Jiuzhou Automobile Factory, the factory director's office.
Three days had passed. With all the managers taking care of things, everything at the factory was now proceeding in an orderly fashion.
The Human Resources Department had started hiring large numbers of workers, beginning with expanding its own staff.
The other departments were also making arrangements for the work ahead, preparing employees for the company's upcoming period of major growth and any changes that might arise in their respective positions.
With more new colleagues arriving and the factory about to undergo major expansion, many entry-level management positions would naturally become available.
The employees were naturally happy to see this happen. Some were even rubbing their hands together, eager to do their best and see if they could get a raise.
After assigning all the work, Xu Yifan found himself less busy instead.
Every day, he spent half an hour walking around, then checked the system to see whether there were any problems. If there were, he would talk them over with the managers; if not, he would return to his office to relax and have fun.
Today, however, Xu Yifan seemed a little distracted.
Even when the character on his computer screen, busy catching babies, was attacked by another player and left with only a sliver of health, he didn't notice.
Leaning back in his chair, Xu Yifan stared blankly into space and murmured to himself.
"I wonder when it'll happen. Judging by the progress, it should be today or tomorrow, right?"
Xu Yifan could hardly wait to get his own battery technology. The factory's future development, the construction of a new lithium iron phosphate battery plant, the expansion of Jiuzhou Mini production, and the manufacture of two-wheeled electric vehicles were all waiting on this technology.
At a thought, the system panel appeared before him.
[Super Factory System: Level 1] [Funds: 29.27 million] [Buildings: Production Workshop Level 1, Research and Development Center Level 1, Battery Research and Development Center Level 1, Staff Dormitory Level 1, Cafeteria Level 1, Warehouse Level 1, Office Building Level 2.] [Employees: 662 (Satisfaction: 68%)] [Product: Jiuzhou Mini (Old Man Happy) (Average Production Technology) (Average Product Quality) (Annual Output: Over 20,000)] [Technology: None (A trash company without its own core technology!)]
Aside from having a little more money and a steadily growing workforce, the system's main panel hadn't changed much.
However, Xu Yifan was mainly focused on the detailed information for the Battery Research and Development Center.
[Battery Research and Development Center Level 1] [Research Project: New Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Technology, Progress: 99%!]
The progress bar had looked like this three days ago. Judging by the way progress had increased every two or three days in the past, it should be finished today.
This would be Jiuzhou Automobile Factory's first piece of proprietary technology, and it was for one of the most important components of an electric vehicle.
An excellent battery was enough to transform an electric vehicle company.
They would need it as a weapon to outperform their rivals and conquer the market. How could he not be invested in it?
As Xu Yifan eagerly waited for the final one percent of research progress to be completed, checking the system panel over and over again...
Inside the Battery Research and Development Center, Lu Jingping and the other researchers were looking over the battery test reports in their hands, their faces alight with excitement.
"The energy density exceeds that of most lithium iron phosphate batteries currently on the market. At 150 Wh/kg, it's already among the very best.
"It also performs better at high and low temperatures. At minus twenty degrees Celsius, it retains 65 percent of its capacity. It still can't match ternary lithium batteries, but it's not far off.
"And as for cycle life, it still retains over 80 percent of its capacity after 5,000 cycles!"
The data had been carefully checked hundreds of times, and it remained exceptionally stable. Everyone felt as if they were floating on air. They could hardly believe they had developed this technology themselves!
One researcher was so excited that his face had turned red. "We can finally give the boss some good news. I never thought we'd finish this so quickly. I thought it would take several years."
"Money really is damn powerful. It's been performing at a godlike level. Whenever we ran into a problem, everyone could solve it as quickly as possible."
"I still can't believe it. We owe it all to the experts here carrying us!"
"Finishing the research wasn't any one person's achievement. It was the result of all of us working together!"
"This is an incredible research environment. The boss is great, and everyone gets paid as long as they work hard. On top of that, we have god-tier teammates all striving toward the same goal."
"We should also thank our senior fellow students and teachers for their help. Without them, we wouldn't have succeeded."
"But even with their help and the university lab's support, getting these results so quickly is still incredible."
"We really did it!"
"We haven't let the boss down after all the high salaries he's paid us. Once this battery hits the market, our products are sure to sell like crazy!"
Usually composed, the researchers couldn't help cheering and shouting. Their excitement was written all over their faces.
After the initial excitement died down, Lu Jingping remembered the matter at hand and said to the researchers beside him, "Right, I need to notify the boss right away. He's been waiting for this good news for days.
"Everyone, finish up the last of the cleanup and make sure all the data and materials are saved."
The researchers called out enthusiastically.
"Go ahead, Chief!"
"We've got the rest. We just need to tidy up the lab."
"The boss will be just as happy as we are when he hears the news!"
Lu Jingping hurried out of the lab. The other researchers tidied up, saving the data and materials, while chatting casually among themselves.
"Once we finish this, we can take leave, as the boss promised, right?"
"Making money feels great, but now that I think about it, I haven't been home in ages."
"We'll have to take our leave in shifts. We should discuss who gets to go first and who goes later."
"It's only a month. A little earlier or later doesn't make much difference. We can work it out together."
"I want to go home first. I've earned around 700,000 in just a few months. I can buy my parents a car and a really nice house in the city."
"I can't believe I've actually earned this much. We should go out and celebrate during our time off.
"Heh heh, that foot massage place the boss took us to last time was pretty good. I want to buy a luxury car too!
"Unfortunately, I'm still a little short. I'll set a modest goal: earn another million this year!"
"I think cars that cost a few hundred thousand are already great. I wonder if our factory will ever have a chance to make luxury cars. I'd be looking forward to that."
"Probably not, right? We make low-end cars, and they can't even be registered..."
"For most people, cars are for driving. Being affordable and easy to drive matters too. I think our factory's cars are pretty good. They'd be even better if we could put the battery we developed in them.
"When that happens, I'll buy one and take it home for my parents. Their education wasn't great, and our Jiuzhou Mini doesn't need a driver's license. Charging it in the courtyard will be easy, too. They'll make a great impression in the village!
"I'll also spend four or five hundred thousand to build them a little villa. It wasn't easy for them to put me through school. They deserve to enjoy life."
"When we were in school, our fellow students would sometimes come back and tell us about their salaries. Even the best of them only made a little over 10,000 a month.
"We've only been here a few months, and our salaries are already so high. I kind of want to go back to school and show off. Heh heh. What's a postdoc's salary, anyway? I'm done with that!"
A good job and a good boss were hard to come by!
Before you continue