197: Chapter 197 Military Coordination

Three days after the internal military meeting ended, the news reached the laboratory.

That morning, Li Wei was observing the microstructure of the latest batch of scaffold materials under the microscope when Wang Zhe pushed the door open and came in, his expression somewhat complicated.

"They are coming," Wang Zhe said. "The military personnel will arrive this afternoon."

Li Wei's hand paused, and she looked up. "So soon?"

"Academician Zheng made the call himself, saying that their efficiency is high and since the plan has been set, they don't want to drag it out." Wang Zhe walked to the lab bench and lowered his voice. "Does Youhua know?"

"I told him," Li Wei said, taking off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "He said to let us take full responsibility for the coordination; he won't be showing his face."

Wang Zhe was taken aback for a moment, but he wasn't too surprised.

They knew Chen Youhua's personality too well; in occasions that required repeated communication and bargaining, he always avoided them whenever he could.

Moreover, given his current status, his appearance would only make things more complicated.

"Alright then," Wang Zhe took a deep breath. "Then shall we handle it?"

Li Wei looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "What, are you nervous?"

"Obviously," Wang Zhe said truthfully. "They are military personnel. I am just a biology Researcher, what if I say something wrong..."

"Then just listen more and talk less," Li Wei interrupted him, her tone calm yet firm. "We have the real deal in our hands, what are you afraid of?"

Wang Zhe thought about it, nodded, and turned to prepare the conference room.

At two in the afternoon, they arrived.

Two people came.

Walking in front was a middle-aged military officer in his early forties, with two bars and three stars on his shoulder straps, a tall and straight physique, and a resolute face, but his eyes held no airs of superiority, but rather a hint of curiosity.

Following him was a younger major, carrying a briefcase in his hand, who looked like someone in charge of specific matters.

"Hello, I am Liu Zhiyuan," the middle-aged officer extended his hand, his voice resonant. "Chief Zhang asked me to be in charge of the coordination work. From now on, we are comrades on the same front."

Wang Zhe stepped forward to shake his hand, his palms slightly sweaty. "Wang Zhe, the main Researcher here at the laboratory. This is Li Wei, a core member of the project."

Li Wei nodded in greeting; she didn't say much, but her gaze was steady.

Liu Zhiyuan looked around the laboratory, a flash of admiration in his eyes.

Although he wasn't a Researcher, he could tell that the equipment and layout here were top-tier.

He glanced through the glass window at the monkeys that had already been equipped with prosthetic limbs; before coming here, he had done his homework.

"Shall we get straight to the point?" Liu Zhiyuan said bluntly. "Chief Zhang is pressing hard, and I also want to set the framework as soon as possible so as not to delay your research."

"Alright." Wang Zhe led them toward the conference room. "Please, this way."

The conference room was not large, but it had everything it needed.

A projector was placed at one end of the long table, and the whiteboard still had some uncleared formulas from the last discussion.

The group sat down, and the young major opened his briefcase, took out a stack of documents, and laid them neatly on the table.

Liu Zhiyuan spoke first. "Let me state my position first. The Chief's intention is that the military will fully support this project. Funding, equipment, venue—as long as it is a reasonable requirement, it will be given the green light. But there are two prerequisites."

He held up two fingers.

"First, technical safety must be the top priority. Second, the screening and protection of the first batch of volunteers must be led by us."

Wang Zhe and Li Wei exchanged a glance.

"The first point is no problem," Wang Zhe said, deliberating.

"Our system here has undergone extreme stress testing, with a comprehensive stability of 99.97%, but this data was obtained in a laboratory environment. When applied to the human body, especially on disabled soldiers, there will be individual differences, and we need time to make targeted adjustments."

Liu Zhiyuan nodded. "Understood. So we need to draw up a schedule so that both sides know what to do at each milestone."

Li Wei took over. "We suggest a three-step approach. The first step is to screen volunteers, conduct pre-operative evaluations, and collect physical indicators, which will take about two weeks."

"The second step is surgery and initial rehabilitation. This stage is the most sensitive and requires the military to provide a closed medical environment and nursing team. The third step is functional training and long-term tracking, which will take at least half a year."

"Half a year?" The young major spoke for the first time, his tone hesitant. "Isn't that too long?"

"It is not long," Li Wei said in a calm tone.

"The neural interface and the human body need time to adjust to each other. Forcing the schedule will only lead to problems. Our goal is to ensure that every volunteer can truly benefit, not just to rush for a superficial success."

Liu Zhiyuan waved his hand, stopping the major from questioning further. "Researcher Li is right; this matter cannot be rushed. The Chief also said that we must do right by these soldiers."

The conference room was silent for a few seconds.

Wang Zhe took the opportunity to push the prepared materials over. "This is our preliminary plan, including pre-operative evaluation standards, surgical procedures, post-operative rehabilitation plans, as well as potential problems and contingency plans. You can take a look first, and if you have any questions, we can go through them one by one."

Liu Zhiyuan took the materials, flipped through a few pages, and his eyes gradually became serious.

He did not expect that these Researchers would be more meticulous in making plans than military staff officers.

What medicine to use in what situation, what indicators trigger what contingency plans, how to handle anxiety in volunteers... it was all written in there.

"This..." He looked up, his tone filled with admiration. "You have thought of everything that could possibly be thought of."

Wang Zhe smiled and didn't say anything.

He thought to himself, these weren't things they had thought of, but rather things that enlightenment had simulated all possible risks for and produced through sheer effort.

"Alright," Liu Zhiyuan closed the document and patted the table. "Then we will follow this framework. As for the specific details, we will finalize them one by one."

For the next two hours or so, the conference room never stopped.

The young major was responsible for picking at the details, asking and recording them one by one.

Wang Zhe and Li Wei took turns, explaining what needed to be explained and insisting on what needed to be insisted upon.

For example, the volunteer screening standards.

The military hoped to prioritize those honorary soldiers with high disability ratings and strong willingness to rehabilitate, which was not a problem.

But Li Wei insisted on adding one condition: age not exceeding forty-five, and no serious underlying diseases.

"Why?" The major asked.

"Neural plasticity," Li Wei explained.

"Too young won't work, as physical development is not fully stable. Too old, and the ability for neural regeneration will decline. Forty-five is a relatively ideal boundary."

The major wrote it down in his notebook and asked again, "Then what about special cases? For example, if there is a particularly excellent soldier whose age is slightly over, but whose personal desire is very strong..."

"Individual cases can be handled," Li Wei relented. "But it must be evaluated by the expert group; no special approvals."

Liu Zhiyuan listened from the side and nodded.

This balance was well-maintained; it had principles but was not rigid.

Another example was the management authority during post-operative rehabilitation.

The military hoped to be solely responsible for the volunteers' living and safety protection, which was not a problem.

But Wang Zhe insisted that medical decisions must be based on the opinions of the laboratory expert group.

"I am not saying I don't trust you," Wang Zhe said bluntly.

"But no one in the world has ever performed this kind of surgery, and no one can guarantee what kind of situation will arise after the surgery. If the two sides disagree at that time, it will delay the volunteers' rehabilitation."

Liu Zhiyuan pondered for a moment. "Then how about this: we establish a joint expert group. You provide three people, we provide two. Major decisions will be decided by vote. If there is a tie, it will be reported to Chief Zhang for a final decision."

Wang Zhe looked at Li Wei, and Li Wei nodded slightly.

"Alright."

As the conversation went on, the atmosphere gradually became less formal.

Liu Zhiyuan picked up his teacup and took a sip, then suddenly asked an off-topic question: "That... Professor Chen of yours, why didn't he come?"

Wang Zhe was taken aback, then smiled. "Him? He is busy with other things recently."

Liu Zhiyuan laughed. "Understand, understand."

"However, it is good that he didn't come," Liu Zhiyuan put down his teacup, his tone becoming serious.

"Chief Zhang told me privately that Comrade Chen Youhua's situation is special, so we should not disturb him too much. Whatever we need on our side, we can just coordinate with you."

Wang Zhe nodded. "No problem. Li Wei and I can handle the daily affairs of the laboratory, and when needed, we will ask Youhua to step in."

"Good." Liu Zhiyuan stood up and extended his hand. "Then it is settled."

"Over the next two weeks, let's keep in touch. I will go back and refine the plan, and strive to tentatively finalize the volunteer list by next week."

Wang Zhe shook his hand, and Li Wei also stood up to see them off.

When they reached the door, Liu Zhiyuan suddenly stopped, turned back to look at the precise instruments and busy Researchers in the laboratory, and said something from the bottom of his heart.

"To be honest, I was a little worried before coming here. After all, I had only seen this kind of thing in science fiction movies before. But after chatting with you today, I feel at ease. You are people who genuinely want to do this well."

Wang Zhe was taken aback for a moment, then said earnestly, "We also genuinely want to help those injured people."

Liu Zhiyuan nodded, said nothing more, and left with the major in large strides.