97: A Common Enemy (Part Two)

Above the ruins of the technical workshop, that fatal 0.03-second curve was etched into everyone's retinas like an unhealable scar. The scene was deathly silent, save for the faint, almost imperceptible hissing of the energy blocks as they cooled.

The anger on Reno's face had long since faded, replaced by a gravity as heavy as a mountain. He stared at that curve as if reading a death sentence from the sea of stars. Su Li bit her lip hard, her gaze as tangled as a mess of yarn; for the first time, a clear crack appeared in her cold, data-constructed facade.

Everyone's gaze eventually converged on Chen Feng. They were waiting for a trial, for a final conclusion, for someone to take responsibility for this disaster.

Chen Feng took a slow step forward, breaking the silence. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly, each word sounding as if it were chiseled out of granite.

"Responsibility for this accident lies with me."

That one sentence stunned everyone. Reno's head snapped up, and Su Li's eyelashes trembled violently.

"It was me." Chen Feng met everyone's gaze openly, his tone devoid of any evasion. "It was my impatience, my attempt to use this pile of scrap metal on Ashen Earth Star to challenge interstellar technological barriers, that led to all of you dancing on the edge of a cliff."

"Director Su Li," he turned to her, "your data-driven approach wasn't wrong. It is the skeleton we must possess to reach for the stars."

"Supervisor Reno," he then looked at Reno, "your safety bottom line wasn't wrong either. It is the shield that keeps us alive."

"There is nothing wrong with anyone's professionalism." Chen Feng's voice deepened. "The mistake was trying to use a stone axe to cut down a forest of steel. The mistake is this damn technological barrier!"

Half an hour later, at the medical center, in Lao Mo's ward.

Chen Feng walked in with Su Li and Reno. Lao Mo lay in bed, connected to several tubes. Seeing them, he struggled to sit up, mumbling incoherently, "Boss... it's my fault... I..."

"Stay down." Chen Feng stepped forward quickly and held his shoulder, his voice brook no argument. "You are not at fault."

"But..." Lao Mo's eyes instantly reddened.

"Every attempt you make is Hanhai Trade's most precious asset. Now, we need you to use your experience to summarize the lessons learned, not use your body to bear the blame." Chen Feng looked into his eyes and said word for word, "Recover well. The technical department needs you."

Lao Mo could no longer speak, as cloudy tears slid down from the corners of his eyes. Standing to the side watching this scene, the coldness in Su Li's eyes quietly melted a little.

Another half hour later, in the conference room of Hanhai Trade's headquarters.

Chen Feng gathered all the core members. He didn't mention the accident again, but instead gestured to Su Li.

Su Li stood up and projected a report she had prepared overnight onto the screen.

"This report shows the gap between our Hanhai Trade and interstellar standard technology levels." Her voice was cold to the point of cruelty.

"In material strength, we are three generations behind."

"In energy conversion rates, there is a five hundred percent difference."

"Information processor computing speed is only one percent of the standard line."

Each number was like a heavy hammer, smashing into everyone's hearts. For the first time, they felt the terrifying weight of the words 'technological blockade' so viscerally. It wasn't a distant concept, but a guillotine hanging over everyone's heads, ready to fall at any moment.

"Therefore," Chen Feng's voice rang out again, "I propose that 'breaking the technological blockade' be elevated to the company's sole, highest strategic goal for the coming year! Every department and every task must revolve around it!"

"I agree!" Reno was the first to stand up, his voice as booming as a bell.

"Seconded." Su Li followed immediately, expressing her stance with a brief resource reallocation proposal.

As the meeting ended, Reno took the initiative to call out to Su Li in the hallway.

"Director Su Li."

Su Li stopped and turned back to look at him.

Reno, this mountain of a man, showed a hint of awkwardness on his face for the first time. He said in a low voice, "Outside the medical center... I was too impulsive. I'm sorry."

Su Li was silent for a moment before pushing up her glasses. "No, you weren't wrong. I indeed overlooked risks beyond the data. In future KPI models, I will include 'technological risk weighting'."

The invisible wall between the two of them finally developed a crack at this moment.

But a new problem lay before everyone.

In the conference room, after a brief moment of fervor, everyone fell into silence again. Their goal was unified, but that mountain named 'technological blockade' still weighed down on them, making it hard to breathe.

How were they to break it?

Everyone's gaze focused on Chen Feng once more, waiting for him to provide the answer that would break the deadlock.