Chapter 23: I Have a Friend...

Opening his eyes once more upon waking, Lin Xu rushed to his computer to record the clues he had just acquired.

[The person who invented the industrial production method for the key material is named Xu Jin, a researcher at the Institute of Materials Research.]
[Xu Jin participated in the "Planetary Reincarnation" organization and later caused a catastrophe, possibly a terrorist attack (unverified).]
[The operation Xu Jin was involved in had severe consequences, drawing retaliation from a civilian organization (unverified).]

With these three clues updated, the mysteries before Lin Xu did not unravel; instead, they grew deeper. The good news, however, was that the "contours" of the Planetary Reincarnation organization had become clearer, and the direction for his investigation was now explicitly laid out before him.

Xu Jin. Finding this person was the equivalent of finding the loose thread. By following this thread, one day, the Planetary Reincarnation organization would be completely exposed to his sight.

After clearing his mind for a moment, Lin Xu collected his thoughts and updated the recorded data into his materials document. Progress: 10%. At this rate, entering the bracelet world a dozen more times would likely yield a complete industrial production process. It seemed slow, but in reality, it was shockingly fast. A dozen entries would take at most three days, or perhaps just two if he were conservative. Two days! To bring a widely applicable new material with irreplaceable utility in key fields into large-scale production—what kind of efficiency was this? What more could he ask for?

Lin Xu saved the document with satisfaction, then opened his browser and typed in the keywords: "Jinling Institute of Materials Research Xu Jin." The search results popped up quickly, but there was no useful information. He clicked into the public disclosure section of the Jinling Institute of Materials Research, but could not find his name on the list of personnel.

Strange.

Lin Xu continued his search, unwilling to give up. After spending nearly twenty minutes, he finally found a lead: a public announcement for a list of proposed recruits. Xu Jin would finish his graduate studies this year, in June 2025, and had just passed the institute's interview, entering the final vetting stage.

No wonder he wasn't on the staff list; he hadn't even started the job yet! He really was quite young. So, this was a true genius-level talent? He wondered how far along his research was. Had he already achieved results, or was he just getting started?

A thought suddenly occurred to Lin Xu. Perhaps he didn't need to keep entering the bracelet world to find the final result? At least, not so many times. If he found Xu Jin and presented him with what he had, letting him continue the research based on these findings—while not necessarily more efficient—might yield a more complete result. After all, relying solely on a "document" to guide industrial manufacturing would inevitably have some flaws.

There was another benefit to this: if the company or the authorities later investigated the source of the technology, he would have a plausible explanation. Furthermore, once he established contact, it would be easier for him to keep track of Xu Jin's movements. If the "future history" was correct, Xu Jin was destined to join the Planetary Reincarnation organization. When that time came, he might even be able to bring Lin Xu in with him.

Plan executed.

Lin Xu made his decision instantly. He found Xu Jin's detailed information and confirmed his university: Jinling University. A high-achiever, indeed. By his calculations, Xu Jin should have just finished his final thesis defense and would likely still be on campus.

Going to the university to find him should work, but he would need a decent excuse. What kind of excuse? Regardless, he needed to have a preliminary understanding of the person first. Doxing him? No, that was too aggressive. He would think about it slowly.

Feeling that he had rested enough, Lin Xu gently touched the bracelet and entered the other world once more.

***

That night, Lin Xu used the final two charges of the bracelet. He was completely drained, the kind of exhaustion where not a single drop of energy remained.

When he arrived at work the next day, Jiang Xingye frowned immediately upon seeing his lethargic state. "Didn't you say you were going to the National Library to look up information? What kind of research leaves you looking like this?"

"Pulled an all-nighter..." Lin Xu replied casually.

"This doesn't look like an all-nighter; you look like you were squeezed dry in a juicer!"

"You can tell?" Lin Xu was stunned.

"Really?! You actually went to a juicer??" Jiang Xingye glared at him.

"Nonsense, of course I didn't." Lin Xu shrugged helplessly and handed Jiang Xingye a stack of printed documents. "Take a look. I was indeed 'ravaged' yesterday—but it was my neural pathways that took the hit."

Jiang Xingye took the file, flipped through a few pages, and frowned slightly. "PEEK-RTM? M46X? What are these?"

"I know PEEK. One current trend in structural materials is using PEEK to replace the previous generation of carbon fiber. But hasn't this material yet to reach the stage of industrial production?"

"It has, actually," Lin Xu replied. "However, there are still significant problems with the industrial production of PEEK, and the costs remain high. PEEK-RTM is a new manufacturing method based on liquid molding technology; its performance is slightly superior to traditional PEEK, but the costs are drastically lower. I should say, astronomically lower. If we can open up this industrial production path, the future production costs of aerospace vehicles could drop by at least 20%—I've calculated it precisely. The boss wanted more details for the proposal, right? These are the details."

"Wait, you call this 'details'???" Jiang Xingye was dumbfounded. "Big brother, the details the boss wanted were for you to optimize the aerospace vehicle's design—things like specific materials, procurement sources, technical iteration cycles, and project milestones. Instead, you're telling me you just produced two new materials? Is this your job? Is this even work you're capable of doing??"

Jiang Xingye couldn't go on. She wasn't blaming him; on the contrary, Lin Xu had moved so fast and was so far ahead that she couldn't process it. How was this possible?! He was just a flight control programmer! How could he solve the materials problem too? Was he going to leave any path open for others?

"...Where did you get this material? Are you sure it's correct?"

"Don't worry about where it came from for now, but the material is correct. I'm certain." Lin Xu nodded firmly.

"Come on, go with me to see the boss." Jiang Xingye grabbed Lin Xu's hand without hesitation. Chen Yan, who happened to be passing by, looked at them with a strange expression. "You two... office romances aren't allowed, you know."

"Mind your own business!" Jiang Xingye didn't look back, and the two of them hurried toward the chairman's office upstairs.

There was no appointment, but Jiang Xingye felt that one wasn't necessary under these circumstances. She explained the situation directly to the chairman's secretary and took Lin Xu into the office. Chairman Ren Jian had just arrived; he hadn't even taken off his suit jacket and was sitting on the sofa making tea.

Seeing the three of them enter, he glanced at the secretary with a hint of surprise. The secretary quickly reported, "Boss, Team Leader Jiang has an important progress report. I saw you had a twenty-minute gap in your schedule, so I brought them in."

"Very well." Ren Jian nodded. The secretary closed the door and left. Jiang Xingye walked over to the sofa and handed over the materials. "Boss, this is the information on two key materials that Lin Xu has obtained—key structural materials that can be used for the 'Star Traveler One' project. No, I should say, these are structural materials that can be used for all future low-cost spacecraft. Take a look, if..."

"That's enough." Ren Jian raised a hand to interrupt her. "I'll take a look myself. You two sit for a moment."

Ren Jian didn't ask further, his demeanor showing the composure expected of a chairman. He opened the materials and read quietly for several minutes. Afterward, he sat up straight and let out a long breath.

"The material is not yet complete." Ren Jian looked up. "Lin Xu, go call Secretary Yang in."

"Understood." Lin Xu immediately got up and fetched the secretary. Ren Jian followed up immediately, "Cancel all my appointments for today. Get Engineer Chu over here. Also, call Old Liu, who is in charge of material procurement. And... never mind. We'll handle this internally for now. Go."

"Understood." The secretary left, and Ren Jian turned to Lin Xu, asking in a grave tone, "Lin Xu, this is no longer a small matter. Tell me honestly: where did this material come from?"

Lin Xu paused. Then, he replied, "I have a friend... at Jinling University."