Chapter 134

Chapter 134

For Cao Qingjin and Cao Yunyun, appraising treasures was their livelihood, but for Feng Xia, it was merely an interest, a diversion, a splash of color in her day-to-day scientific research life.

Fortunately, everyone had a sense of propriety. Though shocked and regretful, no one criticized Feng Xia's decision. Old Mr. Xia merely glanced at her a little longer and sighed softly—to each their own, that was all.

Cao Qingjin, shamelessly, asked Feng Xia to look at a few more pieces he had collected. There were five items in total, all supposedly brought back from the countryside, without any sinister aura of grave goods. Feng Xia could only rely on her knowledge and intuition to offer suggestions.

Cao Qingjin listened attentively throughout, but inwardly he felt even more regret. In his view, Feng Xia was born for the appraisal trade—her eye was too sharp, her intuition too accurate. If she were a member of the Cao family, he probably couldn't match her even on horseback at full speed. What he didn't know was that Feng Xia's brain had been honed and stimulated by her superpower. If tested for IQ, it would be a terrifyingly high number, comparable to historical giants like Newton. Such a person learns everything extremely quickly and would excel in any field. If their brains were compared to a DSJ-5 computer, then Feng Xia's brain was Windows 10—the gap was immense.

Cao Qingjin carefully recorded the small suggestions Feng Xia made. Seeing that Feng Xia really liked a jade pixiu, he packed it in a brocade box and offered it to her. Feng Xia wouldn't take advantage of that; she directly asked Zhang Ying to pay two hundred yuan to buy the jade pixiu. The price was a little lower than market value, which kept a friendly closeness with the Cao family and showed her integrity. Cao Yunyun and Cao Qingjin inwardly admired Feng Xia—truly a remarkable girl.

Even Old Mr. Xia, who had a discerning eye, looked at her with appreciation. This fallen noble had high standards, and for Feng Xia to earn such admiration from him showed her exceptional skill.

Zhang Ying and Jiang Long were taken aback, because Feng Xia usually gave the impression of being an intelligent and socially aloof girl. In fact, emotional intelligence refers to the ability to perceive and manage emotions. Guided by her ultra-high IQ, it wasn't difficult for Feng Xia to get along with people—it just depended on whether she wanted to.

By now, it was getting late, and snow began to fall heavily. Feng Xia got up to leave, saying she needed to go home for dinner. She declined the enthusiastic invitations from Cao Qingjin and Cao Yunyun, and the three of them drove off.

The snow in the capital fell heavily. The next day, when Feng Xia opened her eyes, the window showed a world covered in white. She felt too lazy to move. With her experiments finished, there was nothing wrong with sleeping in a little, was there?

A loud bang came at the door, followed by Zhang Ying's voice: "Feng Xia, are you up? The Academy of Sciences has invited you over. They said it's a bit urgent."

Feng Xia reluctantly pulled on a sweater. Her bare arms, exposed to the cold air, broke out in goosebumps. Her voice was languid: "I'm up, Sister Ying. It's so cold today—can I skip it?"

Zhang Ying pushed open the door and picked out clothes for Feng Xia. "That won't do. Professor Zhu Guangya is waiting for you downstairs. They say several experts are already waiting over there, all for the treatment device." Zhang Ying lowered her voice at the last sentence, her tone excited—she was obviously a die-hard fan of the portable treatment device.

"Alright." The girl knew she couldn't stay in bed. She quickly got up, put on trousers and a sweater, and finally added an army-green cotton jacket. She looked as graceful and poised as a young white poplar.

After washing up, Feng Xia looked downstairs. Professor Zhu Guangya was already having breakfast with Jiang Long and Zhang Ying. There were steamed buns and fried dough sticks, and a special glass of milk prepared for Feng Xia. Professor Zhu Guangya praised Jiang Long's cooking as he ate, making the young man a bit embarrassed.

Feng Xia joined the fray. After they had their fill, they got into the car. In the 101 residential area, some soldiers and family members were already voluntarily shoveling snow. Even so, the car still slipped a bit. Jiang Long got out and put on tire chains to improve traction. Feng Xia sat in the back seat, staring at the snowflakes outside, lost in thought.

In front of the Academy of Sciences, red flags crackled in the cold wind. Someone was already waiting at the large iron gate. Several soldiers on duty stood straight as ramrods, carrying steel guns, their demeanor imposing.

When Jiang Long parked the car, the old expert waiting at the gate came forward, greeted Professor Zhu Guangya cheerfully, and then looked kindly at Feng Xia: "You've worked hard, young comrade. We'll be troubling you today."

Feng Xia smiled serenely, her voice clear: "It's my duty."

The Academy of Sciences was somewhat different from the 101 Research Institute. The Academy focused more on the economic benefits, production difficulty, and general applicability of research results, emphasizing their practicality. The 101 Institute, on the other hand, tended toward cutting-edge research. They were both similar and different, but Feng Xia's appearance broke this boundary.

Let's not mention the silencer—that fell under the scope of the military industry, handled entirely by the national weapons manufacturing sector.

Take the lithium battery that Feng Xia developed, for example. Its application range was extremely wide. After Feng Xia and Professor Zhu Guangya created it, many industries across the country were in an uproar. Many manufacturing sectors replaced their batteries with lithium batteries, and this technology was internationally leading. Feng Xia was a member of both academies, a rare talent for both the Academy of Sciences and the 101 Institute. The Academy of Sciences had long wanted to invite her over, but the 101 Institute wouldn't let her go. It was only now, when the treatment device was being disassembled, that they managed to get her here—and even then, she came with a tag-along.

Zhu Guangya curled his lip. He knew exactly what they were up to. Hmph, Feng Xia had started doing experiments with him—how could he let the Academy of Sciences coax her away?

Inside the Academy of Sciences, in the largest conference room, a group of professors and experts had already gathered. When they saw Feng Xia come in, they all turned serious. The vice president of the Academy, Zong Ze, said a few brief words and handed the floor to Feng Xia. Once Feng Xia entered the lab, she seemed like a different person. She first explained the principle of the treatment device and then laid out her idea for splitting it up. Someone immediately asked a question.

Expert: "Comrade Feng Xia, I'd like to ask how the threshold range of the gamma ray after splitting should be defined? Does it need to be re-measured?"

Feng Xia shook her head and said, "No, it already has two modes. The red and blue lights don't interfere with each other."

Another professor: "Comrade Feng Xia, I'd like to ask about blood vessel and tissue regeneration. Does stimulating accelerated regeneration of neuronal connections have adverse effects on the individual, such as cancer or mutation?"

Feng Xia: "No. This consumes biological energy to stimulate cell growth. It doesn't alter the cell nucleus, so individual cancer or mutation won't occur. You can also do a control experiment. I can assure you that the treatment device will never harm the human body."

The others grew even more excited, their eyes shining. They bombarded Feng Xia with questions one after another, without stopping. They pushed Zhu Guangya and Zong Ze aside and surrounded Feng Xia, making it hard for her to move. If you didn't know this was a group of professors and experts, you'd think they were a pack of rabid journalists. Minus the cameras and microphones, Feng Xia's treatment was no different from that of a top celebrity.

Zhang Ying and Jiang Long swallowed hard. These experts were a little (or rather, a lot!) terrifying!