PDLP Chapter 87 Effect Verification
Chapter 87 Effect Verification
After the citywide rollout was completed, Zuocheng did two things.
The first task was to have Han Lu compile a complete case study of the Hangzhou smart city project into a white paper, ready for public release. The white paper would include the technical architecture, deployment plan, evaluation data, operation and maintenance costs, and various metrics during the six-month operation period. This data was the best government information available, more persuasive than any marketing rhetoric.
The second thing is to go find Yu Ying.
The joint laboratory's sensor anomaly detection algorithm has been engineered, and Yu Ying transformed it from a paper model into a lightweight version that can run on edge gateways. The model size is 42 MB, memory usage is 38 MB, inference speed is 120 times per second, and accuracy is 97.6%.
"It's even better than I expected." Zuo Cheng looked at the test report. "When did you learn how to do engineering?"
Yu Ying rolled her eyes at him: "I'm not some bookworm who only knows how to write papers. I've learned a lot from watching you guys work on your projects after spending so much time in the joint lab."
Zuo Cheng smiled. He integrated the anomaly detection algorithm into the edge scheduling system and piloted it in Binjiang District. The results were impressive; the system automatically identified three faulty sensors, two full days earlier than manual inspection.
"This algorithm will be added to the city-wide operational and maintenance plan," Zuo Cheng said. "With it, the operational and maintenance manpower can be reduced by half."
"So, does that mean my paper can be published too?" Yu Ying blinked. "The engineering application of sensor anomaly detection in the Internet of Things field—that topic should be quite new."
"Of course," Zuo Cheng said. "The engineering practice of 402 combined with your academic theory will result in another top-tier journal paper. Your supervisor is also happy; the joint laboratory's results have finally yielded tangible output."
"Professor Li is indeed very pleased," Yu Ying said. "He recently applied to the institute for increased funding for the joint laboratory, saying that the collaboration at 402 has exceeded expectations and deserves greater investment."
Yu Ying's smile was radiant. She loved doing research, but she loved seeing her research truly put into practice. In the joint lab, she found the perfect balance between academia and engineering. Zuo Cheng watched her smile, feeling that this was the best reward.
A week later, Director Zhao led a review team from the province to Hangzhou for inspection.
The review panel consisted of five people from the Provincial Department of Science and Technology and the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. They spent a day visiting deployment sites in six districts, reviewing real-time monitoring data, and randomly inspecting several sensors and gateways. Zuo Cheng accompanied them throughout, Ma Hao provided technical explanations, and Chen Hao demonstrated the system. Yu Ying also attended, answering technical questions regarding sensor accuracy.
"A latency of 9 milliseconds is the lowest we've seen," said one of the experts on the review panel. "How did you achieve this with your edge scheduling technology?"
Zuo Cheng explained the basic principles but omitted the details of the technology tree. He summarized it as "adaptive priority scheduling plus predictive resource reservation," a technical explanation that was professional enough but wouldn't reveal any secrets. Ma Hao added a few technical details, his explanation being more in-depth than Zuo Cheng's, after all, he had written these algorithms line by line of code himself. The experts on the review panel nodded frequently, and one even specifically asked about the training method for the predictive model, to which Ma Hao answered fluently.
The review panel's conclusion was very positive: the Hangzhou smart city project met the provincial demonstration project standards and was recommended to be included in the province's smart city promotion plan.
Director Zhao immediately approved the plan: "Great! The experience from Hangzhou should be promoted throughout the province. Manager Zuo, your 402 team needs to be prepared; this won't just be a matter for Hangzhou anymore."
Zuo Cheng nodded: "We're ready at any time."
As Zuo Cheng left the municipal government building, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him. Six months ago, 402 was just a small satellite communications company; the Internet of Things (IoT) was merely a concept. Now, 402's IoT solutions have covered the entire city of Hangzhou and are about to be rolled out across the province.
Speed is everything. In less than two years, he transformed from a dormitory entrepreneur into a rising star in the industry. But Zuo Cheng knew this was just the beginning. The real battlefield wasn't in Hangzhou, but across the country. Huaxin had already established a presence in other cities, and if 402 couldn't quickly replicate its success in Hangzhou, its first-mover advantage would vanish.
Back at the company, he opened the system panel to check the current status.
Points: 145. All three branches are activated, and the two fused blades are functioning well. The technology radar's cooldown period has ended, and it is ready to scan at any time.
He glanced at the system task panel and found that the next stage of the main quest chain, "Celestial Overlord," had appeared.
Main Quest Chain: Celestial Overlord
[Part Two: Unlocked]
Status: Conditions pending.
[Details: ???]
Stage Two is unlocked, but the specific conditions and rewards are still undefined; it seems some prerequisite must be met before it will be revealed. However, based on the experience of Stage One, the rewards shouldn't be bad—at least a large number of points and some new ability. Zuo Cheng secretly looked forward to it; the tech tree never disappoints in its surprises.
Zuo Cheng closed the system panel and began to organize his thoughts. Promoting smart cities across the province would require more resources, and the conditions for completing stage two would inevitably emerge. He had to scale up 402 to meet the next challenge.
He picked up the phone and called Han Lu: "Arrange an investor meeting; I need funding."
"Financing?" Han Lu was somewhat surprised. "We're not short of money right now. The funds from Sky Dome are arriving on schedule, and the smart city contract has been signed."
"We don't lack money, but we lack scale," Zuo Cheng said. "Promoting across the province requires a large cash flow to support it, and the Tianqiong project has a long payback period. I can't put all my eggs in one basket; the financing is to add an extra layer of insurance for 402. Moreover, if Huaxin gets projects in other cities, we don't have enough resources to compete, and then the first-mover advantage we've accumulated will be wasted."
Han Lu thought for a moment: "That makes sense. The success stories in Hangzhou are there for all to see; investors should be quite interested. I'll prepare the business plan first, and you can see when it's convenient for you to meet with the investors."
"The sooner the better," Zuo Cheng said. "Ideally, it should be arranged within these two weeks. Once the news of its province-wide rollout is released, 402's valuation will rise, and discussing financing now will be more advantageous for us."
Zuo Cheng put down the phone and looked out the window at the sky. The sky over Hangzhou was a clear blue, the autumn air crisp and refreshing, with a few white clouds drifting slowly across the horizon. 402 was accelerating, and he had to make sure the acceleration was in the right direction—not so fast as to lose control, nor so slow as to be overtaken.