A blessing for Xia Country

Inside a conference room at Sandao Kou University.

Over a hundred professors and researchers took their seats.

"Everyone, I called you here today primarily to verify a proposal from an undergraduate."

Seated on the stage, Jiang Yongxing spoke into the microphone with a solemn expression.

The moment he finished, the quiet conference room erupted into an uproar.

"Huh?!"

"What's gotten into Dean Jiang? An undergraduate's proposal? Does that really warrant a college-wide meeting?!"

"Ah... I still have an experiment to finish. Looks like I'll be working overtime again today."

The researchers sighed and grumbled.

They could hardly be blamed for complaining. Heavy research workloads were simply part of being a researcher.

Meetings during working hours were already a source of resentment, let alone one called to verify some mere undergraduate's proposal!

Jiang Yongxing coughed loudly, silencing the commotion in the conference room.

"This is a proposal for controlled nuclear fusion!"

"Dean Tian Zhixuan and I have both reviewed it!"

"Unfortunately, neither of us can assess it with confidence. Rather than miss a potentially workable proposal, we had no choice but to call a college-wide meeting. I hope you professors and researchers will understand."

Shock flashed across the faces of every professor present.

They couldn't assess it with confidence?!

These were Tian Zhixuan and Jiang Yongxing!

A proposal that even those two leading experts couldn't confidently assess...

In just two sentences, interest quietly kindled in the professors' eyes.

Bang!

The conference room doors swung open.

More than a dozen professors in white lab coats filed in.

The middle-aged man leading them had a square face, his eyes brimming with excitement. "Yongxing! Where's that controlled nuclear fusion proposal you just mentioned?!"

The instant they saw who had arrived, the professors in the conference room drew sharp breaths.

"Whoa! Even he's come out?!"

"Wasn't he assigned to research controlled nuclear fusion in the lab? Could it be... that this undergraduate's proposal really..."

While the professors whispered among themselves, Jiang Yongxing rose from his seat with a smile and walked over to greet the middle-aged man.

"Hahaha, Fang Xu! Long time no see!"

Fang Xu shot Jiang Yongxing an exasperated glance. "Come on, Dean Jiang. Don't give me that!"

"We were in the middle of an experiment!"

"When we heard what you said, we stopped the experiment and rushed over. If you can't give me a satisfactory result, you won't hear the end of it!"

Jiang Yongxing had known Fang Xu for over a decade and naturally knew he was joking. He immediately smiled and patted Fang Xu's shoulder. "All right, all right. Forget your experiment. I'm telling you, if this proposal really works, Xia Country could pull ahead of everyone!"

A hint of surprise appeared in Fang Xu's eyes.

As far as he could remember, Jiang Yongxing, the dean of the Nuclear Physics College, had never given anything such high praise!

"Oh?" Fang Xu said, keeping his expression neutral. "So you're saying you have a lot of confidence in that undergraduate?"

Jiang Yongxing nodded gently, his expression growing a little more serious. "It's not just me. Even that old rascal Tian Zhixiang can't assess this proposal with confidence."

Fang Xu's expression shifted at those words!

Jiang Yongxing didn't specialize in controlled nuclear fusion, after all, so it was possible he had overlooked something.

But Tian Zhixiang was a true heavyweight in materials science!

He was an academician of the Xia Kingdom Academy of Sciences!

Fang Xu immediately grew more alert!

He nodded slightly. "In that case, let's begin the meeting!"

Jiang Yongxing turned and scanned the room. Once he had confirmed everyone was present, he switched on the conference room's projector.

A moment later, several high-resolution photographs appeared on the projection screen.

"Everyone, this is the proposal that student wrote!"

"Tick, tick, tick..."

"Scratch, scratch..."

In the vast conference room, only the ticking of the wall clock and the scratching of pen tips remained.

Every professor frowned in concentration as they carefully checked the calculations projected on the screen.

Fang Xu, the head of the nuclear physics laboratory, now had shock written all over his face!

"Fang Xu, what do you think?"

Seeing Fang Xu's expression, Jiang Yongxing lowered his voice and asked, "Is this proposal feasible?"

Fang Xu withdrew his gaze with a complicated expression and gave Jiang Yongxing an odd look.

"Are you sure... an undergraduate came up with this thing?!"

Jiang Yongxing smiled and nodded. "Of course. The kid is a student in Professor Guan Hualiang's class. He got caught daydreaming during a lecture."

"Then he ran straight up to the front, grabbed a whiteboard marker, and wrote out this whole proposal!"

As Fang Xu's expression grew increasingly strange, Jiang Yongxing became anxious. "Don't tell me you don't believe me! I have the recording!"

Fang Xu opened his mouth but couldn't get a single word out.

The sheer shock of what he had seen was overwhelming!

As the head of the nuclear physics laboratory, if he ranked himself second in knowledge of controlled nuclear fusion, no one present would dare claim first place!

"Yongxing, do you realize... what he wrote on that board is more complete than our laboratory's proposal!"

"By comparing it with his proposal, I've already found three flaws in ours!"

"And that was just a cursory look! Do you know what that means?!"

At Fang Xu's words, even Jiang Yongxing froze, his expression blank!

Did that mean this sophomore undergraduate was even more accomplished than Fang Xu?!

This... how was that possible?!

Fang Xu was an academician of the Xia Kingdom Academy of Sciences!

Jiang Yongxing swallowed, gently pressed a hand to his forehead, and muttered, "Wait... I'm feeling a little dizzy."

"You mean... not only did you find no errors in his proposal, but comparing it with ours even helped you spot several flaws in our own?"

When Fang Xu nodded, Jiang Yongxing felt as though an explosion had gone off deep inside his mind!

Smack!

His face flushed as he slammed his palm onto the conference table before him!

The loud noise drew the attention of every professor and researcher present!

"Excellent!"

"Wonderful!"

"This is a blessing for Xia Country!"

Jiang Yongxing's lips trembled with excitement!

Controlled nuclear fusion! This was a proposal for controlled nuclear fusion!

If it really succeeded, never mind Sandao Kou University's academic standing-even Xia Country's national strength would leap to a whole new level in an instant!

Perhaps swept up by Jiang Yongxing's enthusiasm, Fang Xu's face was now also brimming with excitement.

"Dean Jiang, I request that we report this to Parliament immediately!"

"As for that new material, I request that we begin synthesis experiments at once!"

"If this really succeeds, Xia Country's revival will be within reach!"

Just as the two men were reveling in their excitement, an unwelcome voice rang out!

"No!"

"I object!"