Was this talent too?

"Hm? This Scanning Electron Microscope is pretty good!"

Lü Yongchang's voice came from up ahead. "This should be the latest model, right?"

Fang Xu abruptly looked up at Lü Yongchang.

"Oh? This Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer is new too, isn't it?"

"And this..."

"Not bad, not bad... I take back what I said earlier. I didn't expect this lab to have some decent equipment!"

Surprise flickered in Fang Xu's eyes.

He had named every instrument correctly!

Even with the newest machines, Lü Yongchang had identified them precisely.

"...You recognize these instruments?" Fang Xu hesitated before asking.

Lü Yongchang gave Fang Xu a puzzled look. "Of course I do."

"Why would I come here if I couldn't even recognize the instruments?"

Fang Xu's breath caught.

That made so much sense that I can't even argue!

But... isn't this completely absurd?!

Never mind undergraduates-even most graduate students probably couldn't identify every piece of equipment in this lab!

How had Lü Yongchang, an undergraduate who had only just started his second year, recognized them all?!

Seemingly noticing Fang Xu's confusion, Lü Yongchang chuckled and explained, "I've read plenty of papers, so naturally I'm familiar with this equipment."

Fang Xu's expression turned rather strange.

Still... at least it was a plausible explanation.

"Yongchang, let me ask you something very important first."

Conflict flickered in Fang Xu's eyes. "Do you really know how to use these instruments?"

"Or rather, have you ever used them?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lü Yongchang shook his head.

"Of course not! Academician Fang, I'm just a second-year undergraduate. How would I get access to such advanced instruments?"

Fang Xu immediately grew anxious!

"Then why did you tell Minister Hong..."

Lü Yongchang interrupted him with a smile. "But I know how to use them. Don't worry!"

As he spoke, Lü Yongchang turned toward an instrument beside him and recited its detailed operating procedure.

Listening to Lü Yongchang describe the procedure without a single mistake, Fang Xu stood rooted to the spot.

After a long while, he managed to ask, "You... you learned this from reading papers too?"

Lü Yongchang nodded and gave Fang Xu a puzzled look. "Of course! How else?"

Fang Xu was speechless.

He took a deep breath, then vigorously rubbed his stiff face.

Fine!

Perhaps geniuses really do exist!

"When do we start?"

Fang Xu chose to change the subject.

Lü Yongchang glanced at the researchers in white lab coats waiting at the entrance and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Right now!"

Watching Lü Yongchang's fluid handling of the equipment, Fang Xu fell silent once again.

"You... you learned this from papers too?"

"Didn't you say you'd never handled lab equipment?"

Fang Xu stared at Lü Yongchang in exasperation.

In just half an hour, Lü Yongchang had already operated three instruments in succession.

Fang Xu had originally imagined Lü Yongchang to be a pure "theorist."

In other words, he had expected Lü Yongchang to make plenty of mistakes during practical work.

That was extremely common.

After all, an immense gulf separated theory from hands-on practice.

In materials science, even a tiny operational error could produce a vastly different final result!

Fang Xu had even prepared himself to clean up Lü Yongchang's messes!

But!

What had happened over the past half hour had completely shattered Fang Xu's worldview!

Lü Yongchang's every move had been as smooth as those of a seasoned veteran who practically lived in the lab!

Not only had he made no mistakes, he had even paid attention to crucial details that Fang Xu himself had missed!

"That's right. I really haven't handled lab equipment in this lifetime."

With a faint smile on his lips, Lü Yongchang spoke casually.

That's not a lie!

These supposedly state-of-the-art instruments are all things I'd already worn out playing with in my previous life!

Fang Xu looked as though he had swallowed something foul. "Then how..."

"Academician Fang, sometimes talent really matters!"

As he spoke, Lü Yongchang reached out and lightly patted Fang Xu's shoulder. "You understand, right?"

Fang Xu was speechless.

After finally overcoming his shock, Fang Xu asked Lü Yongchang curiously, "Why did you choose carbon nanomaterials to achieve room-temperature superconductivity?"

At Fang Xu's question, Lü Yongchang slowly stopped working and said softly, "When two parallel layers of graphene are stacked with a twist angle of roughly 1.1°, they exhibit a superconducting effect."

Fang Xu's pupils constricted slightly.

"Is... is that true?"

Lü Yongchang smiled. "You can try it yourself. Aren't there plenty of unused instruments right beside you?"

Several hours later.

"My God... it really is true!"

Fang Xu stared at the instrument's screen in shock.

"Yongchang, how did you discover this phenomenon?"

Bending over to operate the equipment on the lab bench, Lü Yongchang said quietly, "I calculated it. I've never seen it in practice either."

Fang Xu was rather speechless. "You dared to say that without ever seeing it?"

"What if you were wrong?"

"Wouldn't that mean the whole thing was a failure?!"

"I'm not wrong!" Lü Yongchang straightened, his eyes shining with confidence. "I have faith in myself!"

Fang Xu was speechless.

For some reason, ever since meeting Lü Yongchang, Fang Xu felt that he found himself at a loss for words far more often!

Three days later.

Lü Yongchang and Fang Xu stared intently at the Scanning Electron Microscope's display.

On the screen was a distinctly cylindrical piece of material!

"Yongchang, is this the carbon nanotube you mentioned?"

"Are you sure this carbon nanotube can achieve room-temperature superconductivity?"

Doubt was written all over Fang Xu's face.

He could hardly be blamed for doubting it. Over the past three days, he had barely done anything.

Apart from helping out and running errands, he had left every truly important operation to Lü Yongchang alone!

As an academician who had spent years leading teams, he had to admit that this was an incredibly novel experience!

Faced with Fang Xu's doubts, Lü Yongchang said nothing. Instead, with a serious expression, he operated the microscope, switching through several viewing angles in succession.

Only after seeing the standard nanotube structure on the screen did Lü Yongchang slowly release a long breath.

"That's right. This is it!"

Then Lü Yongchang estimated the time, a trace of regret appearing in his eyes.

"What a shame. At our current production speed, we won't see results until tomorrow at the earliest!"

Fang Xu gave Lü Yongchang's regretful profile a strange look.

He thinks that's a shame?

Producing an experimental sample of a room-temperature superconductor in four days-isn't that fast enough?!

After all, the time needed to develop any new material was measured in years!