6: Chapter 006 Old Chen's Shock: This is No Joke!
In the western suburbs of the capital, within a heavily guarded compound. The night was still, and only the warm yellow light from a study window pierced the darkness.
Academician Chen Jianguo had just finished a multinational video conference and was rubbing his throbbing temples, preparing to rest. Suddenly, the red secure phone on his desk rang, shattering the silence of the night. Only a handful of people knew this number, and it was never used except for major events.
His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately grabbed the receiver.
"Elder Chen, I'm sorry to disturb you so late. There's... a situation here at the Cyber Defense Center that requires your immediate presence." On the other end of the line was the voice of the Director of the Cyber Defense Center, suppressed with a sense of urgency and disbelief.
"What's the situation?" Elder Chen asked in a deep voice, his years of experience keeping him calm.
"Someone... used technical means we can't comprehend to bypass all our defenses and deliver a 'gift.' It's signed 'Patriot X.' The content... might be related to aerospace materials. We can't judge its authenticity and need you, our pillar of stability, to take a look."
"Patriot X? Materials?" Elder Chen's brow furrowed. "I'll be there immediately."
Half an hour later, Elder Chen's motorcade quietly drove into the underground garage of the Cyber Defense Center. Accompanied by Su Xiaowan and the center's director, he walked into the highly isolated analysis room.
"Elder Chen, this is the data packet." Su Xiaowan pointed to the main screen, which displayed the signature "Patriot X" and two attachments that were still encrypted. "I've used the 'key' left by the sender to safely bypass the outer defenses and self-destruct mechanism, but the core content remains encrypted. The decryption command... is extremely complex and seems to require specific trigger conditions."
Elder Chen didn't speak, only signaling Su Xiaowan to continue. His cloudy yet sharp eyes stared intently at the screen, as if trying to see through the cold code to the intentions of the person behind it.
Su Xiaowan took a deep breath and typed a long string of dynamic keys into the keyboard, derived from her reverse engineering combined with the sender's hints.
The progress bar began to move slowly.
One could hear a pin drop in the analysis room; everyone held their breath. The center director's palms were sweating, and Su Xiaowan was focused entirely, while only Elder Chen remained standing tall and straight, like a green pine in the wind and snow.
With a soft "beep," the first attachment was successfully decrypted.
The file expanded, and the title was strikingly—"Synthesis Path and Performance Analysis of a New High-Efficiency Curing Agent Based on Lunar Silicate Environments."
Elder Chen's calm gaze instantly froze. He almost lunged forward, leaning in toward the screen, his fingers trembling slightly as he scrolled the mouse wheel.
Lines of rigorous chemical formulas, exquisite molecular structure diagrams, and complete industrial processes—from raw material purification to catalytic reactions and product treatment... This wasn't some rough conceptual idea; it was a mature technical proposal detailed enough to be sent directly to a laboratory for verification!
Using his lifelong learning and profound foundation in materials science, he quickly deduced several key reaction steps in his mind.
"This... this catalytic mechanism... using ilmenite, which is common in lunar soil, as a precursor? Brilliant! This completely avoids the high cost of rare catalysts on Earth!" he muttered to himself, his voice slightly hoarse.
"And this polymer structure... the stability... the strength..." He read faster and faster, the shock in his eyes deepening. Some of the theories presented in this document even overturned his established knowledge, yet the logical chain was incredibly rigorous and self-consistent—he couldn't find a single flaw!
"Open it! Open the other one!" Elder Chen urged, his voice filled with impatience.
Su Xiaowan operated immediately, and the second attachment was decrypted. Title—"Molecular Design and Preparation Process of High Specific Strength, High Toughness Lightweight Composite Materials (Provisional Name: LC-1)."
This time, Elder Chen looked even more closely. When he saw the material model formed by simulating spider silk protein composite with specific nano-ceramics, featuring a hierarchical ordered structure, and its theoretically calculated performance parameters—far exceeding all current aerospace aluminum and titanium alloys—his body swayed slightly, and he had to reach out to steady himself against the edge of the desk.
"Elder Chen!" the center director and Su Xiaowan exclaimed simultaneously, moving to support him.
Elder Chen waved them off, indicating he was fine. But when he looked up, his face was flushed, and his eyes were even slightly moist. It wasn't fatigue, but extreme excitement and exhilaration.
"It's not a joke... this is definitely no joke!" His voice trembled, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty. "The value of this information... is immeasurable!"
He turned abruptly, his gaze sweeping over the center director and Su Xiaowan like lightning: "Immediately! Initiate the highest-security level 'Chasing Light Project'! Declare this place an absolute restricted zone, and all personnel who have come into contact with this matter must sign a lifelong non-disclosure agreement!"
His words carried a decisive power: "No matter who sent this information or what their purpose is, what they have given the Dragon Kingdom is a shortcut to the stars! It is our hope to break the blockade and even... overtake!"
He took a deep breath and looked at the calm "Patriot X" signature on the screen. His gaze was incredibly complex, filled with gratitude, shock, and endless curiosity.
"Patriot X... just who are you?"