Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Let's go, don't keep the professor waiting." Xiao Yao decisively stopped the idle chatter and got back on track.

Just as they stepped out of the dormitory building, Lin Siyue and his group of five happened to walk towards them.

Ji Fengnan smiled and raised his hand in greeting, but Lin Siyue only nodded faintly, not even sparing her eyes for half a second. Xiao Yao immediately tucked his neck back, not wanting to run into this ice wall.

The group hurried to the meeting point designated by Professor Chen.

This experiment was no ordinary task, as everyone knew perfectly well—getting through this door was like stepping onto the fast track of national scientific research. Therefore, everyone was on high alert, walking three times faster than usual.

Several military green SUVs were parked at the assembly point, and four fully armed guards stood ramrod straight, their eyes sharp as knives, scanning every inch of the area. After Professor Chen verified everyone's identities, the group filed into the vehicles and sped off towards the laboratory hidden deep in the mountains.

The sheer scale of the scene made many people's throats tighten and their palms sweat. Only Xiao Yao leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed—such scenes would only become more frequent and intense in the future.

The car quickly drove into a heavily guarded courtyard with iron gates, sentries standing everywhere, and infrared sensors silently rotating. Several officers came forward, first saluting, then checking their documents and background information item by item. After confirming everything was in order, they were led into the actual living and experimental areas—from that moment on, this place was completely isolated from the outside world; without special permission, not even a sparrow could fly out.

Professor Chen led everyone past several seemingly ordinary small buildings—those were the barracks of the troops on duty. The real entrance was hidden behind an inconspicuous alloy door. Pushing open that door led to the researchers' domain.

When it was Ji Fengnan's turn to be questioned, the other party asked him about his ancestors' occupations, residences, and kinship in great detail.

When he returned, he was pale and stammering, "I...I feel like I'm really in deep trouble this time?"

"What's the big deal?" Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow.

"The investigation is too thorough! Will we ever be able to go home for the New Year again?" Ji Fengnan's voice was weak.

"Don't scare yourself." Xiao Yao patted his shoulder. "From now on, the people we'll be dealing with most are these guys in military uniforms. They're not protecting us, they're protecting the 'spark' we've just created."

Qian Wentao chimed in, his tone confident: "Don't worry, my father has worked on classified projects his whole life, he knows this process very well." His parents frequented national key laboratories and were used to it, so they were the most composed.

In fact, Xiao Yao and the others were unaware of the immense impact their toy airplane had had on the country. The top leadership didn't care how high or far it flew; what they were truly watching were the tiny but deadly parts inside the cabin.

Xiao Yao knew nothing about the existing technology in China, and he never expected that remote control logic, lightweight batteries, and stable power supply modules, which would become commonplace in later generations, were still struggling on the blueprints in his homeland at this time, and some had not even taken shape yet.

In other words, what he replicated based on the teaching materials provided by the system was precisely at the forefront of the times—it wasn't imitation, it was a breakthrough.

Currently, the transmission of domestically produced remote control signals is still unstable, while the performance of the miniature power supply they assembled directly surpasses that of the existing equipment; in particular, the hydroelectric energy storage battery developed by Lin Siyue's team has tripled the number of charge and discharge cycles, and is also resistant to low temperatures and vibration.

The young people were experiencing this level of scrutiny for the first time, and their hearts were inevitably racing. But compared to Ji Fengnan, who looked like she was about to run out of breath, the others at most had slightly cool fingers and their breathing became a little heavy.

After settling everyone into their dormitories, Professor Chen immediately gathered them and led them to the laboratory.

He stood at the door and smiled: "Once you're through this door, you're officially part of the research group. You must sign a confidentiality agreement—the contents must not be leaked, and the recipients are not limited to close or distant relatives; not even your parents, lovers, or even your own diary entries."

After signing the papers, each person received a set of gray-blue work clothes and protective accessories, with a number printed on their chest.

The team marched neatly through the laboratory door.

Professor Chen assigned a senior researcher as a mentor to each pair of students, responsible for assisting with recording and guiding practical operations. Only Xiao Yao and Lin Siyue were personally led away by him—the two creators of the core inventions, whose theoretical foundation and hands-on skills were too outstanding, and he was reluctant to let them go.

Only such talents, growing into towering trees, can support a sky of independent innovation.

Dinner time arrived, but everyone was still engrossed in adjusting parameters at the control panel, seemingly accustomed to this rhythm. Only the rumbling of their stomachs grew louder and louder.

……

"Alright, alright, let's loosen up a bit!" Dean Xie heard the stomachs of the two new recruits beside him rumbling and raised his hand to call a halt. "The newbies can't handle this intensity, we veterans need to make way—let's eat!"

The students blushed and lowered their heads, thankfully their thick work clothes covered their reddened ears.

The professors exchanged a smile—who hadn't gone through this? They put down their tools, chatted and laughed as they walked toward the cafeteria.

The food here is a completely different world from the university cafeteria: the steamed buns are soft and fragrant, eggs and milk are plentiful, and the braised pork is perfectly balanced between lean and fatty. As long as you don't throw it into the garbage can, you can eat as much as you want.

Xiao Yao only ate until she was 80% full—she was afraid of eating too much and having to run to the toilet later, which would delay the progress, and she was also afraid of leaving the professor with the impression that she was "unreliable".

Seeing their reserved demeanor, Professor Chen couldn't help but laugh: "Don't be so stiff. You're not here to be reprimanded, you're here to receive credit. Based on the raw data and prototype you submitted, we've completed the first version optimization, and there are even more special rewards waiting for you—truly a remarkable breakthrough!"

Lin Siyue remained as composed as ever, her tone calm: "Professor, there's no merit to speak of. Studying physics is about building things and solving difficult problems. Being able to bring the results to fruition is the greatest satisfaction in itself."

Professor Chen nodded repeatedly: "Your performance this time far exceeded my expectations. Xiao Yao and Si Yue's imaginative ideas, coupled with their solid implementation capabilities, have both impressed and inspired me."

Xiao Yao scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed: "I just read all sorts of books, and I often flip through chemistry books. I always feel that the more I know, the more useful I might be someday."

Lin Siyue glanced at him sideways, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, before lowering her gaze and continuing to eat.

Professor Chen pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Here's what we'll do: after you finish physics this semester, I recommend you transfer to the chemistry department to audit classes—several professors there are very interested in you. You can learn as much as you can during the holidays, and you can also ask them questions anytime after class."

"This...it's too much trouble for you." Xiao Yao quickly waved his hand.

Professor Chen laughed heartily: "The further you go on the path of scientific research, the more interdisciplinary perspective you need. Look at those top physicists, which one of them doesn't have chemistry and biology at their fingertips? The broader your knowledge, the more flexible your thinking—Siyue, how about we go and learn together? Just like this battery you just tinkered with, it's essentially a hardcore breakthrough in electrochemistry. I watched the whole process; the brilliance of you two, and these other students, they all have the pulse of scientific research in their bones."

Xiao Yao and Lin Siyue exchanged a smile and nodded in unison. Learning more is never a burden, but rather a source of confidence.

In the lab, everyone was quickly assigned to a group with clear tasks, mentors, and a fast-paced learning environment.

This was not a superficial internship, but real work: adjusting instruments, controlling variables, operating the reaction apparatus by hand, and even checking the data records three times; every night, there was a stack of carefully selected literature and exercises waiting to be digested.

After half a month, everyone quietly shed their student-like demeanor—their notes were denser than the professor's, and their conversations revolved around "data trends in this group" and "parameter optimization in the next round," as if they were born to be immersed in beakers and oscilloscopes.

The experiment concluded exceptionally smoothly. With solid preliminary data and a clear workflow, there was no longer a need for repeated trial and error, like groping in the dark.

A month later, the entire remote control system was handed over to the military, and all the technical documents were simultaneously archived.

Compared to the prototype built in the classroom, the actual results are more stable, denser, and more robust: the energy storage density has increased by 30%, and the response latency has been reduced to the millisecond level.

Once the results were verified, the project was immediately submitted for approval, and the names of nine students were prominently listed among the core contributors—not as "equivalent participants" at the bottom, but firmly in the middle, each name carrying weight.

The experiment had just come to an end, and a month and a half had already passed in the blink of an eye.

As National Day approached, when Xiao Yao and his classmates returned to school, the campus was bustling with a thorough cleaning—windows were sparkling clean, and flagpoles were gleaming, all in preparation for the solemn flag-raising ceremony the following morning. These days, National Day is only a one-day holiday, but students who are busy traveling have already turned their holiday into a countdown: the first day is spent completely cleaning the buildings and corridors, the second day is for a collective flag-raising ceremony, and some even rush to Tiananmen Square just to catch a glimpse of that vibrant red flag rising.

When Xiao Yao and his friends stepped into the school gate, the cleaning was almost over. Without saying a word, everyone grabbed brooms and rags and joined in—not out of politeness, but out of habit.

Su Man spotted Xiao Yao in the crowd at a glance, jogging up to him. She hadn't even put down her broom yet, and her voice was already blaring: "Where the hell have you been? Forty-odd days, and not a word from you! I even asked Director Gao, but he just shook his head and said, 'The security level is too high; even he won't let me ask!'"

"I went to a joint laboratory in a neighboring province," Xiao Yao explained with a smile. "I originally wanted to write a letter, but I was afraid that we would return to school halfway there and waste the stamps."

Su Man wrinkled her nose and pouted so much her lips could hang an oil bottle: "Then couldn't you just add 'Greetings upon receiving this letter, don't worry' at the end? Do you know I stare at the mailbox every day, I even glance at the mailbox at the school gate three times over?"

"I've got it!" Xiao Yao quickly replied, her tone serious. "The first thing I'll do next time I go out to study is send you a letter."

"You promised that yourself!" Her eyelashes drooped, her voice softened, "If you don't keep your word, I really won't talk to you anymore."