A Secret Meeting; Old Xu, I've Got Something Good to Show You! (Please Follow and Bookmark!)

"Recommend me to a national laboratory?" Lu Ze frowned, his mind racing.

This was a national-level laboratory!

How many laboratories of this caliber did all of Eagle Sauce even have?

Compared with Great Xia, it would be equivalent to several of the most important laboratories directly under the Great Xia Academy of Sciences.

Whether in funding or scientific research strength, national-level laboratories stood at the very pinnacle of this world.

Why would a place with such lofty status let him in for no reason?

"Lu, your grades are so outstanding. In our entire Duke University materials laboratory, there is no better candidate than you!"

Hogg Rayne looked at him with a broad smile.

Judging by grades alone, recommending Lu Ze for a national laboratory truly did make him the best candidate.

After all, although he never took part in any "socializing" and was exceptionally withdrawn, he always ranked among the top in every assessment.

He had even been stamped with the stereotype of being "the bookworm from Great Xia."

"My advisor... he..."

Before Lu Ze could finish, he was interrupted.

"Your advisor has already agreed to transfer you to a national laboratory!" Hogg Rayne waved his hand before continuing, "This is a rare opportunity for you. Your prospects over there will be much better!"

Lu Ze was not particularly surprised by that answer.

His graduate advisor had basically left him to fend for himself from start to finish and could not be bothered with where he went.

As long as Lu Ze could list him as the corresponding author or co-first author on the papers he produced, that was all that mattered.

But still.

An exceptionally rare opportunity for me?

Lu Ze scoffed inwardly at Hogg Rayne's words. An exceptionally good opportunity for him?

What opportunity was this? It was clearly a scheme to win him over.

Once someone entered a national-level laboratory, many would likely choose to remain in Eagle Sauce for research because of the gap between Great Xia and Eagle Sauce in scientific research capabilities and for the sake of their future prospects.

Science knew no borders, but scientists did. The overwhelming majority of researchers pursued nothing more than fame, fortune, and status.

After witnessing the formidable research strength of a national laboratory, how many would willingly return to the still-impoverished Great Xia to help build it up?

At the same time.

Once Lu Ze entered a national-level laboratory, it would not be so easy for him to return home after graduating from his master's program.

Besides, what achievements could he possibly make in a laboratory like that?

Whether because he was from Great Xia or merely held a graduate-level qualification, he would probably be just an ordinary peripheral intern over there. Being worse off than a beast of burden was no longer an exaggeration but a proper noun. Any random Indian could ride roughshod over him.

"Professor, may I ask which laboratory I'll be joining?" Lu Ze smiled.

He still decided to join the national-level laboratory. Only there could he more easily gain access to all kinds of cutting-edge technology.

He might even have the opportunity to come into contact with the latest EUV lithography machine.

That was tremendously important to his Copying System!

Who knew how many Achievement Points a technology like an EUV lithography machine could bring him?

Moreover, no one currently suspected him. If he refused outright now, Duke University and Eagle Sauce would certainly become wary of him in the future, which did not align with his intended goals.

Knowing there was a tiger on the mountain did not mean he would knowingly head into the mountain.

"It's LLNL National Laboratory. Get ready and report there in a few days. I wish you success in your research and hope you publish in a top journal soon." After offering that encouragement, Hogg Rayne turned and left.

Yet the sideways glance he cast at Lu Ze was filled with contempt.

This was merely bait cast out to retain talent. He did the same thing every year.

Who did you think you were? Did you really think you could participate in any top-tier projects?

LLNL National Laboratory? Exactly what I wanted! Lu Ze rejoiced inwardly. He had not expected such a grand gift to be delivered right to him.

LLNL Laboratory's full name was Livermore National Laboratory.

It was among the best in every scientific field. Materials research alone covered nanomaterials, high-strength composite fibers, superconducting materials, and other areas. Even top technological products such as EUV lithography machines had been jointly developed by this laboratory.

What delighted Lu Ze most was that LLNL Laboratory was an important base for Eagle Sauce's weapons research, responsible for developing numerous defense technologies.

Just thinking of one technological item from this laboratory made Lu Ze struggle to suppress his excitement at the thought of copying it.

That item was: nuclear weapons.

After all, this was Lu Ze's favorite poem: "A great mushroom rises straight through lonely smoke; a long nuclear sunset hangs over the plains!"

If he sent another one to Little Neon, would it not turn from a two-dimensional wasteland into a three-dimensional one?

Meanwhile.

Great Xia, Shu!

At Institute 611, an urgent secret meeting was underway.

All the leaders of the J-20's various research and development teams had gathered in this small meeting room.

Song Qinyi's order had been clear: no matter what they were doing or where they were, they had to arrive on time for the meeting!

"What's Old Song up to this time? Why did he suddenly call an emergency meeting?"

"No idea. Didn't we already have this month's regular meeting?"

"Did something happen? But there hasn't been any news around the institute."

"What kind of meeting is this? Where did that old Song fellow pick up such a bad habit?"

Several J-20 research team leaders furrowed their brows and kept speculating about the reason for the meeting.

The wind tunnel tests Song Qinyi had conducted earlier had been kept strictly confidential by everyone in the leadership group, with not a scrap of news leaked. The others were responsible only for their own team's research directions, so they had almost all been left in the dark.

"Old Song, what exactly is this about? You called me here in such a rush, but our research team hasn't even finished its inspection work yet!" An elderly man scratched his head and sat down in a chair with a sour expression.

His blue work clothes were covered in dark, ink-black grime, making him look rather disheveled.

This man was Xu Qing, and the project he was primarily responsible for was the engine and fuel delivery system.

The grime on him had come from a new round of inspections he had carried out that morning.

Because of this emergency meeting, he had rushed over before even finishing the inspection of that AL-31F turbofan engine.

Song Qinyi, seated nearby, smiled. "Don't worry, Old Xu. I've got something good to show you later. It'll open your eyes!"

Hearing that.

"Something good? What could you possibly have that's worth showing me?" Xu Qing looked utterly baffled.

The J-20's development had not been progressing especially quickly recently, so what good thing could Song Qinyi have to show him?

Could it be...

"Old Song, could it be that your aerodynamic layout and materials teams have made some breakthrough progress?" Xu Qing asked with great delight.

For engines, a good aerodynamic layout and good materials were extremely important.

If there had been a breakthrough in those areas, then it truly would be "something good"!

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