A live stream of someone hand-making a giant white robot attracted the attention of the government,

Langley, CIA headquarters, seven floors underground.

The command center of "Project Hummingbird" was deathly silent.

Project manager Henderson, a middle-aged man with slicked-back blond hair, was staring intently at the main screen.

The video playing on a loop above is a recording of the legendary live stream by the "Hardcore Disassembly King," with the frame frozen on the moment when the rugged off-road vehicle ran over the T1.

"Report."

An analyst approached, his throat dry. "The assessment report for the 'circuit breaker' plan is out. The direct economic losses exceed hundreds of billions of dollars, and Jonathan Klein's hedge fund has filed for bankruptcy liquidation. We... have lost."

Henderson didn't turn around; his reflection on the screen overlapped with that of the SUV.

He spoke calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"We didn't lose, this is a public execution."

He turned around, casually swiped away the video, and pulled up Bai Che's information. An ordinary USTC student ID photo filled the entire screen.

"We deployed the most greedy wolves on Wall Street, constructed a textbook model of financial strangulation, and what was the result?"

Henderson chuckled self-deprecatingly and looked around at his silent subordinates.

"As a result, the other side taught us a lesson in just one night by deploying dozens of military transport planes."

He spoke each word slowly and deliberately, each word striking a chord in everyone's hearts.

"In the face of the absolute state apparatus, capital is nothing but a fart."

Inside the command center, you could hear a pin drop.

"Business tactics and media attacks have all failed." Henderson walked to the control panel and tapped his fingers on the virtual keyboard. "When the prey is a dragon in disguise, the hunter becomes a clown."

"Sir, you mean...?"

"Initiating the second phase of 'Project Hummingbird'."

Henderson's instructions were clear and ruthless.

On the main screen, Bai Che's photo was replaced, and a new file popped up.

The woman in the photo has soft, classical Eastern features, and a pair of frameless glasses sits on her nose. Behind the lenses, her eyes reveal both the intellectualism of a scholar and the aloofness of a secret agent.

Name: Lin Evelyn

Codename: Nightingale

[Disguised Identity: Chinese-American Materials Science Expert]

[Education Background: PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Harvard University; Postdoctoral Researcher at the Materials for the Future Lab, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)...]

A string of glittering resumes, impeccable.

Henderson looked at the photo, a chill creeping into his voice.

"Since tanks and cannons can't penetrate his armor, let's send the sharpest scalpel to cut open his heart."

"Nightingale has submitted a visit application to the University of Science and Technology of China through official academic channels."

"Target: Bai Che."

~

Meanwhile, in the male dormitory of the University of Science and Technology of China.

Bai Che was wearing headphones, idly watching a terrible fantasy period drama with a rating of only 3.2, and occasionally complaining, "The special effects of this blue giant are worse than what I could make with my feet."

For him, the global celebration and excitement are far less effective at passing the time than a bad movie.

Tranquility is the primary productive force.

The private phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated; it was an encrypted number.

Bai Che answered the call.

"Comrade Bai Che, I am Li Jianguo."

"Minister Li, what's up now?" Bai Che yawned. "Hasn't the T1 production capacity issue been resolved? I don't want to have another meeting."

Li Jianguo on the other end of the phone visibly choked for a moment, remaining silent for two seconds before continuing.

"It's not about T1. There's a more urgent situation."

Li Jianguo quickly and concisely reported the intelligence he had just received to Bai Che.

"A Chinese-American materials science expert named Evelyn Lin submitted an academic exchange application to the university, specifically requesting to meet with you."

"A Harvard PhD, a researcher at MIT, her resume was so perfect you couldn't find a single flaw. But, after a certain point, her background check was completely blank."

"Our assessment is that this was a premeditated infiltration."

After listening, Bai Che switched the phone from his left ear to his right ear, while his other hand was still swiping on the tablet, fast-forwarding to an awkward romantic scene in a bad movie.

"Oh, a spy."

Li Jianguo felt his blood pressure spike.

"Comrade Bai Che! This is no child's play! The other party is a top-notch professional agent, disguised as a scholar to get close to you, with only one goal: your technology!"

"I know," Bai Che replied casually. "Professionals are good, but amateurs are annoying. They're always making a fuss and causing trouble everywhere."

Li Jianguo: "..."

"Since the other party applied through official channels, we cannot refuse without a valid reason. My suggestion is that we postpone this meeting indefinitely, citing your 'illness' or 'involvement in a classified project' as the reason."

This was the safest solution Li Jianguo could think of.

However, Bai Che chuckled softly.

"Postpone it? That's no fun."

He turned off the movie on his tablet and sat up in bed.

"Let her do it."

"What?" Li Jianguo wondered if he had misheard.

"I said, let her come," Bai Che repeated, stretching his neck. "Flies are always coming. If you keep them outside, they'll just keep buzzing. Why not let them in and see which part of the body they want to bite?"

"This is too dangerous!"

"Minister Li, there's no danger on my home turf." Bai Che's tone remained casual, yet exuded absolute confidence. "Arrange for us to stay in the oldest reception room on campus, yes, the one with the peeling sofa. You guys handle the security, but don't overdo it, or you might scare them."

Li Jianguo was completely speechless.

He felt that his way of thinking was completely out of sync with this young man's pace.

"Oh, right," Bai Che added, as if remembering something, "do me a favor and find all the papers she's published in the last few years, especially those on high-entropy alloys and amorphous metals."

Li Jianguo was taken aback: "What are you going to do?"

"Let's see what her academic level is really like," Bai Che replied matter-of-factly. "What if she has a PhD from MIT but turns out to be a fraud? Otherwise, what's the point of me meeting her?"

Before Li Jianguo could respond, Bai Che hung up the phone.

He tossed his phone aside and picked up another specially made tablet from the table.

On the screen is an extremely complex 3D model of a robotic arm joint. Several key load-bearing structures are flashing glaring red warning lights, with a line of small print next to them: "[Material stress fatigue, estimated lifespan is lower than design standard]".

Bai Che's finger lightly tapped the screen, bringing up Evelyn Lin's intellectual photo.

He stared at the photo for a while, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Free labor from MIT is being offered to us, why not take advantage of it?"