179: Chapter 179 Creating a Wonder! This design was submitted to the wrong place!

Waiting for a reply from "Fisherman" required patience, so Lin Zhou simply turned his attention to another urgent matter—one that concerned the face of the "National Research Institute" and was also much easier: selecting a design proposal.

Ever since he announced on his livestream that he would provide a one-million-dollar prize for the winning design proposal, the official email inbox of the Cyber Freedom Republic had been flooded with submissions from all over the world, causing the server's load alarm to ring incessantly.

The popularization of AI painting technology had greatly lowered the barrier to creation.

Consequently, countless netizens, architecture enthusiasts, sci-fi fans, and even passersby who just wanted to join in the fun threw themselves into this "Building a Wonder for All" event.

All sorts of imaginative design drawings began to circulate on the internet.

Someone used AI to generate the planetary engines from "The Wandering Earth," proposing that the institute be built in the crater of "Ironforge," ready to take the country and run at any moment.

Someone else recreated Arasaka Tower from "Cyberpunk 2077"; that towering, sky-piercing mega-structure cast a massive shadow, exuding an intimidating futuristic aura, and it was highly popular in the netizen polls.

There were even more outrageous ones.

One of the designs in the top ten by votes featured a main building that was actually a massive interstellar warship floating in mid-air, connected to the ground below by dozens of thick chains, exuding a strong wasteland punk vibe. In the description, the designer solemnly stated that this symbolized science leading humanity to break free from the earth's gravity.

Lin Zhou flipped through these voting results, his fingertips instinctively pressing against his throbbing temples.

"These guys, do they really think I'm a money printer?" he muttered to the screen.

These designs—let alone the one-million-dollar prize—would likely cost tens of millions just to research their mechanical feasibility.

Fortunately, the online poll was just for the netizens' amusement; the final decision still rested in the hands of Lin Zhou and his core team.

After several consecutive days of screening and discussion, a proposal submitted by Qin Yue was placed at the very top of all the candidate drawings.

"Boss, these are the three candidate proposals we've carefully selected from the one hundred professional-grade designs we screened out of over one hundred thousand submissions."

Lin Zhou took the tablet and began to examine them closely.

The first two proposals were both excellent.

One was a postmodern architectural complex using pyramids and obelisks as elements; it was bold in style, heavy with a sense of history, and echoed the geographical environment of Egypt.

The other was a streamlined design full of technological flair, with the entire structure resembling a silver spaceship that had landed in the desert, creating a powerful visual impact.

But Lin Zhou's gaze eventually fixed on the third proposal.

Upon first seeing this proposal, he paused.

This design was not as grand or as impactful as the first two.

One could even say it looked somewhat "plain and unremarkable."

The entire research institute was not a single massive building, but rather an architectural complex composed of dozens of courtyards, pavilions, corridors, and arched bridges of varying sizes.

All these structures were built upon a meticulously designed water system.

Clear rivers wound between the buildings, and lotus ponds, waterfalls, and cascading water features could be seen everywhere.

Looking down from high above, it didn't look like a scientific research institution located in the desert at all.

It was clearly... a Jiangnan water town moved to Africa.

"This is..." Lin Zhou's finger slid gently across the screen, his eyebrows slightly raised, revealing a hint of interest.

"This proposal is very controversial," Qin Yue explained. "The technical department believes that in an environment as extremely water-scarce as Bir Tawil, maintaining such a large water landscape is unimaginably costly and completely unrealistic."

"However," Qin Yue's tone became eager, "I personally really like this proposal. Because it is, in itself, a declaration."

Lin Zhou looked up at her.

"Creating a water city out of thin air in the desert." Light shone in Qin Yue's eyes. "Is there any wonder that better embodies our determination to 'change the world' or better showcases our technical prowess than this? Atmospheric water generators, combined with the aquatic plant purification system cultivated from 'Miracle Seed'... this isn't just a design; it is a complete ecological transformation project in itself!"

"Furthermore, this water will serve as the cooling system for the data center—killing multiple birds with one stone."

Lin Zhou smiled.

Qin Yue's words hit the mark perfectly.

"This is the one," Lin Zhou decided firmly. "Notify the designer; he has won the one million dollars. Also, tell the technical department to stop complaining about the cost. If there aren't enough atmospheric water generators, build more! I want to see the prototype of this 'Desert Venice' within six months!"

"Yes!" Qin Yue accepted the order excitedly and left.

Soon, the official account of the Cyber Freedom Republic officially announced the final design proposal for the "National Research Institute."

Once the result was announced, the heat of the online discussion was pushed to a new high.

"Holy crap! Building a water town in the desert? The Lord is too good at playing!"

"Now this is what you call a wonder! It's way cooler than some Arasaka Tower!"

"I can already imagine the scene of rowing a small boat to work at the laboratory under the moonlight in the desert! Who can handle this!"

"This is the romance in the bones of us Chinese people! We've won big!"

The netizens' emotions were ignited; they felt that their imagination had been respected and realized. This was a collective victory that belonged to all the participants.

Just as the entire internet was reveling, the other protagonist of the story, the author of this design, was completely bewildered.

Jiangnan, an architectural design institute.

A young designer who had just graduated not long ago was staring at the news of his award on the computer screen, his mouth slightly agape, unable to close it for a long time.

"I... I won? One million dollars?"

His colleagues crowded around him, their eyes a mix of envy and teasing.

"Xiao Li, you're awesome! When are you treating us?"

"This design is god-tier! How did you think of building a water town in the desert?"

Xiao Li's face turned bright red, and after stammering for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"I... I think... I submitted the design to the wrong place..."

"What?" Everyone was stunned in unison.

"This drawing... was originally a design for a cultural tourism project in Suzhou, which had long been rejected by the client... I was organizing files a few days ago, and I might have slipped up and sent it along to that Cyber... Cyber Republic inbox..."

All sound in the office vanished.

A few seconds later, a roar of laughter and jeers erupted.

"Hahahaha! A proposal rejected by a client became a national-level project for another country?"

"This is simply the best workplace power fantasy story of the year!"

"Quick! Post this online! It's guaranteed to trend!"

That afternoon, the topic "#Designer bullied to tears by client, turns around and earns one million from the Cyber Freedom Republic#" surged to the top of the trending lists on major social media platforms with astonishing viral speed.

And just like that, a serious national-level project solicitation began as a farce and ended as a comedy, becoming a topic of conversation for everyone.