Chapter 5: Walking on Two Legs, One Leg Lame

It was like comforting Li Yang, and at the same time comforting himself.

But after leaving Section Chief Wang's office.

Feng Yan still felt like an inflated balloon that had been pricked.

Although it didn't burst, it was completely deflated.

He slumped at his workstation, staring blankly at the computer screen.

The report, criticized as worthless, still lay in the USB drive, a silent mockery.

"Xiao Feng, what are you spacing out for?" Sister Liu's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Here, the companies on this list were assigned by Section Chief Wang; focus on following up—they've all been screened."

"Look for high-tech enterprises with potential to quickly generate output value; hurry up and visit them, then submit a research report."

A brand-new document was placed on his desk.

The title was 'Visit and Survey List of Key High-Tech Enterprises in Cloud River City (First Batch)'.

Feng Yan opened it to find seven or eight companies listed, each name more impressive than the last.

"Cloud Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.", "Frontier Biopharmaceutical R&D Center", "Green Energy Innovation Workshop", and so on.

Well, the authorities don't back Li Yang's "sci-fi project", so his regular work still has to be done.

He sighed, resignedly picked up the list and his bag, and began his rounds.

On the first day, he went to Cloud Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

Following the address, he found it was a rented suite in a residential building.

Inside, computers and servers were piled up, and several young people with dark circles were typing code.

The boss went on and on about their "big data-based intelligent waste classification and identification system" they were developing.

It actually sounded plausible.

Feng Yan patiently listened to the end, then asked for some materials.

As he came out, he almost tripped over a pile of unsorted trash in the hallway.

"Is this even high-tech?" he couldn't help thinking.

"The 'intelligence' of this thing is probably not even as good as the Teddy dog at our complex's gate that knows to chase delivery cars."

On the second day, he visited the Frontier Biopharmaceutical R&D Center.

This time the place was decent, located in a renovated factory park.

The person in charge enthusiastically took him to tour the "laboratory."

They introduced their grand plan to extract "anti-aging active ingredients" from some rare plant.

Feng Yan looked at those shabby bottles and jars, and the faint oil stain on the person in charge's white coat, feeling uneasy.

When asked for specific R&D data and clinical trial progress, the other side grew vague, talking big about market prospects and financing plans.

Upon leaving, Feng Yan felt as if he'd just attended a meticulously packaged investment promotion PPT lecture.

"Who knows who did the preliminary survey," he muttered, riding a shared bike back as the sunset greeted him.

Feeling suffocated inside, "This list is full of fluff—looks impressive on the surface, but it's either hype or empty promises."

"Those who truly bury themselves in hardcore tech like Li Yang are instead seen as not doing their proper job."

He kind of figured out what Section Chief Wang meant by "scoping out."

The point wasn't really to dig up genuine tech seeds, but to ride the wave by using the scoping exercise to show support.

To go out and give a stage to companies that look easy to package quickly and produce "policy highlights."

Ideally to attract investment and create immediately visible GDP.

This "pragmatism" left Feng Yan feeling helpless.

By day he ran disappointing companies; by night and weekends he headed to Li Yang's warehouse.

The more vacuous this side became, the more real and precious the metal lumps in Li Yang's warehouse seemed.

He complained to Li Yang about those "high-tech" firms he'd been running around for the past few days.

Li Yang listened, showed no expression, just gave an "uh."

Then he handed him a wrench: "Perfect, help me hold this."

Feng Yan took the wrench, feeling the metal's coldness and real weight, and his heart steadied a bit.

Afterwards, the warehouse often echoed with the hum of motors and the clack of keyboards.

And the two of them would argue over certain technical details.

"The sensor feedback delay here must be reduced further, otherwise quick turns will definitely cause problems!"

Li Yang pointed at the data curve on the screen, his tone obstinate.

"I know, but the existing hardware limit is right here."

"Why don't we first optimize the algorithm to work around this bottleneck?" Feng Yan tried to think from another angle.

"Can't work around it, this is the core problem." Li Yang shook his head, brow furrowed.

"If we could get a batch of better-performing IMUs (inertial measurement units), that would be great..."

Feng Yan silently noted this need.

He began to calculate which of his acquaintances might have a connection to the sensor field.

In the following days.

Feng Yan chatted with his senior fellow student who works on sensors at a foreign company, reminiscing about their fervent youth.

(By the way, he asked if there were any discarded but still usable IMU samples.)

He even contacted a junior fellow student who runs a small workshop in the south.

He asked if they could help low-cost process a few specially shaped parts.

The process was bumpy.

Sometimes the other party was enthusiastic and agreed outright;

Sometimes the other party was embarrassed, saying company regulations prevented them from helping;

More often it was like a stone sinking into the sea—sent messages got no reply.

Feng Yan felt like he'd won the lottery; after work he immediately tucked the "treasure" and rushed to the warehouse.

Li Yang would accept anything, regardless of whether Feng Yan brought back a slightly inferior substitute.

Or it was second-hand gear others had discarded; he always found a way to integrate it into his own system.

By modifying the design and adjusting the algorithm to compensate for hardware shortcomings.

During a debugging break, the two ate the boxed meals Feng Yan had bought, when Li Yang suddenly asked:

"You're so busy running around—what's your goal?"

He paused, then added, "I know your salary isn't high either, and your department doesn't support you."

"Those batteries, capacitors, and sensors..."

Feng Yan scooped a mouthful of rice, swallowed it, and smiled:

"What for? I want you to actually make this thing work."

He put down his chopsticks, his expression grew more serious.

"Li Yang, to be frank, in my view your technology isn't just tinkering—it's genuine 'hardware' with real potential."

"I believe your potential is great; you shouldn't just be buried like this. I'll push you and your technology upward so the higher-ups can see."

"Gaining national recognition and support—that's what I ought to do."

"My meager resources and salary count as an initial investment."

"I'm betting that you can succeed, and betting that our locality—even our country—can gain one more top-tier technical talent."

"At the same time, if you succeed, it will prove my judgment is sound, prove myself."

He spoke very frankly, without grandstanding, but the meaning was clear:

"I help you because I believe in you, I can't bear to see talent wasted, and at the same time helping you is also helping myself."

Li Yang listened silently, said nothing, just shoved a few mouthfuls of rice.

Only Li Yang understood that he wasn't as calm as he appeared.

That was a feeling of being recognized, a kindred spirit.

In the warehouse, the soldering iron's smoke still curled upward, the 3D printer squeaked, but the atmosphere had changed.

In the dilapidated workshop, it was no longer Li Yang alone fighting the world.

But two people together, puffing and panting, using the most 'rustic' methods, bit by bit prying open that seemingly impossible dream.

Feng Yan even learned the basic operation of an angle grinder for this.

Although the first time he used it he nearly ruined a precious composite-material board of Li Yang's, Li Yang snatched it back with a dark face.

"Sorry sorry, I'm out of practice, I'm out of practice." Feng Yan chuckled sheepishly.

Li Yang ignored him, himself took that board and examined it carefully, feeling pained and gasping.

Days passed in this rhythm of handling daytime chores and nighttime fervent assaults on problems.

Only Feng Yan felt as if he were about to split apart.

During the day, listening to bosses in those 'high-tech' firms boast and talk big.

At night, in the warehouse smelling machine oil and solder, watching Li Yang stay up all night over a code bug until his eyes were bloodshot.

The more visits he made, the more convinced he became.

True potential isn't in those flashy PowerPoints, but in this cluttered, dilapidated warehouse.

That day, he was in the office racking his brains over that inspection report as watery as injected pork.

Thinking about how to write it so that it "both reflects the actual situation."

"and not make Section Chief Wang think he's nitpicking," his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Li Yang.

No text, just a short video.

Feng Yan opened the video.

In the picture, that exoskeleton frame was being worn on Li Yang's body.

No longer a static sculpture, but under Li Yang's control, although somewhat jerky.

But unusually steady, within the warehouse's limited space, it was walking step by step!

The metal soles hit the ground, emitting a dull, solid "thud, thud" sound.

Although the motion isn't yet smooth, occasionally there are tiny hiccups, but it really is moving on its own!

At the video's end, the camera zoomed in, capturing Li Yang's face largely obscured by the helmet.

Sweat slid down his forehead.

Undeniable was that feeling of excitement and accomplishment nearly overflowing.

Feng Yan watched this short video.

He felt that all the pent-up frustration and helplessness accumulated during the day were instantly washed away by this moment.

He couldn't help but let out a low roar at his workstation: "YES!"

It startled Liu Jie, who was nearby sneakily browsing shopping sites.

She glanced at him askance, then went back to online shopping.

Feng Yan also ignored others' reactions, and quickly replied to Li Yang with a message:

"Awesome! (voice cracked)"

He put down his phone and looked again at the computer screen at the report that gave him a headache.

His mindset is now completely different.

To hell with his policy highlights, to hell with his quick output.

By my side, there is a real, living, walking miracle!

This lame-legged path (my main job) still has to be trudged along.

But the other path (supporting Li Yang), he walks with greater determination.