135: Dr. Ilya

The pitch-black, streamlined shuttle sliced through the thin atmosphere of the stratosphere, leaving a straight shockwave trail above the sea of clouds at five times the speed of sound.

Inside the cabin, Lei Wen was reviewing a top-secret personnel file through a private terminal.

This was the only person he was going to meet on this trip to the Xiamen Earth Science Research Center, and also the only candidate identified by white flower as having the capability to shoulder the banner of the Human Federation's faster-than-light engine research.

"Ilya von Klein."

Lei Wen read the name, which carried a heavy aura of German nobility, his fingers gently sliding across the data on the screen.

"This resume... it practically exists just to crush the confidence of ordinary people."

"Yes, Father." The voice of white flower rang out in the cabin, supplementing the information in rhythm with Lei Wen's reading. "Dr. Ilya comes from a long-standing academic family in Germany. Her family has produced seven Royal Society members in the past two centuries. Her parents, Professor Heinrich von Klein and Ms. Alice, are premier biologists in Europe and even the world. In 2045, they jointly won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their groundbreaking contributions to genetic engineering and cloning technology."

"A medical family?" Lei Wen raised an eyebrow. "Then why did she go into physics? And the most obscure celestial mechanics and quantum mechanics at that?"

"That is the reason she is called an alien genius." white flower pulled up a family tree chart. "Dr. Ilya was born in 2062, nearly thirty years after the popularization of blood orchid products. As top scientists, her parents were among the first beneficiaries of full-dose blood orchid genetic optimization, which is why Dr. Ilya belongs to the first generation of blood orchid descendants in human history."

Lei Wen nodded; he knew what that meant.

Parents with optimized genes would pass them on perfectly to their offspring, allowing these children to possess physical fitness and brain potential far exceeding those of old-era humans from the moment they were fertilized eggs.

"At three, she displayed an unusual sensitivity to numbers and geometric shapes. By five, she had self-taught higher mathematics courses. Although her parents desperately hoped she would follow in their footsteps, she had zero interest in fiddling with cells in those wet petri dishes. Instead, she showed a near-obsessive fanaticism for the orbital trajectories of stars and the essence of the universe."

"At twelve, she was admitted to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology by special exception. At sixteen, she published that famous paper, 'On the Chaos Boundary Correction in Multi-body Motion of Stellar Systems,' winning her a doctorate in celestial mechanics in one stroke. Immediately after, she pivoted to the quantum field, obtaining a doctorate in applied physics at twenty-two, and conquered a doctorate in quantum mechanics at twenty-five..."

"The precise orbital model of the Solar System in the Orion Arm of the Milky Way that we currently use, as well as the correction formula for the gravitational slingshot effect, are all based on her algorithms."

"Now, having just turned forty, she is already the youngest lifetime academician of the European United Academy of Sciences and the Chief Scientist of the Theoretical Physics Department at the Earth Science Research Center."

"Just last month," white flower projected an unpublished abstract, "she proposed a brand-new spatial geometric concept called [Klein Metric]. Although it is still in the theoretical stage, it is considered the closest attempt humanity has ever made to Warp Drive theory."

Lei Wen looked at the screen filled with honors and staggering academic achievements, and closed the file.

"A genius, a true genius." Lei Wen sighed. "I hope this genius doesn't have a too eccentric temper. You know, most of these theoretical physicists have a bit of... personality."

"Regarding that point," there seemed to be a subtle pause in the voice of white flower, "you will know once you meet her in person."

...

Half an hour later, the shuttle slowly landed on the core tarmac of the Xiamen Earth Science Research Center.

This massive scientific research city, built against the mountains and by the sea, was a masterpiece of human wisdom. Countless sci-fi-styled buildings were hidden among the lush subtropical vegetation, and the entrance to the [Zhurong] super-large particle collider below the Wuyi Mountains was vaguely visible.

As soon as Lei Wen walked down the gangway, he saw a group of personnel in white research uniforms already waiting there. Leading them was the administrative director of the research center, a shrewd and capable middle-aged man.

But Lei Wen's gaze involuntarily crossed over the director and fell to the side.

There was no shrewd, capable career woman there as he had imagined.

Instead, surrounded by several tall security guards and assistants, stood a little girl wearing a white lab coat.

She looked at most fifteen or sixteen years old, with a height estimated to be just over 1.5 meters. She had a petite figure, a head of long silver hair cascading like a waterfall, and skin so fair it was almost transparent, to the point where one could even see the pale blue blood vessels beneath the skin under the sunlight.

The white lab coat on her was clearly a size too big, with the cuffs hanging down long, exposing only a few slender fingers.

Most striking were her crimson eyes, like top-grade rubies, revealing a depth and arrogance completely inconsistent with her appearance.

Lei Wen subconsciously stopped in his tracks, his gaze searching the crowd, trying to find the legendary "Dr. Ilya."

"Director Raven, welcome." The administrative director stepped forward.

Lei Wen shook his hand somewhat perfunctorily, then lowered his voice and asked: "Director, where is Dr. Ilya? Hasn't she arrived yet?"

The administrative director was stunned for a moment, then looked along Lei Wen's gaze toward the silver-haired, red-eyed "little girl," a look of embarrassed yet polite smiling appearing on his face: "Director, that is Dr. Ilya von Klein."

"Huh?"

Lei Wen's mouth hung open, his chin almost hitting the ground. He widened his eyes and pointed at the girl who looked underage, asking in disbelief: "Her? Forty years old? Academician of the European Academy of Sciences? Are you sure she isn't some scientist's granddaughter playing cosplay?"

Just then, the silver-haired girl seemed to notice Lei Wen's gaze filled with doubt and shock. She frowned slightly and walked over with elegant little steps.

As the distance closed, Lei Wen found that her features were as exquisite as a perfectly crafted doll, and that unique temperament instantly gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.

"What?" The girl stopped three meters in front of Lei Wen, arms crossed, chin slightly raised, and said in a tone that was completely inconsistent with her height and condescending: "Is the famous Director of the Interstellar Affairs Bureau just a vulgar person who only judges by appearances?"

Her voice was crisp and childish, yet carried a natural, inherent arrogance.

"Father, please pay attention to your expression management." The voice of white flower rang out in the micro-earpiece in time, bringing an explanation. "This is a characteristic of the new humans. Since her parents were among the first beneficiaries of the blood orchid, Dr. Ilya perfectly inherited and amplified the life-extending effects of the blood orchid."

"The growth cycle of the new humans has been significantly lengthened. Ordinary humans reach adulthood at 18, but for them, with a theoretical lifespan approaching three hundred years, the physiological development period is extended to around 45 years old. In other words, although Dr. Ilya is actually 40 years old, from a physiological age perspective, she is in the early stages of human adolescence, roughly equivalent to 14 to 15 years old in the old era."

"This is the so-called 'trouble of the long-lived species.' Physical development is slow, but the brain and mind are already mature. Many children on the street who look like minors might actually be experts in various fields."

After hearing the explanation, Lei Wen suddenly understood.

Isn't this a legal loli... cough, no, it's the retention of youthfulness brought by longevity.

But the look he had just given her, as if looking at a rare animal, had clearly angered this genius girl.

Ilya's red eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of a dangerous signal: "If you are thinking of something rude in your head, I suggest you stop immediately, otherwise I am going to get angry!"

Lei Wen immediately came to his senses; he realized that he had indeed lost his composure just now.

Regardless of her appearance, the person in front of him was a scientist with forty years of experience and top-tier intelligence.

"Apologies, Doctor." Lei Wen quickly adjusted his mindset, bowed slightly, and said in a sincere tone: "It was my ignorance. Your state indeed exceeded my expectations. Please forgive my offense."

Hearing Lei Wen's apology, Ilya snorted, turned her head away, her long silver hair tracing an arc in the air.

"Hmph, forget it. Given the funding provided by your Interstellar Affairs General Bureau, I'll forgive you this time."

She turned around, the hem of her oversized white lab coat fluttering in the wind.

"Follow me, Director. My time is very precious. Since you want to talk about the Warp Engine, don't waste time sunbathing here."

Looking at that petite yet aura-filled back, Lei Wen smiled, shook his head, and quickly followed.

...

Ilya's office was located on the top floor of the main building of the research center, a huge space with 360-degree panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows.

However, the scene here was vastly different from the minimalist or file-and-equipment-filled scientist's office Lei Wen had imagined.

The room was indeed full of holographic projection screens, with complex formulas and Star Maps scrolling across them, but between these high-tech devices, it was piled with various items that looked out of place.

A few beanbag chairs were scattered on the expensive Persian rug, the table was piled with various exquisite desserts and red tea sets, and in the corner, there were even a few large plush toys and a pile of virtual reality game cartridges.

The whole room was like a messy yet lively girl's bedroom?

"Sit wherever you like." Ilya walked straight to a chair that looked the most comfortable and sat down, her two legs that couldn't reach the ground swinging gently in mid-air.

She snapped her fingers, and a housekeeping robot immediately brought over a cup of steaming red tea and a plate of macarons.

"Want some? I specially had these air-freighted from Paris." She picked up a pink macaron, took a bite, and a satisfied expression appeared on her face.

"Thank you, no need." Lei Wen sat down on the opposite sofa, trying hard to ignore this huge contrast, and focused his attention on business.

"Doctor, I believe you already know the purpose of my visit this time."

"Of course, Warp Engine." Ilya swallowed the dessert in her mouth, her expression becoming serious.

She extended a finger stained with pastry crumbs and swiped in the air, pulling up a set of data. "The engines currently used by our Interstellar Fleet utilize antimatter-catalyzed fusion, theoretically capable of reaching 25% of the speed of light. If we continue to optimize, it could be even faster, but this is still sub-light speed."

"Sub-light speed might be enough within a stellar system, but for interstellar travel, it's snail-paced." Ilya commented unceremoniously. "The trip to the D-21 Galaxy System would take over forty years; that's too slow."

"So we need true faster-than-light speed." Lei Wen said. "Warp Drive, or jump technology similar to teleportation."

"Easier said than done." Ilya curled her lips. "Do you know how much physical obstacle needs to be overcome to accelerate a macroscopic object to faster than the speed of light? Einstein's coffin lid is about to be unable to be held down. Although we have discovered super-gravitons, proving that spacetime can be manipulated, the energy density we need to create a stable warp bubble that wraps around the entire warship is still an astronomical figure."

"According to current theoretical models, we need to output energy equivalent to half the mass of a sun in an instant to tear a hole in the spacetime structure."

"Unless..." Her red eyes stared tightly at Lei Wen, "Unless there is a better theoretical model, or a more efficient way of utilizing energy."

Lei Wen smiled.

"The project team we are about to establish is precisely to solve these problems."

"Starting today, the Human Federation Warp Engine project team is officially established, codenamed [FTL], and you will serve as the chief director."

"Everything you need, whether it's people, money, or materials, the Interstellar Affairs General Bureau and Paradox Technology will unconditionally satisfy, including 30% of the computing power of the [Apocalypse] mainframe."

Ilya also smiled.

She took out her terminal, opened the database inside, and pushed the terminal to Lei Wen.

"What is this?" Lei Wen looked over curiously.

"A gift." Ilya said mysteriously.

"This contains a brand-new physics framework." Dr. Ilya said. "It describes how to utilize this principle I designed to let the spaceship ride the wave of cosmic expansion to advance faster than light, without violating relativity."

Lei Wen was stunned for a moment, then played the content in the terminal in holographic projection mode. A large number of unfamiliar formulas and models unfolded in the air.

At first, Lei Wen's expression was nonchalant, but soon, his expression became more and more serious as he watched.

"white flower, mark these data and documents as [Top Secret]." Lei Wen said softly. Dr. Ilya's genius level had already exceeded his imagination. While he was watching the data, white flower had already performed hundreds of millions of simulations, and the result was that as long as human materials science kept up, the theory and design ideas provided by Dr. Ilya had a 99% chance of creating a Warp Engine capable of exceeding the speed of light.

"Marked." The voice of white flower responded in Lei Wen's micro-earpiece.

"Dr. Ilya, this is truly a generous gift." Lei Wen pushed the terminal back to Ilya, then said meaningfully.

Dr. Ilya smiled slightly, her red eyes shining brightly.

"Director, don't forget what you said: funding, personnel, computing power... and, if there is material support from the Faleim People, that would be even better."

"What if all of this can be guaranteed?"

"At most ten years, and I will be able to produce the first Warp Engine prototype."