Chapter 164 Reaching an Agreement

Hua? In Hua Yanxing's mind, she was here to ask Wu Tong for help, yet asking Wu Tong to act as her assistant was beneath her pride.

"Wu Tong, do you want to take on President Hua's request?" Having formally instructed Wu Tong for two months now, Elder Cheng knew her learning speed better than anyone.

In just two months, Wu Tong had transformed from a novice ignorant of materials science into someone who could be considered a master in the field.

While she might still lack the decades of cumulative experience in exploring deep into certain minute corners and details, the sheer brilliance of her out-of-the-box thinking, inspired research, and creative breakthroughs were things they could only look up to with awe.

Most importantly, whether it was mathematics to materials science, or materials science to physics and engineering—whenever Wu Tong took an interest in a particular domain and studied it, she could rapidly produce exceptional results.

This proved that Wu Tong's talent was virtually all-encompassing, not restricted to any single sector. The reason her dazzling achievements currently circulated in the outside world were in mathematics was simply because mathematics was what she had first encountered.

Therefore, Elder Cheng directly asked whether Wu Tong wanted to do it and if she was interested, rather than doubting her capability. As long as Wu Tong had the interest to study and delve into it, he believed she could master it exponentially.

"Management, resource allocation, and project schedule tracking are all secondary. The most critical core breakthrough work remains research and development." President Hua Yanxing had shown sufficient sincerity. If Wu Tong truly wanted to do this, she wouldn't be at a disadvantage. Thus, Elder Cheng analyzed the situation from Wu Tong's perspective.

If Wu Tong wanted to take it on, she only needed to be responsible for research and development; naturally, specialists would be assigned to handle all trivial matters for her. Everyone, from top to bottom, was willing to cooperate on this point.

The nation would never waste talent by making Wu Tong worry about trivial details, wasting her time and energy. The decision-making power would rest in Wu Tong's hands, while specialists handled the trivia. Wu Tong could focus entirely on research and development without having to worry about commanding the team or forcing them to cooperate—because everyone else would be cooperating with her.

"The two most vital components of an air-to-air missile are powerful combat capability and formidable penetration capability, and you have already completed one!" Based on Wu Tong's simulated combat results using the Qian-style ballistic trajectory, the incredible trajectory-shifting capability was as erratic and unpredictable as a skipping stone, making it utterly impossible to capture or calculate.

In an instant, this gave Hua Yanxing hope of building a world-class, ultra-top-tier air-to-air missile. These innovations could even be applied to a higher tier of cruise missiles.

This was precisely why she insisted on inviting Wu Tong to lead the PL-15 project.

A major prerequisite for successfully developing a top-tier air-to-air missile had already been conquered by Wu Tong. Such intricate calculations—models that even supercomputers would take a long time to run—were stunning designs achieved only by thoroughly mastering and comprehending the Qian-style ballistic trajectory theory.

When it came to ballistic trajectory calculations, she dared say that almost no one in the country could surpass her.

"The primary component for powerful combat capability is the engine and new materials. This is the exact area where I urgently hope to enlist your expertise!"

"President Hua, give me two months to conduct a detailed study of the air-to-air missile sector, especially performing a thorough analysis of the engine and materials sectors. Once I have definitive results, I will give you a firm answer and let you see whether the results I produce are worthy of formal project initiation, alright?"

Did she want to do it?

Wu Tong asked herself. She did want to do it, but she lacked a comprehensive and detailed understanding of this specific domain, so she could not give a definitive answer immediately. She wanted to avoid delaying the progress of the nation's vital weapons, wasting state resources, or giving these predecessors false hope.

However, ever since she drew parallels from mastering the Qian-style ballistic trajectory, and began intentionally touching upon various knowledge sectors such as materials engineering and physical dynamics, she had harbored the thought of doing something in this field. Now, by a fortunate coincidence, President Hua had sought her out directly with utmost sincerity, giving her all the more reason not to refuse.

Nevertheless, for the sake of prudence, Wu Tong preferred to spend some time researching and producing some achievements before formally stepping into the official project initiation phase.

"Alright, I'm counting on you, Wu Tong!" As long as Wu Tong agreed, let alone two months, they could endure waiting for two years. Under normal circumstances, for the PL-15 project to establish a definitive preliminary research plan for initiation, it would require at least two to three years of precipitation and accumulation. As for the actual development and deployment, that would take at least another three to five years.

Being able to invite a top-tier talent like Wu Tong—a scholar who excelled at the highest levels across multiple domains—to join them and accelerate the project's progress from preliminary scheme establishment to actual deployment was something they ardently anticipated.

"Do you need me to go to the research institute right now?" Once the decision was made, Wu Tong immediately put it on the agenda. She could put her current matters aside, take a leave of absence from school, and focus on accomplishing the heavy responsibility entrusted to her by President Hua in one fell swoop.

National interests surpassed personal interests; this was an absolute necessity.

"For the preliminary research, since you still need to balance your studies and security concerns, you don't need to go directly to the 624 Research Institute!" They could not heap all the pressure onto a child who wasn't even truly an adult. Hua Yanxing had always been strict with herself and would never allow herself to sink into a state of reaping rewards without putting in the work. She would ask Wu Tong to assist in the key sectors, while she and her team would not halt their own research efforts on the minute details.

"I will help apply for your database access permissions first. However, according to the principle of confidentiality, given that this involves highly classified materials, you might not be able to travel abroad!"

We are now in the information age, and they had established digital data repositories. The historical data Wu Tong required could be accessed online through the 624 Institute's major database, and for even more confidential new materials, they could arrange for dedicated personnel to deliver backup data disks to her.

In her initial anxiety and eagerness for the new hope of the project to emerge, she had overlooked the fact that this child still had three major international awards to collect abroad. Even though she wasn't a mathematician, she had heard of these three major awards and knew their importance.

"President Hua, it's fine. I have already been exposed to classified projects before. With too many debts, one stops worrying; this will just save the comrades in the security department some trouble." Wu Tong smiled and waved her hand, indicating this wasn't the crucial issue. "I will coordinate with the organizers. If someone can collect it on my behalf, I might have to trouble the teachers from the School of Mathematics to make a trip for me!"

Whether she went abroad or not was already optional for her, and now that a firm decision had been made, subsequent matters could be arranged accordingly.

Once a decision was made, Wu Tong would not regret it; she did not have an excessive obsession with needing to personally go on stage to accept awards.

It was very likely that she would have to trouble Teacher Li to make this trip on her behalf. Within the School of Mathematics, apart from Dean Pan and Professor Zhou, Teacher Li was the person she was most familiar with. Once this matter was communicated, the task would most likely be assigned to Teacher Li.

Fortunately, this was a glorious affair that could add some prestige to Teacher Li's resume, so it wouldn't be considered a wasted trip.

"The radar and electronics sector is a relatively unfamiliar domain for me, so President Hua will need to arrange for specialists to research and conquer it!" Today, for a successful missile, active radar guidance capability was also an extremely crucial component. However, this was an area Wu Tong was completely unfamiliar with and had never studied; it was her weakest domain. She brought it up first to ensure she would never pretend to understand something she didn't and thereby delay the project.