140: Chapter 140 The line between genius and madness is very thin!

"I remember he worked on a project involving Transparent Ceramic Crystal Material previously. He likely made some breakthroughs, and it's said that it can be used for high-end optical components!"

In the silence, Chang Hongsheng's voice rang out, a smile on his face.

Watching Zhou Fan's increasingly skillful movements, the trace of doubt he originally had vanished, leaving only a sense of admiration in his heart.

He had always felt that he had never seen the limits of Zhou Fan's abilities, and this moment further verified that point. Seeing the surprised expressions on Lan Bowen and the other's faces, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

Because once upon a time, he too had been amazed by Zhou Fan countless times, just like them.

He understood this feeling very well.

"Transparent Ceramic Crystal Material... So you're saying, he really wants to make a lens? Just by himself?" The surprise on Lan Bowen's face deepened, and he couldn't help but furrow his brows again.

"That's thinking too simply!" He Xingwei couldn't help but speak up again, shaking his head gently.

High-end lenses had always been their research focus, and the lenses for the domestic 90nm lithography machine were also developed by them. He knew best that while such projects might look simple, they were actually complex.

It wasn't just a matter of materials; it involved a series of factors, including manufacturing processes, calculation of refractive surfaces, and lens reflectivity.

There were too many factors that could affect the final result. If it were so easy to make a breakthrough, they wouldn't have been stuck here for such a long time.

Such projects often required a team to experience countless failures, continuously learn lessons from those failures, and accumulate data before they could find the optimal solution and eventually produce a sample...

Yet Zhou Fan was now alone, and ten minutes ago, he was still studying how to use the equipment. Listening to Chang Hongsheng, it seemed he had only just come into contact with this field.

He wanted to achieve success in one step and produce a finished product?

It was simply like a fantasy!

At this moment, He Xingwei also realized that he might have underestimated Zhou Fan. This young man shouldn't just be here to gild the lily; he was very likely a true genius, and the purpose of sending him here might be to cultivate him heavily.

But cultivation had to be done step by step. Wanting to make high-end lenses right from the start felt outrageous no matter how one thought about it; it was almost impossible!

"Whether he can succeed or not, we'll know if we keep watching. He should be prepared!"

Chang Hongsheng smiled. Thinking of Zhou Fan's various miraculous feats in the past, he felt a sense of anticipation in his heart.

Sometimes, the line between a genius and a madman is thin. Their commonality is that they are misunderstood, and ordinary people simply cannot keep up with their thinking.

And Zhou Fan was precisely the most monstrous genius he had ever seen. He had long understood that such a genius could not be judged by conventional logic.

Lan Bowen and his companion fell into silence again.

It was just that the gazes they directed at Zhou Fan became a bit more serious.

Inside the laboratory.

Zhou Fan's hands tapped continuously on the computer, quickly inputting parameter after parameter. He was building a supercomputing model, preparing for a simulation experiment.

General research institutes all had their own server rooms, equipped with large-scale computers, or at least medium-scale ones. The supercomputer at this research institute was quite good, and its computing power met Zhou Fan's expectations.

As the supercomputing model was completed, the model structure outlined in his mind was also constantly being perfected, stepping steadily toward the only possibility.

Half an hour later, the sound of keyboard tapping in the laboratory suddenly stopped.

Zhou Fan stepped back, looking at the model parameters and hypothetical conditions displayed on the computer screen, and began to ponder quietly.

"It should be about right!"

A moment later, he muttered to himself, his eyes glowing.

Immediately, without hesitation, he launched the model's deduction and began the simulation experiment.

In the observation room.

It was silent.

Lan Bowen and the others watched Zhou Fan's operations in the laboratory quietly, their faces solemn.

"He's starting the simulation experiment already?"

"It seems so..."

"Academician Chang... are you sure Engineer Zhou only had research experience in systems engineering and materials before?"

Lan Bowen finally couldn't help but look at Chang Hongsheng, his tone carrying a hint of oddity.

Having witnessed Zhou Fan's series of operations from beginning to end, apart from his initial unfamiliarity with the machine which made him seem like a novice, he was certain that every subsequent step had already surpassed most of the researchers in the institute.

What surprised him even more was that Zhou Fan had almost no weaknesses. His operation of all the machines, the construction of the models, the logic of the calculations, etc... all came easily to him. Furthermore, he had constructed the supercomputing model and completed the simulation experimental data within such a short time.

Although these data had not yet been verified and it was impossible to determine if they were correct, in this process, Zhou Fan's abilities were genuinely displayed.

Now, if someone said Zhou Fan had just come into contact with this field, he wouldn't believe it even if they beat him to death!

"As far as I know, his main research direction in the past was indeed systems engineering and materials science!"

Chang Hongsheng nodded affirmatively.

"How is this possible!!"

Lan Bowen muttered in a low voice.

At this moment, He Xingwei, who had been paying close attention to the situation in the laboratory, suddenly exclaimed.

"My god, his simulation experiment... it seems to have passed!!!"

Lan Bowen's eyes widened in shock. He could no longer be bothered to understand Zhou Fan's past, and his gaze quickly turned back to the laboratory.

At this moment, Zhou Fan had already returned to the console and was inputting relevant data.

Watching this scene, Lan Bowen was stunned.

He knew very well that according to the laboratory's operating regulations, production experiments for finished products like this were generally only conducted after achieving certain results in simulation experiments and confirming their feasibility.

Zhou Fan had previously followed the operating regulations strictly according to the laboratory's procedures, and this time would certainly be no exception.

"He's not actually going to make it, is he?"

Lan Bowen muttered to himself.

"..."

He Xingwei opened his mouth, but nothing came out, his expression complex.

His instinct told him that this was almost impossible. If Zhou Fan could really produce a high-end lens by himself, wouldn't all the teams at their Optical Machinery Institute be able to pack up and go home to raise pigs?

If breakthroughs in core technology were really that simple, how would they be constrained by foreign countries at every turn, struggling and catching up for ten years as if it were one day...

But Zhou Fan's series of performances had inexplicably added a trace of anticipation to his heart.

He had previously worried that this young man would break the machinery and equipment, but now that thought had long been thrown to the nine heavens.

This was a high-end lens used for a 45nm Lithography Machine. Even if Zhou Fan ultimately couldn't produce a sample that fully met the requirements, this experiment would certainly yield huge gains.

For the research institute, it was also a good thing!

And if Zhou Fan really succeeded...

He couldn't imagine what kind of impact it would bring. At the very least, several projects within the institute would benefit from it and have huge progress.

Unknowingly, a flash of eagerness had appeared in the eyes of Lan Bowen and He Xingwei, and their expressions had become even more tense!