696: Chapter 691 Waiting for the Right Opportunity

The next morning.

Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, private jet apron.

The cabin door of a gulfstream g650 slowly opened.

Shen Yan's figure appeared at the top of the gangway, followed by a slightly weary-looking Chen Guangke.

The humid, hot air of early summer in the south, mingled with the faint smell of aviation fuel, rushed toward them.

A black maybach was already waiting quietly outside the apron.

The car door opened, and a driver in a black suit stood bowed and solemn.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Chen, good morning."

Shen Yan nodded slightly and sat in the back seat.

Chen Guangke followed him in, yawning as he buckled his seatbelt.

"Yan Zi, aren't we going to the hotel to drop off our luggage first?"

"Not going to the hotel."

Shen Yan looked out the window at the skyline of the city known as "China's Silicon Valley."

"Go straight to Nanshan Science and Technology Park."

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and, without any questions, smoothly started the vehicle.

"Are we just going to barge in like this?"

Chen Guangke was a bit puzzled.

According to standard business acquisition procedures, they should first express interest through a third party and then conduct multiple rounds of negotiations.

For a boss to drop in directly at the doorstep of a small company on the verge of bankruptcy like this would seem quite beneath them if word got out.

"We aren't going to acquire a company."

Shen Yan's voice was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable power.

"I'm going to invite a genius."

He paused and added.

"To invite a genius, one must use a genius's way."

Chen Guangke was stunned for a moment, then grinned.

"Fine, you're the boss. Anyway, listening to you is always right."

He knew that Shen Yan already had a complete script in his mind.

The maybach sped along the wide Binhai Boulevard.

An hour later, the vehicle slowly entered the Nanshan Science and Technology Park area.

This was the heart of China's technological innovation, with modern glass-curtain-walled buildings rising from the ground, and young people in a hurry wearing badges with the logos of major tech giants everywhere.

However, as the car turned deep into Zone B, the surrounding atmosphere gradually became deserted.

Eventually, the maybach stopped at an intersection about two hundred meters away from Building 13.

"Stop right here," Shen Yan instructed.

The driver pulled the car steadily to the side of the road.

Shen Yan didn't get out, but just quietly watched the slightly old six-story building not far away.

On the roof, the large blue characters for "Qingtian Laboratory" were somewhat peeling and faded, looking out of place among the surrounding brand-new buildings and exuding a sense of sorrow like a hero in his twilight years.

"Is this that Zhou Qiming's place?" Chen Guangke also looked over.

"Yeah."

"It looks... pretty miserable indeed."

Chen Guangke clicked his tongue.

Even the maintenance of the facade couldn't be kept up, showing how dire the internal financial situation was.

"Guang Ke, what do you think a genius at the end of his rope, yet firmly believing he's right, needs most right now?"

Shen Yan suddenly asked.

Chen Guangke thought for a moment and tentatively answered, "Money?"

Shen Yan shook his head.

"No, money can only buy his company; it can't buy his heart."

"Then what is it?"

"It's recognition. A soulmate who can understand his 'celestial script'."

Shen Yan pushed open the car door and stepped out.

"Let's go, let's try our luck."

Chen Guangke immediately followed.

The two didn't head straight for Building 13 but instead wandered aimlessly around the vicinity.

Shen Yan's gaze swept over the surrounding shops.

Convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, print shops...

Finally, his gaze settled on a cafe named "Bit Nest."

The decor of this cafe was very unique, with decorative paintings of circuit boards and programming code on the walls, and the air filled with the aroma of coffee and a faint scent belonging to electronic products.

A typical gathering place for programmers.

Shen Yan pushed the door open and walked in.

There weren't many people in the cafe; small groups of young people were hunched over laptops, their fingers flying across the keyboards.

Shen Yan's gaze swept the corner and fixed there.

A man was sitting there.

He was in his thirties, with somewhat messy hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with deep-set eyes bloodshot with fatigue.

His white shirt was wrinkled, and the collar was a bit yellowed.

He was curled up in a booth, with the cheapest Americano in front of him, already stone-cold.

His laptop screen was lit, showing dense code and complex functional models.

But he wasn't typing code; he was just staring blankly at the screen, his eyes hollow as if his soul had been sucked out.

This person was exactly the same as the Zhou Qiming in the profile photo Chen Guangke had sent.

Only more haggard and down-and-out than in the photo.

A faint, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Shen Yan's mouth.

The fish is right here.

He and Chen Guangke found a spot not far from Zhou Qiming, but separated by two tables, and sat down.

"Two lattes," Shen Yan said to the Waitress.

Chen Guangke lowered his voice. "Yan Zi, is that Zhou Qiming? Should we go over now?"

"No rush."

Shen Yan picked up the coffee delivered by the Waitress and took a small sip.

"Waiting for an opportunity."

He seemed very patient, just quietly drinking his coffee and occasionally checking his phone.

Chen Guangke didn't understand why, but he had no choice but to wait patiently.

Time passed minute by minute.

In the corner, Zhou Qiming finally moved.

As if he had made a decision, his hand trembling, he moved the mouse and clicked on a folder.

The folder's name was—"Bankruptcy Liquidation Application Materials."

His finger hovered over the "Delete" key, but he hesitated to press it.

His face was full of pain and unwillingness.

Now.

Shen Yan gave Chen Guangke a look.

Chen Guangke immediately understood.

Shen Yan cleared his throat; his voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for everyone in the quiet cafe to hear clearly.

He seemed to be discussing work with Chen Guangke.

"Guang Ke, did you see that Boston Dynamics Humanoid Robot test video I watched yesterday?"

Chen Guangke immediately got into character and frowned. "I saw it. The technology is indeed impressive, and the movement is very fluid, but it still feels like it's missing something."

"Oh? What's missing?" Shen Yan asked with interest.

"I can't quite put my finger on it, it just feels... too much like a program. Every movement is the result of precise calculation; it doesn't have that... living creature feel."

Chen Guangke scratched his head, trying hard to describe it.

In the corner, Zhou Qiming's finger, which was about to press the delete key, paused.

He looked up, his vacant gaze glancing toward Shen Yan.

Shen Yan's voice continued.

"You hit the nail on the head. Currently, the movement logic of all mainstream Humanoid Robots is based on one core—Position Control."

"In simple terms, you give it a command to raise its arm to a certain coordinate or move its leg to a certain coordinate. It's just executing commands, not 'walking'."