Chapter 117: Respect and Esteem

On the Lantern Festival, he had casually offered Wu Tong a small piece of advice, and Wu Tong had even publicly thanked him in the news. Now, in a strange twist of fate, he found himself inspired by Wu Tong’s mathematical logic, gaining a faint but promising direction. It truly was a wondrous coincidence.

To delve deeper into this logic, he needed to communicate face-to-face with Wu Tong, the architect of the mathematical model, so he could swiftly refine his own ideas and express his gratitude in person.

Thus, after temporarily assigning his current tasks, Lu Xiao immediately arranged to set out.

Unexpectedly, upon landing, he received monumental news: the materials laboratory at Jing University, led by the veteran Cheng Lao, had created a groundbreaking new aerospace material—featuring a tensile strength of 1417 MPa and withstanding temperatures over 2000 degrees Celsius, performing even better under extreme heat. The key researcher was not the expected Cheng Lao, but precisely the person Lu Xiao sought—Wu Tong.

Naturally, the confidentiality and security demands reported by Jing University were entrusted to Lu Xiao and the security team accompanying him, who promptly rushed to Jing University’s materials laboratory.

The materials lab was quietly taken over by the security team, protective forces arranged in tandem, and specialists were already speaking with other researchers, having them sign confidentiality agreements.

“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Lu Xiao,” Lu Xiao stepped forward with a salute. “Currently leading the work at West Continent 606 Research Institute, and I hold an honorary professorship at Jing University’s Institute of Physics.”

“Professor Lu, it’s a pleasure. Thank you for your guidance back then,” Wu Tong straightened, extending both hands to briefly shake Lu Xiao’s, finally expressing the gratitude she had long wished to convey face-to-face.

It was unexpected to meet again under such circumstances the mentor who had once offered her such high-level advice.

“The situation is reversed now. It’s I who should thank you for your fierce raptor mathematical model, which gave me a direction in my work. And I thank you for developing this new material for the nation, which greatly supports our efforts!” Lu Xiao’s eyes shone brightly as data swirled in his mind.

This new material, lighter in density yet superior in performance, would replace components in the engine of the twenty projects he led.

He exchanged a glance with Cheng Huanan, their shared excitement clear without words.

It is well known that the greater the thrust-to-weight ratio of a fighter jet, the better its performance. This ratio is the thrust of the aircraft divided by its weight. Given equal thrust, a lighter aircraft naturally means higher thrust-to-weight ratio.

Moreover, by replacing components with this superior new material, the turbine inlet temperature could be raised significantly, massively boosting engine performance and thus increasing thrust. As the aircraft’s weight decreases and thrust increases simultaneously, the combined effect is extraordinary—the thrust-to-weight ratio would be poised to break records!

On the way here, Yang, the chief designer of the WS-15 turbofan engine who had seen the material data, already called Lu Xiao, declaring excitedly that with this new material, their engine would be like a tiger with wings; surpassing the adversary’s F119 engine would be no problem at all!

If, by chance, they could derive a lighter, more resistant airframe material from this new material, Lu Xiao was confident he could build the world’s best fighter jet for the nation!

“Mr. Lu, you and Wu Tong truly share a special bond. As the young folks say these days, conversations between geniuses are always so hardcore!” Zheng Hongming, head of the security department accompanying them, chuckled and applauded lightly, quietly grateful that the nation possessed such a pair of prodigies.

In this line of work, having real-time access to information was essential.

Back at the library encounter, due to Lu Xiao’s identity, Wu Tong’s records had already been briefly checked by their security department. It was confirmed that Wu Tong had been specially recruited early by Jing University because of her outstanding performance in the CMO and had entered the school through the standard track with no suspicious anomalies. Thus, the matter was set aside.

Two strangers discussing the twin prime conjecture—a topic that breaks human imagination—had been a remarkable coincidence. After verifying the information, Wu Tong’s sudden rise over the past six months, shining brilliantly in the mathematics world, became a fascinating story they first learned internally.

Looking back now, that had been their earliest discovery of a national top-tier genius’s first encounter.

“Wu Tong, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Zheng Hongming, director of the security bureau. We’ll probably become well acquainted in time. I knew you were already outstanding in mathematics and was glad for the country to have such top mathematical talent. I always wanted to meet you in person, and if fate allows you to participate in confidential projects, we will certainly have to work together!” Zheng Hongming smiled as he introduced himself to Wu Tong.

“I never expected you’d take such a remarkable step into materials science, making a stunning impact. That actually brings us together sooner; we’ll definitely have ongoing contact!”

Wu Tong’s records had been thoroughly reviewed—she came from a reputable background, clean and upright, a commendable comrade. Those with issues wouldn’t be capable of creating such outstanding materials to aid the nation.

Back when Lu Xiao suddenly rose to prominence, rapidly overcoming one research challenge after another, their department was caught off guard and nearly thrown into chaos. Fortunately, Lu Xiao was practically a child they had watched grow up—deeply influenced by his family’s legacy—and his vigilance regarding confidentiality rivaled that of professional security personnel, preventing any accidental leaks.

Now, facing a special genius like Wu Tong, they were prepared, having gained experience, raising the alert early and ready to provide full confidentiality support at any moment.

“Hello, Director Zheng!” Wu Tong and Zheng Hongming extended their hands simultaneously, shaking in salute.

“No trouble at all,” Zheng replied warmly.

“Please, have a seat here,” Cheng Huanan gestured toward a nearby conference area. Since they often held discussions with visiting students or group meetings, his office had a simple meeting space.

Ruan Chengxu was the first to move, quickly gathering the slightly scattered documents on the table and placing them on Cheng Huanan’s desk before courteously stepping out. At the door, four sharp-eyed plainclothes guards patrolled seriously, vigilantly supervising all directions to ensure no prying eyes or sudden incidents.

“Let me briefly acquaint Wu Tong with the confidentiality regulations,” Zheng Hongming said without much small talk, cutting straight to the point. Time was urgent; every wasted minute increased the risk of information leakage.

Mathematical theoretical results, open to the world, were unaffected—science knows no borders, but scientists belong to nations. However, groundbreaking new materials like this were national secrets not to be disclosed. With Lu Xiao’s example as precedent, no one doubted Wu Tong would not stop at just one such material. They had to be fully prepared in advance.

They had learned their lesson: when dealing with geniuses, one must never rely on ordinary logic.

(The chapter ends)