Chapter 131: The Second-Generation Computer

In the laboratory, Zhang Wen picked up the newly developed hard drive and stood by to introduce it to Lin Feng. "Yes, the progress of this hard drive is no less than that of the display screen! First of all, the volume and weight of the hard drive are much smaller and lighter than those currently on the market. Secondly, regarding storage capacity, the largest one currently available only offers 250GB, while ours is a full 1TB—an immediate jump of several times over. Furthermore, the read and write speeds are more than ten times faster than anything else on the market!"

Lin Feng listened from the side, unable to stop himself from swallowing hard. Suppressing his disbelief, he double-checked with Zhang Wen: "Is it really, truly as freakishly good as you say?"

Mo Tian, who had been monitoring the situation from within the jade pendant, heard Lin Feng’s slightly insulting choice of words and couldn't help but transmit his voice from within the pendant: "Lin Feng, please choose your words more carefully. It is not 'freakish,' it is advanced!"

Zhang Wen could not hear Mo Tian, but he had heard Lin Feng's question. He quickly confirmed, "Yes, these are the results we tested; there is certainly no mistake."

"Then have you tested this display and hard drive within our first-generation product?" Lin Feng asked.

Zhang Wen had already tested it. Hearing the question, he quickly picked up a laptop from the side and handed it to Lin Feng. "This is the result of combining our first-generation product with the newly developed components. Take a look, Director Lin."

Lin Feng took the computer. Externally, it looked no different from the first generation. He opened the laptop and pressed the power button. It was only after the computer booted up that he realized the difference.

"This... the display quality is more than twice as strong as the first generation, and the boot speed—it’s only 13 seconds!" Lin Feng held the computer, unable to put it down, and said excitedly to Zhang Wen.

"You are right, Director Lin. You can also continue to test the file access speeds," Zhang Wen said, presenting it like a treasure and suggesting further tests.

However, this time Lin Feng simply shut down the computer. Once the lid was closed, he slowly placed the laptop back on the desk. Looking at the puzzled Zhang Wen, he said, "I don't need to test any further. You are more professional than I am, and I trust you. Congratulations—you have succeeded!"

Hearing Lin Feng pat his shoulder in encouragement, and recalling the past few months of experience—from the lab’s initial renovation from scratch to the final product—even a man of Zhang Wen’s age felt his eyes grow moist. If Lin Feng hadn't been standing right in front of him, he would have broken down and wept.

Seeing Zhang Wen’s expression, Lin Feng seemed to understand his feelings. He patted Zhang Wen’s shoulder again and said, "The entire laboratory staff is granted a 7-day leave. Everyone should take a good rest during these seven days. You have all worked hard, day and night. When you return from your break, I will provide new technical data for you to continue your research."

"Don't, Director Lin! We don't need a break. Just give us the next set of technical materials to research; you don't need to worry about the rest." For a scientist like Zhang Wen, knowing there was new technical data waiting meant he had no interest in taking a vacation.

But even though he didn't want to rest, Lin Feng would not approve it. No matter how brilliant a person is, they need a balance between work and rest. He rejected Zhang Wen’s request firmly: "This is an order. Scientific research cannot succeed overnight. If you don't balance work and rest, how long can a scientist hold out? You are a veteran researcher—do you not understand this principle?"

Seeing that he couldn't sway Lin Feng, Zhang Wen finally compromised. He went outside to share the news of the seven-day break with the other researchers, while Lin Feng grabbed the new laptop and hurried out of the laboratory, driving toward the headquarters of Future Tech.

Upon arriving at the headquarters, Lin Feng rushed directly into Xia Ruoxi's office with the laptop in hand.

"What wind blew the young Master Lin into the company? I thought you didn't want this company anymore," Xia Ruoxi teased as she saw the office door pushed open and Lin Feng walk in, looking hurried.

Usually, Lin Feng would have retorted with some lighthearted banter, but he was in no mood; his entire focus was on the new laptop.

Lin Feng placed the laptop in front of Xia Ruoxi and said, "No nonsense for now. Take a look at this laptop. How is it?"

Seeing Lin Feng's serious expression, it was clear he wasn't joking. Xia Ruoxi picked up the laptop, examining it repeatedly for a long time before asking in confusion, "Is there a problem with this laptop? Isn't this just the first-generation computer our company produces?"

Seeing that Xia Ruoxi hadn't noticed, Lin Feng smiled and said, "Open the computer and see for yourself!"

Xia Ruoxi didn't know what Lin Feng was getting at, but she followed his instructions and powered on the laptop.

After it booted, she stared at the screen, stunned. It took a long while for her to snap out of it. She pulled over the laptop she usually used for work, placed it side-by-side with the new one for comparison, and then looked up at Lin Feng, asking in disbelief, "How is this possible? Why is there such a huge difference in the display quality between the two?"

Seeing her surprised expression, Lin Feng smiled with satisfaction and explained, "This is the latest achievement from our laboratory. The high-definition display and hard drive I mentioned to you before have been successfully developed. The physical units are ready, and the test data is excellent. We applied them to our first-generation computer, and the effect is exactly what you just experienced."

As soon as Lin Feng finished speaking, Xia Ruoxi stood up excitedly, rushed to his side, grabbed his arm, and shouted, "It’s really finished? Are you sure you aren't joking?"

Hearing her somewhat foolish question, Lin Feng couldn't help but roll his eyes. Looking at the excited Xia Ruoxi, he said, "That’s a silly question. The physical units are right here in front of you, and you just experienced it yourself."

Once confirmed, Xia Ruoxi said, "I didn't expect you to actually finish it before June. When you made the bet with the Premier, I was always worried you wouldn't be able to deliver on time. Now, I can finally set my mind at ease."

Lin Feng, feeling quite good, couldn't help but gently flick Xia Ruoxi’s delicate nose. "You had so little faith in your husband? That deserves a punishment."

Xia Ruoxi swatted away his hand, gave him a charming glare, and said with disdain, "When did I marry you? And you're already calling me 'wife'!"

"Who else could you marry if not me? Can't I exercise my rights in advance?" Lin Feng said with a thick-skinned grin.

After they played around in the office for a while, Xia Ruoxi asked, "You didn't just come here in such a rush just to show me the new computer, did you?"

Getting to the point, Lin Feng pulled Xia Ruoxi over to the sofa in her office and sat down. Looking at her seriously, he said, "Of course not. It's already late May. I promised the Premier that our second-generation computer would be on the market around June. Time is very tight, so I need to discuss it with you."

Xia Ruoxi nodded seriously, lost in thought, waiting for Lin Feng to continue.

"You need to arrange the production bases immediately. This is our company's patent. I suggest we directly acquire several computer component factories near our assembly plant. That way, we will have ready-made staff and machinery, saving us a lot of work. It’s just a matter of spending a little more money!"

Xia Ruoxi thought about it and agreed. Time was short, and time—not money—was their scarcest resource.

"You need to start handling this today. Delegate the work. Stop production of the first-generation computers today; we will no longer sell them. If there is any inventory left, we'll sell it off, but if not, pull the first-generation products from the shelves and focus entirely on the production and stockpiling of the second-generation models. Don't forget, the government alone likely has an order for hundreds of thousands of units," Lin Feng instructed.

"Ah, is that so? As far as I know, our first-generation inventory is quite sufficient, and we could have kept selling them for a while," Xia Ruoxi reported.

Lin Feng didn't speak immediately. He walked over to the water cooler, grabbed a disposable cup, finished a glass of water, and then said to Xia Ruoxi, "It doesn't matter. When our second-generation computers hit the market, we can lower the price of the first generation to 1,000. I think people will still choose to buy them. You don't need to worry about that."

"Fine, that's a good suggestion. Don't worry, I will get the tasks assigned!" Xia Ruoxi replied.

"As for the launch event for the second-generation computer, we'll decide that in early June based on the accumulated stock!" Lin Feng had originally wanted to set a date, but he decided against it for now.

Xia Ruoxi agreed it was too early, but she kept it in mind.

With everything said, and the rest left for Xia Ruoxi to arrange, Lin Feng felt he had nothing else to do and left the office, not wanting to disturb her work.

Leaving the Future Tech headquarters, Lin Feng suddenly didn't know where to go. The laboratory was on break, and Zhao Ze was busy training those people. With nowhere else to go, Lin Feng had no choice but to head home and kill time.

Back in his villa, Lin Feng did not forget his promise to Zhang Wen about providing new technical data after seven days. He clutched the jade pendant on his chest and sought help from Mo Tian inside.

"Mo Tian, Mo Tian! Are you asleep? If not, come out—I need your help!" Lin Feng called out to the pendant.