Chapter 51: Side Episodes and Foreshadowing Beyond the Live Broadcast

The moment the live broadcast signal was cut, the tension that had been tight in the Insect Workshop for nearly two hours suddenly eased.

Wang Hao let out a long sigh and set the gimbal on the workbench beside it.

His whole body collapsed as if exhausted, yet the excitement on his face did not diminish at all.

"Brothers! Did you see it? Did you see it!"

He waved his arms, his voice hoarse from prolonged commentary yet still resonant.

"The peak popularity broke the record! The tip amount is enough for us to upgrade our meals for a month!"

"Hahaha, I told you the Tie Lang Gong Fang brand would shine, it'll definitely blow up the scene!"

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, smiling as he began to calculate:

"We need an extra meal tonight! Let me see which delivery places have a lobster promotion…"

"Instant noodles." Li Yang had somehow already moved to his computer.

He was retrieving all of Xiao Bai's behavior logs and data streams from the live broadcast.

Without looking up, he interrupted Wang Hao's fantasy in a flat, even tone.

Chen Guang also returned to his seat, data scrolling rapidly across multiple screens reflected on his lenses; he pushed his glasses up.

Calmly adding, "According to the live platform's revenue‑share agreement and after taxes, the per‑person disposable amount is about 247.5 yuan."

"Considering the team's long‑standing eating habits and cost‑effectiveness, sticking with the current instant‑noodle procurement plan is the best choice right now."

Wang Hao's smile froze instantly, wailing, "No way! Guangzi! Brother Li!"

"We're at least a national‑level project team now; can we have some ambition! What's wrong with spending 247.5 yuan on a good meal?!"

Feng Yan walked over smiling, patting Wang Hao's shoulder:

"Alright, Haozi, instant noodles are our rations, our soul! Besides,"

He lowered his voice with a hint of mockery, "You forgot Zhao Gong is still here; we must maintain a frugal, revolutionary style."

Zhao Gong, who was leisurely putting his tools back into his toolbox, heard the words.

Without looking up, he hummed lightly, "Instant noodles are fine. Better than some people's noisy fuss, which wastes the voice."

Wang Hao: "……" Indeed, the old man's single line was a knockout.

Jokes aside, the team's review work immediately proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Chen Guang pulled up detailed backend data, pointing at several specially marked IDs and their question logs:

"During the live broadcast, a few viewers asked highly professional questions. For example, this ID 'Machine Heart'."

"He repeatedly inquired about Xiao Bai's convergence conditions for the emergency posture‑adjustment algorithm on slippery surfaces, and the trigger threshold for the joint motor's instantaneous overload protection."

"And this 'Light-Shadow Catcher', who offered deep insights on the laser‑scan point‑cloud stitching algorithm and its resistance to ambient light interference that Chen Guang demonstrated."

He highlighted these points and screenshot‑ed them into the internal group chat.

【Chen Guang: 【Screenshot】 Detected several unusually professional question IDs during the live broadcast, recorded. Recommend continued monitoring.】

【Li Yang: Received. The issue points to the core algorithm's boundaries.】

【Wang Hao: Holy crap! Could it be a peer trying to scope us out?】

【Feng Yan: @everyone Normal phenomenon, shows what we displayed has value.

As long as everyone knows, keep daily R&D within standards.】

Li Yang focused on Xiao Bai's performance.

He repeatedly watched the footage of Xiao Bai being interfered with by a rubber duck, and the subsequent processed data.

"The interaction logic between the visual‑interest module and the task‑persistence module still needs optimization."

Muttering to himself, his fingers flew across the keyboard as he began revising the underlying code.

"A 0.5‑second attention dwell is still too long; in complex environments it could be a fatal flaw.

We need to introduce a more efficient dynamic priority arbitration mechanism."

Wang Hao watched Li Yang slip instantly into a "technical meditative" state.

He pursed his lips, moved over to Chen Guang, and stared at the marked IDs.

Rubbing his chin, "Guangzi, do you think… these might be senior researchers from a university lab or institute using alt accounts to watch us?"

"Does this mean we've finally broken out of the niche?"

Chen Guang pushed his glasses: "We can't rule that out."

"Based on the depth of their questions, they're at least graduate‑level in the relevant field, or have years of engineering experience."

"Awesome!" Wang Hao felt proud, as if the attention from the big‑shots was directed at him.

At that moment, Feng Yan's phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID; it was a local landline number that looked familiar.

He walked to a relatively quiet corner and answered.

"Hello, this is Feng Yan speaking."

On the other end came a cheerful voice with a hint of a familiar accent:

"Hey Xiao Feng, hope I'm not interrupting your work. I'm the old Liu from the Provincial Academy of Sciences, Liu Jianming."

Feng Yan immediately recalled; this was the expert who had appreciated them during the provincial academy defense.

He had been quite fond of them, and later, after Director Wang's recommendation, had a few exchanges as an elder specialist.

He quickly replied politely, "Professor Liu, hello hello!"

"No disturbance, no disturbance, feel free to tell me what you need."

"It's not a command," Liu's laughter rang brightly.

"I was just idle earlier and happened to watch your Tie Lang Gong Fang live broadcast."

"Not bad, really not bad! The approach is lively, the ideas are good, and the interaction with the audience is lively!"

Especially that last old master craftsman Lu's skill—it's got flavor! This is the foundation of our industry!

Professor Liu, you flatter us; we're just messing around, and by the way we're letting our old friend who's always cared about us know we're safe.

Feng Yan said humbly, but in his mind he was pondering the intention behind this big shot's sudden call.

Ha ha, it's good for young people to be humble.

Professor Liu shifted the topic, his tone still casual, but his words stirred Feng Yan's heart slightly.

I see you're quite interested in miniaturization and cluster-related stuff in your livestream.

Are you still working on that 'Insect Legion' concept?

Feng Yan's heart jolted, he gathered his spirits, and answered cautiously:

Yes, Professor Liu. We think this is a very promising direction, doing some forward-looking tech reserves and exploration.

Hmm, foresight." Professor Liu expressed agreement.

Then he offhandedly added: "Coincidentally, I have an old friend at a unit over in the capital."

Well… I won't mention the specific name, but anyway they're very interested in this area.

Over there, conditions are better, the platform higher—just that their thinking might not be as… 'wildly imaginative' as yours.

Maybe down the line you could find a chance to exchange and learn from each other.

Feng Yan's heart suddenly beat a few beats faster.

The unit over in the capital? Better conditions, higher platform?

They're also interested in miniaturization and cluster tech? That's a lot of information!

He immediately grasped the deeper meaning of Professor Liu's call.

——This isn't just ordinary praise; it's a subtle endorsement and a way of pulling strings!

It's about paving a broader future for them!

He suppressed his inner excitement, keeping his tone respectful and grateful:

Thanks for the pointers, Professor Liu! We'll definitely keep working hard and solidify our work.

If we get a chance to learn from the senior unit, that would be our honor!

Good, good, you young folks work hard! If you need any help from this old bone of mine, just speak up.

Professor Liu gave a few more words of encouragement, then chuckled and hung up.

Feng Yan held the phone, standing there for a few seconds to digest this sudden information.

He turned around, seeing his partners each busy, but their gazes all unconsciously turned to him with questions.

Wang Hao, the most impatient, couldn't help but speak:

"Brother Feng, whose call was that? Looking at your expression… any good news?"

Feng Yan walked back into the crowd, not answering right away.

Instead, he first picked up the bucket of braised beef noodles already soaked and getting cold on the table, and took a big slurp.

Feeling that familiar flavor spread across his tongue.

He swallowed the noodles, looked at the gathering partners, and his face showed a mix of excitement and contemplation.

"An old friend called." He spoke slowly.

His gaze swept over Li Yang, Chen Guang, Wang Hao, and finally landed on Zhao Gong:

"Praised our livestream for doing well, especially your skill, Zhao Gong, which held the scene together."

Zhao Gong still showed no expression, just continuing to wipe the file in his hand.

As if all the external praise had nothing to do with him.

Wang Hao, upon hearing that, immediately got smug again.

"I told you! The old guy steps out, one equals two!"

"However," Feng Yan shifted the topic, his tone turning slightly subtle, "he finally added a remark."

"Saying there's a unit of his old friend in the capital that's also very interested in our 'miniaturization' and 'cluster' work."

"He thinks maybe down the line we could exchange."

"The capital?" Chen Guang immediately caught the keyword, a flash of sharp light behind his glasses, "Is… that kind of unit?"

Li Yang also stopped typing, lifted his head, eyes focused.

Wang Hao even sucked in a breath of cold air, his voice dropping a few notches:

"Holy crap! Brother Feng, you mean… we've been… noticed by the big shots above?"

Feng Yan nodded, then shook his head:

"We were noticed, but Professor Liu put it politely, just saying 'maybe down the line we could exchange.'"

"This is more like… uh… a friendly signal, or rather, an affirmation of our potential."

"It tells us we're on the right path; keep going forward and we might see a broader world."

He paused, looking at his partners' faces—different expressions but all hard to hide their excitement.

He went on: "What does this mean? It means our previous efforts weren't in vain."

"It means our Dragon Chant direction is correct, even forward‑looking!"

"Even a unit of that level is paying attention to this field!"

A silent surge surged among them.

If the previous national‑level project approval was like getting an entry ticket,

then Professor Liu's call is like faintly pointing to a more dazzling spot at the center of the arena.

"Of course," Feng Yan restrained his smile, his tone turning pragmatic again.

"This also means the burden on our shoulders is heavier."

We can't be flighty, we can't be reckless; we have to make every step solid.

Especially, the accumulation of technique must be deeper.

Li Yang silently nodded, then turned his gaze back to the code on the screen.

His typing speed increased.

Chen Guang also began pulling up more literature, obviously preparing to conduct deeper research in the relevant field.

Wang Hao also put away his playful smile and scratched his head:

Looks... my 'missile' still needs further optimization; I can't let our 'Dragon Chant' lose face.

Zhao Gong finally stopped wiping, steadily put the file back into the toolbox, making a crisp clack.

He glanced at this group of youths who had instantly entered a 'combat-ready state'.

The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, as if... a hint of satisfaction?

Feng Yan watched as the partners re-immersed themselves in their respective work.

That bit of floating elation from the live stream's success completely settled in his heart.

The livestream's bustle has passed, but the fans' cheers still ring in his ears.

But a vague attention from a higher level, like a stone tossed into a calm lake.

The ripples it caused are silently spreading.

He knew that the real challenges and opportunities might have just begun to unfold.

He picked up his phone, looking at the number on the screen that had just ended the call.

He silently changed the note for 'Professor Liu' to 'Professor Liu (Important)'.