Chapter 194: The Plan
"Mentor, long time no see." Having just left a seminar, Bai Mo suddenly received a call from Zhao Jiasen, whom he hadn't contacted in a long time. They arranged to meet at a coffee shop in Tianqing.
"It has indeed been a long time, long enough for you to become a towering tree," Zhao Jiasen quipped.
"I truly didn't expect that the small samples I casually brought back would ultimately lead to your current achievements."
After more than two years, Zhao Jiasen had naturally pieced together the entire story: from Bai Mo first approaching him for Spirit Stones, to his return from Hawaii, and then using Zhao Jiasen's reputation and recommendations to gradually establish connections with the higher echelons.
However, this wasn't some shameful past; it was simply an accident that caused him to miss the initial opportunity. Perhaps if he had to choose again, at that time, deep into a critical engine project, he would still set these miscellaneous tasks aside.
"Such is the way of the world," Bai Mo said, offering no further reply.
"Come back to the institute. I'll personally guide you in the proper research methods of a legitimate researcher. While you may be stronger than me in terms of power, in the end, you're just a young dropout who only studied for half a year of graduate school. The way you've gone about things isn't at all like a proper researcher. What's the difference between something like Spirit Stone candles and something made by a craftsman?"
"This isn't a hundred years ago. Lone heroes fighting by themselves are no longer suited for this research environment. The rate of knowledge growth far exceeds our learning speed; super-geniuses spanning various fields will no longer appear. Researchers must collaborate to achieve great feats," Zhao Jiasen continued to persuade him.
"With your talent, you shouldn't be wasted on such a wrong path!" His final words rang with power, immediately drawing the attention of people at other tables.
"But from the current situation, with my physical strength, even if my power doesn't increase by a single bit from now on, I still have over a hundred years of golden time. What does it matter if I spend thirty or even fifty years learning various fields I enjoy?"
"As my brain continuously undergoes Spirit Energy transformation, the speed of thought, memory, and calculation will greatly increase. Spending several decades accumulating knowledge to become a researcher spanning numerous fields will be no problem at all."
"As for those Spirit Stone candles back then, they were meant for me to earn my first pot of gold. As long as those old geezers found them useful and felt the money was well spent, that's enough. Technical complexity? To hell with it! Haven't there been plenty of cases in research circles where people just rely on high-end concepts to swindle funding, only to produce nothing in the end?"
"No matter what, what I made was effective. It's better than those academic charlatans who only write flowery papers comprehensible only to insiders, just to swindle money. At the very least, it was a truly mutually beneficial transaction."
Zhao Jiasen was momentarily silenced by Bai Mo's words. As someone who had spent decades in Huaxia academic circles, he naturally understood all the intricate shenanigans within.
"Leaving aside the matter of the candles, why do you have such a goal?"
Having long been accustomed to his slowly declining body, even now that he had recovered his healthy state, he had never before thought in terms of decades or centuries.
"I know you're collecting thought crystals containing the ideas of masters from various research fields, but I never imagined your ultimate goal was to single-handedly support the entire tech tree. However, no matter what, your individual speed can't possibly outpace the entire world." Zhao Jiasen didn't wait for Bai Mo to reply, continuing to speak on his own.
"Who knows what the future holds? Three years ago, who would have thought that three years later, there would be plenty of people who could casually destroy a house with a single punch?" Bai Mo spread his hands.
"Moreover, I never intended to race against the entire world, nor is knowledge exclusive. There's no notion that if I learn it, others cannot. I enjoy recording the entire tech tree within my body; that's my pleasure. What does that have to do with anyone else?"
"I am simply living life the way I enjoy." With that, Bai Mo's long hair moved without a breeze, and he vanished from the coffee shop.
"The times are changing too fast; my old bones still can't keep up with you young people's way of thinking," Zhao Jiasen sighed, then slowly made his way to the dedicated car waiting for him outside.
From the moment he saw his mentor, Bai Mo had already used his network to find the conversation between Zhao Jiasen and the institute director, thus learning the true reason for this meeting.
The struggle between the two factions within the Huaxia Federation's high echelons had never ceased. They were still using various implicit means, without incurring the other party's resentment, to gradually entangle Bai Mo — a person capable of influencing the balance — in more interpersonal relationships, slowly making him a member of a faction.
He paid no mind to these petty schemes, instead plunging back into the laboratory to continue his daily routine.
Several months passed in a flash. That morning, all seven members of the Seven-Person Council received a report from Bai Mo. A rare special meeting was convened specifically to discuss this report.
"Spirit Energy Network System, Spirit Energy Surveillance Tower, Heaven-Human Unity Pool, Space Distortion Shield... Is this Bai Mo fellow actually an alien from the Apex Star, bringing all his family's black technology over here?" Ye Zi held the report in her hand, making a rare joke.
"The Spirit Energy Network System, through the deployment of a comprehensive network system, on one hand collects and stores various stray energies, and on the other hand can, to a certain extent, suppress the destructive power of Ability Users..."
"The design inspiration primarily comes from the United States' Spirit Energy mechanical technology, achieving its effect of absorbing various energies to a certain extent by simulating a Spirit Hub structure named 'Fusion Energy'...”
Given that the readers were all exceptionally busy individuals with not much relevant background knowledge, the report naturally contained no detailed technical specifications, but the basic principles and ideas were introduced in relatively common language.
"This fellow actually blackmailed core technology from the United States," Cheng Mu, seated in the center, remarked. "According to intelligence from our planted informants, he previously threatened the United States government in a manner akin to a terrorist."
"The source of the technology is a minor matter; the key is its effectiveness. Leaving aside everything else, focusing solely on this Spirit Energy Network System, do you think it's worth investing in? According to the budget in the report, if it's to be deployed across the entire Huaxia Federation, the final total investment will exceed ten trillion Huaxia credits, take nearly twenty years, and require countless manpower and resources, not to mention the several subsequent plans built upon it."
"I believe it's acceptable. According to the description, through the network system laid out across the entire city, various energies such as geothermal, solar energy, and Spirit Energy dissipated by Ability Users can be absorbed and aggregated. The key point is that it can selectively absorb a portion of kinetic energy, greatly reducing the destruction caused by Ability User riots to cities!"
"There's another point: according to Bai Mo's statement in the report, once the network for a single city is deployed, its stored Spirit Energy can be used in emergencies to generate a super Spirit Energy shield covering the entire city, preventing the tragedy of nuclear devastation from replaying."
"Regardless of whether there are truly aliens behind the Sea Race, we are destined for a final battle with them. This planet doesn't need two ruling races." Chen Bo, a military veteran, was quite interested in such a strategic defensive weapon.
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