Chapter 84 Cost Accounting

The seventh day of stable operation for the Pilot-scale production equipment.

The wind in the Gobi Desert was still just as strong, and the sand just as yellow, but the people in the Prefabricated Buildings had a different look on their faces—the kind that said they were "confident."

Chen Xueming had barely left the construction site for these seven days. He stared at the data during the day and mulled over optimization plans at night. When he was exhausted, he would nap in his chair for a while, then continue working once he woke up. Lin Mo had urged him to go back and sleep three times; Chen Xueming would agree verbally, but he wouldn't budge an inch.

Today was different.

Early in the morning, Li Xiao locked herself in the adjacent Prefabricated Building, clutching her tablet and repeatedly calculating the seven-day operational data. A note was posted on the door: "Calculating accounts, do not disturb—IMPORTANT!!!"

Three exclamation marks.

Zhang Zhe passed by carrying breakfast, glanced at the note, and said to Teacher Chen with a grin, "Teacher Chen, Li Xiao's posture is more serious than if she were taking the college entrance exam."

Chen Xueming stared at the data screen without turning his head. "What she's calculating is the cost account; it's a hundred times more important than the college entrance exam."

Zhang Zhe shrunk his neck and quickly slipped away.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the door to the adjacent Prefabricated Building suddenly opened.

Li Xiao rushed out, her hair messy and her eyes terrifyingly bright. Holding the tablet aloft, she ran all the way to Chen Xueming and said breathlessly:

"Teacher Chen... it's been calculated..."

Chen Xueming sprang to his feet. "How much?"

Li Xiao handed over the tablet, her finger pointing at a line of numbers on the screen. "The comprehensive cost per ton of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent... is less than thirty-five thousand."

Chen Xueming was stunned.

He took the tablet and stared at that number for a full ten seconds before looking up, his voice trembling slightly. "Are you sure?"

Li Xiao nodded vigorously. "I double-checked it three times. Electricity consumption, labor, equipment depreciation, and material consumption—everything is included. And I even left a 10% margin; the actual operating cost might be even lower."

Chen Xueming looked down at the number again.

Thirty-five thousand.

In the current international market, what was the cost of lithium carbonate extracted from ore? Several figures flashed through his mind—Australia's Spodumene mines cost roughly between fifty and sixty thousand per ton; lithium extraction from South American Salt Lakes was cheaper, at just over forty thousand; domestic Lepidolite mines, due to low grade and high energy consumption, saw costs heading straight for upwards of eighty thousand.

And Lithium Extraction from Seawater was thirty-five thousand.

Less than one-third the cost of ore extraction.

"Teacher Chen?" Li Xiao called out softly, seeing him in a daze.

Chen Xueming didn't say a word; he took the tablet and turned to leave.

Li Xiao was stunned. "Hey, where are you going?"

"To find Lin Mo!"

Chen Xueming strode purposefully across the construction site, rounding the reactor and nearly colliding with a pipe. Captain Zhou shouted from a distance for him to slow down, but he acted as if he hadn't heard.

Lin Mo was beside the Photovoltaic panel array, discussing energy storage expansion plans with the Energy Group's engineers. He was taken aback when he saw Chen Xueming rushing over.

"Teacher Chen? What's wrong?"

Chen Xueming shoved the tablet in front of his eyes. "Look."

Lin Mo took it, his gaze falling on that line of numbers.

Three seconds later, he looked up at Chen Xueming.

Chen Xueming stood there with an incredibly complex expression—excitement, relief, disbelief, and a slight urge to cry.

"Thirty-five thousand," Chen Xueming said. "Li Xiao just calculated it. One-third the cost of ore."

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then he smiled.

It wasn't his usual faint smile, but a smile that truly radiated from his heart, crinkling the corners of his eyes.

"Teacher Chen, it's a success."

Chen Xueming nodded vigorously. "It's a success."

The two grown men stood under the photovoltaic panels, grinning foolishly at a tablet. The Energy Group engineers watched from the side with looks of confusion, but they were somehow infected by the atmosphere and began to smile as well.

The news quickly spread throughout the construction site.

Zhang Zhe was the first to run over. After seeing the numbers, he let out a loud whoop, startling the security guards nearby. Li Xiao was spun around twice by Zhang Zhe; her hair became even messier, but her eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she laughed.

Captain Zhou brought a few soldiers over to see what the fuss was about. Although they didn't quite understand what the numbers meant, they understood once they saw Chen Xueming's face—that Professor Chen, who frowned from morning to night and spoke as if he were arguing, was finally smiling.

Truly smiling.

In the Prefabricated Building, Chen Xueming projected the data onto the screen and explained it to everyone point by point.

"Electricity consumption: we use photovoltaic and wind power. These are what the Gobi Desert has in abundance, so the cost can almost be ignored."

"Material consumption: the core Adsorbent can be recycled, and the loss is even lower than expected."

"Labor: this equipment has a high degree of automation. Once it's truly operational, a single shift of three people would be enough."

"Equipment depreciation: we calculated it based on five years, but in reality, using it for seven or eight years won't be a problem..."

As he spoke, he suddenly stopped.

Everyone looked at him.

Chen Xueming opened his mouth, his voice a bit choked up. "I've worked with materials for over twenty years, and this is the first time... the first time I've truly seen my own work be this much cheaper than what's produced abroad."

The Prefabricated Building fell silent.

Li Xiao's nose tingled, and she quickly lowered her head to pretend she was looking at the tablet.

Zhang Zhe blinked hard and turned to look out the window.

Lin Mo stood up, walked to Chen Xueming's side, and patted his shoulder.

"Teacher Chen, this is only the beginning."

Chen Xueming took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, only the beginning." He turned to look at the data on the screen. "Next, we're going to push the cost down to under thirty thousand. Then, twenty-five thousand. When the Offshore Floating Platforms go into mass production, we'll show the whole world what true Lithium Extraction from Seawater looks like."

Li Xiao raised her hand. "Teacher Chen, should I continue optimizing the model then?"

"Count me in," Zhang Zhe said. "I'll contact the manufacturers to see if we can reduce the equipment costs further."

Chen Xueming looked at these young people, his eyes reddening again.

He suddenly remembered when he first arrived—the version of himself who was full of defiance and found fault with everyone. Back then, he felt he was condescending to help, that he was doing Lin Mo a favor.

And now?

He felt he was incredibly lucky to be able to join this team.

"Alright, don't just stand there," Chen Xueming waved his hand. "Go do what you need to do. Li Xiao, organize the data into a report and send it to Director Fang tonight. Zhang Zhe, keep an eye on the equipment optimization. Lin Mo—"

He looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo waited for him to speak.

Chen Xueming was silent for two seconds, then said, "Thank you."

Lin Mo smiled. "Saying that again."

"This time is different," Chen Xueming said seriously. "Thank you for letting me join this team."

Lin Mo looked at him and nodded.

"The team thanks you too."

Outside, the sun in the Gobi Desert had risen to the middle of the sky. Sunlight hit the photovoltaic panels, reflecting a deep blue light. The wind turbine blades turned slowly, like giant white windmills.

On a sand ridge in the distance, an off-road vehicle was parked quietly.

Captain Zhou took a look through his binoculars and then put them down, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Let them watch.

Today's good news would be enough for them to digest for a while.

In the Prefabricated Building, Li Xiao's voice rang out again: "Teacher Chen, look at this data. If we shorten the enrichment time by another 5%, the electricity consumption could drop even further..."

Chen Xueming leaned in. "Let me see."

Lin Mo stood by the window, looking at the distant sand ridge and then at the busy team in the Prefabricated Building, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

Three months; two months left.

But today's set of numbers gave him a sense of certainty.

This battle can be won.