"What? Is... is that allowed?"
"Principal, won't the Education Department be unhappy with us if we do this?"
Zhao Longfei put a cigar between his teeth.
"Unhappy?"
"What right do they have to be unhappy? I'm unhappy myself!"
Zhao Longfei took a deep drag and blew out a smoke ring, his face cold.
"How many research findings does our university hand over to the Education Department every year? The equipment and weapons used by the entire United Government and the United Military all come from universities like ours."
"Harrison, Lister, you two professors led the research into the bioenergy system and handed it over to the United Government. Did they reward you with even a single copper coin?"
The mention of this left both of them disgruntled as well.
They had poured time and effort into that research, with rewards promised, only to receive a few ceremonial banners and medals. They had worked for nothing! They had even paid the research costs out of their own pockets!
Zhao Longfei continued.
"But what about those newly established research institutes? A bunch of professors with nothing but hollow reputations got several gold coins apiece as settling-in allowances before they'd even done anything. And that's not even counting the other benefits."
"If everyone's research teams weren't rooted in the universities, they probably would've run off to the research institutes long ago!"
Harrison and Lister remained silent.
Zhao Longfei was right.
If most of their research findings hadn't been at Nanrong University, and so difficult to move, they too would have been tempted by the terms offered at the research institutes.
"I know the United Government wants to develop its own technology, but this is just shameless greed!"
"It would be one thing if the research institutes actually amounted to something. But to this