Chapter 60: A Brief Discussion on the Current State of Materials

Having tidied up the laboratory and checked the time, he realized there was still an opportunity to call a scrap yard to handle the equipment. He used his phone to find a company online and requested an urgent pickup, emphasizing the large volume.

He then gathered the remaining materials from the lab and loaded them into his car. He had no plans to return here after this.

Humming a little tune, he waited for the recyclers to arrive and did another sweep of the lab to make sure nothing was left behind.

Soon enough, a group from the scrap yard showed up—quite a few of them, in fact. Lu Yu greeted them, inviting them in to move the equipment, but they all looked at him as if he were out of his mind.

The equipment, after all, appeared to be in perfect working order; why sell it for scrap?

Some even doubted whether these things actually belonged to him.

They were in the business of buying used goods, but if something wasn’t above board, they wouldn’t take the risk.

Lu Yu didn’t bother explaining. Instead, he called the landlord right in front of them.

Once the call connected, Lu Yu explained that he wouldn’t be renewing the lease and needed to clear out the property, but the buyers didn’t believe him. They insisted he provide the property deed as proof.

Luckily, the landlord lived nearby and arrived within ten minutes.

After verifying the documents, the recyclers were satisfied and started hauling out the equipment.

The lease still had some time remaining, but since he was leaving early, the landlord offered to refund some of the rent.

Lu Yu declined, saying, “It’s late and I’ve bothered you to come over. Plus, moving out on short notice makes it harder to find a new tenant. No need to refund me.”

The landlord accepted with a laugh.

By the time everything was dealt with, the money he received wasn’t even enough to buy a single new piece of equipment.

Lu Yu curled his lip and glanced at the clock—it was almost midnight. He drove back to where Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian were staying.

When he arrived, both women were already fast asleep.

It was well past midnight, so Lu Yu didn’t disturb them. He slipped quietly into his bedroom, washed up, and got into bed.

But as he lay there, he found himself unable to sleep, probably because he’d spent too much time napping in the lab the previous day.

He sighed and pulled out his phone, browsing through information on basic materials and new materials.

As previously mentioned, the country lagged behind in many basic materials, with some areas almost completely undeveloped.

Even though the nation now produced more than half the world’s steel, 60% of its cement, over 25% of its automobiles, and had become the largest and most dynamic center of manufacturing, the industrial sector was still broad but not strong.

Take the hydraulic industry, for example—it’s now the second largest in the world, but for high-pressure plunger pumps with rated pressure above 35MPa, 90% are imported.

For these high-performance plunger pumps, four major foreign companies—based in the Lighthouse Nation, Prussia, and Neon Country—control over 70% of the domestic market.

And in terms of technology, they keep a tight embargo on the country.

High-pressure plunger pumps are truly a thorn in the throat of the nation’s equipment manufacturing industry.

Though these components seem straightforward, high-pressure plunger pumps are the core of advanced hydraulic systems, often called the “heart” of hydraulics.

Hydraulic systems themselves are critical to manufacturing equipment.

Metallurgical machinery, chemical and energy industry machines, machine tools, construction equipment, and fields like military, aerospace, and shipbuilding all rely heavily on them.

For instance, everyone knows about the C919’s test flights; one key contributor to their success was the domestically produced 80,000-ton forging press, the largest in the world, made by Heavy Industry Group.

But the high-pressure plunger pumps in that press were imported from the Lighthouse Nation.

Dozens of pumps, powered by electric motors, pressurized hydraulic oil to create an 80,000-ton forging force.

Or take a tank’s tracks—they’re propelled by hydraulic pumps driven by internal combustion engines. The oil flows through valves, down pipes, and powers motors to rotate the tracks.

Some tanks and armored vehicles in the country still use imported high-pressure plunger pumps.

And for these pumps, replacement and maintenance are subject to the supplier’s delivery schedules and service availability.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to lagging basic materials and industry.

Compared to the Lighthouse Nation, the domestic materials manufacturing industry is generally at a disadvantage, especially in high-end materials.

In traditional metals, there’s a significant gap between the nation and traditional powerhouses like Prussia and Neon Country.

And yet, amusingly, over the past decade, domestic researchers have published a staggering number of papers in renowned international journals in the field—AM, AFM, EES, JACS, and more.

Statistics from 2015 show that one out of every ten high-level papers published domestically was in materials science.

Since 2006, the number of published materials science papers has far surpassed those from the Lighthouse Nation.

Now, that figure has nearly doubled again.

In terms of both quantity and quality, the country’s output could make any nation blush.

There’s also another curious phenomenon.

On one hand, the nation’s materials industry is still underdeveloped and desperately needs passionate young talent.

On the other, on popular youth forums like “Mohu,” advice threads abound urging students to stay away from “pseudo-chemistry and biology.”

Materials science is a frequent target for these warnings.

The root cause of this paradox is clear: the boom in academic research isn’t matched by industrial application.

The more papers universities publish and the more talent they train, the more severe the job market becomes, and the lower the salaries.

This is closely tied to the prevailing academic philosophy of “valuing research over application.”

Driven by the urge to publish more and better papers, researchers focus on exotic new materials—results that may remain impractical for decades.

Swayed by international journal editors, scientists chase after foreign research trends.

Conversely, working on urgent, practical domestic materials is less likely to yield high-quality English publications—and often requires even greater research funding.

This, in essence, is the current state of materials science research.

Still, despite shortcomings, there are areas where the country leads or keeps pace—mainly in new materials.

These cutting-edge materials are seldom publicized, or even subject to export bans.

For example, the country’s mass-produced “metamaterials” for active stealth, rumored by foreign media to be destined for next-generation stealth fighters.

Another case is nonlinear optical crystals, vital for quantum communication. After a decade of effort, the Lighthouse Nation finally broke the country’s monopoly on KBBT crystals, just as domestic researchers developed a new generation of deep ultraviolet NLO crystals.

The real lag lies in traditional materials.

Some traditional materials are not produced domestically at all, or only in small quantities. Survival depends on anti-dumping investigations of imported products.

In some steel, chemical, ceramic, and polymer subfields, performance still lags due to outdated processes, even if capacity is adequate.

Take adiponitrile, a raw material for making nylon 6,6. Nylon 6,6 is widely used as an engineering plastic, replacing steel, iron, and copper in machinery, home appliances, automotive parts, chemical equipment, and more.

It’s used for turbines, gears, bearings, impellers, cranks, dashboards, drive shafts, valves, blades, lead screws, high-pressure washers, screws, nuts, seals, shuttles, bushings, and connectors.

But because the synthesis of adiponitrile is so challenging, the global monopoly belongs to the chemical giant Solvay. A single email can drive prices sky-high.

The price surge in domestic nylon 6,6 ultimately comes down to this chokehold on adiponitrile.

Some local companies have tried to produce it. Runxing Chemical Technology in Dongshan Province used the acrylonitrile electro-dimerization method, but an explosion in August 2015 put an end to their efforts.

That coincided with the Tianjin Port explosion, and the resulting public outcry against chemical plants made domestic production a distant dream.

Another example is bisphenol A—a common chemical. Some domestic production exists, but technology lags and output is small, making products uncompetitive.

They survive by launching anti-dumping investigations into imports from Neon Country, Singapore, and Korea.

Reading all this, Lu Yu frowned.

Modern industry depends on cooperation, and the more advanced or integrated the product, the more international the effort.

But because of ideological and systemic differences with Western countries, domestic firms are often constrained.

Monopolies and high prices are the norm.

Lu Yu scrolled through his phone, finally falling asleep very late.

A ringing phone shattered his slumber.

Eyes closed, he groped for the phone, cracking one eyelid open as he answered: “Hello?”

Chen Xiaofei’s cheeky voice came through:

“Lu, you’re not out of bed yet?”

Lu Yu mumbled something in agreement.

Chen Xiaofei continued, “Did you forget today’s Saturday?”

Lu Yu’s words were slurred: “So what?”

“Don’t ‘so what’ me. Zhang Kexin said it’s her birthday and you promised to come. If you don’t, she’ll set up a barbecue in your living room!”

Lu Yu managed to wake up a bit more. “Where’s this barbecue happening?”

“Your living room. Next to the little beach.”

“And you’re not going to stop her?”

“I couldn’t control her if I tried. If she doesn’t boss me around, I already count myself lucky.”

Lu Yu sighed, “Didn’t expect to see the day when even you, a notorious playboy, would be cornered. I’m getting up now. Tell her to spare my living room, thanks!”

He hung up, still dazed.

As he forced himself out of bed, he mused that the body-enhancing serum wasn’t all that effective—staying up late still left him groggy.

A monthly dose was too infrequent; he’d have to take it every two weeks.

Eat more, recover faster—if only to boost his power.

A hot shower finally cleared his head. He picked out a set of casual clothes from his wardrobe and left the room.

After putting on his shoes downstairs, he headed to the parking lot and drove off.

By the time he reached Shu Yin University, it was an hour later.

It was the weekend, and with no driving restrictions, the roads were packed.

He parked near the building and walked upstairs—more exercise, less elevator.

When he stepped inside, he found the apartment already full, mostly women with seven or eight men.

Chen Xiaofei had just finished placing a delivery order with a nearby hotel when he noticed Lu Yu walk in. He took a pointed look at Lu Yu’s empty hands.

“You came back empty-handed?”

Lu Yu was baffled. “Do I need to bring something home?”

Chen Xiaofei glanced at Zhang Kexin, who was joking around with her friends.

Lu Yu immediately understood. “I really didn’t prepare anything. You called and woke me up. If you want, there’s a bunch of lab materials in my car downstairs. How about those?”

Chen Xiaofei’s mouth twitched. “I can’t save you. Good luck.”

Lu Yu wasn’t too concerned—he could always make up for it later. He looked around the crowded room.

“Aren’t we on summer break? Why are so many people still on campus?”

“Most of them are here for some kind of music camp. A few stayed for extra courses. Don’t think music majors just play around all day.”

Lu Yu admitted, “Honestly, I did think that. What do they study—singing, playing instruments?”

Chen Xiaofei gave him a look. “Music isn’t just about learning an instrument. There’s composition, film and TV soundtracks, voice acting…”

Lu Yu nodded. “Guess I didn’t know. I stand corrected.”

“It’s normal. I didn’t know either, until Zhang Kexin told me.”

Curious about his friend’s situation, Lu Yu leaned in, “Hey, you and Zhang Kexin—seems serious?”

Chen Xiaofei became solemn. “What do you mean, ‘seems’? I am serious.”

“I’ve heard you say that more than once.”

“This time I mean it.”

Lu Yu smacked his lips. “Tsk. Judging by your look, you haven’t succeeded, have you?”

Chen Xiaofei gave him a wounded glare. “Is that something to say to a friend? That’s not my goal. Shallow! Vulgar!”

Lu Yu was unmoved. “Just tell me—have you, or haven’t you?”

Chen Xiaofei’s expression turned mournful. “Once, I had many sincere opportunities, but I didn’t cherish them. Only when I lost them did I regret it…”

Lu Yu frowned. “That can’t be. I remember our first night at Space Bar—I took Qianqian home, you left with Zhang Kexin. Are you telling me nothing happened? Unless…”

He shot a suspicious glance at Chen Xiaofei’s lower half.

Chen Xiaofei acted mortally offended. “There’s nothing wrong with me! I could go all night! But that night, I saw she was drunk. I used to not care, but that night I wanted to do the right thing.”

Lu Yu chuckled unkindly. “And after that?”

“The more I got to know her, the more I realized she’s adorably clueless.”

“Imagine it: while you’re plotting how to get her into bed, she’s earnestly talking about true love. She’s not just clueless—she’s endearingly so. It made me want to be a good guy, again and again.”

Lu Yu just shook his head—he couldn’t relate.

Chen Xiaofei seemed more perplexed. “Do you think I’m really serious?”

Lu Yu thought for a moment, then pointed to one of the better-looking guys in the room. “Let’s put it this way—if he started chasing Zhang Kexin, and she seemed interested, what would you do?”

Chen Xiaofei narrowed his eyes at the guy, then at Zhang Kexin, then glared at the guy again.

“I’d pay a couple of ladies to give him the time of his life—until he’s completely wiped out!”

Lu Yu stared in disbelief. “That ruthless? Chen Xiaofei, I never realized you were such a wolf.”

“This is doing him a favor. Let him realize just how attractive he is.”

Lu Yu laughed. “Kind-hearted, aren’t you?”

And with that, the conversation drifted on.