From Trash to Treasure: The Sinclair Family's Beloved Genius

From a corner of the room, Joel Quincy, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly asked.

Joel Quincy’s temples were solid white—he definitely didn’t have this much gray at the last symposium.

But it had only been half a month, and the gray seemed to have taken over.

Chloe Sinclair frowned instinctively. Instead of answering Joel Quincy, she said, "You should try to get more rest. The research can wait; it’ll get done eventually."

Joel Quincy was taken aback. He stared at the earnest young woman across from him.

He stared at Chloe Sinclair without blinking, his deep-set eyes seeming to question why she would say that.

The next moment, however, Chloe Sinclair explained, "It’s just... you didn’t seem to have so much gray hair the last time I saw you."

Joel Quincy paused, then said half-jokingly, "The experiment has hit a wall recently. I can afford to wait, but the people and the nation can’t. Why don’t you join my research project? With you on board, we might make a breakthrough."

"Alright."

Chloe Sinclair agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

Joel Quincy froze, a rare flicker of bewilderment in his eyes.

The many other professors in the office were equally dumbfounded. They stared at the pair in disbelief, their eyes filled with an unspoken disappointment.

Joel Quincy hadn’t expected it either.

After all, his field was nuclear physics, while Chloe Sinclair’s current experiments were in a completely different direction—poles apart, one might say.

He was silent for a long time.

Miles Myers, on the other hand, was displeased. "Joel Quincy," he said, "my academic rank may be lower than yours, but I’m still your senior. How can you poach a student from an elder?"

A good number of the people in the office were already retired. Some were even professors from the rival Ivory League who had shamelessly wrangled their way over to Emberfall University just for Chloe Sinclair.

The competition was so fierce that they had all agreed to wait until the first day of the semester to make their pitches, letting Chloe Sinclair choose her advisor fairly.

Yet somehow, Joel Quincy—the one who had been the most unassuming—had managed to persuade Chloe Sinclair.

A chorus of disapproval rose from the group. "Quincy, do you think we don’t know what your current experiment entails? Just look at the state you’re in! What if something were to happen to Chloe on your watch?"

Nuclear physics takes the heaviest toll on the human body.

Take Joel Quincy, for example. He wasn’t even fifty, yet his health was as poor as these old men with one foot in the grave.

Chloe Sinclair was a Genius. There were countless ways she could serve the nation; she had no reason to risk it all with Joel Quincy.

"Professors, I have thought this through very carefully."

Chloe Sinclair was, of course, aware of the nature of Joel Quincy’s research. She continued, "If everyone avoids this path because it’s life-threatening, then soon, there will be no one left to walk it."

Someone has to bear the heavy burdens for progress to be made.

Just like the septuagenarian professors before her—their salaries weren’t the highest, yet their work was among the most grueling in service to the nation. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Some left their homes and families, traveling to the remote Kharzan Desert to conduct their research.

Some, to learn advanced techniques abroad, endured the disapproval of their families to travel to the West, bringing back cutting-edge technology for their country.

Some stood on their tiptoes just to get a better look at a Meridian aircraft carrier, and it was that very desire that led to the birth of our own nation’s first carrier.

A golden dragon is not a creature of a shallow pond; when the storms of change arrive, it will ascend.

It was because of these heroes, who gave everything for their country, that Zenthia now had its first rocket, its first atomic bomb, and its first aircraft carrier.

What Joel Quincy could do, she could do, too.

Joel Quincy, who had fallen silent after Miles Myers’s words, suddenly looked up as if jolted awake. A flash of profound respect lit up his ink-black eyes.

The field of nuclear physics needed talent.

But for years, the number of new researchers entering the field had been dwindling.

The research process was simply too difficult and too dangerous.

In this day and age, people prioritized their own safety above all else.

Chloe Sinclair’s words had been a sudden, clarifying shock.

And so, Joel Quincy extended a hand. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "Welcome to the team."

Chloe Sinclair replied, "Thank you, Professor, for this opportunity."

This exchange only made the old guard in the office more envious.

"Sinclair, you’ve already made notable achievements in quantum and condensed matter physics. If you continue on that path, your future is limitless. Isn’t it rather rash to suddenly jump into nuclear physics?"

One of the professors clearly disapproved of Chloe Sinclair’s sudden move into nuclear physics.

Since Chloe Sinclair had a gift for quantum and condensed matter physics, she ought to put it to good use and make her mark in those fields.

"I don’t believe Chloe Sinclair would make this switch to nuclear physics on a whim."

Joel Quincy’s expression grew serious. "Just half a month ago, I attended a symposium hosted by Landon Sinclair. And the keynote speaker was Chloe Sinclair."

Several of the academicians were taken aback.

They, of course, knew who Landon Sinclair was.

The young man was hailed as the greatest physics Genius Zenthia had seen in centuries, a future leader in the field.

"Chloe Sinclair is Landon Sinclair’s sister.

"And the theme of the symposium was the All-Purpose Robot."

The term ’All-Purpose Robot’ was something no one had ever proposed before.

As such, many of those present were utterly baffled.

Many of the academicians in the office had researched robotics themselves, but the field was notoriously difficult to develop and manufacture in, and Zenthia still couldn’t compare to Meridia.

Thus, when the new term ’All-Purpose Robot’ was presented to them, their eyes lit up, and they all leaned in, eager to hear Chloe Sinclair’s explanation.

"An ’All-Purpose Robot’ refers to a single robotic unit that can adopt various forms. It can provide medical aid and perform rescue operations. Most importantly, it isn’t designed for any single group, but for all of humanity."

As soon as she finished, several of the academicians drew a sharp breath.

If it were just a medical aid robot, they might have simply been impressed.

But an All-Purpose Robot was different. It integrated multiple functions and could transform its physical form to suit its objectives.

This was a line of thinking that humanity had never before conceived!

"What stage is your research at now?" one of them couldn’t help but ask.

Chloe Sinclair replied, "The research phase is complete, and the data is stable. I’ve already transferred part of the patent to the state and entrusted the other part to the Shaw Group. However, I made a deal with the Shaw Group that once the All-Purpose Robot enters mass production, supply to the military and hospitals will be prioritized and provided free of charge."

This was a concession Jasper Shaw had made for her.

Back when she’d wanted to establish a foundation, Jasper Shaw had returned to his company and amended their contract. One clause now stipulated that the Shaw Group would make gratuitous donations to certain entities.

Regardless of the labor or production costs, Jasper Shaw would provide them for free.

"How soon can they be mass-produced?"

"In three years, the All-Purpose Robot will begin to enter the public consciousness. Within five, it will be integrated into civilian life."

Three years might seem like a long time to an outsider.

But bringing a completely new, unprecedented technology into the public sphere always takes a considerable amount of time.

Even the transition from the first bulky "brick phones" to the smartphones of today took several decades to fully integrate into daily life.

At that moment, everyone knew.

Chloe Sinclair’s future was limitless!