Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

For a teacher, there is no greater satisfaction than this. Like peaches and plums that need no words to attract admirers, the greatest joy comes from seeing one's most outstanding students achieve success and give back to their alma mater at crucial moments, mentoring younger generations. Nothing brings a more comforting feeling to an old teacher than this.

With a weight lifted from his heart, Professor Li began to talk freely. The two chatted about everything from the school's recent developments to the technological innovations Liu Guangqi was promoting, from past anecdotes to the changes of today. The atmosphere was warm and lively, as if they had returned to their time on campus a few years ago.

After chatting for a long time, Liu Guangqi casually steered the conversation to another topic.

"Professor Li, something suddenly came to mind."

"Hmm? You go ahead."

"If I remember correctly, around 1958, didn't Tsinghua University lead the development of the first three-coordinate CNC machine tool in China?"

The other end of the phone suddenly went silent.

Professor Li seemed stunned, remaining silent for a long while. It was as if he were recalling a story that filled Tsinghua University students with both pride and complex emotions. After a moment, his voice returned: "Why did you suddenly ask about this?"

Strictly speaking, the three-coordinate CNC machine tool, which was built in 1958, was the first CNC machine tool in China in the true sense. The research and development units were Tsinghua University and Beijing No. 1 Machine Tool Factory. Liu Guangqi was a senior at the time and still has a vivid memory of this sensational behemoth.

"It wasn't just asking," Liu Guangqi laughed. "Back then, I peeked through the workshop window for days. That thing was like an iron house; once it started running, half the campus could hear it."

"An iron house? That's quite a vivid analogy!" Professor Li laughed, his tone becoming more animated. "It is indeed a huge machine; just housing it takes up most of the experimental workshop."

To ensure the machine's operation, the factory even laid a separate cable line.

When talking about that equipment, Director Li's expression was always a mixture of pride and helplessness.

"But ultimately, it's more of a symbol of an era, and it doesn't have many practical uses."

He paused briefly, his tone tinged with unspoken emotion.

In reality, the fate of this CNC system has been quite tortuous—since its successful development, there has been no further news.

The root cause is that it is difficult to promote.

This single machine tool occupies almost half of the entire factory space, making it a behemoth in size.

Functionally, it is also quite awkward.

Because the transmission structure is relatively simple, it cannot handle complex and precision parts.

However, its efficiency is exceptionally high when it comes to processing basic parts.

However, for simple tasks, it is more economical and practical to entrust them to experienced craftsmen to complete by hand rather than consuming such a huge amount of resources.

As a result, the plan was eventually quietly shelved.

The first three-axis CNC machine tool, which was built with countless efforts, ultimately failed to be put into production. It became a milestone, laying the first cornerstone for later automation technology.

It's hard not to sigh about it.

This breakthrough, which once made the entire campus proud, has now gradually faded from people's memories.

Apart from the older generation who participated in the project themselves.

And for students like Liu Guangqi, who are meticulous and good at remembering things, probably not many people still remember what it looks like.

certainly--

Fortunately, last year Liu Guangqi joined forces with his alma mater and, with the help of 3D transistor and integrated circuit technology, achieved mass production of CNC machine tools.

Let's make sure that all the hard work we put in back then wasn't in vain.

They have fulfilled the mission of passing on the torch from generation to generation of scholars.

Meanwhile, the department head...

He originally thought that Liu Guangqi was mentioning the past simply out of nostalgia.

Little did they know—

On the other end of the phone, Liu Guangqi's eyes showed no trace of melancholy, but rather shone brightly.

"director."

"I need your help with something. I'm currently working on a five-axis heavy-duty machining center and need computer-aided calibration to improve its accuracy."

The department head's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he immediately understood.

He really didn't expect it—

After achieving mass production of CNC machine tools, Liu Guangqi has skipped three-axis technology and directly moved into the field of five-axis linkage.

How exactly does this young man's mind work?

Liu Guangqi did not beat around the bush and directly stated his plan:

"I remember that three-axis machine tool at the school. Besides the machine tool factory, did it also have a long-term collaboration with the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences?"

"Could you make a connection for me? I'd like to collaborate with them on research and development."

This matter—

After careful consideration, Liu Guangqi concluded that going through his alma mater was the safest option.

When developing CNC machine tools previously—

His ability to obtain classified information from his alma mater was largely due to his connection with the school from which he graduated.

But now, facing five-axis linkage—

The difficulty has increased exponentially, requiring not only blueprints and data, but also top-notch computing power and collaboration with professional talent.

The three-axis machine tool that's considered a treasure on campus—

It is a meritorious piece of equipment that was introduced in 1958.

Back then, it was thanks to the experts from the Institute of Computing Technology who were stationed at the school and worked together to debug the system that the project was successful.

It can be said--

Without the Institute of Computing Technology, there would be no three-axis CNC machine tool.

There was no three-axis CNC machine tool.

Without that, Liu Guangqi would not have achieved the mass production breakthrough he later spearheaded.

Interlocking.

To overcome the challenges of five-axis CNC machine tools, he needed to seek support from the Institute of Computing Technology.

That's reality—

The industrial foundation of this era is right here.

Even with his exceptional intelligence, Liu Guangqi couldn't outperform a computer capable of performing tens of thousands of calculations per second.

In this field—

The Institute for Computing Technology is undoubtedly an undisputed authority.

because--

The head of the research team at the institute is none other than Mr. Hua, the mathematical genius hailed as a legend.

Yes--

That person who is revered as a sage in academia.

He led the way—

A dedicated programming team was formed by drawing key personnel from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Third Department of the General Staff, the Second Ministry of Machine Building, and several universities.

to date--

The Institute of Computing Technology has successfully developed the large-scale general-purpose electronic computer "Machine 104".

It has floating-point operation capability, uses a 40-bit binary system, and can run 10,000 times per second.

And not long ago—

The "107 Machine," a small general-purpose digital computer, has just passed acceptance testing.

For Liu Guangqi at this moment—

The research institutes of this era are a crucial collaboration he cannot bypass.

On the other end of the phone—

Upon understanding Liu Guangqi's intention, the department head immediately burst into laughter:

"Good lad!"

"You finally thought of this way!"

"So you finally remembered us old bones?" The department head's laughter came through the receiver, tinged with a familiar teasing. "You know, the Institute of Computing Technology has been asking about you for quite some time now."

Liu Guangqi held the microphone and paused slightly.

Looking for me?

"The 3D transistor and integrated circuit you developed before was submitted to the institute and immediately accepted." The department head's tone was slightly teasing, but he couldn't hide his pride. "They had asked me to make the connection, wanting to sit down and have a good talk with you about cooperation."

"I made a few phone calls to your research lab a while ago and found out that you've been busy assisting the defense sector in receiving fighter jet data and also being seconded to the metallurgical department to coordinate the distribution of new aircraft parts. You've been working non-stop."

"So this matter has been put on hold for the time being."

"If you're interested, I'll call the Institute of Computing Technology right now, and the three of us can schedule a time to finalize the terms of cooperation. With their technical support, your five-axis linkage project will be able to save you at least half a year of trial and error."

With the receiver pressed against his ear, Liu Guangqi was momentarily dazed.

It turns out that the people I was asking around for cooperation with were also quietly searching for me.

This coincidence is truly remarkable.

Naturally, what welled up in his heart was more of a warm sense of comfort.

This is the invisible yet solid network of personal connections within the academic context.

If he were to rely solely on himself, before accumulating sufficient qualifications and achievements, he would find it difficult to even get close to the Institute of Computing Technology, let alone enter the institute, or even cross the threshold of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

As it turned out, the department head acted swiftly and decisively.

Just two days later, the Institute of Computing Technology gave a definite response.

Agreed to meet.

The location was set at the Institute of Computing Technology, which is under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Before leaving, the department head called Liu Guangqi aside and whispered a few words of advice.

"Guangqi, the professor we're meeting this time, Lu Hai, is an old man who was transferred from our school. Also, there's something I need to tell you upfront: that place has strict rules. Stepping in is like entering a classified unit. Observe more and speak less, and don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Liu Guangqi agreed verbally, but had other thoughts in his mind.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Even one of its affiliated research institutes is undoubtedly one of the top research institutions in the country.

He even secretly wondered if he would be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of that legendary figure from afar on this trip.

After all, those terms that have resonated throughout history—analytic number theory, classical groups, and matrix geometry—all originated from him.

Not to mention the book "Additive Prime Number Theory" that has attracted international attention in the mathematics community.

Unfortunately, the department head's words quickly put his unrealistic idea to rest.

"Want to see Elder Hua? You've got quite the nerve, young man. Elder Hua is constantly on the go these days, how could he possibly have time to see you?"

Liu Guangqi smiled sheepishly, not feeling embarrassed at all, but his respect for him only deepened. It would be unusual for someone like him not to be busy.

Only someone like him deserves such a supreme reputation.

As dawn broke, the gray brick walls of the Institute of Computing Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, were outlined with a pale golden edge.

The soldiers on duty at the gate stood tall and straight, their rifles gleaming coldly in the early morning light, their eyes scanning every approaching figure like those of a hawk.

Simply standing in front of the door, a solemn and dignified atmosphere immediately comes over you.

As Liu Guangqi and the department head approached the gate, they were stopped by the sentry.

"Comrades, please show your letters of introduction and work identification."

The department head seemed used to this, his expression calm and composed as he calmly took out a letter of introduction stamped with Tsinghua University's official seal from his briefcase.

Liu Guangqi followed suit and handed over his own document bearing the prominent red seal of the Ministry of Machine Building.

The soldier took it, carefully checked it word by word, and only picked up the internal phone next to the table after confirming that there were no errors.

"Is this the reception room? Professor Li from Tsinghua University and Comrade Liu Guangqi from the First Ministry of Machine Building are visiting. They have an appointment with Professor Lu Hai."

After hanging up the phone, the soldier said no more, simply standing still with piercing eyes.

After waiting for a moment, Liu Guangqi's gaze passed over the wall and caught a glimpse of the fresh barbed wire wrapped around the top, as well as the faint, regular figures of guards patrolling in the distance.

The level of security here is probably several levels higher than that of the Ministry of Machine Building where he works.

In just a few minutes.

A figure in a dark blue uniform pushed open the side door of the research institute, his gaze behind his glasses quickly sweeping over the two people waiting outside, the edge of the registration book in his hand curling up slightly.

"Professor Li, Comrade Liu Guangqi?"

The young man spoke slowly, yet with a rhythm that left no room for delay.

"I am Professor Lu's assistant. Please follow me; secondary registration is required internally."

Stepping through the gates of the research institute, the air seemed to suddenly become thicker.

Name, organization, position, purpose of visit… each item had to be neatly filled in within the lines. The briefcase was opened, and the pages were turned one by one by the fingertips, making a slight rustling sound. When the process was over, the assistant handed over two cool metal plates, the clearly engraved numbers gleaming mattely under the light.

"Temporary pass. Must be returned upon departure."

Liu Guangqi took the plaque, his palm sinking into it. Only now did he truly understand the weight of the words "strict rules" spoken by the department head. Every step was like the meshing of precise gears, allowing no room for error—after all, this was the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the heart of the nation's computer system.

Along the corridor leading to the main building, the glass of the bulletin board reflected the sunlight. Faded slogans and rows of black-and-white photographs were displayed silently: massive machines occupying half a wall, researchers standing solemnly beside them with piercing gazes. Liu Guangqi's steps unconsciously slowed. He stared at those images, a silent surge of emotion welling up in his chest. This was where the lifeblood of scientific research in this land truly pulsated.