89: Chapter 89 Countdown to the Nation's Fate! Chief Engineer Su is actually fast asleep?

[48:00:00]

The countdown is one-third complete.

Outside the laboratory of the Optical Materials Research Group at the "Kaitian" base.

Dozens of academicians and experts, who usually remain calm even if Mount Tai were to collapse before them, were now as restless as a group of family members waiting for news outside a delivery room.

The corridor was filled with the pungent, anxious smell of instant coffee mixed with nicotine.

Several young researchers, with dark circles under their eyes, stared fixedly at the "growth chamber" humming lowly inside the observation window, as if they wanted to pierce through it with their gazes.

Academician Qian Zhenhua leaned against the wall, clutching the two-hundred-page report so tightly that his knuckles were turning numb.

He hadn't closed his eyes for a full twenty-four hours.

Yet the culprit, the protagonist of this high-stakes gamble, Su Che, was sleeping soundly in the temporary lounge next door.

"Old Qian, you should go get some rest." President Liu Qianghua walked over and handed him a cup of hot water.

Academician Qian Zhenhua waved his hand, his eyes never leaving the strange machine.

"I can't sleep."

He lowered his voice, as if talking to himself, or perhaps asking President Liu Qianghua.

"Old Liu, do you think... have we all gone crazy?"

"Betting the entire future of the Dragon Kingdom's optical field on a... child's few sheets of draft paper?"

President Liu Qianghua remained silent, offering no answer. Because in his heart, he was also uncertain.

Just then, the door to the lounge opened.

Su Che walked out, yawning, his hair messy from sleep, his face still drowsy.

He glanced around at these national treasure-level haggard figures in the corridor and scratched his head.

"Seniors, did you... pull an all-nighter for an academic seminar?"

Seeing his carefree attitude, Academician Qian Zhenhua's blood pressure shot up instantly.

He rushed to Su Che in two or three strides, pointing at his own dark circles.

"We are here guarding the national destiny for you, and you, on the other hand, are sleeping soundly!"

Su Che blinked, looking innocent.

"The program is set, the machine runs on its own, what else should I do if not sleep?"

He patted his stomach.

"It's mealtime, is there anything to eat? I'm hungry."

"..."

Academician Qian Zhenhua felt a lump in his throat and almost passed out.

In his entire life, he had never seen such an outrageous Chief Engineer!

"Data! I want to see the real-time growth data!" Academician Qian Zhenhua roared.

"Oh, it's on the screen over there, see for yourself."

Su Che pointed to the main console and then headed straight for the base's temporary cafeteria.

Academician Qian Zhenhua and the group of experts immediately swarmed to the main console.

On the screen, there was only a green line so straight it was outrageous, representing the various parameters inside the growth chamber; it was unbelievably stable.

There were no fluctuations, no abnormalities.

"Is... is this normal?" an expert muttered to himself.

"It's too normal, which makes it abnormal!" Another expert adjusted his glasses. "How can crystal growth have absolutely no parameter disturbance? Is this data... fake?"

Academician Qian Zhenhua stared fixedly at the line, saying nothing.

He couldn't understand it.

The initial code provided by Su Che was like a black box; they could only see the inputs and outputs but were completely unable to understand the operating logic within.

This feeling made the old Academician, who had spent his entire life immersed in precision optics, feel an unprecedented sense of... helplessness.

...

Meanwhile.

Across the ocean, at The White House.

President Trump had just signed a new executive order, a signature smug smile on his face.

"Adam, I really like this list from your 'Pan-Pacific Technology Alliance'."

President Trump handed a document to Adam, who was standing opposite him.

"It's like a precise scalpel, capable of cutting off every major artery of Dragon Kingdom's technology."

Adam took the document and bowed slightly.

"Mr. President, this is just the first step."

"According to our intelligence, the Dragon Kingdom has already launched a top-secret project codenamed 'Kaitian', attempting to independently manufacture lithography machines."

"The fifty-plus scientists on this list are their final trump card."

A cold curve appeared at the corner of Adam's mouth.

"Now, we will announce to the world that these fifty-plus people have been included in the 'Pan-Pacific Technology Alliance Global Technology Integrity Blacklist'."

"Any individual or organization that engages in academic exchange or technical cooperation with them will be regarded as an enemy of the 'Pan-Pacific Technology Alliance'."

"I want to turn them into isolated academic islands."

"I want them to watch in despair as their country is completely locked by us into the low-end industrial chain."

President Trump nodded in satisfaction.

"Well done."

"Tell the whole world, this is not a sanction."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked into the distance.

"This is the civilized world's... discipline for the barbarians."

...

[12:00:00]

The countdown, only twelve hours left.

Lieutenant General Peng walked into the laboratory with an encrypted document just received from the highest level, his face terribly grim.

He slammed the document on the table.

"Take a look."

"The US has blacklisted all the core experts of our Kaitian project."

"A global ban."

The document was passed around among dozens of academicians, and the conference room remained silent as they read it.

Humiliation!

This is a naked, blatant humiliation to the entire scientific community of the Dragon Kingdom!

"This is too much!" Academician Wu Mengda slammed his fist on the armrest of his wheelchair, shaking with rage.

"They want to nail us to the pillar of historical shame!"

"Then let's turn that pillar into their tombstone!"

Su Che's voice suddenly rang out.

He had just returned from lunch, holding a cup of yogurt.

He walked over to Academician Wu Mengda, picked up the blacklist, glanced at it, and then casually tossed it into the trash can.

"Academician Wu Mengda, don't be angry. If you get sick, who will help me build the Anti-gravity platform?"

He looked around at these pillars of the nation, who were filled with righteous indignation, and smiled.

"Seniors, if someone spits in your face, do you curse back, or do you punch them until they're looking for their teeth on the floor?"

"We are scientists; we don't play word games."

Su Che walked to the main console and pulled up the simulation of the atomic stacking inside the growth chamber.

"Use this to slap their faces until they're swollen."

His words were like a shot of adrenaline, instantly lifting the oppressive atmosphere in the conference room.

That's right.

Reasoning with thugs is useless.

The only way is to create a fist harder than theirs!

...

[00:00:01]

Time reached the late night of the third day.

The laboratory was full of people.

Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the last jumping numbers on the screen.

[00:00:00]

The countdown hit zero.

"Hum—"

The humming of the growth chamber stopped abruptly.

The indicator light changed from the running green to standby white.

The main console screen also instantly went black.

The entire laboratory fell into a dead silence.

Did it succeed?

Or did it fail?

No one knew.

Su Che stood up from his chair, stretched, and loosened his muscles.

He walked over to that huge "pressure cooker."

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Academician Qian Zhenhua could no longer control himself; he walked forward tremblingly.

His slightly trembling hand reached toward the heavy alloy hatch of the growth chamber.

"Open... should I open it?"

He turned his head and looked at Su Che.