A nation's industrial development begins with junior engineers.

"Enough!" The leader of the Bald Eagle team slammed his fist on the table, his face flushed. "This is impossible! How could you possibly remember the details of a few lessons from over a decade ago? This is fabrication! This is a provocation!"

A cold, undisguised sneer finally appeared on Jin Zhen's lips.

"Impossible? If your 'teacher,' from the very first lesson, doesn't teach you the path to truth, but instead presents you with a meticulously designed mathematical maze that keeps you forever stuck in the same place, you will also remember every move and every stroke of his pen."

Because you need to remember every wrong turn in the road so you can find the right one on your own.

Jin Zhen's eyes were filled with anger, and her finger suddenly pointed towards the bald eagle delegation:

"In 1948, you were just an ordinary instructor giving short-term lectures, not a PhD; you taught me addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and incorrect problem-solving methods, not programming frameworks! After the founding of the People's Republic of China, all overseas short-term lecturers withdrew, and I had no further contact with you! Do you dare to deny these things?"

The hall erupted in uproar again, this time even louder than before!

If everything Jinzhen said is true, then the nature of the whole matter has fundamentally changed.

This is no longer merely an academic ethics question of "whether students have inherited their teachers' ideas," but has become a somewhat dark question:

An outsider of dubious identity deliberately and systematically misled a highly gifted child during a specific historical period.

What exactly is their purpose?

Representatives from many Third World countries have shown expressions of indignation and vigilance.

There are undercurrents within the Bald Eagle delegation.

Just as the team leader was momentarily speechless due to Jin Zhen's sharp accusations and the reaction of the audience, a middle-aged man who had been silent all along quickly turned to the side, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered a few words in his ear.

The team leader's eyes widened slightly, revealing a mixture of surprise and "I see" in his expression. He also asked in a very low voice:

"What? We really did something so outrageous?"

"If you say that falsifying experimental data and misleading the enemy is a bit of a rip-off... yes, that's exactly what we did."

"So let's stop this provocation based on academic sources; once the lid is lifted, it's going to cause a lot of trouble!"

“Terminate? Impossible!” The team leader’s eyes darkened.

"Since you all agree that the C language has immense value, then we must keep it in our hands no matter what!"

He leaned back slightly, his gaze sweeping over the representatives from other areas, then glancing at the French, before finally returning to the proposal document in front of him, a cold smile curving his lips downwards.

"Think about it, if we firmly pin the label of academic plagiarism on them, it's not just about outdoing them in this specific technology, but also a heavy blow to their moral character and international image."

Isn't the alliance trying to win them over and demonstrate unity? If their 'allies' are proven to have technical blemishes, the alliance will lose face, and it might even shake the confidence of some countries that are watching.

This is much more interesting and effective than a simple technical debate.

After all, plagiarists don't have the right to claim all the credit, do they?

These words reveal his political calculations. In his eyes, the value of technology itself is far less important than the political interests behind it. As long as the goal of containing the opponent and consolidating hegemony can be achieved, whether the means are honorable or not is irrelevant.

He's all too familiar with this tactic—muddling things over.

This is an ancestral skill passed down from the lobster farmers of their former colonial power. Its essence lies in "I disagree with your opinion, but I will defend to the death my right to talk nonsense" and "If I don't admit it, it's others who will be embarrassed."

Yes, that's what they've always done.

Its essence lies not in proving the truth, but in creating enough noise, doubt and double standards to trap the opponent in the quagmire of proving their innocence.

History has already written countless footnotes: whether it's the swaying detergent bottle when accusing other countries of possessing "weapons of mass destruction," or glorifying one's own behavior of obtaining global data through "backdoors" as "national security," the core logic remains consistent.

"If I question you, you have to prove it; as for me? I define my own standards. As long as my voice is loud enough and my stance is firm enough, the truth will have to give way to my interests."

The team leader straightened his suit and tie, his face once again displaying that expression of regret and seriousness, preparing to employ his classic "sophisticated" tactic, steer the conversation toward a continued smear campaign against the "moral integrity" of the Chinese team.

……

"This is outrageous! These bald eagles have no shame now? They dare to distort the truth and engage in political extortion right to our faces!"

Old Wang started slamming his fist on the table again.

"These bald eagles used to block the gate with warships, planes, and cannons, but now that they can't do that anymore, they've started resorting to these low-down tactics? Slandering, plagiarism, stealing technology? Don't they have any idea how many scientists they 'invited' from San Dezi back then!"

Across from him, Jiang Xia was looking at a thick address book spread out on the table and several sheets of scrap paper filled with names and relationships, deep in thought.

"Oh dear, who's the big shot in food processing? Forget it, I'll just ask Professor Fangzhou for help with microbiology and stuff!"

Jiang Xia, who had decided to tackle everything at once, reached for the phone, but after glancing at the ticking clock on the wall and then at the thick darkness outside the window, he finally sighed helplessly.

"Never mind, it's too late, Dr. Fang is probably resting too. Let's talk about it tomorrow..."

"Hey! Let me tell you, did you see this? This bald eagle is really..."

"Alright, alright, what good traditions can you expect from a country with a history of less than two hundred years..."

“Even the monkeys next door that receive funding… have a longer history than them…”

Jiang Xia waved his hand: "Old Wang, you're still too young and inexperienced. But it'll be soon. That insolent neighbor next door will soon be caught in a sting operation. You'll see then..."

Just then, the long, rhythmic sound of lights out broke the silence of the night, and the lights in most of the camps went out one by one. However, in a small meeting hall in the distant headquarters compound, the lights remained on, and the faint sounds of debate could be heard.

Jiang Xia stretched and walked to the window: "Actually, from another perspective, this isn't shameless, it's just politically correct. In order to overwhelm their opponents and maintain their so-called 'global leadership,' the means can be infinitely flexible. Criticizing others is their way of defining their own 'correctness.'"

He paused, his gaze dimming slightly: "Let alone outside, even in our own home, doesn't this kind of trend of only talking about 'correctness' and ignoring reality exist?"

As he spoke, Jiang Xia pointed to the brightly lit small meeting room: "It's been going on for a whole day now, hasn't it? The missile modifications on the Anshan are still not complete, aren't those people in a hurry?"

Upon hearing this, Old Wang was stunned for a moment, then his face became even more gloomy.

"Hmph! This new deputy commander is utterly clueless! What's with this 'correcting the direction of naval work' nonsense? I think he's trying to lead us astray! Instead of focusing on fighting, he's always making pronouncements, creating a climate of fear! He deserves to die!"

"Ha, thank goodness I'm not in the navy. I saw Captain Zhao Gang yesterday, and his eye bags were so thick you could raise fish in them..."

Just as Jiang Xia finished gloating, he saw a beam of light pierce the darkness, accompanied by the sound of an engine, shining directly onto his small building.

"Comrade Jiang Xia! Following orders from higher command, you are to attend the meeting tomorrow morning, emphasizing the spirit of 'Four Firsts' and upholding the 'First' principle!"

"Me? But I'm not under your navy's jurisdiction!"

"Uh, Jiang, we're just messengers..."

"Okay, I got it. How much longer will your meeting last?"

Jiangxia brought out a bowl of the remaining mantis shrimp and handed it to the two young soldiers.

The young soldier skillfully peeled the shells while dejectedly holding up one finger.

"One hour?"

"No, it was all night..."

……