404: Chapter 854 All problems stem from a problem with the materials!

Zhao Yang looked at the list of problems highlighted in red on the screen in front of him and leaned back in his chair to ponder for a moment.

The high-temperature creep resistance of the blade material was insufficient, the thermal shock resistance of the thermal barrier coating on the inner wall of the afterburner was also inadequate, and the wear life of the tail nozzle adjustment flaps dropped significantly after multiple thermal cycles.

Zhao Yang felt a slight headache. As expected, material science was the foundation of everything; every problem was a material problem.

As long as the materials were sufficient, everything would be easy to handle. If the materials didn't meet the standards, trying to rely on design to bridge the gap would be difficult...

Thinking of this, Zhao Yang sighed. He attached specific performance parameter requirements, test conditions, and expected material index ranges behind each problem.

He had at least pointed out the direction clearly. The rest depended on whether the country could sort out these materials; it was impossible for him to handle everything on his own.

He encrypted and packaged the list, sent it to General Li's confidential email address via a secure line, and then leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a while.

The subsequent work would likely involve some modeling of the WS-15 cavity itself. Zhao Yang hadn't finished this work yet, and the rest...

Just as he was thinking about these things.

"Master, Professor Gu Ming is calling."

Shin-chan reminded Zhao Yang.

"Connect."

Zhao Yang said calmly.

"Zhao Yang, are you free now?"

"I am. Please go ahead."

"It's still about Professor Ross."

Professor Gu Ming's tone was somewhat helpless.

"He contacted me through a colleague at Cambridge, saying he wanted to have a private chat with you. Not a public debate, just an exchange between peers. He feels there might be some misunderstanding regarding your response on Twitter and wants to clear the air in person."

Zhao Yang switched his phone to his other hand.

"Professor Gu, I have nothing to discuss with him. Every step in the methodology section of my paper is written clearly. If he wants to verify it, he can follow the steps; if he doesn't, that's fine. Private chats won't solve any academic problems."

There was a silence on the other end of the line. Professor Gu Ming had known Zhao Yang for a long time and knew his temper, but this time he had been asked through several layers of connections, and he couldn't refuse.

"Zhao Yang, I know you don't care what Ross thinks. I also know that there is definitely no problem with the data in your paper; you never mess around in academia. But Ross's influence in the field of cellular aging is undeniable, and his students and protégés are spread across top laboratories in several countries.

You don't care about him, but many domestic peers still need to collaborate with his teams. Since someone asked me through connections, I can't just dismiss it with one sentence."

"Teacher Gu, I'm not targeting you."

"I know you're not targeting me."

Professor Gu Ming sighed.

"You've had this style since you published your first Chinese paper. But although the way Ross sent a message through others was very convoluted, it at least shows that he doesn't intend to continue attacking you in public. He wants to communicate with you proactively; if you give him a way out, this matter can be put behind us. If you don't give him a way out, he will lose face, and there might be more trouble later on."

"What kind of more trouble? He can't block me during paper reviews. I publish in Chinese journals, and the reviewers are domestic peers."

"He can't block you, but he can make some negative comments about your research direction at international academic conferences, influence the collaborative projects between his laboratories and domestic ones, and deliberately avoid citing your work in various review articles. These things won't affect you personally in the short term, but in the long run, they will cause some unnecessary estrangement for the entire domestic Biology community."

After listening, Zhao Yang said: "Teacher Gu, the data in this paper is one hundred percent authentic, and the methodology is one hundred percent reproducible. If anyone thinks there is a problem with the data, please ask them to provide evidence, rather than transmitting messages and applying pressure through various private connections. Academic matters should be resolved at an academic level. I will not cooperate with those off-field tactics."

Professor Gu Ming tried to persuade him a few more times, basically suggesting that he could soften his tone without changing his stance. After realizing he couldn't change Zhao Yang's mind, he stopped insisting.

"Then you'll have to use your own judgment. However, I must say that the wording of your previous Weibo post was indeed too aggressive. Sometimes being a little softer yields better results. The academic community in Dragon Country is still highly dependent on the international academic community. Although you aren't planning to go abroad, maintaining a certain sincere attitude won't do you any harm."

"I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Yang didn't dwell on this matter.

He got up and went to the underground laboratory.

The state of the experimental mice in the underground laboratory was very good. The automatic monitoring system on the cage rack showed that the exercise endurance data remained at a high level, and the organ indices and blood biochemical indicators were all within the normal range.

The values for the entire body's muscles were at extremely high levels.

Zhao Yang looked through the data summary on the screen and began to calculate the framework for his next paper in his mind.

He hadn't used up all the previous research results in the last paper he wrote, so he should hurry up and publish the second paper now.

Whether these people questioned it or not had absolutely nothing to do with him!

The next day, when he returned to Peking University, Zhao Yang had barely entered his office when President Wang called. He went to the president's office.

"Professor Zhao, sit down."

President Wang took off his reading glasses, placed them on the table, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I asked you to come because of the Ross matter. I've received quite a few calls these past two days—some from Cambridge, some from Harvard, and others relayed through the Education Commission. But they all mean the same thing: they say the wording of your Twitter post was too aggressive and hope you can soften your attitude a little."

Zhao Yang sat down on the sofa and said with a look of disdain.

"President Wang, the data and methodology in my paper are written very clearly. They don't perform replication experiments, and instead, they transmit messages through private connections every day. This is simply not how academic discussions should be conducted."

President Wang smiled bitterly.

"You're right; their approach is indeed problematic. But the international academic community has never been independent. Ross has been in the biomedical circle for decades and has extensive connections. You don't care about him, but many domestic peers still need to apply for international projects jointly with his teams. If this matter isn't handled well, it will be very unfavorable for future collaborations!"

President Wang felt very helpless. What kind of situation was this!

"President Wang, I don't mean to make things difficult for you. But every single one of these people transmitting messages is trying to use off-field pressure to influence academic discussion. If Ross really has questions about my paper, he should publicly raise specific points of doubt in an academic setting, or simply organize what he questions and post it online for everyone to discuss. I will absolutely respond to each one.

But he didn't do that; instead, he transmitted messages layer by layer through acquaintances. This has already deviated from the scope of academic discussion. Academia is never about targeting anyone. Questioning is fine, but at least provide evidence. Making empty claims that something might be problematic or doesn't conform to common sense, and then using his circle of connections to apply pressure—I cannot accept this kind of behavior at all."

President Wang was silent for a long while. Finally, he sighed, looked at Zhao Yang with a helpless expression, and said.

"What you say also makes sense. I will help you speak for yourself, but next time before you post on Weibo, can you let me take a look first? Let me have some mental preparation. These past few times, every time you finished posting on Weibo, our school office's phone would be blown up. I'm old, and my heart really can't take it."

Zhao Yang smiled.

"Okay, I'll tell you in advance next time."