Chapter 76 Smith's Questioning

At seven in the morning, Li Xiao was the first to push open the laboratory door as usual.

She poured herself a glass of water, turned on the computer, and habitually browsed today's academic news first. This was her daily morning routine—tracking the latest international developments to see if there was any research related to their project.

On the homepage of the Nature magazine website today, a striking headline made her freeze:

"Chinese Battery Technology Breakthrough Sparks Controversy: Nobel Laureate Calls for More Independent Verification"

Li Xiao's heart skipped a beat. She clicked the link and scanned through it quickly.

The article was long and accompanied by a photo—a white-haired foreign elderly man in a suit and bowtie, standing in a laboratory. The caption below the photo read: "1997 Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry, Professor Emeritus of Stanford University, John Smith."

Li Xiao continued reading. The core of the article was a direct quote from Smith's interview:

"I have noticed the Lithium-Sulfur Battery data recently released by China. An energy density of 1520 Wh/kg and a cycle life of 1200 cycles—these numbers are impressive, but also unbelievable."

"I have worked in the battery field for fifty years and witnessed countless 'breakthroughs.' But the vast majority cannot be replicated. This isn't targeting China, but a basic law of science: extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

"The data they have publicly released so far is insufficient to support such a conclusion. I need to see more verification results from independent laboratories, understand the specific synthesis methods of the materials, and have complete records of repeated experiments. Otherwise, I can only view this data as... preliminary results that have not yet undergone rigorous testing."

Li Xiao's breathing quickened.

She scrolled down and saw comments from international scholars. Some agreed with Smith's view, believing they should be cautious; others felt Smith's skepticism was too harsh, as China's scientific progress was obvious to all.

But what unsettled Li Xiao the most was a passage at the end of the article:

"It is reported that Professor Smith has joined forces with more than ten top laboratories in Europe, Japan, and the United States, planning to form an 'International Battery Technology Verification Alliance' to independently replicate China's Lithium-Sulfur Battery data. The alliance has sent invitations to relevant Chinese research institutions, hoping to obtain detailed experimental parameters and material samples."

After reading it, Li Xiao was stunned.

She froze for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up and rushed to Chen Xueming's workstation.

"Dr. Chen! Dr. Chen!"

Chen Xueming had just entered the laboratory and was startled by her: "What's wrong?"

Li Xiao handed him the phone: "Look at this, quickly!"

Chen Xueming took the phone and quickly scanned through it. After reading, his expression turned very grim.

"Smith..." he muttered, "Why did he jump out?"

Li Xiao asked, "Do you know him?"

Chen Xueming gave a bitter smile: "I do. I heard his lectures when I was at Stanford. He's a titan in the battery field, a Nobel laureate with students all over the world. The entire academic community listens to what he says."

Zhang Zhe also leaned in. After reading the news, he was silent for a few seconds and then said:

"He's not targeting us. He's targeting all 'breakthroughs.' This old man has spent his whole life questioning others; half of the results he questioned were later proven false."

Chen Xueming nodded: "Right. He doesn't target anyone specifically; he targets 'unrepeatable' data. The problem is—our data really hasn't been shown to others."

Li Xiao became nervous: "Then what should we do? They say they want to form a verification alliance and want us to provide experimental parameters..."

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"This isn't something we can decide. We have to tell Teacher Lin."

At exactly eight o'clock, as soon as Lin Mo entered the laboratory, he saw the three of them huddled together with solemn expressions.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Li Xiao handed him the phone. After Lin Mo finished reading, his brow furrowed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Smith's skepticism," he said. "As expected."

Chen Xueming was stunned: "As expected?"

Lin Mo nodded: "After our data was released, it was impossible for there to be no reaction from abroad. I just didn't expect Smith himself to step up."

He walked to the whiteboard and picked up a marker:

"Don't panic, everyone. Smith's questioning has its reasons, but also its motives."

He wrote a few words on the whiteboard:

Reasonable: Our data has indeed not undergone third-party verification.

Motive: Forming a verification alliance and requesting parameters is essentially an attempt to obtain our technical details.

Chen Xueming looked at those words and gradually understood:

"So on the surface, they are questioning, but in reality, they want to..."

Lin Mo nodded: "Yes. Verification is a pretense; extracting technology is the real goal. If we really hand over the detailed experimental parameters and material formulas, they will be able to replicate our results directly."

Zhang Zhe frowned: "Then what should we do? If we don't respond, they'll say we have a guilty conscience; if we do respond, the technology will be leaked."

Lin Mo thought for a moment and said:

"Respond, but we must take the initiative."

He turned to look at Chen Xueming:

"Dr. Chen, you've published papers in international journals. Do you know anyone over there?"

Chen Xueming nodded: "I know a few editors."

Lin Mo said: "Then write an open letter to Nature in our name. First, thank Smith for his attention and suggestions; second, state that we welcome independent verification, but the method of verification needs to be negotiated by both parties; third, propose that an international authoritative body lead a public, transparent on-site verification—right here in our laboratory, performed personally by third-party experts."

Chen Xueming's eyes lit up: "This way, we both respond to the skepticism and protect the core technology?"

Lin Mo nodded: "Yes. Let them come and see, but only on our turf. Once they've seen it, they can verify it on the spot, but they cannot take away any samples or formulas."

Li Xiao raised her hand: "What if they don't accept?"

Lin Mo smiled:

"If they don't accept, it shows they aren't sincerely trying to verify, but have other motives. At that point, public opinion will be on our side."

In the afternoon, Chen Xueming began drafting the open letter.

He wrote slowly, carefully weighing every word. He needed to express respect for Smith while also stating his own position; he had to show an open attitude while holding the line on core technology.

Li Xiao helped him look up information on the side to ensure all expressions met academic standards. Zhang Zhe occasionally chipped in to remind him of the accurate usage of certain professional terms.

After writing for three hours, it was finally finished.

Chen Xueming handed the draft to Lin Mo: "Teacher Lin, please take a look and see if this works."

Lin Mo took it, read it carefully, and nodded:

"Very good. This is exactly what I meant. Send it."

Chen Xueming took a deep breath, opened his email, found the contact information for the Nature editor, and sent the letter.

The moment he sent it, he leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

"Now we just wait," he said.

Three days later, the Nature website published Chen Xueming's open letter.

The title of the letter was: "Response Regarding Lithium-Sulfur Battery Data: Welcoming Scientific Verification, Looking Forward to Sincere Cooperation."

In the letter, Chen Xueming first expressed respect for Smith, thanking him for his attention to China's scientific research progress. Then, he stated clearly:

"Our data is authentic and reliable, with complete records of all experimental processes. We welcome independent verification from international peers, but the method of verification should be open, transparent, and mutually respectful. We suggest that the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) or a similar authoritative body lead a multinational expert group to come to our laboratory for on-site verification. At that time, all experimental parameters can be made public, and all operations can be performed personally by the experts. We believe that only such verification can truly embody the spirit of science."

At the end of the letter, Chen Xueming added a passage:

"Science has no borders, but scientists have a motherland. We are willing to share our results with peers around the world, provided that this sharing is equal and two-way. We also look forward to seeing those who question us being willing to show us their experimental details."

After this letter was sent out, it quickly sparked a new round of discussion.

Some praised Chen Xueming's response as "appropriate and powerful," some supported his "on-site verification" proposal, and others continued to question that China's data "dared not disclose all details."

But the most eye-catching thing was Smith's own response.

That evening, Smith released a short statement through Nature:

"I welcome Dr. Chen's response. The suggestion for on-site verification is reasonable. I have contacted IUPAC to explore the possibility of organizing an expert group. If the Chinese side is willing to cooperate, I will personally lead the team."

In the laboratory, several people gathered around the computer, looking at Smith's statement.

After reading it, Li Xiao was a bit nervous: "Is he really coming?"

Chen Xueming nodded: "It seems so."

Zhang Zhe asked: "If he comes, what do we do?"

Chen Xueming thought for a moment and looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo smiled:

"What to do? Let him come. When he comes, let him see with his own eyes how we did it."

He looked at Chen Xueming:

"Dr. Chen, are you afraid?"

Chen Xueming shook his head: "No. The data is real, what is there to fear?"

Lin Mo nodded:

"Then get ready. Wait for him to come."

In the evening, Chen Xueming worked overtime late into the night.

Sitting at his workstation, he repeatedly looked at the open letter and Smith's statement, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Smith was coming. That Nobel laureate he had once looked up to from afar at Stanford was coming to verify his results.

Was he nervous? Of course. What if there was some oversight, what if there was something in the data that couldn't be explained clearly...

But he remembered Lin Mo's words: The data is real, what is there to fear?

Right. The data was real. The experiments were rigorous. The team was reliable.

What was there to fear?

He took a deep breath and continued reading the materials.

Outside the window, the night deepened. The lights of the distant laboratory building were still on.

He knew that whether Smith came or not, regardless of what the international academic community said—

They would continue to move forward.