Chapter 56: Chapter 54: 1,800 Cockroaches!
The narrative of our little healing story is sketched in just a few strokes, but in reality, from the reaction’s start to the generation of the material, the duration lasted over three days.
This speed is actually considered fast in the synthesis field. For more complex reactions, it can take several hundred hours just for static observation, with a project team of over a hundred people working for four to five months, all for the final product of just a fraction of a milligram.
The entire process allows for the slightest mistake to cause all prior efforts to go to waste.
This is the risk of biochemistry, but it is also its charm.
Upon confirming that the fourth-generation Imidacloprid—or rather, the new cyclic compound—can be routinely synthesized, Xu Yun immediately instructed Qiu Sheng to take charge of compiling the data.
He himself left the laboratory, took out his phone in the hallway, and dialed a number.
A moment later, a female voice came from the receiver:
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Sister Jiajia, it’s me, Xu Yun."
"Oh, it’s Xiaoxu, what’s up?"
"It’s like this, Sister Jiajia, these days I’ve been conducting an experiment with cockroach medicine. Can your Insect Research Institute spare some cockroaches for me?"
"No problem, how many do you need? When will you come to get them?"
Xu Yun thought for a moment and said:
"Three hundred Dubia, and five hundred each of Oriental, German, and American cockroaches. As for the timing... is now convenient for you?"
A moment later, a cheerful reply came from the other end of the line:
"Eighteen hundred in total, right? Okay, I’ll start preparing them for you now, come over and get them."
After hanging up, Xu Yun let out a long breath, took the elevator out of the Medical Center Building, and headed towards the West District.
The West Campus of Ke Da is undoubtedly considered the area with the most prestigious laboratories aside from Science Island, shrouded in mystery.
Many who are unfamiliar with Ke Da often find it strange:
Why doesn’t Ke Da have several national key laboratories, yet many of its disciplines rank so highly?
The reason is simple: Ke Da has two national laboratories (now, it should count as two and a half, as for what the half is about, check Baidu). This puts it far ahead of all other universities.
What’s the concept here?—To not exaggerate, one national laboratory equates to over ten national key laboratories.
Therefore, this is also what makes Ke Da extraordinary:
There are only 20 national laboratories within the country, including those preparing, and Ke Da has two of them, soon to be three, whereas there are over three hundred national key laboratories, and Ke Da has just two...
The esteemed National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory is located in the West District of Ke Da, also making it the first national laboratory of its kind domestically, holding both special significance and status.
The Synchrotron Radiation is also one of the six bases genuinely fulfilling the functions of a national laboratory currently, while Micro-Scale has cooled slightly, and Quantum Information is still in preparation. However, judging from recent achievements, the prospects are promising.
Furthermore, there is also the Field-Reversal Fusion KTX Laboratory, Shock Wave Laboratory, and many others...
Besides many physical laboratories or institutes, the West District also hosts some lesser-known small laboratories or institutes.
For instance, right now, a small laboratory stands before Xu Yun...
The Insect Research Institute.
This Insect Research Institute is affiliated with the School of Life Sciences, consisting of a three-story building with over twenty researchers divided into six research directions.
After showing his access code, Xu Yun walked smoothly to a reception room.
A few minutes later, a young woman in a white lab coat, with her hair in a ponytail, entered the room:
"Xiaoxu? You’re here?"
Upon hearing her, Xu Yun quickly stood up and greeted her with a smile:
"Sister Jiajia, long time no see."
The girl’s name was He Jiajia, an older classmate of Xu Yun’s in his specialty, 27 years old, and a deputy researcher at the Insect Research Institute.
Xu Yun was able to join the Penguin group aiming to protect the hairline, and He Jiajia was one of his introducers.
Upon seeing Xu Yun, He Jiajia briskly handed over several sealed, light-shielding portable cases, the size of two suitcases:
"Here, the cockroaches you wanted, they’re all here, precisely eighteen hundred of them.
Speaking of which, why does our genius Xu have the time to play with cockroach medicine? Did you perhaps make a new breakthrough with Nithiazine?"
Xu Yun took the portable cases and shook his head:
"It’s not Nithiazine, it’s Imidacloprid."
"Oh, Imidacloprid?"
Xu Yun nodded gently towards her:
"Yes, Imidacloprid, but the specific situation can’t be explained in a few words. Maybe we’ll publish a paper in a while; Sister Jiajia, you can keep an eye out then."
"Which journal? Metallomics?"
"Hard to say, aiming for the third tier."
Not setting too high a flag for himself, Xu Yun exchanged a few more words with He Jiajia and then turned to bid farewell.
After leaving the Insect Research Institute, he carried the portable bio-box filled with cockroaches back to the laboratory to rejoin Qiu Sheng and the others.
With the help of Li Yi and others, they divided the thousand cockroaches into more than twenty culture dishes.
This time, He Jiajia thoughtfully categorized the cockroaches by gender, with a female to male ratio of about 1 to 4, fewer females, more males.
The cockroaches Xu Yun brought back were divided into four types:
Dubia, Oriental cockroach, German cockroach, and American cockroach.
Among them, Dubia is more inclined towards being pet feed, similar in nature to Cherry cockroach.
Enthusiasts who raise spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and ants mostly choose between Dubia or mealworms for long-term feeding.
The remaining Oriental, German, and American cockroaches are common cockroach species in China.
The German cockroach is commonly seen in the north, while the American cockroach appears more in the south.
In legends, the type that flies towards your mouth, allowing you to clearly see its leg hairs, is the southern American cockroach.
Watching the cockroaches crawling in the ecological boxes, a rare shadow crossed Xu Yun’s face.
He then looked at Li Yi beside him, took a deep breath, and said:
"Xiaoli, prepare the test solution!"
.....
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