"A detector costs five hundred thousand, and every 120 detectors form a group. Scattered around the sun, they can provide the initial observation signals," Xu Yan said. "To form a relatively clear signal, ten groups, or 1200 detectors, are needed, costing six hundred million. Beyond that, the more detectors there are, the better the observation effect, and the easier it is to detect anomalies when the star's consciousness is subtle."
"Do these detectors have any other functions besides observing the sun's consciousness?" Jiang Ye asked. "Although this matter is extremely urgent, we must also consider the long term."
"Detectors themselves have many functions: observing the sun, predicting climate change, observing meteors, and military applications. If high-speed objects appear within the galaxy, these detectors can quickly discover them and lock onto their positions and trajectories. The more detectors there are, the better the effect," Xu Yan said. "If you want these detectors to have a long-term role, they can be slightly modified."
"How so?"
"By adding more modules, giving these detectors more functions." Xu Yan tapped the screen, bringing up a holographic projection. "There are a total of 1200 existing modules, with their functions and prices listed here."
Jiang Ye frowned and clicked on the modules to view them.
The functions were incredibly diverse, and the prices varied.
Some could detect rare minerals contained in asteroids.
Some were specifically for detecting gamma rays.
Others were for capturing different forms of life: carbon-based, silicon-based, electromagnetic...
Jiang Ye was troubled. He didn't have a specialized research team around him to offer advice. The planet's talent pool was still insufficient.
"There are 1200 modules in total, right? Can we have every type of module?" Jiang Ye asked.
"It's possible, but..." Xu Yan hesitated. "The base costs will skyrocket. Different modules require corresponding equipment to receive and analyze signals, and the operators' salaries will also be very high."
"High salaries aren't a concern, but the lack of suitable operators is. I feel this equipment is quite high-tech," Jiang Ye frowned.
"You don't need to worry about that. Once the base is built, the military will dispatch relevant personnel to operate it, who will then be settled on Jiang Ye Star. You will only need to provide their salaries."
"We also need to provide housing and cars, right?" Jiang Ye asked. "What are the salary and benefits for each operator?"
"Housing will be provided in the base's dormitories, and shared vehicles will be available. You don't need to provide those. Salaries will vary; the military will provide you with a list of potential operators' resumes, and you can select them personally. Different individuals will have different salary demands."
Jiang Ye's eyes lit up.
He didn't see this as a bad thing; quite the opposite, it was a great opportunity!
Jiang Ye Star was severely lacking in technological talent. Being able to recruit people with money was a tremendous opportunity!
After all, it was extremely difficult to recruit talent from other planets to a remote place like Jiang Ye Star.
After a moment of consideration, Jiang Ye stated his decision:
"I want all 1200 detectors with added modules, a total of 20 groups, which means twenty-four thousand. Build six bases along the equator. Since these things have military applications, three is too insecure. If one breaks down, there will be an 8-hour blind spot. With six bases evenly distributed, the failure of one will not affect anything. Near the bases, provide small villas and supporting infrastructure for the staff, and give each staff member a car, to the standard of police cars," Jiang Ye said. "Build three specialized space stations for launching the detectors."
Xu Yan's expression was one of utter shock. "I know you're rich, but you can't spend money like this! Many detector modules have very niche functions, a pure waste of money!"
"Let them be niche. What I want is the people. In this war-torn universe, with over six million people who are mostly ordinary citizens, if you ask a street for a math problem, you won't find one out of ten thousand who can solve it. What's the use?" Jiang Ye glanced at the night sky outside the window. "The planet needs a talent reserve. Spending money to support scientists who are temporarily not useful might prove beneficial in the future."
"You truly think long-term. However, to put it bluntly, if something happens to the sun, this planet will be uninhabitable for a thousand years," Xu Yan said, tapping the screen. "I need an hour to make the plan and calculate the costs. Would you like to wait while sleeping, or go home and wait?"
"Even if the world ends tomorrow, we still have to live today." Jiang Ye lay down on the sofa. "If the planet is gone, what's the use of so much money?"
...
"One thousand." Xu Yan shook the sleeping Jiang Ye.
"One thousand? What one thousand?" Jiang Ye shook his head to clear his mind.
"According to your requirements, it will cost one hundred billion. This doesn't include employee salaries yet. Li Nannan has sent over the list of staff members, and you can approve it now."
Jiang Ye immediately sat up. Time was pressing, and he needed to get to work immediately.
Xu Yan turned on the screen on the wall, displaying tens of thousands of personnel resumes, each character the size of a fist. Jiang Ye only needed to stand in front of the screen and use gestures to select them. Swiping his arm to the left meant "reject," clapping twice meant "accept," spreading his arms meant zooming in, and speaking was required to operate different modules for viewing a resume.
Jiang Ye continuously waved his arms, clapped, shouted, and jumped around in front of the wall.
These resumes were for top students cultivated by the military, most with master's degrees, and some even with doctorates or dual doctorates. All photos were of people without makeup. Jiang Ye found that among middle-aged people without makeup, very few could be considered attractive. On average, only one out of over a hundred people could be described as "beautiful" or "handsome," and it was uncertain if they had undergone plastic surgery.
The salary and benefits demanded by each person varied greatly. Jiang Ye was too lazy to haggle; those with inflated prices were simply rejected, as there were so many people in line.
After working for over an hour, he had only selected 1000 resumes.
Jiang Ye panted, "Xu Yan, does this really have to be operated on the wall? I feel like I'm doing calisthenics."
"It can be operated on a desk, but I'm used to this," Xu Yan smiled. "Exercising keeps you alive longer than sitting in an office."
"Do people like us need to worry about lifespan? We can just spend money to extend it." Jiang Ye was sweating profusely. "Never mind, I'll continue my calisthenics. I have indeed been lacking exercise recently."
As he was exercising, Jiang Ye suddenly stopped. "Huh?"
"What's wrong?" Xu Yan, busy at the desk, looked up.
"This person... looks exactly like Tian Rao," Jiang Ye pointed at the screen.
"Oh? Really?" Xu Yan immediately ran over to look.
A photo the size of a book showed a middle-aged woman with short hair, smiling faintly, wearing a white lab coat for research, exuding an intellectual and elegant aura.
Although she had some wrinkles, her skin was not as supple as a young girl's, and her hairline was a bit high, but... she really resembled Tian Rao. It was as if Tian Rao twenty or thirty years later.
Both of them were stunned. Jiang Ye flipped through the photos on the resumes, their mouths opening wider and wider.
From any angle, they looked like the same person.