212: Chapter 212 Turning Sand into Soil 4.0

While Lin Zhou maneuvered between Washington and Beijing, a silent war had already reached a fever pitch at the National Research Institute deep in the heart of the African desert.

The lights blazed in the temporary laboratory, where the air was thick with the scent of strong coffee and the hormones secreted by people in a state of high excitement.

Dmitry Volkov's eyes were bloodshot, yet his spirit showed no sign of fatigue.

On the screen before him, the 'heimdall' subsystem was using trillions of calculations per second to rapidly simulate the molecular structure of a brand-new composite biological agent.

Ever since that mysterious email signed by 'Group B' arrived, the pace of work for the entire Group A had accelerated abruptly, pulling everyone into a scientific research race.

"Those bastards in Group B actually released 'Pioneer 2.0.' It's said the root systems can penetrate even deeper!"

"Although our 'Turning Sand into Soil No. 2' improved water retention, its fertility is still zero! We must overtake them!"

With the pressure of an 'imaginary enemy' hanging over their heads and heimdall's subtle guidance, the thinking of these top geniuses suddenly cleared, leading to a succession of inspirations and technical breakthroughs.

Whenever they hit a bottleneck, the AI would timely retrieve an obscure paper from twenty years ago from some dusty database, or highlight an anomalous curve in a sea of data—a so-called 'error' that pointed exactly in the right direction.

They forgot to eat and sleep, pushing the technology forward from 1.0 in just a month's time.

'Turning Sand into Soil 1.0' could turn sand into hard blocks with strength comparable to C30 concrete, but it was overly compacted, and not a blade of grass could grow; it was just 'dead soil.'

'Turning Sand into Soil 2.0' sacrificed some strength for a porous structure, gaining preliminary water retention capabilities.

'Turning Sand into Soil 3.0', based on heimdall's recommendation, introduced directionally decomposing microbial flora for the first time. During the solidification process, it could release basic organic matter, giving the soil a 'heartbeat.'

Now, Volkov stared intently at the substance in the Petri dish that had turned from sandy yellow to a deep, ink-black, his breathing growing heavy.

"We did it! We succeeded! 'Turning Sand into Soil 4.0'!!"

Beside him, a group of haggard scientists with fire burning in their eyes finally erupted into long-suppressed cheers, the sound nearly lifting the roof.

A researcher extremely cautiously placed a drop of the black agent onto a tray of dry yellow sand.

An extraordinary sight unfolded before their eyes.

The yellow sand did not quickly condense into a hard block; instead, it began to move on its own.

The sand grains squirmed, decomposed, and reorganized at a speed visible to the naked eye. The color darkened rapidly, and in just one minute, that tray of yellow sand turned into a handful of soft, moist, black fertile soil that emitted the fresh scent of earth!

"Fertility test!" Volkov ordered in a raspy voice.

An assistant placed the soil sample into the analyzer. A few seconds later, the data was projected onto the main screen.

"Report! Organic matter content has reached 1.5%! Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium elements are all present! It... it completely meets the planting standards for high-yield crops! This... this is simply a miracle!"

"We haven't just changed the desert; we've created life!"

This time, their joy was mixed with a deeper layer of awe. They had finally surpassed the unattainable technology of 'Group B'!

And the mastermind behind all of this, Lin Zhou, merely smiled faintly after receiving Jack's report.

"Lord, Group A has completed the R&D for 'Turning Sand into Soil 4.0.' Enthusiasm and morale are at an all-time high," Jack reported on the other end of the communication line. "Per your instructions, I just informed the institute internally of Group B's latest 'achievement'—the 'Pioneer 3.0' plant series, which has a shortened growth cycle and improved drought resistance. This progress has already been left in the dust by Group A."

"Very good," Lin Zhou's tone was calm. "A catfish cannot always swim at the very front, or the sardines will lose their motivation to chase. You must let them see hope, and even the possibility of overtaking, for them to run faster."

He watched the video of Group A's successful experiment. In the footage, Volkov's team was conducting a larger-scale test on a patch of experimental field in the desert.

But new problems were also emerging.

"Look, this is the weakness of the 4.0 agent," Volkov explained to his team members, pointing at the site. "Its molecular structure is too complex, and its permeability is poor. We can't just spray it on the surface like water; that would only transform a few centimeters of the topsoil. To completely transform sand layers dozens of meters deep, we must use that big fellow."

Not far away, a strange-looking machine was at work.

It extended dozens of long, needle-like metal probes, inserting them deep into the sandy ground to perform matrix-style injections of the black agent at different depths.

This machine still required manual operation, so efficiency could not be scaled up.

"However, this is just an engineering problem! It can be solved!" A fire burned in Volkov's eyes. "We have already solved the fundamental problem of going from zero to one! The rest is just turning one into a hundred!"

The video ended there.

Lin Zhou turned off the screen, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk. This development was exactly what he wanted.

Group A's technology was mature, and the appearance of that 'manual injection machine' served as the perfect setup for his next plan.

He dialed Qin Yue's internal line.

"Qin Yue, issue the General Headquarters' orders immediately."

"First, commend all members of Group A at the National Research Institute and announce that the 'Turning Sand into Soil 4.0' project has achieved a major breakthrough!"

"Second, announce that the project is entering its second phase, 'Large-Scale Application Testing.' The location is set at the thirty-square-kilometer desert buffer zone on the outskirts of the Republic's capital circle!"

"Third!" Lin Zhou's tone became non-negotiable. "Order Wang Changlong's industrial department to interface with Jack's AI team. Within three months, I want to see fully automated, large-scale, unmanned 'Soil Transformation Engineering Machinery'! We are not just going to turn sand into soil; we are going to use an iron torrent to completely turn the desert into fertile fields!"