15: Chapter 15: The fewer the words, the bigger the story!

That single line of concise bold text dominantly occupied the phone screens of countless people.

There was no long-winded buildup, no stirring rhetoric.

It was merely a straightforward statement, as if describing the most ordinary of trifles.

But upon seeing those words, in countless corners within Xia Country, hearts skipped a beat for the many people staring at their screens.

Countless people subconsciously clicked on the notification, wanting to find more details in the main text.

To their surprise, the content of this push notification was also extremely concise.

The entire piece consisted of only a few dozen words.

It merely reiterated the strategic significance of this breakthrough and expressed congratulations to all the researchers who had contributed.

That was it.

Yet it was precisely this extreme brevity and restraint that made the scalps of everyone familiar with the Xia Country official writing style tingle!

The fewer the words, the bigger the event!

These seven words were an unbreakable truth circulating on the Xia Country internet.

Every word of this report exuded a sense of mystery and gravity, implying that 'the matter is too big to disclose details.'

This could only mean one thing.

The actual achievement Xia Country had made with the Photolithography Machine this time was ten thousand times more terrifying than what those few short lines described!

Ecstasy, excitement, disbelief...

The frustration and resentment that had been suppressed in the hearts of countless citizens for years finally found an outlet to vent at this moment.

The entire internet was completely immersed in an ocean of joy and celebration.

However, amidst the carnival, a name that no one could avoid was once again pushed to the forefront—

Lin Yuan!

After all, just a few hours ago, the news about Lin Yuan being parachuted into the Third Research Institute was still hanging on the trending searches.

Immediately, some clever netizens jumped out.

"Brothers, let's look at these two things together, open up your perspective!"

"First, an undergraduate with a clean background is given an unprecedented exceptional promotion, directly inserted into the core Photolithography Machine project team!"

"Then, the state mouthpiece directly makes an official announcement: a major theoretical breakthrough in the Photolithography Machine!"

"If you say there's no connection between these two things, I'll wash my hair while doing a handstand on a livestream!"

This comment was like a spark falling into a powder keg, completely igniting public opinion.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! The logic chain is a perfect closed loop!"

"I wanted to curse earlier, but now I just want to slap myself! How did I not think of that!"

"No wonder! No wonder the state dared to make such an exception! It turns out he's not a 'connected' person at all, but a true pillar of the nation!"

Of course, voices of doubt still existed.

"Are you all crazy? An undergraduate! Even if he started learning from the womb, he couldn't have reached this step! There must be something fishy going on!"

"I agree, I bet he's just there to 'pick the peaches'! The real hero is someone else, and he's just the lucky guy pushed to the front!"

This "picking peaches" theory immediately drew even more fierce rebuttals.

"picking peaches? Are you kidding me! With Lin Yuan's background, he'd be lucky not to have his own peaches picked, and you think he can pick someone else's?"

"Exactly! Have you ever seen a peach-picker make such a huge scene? As if he's afraid people won't know he picked them?"

"There is only one truth! These peaches were grown by him in the first place! And these peaches are so big that the state had to use this method to tie him to the peaches and protect him!"

The more intense the argument, the more clearly one fact was branded into everyone's heart.

Lin Yuan definitely had something to do with this major theoretical breakthrough for the Photolithography Machine!

While the internet within Xia Country was in an uproar, those overseas intelligence agencies lurking in the shadows also sent out this brief but shocking news with the highest priority at the first opportunity.

...

At the same time, inside that high-security residence.

Lin Yuan's phone rang; the caller ID showed Lin Jixian.

He picked up the phone:

"Hello, Brother Lin."

On the other end of the line, Lin Jixian's voice had lost its usual ease and sounded exceptionally solemn:

"Brother, have you seen the direction the wind is blowing outside?"

"Yeah, I saw it."

Lin Yuan's tone was flat, without the slightest ripple.

Hearing Lin Yuan's calm tone, Lin Jixian's hand holding the phone couldn't help but tighten.

Only he knew what kind of thrilling game had taken place behind the scenes for those few dozen words of official announcement in the Xia Country Daily.

After all, Lin Yuan had only just proposed a theoretical direction for the 'Steady-state Micro-focused Light Source' upon arriving at the Third Research Institute!

Currently, the theory hadn't undergone rigorous verification, and there wasn't even a single piece of experimental data.

Whether it would work or not was a complete unknown.

Making an official announcement under these circumstances meant that if it couldn't be implemented later, it would be a total collapse of national-level trust, with unimaginable consequences!

When Lin Jixian received this draft for release from Lin Yuan, cold sweat immediately soaked through his shirt.

He didn't dare to make the final call and could only rush to ask Elder Long for instructions.

But what about Elder Long?

That old man just stared at the document for a few seconds before picking up his pen and signing his name.

What level of trust was that!

Lin Jixian gripped his phone tightly, forcibly suppressing the tremor in his voice, and said in a more serious tone than ever before:

"Brother, I want to remind you that there's no turning back now."

"Now that this post is out, this fire is truly burning all over the world..."

Lin Jixian paused, lowering his voice even further.

"Dean Chen's side has also clearly stated that the entire Xia Academy of Sciences will fully cooperate with you."

"Next, it's up to you."

"If there's no follow-up... I simply can't imagine the consequences!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan let out a light chuckle, a laugh that carried a composure of someone who understood everything and was in full control.

"Brother Lin, don't be nervous."

"This is just the beginning; the real show is yet to come."

After getting Lin Yuan's answer, the two didn't chat much more and soon hung up the phone in tacit agreement.

The room became quiet again.

Lin Yuan stood where he was, and with a thought, his exclusive translucent pale blue light screen popped up.

On the light screen, the blue progress bar representing credibility was soaring at a speed visible to the naked eye!

[Current Total Credibility: 35%... 43%... 52%... 60%!]

The blue numbers jumped so fast they were dizzying.

Every jump represented thousands upon thousands of people across the network who, because of the state's hardcore endorsement, believed he was the genius who would achieve the theoretical breakthrough for the Photolithography Machine!

Their doubts, their arguments, their shock...

All of it turned into the purest nourishment, poured heavily into this grand lie that Lin Yuan had set up.

This wave was simply a massive win!

Looking at the progress bar that had already broken sixty percent and was still charging ahead triumphantly.

The corners of Lin Yuan's mouth curled into an expression of genuine enjoyment.

Could one hundred percent be far off?