94: From Technological Warfare to Space Empire

Chapter 136 You've gone further than any of us, so the baton is now yours to carry.

Deputy Secretary-General Liu turned the page of the document.

"Professor Kotler from the Max Planck Institute in Germany has sent a formal invitation through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to visit you for three months, with all expenses covered."

"Professor Cohen-Tanogi from France was more direct. He said he was willing to teach in China, but he had to be involved in the subsequent research."

"Japan is making the biggest splash. The physics departments of the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Tohoku University have jointly sent an invitation, saying they want you to be the keynote speaker at a Sino-Japanese BEC symposium..."

As he said this, he looked up at Lin Yu.

He gave Lin Yu a meaningful look and then said, "Of course, news has come that they still can't forget about your terahertz technology."

"After all, you were just fooling them in the first place, and that Clay supercomputer is still in your hands."

"If it weren't for Xiao Hou taking over and continuing the counter-espionage scheme, they might have come looking for trouble for you long ago."

"I don't recommend going."

After finishing this page, Deputy Secretary-General Liu turned to the next page.

"Of course, there were also unfriendly ones."

"The U.S. State Department inquired through diplomatic channels whether our BEC research received foreign funding, whether it used sensitive equipment, and whether the experiments were compliant with regulations."

"Our intelligence personnel at the Pentagon have reported that they are urgently assessing the military value of the BEC. The initial draft of the assessment report is said to be complete, and the conclusion is that it has disruptive potential."

The meeting room fell silent.

Commander Hou lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

"They came really fast."

Deputy Secretary-General Liu nodded.

"Therefore, we need a unified response plan."

He turned to Lin Yu.

"Comrade Lin Yu, you are now a star figure in the international physics community."

"From now on, every word you say and every action you take may be magnified and interpreted."

"We need to define several principles."

He held up one finger.

"First, how should we handle the invitation?"

Lin Yu thought for a moment.

"It's impossible for me to go to both; I can't be in two places at once."

"But it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse everyone; it would make us seem closed-minded."

He looked at Mr. Qian.

Mr. Qian nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Lin Yu carefully considered his words.

"My idea is to handle it in stages."

"Professor Kotler from Germany and Professor Cohen-Tanogi from France are both founders in the field of laser cooling, have high academic standing, and are friendly towards China."

"I can consider accepting their invitation, but the timing should be postponed, for example, six months or a year later."

"We can send someone to Japan."

"It's not me going, it's the younger members of the team going."

"It's a good opportunity for them to get some experience and also to demonstrate our openness."

"The US invitation will be put on hold for now. We'll wait for their assessment report."

Deputy Secretary-General Liu nodded and jotted down Lin Yu's words in his notebook.

He couldn't simply follow Lin Yu's instructions, but he would definitely make arrangements based on Lin Yu's suggestions.

"Second, a request for cooperation."

Lin Yu pondered for a moment.

"BEC can collaborate on basic research, but core technologies must be kept secret."

"They want to come and learn? Fine. Want to take the whole set of techniques with them? No way!"

"Jointly apply for project funding? Sure, but we have to lead the project, share the intellectual property rights, and take the lion's share."

Deputy Secretary-General Liu made a few more notes and then looked up.

"Third, sensitive questions. How do you answer questions about the source of research funding, equipment, and team background?"

Lin Yu didn't even think about it.

"To be honest, the funding came from the government, the equipment was either domestically produced or legally imported, and the team was Chinese."

Mr. Qian nodded gently beside him.

Deputy Secretary-General Liu closed his notebook; there really wasn't much to answer.

There's no need to prove that we're all Chinese.

"Okay, I'll compile these principles into a document and submit it for approval before implementation."

He paused, then added.

"There's one more thing. The Nobel Prize."

The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became lively.

Deputy Secretary-General Liu looked at Lin Yu.

"The nomination deadline has passed this year, but there will be another opportunity next year. We need to start preparing now."

"The paper has been published; now it's time to prepare the personnel."

He opened another document.

"The selection of the Nobel Prize is not only based on academic achievements, but also on international recognition, academic influence, and the recommenders."

Quantity.

"We need to start now to ensure that Comrade Lin Yu's name continues to appear in the international academic community."

"Attending international conferences, giving invited presentations, publishing review articles in international journals, and being interviewed by international media—"

"All of these things need to be planned and arranged."

"At the same time, we should strive for recommendations from top international scholars. Professors Cohen-Tanoti, Kotler, and Steven Chu—letters of recommendation from these people would carry significant weight."

Lin Yu listened, his feelings a mix of emotions.

The Nobel Prize—

Which researcher hasn't thought about this?

Now, it has become so concrete, so close.

Mr. Qian looked at him and said softly.

"Xiaolin, don't feel pressured. The Nobel Prize will come naturally. What you need to do now is to do a good job of your research and lead your team well. The rest will follow."

Lin Yu nodded.

"I see."

Deputy Secretary-General Liu put away the documents and stood up.

"Alright, that's settled then. Comrade Lin Yu, I'll take care of coordinating your matter. If you need anything, please contact Commander Hou immediately, and he will relay your message."

He walked up to Lin Yu and extended his hand.

"Congratulations. This is a source of pride for our country."

Lin Yu grasped his hand.

"Thank you, Secretary-General Liu."

Deputy Secretary-General Liu then nodded and took his leave, as he had many things to attend to.

After Deputy Secretary-General Liu left, the office became quiet.

Old Qian leaned back on the sofa, looked at Lin Yu, and encouraged him, "Little Lin, you've made the right move."

He spoke slowly.

"BEC is a breakthrough in basic science; it's original and disruptive."

"With it, we will have a voice in the international academic community."

"From now on, no matter what you do in aerospace, materials, or anything else, no one will dare to look down on you."

He paused, then began to reminisce about the past, his tone becoming profound.

"I've seen this kind of thing many times."

"Do you know what? When many people were studying in the United States, what hurt them the most was not that the US didn't provide resources for Chinese students, but that the US completely disregarded Chinese people."

"Every time one of our people puts forward a theory, they say, 'What kind of theories could the Chinese possibly have?'"

"Whatever results I achieve, they say it's all just luck."

"This feeling is unpleasant."

He looked at Lin Yu.

"But things are different now. You're going further than any of us did back then."

"They can't deny what you've created."