Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 894 - 139 Qualifications and Relationships

Chapter 894: Chapter 139 Qualifications and Relationships

"Dim-witted..." Xiang Shan sighed deeply, "Why do I have to be perceived this way? And for such a reason too."

Jing Hongtu, sitting across from Xiang Shan, was laughing quite happily, "From a general point of view, Liu wasn’t entirely wrong about you."

"No, it wasn’t even within my scope of work to begin with." Xiang Shan mixed the sauce with the potato dish using his fork, "Yet Teacher Liu said I need to create a presence in such settings. During routine reports, no matter if the discussion topics are related to my field or not, I have to make my presence known..."

Xiang Shan referred to the time he, Yawgmoth, Ingrid, and David had a chaotic discussion on topics like alien language and society. After that, Ingrid and David both included related content in their periodic reports and elaborated on it a bit. Additionally, they both mentioned the names of Xiang Shan and Yawgmoth.

Xiang Shan didn’t really mind mentioning it in his own periodic report, but his current task was to organize and study the remnants of an extraterrestrial machine. He couldn’t find a reason to mention it just yet...

"And wouldn’t people actually say I’m slacking off..." Xiang Shan muttered.

"If a hypothesis you propose coincidentally aligns with other research results, then no one will care if you were dragging your feet. If something like that happens, in situations where you need to present your credentials, you can say, ’I was the first to propose that research outcome on aliens.’" Jing Hongtu said, "Moreover, you can entirely dedicate a small section, writing specifically ’My Thoughts on Extraterrestrial Civilizations,’ and no one will think that since you’re a scholar in engineering, you can’t discuss extraterrestrial civilizations. Besides, this is, to begin with, a large interdisciplinary collaborative project."

Xiang Shan scratched his head, "But this report still has to be vetted by the group leader above me, right? If he thinks my hypothesis... ugh, that’s not even a hypothesis, just a whim! If he finds my whim interesting enough, it could make it into higher-level reports."

"That’s precisely where building credentials becomes interesting. You don’t necessarily need this ’mention’ to be escalated in reports and eventually reach the relevant researchers’ hands. As long as it’s documented, it’s enough. This kind of credential isn’t for people within academia to see." Jing Hongtu sipped his coffee, "Besides, this kind of content will be curated into archives. Even if no one looks at it now, there’s a chance that scholars in related fields might stumble upon it for inspiration when sifting through piles of old files. That would be a win for you."

"That’s practically meaningless..."

"Who knows? What if? Every little bit counts. Who would ever mind more ’steps’ like these?" Jing Hongtu said, "This is really just the difference in mindset between you and your teacher. After realizing ’Argon’ lacks direct technological value, especially military value, you’ve internally treated the Rama Project as an academic endeavor. But Professor Liu doesn’t see it that way. In his view, it’s primarily a government-backed project, only hosted overseas."

"You might feel it doesn’t particularly help your future research, but he realizes that the credentials earned from such a project might offer a slight, albeit small, advantage when applying for funding in the future."

Xiang Shan hung his head, "Ah, well..."

"Of course, there’s also a benefit to not going about it this way. Granat and Klein both conduct themselves with great integrity. If you come across as somewhat aloof in this area, you’ll easily gain favor with scholars like them." Jing Hongtu continued, "They happen to be among the top scholars in the park, and they’re also highly enthusiastic about researching aliens. They’ll likely choose to stay. If you want to stay and work there, maintaining a good relationship with them is only beneficial."

Xiang Shan chuckled, "You’re always like this, speaking both sides all by yourself."

"That’s just how I am. The world is such that you can think optimistically from both sides and find good either way. One must be optimistic." Jing Hongtu chuckled and said, "But have you really made up your mind? To stake your future ten years on this place, on this uncertain project?"

Xiang Shan became alert.

The reason he came to discuss this with Jing Hongtu was due to Liu’s guidance.

"It’s good that you get along with Jing," Liu had said, "If you really want to stay, mention it to him more often—ah, you need to say this yourself. Also, don’t bring it up in formal settings, but try finding a way to mention it casually and naturally during private chats!"

According to Liu, Jing Hongtu likely had a say in Xiang Shan’s decision to stay or leave. Although from the outside, Jing held a position only slightly higher than Liu in the park, and had no other titles, the park’s affairs weren’t limited to just this small temple of the "park."

Xiang Shan had no idea what Jing Hongtu’s background was, and even Liu couldn’t explain it. But since Liu suggested it...

Xiang Shan came over, expressing some "righteous indignation" about the evaluation Liu had made of him.

In fact, the core of the whole conversation was "I want to stay."

"But those are aliens!"

"Even if you write science fiction novels, life isn’t a sci-fi novel."

Xiang Shan said, "I think understanding those extraterrestrial machines is very meaningful."

"Of course it’s meaningful."

"No, what I mean is... it’s very significant for my personal ambitions." Xiang Shan explained, "Remember when you just got to know me, I told you about my previous research direction."

"Yes, 3D printing, industrial fundamentals. You explained it well, taught this old humanities major a lesson."

Xiang Shan felt a little embarrassed, "It’s not about teaching lessons. Anyway, although the identification results aren’t out yet, currently many signs indicate that the machines and remnants were manufactured at different times, significantly later than the construction of Argon’s shell. Inside Argon, the robots might have updated themselves through multiple self-replications."

"Which means, these robots, without the help of intelligent creatures, used extremely simple means to undergo multiple self-replications and updates. They likely possessed a near-universal Industrial Mother Machine capable of producing a variety of components. I believe this could redefine Earth’s industrial landscape."

Jing Hongtu nodded, saying nothing more.

A few weeks later, Liu returned to the country. Meanwhile, Xiang Shan was no longer participating in the project related to civilization as a student or assistant but joined as a