Chapter 110: Yearning

The first page Wu Tong turned to contained notes and reflections she had taken while listening to presentations on geometric algebra, partial differential equations, and ordinary differential equations. In the eyes of Pan Wenhua and Zhou Wenping, those reflections were the very essence and highlight of the work.

Within the mathematical community both at home and abroad, everyone knew of Wu Tong's stunning brilliance in number theory, having produced one world-class breakthrough after another. Yet, these notes made it clear that she possessed an equally profound reserve of knowledge and logical mastery in other fields of mathematics.

Just like her college entrance examination scores, her abilities were so perfectly balanced that they amounted to a perfect score in every area. There was no question of what she was good at; there was only absolute mastery.

This truth applied equally to all branches of mathematics. It was only because number theory was the first area she had encountered that she had taken a step ahead there, producing one result after another.

As the two men read the notes, they felt a quiet joy rise in their hearts. Wu Tong had not neglected her mathematical studies and research; indeed, she was delving even deeper. That alone was enough.

What more could they possibly ask of this child?

Wu Tong was already so self-disciplined that, apart from eating and resting, she spent almost all her time studying and researching. Let alone a child of her age, even they themselves had to admit with a blush that they could not sustain such a high intensity of study.

So much of their own time was wasted on administrative duties and social engagements, leaving precious little time for actual mathematical research.

She did not grow arrogant or frivolous because of her achievements, nor did she lose her way amid the praise and adulation of the outside world. Even when they were ten or twenty years older than Wu Tong, they had not possessed her innate, tranquil temperament for research.

However, their admiration turned to sudden, eye-widening shock when they turned to the next page and a fighter jet model came into view.

What was this?

The dense, detailed data annotations were not something they could easily blind themselves to or dismiss as a childish doodle born of a passing whim.

From this page onward, it marked the beginning of the mathematical model Wu Tong had constructed. What they had seen earlier were merely appetizers—preliminary groundwork she had laid for building the model.

The complexity of this mathematical model far exceeded the expectations of Pan Wenhua and Zhou Wenping from the very start. Even with their deep expertise, they found it somewhat difficult and obscure to read. The various domains of knowledge and cryptic symbols involved, without knowing Wu Tong's underlying assumptions or possessing her powerful grasp of the overall logical structure, would look like a book of heaven to any ordinary person.

As they read further, their expressions grew increasingly grave. When several highly sensitive data points corresponding to the aircraft model caught their eyes, a deep shock flashed across their faces. This was...

Wasn't this the approximate data calculated during the classified project they had once participated in?

This was no ordinary matter. Wiping their faces, the two exchanged a look of sheer disbelief and uncertainty, not knowing what to make of it. However, out of respect for the trust Wu Tong had shown in handing the notebook to them, they did not immediately suspect anything.

Pan Wenhua spoke solemnly, "Director Sun, I must trouble you to step outside for a moment and keep watch for us. Wu Tong's notes fall under the scope of confidentiality regulations."

As the director of Peking University's Academic Affairs Office, Sun Rong was naturally not lacking in political sensitivity. The moment he heard "confidentiality regulations," he immediately understood the gravity of the situation. Without a moment's hesitation or a single word, he stood up, left the office, closed the door behind him, and stood guard a few meters away.

Li Yisheng had the closest connection with Wu Tong and had previously done peripheral work on that project. Having already caught a glimpse of the notes just now, Pan Wenhua did not ask him to leave.

Later, they would simply have him sign a non-disclosure agreement according to the regulations.

"Wu Tong, do you know what you've done here?" Pan Wenhua cut straight to the point, asking her directly. Since she was the one who had created it, only she knew best what it was.

"Yes, I know," Wu Tong replied with a shy smile. "Out of curiosity, I studied some dynamics earlier and had some thoughts during the Hydra Conference. Based on some of the F-22 Raptor's data, I converted problems in aerodynamics, fluid mechanics, and other fields into mathematical problems, which I am best at. I used this to establish a mathematical model to derive the optimal aerodynamic shape data for the fighter jet, as well as some of my derivation directions for optimizing fuselage materials."

Wu Tong's shy smile stood in stark contrast to the sheer shock written all over the faces of Zhou Wenping and Li Yisheng. How did they not know when Wu Tong had managed to cook up something so terrifying?

Listen to the casual tone she used, as if she were talking about poetry and romance rather than the most advanced fighter jet in the world!

The F-22! A lethal piece of machinery that kept the nation on high alert to this day! When did you start playing at such a massive scale, little Wu Tong?

"Has anyone else seen this?" That was Li Yisheng's first reaction.

Wu Tong shook her head. "Of course not. I've never let this notebook out of my sight." She still possessed basic common sense; she wouldn't gamble with the safety of all the Chinese attendees at the conference.

Li Yisheng and Zhou Wenping believed her on this point.

After all, if this thing had leaked, given how those foreign flatterers fawned over their Western masters, they wouldn't be sitting here in peace and quiet right now.

Fortunately, Wu Tong had been cautious enough. Both men had nearly broken out in a cold sweat. As the team leader, Zhou Wenping felt that he had probably paid far too little attention to Wu Tong.

"These figures of yours are infinitely close to the actual data of the F-22," Pan Wenhua explained to Wu Tong in a serious tone. "When the Raptor first appeared and brought a swift end to that desert war, our country was on high alert. We did everything we could to reverse-engineer some of the data. Professor Zhou and I both participated in that classified project, performing the calculations. Little Li, who was being groomed as a key talent back then, also worked on some peripheral parts of the project."

He let out a deep sigh. "The data we spent months deriving back then might not even be as detailed as what you have here!"

Back then, when the nation across the ocean dominated the skies with beyond-visual-range fighter jets, the pressure our country faced and the hardships of our rise were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Strictly speaking, Wu Tong's derivation wasn't classified to that level yet; even aircraft design courses sometimes assigned this kind of reverse-engineering as homework.

However, the precision of the data Wu Tong had derived was far beyond the reach of ordinary people. It had actually reached the level of the real Raptor data they possessed, rather than the crude, error-ridden homework assignments turned in by students.

"The logic of your derivation is of immense strategic value. Are you willing to report this to the higher-ups? Can you prepare a detailed derivation? I will find specialists to evaluate its exact value. I'll handle the communication with the School of Materials. Whatever experiments you want to conduct, I will ask Academician Cheng to guide you." Pan Wenhua smiled and sighed deeply, making the necessary arrangements.

He had thought Wu Tong would grow indefinitely in the field of pure mathematics, but the appearance of this derivation left him unable to predict her future. Strategic value was not a label that could be applied to just any achievement or person, nor was it a trivial term; it meant being of genuine, practical use to the nation.

"Of course I am," Wu Tong nodded in confirmation. Serving her country was exactly what she aspired to do.