godfather of surgery

Chapter 1244 Dean's Inspection
The research group's work was completely on track, and the atmosphere in the office changed from the initial excitement to a more lasting peace.

The five PhD students studied the theory while starting to put it into practice, and the tedium and challenges of scientific research gradually began to emerge.

Liu Yang encountered his first hurdle in building his molecular cloning platform—after synthesizing the first batch of enhancer gene fragments he designed, the Golden Gate assembly process was incredibly inefficient, with the enzymes and DNA fragments stubbornly refusing to be assembled according to his blueprint in the microplate.

He frowned deeply as he stared at the sparse bands on the electrophoresis gel image.

"This shouldn't be happening. I've optimized everything: connection temperature, enzyme amount, fragment ratio...!" Liu Yang scratched his already somewhat messy hair.

Chu Xiaoxiao leaned over to take a look, patted his shoulder, and said in a tone of someone who had been through it all, "It's normal. The macrophages I cultured collectively 'went sluggish' yesterday. Adding stimulants was no different than not adding them. It's probably a problem with the serum batch. We're investigating it."

He Zijian was engrossed in a sea of ​​literature, with three brick-like monographs and seven or eight printed papers spread out on his table, covered with colored highlighter marks and tiny annotations. He was trying to clarify the "braking" effect, rather than the expected "accelerator" effect, that a co-stimulatory signaling domain might trigger in a specific subset of immune cells. This involved extremely complex cross-talk of signaling pathways, making him feel as if his brain cells were dying at an exponential rate.

Wang Chao is relatively radical. He has completed the initial screening of viral antigen models, selecting three representative viral surface proteins with distinct structures, and has already begun designing plasmids with SpyTag and SnoopTag. He believes in "just do it," but Jiang Jitong reminded him to pay attention to the impact of tag position on antigen conformation, lest the antigen itself be inactivated after being attached, which would be like buying the box and discarding the pearl.

Jiang Jitong himself is swimming in the deep waters of "connectivity technology." The SpyTag/SpyCatcher system is relatively mature, but he needs to ensure that the connection efficiency and stability meet the requirements in their specific application scenarios. The more cutting-edge split-internet system, on the other hand, is like a technological peak shrouded in mist, with limited literature and enormous challenges, but he enjoys it, coming up with several new ideas every day, only to reject most of them himself.

Professor Yang Ping is like a mysterious mentor in a game who only releases the main quest at crucial moments. He doesn't often appear in the office, but every time he does, he can pinpoint the crux of the problem, provide one or two key documents that have been overlooked by everyone, or propose a completely new perspective, instantly bringing clarity to a deadlocked discussion.

He repeatedly emphasized: "Don't be afraid of taking detours. Theoretical exploration is about marking all possible detours on a map so that you can avoid detours when you actually conduct experiments."

In this busy, fulfilling, and eager atmosphere, everyone grows without even realizing it.

Ji Ning has been like an ant on a hot pan these days.

He initially firmly believed that his judgment was correct—what kind of trouble could five newcomers cause? It would definitely be a face-saving project to appease the higher-ups, and then the project would be quietly completed, with everyone happily receiving their subsidies.

But based on his recent observations, this isn't a retirement group at all; it's clearly an extreme task force!

When he saw the incredibly complex cytokine storm risk assessment model framework diagram on Chu Xiaoxiao's computer screen, he became even more certain that he had miscalculated. That thing couldn't be built without real expertise and solid data.

A profound sense of loss and regret gripped him.

Five hundred million yuan in funding! A cutting-edge research topic that's outrageous! Complete autonomy in research! How could he have been so blinded by greed, believing that nonsense about the "retirement group" and voluntarily withdrawing?
People can be stupid once in a while, but how could someone be this stupid? Whoever spread the word about the retirement group, he wants to kill them now.

He finally couldn't resist any longer. One afternoon, he seized a moment when it seemed only Chu Xiaoxiao was organizing data in the office and slipped in again. This time, his face was plastered with a fawning smile, and he was carrying a bag of steaming hot milk tea that he had just bought.

"Xiaoxiao, are you busy? Take a break and have something to drink." Ji Ning placed the milk tea on Chu Xiaoxiao's table, his voice so gentle it could melt your heart.

Chu Xiaoxiao looked up from her computer, adjusted her glasses, and looked at him warily: "Ji Ning? What are you doing here again? We don't have time to retire here."

"Oh dear, Miss Chu, please don't be so harsh on me!" Ji Ning feigned a pained expression. "All those rumors outside are just nonsense! I was blind and stupid! I've just... come to realize my mistake."

He leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Look, you're all so busy and under so much pressure. Liu Yang's cloning isn't going well, He Zijian is buried in literature all day and can't get anything out of it, and Wang Chao is such a clumsy guy... We need someone to help out and do the odd jobs, right? Although I'm not as capable as you guys, I can still run errands, order reagents, culture cells, and do some basic cloning! Let me join, you guys talk to the professor!"

Looking at his pitiful appearance, Chu Xiaoxiao felt both annoyed and amused. She glanced at the milk tea and said slowly, "Ji Ning, now you know it's just 'rumors'? Where were you before? Our research group is indeed short-staffed, but Professor Yang and Senior Brother Jiang said we'd rather have fewer people than inferior ones. We're a well-coordinated team now, with clear division of labor. Suddenly adding someone would disrupt the rhythm. Besides, the entire institute's laboratory is extremely short-staffed. Dr. Tang and Dr. Lu are both short-staffed, how could we just randomly allocate personnel?"

"It's just one person's business, right? Xiaoxiao, I'll cover all your milk tea this month. Don't worry, I'll absolutely follow orders! If Senior Brother Jiang points east, I'll never go west!" Ji Ning hurriedly pledged his loyalty.

“It’s too late.” Chu Xiaoxiao shook her head, her tone tinged with sympathy, but more so with determination. “The project has already started, and the funding and plans have been submitted. If you want to join now, you’ll have to get Professor Yang’s special approval. But I doubt it; the professor hates people who are fickle and lack a firm stance.”

Ji Ning's face instantly fell, as if all his strength had been drained away. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, when he heard a sound coming from the doorway.

"Hey, Senior Brother Ji? Here to experience the relaxed atmosphere of our 'retirement group' again?" Wang Chao walked in with a laptop tucked under his arm and a playful expression on his face.

Shortly after, He Zijian and Liu Yang returned one after the other. Seeing Ji Ning and the milk tea on the table, they immediately understood what had happened.

Liu Yang patted Ji Ning on the shoulder, speaking earnestly but secretly pleased, "Ji Ning, don't think about it anymore. We're in a situation where 'it's easy to get on a pirate ship but hard to get off,' or rather, 'we're on a high-speed rocket and can't get off.' You should just focus on your own research."

He Zijian pushed up his glasses and added, "According to game theory and the principle of opportunity cost, you have made a choice and must bear the corresponding consequences. Regret is a useless emotional investment."

Looking at the united group of four who were so vigilant against him, Ji Ning knew he had no chance at all. With a long face, he left the office, turning back every few steps, his departing figure as forlorn as a fallen leaf swept by the autumn wind.

After he left, Wang Chao burst into laughter: "Did you guys see his expression? Like he'd lost five million!"

Chu Xiaoxiao pouted: "Serves him right! Who told him not to believe the professor and to believe the rumors instead?"

Liu Yang sighed, "But honestly, thinking about it now, if he had stayed, we might not have had such a great atmosphere. Ji Ning is a bit fickle, always jumping to conclusions." He Zijian nodded, "Team trust and stability are crucial guarantees for scientific research output."

Ji Ning had already walked into the corridor, looking back every few steps. Who was it that mentioned the retirement group and ruined his future?

Dean Xia had been keeping Yang Ping's five-person research project in mind. On one hand, he hoped Yang Ping could create another miracle; on the other hand, he was really worried—only five people? And most of them were newcomers? Could this really work? His main concern was that Yang Ping would be taken advantage of.

However, he was still somewhat traumatized by Yang Ping's previous retort, "Dean, you don't understand scientific research," and dared not show his concern directly again. Therefore, he decided to adopt a "roundabout" approach, full of "leadership skills," for his assessment.

That afternoon, Dean Xia strolled leisurely with his hands behind his back, seemingly casually wandering to the door of the research group's office.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, a kind smile on his face, and knocked on the open door.

Jiang Jitong was the first to see her and immediately stood up: "Dean Xia, what brings you here? Please come in."

The other four people in the office also stopped what they were doing and stood up to greet them.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. You all go about your business. I was just passing by and thought I'd take a look." Dean Xia waved his hand, his gaze sweeping around the office.

Hmm, the environment is nice and quite clean, but... there are definitely not enough people. All five workstations are fully occupied; there isn't a single empty seat. A few reagent boxes and documents are piled up in the corner, making it seem a bit cramped.

"How are things, professors? Is work going smoothly?" Dean Xia began his classic roundabout opening line. "Are you having any difficulties in your personal lives? Is the institute's logistical support adequate?"

Jiang Jitong, acting as a representative, politely replied, "Thank you for your concern, Dean. Everything went smoothly, and Director Tang Shun was very supportive of us."

"Oh, that's good, that's good." Dean Xia nodded, walked behind Liu Yang, and looked at the dense sequence alignments and complex software interface on his computer screen. His eyelids twitched. "Little Liu, what... are you doing?"

Liu Yang honestly replied, "Dean, I'm analyzing why the first batch of 'enhancer' candidate molecules failed to be cloned. It might be that the secondary structure affected the assembly efficiency, and I'm adjusting the design."

"Oh... secondary structure, good, good, this is very important." Dean Xia nodded as if he understood, and then strolled over to Chu Xiaoxiao's side.

On Chu Xiaoxiao's screen was the cytokine storm risk assessment model that had driven Ji Ning to despair, with various formulas, parameters, and simulation curves intertwined, resembling the control interface of a space shuttle.

"Xiao Chu, this diagram of yours... is quite complicated." Dean Xia tried to find a safe angle to begin with.

Chu Xiaoxiao explained, "Dean, this is not an ordinary diagram. It is a preliminary in vitro safety assessment model that we have constructed to predict the intensity of the immune response that our designed molecules may trigger."

"Prediction? Oh! Prediction is good! Everything depends on prediction; without prediction, nothing is possible! It's forward-thinking!" Dean Xia found something to praise and quickly affirmed it, but inwardly he wondered: Is this model reliable? It looks even more complex than the commercial software the institute bought...

He glanced at He Zijian's mountain of documents and the rotating three-dimensional structure diagram of viral antigens on Wang Chao's computer, and felt that his knowledge reserves were a bit insufficient. After all, he was a general surgeon and had worked in administration for so many years. The research skills he had when he was doing his doctorate were probably long gone now.

Finally, he walked over to Jiang Jitong, lowered his voice, and asked in a tone that suggested they were "one of us": "Jitong, are there really only five of you? You didn't secretly recruit any consultants or experts outside?"

Jiang Jitong suppressed a laugh and replied seriously, "Dean, it really is just the five of us. Professor Yang said, 'The quality of soldiers is more important than the quantity.'"

"High quality is good, but you also need to pay attention to... work-life balance." Dean Xia said earnestly, "I see you all have a lot of enthusiasm, but scientific research is a marathon, you can't start sprinting from the beginning. How about I talk to Professor Yang and ask him to assign you a few more assistants?"

He was testing the waters: were five people enough? What was the current progress? What kind of pressure was he facing at work?

Jiang Jitong, being exceptionally intelligent, immediately grasped the underlying meaning. He smiled, but said firmly, "Thank you, Dean! We are not currently short-staffed and can handle it. Professor Yang has emphasized many times that efficiency does not equal staying up all night, and we are all very careful about getting rest. As for joining, the team has just gelled, and there are no plans for that at the moment."

Dean Xia was met with a rebuff, which made him even more uncertain. These five guys all looked quite young, but why did they all speak and act in the same style as Yang Ping, so impervious to reason?
Just then, Yang Ping's voice came from the doorway: "Dean Xia, you've come to inspect our work in person?"

Yang Ping slowly walked in, carrying a thermos.

Dean Xia was startled, feeling like he'd been caught talking about someone behind their back. He quickly laughed and said, "No, no! I just came to check on everyone's work ethic, and it's excellent! Very motivated! Um... I won't bother you any longer, please continue!"

After saying that, he practically fled, afraid that Yang Ping would retort with, "Dean, you don't understand."

Watching Dean Xia's slightly flustered figure disappear into the distance, the five people in the office exchanged glances and finally couldn't help but burst into laughter, which they had been suppressing for a long time.

Chu Xiaoxiao chuckled, "The way he looked at my model, it was like I was doing some kind of black magic."

Jiang Jitong concluded, "The dean is also showing concern."

Yang Ping took a sip of tea and said calmly, "That's right. Dean Xia cares about us. Focus on your own work. In the theoretical exploration stage, failure and slowness are allowed, but it must be solid."