After sorting out what he needed to do next, Lu Yang was faced with a new problem.
If he wanted to mobilize the entire strength of Great Xia to help him create a Sect Token, he first had to convince the country’s leadership that he was a Reborn.
But he was just an ordinary college student with no connections. He usually even had to use the budget meal option when ordering takeout—how was he supposed to get in touch with Great Xia’s leadership?
Reporting the matter up the chain was definitely out of the question.
Never mind the possibility that the police might think he was crazy and send him to a mental hospital. Even if he reported it all the way up, there wouldn’t be enough time.
As for predicting future events online...
He’d most likely be summoned by the local police. By the time they finished going through the procedures, the ten-day countdown would have nearly run out.
He had to find a direct channel to the highest authorities and get in touch with Great Xia’s leadership, or there wouldn’t be enough time to create the Sect Token.
Fortunately, the First National Defense University, where Lu Yang studied, was one of Great Xia’s nine most prestigious universities, and some of its academies even had Academicians on staff.
If he could earn the trust of an Academician, his plan would already be more than halfway to success!
With that thought,
Lu Yang hurried out of his dorm, rented a shared electric scooter, and headed for the Aerospace Academy.
Academician Wu was the chief designer of the fifth-generation spacecraft in the Shenzhou Series, as well as the dean of the First National Defense University’s Aerospace Academy.
In his previous life, a rocket test launch under his direction had ended in a major accident before the eyes of the entire nation. The rocket had turned into an exploding ball of fire as it ascended.
Three days later, the Great Xia government issued a notice stating that the accident had been caused by the replacement of a core rocket engine component and the tampering of some data. The perpetrator was a senior spy planted in Great Xia by the United States.
And the date of that major accident was May 21, 2026!
..............
Meanwhile,
at the Aerospace Academy’s office building,
Academician Wu was in his office, sorting through important documents related to the rocket test launch.
For this rocket test launch, the research team he led had made major improvements to the Rocket Boosting system, drawing widespread international attention.
If the rocket test launch succeeded, it would mean Great Xia had pulled ahead of every other country in Rocket Boosting—a major leap forward.
That was why the authorities attached such importance to the operation, and countless people across the country were watching the rocket test launch.
As the person in overall charge of the rocket test launch, Academician Wu bore an immense burden.
If anything went wrong with the launch, neither the international pressure nor the blow to national confidence would be something he could bear.
Fortunately, the project had gone fairly smoothly so far.
He had run more than a hundred simulations with the project team, and every time, the conclusion was the same: the rocket would successfully ascend after launch.
Standing by the window with his thermos in hand, Academician Wu felt his heart stir with excitement.
Tomorrow was the day of the rocket test launch.
As long as the rocket ascended safely, their efforts over nearly two years would not have been in vain, and Great Xia would take a solid step forward in the aerospace field...
“Academician Wu! Is Academician Wu here?”
“Stop running! You, stop right there! Students aren’t allowed in here!”
Two urgent shouts rang out in the corridor, interrupting Academician Wu’s thoughts.
Were they looking for him?
Academician Wu opened the door in confusion,
and saw a student about 1.85 meters tall running toward him, with a breathless security guard chasing after him.
“Academician Wu, I’m Lu Yang, a sophomore in Class 3 of the Engineering Academy. Here’s my student ID. I have something important to report!”
After looking at the student ID in Lu Yang’s hand, Academician Wu confirmed that he didn’t know the student.
Still, he sent the security guard away, led Lu Yang into his office, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it to him.
“Academician Wu, things are urgent, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
Lu Yang lifted his teacup and took a sip, then spoke quickly:
“Tomorrow’s rocket test launch must be postponed. There’s a senior spy planted by the United States inside the project team. They’ve tampered with some of the data and a core rocket engine component. If we launch without investigating, it will inevitably lead to a major accident!”
As soon as he said this,
Academician Wu’s pupils contracted sharply, and he regarded Lu Yang with a scrutinizing gaze.
An undergraduate who hadn’t even entered society was telling him to postpone the rocket test launch, claiming that a senior spy from the United States had tampered with it.
The authorities had assigned so many security personnel, yet none had discovered a spy in the project team. How could a sophomore know about this?
“Student Lu Yang, do you understand what your words just now mean?”
Academician Wu looked at Lu Yang sternly, his voice carrying an air of authority:
“If you’re just trying to play a little joke on me, I advise you to take back what you said immediately. I can pretend this never happened.”
“Otherwise, if we check and find nothing wrong with the rocket, the mere charge of deceiving an Academician will leave a stain on your record for the rest of your life and prevent you, and even your descendants for three generations, from taking the civil service exam!”
At that, Lu Yang didn’t explain. He simply placed his student ID on the table. “This is my student ID. If anything I just said is false, Academician Wu can contact the university and have me expelled!”
Looking into Lu Yang’s resolute eyes, Academician Wu felt doubt for the first time.
He knew that it was practically impossible for a sophomore to have access to this kind of intelligence...
But with the rocket test launch at such a critical juncture, the slightest disturbance could overwhelm his already-frayed nerves.
If Lu Yang was lying, all they would have done was carry out one extra inspection.
But if Lu Yang was telling the truth and he didn’t believe him, he couldn’t imagine how disastrous a failed rocket test launch would be for Great Xia!
“Notify the project team. Stop all work immediately and thoroughly inspect the rocket engine’s core components and all the data!”
“If you find even the slightest irregularity, report it to me immediately. Divide everyone into groups of five and have them monitor one another. Assign at least three groups to repeatedly inspect every component. Don’t overlook a single possible risk!”
After making a phone call,
Academician Wu sat back down on the sofa in silence and sipped tea with Lu Yang, one mouthful at a time.
Two and a half hours later,
“Academician Wu, we have a serious problem!”
“Several teams just reported that core components of the rocket engine had been replaced, and some of the calculations in the data were also wrong. The rocket test launch must be postponed. If we launch anyway, there’s a 99.99 percent chance it’ll explode during the test!”
At the news, Academician Wu’s face went deathly pale. He had clearly been badly shaken.
If that student named Lu Yang hadn’t warned him, he would never have known the rocket had been tampered with, and the test launch would have gone ahead as planned...
When that happened,
people all over the world would have watched as Great Xia’s rocket exploded into a fireball during launch!
“Comrade Lu Yang, thank you for the intelligence. I’ll report what happened today truthfully. The country won’t forget your contribution!”
After recovering from the shock, Academician Wu thanked Lu Yang solemnly:
“If you don’t mind, could you tell me how you came by this intelligence? Of course, if you’d rather not say, that’s fine...”
“I don’t mind. There’s no reason not to tell you.”
Facing Academician Wu’s solemn expression, Lu Yang smiled. Before the other man had fully calmed down, he dropped another bombshell:
“I’m sure you’re wondering why an ordinary college student like me has access to intelligence that even the state agencies don’t know about.”
“The answer is simple—”
“I’m a Reborn!”