Chapter 248 - 160: Matter Resolved
It was the same familiar study, the same familiar scene. The only difference was that the man of the hour was now Professor Chen.
As for Professor Wu, he had taken Chen Fei and left. He knew Su Chen was planning to leave Xi’an today and had insisted on hosting a farewell lunch for him at his home.
Of course, this was also to give Su Chen and Professor Chen some space to discuss certain topics.
Professor Chen glanced at the black device flashing a green light on the table, then turned his gaze to Su Chen. "Su Chen, do you really have the subsequent formulas for controllable nuc— COUGH, COUGH?"
He had wanted to ask directly, but the words themselves were so world-shaking that Professor Chen consciously chose to be vague.
Su Chen didn’t answer right away. He lifted his teacup and took a sip. Seeing Professor Chen growing antsy, he finally spoke, his voice measured. "Whether I have them or not isn’t important. What’s important, Professor Chen, are your thoughts on the matter."
"We all know there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You can’t just expect to get something for nothing."
"Pies don’t just fall from the sky."
Su Chen’s meaning was blunt: if Professor Chen didn’t state his position, he would never learn the truth.
Professor Chen fell silent. He had been deeply conflicted for the past two days, often wondering if he should follow Professor Wu’s example and throw in his lot with Su Chen.
But he knew that research into controllable nuclear fusion couldn’t be accomplished by a single person. The initial investment alone would be in the hundreds of millions. He found it hard to believe Su Chen had that kind of financial backing.
"Su Chen, do you have any idea how important controllable nuclear fusion is to the na—"
Before Professor Chen could finish, Su Chen raised a hand to cut him off. "Don’t try to guilt-trip me with patriotism. If we all understand its importance, does Professor Chen really think a few words are enough to convince someone to just hand over the technology?"
"That’s a bit of wishful thinking, isn’t it?"
"Besides, who’s to say the technology in my hands can’t contribute to the nation? Does it have to be handed over to you ’experts’ to be considered patriotic?"
"Sir, the times have changed. This is no longer an era where just talking the talk counts as a contribution. Now, it’s all about concrete action!"
Su Chen’s speech made the old professor’s face flush. He knew his own words had carried a hint of moral blackmail, but his intentions were pure—he only wanted to see the nation develop faster.
And it was precisely because Su Chen knew this that he was willing to sit down and discuss the matter with him at all. If it had been one of those worthless, so-called experts, Su Chen wouldn’t have given them the time of day.
Professor Chen fell silent.
He knew Su Chen had come to Xi’an for Professor Wu. Now that that business was settled, and Su Chen had spent the last couple of days seeing the sights and trying the food, he also knew that once the young man left today, they would likely never meet again...
’A three-legged toad is hard to find, but are experts in nuclear engineering also that rare?’
Professor Chen knew... if he let this opportunity slip by, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
For a moment, the only sounds in the room were Su Chen’s calm sipping of tea and the increasingly heavy sound of Professor Chen’s breathing.
After a long while, Professor Chen finally looked at Su Chen. "Su Chen, I’d like to ask... if I were to join your research institute, what would the annual research budget be?"
Professor Chen’s question actually stumped Su Chen. The reason was simple: the technology for controllable nuclear fusion was already complete. He just needed an expert in the field to sort through it from start to finish.
As for the research budget Professor Chen was asking about, Su Chen didn’t have a figure in mind.
’Was he supposed to just tell the professor, "You’re the top-tier specialist I’ve been looking for. I don’t need you to research anything, just to fully digest this technology"?’
’The second those words left his mouth, he’d probably be on the receiving end of the death glare Professor Chen had been perfecting for decades.’
After a moment’s thought, a small smile played on Su Chen’s lips. "You can rest easy about the funding. The annual research budget will be in the hundreds of millions, minimum."
Su Chen wasn’t lying. He planned to invest at least a third, maybe even half, of all future funds rewarded by his system into that research base.
As the saying goes, you keep the good stuff in the family. How could Su Chen let the hundred-odd civilian technologies he’d acquired sit and collect dust in his system’s inventory? All of them would eventually be monetized through the research base.
When Professor Chen heard Su Chen promise an annual budget of at least a hundred million, a flicker of excitement sparked in his eyes. He knew all too well that the university’s research funding was dwindling, primarily because it was being spread thin across too many new projects.
It didn’t matter if a project was useful or not; as long as the proposal was polished and looked profitable, people would find a way to get funding for it.
Professor Chen was an upright and principled man, unwilling to play those underhanded games. As a result, his research funding was never as plentiful as others’, and he sometimes even had his budget throttled.
’With a budget of a hundred million a year, think of all the things I could accomplish!’ Of course Professor Chen was ecstatic.
Su Chen saw the change in the professor’s expression and decided to add a little more fuel to the fire.
"Professor Chen, if you trust me... controllable nuclear fusion might just become a reality in your hands."
"Hmm?" Professor Chen’s eyes shot wide open, staring intently at Su Chen as if trying to uncover some secret hidden within them.
But Su Chen remained perfectly calm, seemingly oblivious to the professor’s burning gaze as he nonchalantly lifted his teacup for another sip.