"Whew..."
Lü Yongchang drew a deep breath and opened his eyes.
A profound weariness seeped from deep behind his eyes.
It was the aftereffect of receiving a "hint."
Though uncomfortable, it was far better than passing out outright as he had before.
"Professor?"
Wilson's voice came from beside him. "Are you all right?"
Lü Yongchang looked up at Wilson's worried face, chuckled, and waved a hand. "I'm fine."
As he spoke, he pressed his hands against his knees and pushed himself to his feet.
"Particle beam weapons!"
Lü Yongchang swept his gaze over the researchers around him and suddenly spoke in a firm voice.
"What?" Wilson had not quite caught up and instinctively asked.
"Our next research direction." As Lü Yongchang spoke, he strode straight toward the laboratory exit. "Wilson, come with me."
Watching his retreating figure, Wilson froze for a moment before hurrying after him.
"Particle beam weapons?" Wilson frowned deeply at the holographic information displayed before him, murmuring to himself.
Beside him, Lü Yongchang nodded. "Ion beam weapons, to be precise."
"After all, we still can't accelerate electrically neutral particles like neutrons."
"That's another direction we'll need to explore in the future."
"Just imagine." Lü Yongchang's voice grew more excited. "If we could control vast numbers of neutrons and use them to strike enemy ships with precision."
"We could bypass their armor entirely and attack the personnel inside!"
"Just like... a neutron bomb."
Wilson drew a quiet, sharp breath.
"Of course, that's only an idea of mine." Lü Yongchang shrugged, a hint of regret in his eyes. "As things stand, that technology is still some way beyond us."
"For now, we can only accelerate charged particles."
Wilson pondered for a moment, hesitation showing on his face.
"Professor, I've looked into weapons like these before."
"It's just... compared