12: A group of academicians were completely bewildered when high school students gave them a lecture!

"Do you... feel... this is appropriate?"

When Lu Chen's question—delivered with a plain tone but carrying a hint of soul-crushing intent—clearly reached the ears of everyone in the conference room, the entire world seemed to have been muted.

You could hear a pin drop.

Academician Li Zhenbang's flushed face was now like a palette, shifting from red to purple, and finally to a deathly pale.

His lips trembled as he tried to say something to refute, to defend his dignity as an Academician.

But, he sadly realized that he had absolutely nothing to say!

1.7 nanometers?

The Western Alliance's "Freedom Eagle" laboratory?

He hadn't even heard of these terms!

His knowledge system, which he took such pride in, stood before the youth's casual remarks like a sandcastle hit by a tide, collapsing instantly.

"Outdated"...

These two words pierced his heart like two sharp steel blades!

For an old man who had dedicated his entire life to science, what could be a more cruel evaluation than this?

In the conference room, the other experts in the fields of engineering and materials also lowered their heads, their faces burning.

Because they realized that, just like Academician Li Zhenbang, they knew nothing about the "cutting-edge technology" Lu Chen spoke of.

Had they truly... fallen behind the times?

Seeing Academician Li Zhenbang's dejected appearance, Lu Chen did not press his advantage.

He wasn't here to slap faces.

He was here to solve problems.

He needed these top-tier brains to become the hands and feet to realize his dreams.

Therefore, what he needed to do wasn't to humiliate them, but... to completely conquer them!

"It seems everyone still has many doubts about the proposal I put forward."

Lu Chen scanned the room, taking in everyone's expressions, then walked unhurriedly to the giant holographic touch screen in the center of the conference room.

He skillfully pulled up the drawing interface and picked up a light pen.

"Since you don't believe me just by talking, I will... explain it in a bit more detail."

He said this lightly.

But the Academicians present felt as if they had been slapped hard across the face!

What do you mean "explain it"?

A high school student, giving a lecture to us, a group of national treasure-level Academicians with an average age of over sixty, each having spent decades deep in their own fields...?

It's absolutely ridiculous!

Yet, for some reason, at this moment, no one dared to laugh.

Everyone's gaze was subconsciously drawn to the screen, and to the calm and composed youth.

"Regarding the issue of energy density, Academician Li, your previous skepticism was quite correct."

Lu Chen's first sentence made Academician Li Zhenbang freeze.

This kid was actually affirming him first?

"Looking at traditional lithium-ion intercalation reactions, 1000Wh/kg is indeed an impossible triangle in physics."

As he spoke, Lu Chen used the light pen to draw a complex electrochemical reaction model on the screen with fluid ease.

His technique was more standard and skillful than any PhD student present!

"However, who told you that we must use 'intercalation' reactions?"

Lu Chen shifted his tone, tapping the tip of the pen lightly on the model!

"Why can't we try a different approach?"

"For example... multi-electron conversion reactions?"

"Or, to be more direct, simply adopt... reversible lithium polysulfide redox reactions?"

Boom!

The moment the term "lithium polysulfide redox reaction" left Lu Chen's mouth, the chemistry and materials experts present were struck as if by lightning!

"Lithium-sulfur batteries?! You want to use the lithium-sulfur battery technical route?!" a chemist exclaimed, "That's impossible! The 'shuttle effect' and volume expansion problems of lithium-sulfur batteries are global challenges! They are fundamentally unsolvable!"

"Unsolvable?" Lu Chen smiled.

Without turning his head, the light pen in his hand moved so fast it almost left an afterimage!

Brand new molecular formulas and incredible equations poured down onto the giant screen like a waterfall!

"Who says they're unsolvable?"

"As long as we introduce 'mesoporous carbon nanofibers' as a physical adsorption layer on the positive sulfur carrier, and then use 'nitrogen-doped graphene' as a chemical adsorption layer to form dual protection, we can firmly lock 99% of the polysulfides in the positive electrode, completely solving the 'shuttle effect'!"

"As for volume expansion, that's even simpler!"

"We just need to use 'atomic deposition technology' on the surface of the metallic lithium negative electrode to plate a 5-nanometer thick 'solid-state electrolyte' protective film, and we can perfectly inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites!"

"In this way, won't the two biggest problems be solved easily?"

He finished in one breath, and the light pen in his hand stopped.

On the giant holographic screen, a perfect, logically self-consistent, and theory-defying new lithium-sulfur battery model appeared clearly before everyone!

The entire conference room was deathly silent.

All the Academicians and experts stood as if frozen by a binding spell, staring blankly at the perfect model on the screen, their minds completely blank!

Their expressions shifted from initial skepticism to shock, to horror, and finally... only a fervor and worship that could not be described in words remained!

Solved!

The two core problems that had plagued the global chemistry and materials science communities for decades were actually... just like that, solved by an eighteen-year-old youth, in such a casual way, in just a few short minutes?!

He wasn't writing a thesis!

He was creating genesis!

"Gulp." Someone swallowed hard.

In Academician Li Zhenbang's cloudy old eyes, there was no longer any skepticism or anger; instead, there was a sense of awe, as if witnessing a "miracle," and complete prostration!

He stood up shakily, his lips trembling as he wanted to say something, but he found his throat so dry that he couldn't utter a single word.

He suddenly understood.

What is a Dimensionality Reduction Strike!

This is what a Dimensionality Reduction Strike is!

This group of them was still using millet and rifles to study how to shoot down airplanes.

And the youth before them was already flying a Star Destroyer, discussing interstellar warfare with them!

They were simply not on the same dimension!

Long Weiguo quietly watched this scene, which could only be described as magical.

Watching that group of national treasure-level Academicians, who were usually arrogant and whom even he had to treat with great courtesy, now looking up at the youth standing in front of the screen like a group of primary school students.

In his heart, only one thought remained.

He had found a treasure!

This time, the Xia Kingdom had really... found a god of genesis!

He slowly stood up, breaking the deathly silence.

He didn't look at the dejected Academicians, but locked his gaze onto the still composed youth.

His voice carried an unprecedented solemnity, and a hint of... imperceptible request.

"Mr. Lu Chen."

"I think no one will question your abilities anymore."

"So... can you tell us what your next step is?"