Early the next morning, a rapid knocking on the door startled Li Ming from his pile of blueprints.
He rubbed his sore neck, only to realize he had been hunched over his desk for too long last night and had fallen asleep there.
"Who is it?" Li Ming mumbled in response, glancing out the window at the faint dawn.
"Li, it's me, Wang Deming!" a familiar voice came from outside the door.
Li Ming quickly put the blueprints on his desk into his system space, then opened the door to see an excited face.
Wang Deming, a fellow townsman from his original body's memories, was two grades ahead of him, also studying aeronautical engineering, and was a student leader among the international students.
"Have you heard? The Motherland has sent a telegram, officially calling for us international students to return home and contribute to its development!" Wang Deming's eyes glowed with excitement.
"The school just received notice; our Dragon Country embassy has already sent people to coordinate repatriation matters. The embassy is currently organizing registration, and students who want to return can go complete the procedures tomorrow!"
"That fast?" Li Ming was a bit surprised, but then also became excited.
"Our Dragon Country Student Association has already started organizing the list. I'm here to inform you that we'll gather at the main entrance of the school tomorrow morning at eight o'clock to go to the embassy together to complete the procedures." Wang Deming patted Li Ming's shoulder, "So, are you going back or not?"
"Of course I'm going back!" Li Ming replied without hesitation, "The Motherland has just been liberated, and everything is waiting to be rebuilt. It's precisely the time when talent is needed."
"Good man!" Wang Deming smiled with satisfaction, "I knew you'd choose this. We're from the aeronautical engineering department; we'll definitely have great prospects after returning home!"
Li Ming nodded, then suddenly remembered something: "Senior, before we go to complete the procedures tomorrow, I want to go to the library first... there are still some materials I want to look at."
"Alright, but don't delay the time. Just make sure you're there before eight." Wang Deming checked his watch, "I need to go notify others; there are still several dorms I haven't visited yet."
After seeing Wang Deming off, Li Ming immediately began a new round of preparations.
For him, the library was like a gold mine, filled with countless valuable technical materials waiting for him to acquire.
Especially those books on military industry and cutting-edge industrial technology, which were almost priceless treasures in Dragon Country at this time.
"How many materials have I stored in the system space? Looks like I need to hurry." Li Ming muttered to himself.
In the early morning, Li Ming arrived at the school library early.
The Gothic building looked particularly solemn and majestic in the morning light, and a few early-rising students were already engrossed in their studies in the spacious reading room.
As soon as he entered the library hall, Li Ming sensed something was amiss.
In a corner sofa, a middle-aged man in a suit was pretending to read a newspaper, but his vigilant eyes occasionally swept towards the Asian faces entering and exiting.
"It seems the Star-Striped Country government has started to be wary of Dragon Country international students..." Li Ming pondered, but on the surface, he acted as if nothing was wrong and walked towards the professional periodicals section.
He first went to the aeronautical engineering section, where a large number of professional books on aircraft design and engine technology were displayed.
Li Ming pretended to browse seriously, but in reality, he was quickly sifting through the most valuable materials.
"Aero-Engine Structure Design Handbook," "Aerodynamics of High-Performance Fighter Jets," "New Advances in Aerospace Materials Science"... one after another, thick professional books were quickly scanned and stored into his system space.
Each time he stored one, he carefully observed his surroundings, ensuring no one noticed the "disappearance" of these books.
"Storage successful. Current space occupied: 0.12 cubic meters."
Li Ming secretly rejoiced that although these technical books contained a lot of knowledge, their volume was not too large.
Next, he walked to the mechanical engineering section, where there was more information on advanced manufacturing technology.
"Principles of Precision Machine Tool Design," "Automatic Control System Engineering Handbook," "Industrial Instrumentation and Measurement Technology," "Hydraulic System Design and Application"... these books were almost unheard of in Dragon Country at this time, but they were the foundation for developing modern industry.
"If I take these back, domestic Engineers can at least save ten years of detours." Li Ming thought, continuing his "collection" work.
He specifically looked for military technology-related materials and found several valuable books on a secluded bookshelf: "Military Radar Technology," "Ship Power System Design," and "Ballistic Calculation Theory."
These materials were usually not accessible to foreign students, but fortunately, they had an extraordinary senior, and aerospace engineering students had special access.
"Hint: Some advanced technical materials are beyond the current comprehension value learning range, but can be stored for future use."
Li Ming saw the system prompt and understood his current ability limitations.
But that didn't matter; he would take the materials back to the country first, and he would naturally be able to learn them when his comprehension value increased later.
To avoid attracting attention, he adopted a roundabout strategy, moving between different areas, sometimes consulting common textbooks, sometimes taking notes, appearing like an ordinary diligent student.
At the same time, he quietly put one valuable material after another into his system space.
"Fundamentals of Radio Technology," "Principles of Electronic Computers," "Crystal Management Theory and Application," "Communication System Design"... these electronic technology books were equally valuable in Dragon Country at the time and could greatly accelerate the development of the electronics industry.
By noon, Li Ming had collected nearly a hundred technical documents, almost covering all areas of industrial technology:
Aerospace: From basic aerodynamics to jet engine design, from flight control systems to aerospace materials science.
Mechanical Manufacturing: Various machine tool design principles, automatic control, precision measurement technology.
Electronics and Electrical Engineering: From basic electronics to radar technology, from communication systems to early computer principles.
Materials Science: Preparation and application of metal materials, polymer materials, and composite materials.
Chemical Industry: Petrochemicals, fine chemicals, industrial catalysts, etc.
Energy and Power: Thermal power generation, hydropower, preliminary nuclear energy applications, etc.
If these materials were brought back to the country, they would be enough to fill countless technological gaps and save Dragon Country a lot of trial-and-error time in industrial development.
"That's enough..." Li Ming checked his watch. It was almost noon, and staying longer might arouse suspicion.
Just as he was about to leave, a familiar figure appeared at the library entrance—it was Wang Deming.
He looked hurried, glancing left and right as soon as he entered, as if searching for someone.
Li Ming quickly went up to him: "Senior, what's wrong?"
"Li, there you are!" Wang Deming said in a low voice, "The situation has changed. The school suddenly announced that students who want to return to the country will undergo an 'exit assessment,' saying it's a routine procedure, but it's clearly aimed at us Dragon Country international students. Someone already went to your dorm to look for you."
"They're acting so fast?" Li Ming frowned.
"Yes, it seems the Star-Striped Country government is very nervous about us returning home." Wang Deming pulled Li Ming out, "Hurry back to the dorm to pack your things. There's an emergency meeting at the Dragon Country Student Association at 2 PM to discuss countermeasures."
The two left the library in a hurry. Li Ming keenly noticed that the man in the suit also put down his newspaper and followed them unhurriedly.
At 2 PM, the activity room of the Dragon Country Student Association was packed.
Dozens of Dragon Country international students from different departments gathered, the atmosphere both excited and tense.