Chapter 108

Originally in a good mood, Wang Qiang had no intention of saying anything upon the arrival of his arch‑rival, and even kept a grin on his face.

But after Ma Chenggong blurted that out, Wang Qiang jumped up 3 meters on the spot like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Bullshit! With that old coot's level, you're just misleading students, alright."

"My disciple doesn't need your teaching; besides, this is just trivial material, merely an insignificant part of my disciple's talent."

"My disciple is truly a genius only in the design and manufacture of aircraft; everything else is just a faint glow basking in his genius."

"And you, you old brat, actually have the nerve to speak up, without seeing that you've been stuck on this problem for a long time and still haven't solved it."

"How long has my disciple been here, and he already produced brand‑new material, yet you still have the cheek to call yourself a top expert in domestic materials science?"

"Pah, I doubt your position wasn't bought with money."

It must be said that when it comes to his precious disciple, Wang Qiang's fighting spirit is truly formidable.

It completely overturned Li Mingyang's previous impression of his teacher, as if two country old men were arguing, under Li Mingyang's stunned gaze.

The two of them just started hurling insults at each other with no communication barrier whatsoever.

This made Li Mingyang even doubt life—are these really the manners two Academicians should have? Or perhaps the filter he wore before was too heavy?

Actually, Academicians in private are pretty much like this?

……

In the blink of an eye over a month passed; as for that earlier minor incident, although Ma Chenggong had sincerely proposed it, Li Mingyang had no intention of following up.

Li Mingyang truly isn't very interested in materials science; no matter how much you study it, it's not very useful.

Otherwise humanity's science wouldn't have been held back by materials science for so long; Li Mingyang genuinely feels it deserves the label of a "heaven‑pit" major.

Even with the Golden Finger, it feels like the Heaven's Way Rewards Diligence System has little effect when confronting materials science, that heaven‑pit.

After all, no matter how good one's studies are, the emergence of new materials often relies on luck.

It's not that you can just research hard and produce results; luck really occupies a large part.

Thus, regarding this major, Li Mingyang truly has little special interest, and on the spot he politely declined Ma Chenggong's invitation to take him on as a disciple.

This made his own teacher Wang Qiang feel proud for a long time.

As for future material‑science needs, Li Mingyang said it would just be a matter of luck—either obtain it from the system's rewards.

Or else he'd have to spend large sums like other predecessors, hiring top‑tier materials experts to work for him.

If enough experiments are done, some material will eventually meet his requirements.

This is like winning the lottery: although the odds of hitting five million are tiny, if you have the capability to buy every ticket number, five million is guaranteed!

"Teacher, what do you think of this design? I think it's really quite good."

"With this engine, our Water Molecule Bomber, though a heavy bomber, can unleash performance that is in no way inferior to a fighter jet!"

"Although such burst performance doesn't last long, based on our material assessment, it can only persist for about ten minutes."

"But I think a heavy bomber capable of a ten‑minute burst like that is already enough to change many things."

Compared to Li Mingyang's appearance a month ago, his current look can even be described as quite disheveled.

During this period he truly understood what a national‑level project entails, from top to bottom, whether senior or junior researchers.

Upon learning the Water Molecule Bomber was about to be born, everyone fired up with vigor, almost wanting to work twenty‑four hours straight to churn out this aircraft!

Under such an atmosphere, Li Mingyang also unconsciously became even more caught up in cutthroat competition.

Although this isn't what he wanted, the prevailing trend leaves him no choice.

To not miss any learning opportunity, he must follow everyone's schedule.

Thus, the already unkempt Li Mingyang, after over a month, has become even more disheveled.

If it weren't for his clothes, kept reasonably clean by logistics staff, just tossing Li Mingyang onto a street corner would...

Basically, nobody would doubt that Li Mingyang could be a genius capable of participating in such a top‑tier water‑molecule project, and even played a main role in it.

Calling him a mentally disturbed vagrant would meet no opposition.

"Genius! Mingyang, you're truly a bona fide genius!"

"The term 'Shock Burst Engine' has existed for decades, yet this is the first time anyone has proposed a feasible plan."

"Your design has been carefully studied by us old timers; its feasibility is very high, at least an 80% plus chance."

Hearing this, Li Mingyang couldn't help straightening his back a bit; over this period he's come to understand.

In such a research base, humility is useless; the strong rise, the weak fall—that's the norm. Sometimes being overly humble actually makes others look down on you.

"There's none; it's just that time is short, so we can only make a makeshift version to use for now."

"How could this be called a true Shock Burst Engine? At most… it's just a Semi‑detonation engine."