Walk Their Path, Leave Them Nowhere to Go

Ye Wei had no idea. Just as he was marveling at how incredible those big shots were, the very "big shots" he had upvoted were hardly feeling any calmer than him at that moment. "There are always higher mountains and greater men out there..." "Indeed, you just have to take off your hat to them." "Sigh... feels like the last dozen years of experiments were all for nothing." Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering. In Academician Liu Yiping's office. Researchers seated around the desks were holding their phones, scrolling upward with their thumbs, full of wonder and disbelief. What had happened over the past few days felt like an absolute dream to them. Up until a week ago, they had been so swamped they wished they could split themselves in two. Yet now, everyone had suddenly found themselves with time on their hands—enough to casually scroll through Weibo. In fact, it wasn't just them. This was the reality for the vast majority of research teams working in similar fields. The impact of that out-of-nowhere Artificial SEI Film No. 404 on the entire industry could only be described as solving the problem in one fell swoop. A thousand charge-discharge cycles with virtually zero capacity degradation! Not a single trace of branching dead lithium on the anode! Because the results were so staggering, they had even suspected at one point that their experimental equipment had malfunctioned. Only after more and more replication groups yielded matching results did they finally become convinced that the problem lay neither with their eyes nor their equipment, but with this all-too-real world... Perhaps geniuses of that caliber truly existed in this world. Even completely outside the established academic system, without exchanging a word with any peers, they could quietly produce research findings that shocked the world. "...The news these days has zero substance. I've been scrolling Weibo for damn near two hours and haven't found a single useful lead." A bespectacled doctoral student couldn't help venting. His name was Lin Shengyu, a student of Academician Liu Yiping. Ever since starting his master's degree, he had been following Elder Liu in exploring the future of lithium batteries. "Still looking up that 'partner organization'?" a senior colleague beside him teased with a chuckle. "Yeah," Lin Shengyu nodded and asked in return, "Aren't you curious?" "Curious? How could I not be? But what's the use of being curious? Even we have no idea who the partner organization is. You expect outsiders to know?" the senior replied with a laugh. Ashamed as they were to admit it, the entire internet was buzzing with speculation about the mysterious partner organization, yet they, who stood right at the epicenter, didn't have the foggiest clue who it was. Another senior chimed in. "Give it up. If Old Liu won't say a word, what do you expect reporters to know?" Lin Shengyu said nothing, his eyes still glued to his phone screen, his expression clearly refusing to give up. His fellow students nearby had already shifted to other topics. "Now that the lithium dendrite issue is solved, what do we research next?" "Cathode materials? Electrolytes? Separators?" "Who knows? Whatever direction we take will have to wait until Old Liu gets back." "Speaking of which, where is Old Liu? Haven't seen him at all the past few days." "With such a massive development rocking the industry, he's probably stuck in meetings." The resolution of the lithium dendrite problem didn't mean they had nothing left to do. If anything, an endless pile of work was waiting for them. With this bottleneck broken, lithium-metal anode batteries moving from the laboratory into everyday life was finally a reality, laying a brand-new technological roadmap before everyone. What to use for the cathode? What electrolyte to formulate? What to study, and how to study it... a whole battery of questions required further discussion. This technology transformed not just the industry, but researchers like them as well. Only those walking at the very front had the right to decide how the road ahead would be paved. Once, they had been the pursuers. Now, the initiative to chart the path forward rested squarely in their hands. They would dictate the future of the new energy sector, and the entire world was waiting for their answers. That being said, one question still lingered in everyone's minds. Where on earth... had that artificial SEI film come from? ... "Old Liu is probably going to have his hands full these days." "Hahaha, isn't that a given? With such an earthshaking event in the lithium battery industry, if he doesn't preside over the situation, we can hardly trouble our friends from afar to do it." "Academician Liu is simply too unyielding in his principles—he wouldn't even let his name be attached." "He has a point in doing that. After all, every secret has an expiration date. This can't be hidden forever; it will have to be disclosed sooner or later." In another place in the same world, people were discussing this very topic. Most of the people seated in the conference room had dark circles beneath their eyes, yet an obvious sense of excitement and joy was written across every face. In fact, regarding the matter of the "extraterrestrial civilization," although higher authorities had issued instructions for cautious observation, certain specific details had always been subject to debate. For example, the "Enlightenment Faction" believed the extraterrestrial civilization was using "gaming"—a cultural medium readily understood by humanity—to enlighten human civilization and ultimately guide mankind toward the stars. The "Intervention Faction," on the other hand, held that the extraterrestrials were attempting to meddle in internal human affairs and alter the historical course of human civilization according to their own will to achieve ulterior motives. The two viewpoints were fundamentally quite similar. The only difference was that one leaned above neutral, while the other leaned below neutral. Naturally, aside from these mainstream views, there were also niche theories, such as the "Jungle Faction" and the "Domestication Faction." However, since this debate had not evolved into a society-wide discussion, the current dispute remained primarily focused on "Enlightenment" versus "Intervention." Naturally, the majority of the task force leaned toward the Enlightenment Faction—not only because some of them had personally participated in the game, but also because they had been closely following the progress of its version updates. This breakthrough in lithium battery technology was not only vital to the national energy strategy and energy security, but it also granted the Enlightenment Faction a far greater voice in matters concerning the extraterrestrial civilization. "Actually, I've been thinking about a question," the man in police uniform suddenly spoke up. "What question?" the square-faced man asked with a smile. The man in the police uniform said slowly, "My background is in criminal investigation, so I tend to focus on a suspect's motives... I genuinely can't figure out for what possible reason they are helping us." "Maybe to make the Enlightenment Faction's stance the mainstream view among our ranks?" the bespectacled man joked. The square-faced man pondered for a moment before answering. "That possibility can't be ruled out, but I don't feel that's their primary objective." "What do you think their primary objective is?" The old man cast an inquiring look at him. As the only person in the room who had secured a closed-beta slot for *Wasteland OL*, he undoubtedly held the greatest authority on the game among everyone present. "We discussed this long ago. The extraterrestrial civilization might be trying to grant us some form of revelation through a cultural medium we can comprehend." The man in the green shirt turned increasingly solemn. "You mean... World War III?" At the mention of World War III, a heavy silence settled over the office. In fact, before the Enlightenment Faction gained prominence, the "Prophecy Faction" had boasted plenty of supporters. Their perspective was that the extraterrestrials were revealing the future of mankind three centuries down the line. However, predicting the future carried too heavy a scent of mysticism and lacked scientific basis, so it had never gained the upper hand. The square-faced man shook his head. "I doubt it goes that far. Rather than predicting a war, I think what they might want to convey is that the fourth world war will be fought with sticks... Isn't that precisely what our players are doing in the game?" After cracking a joke to ease the tension, he paused before continuing. "There are over seven billion people on Earth across more than two hundred countries and regions. Even setting aside the differing voices within individual nations, our civilization speaks with over two hundred different voices. If I were an alien diplomat, I'd probably go insane. "Before taking our steps into the galaxy, we ought to form a united community of shared future. We may have divergent opinions internally, but when facing an external civilization, our voice must be unified. "As I understand it, technological assistance is merely one means of 'enlightenment,' not the ultimate objective. Perhaps 'they' hope to help us achieve unification at the civilizational level through this method." The people in the office exchanged glances. The old man frowned slightly. "That interpretation is rather intriguing... If things are truly as you say, the implications are of immense significance." "It is merely a hypothesis. Official-level communication between us and 'them' has not yet begun; all our speculations are unilateral interpretations, and all our present assumptions are merely precautions taken in advance." Pausing for a beat, the square-faced man continued with a stern expression, "Regarding this matter, I have already communicated with higher leadership. In the near future, we will establish an independent Scientific Development Foundation to oversee technology transfer and acquisition. "This will include building a 'silver coin' reserve and establishing a normalized acquisition mechanism, formulating regulations for technology transfer, and guiding nongovernmental forces to leverage their initiative and actively participate in this endeavor that benefits both the nation and the people. "Regardless of what choices are ultimately made, we have only one task: to maintain our edge!" One or two emergency measures could be justified by extraordinary circumstances, but one couldn't resort to expedience every single time. Continuous funneling of interests would only create a bloated and indolent Leviathan, sowing the seeds of future calamity. Furthermore, while secrecy was one means of preserving a technological advantage, a true edge was never sustained through secrecy alone. These words were harsh, but they were lessons drawn from history. As rule-makers, they had to ensure the framework was as sound as possible to minimize room for rent-seeking, safeguard the personal safety of the players who brought in technology for the collective, and strictly prevent a handful of individuals with ulterior motives from harming the collective's interests and image—using power, status, and sophistry to extort others for personal gain, or even funneling benefits abroad. "...Fortunately, I've noticed a peculiar enterprise popping up in Shanghai recently whose business scope aligns perfectly with the field we're focusing on. "This is clearly a good start." "You mean that... Niu-something company?" Bringing this up, the old man wore a somewhat regretful expression. "I heard about them too, but it's a pity they only handle intermediary services." If a few exceptionally capable players took the initiative to bid on and bring back technology, that would naturally be ideal. Then there would be no need for all this hassle—just hand that company a few honorary commendations, let the local authorities read between the lines, and the matter would be settled right then and there. Lacking personnel? Lacking land? Lacking capital? Could any of that be an issue for an enterprise that truly held core technologies? With ten billion in loans and twenty billion in orders, even a dog tied to the chairman's chair could soar straight into the heavens, so long as it sat straight and kept its seat firm! With vast talent reserves and well-developed industrial supply chains, what this society lacked was never a few pieces of paper or a string of numbers, but fertile soil that was truly ready to be irrigated. "There's nothing regrettable about it. Everyone has their own specialty, and human energy is limited. They chose what they're better at, and I support them either way!" the square-faced man said with a smile. Hearing this, the people in the office nodded one after another in agreement. As expected of the man recognized by the extraterrestrial civilization who had secured a closed-beta slot! His words truly carried weight! At that moment, the bespectacled colleague beside him asked curiously, "Speaking of which, how's your gameplay going? What level are you?" Many in the room were curious about this, and their eyes turned to the square-faced man. Feeling his colleagues' gazes upon him, the square-faced man's expression grew subtle, and he gave a dry cough. "Didn't I just say? Everyone has their own specialty... "Human energy is limited." ... The wasteland world. At the south gate of Ling Lake Wetland Park, ten fully armed players had assembled. Apart from Lao Bai and Fang Chang leading the squad, the other eight players were all elites of the Burning Corps, each at a T3 or even T2 level. Not only were they well equipped, but they had also been baptized in battle multiple times and possessed rich experience in wasteland warfare and urban combat. Before assembling, they had already heard the details of the mission from Lao Bai, and every face was eager for action. Scanning the well-equipped, high-spirited players, Chu Guang nodded in approval. Not bad. For once in a cutscene, everyone was actually dressed like proper human beings. "Xiao Qi, take a picture of them." An energetic voice rang by his ear. "You got it!" Taking advantage of the brief window while Xiao Qi was taking photos of the players, Chu Guang organized his thoughts for a moment before speaking slowly: "I salute you, warriors of the Alliance. It is thanks to your brave charges on the front lines that this war could be brought to an end so swiftly. "Now, the chaos from the north has been settled, and the Alliance needs time to recover and rebuild. For long-term prosperity and stability, and for the people who have survived, I need you to represent the Alliance in bringing friendship and peace to our neighbors. "I hope you remember at all times that on this journey, you represent the entire Alliance. "Our neighbors will judge their relationship with us by your every word and deed." A player's individual behavior was hard to control. However, once players formed a collective, they would naturally take into account the gaming experience of others in the group and consciously rein in themselves and those around them. With the cutscene dialogue for the players concluded, Chu Guang turned to Old Luka standing beside him and gave one final reminder: "Make sure to stay safe on the road." "Rest assured, my Lord, I will keep your instructions firmly in mind. As for yourself... please take good care of your health and do not overwork yourself. No matter how important the work is, nothing is more important than your health." As he said this, an earnest look was on Old Luka's face. This was neither flattery nor polite formality; these words came straight from the bottom of his heart. Others might not fully understand what the Administrator had specifically done for the Alliance, but Luka, as an executor of his orders, knew all too well how much blood and sweat Chu Guang had poured into it. From the start of the Northern Expedition until now, aside from resting for a brief moment on the day of the triumph ceremony, he had hardly taken a single day off. If possible, Luka genuinely hoped that Lord Administrator would think of himself a little more. Looking at the old man who was still worrying about him before departure, Chu Guang smiled and nodded. "My health is perfectly fine, so don't worry about me... Set off, and return safe and sound as soon as you can." "Yes, sir." Placing his right fist over his left breast, Luka offered a respectful salute, then led several accompanying staff members and headed south alongside the players. Watching the team depart, Charlie, standing beside Chu Guang, suddenly spoke up: "I fear this journey will not be peaceful." Though Chu Guang didn't approve of raising death flags like this, he followed up anyway: "What makes you say that?" Old Charlie chose his words carefully as he continued: "...Although the factory owners of Boulder City are unwilling to come into direct conflict with us, it is obvious they do not wish for the authorities to get too close to us." The merchants coming to invest and set up factories in the New Alliance were mostly traveling traders from Boulder City or small-to-medium factory owners struggling to stay afloat. The goods they manufactured here in the New Alliance had largely sliced away the vested interests of Boulder City's major factories and chambers of commerce. Chu Guang was naturally well aware of all this. He knew full well that he had pulled quite a few clever tricks in trade. For instance, using administrative intervention to peg the exchange rate between silver coins and chips at 2:1, artificially driving up export profits. Another example was dumping low-value-added light industrial products and mission-hungry "Awakened mercenaries" to siphon away Boulder City's chips, then using the earned foreign currency to buy up second-hand equipment phased out by local factories, hiring unemployed engineers and laborers to upgrade his own industrial capacity. The most typical example of this was the KV-1 exoskeleton. Even though the thing was originally designed by Boulder City's munitions plants, more than half of all KV-1 exoskeletons across the southern River Valley Province were now produced by the New Alliance's Lister Factory. Another example was the New Alliance's LD-47 assault rifle. Not only had it crowded out the market share of the "Drone" assault rifle in southern River Valley Province, but it had even been exported backward onto the shelves of Boulder City's weapons shops. Right now, in the entirety of Boulder City, aside from the traveling merchants and mercenaries who had seized the historic opportunity to make a fortune off the New Alliance's rise, hardly any factory owners harbored goodwill toward them. Chu Guang would even wager that all it would take was a few inflammatory broadcasts from Mr. House on the radio, and before long, even the common citizens of Boulder City would start complaining that the New Alliance's residents were stealing their jobs. "...You mean they might make a move en route?" Chu Guang said thoughtfully after hearing Old Charlie out. "The possibility cannot be ruled out, crude as such tactics may be," Old Charlie said earnestly. "Boulder City has no shortage of mercenaries, and most of those factory owners and chamber bosses command private armed forces. If they wish to obstruct the signing of a treaty, kidnapping or interception is without doubt the most direct route." Chu Guang nodded seriously. "I will tell my soldiers to keep their guard up." Risky as the journey was, someone still had to undertake it. After seeing Luka off, Chu Guang returned alone to the shelter and headed to the reading room on Floor B4, continuing to flesh out the New Alliance's reform plan and the mythical Beta 0.3 update. Just then, Xiao Qi, sitting on the desk, suddenly spoke up: "Master, there's new progress on that matter you've been following!" Chu Guang, hands resting on the keyboard, asked instinctively: "Which matter?" "The ten gigabytes of data you had me translate for you!" Hearing this, a look of realization finally dawned on Chu Guang's face. He had been so occupied with internal affairs these past few days that he hadn't paid much attention to news from the real world. "They've already made that lithium battery?" Already? That fast? Xiao Qi nodded, saying cheerfully: "Mhm! And it's even hit the news! Should we open up the silver coin trading platform?" Looking at the webpage on his computer screen, Chu Guang pondered for a moment before speaking: "Open it." Originally, he had planned to wait until next month and launch it in tandem with the Beta 0.3 update, but the pace of progress in the real world had exceeded his expectations. Thinking up to this point, Chu Guang wore a slightly regretful expression. It was just a pity that "closed-beta slots" were running low. Otherwise, taking advantage of this opportunity, he could have harvested another massive batch of hardworking little leeks...