will earn you a bonus of anywhere between 500,000 to 1,000,000 yuan.
Another regrettable point is that many older generation researchers, due to limited conditions and resources at the time, contributed a lot to their fields but never had the chance to attain this honor.
On the contrary, lots of young scientists, thanks to substantial resources invested and the availability of cutting-edge tools like "cryo-electron microscopy," have become famous at an early age.
If we’re speaking frankly, even Zhou Yi and Zhang Shilei had never made it onto CNS.
It was Hu Zengwu who gambled in the field of organic photovoltaics and caught up with the times.
"Fame should come early…" Zhou Yi, looking at Li Zheng, couldn’t contain his envy, "but you little brat, this is just too damn early…"
As for Li Zheng, he had actually been quite restrained, starting to work on this only after he had fully studied until the university level, and that was due to the system’s mercy for those with the Barrier.
"How about…" Li Zheng really couldn’t bear it and then asked, "Dean Zhou serves as the first author?"
"Ah, no, no, no, that’s not what I meant." Zhou Yi quickly shrank back, waving his hands, "I barely provided any guidance at all, it’s good enough that it’s published under our Chemical Institute’s name."
"That’s enough, Li Zheng," Zhang Shilei also raised his hand to calm him, "Our Chemical Institute doesn’t play by those rules. The person who does the research owns the work, especially Dean Zhou. He has always been committed to creating growth opportunities for young talents. You might not realize it, but Dean Zhou has been pouring his heart into competitions and recruitment for decades, all to welcome talents like you."
After Zhang Shilei finished speaking, he raised his teacup high, "I think how do young people say it these days... Zhou Yi, the eternal god of Chem Competitions."
"The eternal god!" Li Zheng, stirred up by the conversation, raised his cup high as well, "Without Teacher Zhou, there would have been no experiment. To the eternal god of Chem Competitions!"
"Don’t… don’t make it sound so…" Zhou Yi raised his cup with difficulty, his eyes becoming moist with emotion, "But... Director Zhang really gets me... To see you and Shi Yang grow up... My years of effort have been worth it! Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
After the toasts, Zhang Shilei and Zhou Yi discussed the next strategic steps.
Yes, publishing in CNS requires strategy…
It was also Li Zheng’s first time being involved in such matters.
First of all, the CNS reviewers are human, not all-knowing experts in every field.
Especially the initial reviewers are not necessarily renowned figures; they’re only responsible for preliminarily judging the value of the paper, and their main criterion is the authorship. If the author is a well-known big shot, it means the paper can be sent directly for further review without even looking at it.
If the author is relatively unknown, they must skim through the paper and judge its worth based on intuition; in many cases, the initial reviewers would google the author upon receiving the paper.
Although this criterion is somewhat crude, it is effective; most unknown authors indeed tend to be chancing their luck with subpar papers.
That’s the situation; the so-called mentor resources, scholar faction authority, let’s not talk about other things for now, just having your name on someone else’s paper is already a significant support.
And in the case of Li Zheng’s team, everyone is practically unknown. To increase the chances of getting into CNS, in theory, they should get a well-known big shot to tag along.
But Li Zheng only accepts Zhou Yi’s name on the paper.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yi himself is not very prominent internationally, his greater efforts being in education.
Therefore, even with Zhou Yi’s endorsement, the effect is still limited.
Thus, the second strategy must be employed—
Bridging connections.
So-called bridging connections means having a prestigious big shot call the reviewer, telling them there’s a good paper worth paying attention to.
This is another manifestation of mentor resources and scholar faction authority.
And in today’s Chemical Institute, the one with the most international reputation, and the most cutting-edge, is also
Hu Zengwu.
```
There was no other way, betting on the right direction meant having everything one could ask for.
Therefore, what Zhang Shilei meant was that Li Zheng should try to ingratiate himself with Hu Zengwu as much as possible lately. The institute would of course make efforts, but it wouldn’t be as effective as doing it himself.
About this, Li Zheng inevitably felt some resistance.
"Or just publish domestically..." Li Zheng muttered, "No matter where it’s published, improving the standard of domestic academic journals is also very good."
"No, no, no." Zhou Yi shook his head repeatedly, "As I’ve said, fame should be gained early. Once you’re famous, everything else is easy. Let me tell you, if you get a CNS paper out, you’ll have easy access to any resources in the school. People will be eager to give them to you. Consider it as a convenience for your future research, start with a CNS paper."
"Yes, and..." Zhang Shilei didn’t beat around the bush, directly saying, "This isn’t just about you anymore, this year our Chemical Institute hasn’t had a CNS paper yet. Consider it helping Zhou Yi, helping me, helping the Chemical Institute. Not to mention, there’s a prize of 500,000 yuan."
"Since both teachers insist so much, I will try my best." Li Zheng sighed, "However, I still won’t go out of my way to ingratiate myself with Teacher Hu. He might not even like it."
"Then we’ll just have to take it one step at a time," said Zhang Shilei as he stood up, slapping his thigh, "Since that’s the case, you should hurry up and produce the results. When Zhou Yi and I have time, we’ll help review your paper to ensure it fits the style and taste of CNS."
Li Zheng stood up to say goodbye: "Thank you, Director Zhang. Since that’s our goal, we will also work hard to adapt to the CNS format and taste."
After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Yi took his leave from Li Zheng.
It wasn’t until he stepped out of the building that Zhou Yi’s enthusiasm seemed unabated.
Standing in the courtyard, looking at the moonlight, he delayed going to his car.
"Dean Zhou?"
"It’s nothing, I just want to watch a little longer," Zhou Yi said, looking up, "Let me reflect for a bit, I need to reflect..."
"This... this matter..." Li Zheng looked up with him, watching the moon, "really should have been overseen by you... I don’t mind at all, it’s what you deserve. Even without considering the experimental resources you’ve secured, just for the many years of dedication you’ve poured into young students, that alone is worth it."
"Shut up."
"..."
"Haha, scared you, didn’t I? Don’t say such things in the future."
R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.
Zhou Yi said as he turned his head with a beaming smile.
"There are so many deans and professors; not all of them are like me, there are those who would steal a talent away."
"I know you are ambitious, even speaking of raising the quality of domestic academic journals, but you need to become famous first."
"Only when you are famous, is your talent truly yours."
"Only when you are famous, will you deter those who covet you."
"And only when you are famous, can you conduct your research without accommodating others, without needing support like mine, and still achieve what you want."
"For me, a CNS paper is just a bonus for when I’m recruiting for competitions, digging for new talents. When those who look down on my research have to bow down, I couldn’t care less about it."
"But for you, a CNS paper would make you the bright moon in the night sky."
"Be it Yingpei, the Chemical Institute, any supervisor, they’ll all be at your service."
"For me, it’s just icing on the cake; for you, it’s like giving wings to a tiger."
"So, it must be yours."
Li Zheng felt an extraordinary restlessness.
He was about to shout out loud.
Enough talk! Become! Become great!
Right now, just become!
"Alright, no need to say anything," Zhou Yi said with a chuckle, waving his hand, "Don’t feel you owe me anything. One day, when others mention you, I can grin and tell them, ’This young man, Li Zheng, was discovered by me.’ Aren’t I making a great profit?"
"Making a great profit, Dean Zhou, we’re all making a great profit!"
"Hehe," Zhou Yi laughed, "But I do have a little bit of a selfish wish. It’s not a demand, just a selfish thought. Whether you satisfy it or not doesn’t matter for the future."
"It’s okay to talk about it."
"If possible, let that kid, Shi Yang, do more. It would be best if he could be the second author," Zhou Yi said, shaking his head, "My own research progress has always been limited... I always feel like I’ve held him back..."
"That’s not true, Shi Yang was supposed to be the second author anyway."
"That’s great," Zhou Yi said as he opened the car door, "We’ve made it clear, in both a public and private sense, and what remains... is to get on with it!"
What else could Li Zheng say?
He watched as the car pulled away.
"Do it!! Hurry and do it!"
```