139: Chapter 139 You dare to start operating the machine after just one glance at the instruction manual?

Experimental observation room.

"What is he doing?"

Lan Bowen watched Zhou Fan, who had locked himself in the laboratory, rapidly flipping through the operation manuals for all the equipment.

He had only left for a moment to have He Xingwei bring Zhou Fan to the laboratory, and when he returned, he saw this scene.

"He might... not be very familiar with this experimental equipment?" He Xingwei's gaze was also somewhat strange.

This was the first time in his life he had seen someone cramming to this extent.

What a handful!!

He Xingwei was already cursing internally.

Wasn't it said that this young man was even more capable than this academician from the Chinese Academy of Sciences?

Is this his level?

He had originally thought that even if Zhou Fan was just here to pad his resume, he would at least have some foundation, but the current situation seemed even worse than he had imagined.

Not even recognizing the experimental equipment and needing to read the operation manuals—this kind of basic thing was only done by new researchers at their institute.

Did this guy come to borrow the laboratory just to familiarize himself with this equipment?

A sense of absurdity welled up from the bottom of his heart, and his expression unconsciously became even more complex.

Subsequently, both of them looked at Chang Hongsheng, their eyes filled with inquiry.

"Ahem."

Chang Hongsheng coughed lightly, also watching Zhou Fan, who was studying hard inside the laboratory, his expression somewhat unnatural.

"He originally worked on systems engineering and materials, so he might indeed not be very familiar with your equipment here. He should be fine once he gets to know it!"

He was actually confused himself; he hadn't understood why Zhou Fan suddenly said he wanted to work on light source technology, but out of trust in Zhou Fan's abilities, he had brought him here.

But now, watching Zhou Fan's behavior, he couldn't help but feel a bit uncertain, his eyes filled with doubt: Was he really just a beginner?

If he were a beginner, there would be no need to come to the research institute; Hangjiang University had corresponding laboratories where he could have familiarized himself first.

Facing the questioning gazes of Lan Bowen and He Xingwei, he really didn't know what to say.

"Working on systems engineering and materials... and now switching to working on light source technology?"

Hearing Chang Hongsheng's words, He Xingwei's expression became even more complex. If not for the status of the academician in front of him, he probably would have shown his displeasure on the spot.

"Give him some time!"

Chang Hongsheng also sighed in his heart, but since he had brought Zhou Fan, even if he was a bit uncertain, he could only protect him at this moment.

"..." Lan Bowen and He Xingwei exchanged a glance, then stopped speaking and fell into silence.

Inside the laboratory.

Zhou Fan was very busy at this moment.

He was busy understanding the parameters and operating methods of various pieces of equipment. Some of these he had encountered before, while others he had never touched at all.

In his past life, he mainly researched technology related to Room-Temperature Superconductivity. Although after coming to this world, due to his awakening, he had an almost photographic memory and had been frantically catching up on knowledge in various fields, storing a lot of relevant theory in his mind, and had been strengthening it during this period.

But practical operation was different from theory, after all. The detailed operating methods for some cutting-edge equipment basically wouldn't appear in the public knowledge domain, so he had to learn on the spot.

Right now, he was like a novice with perfect theoretical scores but no practical experience.

He already had a direction for breaking through light source technology in his mind, and had even worked out an experimental plan based on theory.

But there was no shortcut for being unfamiliar with experimental equipment; he just had to spend time getting to know it.

"That's about it!" Zhou Fan finished flipping through the last operation manual and let out a soft breath. His eyes seemed to have light flowing through them, which was quite extraordinary.

He returned all the operation manuals to the cabinet in the corner one by one, then turned his head to look at the equipment inside the laboratory.

There was a hint of eagerness in his eyes.

It felt as if he had returned to the mood of the first time he stepped into a laboratory, carrying a hint of expectation, but more so, a quest for the unknown.

"First familiarize myself, then make the optical lens. According to the equipment in this laboratory, it shouldn't be a problem..."

He pondered secretly, then his gaze turned to a laser cutting device.

Through this device, lens material could be cut to micron-level precision; it was the most important core equipment for making high-end lenses.

It was just that this device was still not the most cutting-edge. The most cutting-edge equipment could cut to nanometer-level precision and was the most important core equipment for making lenses for a lithography machine of 45 nanometers or higher.

The device in front of him now could only meet the minimum requirements.

While pondering, Zhou Fan had already arrived in front of the device, and all the parameters and operating methods for this device flooded into his mind.

Subsequently, he took out a piece of Transparent Ceramic Crystal Material he had brought, placed it on the cutting table, and began to input the parameters.

"He wouldn't be trying to operate it after just reading the manual once, right?" In the observation room, Lan Bowen watched Zhou Fan's operations and was immediately dumbfounded.

"This is simply nonsense. These pieces of equipment are treasures; you can't find a few of them in the whole country. If it gets damaged, all the subsequent research projects of our entire institute will have problems!!"

He Xingwei was even more anxious and subconsciously wanted to walk into the laboratory to stop Zhou Fan's behavior.

In his view, a novice daring to operate such cutting-edge equipment after reading the manual only once was simply absurd.

At this moment, he couldn't stay still, not even caring about Chang Hongsheng, who was to the side.

"Wait!" At this moment, Chang Hongsheng spoke up.

"Academician Chang, you also see the situation. Engineer Zhou clearly hasn't had any contact with this equipment before. If there's a problem..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he discovered that the situation was a bit off, because Chang Hongsheng's gaze was currently staring intently at the laboratory.

It wasn't just Chang Hongsheng; Lan Bowen was the same, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He also felt that the atmosphere was a bit off and subconsciously looked toward the laboratory as well.

Immediately afterward, his eyes froze.

He saw that Zhou Fan, who had been a bit unfamiliar with operating the equipment, was now very proficient. The input of various parameters and the setting of functions were actually no worse than an old hand.

Most importantly, the operating procedures were completely in line with regulations and standards.

One couldn't find a single fault!!

"How is he...?" He Xingwei was a bit confused, doubting if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Clearly, just a moment ago, watching Zhou Fan's movements, they were still very stiff; he even had to carefully study the buttons to find them on the machine. That unfamiliarity definitely couldn't be fake.

But in just a few short minutes, it was as if a different person was in the laboratory.

The scene before his eyes also couldn't be fake...

For a moment, all three of them fell into silence.

"He seems to want to make a lens?" After a long while, Lan Bowen's voice sounded again, his tone still carrying a hint of surprise.

He Xingwei's expression also shook at this moment; watching Zhou Fan's operations, he gradually became serious.

He subconsciously wanted to say something, but thinking of the series of operations Zhou Fan had just performed, he swallowed the words back.

He exchanged a glance with Lan Bowen.

For a moment, they looked at each other in dismay.