In the blink of an eye, night had fallen. Mr. Scott acted as host and treated Professor Reed to a meal, then promptly sent him back to the hotel to rest. After all the traveling, Professor Reed was already quite exhausted.

“Just one last thing.” In the hotel room, Professor Reed said earnestly to Eric Thompson, “I want to stay here and witness with my own eyes how this anti-gravity mechanism is made, and how it will change the world! Please, I ask you to agree.”

Eric Thompson was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, “Sir, we’d be more than happy to have you stay. There’s no need to be so formal.”

Mr. Scott exclaimed with delight, “Professor Reed, our machinery factory has a weak foundation. We have plenty of skilled workers, but when it comes to real development and research, only Owen Harris truly understands it. If you’re willing to stay, it would be a tremendous help to us! I’d raise a hundred hands in favor!”

Victor Reed was a top scientist who had once been selected for the Academy of Sciences in the old days, with both academic and social prestige. If he were willing to join, it could only benefit the machinery factory. After all, if the anti-gravity shoes were introduced by him, they would naturally carry more weight than if introduced by Kyle Scott or Owen Harris.

This world still trusts authority. If Victor Reed stayed, it would not only benefit production but also make him the spokesperson for the anti-gravity shoes. Even when applying for a patent at the Ministry of Science and Technology, his reputation would be a great asset. Everyone was eager for this outcome.

“Good!” Victor Reed said in a deep voice, “I’m already retired from the university, with nothing much to do. If I can witness the creation of the anti-gravity mechanism with my own eyes, I’ll have no regrets even in death.”

“But I’d like you to promise me that in the future, you’ll let me apply this anti-gravity mechanism to other research. After all, anti-gravity shoes are just one application of this marvelous magnetic field. I hope that in the near future, high-speed powerboats, cars, and airplanes can all be equipped with this anti-gravity device, and that this technology will flourish!”

Perhaps fearing that Eric Thompson and the others might be suspicious, Victor Reed waved his hand and said, “At my age, I no longer care for fame or fortune. I just hope this continent won’t end up like the Americas or Australia, overrun by mutant creatures, so that children won’t have to grow up in fear!”

“All future research results—I don’t need my name on any of them. I’ll work for you for free, as long as you let me continue to expand on this achievement.”

Though Professor Reed was no longer young, he still had the scholarly air of his youth. Eric Thompson, Kyle Scott, and The Harris Brothers all felt a bit ashamed after hearing this. Eric Thompson was just thinking about making some money, while Kyle Scott and The Harris Brothers wanted to restore the factory’s former glory and provide for the workers—a simple goal.

But Professor Reed was thinking about the nation and the world, using anti-gravity technology to raise Earth’s technological level and benefit all humanity. In this respect, Eric Thompson and the others were indeed on a different level of thinking compared to Professor Reed.

Kyle Scott and The Harris Brothers all looked at Eric Thompson, since the anti-gravity mechanism had come from him, and the final decision was his to make.

Eric Thompson smiled and said to Professor Reed, “Sir, your wish is exactly our wish as well. To be honest, when the Americas fell, my father and mother were in North America. Those mutant beasts are my lifelong enemies!”

“I now formally invite you to join our machinery factory’s reconstruction plan, and appoint you as the chief scientific advisor!”

“Good! Good! Good!” Victor Reed said “good” three times in a row, unable to contain his excitement.

Eric Thompson knew very well that at Professor Reed’s age, what he really wanted was honor. The title of chief scientific advisor was far more important to him than money. Besides, the anti-gravity mechanism was Professor Reed’s passion. For a scientist, doing what he loves is the best thing of all.

“Yes, yes, I also have a group of old colleagues and friends, all retired professors and scientists from various places. Tonight, I’ll call them and tell them the good news that the anti-gravity mechanism is about to be realized! Maybe they’ll be just as interested as I am.”

“That’s a group of science-obsessed old eccentrics, top elites in every field, with students all over the world. If we can get them to contribute as well, that would be truly amazing.”

Victor Reed hadn’t even officially started yet, but was already thinking about the factory’s future—recruiting a group of retired professors as advisors. This suggestion was truly excellent.

The old professors’ knowledge and character were beyond question, and many of their students now held important positions, making them an invaluable social resource.

Most of the workers in the machinery factory were burly men—excellent at their jobs, but lacking in connections. Recruiting this group of scientific “old eccentrics” would be a huge boon for the factory’s development.

Eric Thompson seemed to sense that a large wave of scientific “old eccentrics” was slowly approaching...

Chapter 10: The Thirty-First Student of the Genius Class

The machinery factory had entered a phase of intense transformation. Kyle Scott and The Harris Brothers were veterans of the factory, deeply trusted by everyone in the compound.

With the addition of the renowned Victor ReedProfessor Reed, the neighbors had full confidence in the plan to revive the machinery factory. Most of the factory’s people agreed to use the real estate development funds to rebuild the factory and invest in anti-gravity mechanism production.

In the blink of an eye, the month-long summer training was coming to an end. All the equipment and staff for the machinery factory were in place, just waiting for the first batch of Kyiv alloy to arrive so they could begin trial production.