Super Rich: Rebirth of the Top-Tier Rich Second Generation

Eleven minutes after the revised draft was uploaded.

London, editorial office of Nature Energy.

A high-priority system notification popped up in the lower right corner of editor Sarah Mitchell's computer.

The revised draft has been submitted.

She had already packed her things and was ready to leave work, but after seeing the manuscript number, she sat back down at her workstation.

It's still that solid-state battery paper from China.

It was the same manuscript that had four top reviewers collectively review it in four days, almost overturning the entire editorial department's common sense.

Sarah didn't delay and immediately downloaded the revised manuscript, the line-by-line reply, and the newly added supplementary materials.

They simply reactivated the highest priority red marker directly within the internal system.

The four original reviewers, two senior editors, and the journal's technical editor responsible for data integrity verification all received urgent notifications.

Please review the author's revised content first.

This submission may involve a major technological breakthrough; feedback is recommended within 24 hours.

This time, the response was faster than the previous round.

Professor James Crawford of MIT submitted his final opinion in the system in just three hours.

He re-verified the statistical scope and batch differences of the newly added data, and finally left only a brief comment:

The author has fully addressed all my concerns. I recommend accepting it without further revisions.

Professor Klaus Weber of the Max Planck Institute in Germany checked each of the seventeen questions he had raised.

After checking each item, he would neatly put a checkmark next to the printed opinion form.

Boundary conditions have been added.

Equipment drift error has been explained.

The statistical standards have been standardized.

Cross-batch repeatability has been verified.

Seven hours later, seventeen checkmarks were neatly arranged along the edge of the page.

Weber removed his glasses and wrote in his final comments: [Accepted. Strongly recommended for consideration as a cover paper.]

Professor Hiroshi Tanaka of the University of Tokyo also did not raise any new questions.

As for Park Joon-ho...

He continued to insist on obtaining the complete process log, but when the editorial department asked him to point out specific data contradictions, image problems, or statistical loopholes, he was unable to provide any substantial evidence.

No charts are repeated.

There are no data gaps.

There are no statistical errors.

There is also no clear evidence to support the "accusation of fabrication".

All that's left is the empty phrase, "It doesn't conform to common industry knowledge."

However, the development of science is inherently about breaking down old common sense time and time again.

Twenty-one hours after the revised manuscript was submitted.

Nature Energy skipped its regular editorial meeting and convened a top-level online closed-door meeting.

Attendees included Editor-in-Chief Richard Haines, two associate editors, four senior editors, Managing Editor Sarah, and the journal's data integrity reviewer.

The core data of the paper was displayed on a large screen in the center of the conference room.

Richard did not offer any lengthy comments from beginning to end.

He only asked three questions.

Is it theoretically possible to achieve stable reproducibility across batches?

Sarah replied, "Theoretically, yes. The relative deviation of key indicators for three batches of raw materials from different sources does not exceed 1.3%."

Are the original electrochemical curves, equipment calibration records, and statistical methods sufficient to pass an audit?

The data editor replied, "That's sufficient. The chain of evidence is complete, and there is no evidence of manipulation or selective disclosure."

"Do the remaining objections point to any clear scientific errors?"

The meeting fell silent briefly.

Finally, one of the deputy editors shook his head.

"no."

Richard closed the paper manuscript in his hand.

The editor-in-chief, who rarely uses exaggerated adjectives, tapped the table lightly with his knuckles.

"Therefore, peer review should not be a legitimate channel for obtaining trade secrets."

"The author has proven the conclusion."

"They are not obligated to provide the safe combination to the reviewers."

In short, this completely puts an end to the doubts surrounding Park Joon-ho.

The subsequent vote was a foregone conclusion.

Formal acceptance.

Skip the regular scheduling.

It will be featured as the cover article for next month.

Initiate expedited typesetting and news preheating procedures.

Passed unanimously.

……

It was already late at night in London after the meeting.

Professor Richard Haynes, editor-in-chief of Nature Energy, sat in his antique-style office.

The revised manuscript on the table was slightly curled from his frequent flipping.

Next to it were the four review comments and the minutes of the senior editors' meeting that had just ended.

He did not leave the final decision to the editor on his behalf.

Instead, he personally logged into the editor-in-chief's email and sent a final ruling email to the two authors of this shocking paper.

The email was very short.

There were no formalities, no preamble, only three paragraphs, yet every word carried immense weight:

The first paragraph is the formal acceptance:

"Dear Professor Jiang and Professor Shen, I am very honored to inform you that your revised manuscript has been officially accepted by Nature Energy."

The second paragraph skips the regular scheduling and goes straight to the cover.

"Following a unanimous vote at a senior editorial meeting, we have decided to skip the regular scheduling and select your paper as the cover article for next month's issue."

Please submit a high-resolution concept art for the cover design as soon as possible.

The third paragraph contains an evaluation that countless researchers wouldn't even dare to dream of:

【We believe this work will redefine the trajectory of global solid-state battery research for at least the next two decades. 】

We believe this work will redefine the trajectory of global solid-state battery research for at least the next two decades!

For the vast majority of researchers, any one of these three paragraphs would be enough to celebrate for a long time, enough for a doctoral student to complete their studies.

Formal acceptance.

Top magazine cover.

Redefining the research trajectory for the next twenty years.

Now, Jiang Yan has obtained everything at once.

……

Wanliu Academy in the capital city.

The main lights in the study were off; only the computer screen in front of Jiang Yan emitted a soft white glow.

He quietly read the reply from the editor-in-chief, without gesticulating wildly, slamming his fist on the table in excitement, or shouting excitedly.

He simply reached out and calmly turned off the computer screen.

The study was plunged into darkness for a brief moment, before being filled again by the dazzling neon lights of Beijing outside the window.

Jiang Yan leaned back in his chair, his entire body hidden in the dim light and shadow.

He sat there quietly, his gaze piercing through the French windows, looking out at the boundless night.

In his past life, he poured his heart and soul into this path.

In the end, all their efforts were snatched away by a cold, official document and shameless tyranny, and they even paid the price with their lives.

Even kneeling, you can't get justice.

He didn't call his grandfather to share the good news, nor did he inform his mother, Lin Wantang.

At the purest peak moment for a scientific researcher, he picked up his phone from the table and opened Shen Qinglan's WeChat chat window.

Long, slender fingers typed two simple words: 【Done!!!】

The two words represent that he has everything under control.

The three exclamation marks indicate that his heart was not entirely at peace.

Three seconds later.

The screen flickered.

Shen Qinglan replied with three exclamation marks:

【! ! ! 】

Professor Shen, who usually uses periods most often, exploded into an exclamation mark.

A minute later, a voice message that lasted more than ten seconds popped up on WeChat.

Jiang Yan opened the voice chat and selected speakerphone.

Shen Qinglan's voice immediately rang out in the quiet study.

The top-notch female professor who is usually aloof and arrogant on the podium and as calm as a machine in the laboratory.

At this moment, her voice trembled slightly, as if she couldn't suppress it, and one could even faintly hear a sob.

This is not sadness, but the kind of soul-stirring excitement that comes from the realization of great academic achievements and ideals.

"Jiang Yan..."

She called him by his full name, then paused for two seconds, as if trying to calm her breathing, but finally, with a slight tremor in her voice, she whispered:

"We...we really did it."

As Jiang Yan listened to this speech, which was devoid of any flowery language, he felt a surge of pleasure that was more intense than conquering any woman's body.

This is the most genuine emotional resonance between two purely intelligent souls.

At the top of the pyramid, loneliness is the norm.

Having a partner who understands the weight of every data point you compose is more satisfying than anything else.

"Ding!"

At the very moment the voice message ended, the long-absent mechanical voice of the system suddenly rang in Jiang Yan's mind.

And this time, it wasn't the kind of notification that only rang once.

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed an academic upheaval event!]

[Influence Points are being calculated...]

[Although the paper has not yet been officially published online, it has already caused a profound stir within the senior editorial staff of Nature and the networks of four top scholars worldwide!]

[Preliminary Results: 30000 Influence Points Earned!]

【...】

A storm is already brewing within the world's elite inner circle.

James, who was in the United States, couldn't contain himself any longer and began to subtly discuss "a new Chinese material that could change the world" in a high-level academic group at MIT.

Meanwhile, the desperate Japanese professor, Hiroshi Tanaka, was probably on a confidential phone call with his country's zaibatsu (financial conglomerates) and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, warning them of an impending devastating industrial tsunami.

The world has begun to quietly turn its gears because of Jiang Yan's one action.

"This is nothing, the storm is just around the corner."

Jiang Yan looked at the constantly fluctuating score, picked up the slightly cooled Longjing tea on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.