Station Chief Gong was confused by Professor Wu’s intense reaction: “Stop shaking, stop shaking, you’ll make me dizzy!”
This was no exaggeration; the moon’s gravity was too low, and Professor Wu was too emotionally charged. He was shaking Gong Yiding back and forth with considerable force.
Gong Yiding wasn’t a commando trained to endure such abuse.
Professor Wu quickly released him, apologizing repeatedly, but he pressed on, “Station Chief, please tell me, where did these blueprints come from?”
His gaze was earnest and insistent, determined not to give up until he got an answer.
“They were sent from above!” Gong Yiding immediately conceded.
These single-minded researchers were all stubborn mules, never giving up until they achieved their goals. It wasn’t a secret anyway, so it was better to just say it.
“It’s perfect, absolutely perfect!” Professor Wu exclaimed, his eyes sparkling like an old virgin who had just been released from ten years of reform school and saw scantily clad young ladies everywhere. “We don’t need to experiment with the previous version; we’ll use these blueprints directly!”
Gong Yiding’s expression changed. “Professor, that was your life’s work!”
Professor Wu immediately shook his head. “Science cannot tolerate any falsehood. These blueprints are far more complete than my own research.” A hint of dejection flickered across his face as he spoke.
Anyone who discovered that someone else was conducting the same research, and was far ahead, would wear the same expression.
But he was a purely dedicated researcher, pouring all his energy into his work, with no time for frivolous thoughts.
Gong Yiding was filled with solemn respect. He nodded gravely. “Alright!”
He wasn’t as pure himself, but he deeply respected people like Professor Wu.
Professor Wu spread out the blueprints and read them again and again, his gaze growing complex. “Also, please ask for me, whose research achievement is this? Could you arrange it? I’d like to be his assistant.”
The alien’s power core was within the damaged ship, but without the ability to disassemble it, many internal structures could only be guessed at through experience. The result was something close but not quite right, requiring extensive experimentation to determine the optimal structure of the unknown parts.
This person, capable of drawing these blueprints, clearly had a deep understanding of the reactor. Since someone had already taken the lead, Professor Wu felt there was no need to waste his precious time.
Gong Yiding’s expression shifted. “Professor, is it really necessary to do this?”
Professor Wu continued to shake his head. “Station Chief, although you’re not in power systems, you should understand the value of these blueprints. Aside from the material and manufacturing processes, the overall structure is absolutely flawless!”
Gong Yiding believed Professor Wu wouldn’t lie about such a matter. He finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll immediately arrange for people to conduct experiments, but we can’t stop the previous version either. Let’s proceed with both simultaneously.”
“It’s meaningless,” Professor Wu replied, shaking his head. “It’s a waste of time.”
“How can you say it’s meaningless!” Gong Yiding had a different opinion. “Your research is almost complete. Even if it’s not as good as this version, it’s still much better than the old reactor. We just need to achieve results; how they are used is up to higher authorities!”
“A monkey version?” Professor Wu felt no joy, only deep disappointment. “Please still help me find out where these blueprints came from.”
“Okay!” Gong Yiding agreed and immediately contacted the base to inquire about the source of the blueprints.
Shan Qiuyu didn’t answer directly but retorted, “Can the blueprints be used?”
“Of course, they can!” Gong Yiding answered without hesitation, then realized something was amiss. “What? Is there a problem with the source of the blueprints?”
Shan Qiuyu didn’t know how to respond. After some deliberation, he said, “It’s not a problem with the source; it’s just that the source is too bizarre.”
Gong Yiding was stunned and suddenly wondered if this day was somehow cursed for him. “Can you explain?”
Professor Wu couldn’t help but interject, “Director Shan, if it’s convenient, please introduce me!”
Shan Qiuyu had a constipated expression and mumbled for a long time before squeezing out a sentence: “The blueprints came from Expedition Two. They say that young fellow Ou Zhanpeng dreamed them up.”
“What?” Gong Yiding could hardly believe his ears. “The kid who invented the solid-state smoke armor?”
What kind of divine answer was this? Was this some kind of cosmic joke?
“Yes!” Shan Qiuyu said.
“Director Shan, are you sure? Little Ou isn’t a researcher either. Where did he get the blueprints?” Professor Wu’s eyes were about to pop out of his head.
He wasn’t familiar with the ground forces, but he had a clear impression of Ou Zhanpeng, who had led the rescue operation back then.
Gong Yiding whispered, “Didn’t I say it? He dreamed them.”
“You believe that? Why don’t I ever dream like that?” Professor Wu’s gaze was strange. “I’ve been researching day and night on the moon for over a year and still haven’t figured out the structure of the alien reactor. Ou Zhanpeng dreams of it casually and can even draw blueprints. Do you think that’s possible?”
He paused, then said indignantly, “Then what’s the point of my research?”
Professor Wu wasn’t upset because someone else had achieved results; he was simply angry that Shan Qiuyu was concealing the source of the blueprints.
Gong Yiding was speechless and could only look at the screen for help. “Director Shan, what do you say about this?”
Shan Qiuyu spread his hands. “If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do, but what I’ve said is the truth. If you don’t believe me, I can show you the communication records.”
Gong Yiding tilted his head, his expression incredulous. “There’s no research subject on Expedition Number, nor any opportunity to contact the outside world. There are no conditions for research. To call it research results, I’m the first to not believe it… it’s more believable that he dreamed it. Sigh, this is too mysterious.”
Shan Qiuyu sighed. “To be honest, I feel like I’m dreaming too. I originally thought this kid was just messing around, but then you both say his blueprints are fine.”
“If you can dream of this, then I’d rather dream every day!” Professor Wu’s expression was about to crack.
They claimed it wasn’t a dream, but they couldn’t find a better explanation. Yet, to casually dream of an alien warship’s reactor, with even detailed information, was too unbelievable.
The three of them looked at each other through the screen, their minds in utter disarray, as if they had all been violated by a dog.
After a while, Gong Yiding broke the silence. “The blueprints are here now. No matter how they came about, it can only be beneficial to us… Shall we ask again?”
“Yes, yes, yes, ask quickly!” Professor Wu urged impatiently. His eagerness was such that if the second ship weren’t so far away in the asteroid belt, he would probably pack his bags right now and rush over by shuttle.
“Okay!” Shan Qiuyu agreed readily and turned to instruct, “Contact Expedition Two immediately and ask for details about the blueprints!”