From Wage Slave to Tycoon

When the old professor came out of the research lab, his face was alight with excitement. Even though he’d been working for days with little rest, the thought of the precious treasure inside the lab had him full of energy.

But when he saw the old man next to Su Chen, he froze on the spot. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes, as if in disbelief.

As one of the country’s top experts in nuclear engineering, Professor Chen often reported to high-level officials and had met with plenty of them. He had even been received by the highest echelons of leadership for past special projects.

That was precisely why he was so shocked by Elder Xiao’s appearance. He never imagined such a major figure would come to inspect their work in person, and so quickly at that.

Normally, even for a successful national-level project, a major figure would only come for an inspection after a designated department had completed its review. But now, he had barely submitted the report, and this man had rushed over overnight.

This level of attention deeply moved the old professor; the all-nighters he had pulled recently suddenly didn’t feel so arduous.

"Professor Chen, thank you for your hard work!"

There were only a handful of top nuclear engineering experts in the country, so Elder Xiao naturally recognized the old professor. He strode forward and grasped his hand as he spoke.

"It was nothing, nothing at all! Sir, why did you come in person?" the old professor responded excitedly.

"HAHAHA! With you all creating something so astonishing, how could I not come and see it for myself? You know, there are still a few people back in the Imperial Capital waiting for my call!" A thrilled smile also appeared on Elder Xiao’s face.

He was eager to see the nuclear fusion reactor for himself and get the precise details about the project from this top nuclear engineering expert.

Professor Chen understood the reason for Elder Xiao’s personal visit. He greeted Su Chen and then invited the three of them into the research lab.

As they entered the lab, the researchers busy at work all turned to look. Up until this point, no outsiders had ever been allowed into the institute.

Even when Xiao Chen had visited before, he was only allowed to watch from behind the outermost glass wall. He had asked to go inside for a look back then but was flatly refused by the old professor.

If the old professor hadn’t known that Xiao Chen was trustworthy and had been brought in by Chen Fei, he probably wouldn’t have even been allowed past the first glass wall.

Seeing everyone’s distracted looks, the old professor’s brow furrowed instantly.

CLAP CLAP! The old professor clapped his hands and barked, "What are you looking at? Is all your work finished?"

At his words, all the researchers immediately lowered their heads and got back to work.

Elder Xiao paid it no mind and walked quickly to the glass wall. Su Chen and Xiao Chen followed close behind.

The first thing that caught their eye was a small pool of water, in which a boiler-like object was submerged. If not for the occasional flashes of blue light, one might have thought the reactor wasn’t even running.

"Professor Chen, are we really okay this close? Is there any radiation? And what’s that stuff that looks like water?" Su Chen asked nervously after swallowing hard.

’We’re only separated from the reactor by a glass wall. If there’s radiation, we’re toast.’

Instead of answering Su Chen’s question immediately, Professor Chen picked up a portable radiation detector. He turned it on and tested the area in front of everyone, revealing that the radiation level was practically zero.

It’s a known fact that nuclear radiation exists wherever there are radioactive rays, and our current environment is no exception; the levels are simply too low to harm the human body.

The old professor said proudly, "We are using the world’s most advanced radiation shielding equipment here. It ensures that the outside environment is completely unaffected."

"As for that water, it’s heavy water, used specifically for nuclear fusion reactors."

All of this technology, including the reactor’s construction plans, was included in the data provided by Su Chen. Otherwise, there was no way the old professor could have built the nuclear reactor so quickly.

Elder Xiao nodded slightly at his words, then began whispering with Professor Chen. Su Chen strained his ears to listen; they were discussing the nuclear reactor, specifically its performance capabilities.

After a few sentences, Su Chen stopped listening. The main reason was that their conversation had veered off into military applications. ’And that... Su Chen had no desire to hear about.’

’Otherwise, the old man would just end up giving him another lecture.’

After about ten minutes of conversation, Elder Xiao seemed to have gotten the answers he wanted, and the smile on his face grew even wider.

"Professor Chen, the next few days may be quite demanding for you."

Hearing this, Professor Chen’s expression immediately turned serious. He knew what Elder Xiao meant and nodded gravely.

After that, Elder Xiao didn’t disturb the old professor any further. He led Su Chen and the other man out of the research lab. Professor Chen didn’t stay in the lab either; instead, he followed Su Chen and the others out.

Su Chen, walking at the very back, glanced at Elder Xiao and Xiao Chen talking up ahead before whispering to the professor, "You really did me in this time. I got dragged onto a flight from the Imperial Capital overnight because of you."

"My fault?" The corner of the old professor’s mouth curled up. It wasn’t hard to see how pleased he was. "You were the one who said to call you the moment the project was a success."