Chapter 330 - 254: A Genius’s Detour?
Celestial Craft Group, No. 3 Research Institute.
Inside a conference room classified at the highest level of secrecy, the air was thick with smoke, yet the atmosphere was exceptionally fervent.
Professor Wu Zhen sat at the head of the table. The old expert, once publicly humiliated by Han Feng, showed not a trace of resentment now. Instead, his face was filled with a fanatical zeal, almost like that of a pilgrim.
A simple, ancient-looking cyan Jade Scroll floated on the holographic projection before him. Countless arcane Runes flowed out from it, shimmering in concert with the complex structural diagram of the "Ghost" fighter jet displayed on the other side.
"Incredible. Truly incredible!"
An engineer with graying hair, Engineer Feng, pounded the table in excitement.
"So this is the theoretical origin of the Central Harmony Talisman!
Using reverse Energy counters to establish a dynamic stabilization field... that line of thinking... it’s a stroke of genius!"
"It’s more than just the Harmony Talisman!"
Wu Zhen’s eyes were glued to a particular annotation within the Jade Scroll.
"Look here. The concept of the ’Spiritual Energy Diode’ was mentioned long ago in this Jade Scroll. They called it a ’Unidirectional Spirit Guide Array.’
All of our previous research was heading down a dead end!"
Everyone present was a top expert in East Sea City’s Spiritual Energy industry.
Under Councilor Wang’s leadership, the Parliament had assembled a special research group, gathering nearly every available technical authority.
They had only one mission: to decipher Han Feng’s technology, then codify and summarize it into a mature, scalable theory.
Initially, many had been skeptical and unconvinced.
But as their research deepened, especially after the Parliament unsealed the Jade Scroll Han Feng had submitted—the one previously assessed as being of "low value"—the entire research group went wild.
How could this possibly be of low value?
This was clearly a gateway to a new world!
"I get it now,"
Engineer Feng slapped his thigh in a moment of sudden realization.
"That kid, Han Feng, isn’t some self-taught amateur at all! He has a complete heritage of knowledge! We’re the ones who’ve been reinventing the wheel in isolation!"
"No wonder. No wonder he could see the flaws in the Turbo-17 engine at a glance.
No wonder he could just pull an improved Nine Palace Flying Stars array out of thin air... All the answers are in this Jade Scroll!"
Wu Zhen let out a long sigh, the last shred of resentment in his heart dissipating into thin air.
His defeat had been fair and square.
He hadn’t lost to a student in the Meridian Passage Realm, but to an entire, higher-level Cultivation Immortality Civilization!
In the face of such a colossal technological gap, his airs of being a venerable senior were nothing but a joke.
"Everyone, after this period of compilation, I have drafted a preliminary ’New Era Spiritual Energy Rune Universal Design Outline.’"
Wu Zhen stood up, his expression solemn as he brought up a document.
"Once this theoretical framework is implemented, it will advance East Sea City’s current Spiritual Energy Industrial System by at least thirty years! It might even trigger a fourth industrial revolution!"
Thunderous applause erupted in the conference room.
Everyone knew what this meant.
It meant they would have a more solid foundation in the future war against the high-dimensional invasion.
However, amidst this enthusiastic atmosphere, a dissonant voice spoke up.
"Elder Wu, everyone, I have a question."
The speaker was an expert in materials science, Dr. Qian.
He was the one who, along with Engineer Ma, had been kicked off the "Shadow" project by Han Feng.
Now, he pointed at the cockpit design for the "Ghost" X-02, his brow deeply furrowed.
"Regarding this ’Neural Resonance System,’ I ran a simulation based on our new theory, combined with my expertise in biomechanics and Divine Soul load-bearing models."
Dr. Qian projected a mind-numbingly complex data report onto the screen.
"The conclusion is... theoretically feasible, but practically impossible."
"What do you mean?" Wu Zhen asked.
"It means that to meet the minimum standard designed by Han Feng—to achieve deep resonance with the fighter and withstand the terrifying torrent of information during supersonic maneuvers—the pilot’s Spiritual Power must be at least at the level of a Divine Containment Realm Grandmaster!"
"And not just a Grandmaster who has barely entered the Divine Containment Realm, but one whose Spiritual Power has been refined to a significant degree!"
As soon as Dr. Qian said this, the conference room fell silent.
"A Divine Containment Realm Grandmaster?"
Engineer Feng sucked in a sharp breath. "Are you kidding me? How many Grandmasters are there in all of East Sea City? Every single one of them is a major figure overseeing a whole region. Who among them would pilot a fighter jet?"
"Exactly,"
Dr. Qian spread his hands. "A Grandmaster is capable of Sky-controlling Flight on their own, can extend their Divine Thought, and their close-quarters combat abilities far surpass that of a fighter jet.
Making them pilots isn’t just putting the cart before the horse; it’s like trading Gold for brass, isn’t it?"
"Therefore, my conclusion is,"
Dr. Qian said, word by word, "Advisor Han’s design is far too idealistic.
He probably used his own capabilities as the benchmark.
But he forgot that in the entire history of East Sea City, over several hundred years, there has only ever been one monster like him."
"This plan’s cost-effectiveness is too low. It has no feasibility for mass deployment!
I recommend we report to the Parliament immediately and revert the X-02’s control system back to traditional mechanical controls.
Only then can we quickly establish combat readiness and face the imminent Dragon Abyss crisis!"
Wu Zhen fell silent.
He had to admit that Dr. Qian was right.
Han Feng was a genius, but geniuses often make one mistake: they assume everyone else is just like them.
This report had to be submitted.
This wasn’t about embarrassing Han Feng; it was about being responsible for the future of all of East Sea City.
...
Parliament Building, top-floor conference hall.
"...In summary, our special research group unanimously agrees that while the ’Neural Resonance System’ designed by Advisor Han is conceptually advanced, it is severely detached from reality and has absolutely no possibility of being deployed in the short term."
Councilor Wang stood at the podium, his voice loud and clear as he spoke with impassioned conviction.
"This is not to negate Advisor Han’s contributions. On the contrary, we admire his talent!
But it is for that very reason that we cannot stand by and watch him waste precious resources and Time on a project that is impossible to complete!"
His tone shifted, and his piercing gaze turned to Li Tiecheng, who was seated with the military representatives.
"As far as I know, General Li, you recently requisitioned five hundred vials of Tier Three Nourishing Spirit Liquid and thirty catties of Thunder Sound Bamboo Shoots from the strategic reserve for this ’Ghost Squad’ in one go!
These are all top-tier strategic materials used for nourishing the Divine Soul!"
"Now, it seems these precious resources have likely been poured down the drain!
I’m not upset about the resources; I’m upset about the little Time we have left!"
"The Dragon Abyss Mist Sea is upon us!
We need weapons that can be deployed into battle immediately, not some Dragon Slaying Technique that is all for show and no use!"
Councilor Wang’s speech had many of the councilors present nodding in agreement.
Indeed, the logic was simple.
No matter how good something was, if you couldn’t use it, it was just a pile of scrap metal.
"General Li," a centrist councilor asked, "could you inform us of the Ghost Squad’s training progress?
Are those ace pilots able to fly the jets yet?"
Li Tiecheng’s face instantly turned the color of liver.
’Training progress?’
’The "progress" was that his "chosen ones" were lining up to report to the simulators every day, only to line up again to vomit on their way out.’
’The training room he was once so proud of now smelled so bad that even the cleaning robots had to wear triple-layer filter masks.’
"Ahem,"
Li Tiecheng cleared his throat and said evasively, "The training... is progressing steadily."
"Progressing steadily? And just what stage has it progressed to?"
Councilor Wang immediately pressed, giving him no room to breathe.
Seeing the situation, Chen Beixuan stood up to mediate:
"Everyone, a genius’s concepts always need Time to be validated.
Since that boy, Han Feng, created this design, he must have his reasons. We should give him more trust and patience."
"Patience? Vice Dean Chen, patience is the one thing we lack the most!"
Councilor Wang immediately retorted, "Ten years! In ten years, the Tier Six beings will arrive! What Time do we have to wait for some illusory possibility?"
The debate in the conference hall raged on.
"Enough."
Speaker Ye Daoyuan, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.
He had spoken only a single word, and the entire room instantly fell silent.
Ye Daoyuan’s gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on Li Tiecheng and Chen Beixuan.
"Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth."
"Endless debate here is pointless. It’s better to go see for ourselves."
"Councilor Wang," Ye Daoyuan ordered, "you will take the experts from the special research group. General Li, Vice Dean Chen, you will go as well."
"Proceed immediately to Hangar No. 7 and conduct an on-site evaluation of the Ghost Squad’s training."
"If this system truly cannot be mastered by the pilots in the short term, then activate the backup plan immediately and switch to the conventional control mode!"
"Before Dragon Abyss opens, I must see a Ghost Squad that can fly and fight!"
Ye Daoyuan’s tone was indisputable.
The meeting concluded.
A victorious smile appeared on Councilor Wang’s face.
He adjusted his collar and strode ahead, full of vigor.
Li Tiecheng and Chen Beixuan exchanged a look, each seeing the worry in the other’s eyes.
The group boarded a dedicated high-speed maglev vehicle and sped toward the Celestial Craft Group facility outside the city.
Inside the car, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.
Li Tiecheng leaned close to Chen Beixuan and asked in a hushed voice:
"Old Chen, give it to me straight. Can that kid, Han Feng, really pull this off or not?
My ace pilots start trembling at the very sight of a helmet. It’s been half a month, and not a single one of them can get a jet in the air!
Today, we’re going to be utterly humiliated."
Chen Beixuan’s brow was also furrowed.
’To be honest, he wasn’t sure either.’
’Han Feng’s training methods were just too bizarre. Making a group of pilots lie in simulators and "meditate" all day... who wouldn’t be confused by that?’
’But when he thought about Han Feng’s track record of incredible achievements, he forced himself to calm down.’
"I believe in him."
Chen Beixuan slowly uttered the four words. "That kid never does anything he’s not sure about.
Just wait and see. Maybe he’s holding back a trump card and is about to give Councilor Wang and his cronies a ’surprise.’"
He said it with confidence, but Chen Beixuan’s hand had already secretly clenched into a fist.
’A surprise?’
’Let’s just hope it’s not a scare instead.’