72: Chapter 72 is complete!

"That's great!"

A few days later, a roar that had been suppressed to the limit finally broke through the throat of an elderly researcher in front of the console and exploded outward.

In the next instant, the entire laboratory was completely submerged in a mountain-shaking wave of wild joy.

"It's done! It's really done!"

"Sub-nanometer Absolute Positioning Zero-drift Calibration, all indicators have met the standards!"

"My god... we... we really did it!"

Inside the laboratory, dozens of people rushed like crazy toward that precision instrument representing the crystallization of industry, staring fixedly at the horizontal line on the screen, each one trembling with excitement.

Yang Lin stood at the very center of the crowd, hands on his hips, staring up at the data on the screen with heavy breathing, his entire face flushed red.

Not far behind him, Wei Jiancheng and He Yicheng stood side by side.

The two did not join the revelry; they just stood quietly, but both had smiles on their faces that they couldn't suppress.

Of the task groups they were responsible for, one had completed final verification this morning, and the other had run through the entire process by noon.

So in the afternoon, the two of them appeared in the Workpiece Table Group's laboratory at the same time.

They weren't here to rush anyone.

They were here to wait.

Waiting for the final piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

And now, it had landed.

"Old Yang!"

Wei Jiancheng finally couldn't hold back; he strode forward and slapped Yang Lin on the back with a sound like muffled thunder.

"Your group made the two of us wait for an entire afternoon!"

Yang Lin was sent staggering by the slap; he turned around, his face written with defiance.

"What's the rush? Isn't it still today!"

"It is today, that's true,"

He Yicheng strolled over slowly and said solemnly,

"But to be precise, you guys are the last ones to finish today."

"Alright, Old He, you're coming to tease me too?"

Yang Lin glared at him, refusing to yield an inch verbally, but the corners of his mouth, which were stretched to his ears, completely betrayed him.

The researchers of the Workpiece Table Group nearby also joined in with loud jeers.

"Alright, alright, so we're last. It's all on the same day anyway, what's a few hours' difference?"

"Exactly, we're the grand finale!"

"Right! This is called the 'Big Act'!"

Laughter shook the laboratory.

This group of scientific researchers, who had been operating at high intensity for nearly two months, finally felt the string that had been tightened to its limit snap loose.

Extreme fatigue intertwined with extreme excitement, all transforming into unreserved venting and playful banter at this moment.

And just as this boiling emotion reached its peak, a steady sound of clapping rang out leisurely from behind the crowd.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap.

Neither fast nor slow, the rhythm was composed.

The laughter gradually died down.

Everyone turned their heads toward the sound in unison.

They saw that Chen Jingshan had, at some point, stood by the wall of the laboratory, hands together, slowly clapping.

He had arrived over an hour ago and, along with Lin Yuan, had stood quietly behind the crowd, watching the Workpiece Table Group perform the final calibration.

No rushing, no questioning, just waiting quietly like that.

"Everyone."

The clapping stopped, and Chen Jingshan took a step forward, his gaze like a torch, scanning every face in the laboratory filled with fatigue and excitement.

"Light Source, Objective Lens, Workpiece Stage..."

He counted them off one by one, and with each name he spoke, his body leaned slightly toward the leader of that technical group.

"As of just now, all individual core technologies of the Lithography Machine Special Task Force have been fully conquered."

When these words were spoken, the laboratory fell silent for a brief moment.

That moment of silence was heavier than any cheer.

Chen Jingshan's gaze swept from Wei Jiancheng to He Yicheng, and from He Yicheng to Yang Lin, finally coming to a steady stop.

"Next step: full machine assembly."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word reached the ears of everyone present clearly.

"Once this step is completed..."

"Our domestically produced Photolithography Machine can be officially announced as... successfully developed."

The second those last four words fell, the entire laboratory went completely out of control.

Some people's eyes turned red, and they desperately rubbed them with the backs of their hands.

Some slapped the shoulders of the colleagues beside them hard, repeatedly muttering something.

There were also several white-haired elderly researchers standing there blankly, their lips trembling, unable to say a complete sentence for a long time.

From the formation of the special task force until now, it had been less than two months, all told.

In the past, in this amount of time, let alone building a Photolithography Machine, they might not have even finished demonstrating the theoretical plan and completing the project approval process.

But they had somehow reached the finish line.

Amidst the deafening noise, one by one, gazes began to converge from all directions toward the same point.

The back of the laboratory.

Lin Yuan was standing right there.

With his hands casually in his pockets, his figure was lean, and his posture was so relaxed it seemed out of place with the surrounding frenzy.

Every person present knew perfectly well where everything today had come from.

The theory—he gave it.

The engineering plans—he gave them.

Even every bottleneck they encountered during the breakthrough process was punctured like paper by a few words from him.

Rather than saying they were building a Photolithography Machine...

It would be better to say they were led by the hand by this young man, only twenty years old, all the way to the finish line.

Feeling those gazes mixed with awe, gratitude, and worship—so intense they were almost scalding—Lin Yuan smiled.

It wasn't a polite smile, but a sincere, somewhat gratified smile.

He straightened up and raised a hand toward everyone.

The uproarious noise was miraculously and quickly reined in.

"Everyone, you've worked hard during this time."

He spoke, his voice clear and refreshing, yet it easily covered the entire laboratory.

"From the formation of the task force until now, it has been less than sixty days."

"In these sixty days, none of you here have had a full night's sleep or many hot meals. I have seen all of this."

He paused for a beat, the corners of his lips curling slightly.

"Fortunately, the final fruit is about to be plucked."

At this point, he turned his head and looked at Dean Chen beside him.

"Dean Chen."

"When the full machine assembly is complete and our domestic Photolithography Machine is officially unveiled..."

"I think we should be able to apply to the higher-ups for a Collective First-Class Merit for everyone, right?"

Collective First-Class Merit.

The second those words entered their ears, everyone's breathing in the laboratory skipped a beat.

First-Class Merit?

What kind of weight did that honor carry? Among those present who had spent half their lives in scientific research, who didn't know?

Hearing this, Chen Jingshan glanced at Lin Yuan, a smile flashing deep within his profound eyes.

"That is natural."

His answer didn't have a hint of hesitation; it was categorical.

"For an achievement like this, let alone a Collective First-Class Merit, even higher honors would be deserved."

As soon as he finished speaking...

The atmosphere in the entire laboratory was completely ignited.

Cheers, applause, and whistles intertwined, shaking the light tubes overhead so much they trembled slightly.

Once the atmosphere had calmed down somewhat, Lin Yuan unhurriedly leaned toward Chen Jingshan.

"Dean Chen, there's one more thing."

Chen Jingshan turned his head to look at him, his gaze questioning.

"The full Photolithography Machine is about to be completed."

Lin Yuan put his hands behind his back and tilted his chin slightly toward the outside of the laboratory.

"Should we start warming up the public opinion outside in advance?"

"Warm up?"

Chen Jingshan raised an eyebrow, clearly interested.

"How do you want to warm it up?"

Lin Yuan did not answer directly.

He just tilted his head and revealed a meaningful smile.