To be honest.
In China’s research community, there weren’t many peers who could earn Pan Yongnian’s admiration.
Apart from the one at SUSTech and the one at Daya Bay, the rest were almost all military industry experts.
For example, Academician Ma before him, Ma Heng, who was only four years his senior.
Back then, if it weren’t for Academician Ma and the late Academician Lu Qiang insisting together, taking enormous risks to produce results, China’s marine electrical field might well have chosen another direction.
In that direction, whether it was the Type 003’s railgun or the Type 076’s electric propulsion, none of it would exist today.
Years ago, in an interview, Ma Heng’s line “If we’re going to lead, we lead those across the sea” was an incredibly domineering military industry catchphrase.
Unfortunately, since their research fields barely overlapped, Pan Yongnian had few opportunities to meet Ma Heng in the past, exchanging only a few words at important conferences.
“Hmm, four or five years, right?”
Coming to stand before Pan Yongnian, Ma Heng deliberately ignored the latter half of his praise, looking wistful: “I remember after the Tenth National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, we never met again—either you were busy or I was busy; when working, even phone numbers were classified.”
“But things will be different from now on. I’ve already received the formal transfer order from the organization, suspending all my current projects, to come to Dawn Base to participate in the Tianling Realm project research.”
“That’s wonderful,” Pan Yongnian said, smiling and patting his shoulder, “From now on we’ll be stirring the same pot, and if there’s a chance, I can mooch some drinks from you, this old Jiangnan compatriot.”
Ma Heng laughed too: “Certainly!”
Although the military began a total ban on alcohol seventeen years later, researchers like Ma Heng who didn’t undertake combat tasks faced less strict requirements.
Plus, the navy itself could easily get hold of some good things, so Ma Heng actually had some fine wines hard to find on the market.
Next, Pan Yongnian greeted the others present.
These experts were basically all acquaintances from his field, covering physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, and many were senior academicians—that is, venerable elders over eighty years old.
A few of them were not much younger than Sun Lao.
Several minutes passed.
The expert group began to gather, and Chen Zhengze and Sun Lao walked to the very front of the crowd.
Immediately after.
Fang Lei, who had disappeared after Pan Yongnian got out of the car, along with several staff members, escorted an alloy box to the edge of the cordoned-off area.
Seeing this, the experts gathered around the barrier began to talk in low voices.
Some were pointing fingers and whispering.
After the alloy box was set down.
Another middle-aged woman with a poker face similar to Fang Lei’s stepped forward, taking out another white round disc engraved with 307 from her person.
Click—
Unlocking, disc melting, dissipation.
Three steps in one fluid motion.
Then Fang Lei and the others controlled the mechanical arm to take out the five wooden boxes Lin Yi had sent, transferring them to the five platforms in the center of the cordoned-off area according to the digital numbers Lin Yi had written on the surface.
At the same time.
Whoosh—
On the main control screen to everyone’s right, a synchronized overhead image also appeared.
Chen Zhengze stepped forward, replacing Sun Guozhu as the narrator: “Experts, I believe everyone has already read the event overview prepared by the base for you.”
“The five boxes on the platforms are the supplies Comrade Lin Yi sent back. If the samples show no fatal hazards, you can begin research later.”
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Actually, late yesterday, the home world had already tested samples sent back from the Tianling Realm twice.
The first was the stone Lin Yi first used to probe the light ring’s state; he had casually carved a “Lin” character on it, and it was sent back to the home world when the king snake samples were sent to the Tianling Realm.
The second was a small soil sample Lin Yi sent back when the home world transmitted the h11 system.
No harmful components were detected in either round of samples, but since Lin Yi had sent back extraordinary items this time, the organization still decided to open the boxes first within the safe zone.
The priority was caution.
The wooden boxes were soon opened in order.
First taken out were several white beads of varying sizes, with diameters from over ten to over twenty centimeters; beneath the beads were several somewhat tattered books.
Next came a metal object resembling a lamp base, a small sword about an arm’s length, a pink silk cape, and not a few small stones glowing green.
Half an hour later.
The last two boxes Lin Yi sent back were opened, and a large pile of materials such as chunks of meat and bones soon formed a small mountain on the platforms.
After all items had been taken out and arranged.
Beep beep beep—
More than ten instruments on top of the safe zone activated simultaneously, scanning and sampling these samples at high density.
About twenty minutes later.
At the operating console beside the main control screen, a staff member raised his hand:
“Chief, the results are out. The gamma, beta, and neutron radiation dose rates of all samples are level with the environmental background, and both aerosol sampling and surface swab metagenomes are negative.”
“Although there was slight feedback when scanning that pile of small stones, their internal energy appears to be in an inert state, without conditions for spontaneous transition or release.”
Sun Guozhu nodded at these words, picked up the microphone clipped to his collar, and said: “Thank you, comrade. Remove the partition device.”
The staff member soon replied: “Received.”
A few seconds later.
The originally transparent partition device suddenly shuddered and began to slowly descend.
Once the two spaces were fully connected.
The crowd of experts eagerly walked in to observe the items they were curious about.
For example, Academician Ma Heng approached the mountain-like pile of demon beast materials, twitched his nose twice, and a look of confusion immediately appeared on his face.
Strange…
Except for slightly colder air, he couldn’t smell a trace of bloodiness.
You have to know.
Although the h11 missile’s warhead came with high-temperature burning effects, the Golden-Eyed Crimson-Scale Beast was huge, so burn marks would at most be concentrated around the fatal wound.
Plus, what Lin Yi called processing was only cutting and categorizing the meat and bones, without adding scallion, ginger, and cooking wine to blanch away the gamey smell; Ma Heng could even see blood seeping from some parts.
In this situation, how could this flesh and blood have no bloody smell?
Could it be that the Golden-Eyed Crimson-Scale Beast was similar to the “dark-skinned sports students” of the Tianling Realm, with flesh and blood properties different from ordinary creatures?
On the other side.
Chen Zhengze walked to Platform One, recalling what Lin Yi had said earlier, flipped through a few things, and quickly found a sealed letter with the two characters “list” written on it.
He quickly picked up the letter, opened the cover, and took out the stationery.
After seeing the contents of the letter.
Chen Zhengze’s expression lit up, and he quickly walked back to Sun Lao’s side with the stationery:
“Sun Lao, look, this is the supply list Comrade Lin Yi mentioned, and he has noted the general details of many supplies!”
……
Chapter 31