130: Chapter 130 Steady Progress

He shouldered the weight of a national strategic asset; for him, time was the plasma confinement window, and he could not afford a moment's delay.

In the study, however, Academician Zheng remained as steady as Mount Tai, showing no intention of budging.

He leisurely picked up the freshly brewed hot tea on the table, blew away the foam, and took a comfortable sip. His expression suggested he was merely here for a casual visit.

After seeing Chief Engineer Yang out, Chen Youhua turned back and saw Academician Zheng in this relaxed state.

He immediately felt the annoyance of being press-ganged into service and retorted sarcastically.

"You certainly are at leisure! As soon as you arrived, you saddled me with a massive nuclear fusion project. Is aerospace next? I think weather weapons also have potential; why don't you arrange those as well?"

Upon hearing this, Academician Zheng's eyes actually lit up. He put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and looked genuinely thoughtful.

"Oh? Weather weapons? Do you have an idea, Professor Chen? That's great! It involves complex fluid dynamics and energy transfer—truly your area of expertise! I'll contact the relevant departments right now to organize a joint research task force..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Chen Youhua was almost amused to the point of laughter by the old man's tendency to climb up the pole as soon as it was presented, and he hurriedly interrupted.

"You're actually taking me seriously? Nonlinearity, nonlinearity! What do you think the real world is? Reality is full of nonlinearity, randomness, chaos, and emergent phenomena! Can those be completely contained by mathematical formulas? Do you really take me for an omnipotent deity?"

Academician Zheng was amused by Chen Youhua's rapid-fire rant, laughed heartily, and returned to his composed, unflappable demeanor.

"Oh, I'm just joking! It's because I believe in your ability. Look at you—barely in your twenties, you've solved the Navier-Stokes Equation, built the Qiming Smart Manufacturing Engine, and biological prosthetics are about to yield results. Every single one of these is a miracle that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to imagine. I have full confidence in you!"

"Please don't! You really shouldn't!"

Chen Youhua waved his hands repeatedly, his tone tinged with a mix of helplessness and seriousness.

"Confidence is one thing, but reality is reality. For humanity to influence the material world, we must ultimately rely on concrete, material means. This is a material world, not an idealistic utopia. Mathematics may be near-omnipotent in the abstract realm, but it falls far short when applied to concrete reality. No matter how powerful a theory is, it requires materials, craftsmanship, and engineering implementation to support it. I can't conjure up tokamak magnetic coils, nor can I fabricate high-temperature resistant first-wall materials."

Academician Zheng looked with a smile at the young man before him, who was both sharp-edged and exceptionally clear-headed.

As an old Academician who had spent most of his life in engineering and headed both a national-level information engineering institute and the top-secret Spark Base, how could he not understand this principle?

Which of his own achievements wasn't built upon solid experiments, calculations, failures, and subsequent attempts? Idealism? That was the last thing one should have.

It was just that the terrifying insight Chen Youhua displayed—the ability to pierce through to the essence of things and solve impossible problems—was so astounding that Academician Zheng subconsciously felt that if Chen said something was possible, it truly was possible.

"Alright, alright," Academician Zheng waved his hand, wearing the indulgent smile of an elder watching a younger person's antics. "I know you, Chen Youhua, specialize in theory and aren't skilled in engineering practice, okay? I was just saying."

"That's not necessarily true," Chen Youhua pursed his lips and walked to the window, watching the students who still occasionally stopped downstairs. "It's just not time yet. When I feel the theory is solid enough, or if the existing engineering methods are too foolish, I might just get involved myself."

"Hahaha, good! That's ambitious!" Academician Zheng nodded with a smile and changed the subject. "By the way, I heard you're doing something big on New Year's Day? And you're doing a live stream?"

Chen Youhua turned around, somewhat surprised. "You're remarkably well-informed, aren't you? I only just announced it."

"Since it concerns you, Professor Chen, and it's a high-profile project, I have to pay attention." Academician Zheng took a sip of tea. "Tell me, what are you thinking? Being this high-profile doesn't seem like you."

"The high profile is forced upon me." Chen Youhua walked back to the sofa and sat down. "Rather than letting Wang Zhe, Li Wei, and the others keep their heads down working on the project, it's better to be pushed by external questioning, forcing them to complete an engineering experiment under pressure. Even if problems are discovered during the process, or if the final demonstration fails, that's valuable experience. It's better than waiting until the late stages of the project to realize the foundation is unstable and having to start over."

"Hmm, that's a good approach!" Academician Zheng expressed his approval. "Young people need to struggle and grow through real-world experience. Failure isn't scary; what's scary is never failing. Smooth sailing often creates hothouse flowers. You have guts as a project leader!"

"I wouldn't call it guts," Chen Youhua rubbed his temples. "It's mainly that I'm sick of the endless questioning and prying. Making an appearance early will shut some people up and keep them from guessing wildly. Besides," his tone carried a hint of self-deprecation, "I have to wear big sunglasses just to go for a walk now, and even then, people still recognize me and crowd around to take photos. Fame is a shackle when it's too great. Sometimes I really think it wouldn't be bad if I were notorious, as long as it meant I could have some peace and quiet."

"That won't do!" Academician Zheng immediately said seriously, "Youhua, you are the academic banner designated by the authorities to be pushed to the forefront, the benchmark for the scientific spirit of the new era! Young, top-tier, serving the country—you possess all the qualities to become a leading figure in the academic world. Your reputation, your image, are of vital importance! In another ten years, given your potential, who knows how many world-leading research achievements you could produce."

Chen Youhua waved his hand. "Alright, Old Zheng, I understand all these grand principles. Success will come naturally; forcing it won't yield sweet fruit. Right now, I just want to handle the things in front of me well and bring up the team that I should."

He paused, as if suddenly remembering something. "By the way, how is the construction of my comprehensive laboratory going? You haven't been so busy assigning me tasks that you've forgotten about my laboratory, have you?"

Academician Zheng laughed. "Oh, Professor Chen has finally remembered that he has a dedicated laboratory to be built?" He put down his teacup. "Rest assured, they should be laying the foundation now. Everything is proceeding steadily according to plan. Do you want to go and check the progress yourself?"

Chen Youhua thought for a moment and shook his head. "Forget it, there's a lot to do at the end of the year. It's not far from home anyway; I'll just stop by when I go back for the New Year. By the way," he added, "you must keep an eye on the land reserved next to the laboratory and don't let anyone occupy it. I might have some other ideas later and will need the space."

"It's reserved, it's reserved!" Academician Zheng waved his hand grandly. "It was planned for you long ago! That area, the large plot of open space right next to your laboratory, is all reserved for you! Whether you want to build supporting laboratory buildings, set up a private library, or even build a skyscraper for fun, it's all up to you! As long as your ideas are beneficial to the country and the scientific community, there is plenty of space!"

Chen Youhua nodded, satisfied.