Scholar's Advanced Technological System

Jinling Institute for Advanced Study.

Inside a laboratory at the Institute of Computational Materials.

Yang Xu was meticulously doing an experiment. He looked up and adjusted his glasses. When he saw Lu Zhou standing at the laboratory entrance, he spoke.

"Oh, you're here? I was about to look for you. Where did you… get that piece of fabric?"

"From a certain state department. It's confidential. I can tell you after the confidentiality period passes." Lu Zhou placed the report on the table and asked, "Is there a way to make this thing?"

Yang Xu had heard the "confidential" excuse countless times, so he rolled his eyes and decided not to ask any more questions. He placed a test tube in a test tube rack and asked, "Are you talking about laboratory preparations or industrial preparations?"

Lu Zhou: "Both."

Yang Xu thought for a bit and said in a serious manner, "I can make it in the laboratory now, but making it in a factory… I'm afraid it's going to be difficult."

Lu Zhou immediately said, "Compared to the SG-1 superconducting material?"

Yang Xu said, "They're not even on the same level."

Lu Zhou had a solemn expression on his face.

Just like he had expected, this fabric wasn't easy to recreate.

Because Yang Xu often worked in laboratories, his experimental abilities were stronger than his theoretical abilities.

Therefore, if Yang Xu said it was difficult, then it would be damn difficult.

"Set up a project team for this material. I don't care if it's difficult, we have to try… Oh yeah, there's something else I have to ask you."

Yang Xu: "What?"

Lu Zhou thought for a bit and asked, "Are there any pharmaceutical companies we're in good relationships with?"

"Pharmaceutical companies?" Yang Xu rubbed his chin and contemplated it for a bit. He then shook his head and said, "Probably not, we're mainly working with chemical and material companies. We don't work with any pharmaceutical companies… Why?"

Lu Zhou nodded and said, "I have two interesting compounds. I might need a professional institute to help with clinical experiments. Also, they can become our OEM[1]."

Lu Zhou also wanted the pharma company to help market the product.

After all, if they could apply the liquid food amino acid and the coke active ingredient into other food and health products, he could earn a considerable amount of money.

Not to mention that this kind of meal replacement food could be used in the aerospace field.

Yang Xu adjusted his glasses and asked, "Is it profitable? Or is it just used for experiments?"

Lu Zhou nodded and said, "It's definitely profitable. In my opinion, it can be applied in food and medicines."

"Then this is easy." Yang Xu smiled and joked, "There are a bunch of companies lining up to work with a Nobel Prize laureate like you."

…

Arizona.

A Hummer roared on the barren desert.

Elon Musk was sitting in the back of the Hummer as he looked at the desert and cacti outside the window. He spoke to NASA's Director Carson, who was sitting next to him.

"… In fact, Mars is much more suitable for human life than the moon. It has a rich atmosphere… though the air density is low. There are rich resources, such as methane, which can be used by our colonists for industrialization. If we want, we can also consider melting the dry ice at the poles and release the carbon dioxide stored in the Mars bedrocks. The greenhouse effect will then revive the planet's atmosphere."

Carson smiled and asked, "How many centuries do you think that will take?"

Musk smiled and said, "Maybe a dozen? Or even a hundred? But that's not the main point. That's not Space-X's job. My vision for Space-X is clear. We will be the 'railway' company of space. Our job is to create space transportation systems and put humans on Mars."

Director Carson raised his eyebrows and said, "Sounds a little ridiculous, even childish."

Honestly, he didn't want to think about the far-distant future.

If future generations really had that kind of technology, instead of colonizing a planet tens of kilometers away, Carson would rather turn the Arizona desert into a forest. That seemed more practical than colonizing Mars.

Of course, he didn't say this out loud.

After all, he was the director of NASA, the leader of the Ares program. The success of this operation was directly related to the glory of the country and his future career.

Even if he didn't see any benefit in colonizing Mars, he would still fully support this plan to the end.

After all, he betted all of his chips in this plan.

Musk didn't really care about Carson's comments. He had heard many snarky comments in the past.

He looked at the red sand outside and said, "When the Union Pacific Railroad was built, people said it was a stupid project. Looking back at it now, no one can deny that this project has brought benefits to the United States. This is the same for Mars. Mars will bring huge opportunities for mankind. It will also give us motivation and courage to challenge the future… We're here."

While the two were chatting, they arrived at their destination.

A white egg-shaped building was sitting in the burning desert.

Next to it were several pieces of engineering equipment and engineers who were wearing safety hats. They were making final adjustments to this weirdly-shaped building.

Director Carson opened the Hummer door and got out of the car. He stared at the white dome in the desert and squinted his eyes.

"This is it?"

"Yes." Musk said and opened his arms, "Welcome to Arizona. This will be our new home for future colonists. Even though it isn't aesthetically pleasing from the outside, I am certain you will be surprised by the interiors."

Carson stared at the dome and said, "I don't care about that. What I want to know is, are you sure our colonists can safely spend 26 months in this building?"

Musk smiled and said, "Of course, even though we don't have time for long-term testing, judging from the food, water, and oxygen consumption data, even if our colonists do not engage in any resource refueling activities, they will be able to survive for 30 months."

Carson said, "How do you plan on sending it to Mars?"

"Through our BFR super rocket." Musk patted Carson's shoulder and said, "Believe me, we are winning this space race. Everything is under control."

[1] Original equipment manufacturer