Free Web NovelChapter 1032: Chapter 512: Ten Billion Privilege_2
Anti-gravity technology will undoubtedly become the starting point of a technological explosion, and perhaps a technological revolution is just around the corner.
The technological revolution is imminent.
Minister Zheng was the first to think of the development of aviation and aerospace technology. With anti-gravity technology, the most direct impact would be on aviation and spaceflight.
For instance, what would happen if you installed an anti-gravity device on an airplane? You could easily create an aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing.
Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft wouldn’t need to worry much about gravity, not only greatly reducing energy consumption, but also undoubtedly increasing speed.
Of course.
Anti-gravity technology itself requires energy. Energy consumption may not necessarily decrease, but there is no doubt that airplane technology would see a significant breakthrough.
That would affect the military.
If there were aircraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing from the ground, many of today’s high-tech fighter jets might become obsolete.
And this is without even developing it for civilian use. If it could be popularized in the civilian sector, flying cars are by no means a dream.
When the traffic situation changes, the whole world will change.
For example, everything from infrastructural development and daily life to various industries and work, and so on.
All areas would be impacted, and life would see a significant transformation.
Of course.
All of this hinges on the continuation of more in-depth research into anti-gravity technology, which is far from feasible at this stage.
Although the photon anti-gravity experiment didn’t cost much, the equipment was substantial. Reducing the technology to usable size would require decades of development.
"Like a computer?"
"The first computers made were also very large, but as time went on, computers got smaller and smaller..."
"Decades, though!"
"Technology changes day by day..."
Minister Zheng felt a bit outpaced by the times. He hoped to see anti-gravity technology widely adopted within his lifetime, rather than just existing in experiments.
After indulging in this vision, Minister Zheng realized the most critical issue—
Secrecy!
He immediately issued an order, mandating that all personnel stay put, and notified the nearest military forces to cooperate in sealing off the surrounding twenty-kilometer area.
This entire region was designated a restricted zone.
...
The following day, more military forces arrived, sealing off the route and vicinity. All experimental data and equipment were classified at the highest level of secrecy.
Minister Zheng also rushed back to relay the news to the leadership and prepare for a top-level meeting to discuss the matter specifically.
Meanwhile.
The outside world had already received the news.
Although the personnel lockdown was well enforced, a hundred-meter-tall tornado had appeared during the experiment, visible from a distance. Some people even managed to take photos and post them online.
Media reports stated, "A rare tornado appeared in the northern mountains of the capital!"
However, the report’s analysis suggested it might be due to global warming affecting the climate in various places and thus leading to the occurrence of a tornado in the mountains.
The report included not just a journalist’s analysis but also an interview with a so-called climate expert who used "scientific principles" to analyze why tornadoes could appear in the mountains. And the situation "as expected," was that the tornado had only just formed when it quickly dissipated.
If one only heard the expert’s analysis, it indeed seemed quite reasonable.
Of course, reports from the outside weren’t good news, but the authorities controlled the public’s attention well, and it didn’t provoke much discussion. Most people hadn’t seen the news before it became unfindable. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
The tornado in the northern mountains seemed to have become fake news.
...
Five days later.
The nation’s highest levels of leadership held a brief internal meeting.
Zhao Yi also attended.
The main topic of the conference was the anti-gravity technology issue. Zhao Yi gave a very detailed report, including the principle of the technology, experimental problems, and subsequent research, among others.
Three points were quickly established during the meeting, the first being policy and scientific research oriented, with strong support for the development of Yanhua University, striving to make Yanhua University a benchmark for domestic university scientific research.
This point was targeted at Yanhua University, but it was actually a reward for Zhao Yi’s contribution to the technology.
During Zhao Yi’s continuous research and outstanding results, Yanhua University had already rapidly developed. The College of Life Sciences, the School of Mechanical Engineering, the School of Information, and the School of Sciences all had major projects in cooperation with the state and large enterprises and had made significant scientific achievements.
Now that the senior leadership had set the tone, which was to increase policy and financial support for Yanhua University, it would definitely lead to an even quicker development of the university.
First to be affected were the graduates.
For instance, some state departments, state-owned enterprises, and the military would heed the policy to keep more job openings for Yanhua University grads.
Support for research came in the form of equipment, funding, and the development of laboratories.
With abundant funding, Yanhua University could also improve university construction, such as renovating old teaching buildings, constructing new dormitories, or building new campuses.
These were all things to come later on.
The second point established by the meeting was to initiate a secret research and development project to be jointly conducted by the military and the Aviation Group. The project was named "Special Flight Plan," aimed at researching an "anti-gravity aircraft," primarily based on Photon Anti-gravity Technology, with efforts to minimize equipment to see if it could be applied to aircraft, and to develop new technological aircraft.
The last point concerned Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi’s "research authority" was enhanced. He gained the right to "make independent decisions for funds below ten billion" and any research that might touch on secrets would be protected by the military.
In other words, if Zhao Yi were to apply for a project similar to the Photon Anti-gravity in the future, he wouldn’t have to go through the Science and Technology Department at all. The state would provide funding with just one word from him, and personnel would be dispatched to cooperate.
This was definitely a "privilege."
Projects involving sums up to tens of billions were quite substantial. For instance, the particle collider project had been discussed for years and still hadn’t really started yet, mainly because it would be extremely costly.
The construction of a large particle collider could cost up to hundreds of billions.
When funding reached this magnitude, the decision to build it could affect funding for other scientific research and even fiscal planning, which would definitely lead to detailed theorizing.
If one were to calculate carefully, the large particle collider was only "in total" few hundred billions because it would take years or over a decade to build. On average, it would be only several billions per year, and allocating billions every year would already be a drag.
Zhao Yi could decide on projects worth billions, and it’s conceivable how great his authority was. It was certain that any project he supported, even if it involved hundreds of billions in funds, the project would be invested in and constructed.
However...
Zhao Yi didn’t feel much because he seemed to have no need for "ten-billion-level" funds; the so-called authority was just a "blank check."
He was still very concerned about money.
After returning to Yanhua University, he checked on his "assets," including the shares controlled by Star Billion Investment Group, the stock price of Red Wind Industry, bank account funds, and so on.
He even checked his Bitcoin account and then personally placed a buy order.
"Carefully calculating..."
"This year, I probably earned over two hundred million U.S. dollars more than last year, right? It seems like without doing anything, my assets keep skyrocketing."
"This feeling..."
"Ai!"
Zhao Yi let out a long sigh, "It’s truly great!"
Assets, of course, would rise.
The Yutu Robotics shares Zhao Yi held, M Country tech stocks, Red Wind Industry stocks, and so on, were all rapidly increasing in value. Added to the patent dividends that were regularly transferred into his account, even without doing anything, his net worth would continue to climb.
This didn’t even include Bitcoin.
The price of Bitcoin was still relatively low, but it had surpassed one hundred dollars. His account held over sixty thousand coins, totaling a value of over five million dollars.
"In a few years..."
"If it rises dozens of times, I can just sell them off, right? But with so many coins, could it affect the future market value?"
"That’s possible!"
Zhao Yi suddenly furrowed his brow, but after thinking it over—since there were over twenty million Bitcoins in total—he wasn’t too worried. The Bitcoins he owned were a lot, but in fact, they were less than one percent of the total.
"Maybe it will have some impact? Sell it when the price is right!"
