56: Chapter 56 The Battle for Talent in Beijing: I Strikes Back with a Military-Grade Miniature Nuclear Fusion!
President Liu Qianghua held Su Che's hand, his aged eyes brimming with tears.
"Su Che, we... we have been waiting for you for decades!"
These words were abrupt and lacked context, but the heartfelt excitement behind them was palpable to anyone.
"Dean Liu, Su Che has had a long journey; let him rest first."
General Peng had approached at some point, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.
He gave Su Che a gentle smile.
"Su Che, welcome to the capital. I didn't expect us to meet so soon."
"The car is ready. Let's head to the Military Science Commission's guesthouse first; the security there is of the highest level."
Hearing this, President Liu Qianghua became anxious.
"Absolutely not!"
He pulled Su Che behind him, glaring at General Peng like a protective hen.
"General Peng, you military folks can't just snatch people away like this!"
"Su Che's research achievements need our Academy of Sciences to evaluate and integrate them! He should come with us first!"
General Peng smiled, not bothering to argue.
"Dean Liu, I received reports that Su Che's aircraft stabilizer just saved a whole plane of our people. I must express my gratitude."
"Reason and propriety dictate that he should come to the Military Science Commission first."
Seeing that the two sides were about to start arguing on the tarmac, Su Che spoke up.
He brushed aside President Liu Qianghua's hand and walked over to General Zhang.
"Uncle Zhang, I will go with you."
That settled it.
After all, the military was the first group he had contact with; he was familiar with them.
President Liu Qianghua looked disappointed and unwilling, wanting to say more, but was held back by an academician behind him.
A triumphant smile appeared on General Peng's face as he personally opened the door of the military Hongqi sedan for Su Che.
The motorcade drove steadily toward the Military Science Commission headquarters.
One hour later.
The Military Science Commission's highest-level Conference Room 17.
Around the long conference table sat bigwigs with stars on their shoulders.
Su Che sat to the left of General Peng, facing a group of grey-haired technical generals and military industry experts.
After listening to General Zhang's briefing on miniaturized Controlled Nuclear Fusion and bionic hydraulic technology, the entire conference room fell deathly silent.
After a long while, a technical major general wearing glasses, who looked refined and scholarly, cleared his throat and stood up.
"Su Che, my name is Li Haiping. I am in charge of energy systems for new weapons."
He adjusted his glasses and looked at Su Che with burning intensity.
"Regarding your miniaturized Controlled Nuclear Fusion, if... and I mean if, it were used in weapons, for example, to power electromagnetic railguns or laser weapons, how feasible would it be?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the familiar mechanical voice sounded in Su Che's mind.
[Ding! New military requirement detected. Side quest triggered!]
[Quest Name: The General's Desire, The Blade of Nuclear Energy!]
[Quest Content: Major General Wang's question is the hope of the entire Dragon Nation military! Please develop a military-compatible module for Controlled Nuclear Fusion to completely solve the application difficulties of small-scale nuclear fusion technology in the military field!]
[Quest Reward: 250 Skill Points, unlock primary exchange authority for [Nuclear Fusion Energy Directional Output Technology], requires 120 exchange points.]
[Current host has accumulated 800 Skill Points. Do you wish to exchange?]
"Exchange!"
[Ding! 120 Skill Points consumed. Primary exchange authority for [Nuclear Fusion Energy Directional Output Technology] has been exchanged.]
[System Prompt: You can directly exchange for [Nuclear Fusion Energy Conversion Interface Protocol]. Required Skill Points: 30.]
"Exchange!"
Su Che stood up.
Under the puzzled gazes of all the bigwigs, he looked directly at General Peng at the head of the table.
"General Peng, take me to your laboratory."
"Now, immediately."
One hour later.
The Military Science Commission's core "Pangu Quantum Computer" laboratory.
A group of national treasure-level military scientists in white coats, with an average age of over sixty, gathered around an experimental bench, not daring to breathe loudly.
Su Che, as if he were in his own studio, skillfully selected the materials he needed from the various rare materials they handed him.
Cutting, welding, programming...
It was smooth and fluid.
In less than an hour, a palm-sized, structurally complex silver-white module appeared on the experimental bench.
"Connect it to the energy output test platform," Su Che said, wiping his hands.
An old expert, his hands trembling slightly, carefully connected the module to a massive piece of testing equipment.
He pressed the start button.
On the large screen in the center of the laboratory, lines of data refreshed frantically.
"Report! Energy directional output efficiency... 99.8%!"
"Peak power... stable with no fluctuations!"
"Good heavens! He... he solved the biggest bottleneck! The loss during the energy conversion process is almost zero!"
A white-haired old academician stared fixedly at the screen, trembling with excitement.
"This module isn't just stacking performance; it has precisely calibrated the 'anti-interference threshold' and 'power adaptation range' of energy conversion to meet our military equipment standards. This is the most terrifying part—he even figured out our equipment parameters!"
"A miracle... this is a miracle!"
The room full of military industry bigwigs looked at the young man, who remained calm while constantly creating miracles, and felt their scientific understanding being completely redefined.
That evening.
Su Che was arranged to stay in a specially provided Expert Apartment with security levels comparable to a head of state's suite.
After showering, he lay on the soft bed and called Lin Waner.
The call connected quickly.
"Hello?"
Lin Waner's voice carried a hint of sleepiness.
"Did you miss me?" Su Che asked with a smile.
"Not at all," the girl said stubbornly on the other end.
"Really?"
"...I did."
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum.
Su Che's heart fluttered.
"How is the new teacher?"
"She's quite good, very experienced, and the children like her."
"That's good."
"What about you? In the capital... are you getting used to it?" Lin Waner asked softly.
"It's alright, but the bed here is too soft. It's not as comfortable as the cot in the studio."
"Smooth talker."
They chatted affectionately for a while before hanging up.
Su Che looked at the ceiling, feeling a sense of peace.
The next day, at nine in the morning.
In the Military Science Commission's secret conference room.
General Peng and Dean Liu, who had rushed over early in the morning, were holding their first informal talk with Su Che.
The atmosphere of the conversation was very relaxed.
Dean Liu first introduced the large-scale popularization and application of the Quantum Information Technology that Su Che had provided before the new year, as well as the research progress and plans for the Anti-gravity irrigation system.
They chatted about everything from technology to daily life, and from Su Family Village to Su Che's grandfather.
When discussing the laser show accident on New Year's Eve, Su Che mentioned the "Kunlun Alloy".
"Speaking of "Kunlun Alloy"," Su Che said casually, taking a sip of tea.
"I actually decrypted a coordinate left by my grandfather, which points to the Earth-Moon L2 point."
"He also mentioned something about a 'Southern Gate'."
Before he could finish, "Clatter!"
The blue and white porcelain teacup in President Liu Qianghua's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
General Peng's body straightened abruptly; his usually calm face was filled with shock and horror.
The two exchanged a glance.
In that glance, there was a turbulent storm that Su Che could not understand.
General Peng stood up abruptly and ordered the guards at the door in an undeniable tone.
"Clear the area!"
"Everyone, retreat to one hundred meters away!"
"Activate the highest level of signal shielding!"
A few minutes later, only the three of them remained in the large secret conference room.
General Peng walked to the wall and entered a long, complex password into an extremely hidden compartment.
The wall slid open silently, revealing a special safe that required both iris and fingerprint verification.
He took out a slightly yellowed file bag, heavily sealed with kraft paper and wax.
He placed the file bag solemnly in front of Su Che.
"Su Che."
General Peng's voice carried a hint of trembling.
"It seems that some things are time for you to know."
On the cover of the file bag, five large characters and two small characters were printed in blood-red Song typeface.
'Nantianmen Project'.
—Top Secret.