Cockroaches are insects belonging to the order Blattodea, which falls under the phylum Arthropoda and the class Insecta.
These creatures had survived on Earth for over 350 million years—longer than the dinosaurs.
But cockroaches didn't serve much purpose in the overall ecosystem.
Of course, that wasn't to say they were completely useless. In nature, they acted as decomposers, speeding up the breakdown of organic matter into inorganic substances.
They also had some medical value. For example, the active-peptide toothpaste Yunnan Baiyao made contained cockroach extracts. You might even be kissing a cockroach every day.
But compared to the harm they caused, these contributions were utterly insignificant.
Cockroaches carried a variety of pathogens, such as dysentery bacilli, Salmonella paratyphi A and B, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus, roundworms, and hookworms. They were major vectors of disease, yet didn't get sick themselves.
Their flat bodies also made them adept at living in narrow crevices. They could survive almost anywhere with water and food, and would crawl into computers, photocopiers, electronic scales, water dispensers, and all kinds of communications equipment and electronic instruments.
If they chewed through wires or components and caused a short circuit, they could make equipment malfunction, interrupt communications, or cause other unforeseen accidents.
Looking back through history, behind almost every epidemic, one could glimpse the wings of cockroaches flapping.
So it was wrong to claim that cockroaches were entirely useless, but there was no doubt that the harm they caused outweighed their contributions.
Besides, their role as decomposers wasn't irreplaceable. At least in cities, that was the case.
For example, mealworms could perfectly replace cockroaches in decomposition factories, and at a lower cost.
As for cockroaches in the natural world—
They weren't within Xu Yun's plans for extermination.
Xu Yun had made it quite clear earlier: he intended to eliminate cockroaches in "human living areas," meaning common urban pests such as German cockroaches, American cockroaches, and Oriental cockroaches.
One major reason cockroaches were so difficult to eradicate was that a female only needed to mate once in her lifetime to lay eggs for the rest of it.
After mating, the female cockroach developed a bean-pod-shaped structure at the end of her abdomen called an ootheca, where she laid her eggs.
A female could produce as few as a dozen oothecae or as many as ninety. Each ootheca could hatch anywhere from ten to over fifty baby cockroaches. That was one of the main reasons they seemed impossible to wipe out.
If pheromones could be combined with Imidacloprid to create a new type of poison, it would be a huge boost to cockroach extermination.
"Targeted cockroach extermination."
In the office, Tian Liangwei's gaze turned thoughtful. He rubbed his chin and asked Xu Yun,
"You're not pursuing broad-spectrum research. You're targeting a single species. Little Xu, are you planning to go into business?"
Tian Liangwei's tone wasn't accusatory, but he did tactfully express some reservations.
These days, there was nothing shameful about researchers starting companies.
Quite the opposite. Whether in China or abroad, almost every capable expert either started a company or worked with an organization.
Making money from your knowledge was like kissing your teacher. There was nothing embarrassing about it.
In China, sixty-five was more or less the dividing line. There were fewer top scholars over sixty-five who were involved in industry, while almost every expert under sixty-five had some kind of business venture.
Tian Liangwei himself, for instance, had a joint research institute with the medical school at Jilin University, where they studied NK cells. Everything was legal and aboveboard; there was no need to worry about owing more than a billion yuan in back taxes.
Still, given Xu Yun's age, Tian Liangwei wasn't comfortable with him getting into industry just yet.
In his view, Xu Yun could spend a few years honing his skills in the research system at the University of Science and Technology of China.
Once he had a better grasp of experience, ability, and professional connections, he could think about starting a business.
After all, as one of China's top universities, the University of Science and Technology of China offered excellent research benefits. It wasn't unusual for people in their thirties to build up fortunes of hundreds of thousands or even millions through patent royalties. There was no need to worry about wasting one's youth.
Faced with his teacher's tactful question, Xu Yun hesitated for a few seconds before replying,
"I am considering it, but definitely not now. We haven't even developed fourth-generation Imidacloprid yet. How could I start a company without the technology?
"Besides, even if I do start a business someday, I'll definitely ask our university for help. I'm a USTC man, through and through."
Xu Yun's last remark was partly flattery, but it also came from the heart.
With the University of Science and Technology of China as his backer, he'd have access to far more support for a startup and far better professional connections than if he went it alone. And though USTC ranked behind Tsinghua, Peking, Shanghai Jiao Tong, and Fudan, when it came to roots and standing, USTC, the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Harbin Institute of Technology were the Big three in China.
"Fine. I respect your decision."
Seeing that Xu Yun's words had hinted at his position, Tian Liangwei stopped pressing and brought the conversation back to the matter at hand.
"Tell me, Little Xu. What do you plan to do now?"
Xu Yun took another neatly folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to Tian Liangwei.
"Teacher, I'd like to apply for a Drug Chemistry Laboratory. Here's the equipment list."
Tian Liangwei took the paper and muttered as he read through it.
"Conductivity meter. Gradient liquid chromatograph. Drug dissolution tester. Automatic refractometer. Hmm? An electric-pulse remelting and resolidification device and an ICP-MS700?"
Tian Liangwei set the list down and tapped the desk lightly with his index finger.
"Little Xu, the other instruments are fine, but those last two are going to be a problem."
The electric-pulse remelting and resolidification device and the ICP-MS700 were both pieces of equipment from the National Major Scientific Instruments Development Project.
The latter was cheaper, topping out at a little over seven million yuan, but the former cost nearly fifteen million.
It would be no problem if the applicant were an academician and doctoral supervisor. But Xu Yun was just a doctoral student applying for an independent lab. To be honest, that was pushing the limits.
"I don't have a choice, Teacher."
A bitter smile appeared on Xu Yun's face. He shook his head gently.
"The ICP-MS700 is far more precise in the short term than ICP-OES and GFAAS. And since we're dealing with matrix-acid interference from methyl groups, ICP-MS has a huge advantage. How else am I supposed to manage without those two instruments?"
Tian Liangwei gave him an exasperated look.
"Right, right. The equipment's great. But why don't you mention that running the ICP-MS700 costs four times as much as running the other two? You're comparing a Bentley to a BYD on quality alone and ignoring the price, are you?"
Then he sighed softly, pulled a separately filed application form from his desk drawer, and slid it over to Xu Yun.
"Fill it out."
Xu Yun took the form and was about to start writing when his gaze suddenly fell on the private seal at the lower-right corner.
"Wait, Teacher. Something's wrong."
"What's wrong?"
"Why is your private seal on this form?"
Tian Liangwei took a sip of goji berry tea and shot Xu Yun an eye roll.
"What do you expect? You're not qualified to apply for instruments of this level, so I gave you one of my Hundred Talents Program supporting-project slots this year. Don't worry. The paperwork's all in order.
"And listen, be careful when you use the equipment. If you break it, you can sell yourself to pay for it. All right, enough nonsense. Stop dawdling and fill it out. Then get out of here!"
Looking at Tian Liangwei's seemingly impatient face, Xu Yun fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and bent over to fill out the application.
A little over twenty minutes later, he finished the application.
Tian Liangwei took it and looked it over, smacking his lips.
"Hmm. This looks pretty convincing. You can apply for the equipment at the doctoral-supervisor level, but don't expect the same level of funding. You'll also have to assemble your own research team for the independent lab. At most, I can get your meals covered, along with one or two team-building events."
"The research team won't be a problem. I already have people in mind."
Xu Yun replied calmly, then asked,
"Teacher, if the funding can't match the full amount, how much will it be cut?"
Tian Liangwei thought for a moment before answering,
"Funding for biological toxins is usually released in stages. At the doctoral-supervisor level, the initial grant would be around two or three million yuan. Future funding depends on your results. If you reach Nobel Prize level, you could get over a hundred million.
"As for you, I'll do my best to get you five hundred thousand for equipment, around three hundred thousand for materials, fifty thousand for incidentals, and another fifty thousand from the department. That's nine hundred thousand in total, with four hundred thousand in cash flow. That's about it."
Xu Yun nodded slightly, a surge of excitement rising in his heart.
Nine hundred thousand yuan wasn't much to Xu Yun. In his previous life, he'd been involved in national projects worth ninety million, even nine hundred million.
But this nine hundred thousand was different. It might open up an enormous, untapped field, helping Xu Yun and countless others fulfill a lifelong wish.
Kill cockroaches!
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