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

Bai Che put down the specially made tablet, and the picture of Evelyn Lin Zhizhi on the screen went out.

He stretched, his joints making a series of soft cracking sounds, his face showing the weariness of someone who had just woken up.

This is a spy, and one who came all the way from MIT. I have to meet him since I've never met him before.

~

USTC, Administration Building No. 1, the old reception room in the far corner.

The sofa here is made of artificial leather, and in several places the leather is worn through, revealing the yellowed sponge inside. The green plants in the corner are neglected, their leaves drooping and covered with a layer of dust.

The air was filled with the smell of old paper and dust.

Bai Che plopped down on the sofa, skillfully pulled out his phone, and opened a tower defense game with a simple art style.

Su Wanqing sat next to him, her back ramrod straight, her well-tailored business suit clashing with the dilapidated surroundings. She had already warned Bai Che with her eyes at least ten times, but the latter ignored her completely, his fingers flying across the screen.

This bastard, does he really think this place is his own home? We're about to meet a top-tier agent!

Li Jianguo sat like a stone statue on a single sofa, his hands resting flat on his knees. Even in civilian clothes, he couldn't conceal the iron-blooded aura of a soldier. His presence instantly made the atmosphere in this dilapidated house heavy.

The door was gently pushed open.

A woman walked in.

She wore a well-tailored beige pantsuit, which accentuated her tall and elegant figure. A pair of frameless glasses perched on her nose, behind which her eyes were clear and bright, her features soft yet carrying a just-right air of aloofness.

She is Evelyn Lynn, codenamed "Nightingale".

Su Wanqing's breathing paused for a moment unconsciously.

This is an extremely charming woman, not just superficially beautiful, but possessing a powerful aura that radiates from within, blending intellect, confidence, and composure.

This is a formidable rival.

The thought instantly popped into Su Wanqing's mind.

Li Jianguo remained motionless, but his sharp eyes had already silently scanned every detail of the other person, from their hair to their heels. Perfect, flawless disguise.

"Hello, Mr. Bai Che." Evelyn Lin spoke first, her Chinese pronunciation was standard and fluent, with a touch of the gentle Wu dialect, which was like a spring breeze. "I am Evelyn Lin, I have long admired your name."

She extended her hand, a genuine smile on her face.

Bai Che didn't even look up; his finger traced a beautiful arc on the phone screen, instantly upgrading a row of turrets in the game.

"oh."

He squeezed out a single syllable from his throat.

The air froze instantly.

Evelyn's smile froze for a fraction of a second, but she immediately recovered. She casually withdrew her hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, as if nothing had happened.

Su Wanqing wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground, so she nudged Bai Che hard from below with her elbow.

Bai Che reluctantly raised his head and glanced at the other person.

"sit."

He uttered a single word, then looked down at his phone, muttering to himself.

"There are quite a lot of monsters this time..."

Evelyn's professionalism was on full display at this moment. She showed no anger at being offended, but instead gracefully sat down on the opposite sofa and placed a folder she carried with her on the coffee table.

"Mr. Bai Che, the main reason for my unauthorized visit is that I am extremely impressed and curious about your company's 'flexible battery' technology."

She got to the point, speaking at a measured pace.

"In particular, the composite process of amorphous metal matrix and polymer has completely overturned the existing understanding of materials science. I have read several basic patents published by Zero Boundary Technology, but I still can't figure out the microscopic bonding method."

She demonstrated an extremely high level of professionalism, using every term precisely.

This is both a test and a way to bridge the gap. In academia, a shared language is the best icebreaker.

However, her icebreaker struck an iceberg called "White Clear".

"Hmm." Bai Che's turret has been upgraded again.

"And how did you manage to maintain flexibility while solving the thermal runaway problem under high-rate discharge? Did you use a new type of solid electrolyte, or did you make a revolutionary innovation in the membrane material?"

"Not bad." Bai Che's game character leveled up.

"..."

Su Wanqing had given up on treatment; all she wanted to do was snatch Bai Che's phone and throw it out the window.

Li Jianguo remained expressionless, but a sense of unease crept into his mind. Was this kid trying to put psychological pressure on the other person in this way? Or was he really... just that lazy?

Evelyn took a deep breath, and a barely perceptible ripple finally crossed her eyes behind her glasses.

Since she started her career, she has encountered all sorts of targets. Coercion, bribery, torture—there is no psychological defense she cannot break through.

But she had never encountered this situation before.

The other party simply wouldn't take the bait.

You meticulously prepared a swordplay performance for a showdown of epic proportions, only to find your opponent playing video games on the sidelines and complaining that you were blocking the light.

This kind of disregard is a more lethal weapon than any humiliation.

She decided to try a different strategy.

Evelyn leaned forward slightly, a movement that tightened the collar of her business suit, outlining her perfect curves. She took off her glasses and gently rubbed the bridge of her nose; this unintentional gesture instantly shed some of her scholarly aloofness and added a touch of feminine grace.

"Perhaps my question was too presumptuous." She gave an apologetic smile, tinged with helplessness and self-deprecation—an expression that would evoke pity in any man. "I was too impatient. Meeting a genius like you is like a primary school student meeting Einstein, always wanting to ask some foolish questions."

She put her glasses back on and looked at Bai Che with a hint of suggestive light in her eyes.

"Actually, I have another request for you. I've done some minor research on the microstructure optimization of flexible materials. I have a hypothesis: if we introduce the 'twin strengthening' mechanism into the atomic clusters of amorphous alloys, is it possible to increase the tensile strength of the material by another order of magnitude without sacrificing flexibility? Of course, this requires solving a pseudo-proposition, which is how to induce..."

She threw out a carefully prepared bait.

This is an extremely insightful question, half of which is a profound truth and half of which is a theoretical trap.

If Bai Che were to refute her line of thought, he would have to provide a deeper theoretical basis, which might inadvertently reveal the core secrets of the T1 battery material.

She looked at Bai Che confidently, waiting for him to take the bait.

She saw the young man, who had been keeping his head down, finally put down his phone.

It seems his game is over.

Evelyn was overjoyed and prepared to press her advantage.

Bai Che raised his head and looked at her with the indifferent gaze one would give a stranger, then suddenly spoke.

"Dr. Lin."

He interrupted her.