Chapter 127: Rushing to Defend Honor

“Approve it, General Manager Lin, we all agree!” Before such a national treasure, and with such superior material data, no one would hold back. Even though they normally competed, they were united wholeheartedly for the good of the nation!

“Three hundred million enough? If not, take advantage of the opportunity and ask for more!” Engineer Zhan enthusiastically looked at Old Cheng. Since he was so supportive, could the materials produced be prioritized for him to extract and equip on his dream bomber?

“The initial project funding will be just this much for now. Let’s first get the framework set up and industrialize the material preparation. After that, it depends on the state’s arrangements and who is entrusted with responsibility.” Such new secret materials must never be held privately. Their funding requests for R&D were for national strength, not personal gain.

“Old Cheng, you and your team must speed up. If there are any difficulties, tell us. We won’t stand idly by. Hurry and produce the materials; everyone’s waiting for you to deliver!” Engineer Zhan rubbed his hands eagerly.

The T5 blade materials were still in development; the T4 titanium-aluminum alloy was ready to be organized and set up for production. They weren’t greedy—if the T5 was developed later, it could be allocated to them then. But for now, could they accelerate production of the T4 alloy so they could take it and use it for aircraft?

They weren’t picky. The T4 titanium-aluminum alloy’s performance was sufficient for aircraft use and more than adequate even as blade material! They would first test the T4 material’s performance, leaving space for the eventual transition to T5.

If Old Cheng could proceed smoothly, maybe they could achieve a double success in one go!

“You could hear what Old Zhan was scheming from ten miles away!” Old Cheng mockingly nodded at Engineer Zhan. The one firing the big guns was him, but he also yielded fastest!

However, this time, Engineer Zhan’s priority had to give way. That young man Lu Xiao was even more ravenous, already coordinating with military factories. The moment the materials came off the line, they would be whisked straight back to the Western Continent Research Institute!

Engineer Zhan’s speed depended on who he was racing against.

He was also the most eager to acquire materials, but could never match Engineer Zhan’s tenacity.

“Our speed depends entirely on General Manager Lin’s budget approval!” Old Cheng shrugged. Without funding, no materials or equipment would be ready, and he wasn’t yet capable of having them produce materials by hand.

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“Old Xie, in terms of single crystal technology, our project team estimates we’ll need your support!” Old Cheng turned toward another top expert diagonally opposite, a senior academician at the Engineering Academy like himself, Xie Xinli. The preparation process for T5 blade materials involved Xie’s specialty; he needed to consult him and get some assistance.

He took the initiative to notify Wu Tong and make an appointment in advance.

“No problem. Call me anytime you need me!” Xie Xinli nodded immediately without hesitation. It was an honor for him.

“Three days, Old Cheng, give me three days. I’ll oversee the process and expedite the budget approval!” Lin Zheming smiled wryly in promise.

These big names were impatient beyond words. No matter how much he streamlined the process, at least three days were needed to finalize everything! The funding wasn’t his personal money; it couldn’t be allocated on a whim, especially such a large sum. He had to report up the chain and wait for approval.

“General Manager Lin, thank you for your hard work!”

With matters settled, the atmosphere among everyone instantly relaxed. Old Cheng became the center of eager inquiry. “Come on, Old Cheng, since we’ve met, let’s have a good chat. How did you manage to lure the pillar of your University’s Mathematics Institute to work on materials? Didn’t those protective folks at your university give you any trouble?”

Now they had the leisure to turn their attention elsewhere. Old Cheng was impressive; the talent poaching was fresh news. They thought the first to scheme to steal the gem of the Mathematics Institute at their university, besides envious rival schools, would be their own Physics Institute!

After all, there was precedent! Lu Xiao had nearly stepped into the Mathematics Institute but had been whisked away by the Physics Institute in the end!

“Heh... heh... it’s all driven by interest, purely interest!” Old Cheng could only say that. He had been busy monitoring experiments and overseeing project funding these days; he hadn’t even had time to engage with the Mathematics Institute.

When one’s arm is broken, one hides it in the sleeve. The bitter infighting between the various departments at their university was their own business and not for outsiders to gloat over. Externally, they were all one university and would never give those old-timers a chance to laugh at them!

Thinking of the storm to come, Old Cheng’s head ached, yet his spirit soared. No matter how much criticism came, Wu Tong was already under his wing. He wasn’t a bully; he wouldn’t stop Wu Tong from continuing with mathematics.

His young apprentice possessed world-class talent and foundation in mathematics—what a waste it would be otherwise!

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Unbeknownst to them, the Mathematics Institute at the university, led by senior leaders including Pan Wenhua, was already furious, plotting how to confront him!

“That shameless old man Cheng is secretly deceiving Wu Tong into becoming his disciple. Our Mathematics Institute is full of talent. How could we let him curry favor like this?” Pan Wenhua’s heart ached when he heard Wu Tong’s report. If only he had known it was like a lamb entering the tiger’s den, he wouldn’t have let Wu Tong go to Old Cheng’s lab alone!

How could Wu Tong have so easily accepted Old Cheng as her master? What could Old Cheng teach her? It was only benefiting Old Cheng!

“Exactly. Every one of us in the Mathematics Institute wanted to be Wu Tong’s mentor. But who dared to make the move? Who would sacrifice their pride to be her teacher?” Zhou Wenping clutched his chest. He’d felt heartache ever since seeing Wu Tong’s paper and had the urge to take her under his wing.

But the child rose too fast. He feared holding her back, so he didn’t act. Now Old Cheng had taken the lead! He couldn’t let Wu Tong rightfully call Old Cheng her teacher. He’d suffered a great loss! He should have shamelessly asked Wu Tong if she wanted him as her mentor. He would have given her everything he had!

“No, I must confront Old Cheng. Our precious genius of the Mathematics Institute cannot be exploited by him!” Pan Wenhua said, standing up and heading out. He was going to confront Old Cheng.

Usually, people like Zhou Wenping would try to persuade and stop him, but this time they had no objections. They silently followed, supporting this decision. They went to back him up, not wanting the dean to stand alone.

All this originated from a call Wu Tong had made that morning. Being a student of the Mathematics Institute, she felt obliged to report to her institute’s mentors when she accepted a teacher from the Materials Institute for study.

September 1st marked the official start of school.

Wu Tong, always an early riser, greeted the morning light with exercise, deeply appreciating the benefits of the Dawn Purple Energy Method. Her persistent dedication accumulated enough strength for her bold theoretical explorations.

(End of chapter)