Chapter 157: Double Joy

Indeed, mere verbal expressions of gratitude felt far too insincere. They had originally planned other arrangements, but now they were simply speaking from the heart.

An hour and a half later, the Mighty Dragon dove downward, touching down smoothly. The maiden test flight of Mighty Dragon 01 had concluded with resounding success. The ground crew, who had been waiting anxiously for a long time, rushed forward immediately. Among them were many impatient engineers who had practically fought for ground crew duties.

They could not wait to inspect the current condition of every component of the Mighty Dragon after its flight.

Seeing the crowd of eager engineers pushing and shoving to be first, Lu Xiao held back. He chose not to fight for that initial glimpse, leaving the opportunity to those engineers who had practically burned the midnight oil to make the Mighty Dragon soar, allowing them to fully savor the joy.

In the tower control room just outside the main control center, technicians responsible for providing real-time support doffed their caps, embraced one another in celebration, and filled the room with endless cheers.

"Magnificent!" Lin Zheming and Yang Wei laughed as they gave Lu Xiao a thumbs-up. At this moment, Lu Xiao—the chief designer who had single-handedly brought the Mighty Dragon to the skies—was the most qualified to claim the first spot, yet he had willingly stepped aside to let others have it.

Lu Xiao laughed ruefully, "The data they compile will still be aggregated at my end anyway; I'm just being lazy!"

The smooth flight of the Mighty Dragon had fulfilled the grand ambition he made years ago, and right now, he felt a rare sense of relaxation. For how many days had he dared not relax? As the project leader, if he showed even a fraction of laxity, the people below him would slack off tenfold. No matter how bitter or difficult the journey, he had to lead by example and guide his team to overcome every obstacle.

Only now, amidst the nationwide celebration, did he finally dare to let out a breath he had been holding.

"To celebrate the smooth ascent of the Mighty Dragon, I've brought a welcome gift for it. I hope it can further enrich the Mighty Dragon's capabilities!" Wu Tong smiled, reaching out to hand Lu Xiao a USB flash drive.

"What is this?" Several people, including Elder Cheng, focused their gazes on the small USB flash drive in Lu Xiao's hand. Anything specially brought out by Wu Tong could not possibly be ordinary.

Wu Tong glanced at the door of the main control room and hesitated for a moment. Could she speak openly?

Elder Cheng nodded affirmatively to Wu Tong. It was not a matter of top-tier absolute secrecy; everyone present had the necessary clearance and was entirely trustworthy. Lu Xiao added, "The main control room is completely soundproof!"

That settled it, as long as it didn't violate confidentiality regulations! Her understanding of secrecy protocols was not as seasoned as the others present.

"Some time ago, while attending the Mathematics Representative Conference, I listened to Mr. Qiu's lecture and followed up with a discussion afterwards. It gave me some insights regarding the Qian-style trajectory. I've organized them, hoping to elevate the deterrent power of the Mighty Dragon's weapon systems even further!"

At the mention of the words "Qian-style trajectory," Elder Cheng and the others felt an urge to cover their ears. Was this something they were supposed to be listening to?

Even though they had anticipated that Wu Tong's moves would be extraordinary, and were prepared for the possibility of new material designs, they never expected something as fiercely confidential as an upgrade to advanced weaponry!

The Qian-style trajectory? This kind of thing must involve absolute secrecy! What they had thought just moments ago was practically a slap to their own faces.

One could only say that a genius's mind was truly different from an ordinary person's, crossing disciplines without the slightest pressure. One moment she was playing with advanced materials to help the Mighty Dragon break records, and the next, she had shifted her focus to munitions.

Yet, such a genius was precisely what China needed most!

They weren't afraid of her having bold ideas; the nation would help her turn those ideas into reality! They weren't afraid of her taking an interest; they would pull out all the stops to deliver research materials right into her hands to fuel her endeavors.

"I will not fail the mission; I'll deliver this to Chief Hua!" Chief Hua Yanxing was an iron-willed heroine who yielded nothing to men, a top-tier ordnance expert who had propelled the Thunderbolt series of air-to-air missiles through successive upgrades.

Wu Tong's contributions would undoubtedly never be overlooked or forgotten by anyone.

...

While Wu Tong was witnessing the maiden test flight of the Mighty Dragon, little did she know that the outside world was once again setting the internet ablaze because of her.

The catalyst seemed to have triggered a chain reaction.

On October 20th, back-to-back announcements revealed this year's laureates to the world.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany announced that it had awarded this year's Humboldt Research Award to Wu Tong.

Established in 1972, the Humboldt Research Award is open to outstanding scientists worldwide outside of Germany. It is specifically bestowed upon distinguished foreign scholars who have achieved exceptional breakthroughs in basic research, theoretical innovation, and academic leadership, and who show great promise for cutting-edge achievements in the future, recognizing their excellence in scientific research and discipline-building within their respective fields.

And Wu Tong was precisely the most dazzling star in the basic sciences category for this year.

She fit the nomination criteria to perfection. As a nominee, her internationally influential academic achievements—specifically the three major conjectures—were a universally accepted golden ticket wherever she went, standing undisputed throughout the year.

Nominees were required to remain active in the academic field and continue scientific research in the coming years; Wu Tong clearly intended to dedicate her life to mathematics, and given her current achievements, no one doubted her commitment to the field.

Nominees must adhere to academic norms and research ethics, something that the entire world could monitor...

Meanwhile, almost as if in a competition, the American Mathematical Society announced to the outside world that the recipient of this year's Cole Prize in Number Theory was Wu Tong of China.

This is an award presented by the American Mathematical Society, divided into two categories: algebra and number theory, honoring mathematicians who have made outstanding contributions in these two fields.

This award is not entirely international—it is presented exclusively to society members who have published distinguished papers in American journals.

Wu Tong had previously published outstanding works in the Annals of Mathematics and the Journal of the American Mathematical Society. Furthermore, this year, no other scholar had produced results more dazzling than hers. Following careful review and recommendations from renowned domestic scholars—primarily the heavyweights at Princeton—the American Mathematical Society decided to award the Cole Prize in Number Theory to Wu Tong, recognizing her massive contributions to mathematics while simultaneously granting her membership in the society.

News of these two consecutive major international awards slated for Wu Tong spread back home among those following such developments. Sensing the surging wave of popularity, major media outlets immediately rushed to share the news, instantly igniting a blazing wildfire of internet traffic.

[The Ramanujan Prize, the China Chen-Shen Chern Mathematics Award, the Humboldt Research Award, the Cole Prize in Number Theory... Our Goddess is setting sail this year; is she planning to sweep every award in the mathematical world? Is she going to win so many awards that her hands get soft from holding them?!]

[Her hands won't get soft, I'll come help our Goddess bear the sweet burden of lifting those medals!]

[Our Goddess is divine, all paths lead to the origin!]

[All paths lead to One James Clerk Maxwell, the Non-Daoist Werner Heisenberg, the Alchemist Alfred Nobel, the Apple Sovereign Isaac Newton, the Hybrid Empire Immortal Yuan Longping, the Two Bombs Sovereign Qian Sanqiang,
the Number Theory Archmage Hua Luogeng, the Golden Wheel Monarch Zu Chongzhi, the Great Sage of the Armillary Sphere Zhang Heng, the Pea Shooter Gregor Mendel... Our Goddess is also going to join the scientific religious sect! From now on, all paths lead to Wu Tong! Hahaha!]

[This is utterly hardcore, totally worthy of our Goddess's heaven-sharing awesomeness!]

(End of this chapter)