Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Breakfast was eaten at the research institute's cafeteria. Feng Xia, on loan to the Kyoto Research Institute, had her meals and lodging subsidized by the state, so there was no need to worry about food coupons.

Professor Zhu Guangya watched helplessly as the young girl polished off five large meat buns, two fluffy white steamed buns, a big bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup, and four crispy fried dough rings. He finally understood what the special note on her file about her large appetite meant.

After the meal, Feng Xia officially reported to the research institute.

The institute knew that a young lady would be transferred from the Field Army base to assist with battery research and development, and everyone was looking forward to it. Several senior professors had witnessed the stun baton's power and had no doubt about Feng Xia's abilities, but the younger members were somewhat pissed off.

Zhang Wei was washing bottles. They were all real college grads—since the college entrance exams had been canceled in recent years, they were the last batch of college students! Yet here they were at the research institute, still washing test tubes. So, people shouldn't think too highly of themselves. Geniuses were everywhere, and once you arrived at the Kyoto Research Institute, a college degree meant nothing.

Someone suddenly sidled up to him. Xu Donghua, his face full of anger, seemed ready to crush the test tube in his hands as he hissed, "Brother Zhang, tell me, what's this all about? An uneducated girl coming to guide our research? Have the higher-ups lost their minds?"

Zhang Wei ignored him, focusing on washing the bottles. Xu Donghua continued complaining, "Who does she think she is? She hasn't even been to college, yet she's doing R&D? I don't believe she can develop any battery. If you ask me, she's some rich kid from a powerful family here to pad her resume. We common folks are just here to kiss their ass. It's disgusting."

Xu Donghua's voice grew louder, his words increasingly offensive as he vented his anger without restraint. Zhang Wei tried to stop him, but Xu Donghua shoved him away, saying, "Zhang Wei, you might be afraid of them, but I'm not. I'm a real college grad. Would they dare fire me? I have a government job for life. Even the professors don't have the right to dismiss me."

"I think I do have the right to dismiss you. The state has given me, as deputy director, a bit of authority, don't you think?" Zhu Guangya's voice was as calm and precise as ever, gentle yet carrying undeniable authority. Xu Donghua's legs went weak at the sound, and the test tube in his hand dropped into the water.

Zhang Wei: "Good morning, Professor Zhu."

Xu Donghua: "Ah, Professor Zhu, I didn't mean it that way. I just... I had a brain fart. Please don't hold it against me. I spoke without thinking. Please forgive me just this once!" As he spoke, the grown man began to blubber, tears and snot streaming down his face in a disgusting display.

Professor Zhu Guangya ignored Xu Donghua and led Feng Xia into the conference room. Zhang Wei cast a contemptuous glance at him before carrying a stack of test tubes and leaving.

Inside the conference room, all the professors had arrived. A report on the progress of battery research was placed in front of Feng Xia. She flipped through the pages quickly while the other professors reviewed their own work.

Currently, the most common batteries on the market were zinc-carbon batteries—the large ones used in flashlights. They were pretty dirty and difficult to dispose of, and the institute had been trying to improve this area.

Seeing Feng Xia flip through the pages so rapidly, a couple of professors' expressions shifted slightly. The younger assistants standing at the periphery—all university graduates helping the lab professors—had also read parts of the report. They found it deep and confusing, requiring significant time to digest. Was this girl reading it like she was counting money? Did she actually understand it?

Xu Donghua stood darkly in the corner, his venomous gaze fixed on Feng Xia, as if he wished he could kill her.

Feng Xia: "The lithium primary battery you're currently researching isn't very durable, is it? It degrades quickly. Although it has high energy density, it's almost non-rechargeable, essentially a disposable item with high manufacturing costs. That's where your experiments have stalled."

The professors' expressions shifted in shock. Truly, she was a freak of nature. The report they had provided didn't explicitly list the drawbacks of the lithium primary battery; it only contained some data. Yet, based on that, this girl had figured out the problems—incredible!

Professor Zhu Guangya nodded approvingly. "Yes, that's correct. That's why, after seeing the battery in your gadget, we were astonished. Such a small battery could store so much power and discharge it rapidly. It's far more advanced than the lithium primary battery we've been researching."

Feng Xia understood Professor Zhu's intention to keep the stun baton hush-hush. For now, it was only being tested in Antai and wasn't widely known elsewhere—it needed to remain confidential.

"Mine uses lithium with TiS2 and other materials as the positive electrode, and lithium metal or lithium alloy as the negative electrode. However, its safety and cycle life are weak points, so I installed a self-destruct feature and required regular power source replacements. Since it's for their use and gets frequent inspections, it works. But if it were to enter the market, it wouldn't meet the standards yet." Feng Xia's tone was casual. Even though the stun baton had exceeded expectations, she was still dissatisfied and wanted to improve it.

This calm attitude earned her even more respect from the professors. Truly a genius with a tough mindset—her future achievements would surely be remarkable. No, she had already achieved greatness.

The group discussed for another half hour. By then, the professors' words had become extremely profound. The surrounding assistants listened with dizzying confusion, their heads spinning. They looked at Feng Xia, seated among a group of professors averaging forty to fifty years old. Her expression was calm, her figure slender, yet she was impossible to ignore. Whenever she spoke, everyone stopped to listen. She had become the leader of the meeting.

This woman was scary smart!

Except for Xu Donghua, the other assistants couldn't help but look at Feng Xia with awe. At her age, they were still worrying about failing exams! Feng Xia was already contributing to the country—truly amazing!

Only Xu Donghua's face grew darker, as dark as if it could drip water. Feng Xia glanced at him briefly before casually looking away. What a loser wasn't worth her attention.

As the meeting neared noon, Feng Xia stood up and raised her voice slightly. "Everyone, have you considered liquid lithium-ion batteries?"

Silence fell over the room.

Currently, all batteries were solid-state. Liquid batteries didn't exist anywhere in the world yet.

They hadn't considered it. Or rather, they hadn't dared to.

Young and fearless, truly.

"I already have a rough idea for this project. I'll need a day to refine the experimental design. If no one has any objections, I think we might be about to set a new record."

The girl's tone was calm, but the white-haired professors burst into loud applause. Later, this moment would be recorded in Feng Xia's biography under the title "A New Beginning."