14: Joining the laboratory; What is your identity? Are you qualified to participate in the project?

Chapter 14: Joining the Laboratory; What is your status? You’re not worthy of participating in the project (Please collect, please continue reading.)

“But wanting to replicate this thing isn’t that simple,” Lu Ze muttered to himself.

After all, how could such a powerful weapon be so easily accessible?

Forget about the big mushroom, even conventional top-tier technology wasn't something an intern researcher like him, who had just joined, could participate in.

As for what specific technological item to replicate, he could only play it by ear; if he saw something worth replicating, he would decisively replicate it.

After all, no one could say whether there would be another opportunity for such close contact next time.

“Later, I can ask Da Xia if they have any suitable technologies…” Lu Ze suddenly thought of this.

It was fine that there weren't very good replication conditions at DUKE University last time.

Now that he had come to the top national laboratory in Washington, shouldn't he bring some 'local specialties' back?

If he didn't bring anything before coming, and still didn't bring anything after coming, wouldn't Lu Ze have come for nothing?

Pushing aside the various thoughts in his mind, Lu Ze stepped into LLNL National Laboratory.

This colossal complex of buildings, with just its main laboratory headquarters, covered an area of 330 hectares, contained over 500 research and experimental facilities, and had thousands of people simultaneously engaged in scientific research.

After simply filling out his personal information and resume at the front desk, he was casually issued an access card for peripheral personnel.

In this bustling laboratory, not a single person actively paid attention to Lu Ze, the intern researcher.

Forget about a greeting, they didn't even show a smile.

However, looking at this familiar scene.

“This is pretty good; there’s no difference from the treatment I received at DUKE University, which saves me a lot of effort.”

Lu Ze smiled faintly.

This familiar feeling was back; he didn't need much adjustment to perfectly get into the swing of things. For the past six months at DUKE University’s Materials Engineering Laboratory, he had always lived like this.

Lu Ze knew in his heart why these people acted this way.

After all, those who could work at LLNL Laboratory, even if they weren't direct descendants of the original Star-Spangled Banner who entered with Washington, had to have some special 'buff' on them.

And Lu Ze's identity here was simply a joke: Which branch of the old Stars and Stripes are you from? Are you even worthy of participating in core projects?

Even seasoned 'bamboo people' couldn't get in, so a Da Xia international student in a national laboratory was simply out of place.

And most crucially, he didn't even know to proactively approach people for a toast—wasn't that asking for death?

In Da Xia, people with skill and ability could get away with not toasting, but here in Washington, you're either at the dinner table or on the menu.

Clearly, Lu Ze currently didn't even qualify to be on anyone's menu.

However, even because of these identities, the people at LLNL Laboratory shouldn't be so cold to him, right?

Wasn't transferring him to a national laboratory precisely what Washington and DUKE University intended to do—to use a psychological tactic to make him yearn for the research environment here, thereby making him willingly work himself to the bone for them?

Now, being treated this way, aren't they afraid he might instead harbor resentment?

Or… was his promotion to a national laboratory merely a very small probability coincidence?

However, this conjecture was quickly overturned by him. In a country like Washington, he didn't believe in so-called coincidences; all seemingly good things here had already been marked with a price for you in the future.

Just as Lu Ze sat on a chair, his mind rapidly pondering various intentions.

Suddenly, a cough came from above his head.

“Cough… Are you… Lu?” A slightly aged voice slowly drifted over.

“I am Michael Hassen, your supervising Professor Hassen at LLNL Laboratory. You can also call me Professor Hassen.”

The middle-aged man, wearing a white lab coat and with a few stubborn strands of hair on his head, extended his hand kindly.

“Hello, Professor Michael,” Lu Ze also extended his hand, “I am Lu Ze!”

“I’ll introduce you to the various departments within the laboratory and our primary experimental environment for the future,” Michael Hassen walked ahead, beginning to explain things to Lu Ze.

Following behind his supervising Professor Hassen and listening, Lu Ze finally understood.

Why these people's attitudes were even colder than when he was at DUKE University—at least at DUKE University, most people could still give him a smile; here, it was good if he didn't get a few slaps.

If his previous graduate Professor Hassen was a case of 'the master leads you to the door, but cultivation depends on yourself,'

Then, now at LLNL Laboratory, the situation he faced was probably even worse. Although Professor Michael Hassen was a decent person and seemed very easy to get along with.

However, Professor Hassen faced a huge challenge, and that was his age.

At nearly sixty years old, even if Washington didn't have a clear retirement age, this age would prevent him from leading almost all major projects.

Furthermore, Michael Hassen's own research capabilities were not strong, and with his advanced age, he would likely be demoted by LLNL to other sub-research institutes for a peaceful 'retirement' within a year or two, or be sent out by LLNL Laboratory to society as an 'elite.'

Even the laboratory's supervising Professor Hassen was the most obscure and marginalized member of the entire research team, so it was quite normal for Lu Ze to receive such treatment.

Seeing this, Lu Ze twitched his lips.

Washington also plays this optimization game? As expected of a seasoned capitalist country, these methods run deep.

I don't have a clear retirement age, but that doesn't mean I can't cold-shoulder you out.

It seemed that DUKE University and Washington were indeed, as he suspected, planning to use him as bait by having him enter LLNL Laboratory.

Unfortunately, Washington's idea was good, but the people at LLNL executed it poorly.

“Alright, now you can get used to the environment here,” Michael Hassen smiled.

“Okay!” Lu Ze nodded.

“If you have any questions, you can call me for consultation!” Michael Hassen turned and walked out of the laboratory door. For him, it was already quitting time.

‘This makes things difficult…’

With this depressed mood, Lu Ze walked out of the laboratory.

His mind was pondering how he could get close to the core circle and successfully replicate technological items.

After all, this was a top national laboratory, not their Materials Engineering Laboratory at DUKE University, where he could easily access core areas.

There were dozens of subordinate departments, and countless research institutes of various classifications. As a newly joined peripheral researcher, he simply couldn't access those top-tier technological items.

Even observing from afar was a problem, let alone needing to touch them for five seconds.

To be honest, Professor Hassen, whom he was currently following, wasn't much better off than him; at nearly sixty years old, he had long been marginalized by the laboratory, and therefore couldn't be relied upon.

(PS: In foreign countries, addressing teachers, professors, etc., usually includes prefixes like Dr., but it feels too strange to write in Chinese, so they are uniformly referred to as 'surname + title.')

(New book, please collect, please continue reading.)