27: Chapter 27 An Academician Visits; Grandpa's "Heirloom" Can Defy Gravity?

The smile on Su Che's face vanished the moment he saw the text message.

Lin Waner was still holding his hand and could clearly feel his palm tighten.

"Su Che, what's wrong?" she asked softly.

Su Che didn't brush her off with a "It's nothing" or some scientific explanation like he usually did.

He just remained silent, shoved his phone back into his pocket, and then turned his head to look at her.

"That academician who caused your father's death has come to Xuefeng City."

His voice was very flat, without any waves of emotion.

The color drained from Lin Waner's face in an instant.

She held onto Su Che's hand, tightening her grip unconsciously.

"Is he... is he coming for you?" Her voice was trembling.

"Whether he's coming for me or for my technology doesn't matter."

Su Che grasped her cold hand in return. "What matters is that he is here."

Lin Waner looked at him, at his face that was no longer playful but filled with gravity.

She suddenly realized that Su Che's current situation was remarkably similar to her father's back then.

Both were because the technology in their hands was too advanced, making them fat prey—or a thorn in the side—in the eyes of others.

A tremendous fear gripped her heart. She was afraid.

She was afraid that this man before her, who had just made her heart flutter, would follow in her father's footsteps.

"Su Che, I..." She wanted to say "Let's run away," or "Throw all those things away."

But the words died on her lips when she looked into Su Che's calm eyes.

She knew that for him, those "junk" items were his life.

Just as the research back then had been her father's life.

In the end, she only squeezed his hand tighter. "I'll stay with you."

By the time they returned to the village from the county town, it was already dusk.

At the village entrance, the construction by the Engineering Battalion was still in full swing.

Huge searchlights illuminated the entire village as bright as day.

Brand new utility poles had been erected, and thick fiber optic cables, like black giant pythons, were laid out along the poles.

The villagers gathered around, watching this spectacle they had never seen in their lives, whispering to each other with faces full of excitement and anticipation.

Su Che ignored all this; he just wanted to be alone right now.

He put the newly bought toolbox back into the studio, and Lin Waner silently followed behind him, helping him organize things.

"Su Che." "Hmm?" "You... be careful." "I know."

Su Che didn't turn back; he just waved his hand.

Lin Waner looked at his back for a long time, finally sighed, and quietly closed the door as she left.

The next day, Su Che climbed out of bed early in the morning.

Because he had stayed up late the previous night, he hadn't had time to think about anything and had fallen into a deep sleep.

He went into the middle of the pile of "divine treasures" and squatted on the ground.

Academician Ma. The surname is Ma. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Any one of the technologies currently in his hands would be enough to cause a massive upheaval if revealed.

Since that man surnamed Ma dared to come, he would definitely not leave empty-handed.

It's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. He scratched his hair in irritation, his gaze landing on the pile of "high-end scrap" sent by General Zhang.

He needed a stronger trump card. He crouched down and rummaged through the pile of scrap metal.

A palm-sized, inconspicuous piece of metal scrap caught his attention.

He didn't know what equipment this scrap had been removed from; its edges showed traces of high-temperature melting, and its surface was pitted.

He picked it up, and the feeling in his hand was very strange. It wasn't heavy; it was even somewhat light.

He brought this piece of scrap to the workbench, as if guided by some unseen force.

Using pliers, he carefully scraped a bit of grayish-white powder from the edge of the scrap.

Then, he took out the glass slide used for experiments and connected it to the battery. He took a deep breath and flipped the switch.

A strong electric field formed. On the glass slide, the substance—identical to the powder previously found in the reservoir samples—floated up silently.

"Holy shit... it's the same..."

He cut the power, looked at the powder falling back onto the glass slide, and then looked at the piece of metal scrap in his hand.

The substance in the reservoir was not a natural mineral. It was man-made!

As for why it was in the reservoir, the reason might be very simple: it was accidentally spilled into it. He had just happened to filter it out by chance.

It was very normal for his grandfather to go to the reservoir, and this wreckage came from the military's scrap warehouse.

General Zhang said that his grandfather's identity was top secret and that he wasn't dead. The factory accident back then was fake.

A terrifying thought grew wildly in his mind. Could it be... that his grandfather's research back then was related to this Anti-gravity material?

Was that so-called "factory accident" also, like Lin Waner's father's case, a conspiracy to steal technology?

After a while, Su Che calmed himself down. Now was not the time to think about this; Academician Ma was coming, and he needed to prepare some countermeasures in advance.

In the afternoon. "Rumble—!" A heavy roar of engines once again broke the tranquility of the village.

But this time, it wasn't the trucks of the Engineering Battalion. Several black Audis with "Official Vehicle" license plates drove directly to the village entrance and stopped next to the Engineering Battalion that was under construction.

The car doors opened. Several people wearing black suits and gold-rimmed glasses, who looked like leaders at first glance, stepped out.

Leading them was an old man with graying hair and a spirited demeanor. Although he was wearing casual clothes, the air of authority from long-term high-ranking positions could not be hidden.

Village Chief Wang Fugui hurriedly ran over, nodding and bowing. "Leaders, do you have any instructions for coming to our village?"

The old man leading them pushed up his glasses. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

"We are the expert assessment group from the National Geological Survey Bureau." "We received a report that someone in your village is building illegal projects without authorization, which may affect geological safety."

He took out a document stamped with a red header. "We are ordered to come and investigate."

A young man behind him opened a silver briefcase. Inside the case was a precision-designed, handheld detector that Su Che had never seen before.

The young man took the detector, pressed the button, and scanned in the direction of the mountain behind the village.

"Beep—beep—beep—!" On the detector, the red warning light representing energy reaction flashed instantly! The shrill sound made everyone present change their expressions.

The young man looked at the energy reading on the screen that had instantly gone off the charts, along with the text below displaying "Unknown High-Density Metal Mineral Deposit Reaction," and his voice cracked.

"Acade... Academician Ma!" "The back mountain... there's a situation at the back mountain!"