Chapter 93 Collective Strike

Li Jiajun's internal cries for help had no effect whatsoever.

He felt like a piece of meat thrown into a pack of hungry wolves, being torn apart alive.

Academician Zhang Jingmin from Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group was gripping his left arm tightly, spitting as he passionately spoke about his ideals of serving the country through aviation.

The dark-skinned representative from the Navy had monopolized his right arm, talking incessantly about the stars, the seas, and ten-thousand-ton destroyers.

Even more outrageous was the bigwig from the Ordnance Group; unable to squeeze into the inner circle, he had actually grabbed one of Li Jiajun's legs from behind, shouting loudly about land warfare being king and tanks deciding victory.

The order at the scene had completely collapsed.

This was no longer just a market scramble for talent; it was a morning rush-hour subway, and a stampede had occurred.

"Let go! You old shameless bunch! Engineer Li is the future of our Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group!"

"Bullshit! Engineer Li is clearly more interested in our Navy's warships! He's practically already agreed!"

"Get lost! His leg is already here with me! According to the rules, his lower body belongs to our Ordnance Group!"

'Help… my lower body has already been carved up? What are you people doing? Dismembering me on the spot?'

Li Jiajun's face had gone pale; he had never experienced such a scene in his life.

He felt like he would be torn to pieces by this group of over-energetic old men in the next second.

Just as several national treasure-level Experts were about to start a physical brawl over the ownership of this talent, a powerful cough, filled with unquestionable authority, rang out heavily through the warehouse.

"Ahem!"

The sound was not loud, but it caused all the frantic movements to cease instantly.

It was the Old General who had not spoken until now.

He just stood there quietly, his gaze sweeping calmly across the room, but the invisible pressure caused the temperature in the entire warehouse to drop by several degrees.

Those bigwigs, who had been scrambling for talent just like young men a moment ago, were now like primary school students caught fighting by their teacher.

They sheepishly let go, heads bowed, their faces still flushed, looking rather embarrassed.

Li Jiajun finally regained his freedom.

He scrambled to hide behind Liu Jianguo, panting heavily while still shaken, looking at the group of Experts as if they were a bunch of lunatics.

Watching his cowardly appearance, Liu Jianguo's mouth twitched.

He wanted to laugh but had to hold it in, making his already miserable face look even more bitter.

He patted Li Jiajun on the back to reassure him, then stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Everyone, General Managers, please calm down, calm down," he said with a wry smile to smooth things over.

"The person is right here, he isn't going anywhere. The technology is also here, and it won't be lost. We are here to solve problems, not to create them, right?"

These words finally managed to ease the atmosphere at the scene.

Academician Zhang Jingmin straightened his clothes, which had been pulled into a crumpled mess.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the lingering excitement in his heart.

He glanced at the other representatives beside him; their eyes met, and they instantly reached a consensus.

Then, Academician Zhang Jingmin, acting as their representative, walked slowly in front of Li Jiajun.

This time, he did not reach out again but kept a distance of about a meter.

His excited face had now turned into an expression of near-devotion and awe.

He looked at Li Jiajun as if looking at a prophet guiding the lost.

Everyone around them fell silent.

The Navy bigwig stopped shouting, and the representative from the Ordnance Group stopped yelling.

Everyone held their breath, pricked up their ears, and focused on Li Jiajun with unprecedented concentration.

"Engineer… Engineer Li."

Academician Zhang Jingmin's Adam's apple bobbed.

He spoke, his voice hoarse and carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling.

"Could we… venture to ask?"

He bowed slightly, using a respectful posture like a student seeking guidance from a teacher, and asked the question that had been hovering in everyone's minds and left them completely baffled:

"Your… this great technology of yours, this… this coating that can make light itself bend, where exactly… did your inspiration come from?"

As soon as this question was asked, the air seemed to freeze.

All the Experts leaned forward, their eyes filled with a thirst for truth.

They had already begun to crazily imagine the possibilities in their minds.

Was it a brand-new physical theory?

Was it an astonishing application of quantum mechanics at a macroscopic level?

-- Or was it inspiration from a higher plane?

They were ready, ready to listen to a scientific maxim worthy of being recorded in history, one that would be deafeningly profound.

...

However, the person they were facing was Li Jiajun.

Li Jiajun was made even more nervous by this sudden silence and the expectant gazes of the crowd, which seemed as if they wanted to swallow him whole.

How would he know anything about profound theories? He was just a cheater.

Now, being stared at by a group of true academic geniuses as if he were a deity, his scalp tingled.

He just wanted to find an excuse to send these people away so he could go home and get a good night's sleep.

His brain raced, trying hard to recall the true source of inspiration when he originally developed this technology.

Then, he remembered.

Thus, under the gaze of a dozen pairs of eyes filled with awe and expectation, Li Jiajun scratched his head, revealing a pure and slightly embarrassed, innocent expression on his face, and almost blurted out:

"Inspiration? Ah… that… there's nothing special about it…"

"I just… I was just casually scrolling through videos online that day and watched a documentary about the animal kingdom…"

He paused, seemingly organizing his words, and then, in a very sincere tone, delivered the answer that made time stand still:

"…I just thought… thought the Chameleon in it was quite interesting, being able to change color in the trees and not be discovered… so… I just casually tinkered with it…"

He finished speaking.

The warehouse fell into a silence even more complete and profound than any time before.

Academician Zhang Jingmin's hand, which was just about to adjust his glasses, froze in mid-air.

The Navy representative's mouth, which had just opened to ask a follow-up question, also froze there, forgetting to close.

The bigwig from the Ordnance Group saw his gaze instantly diffuse, losing all focus.

Every Expert, scholar, and bigwig present, every single one of them, was as if frozen in place, standing there blankly, their faces still holding that expectant, devout, and focused expression, but their eyes had lost all luster.

At this moment, their brains collectively shut down.