Building a Sci-Fi Empire: Starting with Cold Nuclear Fusion

Snap, snap snap.

Applause came from behind the crowd.

The researchers, including Lao Qin, Xiao Yun, and the tall, thin man, who had been marveling at the situation, couldn't help but look back and saw Zhao Peng clapping.

"minister."

"Manager, you've arrived?"

Old Qin and the others were so engrossed in watching that they didn't even notice Zhao Peng and the others arriving.

Chen Yuan, who was originally sitting, quickly stood up when he saw the minister and manager arrive.

Galaxy Company's R&D department is different from other companies' systems. It is not managed by a single manager or department head, but has two positions: department head and manager.

Minister Zhao Peng not only understands technology, but also takes charge of overall leadership.

Manager Wang Kai focuses on personnel, budget, and daily operations.

In terms of rank, Zhao Peng is one level higher than Wang Kai.

At this moment, Zhao Peng, Wang Kai, and several other department leaders stepped forward.

"Xiao Chen, your design and drawings are quite good."

Zhao Peng reached out and patted Chen Yuan on the shoulder.

He has a technical background, so he can naturally understand how this battery cell design works.

He said, "I stood by and listened for a while. Although your design hasn't been tested yet, I think it's highly likely to be feasible. Also, even if there are some minor issues that prevent it from being implemented immediately, your new coating process, large electrode stacking, and three-dimensional integrated air channel top cover will be of great help to our company's research and development of battery cells."

Lao Qin, Xiao Yun, and the tall, thin researcher nodded in agreement with Zhao Peng's opinions.

Chen Yuan humbly said, "We've only produced the design drawings so far. It's hard to say whether it can be realized. We'll need to go through a series of trials."

"Haha, young man, you're too modest," Manager Wang Kai said with a smile. "Our Minister Zhao has a technical background. If he says it's good, it's definitely good. Your design is indeed excellent."

He was extremely shrewd. He first praised Zhao Peng, then acknowledged Chen Yuan's design, praising both of them.

As expected, Zhao Peng showed a pleased expression, but said modestly, "Hey, I couldn't compare to Xiao Chen when I was young. Back then, I was still following my master to learn the basics, while Xiao Chen could design products on his own. Most importantly, he didn't study battery cell technology, but applied physics."

In the field of battery cells, students typically study new energy materials and devices, materials science and engineering, or chemical engineering and technology. These engineering disciplines are highly interdisciplinary, integrating knowledge of materials, chemistry, physics, and engineering.

While there are new energy sources in applied physics, they are less involved in the area of ​​battery cells.

People who lack the ability to apply knowledge across different areas simply cannot develop products without in-depth learning.

Knowing this, Lao Qin, Xiao Yun, and the tall, thin researcher all looked surprised when they heard Zhao Peng say this.

Old Qin asked suspiciously, "Minister Zhao, did Chen Yuan study applied physics?"

Zhao Peng retorted, "You've been his master for several days now, and you didn't know about this?"

Old Qin looked embarrassed. "I've been a bit busy these past few days and haven't had a chance to talk to Chen Yuan about these things."

Chen Yuan chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself, "You look so honest and simple, but I didn't expect you to be such a master of lying."

It's not that you haven't had time to talk to me about these things; it's that you haven't spoken to anyone at all these past few days.

Of course, he's not that insensitive, so he definitely wouldn't expose Lao Qin's shortcomings in front of so many people.

Zhao Peng seemed to have figured something out and said meaningfully, "Xiao Chen studied applied physics. Although he only graduated with a bachelor's degree, he is very capable, which is why I made an exception and recruited him. He may not know much about battery cells yet, but he has a good memory and strong learning ability. So, please give him a lot of guidance in your daily work."

Who's giving advice to whom?

As soon as they arrived, they presented an exquisite new battery cell design.

We've been tinkering for a year and haven't achieved anything, so how are we qualified to teach him?

Xiaoyun, the tall and thin guy, and the others were both amused and exasperated by what they heard.

Unlike the others, Lao Qin knew that Zhao Peng's words were directed at him, meaning not to slack off in teaching his apprentices.

He hurriedly said, "Yes, he will. I wanted Chen Yuan to learn more about battery cells, so I didn't bring him to the lab. Who knew he knew so much about battery cells? It seems I was overthinking it. From now on, he will be a formal member of our project team."

Zhao Peng looked satisfied. "Okay, try it out according to Xiao Chen's design later. If the initial attempt is feasible, then we can move on to the experimental stage."

Old Qin agreed, "Okay."

Chen Yuan, who was listening from the sidelines, was very happy. He had made the right bet this time and had truly joined the project team.

In the future, I will not only be able to freely enter and exit the laboratory, but I will also receive a substantial bonus for any achievements in the project.

Take this 1175Ah battery cell R&D project as an example. If it really produces results, although there are dozens of people in the project team, he estimates that as the person who drew the design, his bonus may be higher than others.

There are generally two ways to receive this kind of bonus.

The first type is directly linked to profits.

Many companies allocate a portion of the profits generated from research and development results to bonus pools.

For example, SK Hynix saw a surge in demand for memory chips in 2025, leading to a significant increase in operating profit. As a result, its employee bonus pool was set at 10% of the annual operating profit.

Of course, this is the total prize pool.

They are usually distributed to R&D, production, and other personnel based on their contributions.

R&D personnel receive a higher percentage of the pay, while production personnel receive relatively less.

The second type of bonus is a direct cash reward.

For example, the total prize money for this 1175Ah battery cell project is one million yuan.

Even if dozens of R&D personnel split the money equally, each person could still receive ten or twenty thousand yuan.

In reality, the bonuses cannot be split equally; instead, they will be distributed according to the size of the contribution.

This refers to bonuses, not research and development expenses.

Energy storage system giants like Haichen Company spent as much as 530 million yuan on research and development in 2024.

Although Xinghe Company and Haichen Company have slightly different business directions, they are essentially still new energy development companies, and their R&D expenses are no less than those of Haichen Company.

Regardless, Chen Yuan estimated that if his design could be realized, the bonus would be at least 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, and possibly even tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of yuan.

Keep in mind that he just joined the company, yet he already has the potential to receive such a large bonus.

Zhao Peng seemed not to be planning to linger. After giving his orders, he said, "I need to go check out the lab next door. You guys keep busy."

"Okay," Old Qin replied, and was about to say goodbye when he suddenly remembered something. He turned to Chen Yuan and asked, "Hey, Chen Yuan, you studied applied physics, how come you're so knowledgeable about battery cells?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyun, the tall and thin guy, and the other R&D staff all looked at Chen Yuan with puzzled expressions.

It wasn't just them; even senior and middle-level managers like Zhao Peng and Wang Kai had the same reaction.

It's understandable that someone who studies applied physics would have some understanding of battery cells, but it's a bit unbelievable that you came up with a design drawing that is highly feasible, technically sophisticated, and even contains some original designs.

Because they understood these things, everyone seemed very curious.

Chen Yuan couldn't possibly claim that he could connect to the quantum realm and then simulate it using quantum computing, could he?

He had no choice but to make up a lie: "Brother Qin, didn't you give me a book on battery cell design and development before? I read that book and combined it with some knowledge of applied physics to find my design direction."

When Chen Yuan brought up the old story again, Old Qin was still somewhat incredulous, saying, "That book has 181 pages, and you've only been reading it for a few days, yet you've actually mastered it? I remember you said you remembered everything in the book? I believe in high comprehension; I've seen a few geniuses like that, but isn't your memory a bit...?"

A book with 181 pages.

I finished watching it in a few days, so I won't say anything more.

You still remember everything in the book?

Xiaoyun, the tall and thin researcher, and other researchers looked at each other, seemingly somewhat incredulous.

Not to mention them, Wang Kai and several other middle and senior managers in the departments, although not technical, still had basic common sense. They knew what a 181-page book related to technology meant, and they also knew that it was impossible for anyone to memorize all the contents in just a few days.

Therefore, when everyone heard Lao Qin say this, they had the same thought as him.

Chen Yuan was just about to reply.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Peng chuckled and said, "Old Qin, it's pointless for you to talk to Xiao Chen about memory."

Old Qin looked over, puzzled, and asked, "Minister, what do you mean?"

Xiao Yun, the tall and thin researcher, and Wang Kai and other management personnel all looked puzzled.

Zhao Peng pointed at Chen Yuan and said with a smile, "You should remember what I said earlier about specially recruiting Xiao Chen, right? He only has a bachelor's degree and hasn't even obtained an assistant engineer qualification. In principle, he doesn't meet our company's recruitment requirements. The reason I specially recruited him is because he did something amazing during the interview. Let me tell you about it briefly..."

He briefly recounted the interview process.

Although Zhao Peng's explanation was brief, everyone exclaimed that the interview questions were insane after listening to them.

In addition, they gave Chen Yuan a strange look, thinking to themselves that his memory was even more abnormal.

You somehow managed to get a perfect score on a test that no one could possibly pass by memory alone.

This is the opinion of the vast majority of people.

In fact, there was one person whose inner emotions were even more complex.

That's right, this person is Lao Qin.

Looking at Chen Yuan's fairly handsome face, he thought to himself, "You didn't actually memorize the entire contents of that 181-page book, did you?"

If that's really the case, all Lao Qin can say is that Chen Yuan is just too extraordinary.