159: Chapter 159 I don't believe you for a second!

Listening to Lin Yuan's matter-of-fact statement, He Mingde took a deep breath and then slowly shook his head.

"Academician Lin, you make it sound... far too simple."

"But the problem Room-Temperature Superconducting Material solves isn't just the issue of energy transmission in Fusion Reactors!"

He Mingde rested both hands on the edge of the table, leaning his upper body forward slightly as he stared at Lin Yuan's five hard drives.

"You say it's just a matter of solving pain points as you encounter them, that it's only logical."

"But once the words 'Room-temperature Superconductivity' are thrown out there, it overturns much more than just a single table."

"It's going to overturn the entire room! It's going to overturn the old industrial order the entire world has built over hundreds of years!"

Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair, hands crossed over his abdomen, a faint smile floating on his lips.

He was, of course, well aware of these things.

Regarding the chain reaction for the entire civilization once Room-temperature Superconductivity was achieved, he had simulated it countless times much earlier than anyone else present.

However, he did not speak up to interrupt He Mingde.

He Mingde could no longer sit still; he stood up slowly and paced two steps in front of the long table, his hands behind his back, filled with both anxiety and excitement.

"Once Room-Temperature Superconducting Material appears in the world..."

"In the field of transportation, maglev trains will completely shed their expensive cooling systems and massive bulk, moving from a laboratory concept directly into the daily commute of millions of households."

"Even the electric vehicles currently in the pilot phase domestically will see a qualitative leap in power, range, and charging efficiency."

He didn't pause, his words bursting out one after another.

"In the medical field, the cost of MRI equipment will be driven through the floor, allowing ordinary people to enjoy high-end diagnostic imaging that was originally priced at astronomical levels."

Zhou Changming listened from the front row, his hands resting on his knees without moving, but his fingertips had unconsciously sunk into the fabric of his trousers.

However, He Mingde's words continued.

"As for national defense..."

"Electromagnetic railguns, laser weapons, integrated electric propulsion systems for ships..."

"This entire suite of ultra-powerful electromagnetic equipment could become a reality because of the emergence of Room-Temperature Superconducting Material. The entire landscape of Xia's national defense strength will be completely reshaped."

"And this is just what I can think of off the top of my head."

"If we dig deeper: quantum computing, aerospace propulsion, industrial manufacturing..."

"Every single field will be turned upside down because of the appearance of this material!"

He Mingde spread his hands, his tone thick with an emotion that was impossible to dissipate.

"How much money has the world poured in, how many generations have spent their lives researching Room-temperature Superconductivity?"

"Isn't it because once it breaks through, the underlying logic of human civilization will be rewritten?"

"And now..."

He looked fixedly at Lin Yuan, the second half of his sentence stuck in his throat, unspoken.

The hall fell silent for several breaths.

Lin Yuan waited until the silence in the hall had lasted for a moment, then smiled.

He didn't follow up on He Mingde's words; instead, he tilted his head and threw out a sentence with great interest.

"Dean He."

"You've praised this material so highly."

He extended a finger and tapped twice on that fifth hard drive on the table.

"But this thing, by all accounts so far, is still just a preparation plan lying inside a hard drive."

"There isn't so much as a hair's shadow of a physical object yet."

Pausing for a moment, the smile on Lin Yuan's face deepened slightly.

"You... trust me that much?"

When he said this, his tone was extremely casual, carrying a clear hint of teasing.

He Mingde looked at him, his chest heaving several times, before he slowly sat back down in his chair.

He didn't rush to answer, but instead turned his head and sized Lin Yuan up from head to toe.

The young man leaned against the back of his chair, hands resting lazily on the edge of the table, his entire being radiating the word 'steady.'

There wasn't the slightest panic of someone bluffing, nor any hint of the evasiveness one might expect from someone afraid of being questioned.

How could this be the appearance of someone worried that their plan would fail or that they couldn't produce the physical object?

He Mingde let out a self-deprecating laugh and asked a question in return.

"Then do you think there will be a problem with the data you've brought out?"

Lin Yuan didn't answer, but simply gave a light shrug.

The meaning of that gesture couldn't be more obvious.

Seeing this, He Mingde followed suit and laughed with relief.

After laughing, his gaze fell back onto the row of hard drives on the table, his eyes sliding slowly from the fifth on the far right to the first on the far left.

He stared at the first hard drive for two seconds.

"High-Temperature Superconducting Tape..."

He Mingde murmured softly, dragging out the end of his words very slowly.

Then his gaze moved back to the fifth one.

That was the Room-Temperature Superconducting Material.

"Academician Lin."

He gestured vaguely toward the first hard drive and then pulled his hand back to point at the one on the far right.

"Since we already have Room-Temperature Superconducting Material..."

"Then can the High-Temperature Superconducting Tape in this first hard drive be replaced directly?"

Below the stage, Zhou Changming and several veteran experts in materials science also realized this upon hearing his words. They all looked up, their eyes burning as they turned toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan nodded, his expression remaining calm and unhurried.

"Theoretically, of course it can."

He folded his hands on the table and continued methodically.

"Once the Room-temperature Superconductivity is successfully prepared, it will completely crush high-temperature superconductivity in every performance metric. The core problem of magnetic field confinement can naturally be perfectly solved using it."

"At that time, the original high-temperature superconductivity plan will naturally be relegated to a backup."

At this point, Lin Yuan paused slightly.

"But then again, in engineering, it's never a bad thing to have an extra card up your sleeve."

"In case something goes wrong during the preparation of the room-temperature superconductor and the results don't meet expectations, the high-temperature superconductivity plan can step in at any time."

"After all, walking on two legs is always more stable than hopping on one, wouldn't you say?"

These words were spoken with perfect poise, and there was no flaw to be found in the logic.

However, looking at Lin Yuan's face, the veteran experts present all had the same thought pop into their heads in unison—

Like I'd believe your nonsense!

This kid was speaking politely, but on that calm and breezy face, where was there even a hint that he expected an accident to happen?!

What "something goes wrong," what "doesn't meet expectations."

Coming from his mouth, it sounded entirely like polite formalities.

If Lin Yuan really felt that the room-temperature superconductor preparation might fail, he probably wouldn't have brought out the fifth hard drive and placed it on the table at all.

Zhou Changming looked at the five hard drives lined up on the table, then looked up at Lin Yuan.

In an instant, an extremely strange sense of security seeped out from the marrow of his bones.

Working under this man, it seemed one really didn't need to worry too much.

He set the direction, he paved the road, he prepared the materials, and he even thought of the way out for you.

All you had to do was do your job beautifully.

He Mingde felt the same way.

Having toiled in the field of fusion for over forty years, this was the first time he experienced this kind of peace of mind from having someone cover for him.

The hall was quiet for a few breaths.

Lin Yuan scanned everyone present, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

He gathered the five hard drives together again and pushed them toward the center of the table.

"Alright, seniors. Let's save the excessive small talk and grand visions for the victory banquet."

"We... officially start work now!"