64: Chapter 64: Continuing the Recruitment

Time slipped by unnoticed until 12 o'clock, and Chu Ge turned over again.

"System Big Brother, this Laser Grenade of yours is a bit ugly, isn't it? Though, the combat effectiveness is barely passable."

Although the data blueprint provided by System Big Brother didn't have any image displays, Chu Ge had carefully studied it just now and felt that the physical object couldn't look much better.

It looked round and lumpy, and the surface wasn't even smooth; wasn't that just a toad? It would be strange if it looked good.

[And then?]

"In our world, there is a saying that I think is quite right: appearance is combat effectiveness!"

[There is another saying: gold on the outside, rot on the inside!]

...

Chu Ge was choked up, and too lazy to retort, he just fell into a deep sleep, fuming.

The night passed without a word.

At 6:00 AM, the morning sun in the coastal city was beautiful, especially when it first emerged; the red halo spread over the calm sea, possessing a unique charm.

"Tianhao, aren't you a top student in astrophysics? Tell me, why are the morning and evening suns red?"

"Oh, the sun shines obliquely in the morning and evening, so the atmosphere is thicker. Light of other colors gets scattered away, except for red and orange, which is why we see the red morning sun."

"Mm."

Yan Tianhao was a walking encyclopedia, though naturally only limited to the field of astrophysics.

Today, Chu Ge specifically got up early and ran a lap around the seaside embankment.

After running until he was tired, he stood on the steps and took deep breaths facing the sea. The air had a salty seawater smell mixed with a scent similar to some kind of seaweed. Chu Ge couldn't describe it, but he didn't dislike this smell; on the contrary, he liked it very much.

After taking one last look at the sea, the morning sun, and the chattering seagulls, Chu Ge felt he could fight again.

"Tianhao, let's go, back to Yanjing!"

...

Having a private plane is fast; by the time Chu Ge arrived at the Research Institute, everyone had just finished breakfast.

Chu Ge and his group were in a hurry and didn't have time to eat breakfast in Q City, for which he was given a good scolding by Elder Meng.

Chu Ge and Yan Tianhao prepared to try their luck at the Research Institute cafeteria.

Therefore, the rare sight of Wang Yun holding a Baozi and stuffing it into her mouth was just encountered by Chu Ge and the others.

"Cough, cough, cough, um, Academician Chu, you're back?"

After Wang Yun finished speaking, she turned her head away and forced herself to swallow the mouthful of Baozi, then her eyes welled up with tears; she had choked quite badly just now.

"Slow down, it's not embarrassing. Has the telescope base been handed over properly?"

"Yes, Academician Chu, it has all been handed over to the military professionals, so Wang Yun can return to report to you today!"

"Mm, good. How about this, in an hour, have Li Gang and Zheng Jun come to my office."

"Okay!"

Since Chu Ge was back, he definitely had to report to Academician Chen first. Of course, a thief doesn't leave empty-handed; Chu Ge had to think about what he was missing...

Oh, he was missing people.

Thinking of this, Chu Ge wasn't hungry anymore. He greeted Wang Yun and the other, then headed straight for Academician Chen's office.

When Chu Ge walked into Academician Chen's office, Elder Chen was practicing Tai Chi.

Chu Ge stood there watching for a long time. Elder Chen's stance and aura were very strong; it felt like he had been practicing for a long time, although Chu Ge didn't really understand these things.

"Elder Chen, your Tai Chi is quite good!"

"Oh, little Chu! You're back? Have you eaten?"

"Uh, I have."

Chu Ge picked up an apple from the coffee table.

"Mm, you know Tai Chi too?"

"I don't, it just feels very authentic. If you were to put on a training suit and move to one of those mountains with an ethereal vibe, you would be a living Tai Chi master!"

"Haha, you're quite good at flattering me. A training suit? Where would I find the time? Can't you see I'm just practicing in the office? Just to loosen up my muscles and bones."

Dedicating one's life to the cause is truly the motto of these older generation scientific researchers, and Chu Ge was always deeply moved whenever he thought of this.

"Is everything at the Prism Tower Base settled?"

"Mm, Wang Yun has finished the handover, and there are no issues with the Prism Tower Base; it has officially begun to carry out its mission!"

"Good!"

Elder Chen was stirred with excitement.

...

For a long time, Chu Ge didn't speak again, focusing his efforts on the apple.

"Little Chu, do you have other matters? If not, why don't you hurry and go see Li Gang and the others?"

Elder Chen said slowly after glancing at his fruit plate, which had bottomed out in the blink of an eye.

"I do. We need the top experts in materials science. It's not many, about 100 people should be enough."

"Cough, cough!"

The tea Elder Chen had just swallowed nearly came back up.

"You, I've discovered that I don't know when it started, but there hasn't been a single time you've come to me without making a request. If this continues, it will become a conditioned reflex; whenever you come to my office, my blood pressure rises."

"That's called a stress response, haha."

"Then, in the future, when you don't have requests, come by more often, and then you won't have that, what was it, stress response, right?"

Academician Chen complained about Chu Ge for less than a minute before he began to "defect."

"Alright!"

Chu Ge finished the last apple and replied happily.

"You brat, what kind of materials experts do you need?"

"Metals, non-metals, polymers, electronic materials, aerospace materials, nuclear materials, construction materials, energy materials, biological materials, and so on. I don't really know how to distinguish them or what categories they fall into, but that's the general idea."

Chu Ge rattled off a whole list.

Academician Chen did the math; hmm, you don't know anything, but this basically covers all of current materials science, not a single one missing.

"With so many categories, 100 people actually isn't many. You want the top elites for all of them? I'm afraid Old Wu will have to coordinate this; many of them are in subordinate enterprises, so it will take time."

"Oh, Elder Chen, you might have misunderstood. I meant 100 people per material category. How many categories are there?"

Chu Ge began to count on his fingers.

"Fine, fine, fine. Write a detailed report later, and I will help you forward it to Old Wu. Anything else? I suddenly feel a bit unwell..."

...

When Chu Ge returned to his office, Li Gang and the others were already outside the door.

"Academician Chu, you're back?"

"Mm, come, come in!"

"How is the progress on the projects you all have on hand?"

Li Gang, Zheng Jun, and the others hurriedly reported the progress of the last few days to Chu Ge.

"Good, here's the situation: Zheng Jun, continue to stay on the Quantum Communication and Quantum Computer projects. Pay attention to quality; these two are the foundation and also one of the most important parts. Don't chase speed."

"As for Li Gang, hand over the finishing work of the helmet system to the deputy team leader, then select some people and prepare to accept new projects, by tomorrow at the latest. I will hand over the relevant data and progress reports to you!"

"Yes, Academician Chu."

After a period of grinding in, everyone had already become accustomed to Chu Ge's work mode.