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"Mister Kong, do you mean that both the Scientific Research Society and the Engineering Society are going to jointly boycott the latest policy?"

On several high-traffic platforms, journalists had interviewed the last to appear, the Central Federation’s Chief Grand Academician.

"Firstly, this is not a new policy at all, but merely a performance by a group of attention-seekers for political showmanship, which is neither practical nor reasonable!"

"Wow!" For the first time since the military coup, such a weighty figure had publicly insulted the Rebel Army on a public platform, instantly causing an uproar online!

"Is this old bastard on again?"

"Why is he everywhere? Last time he said digital life doesn’t need rest, that many people are just preserving lazy human vices, this son of a bitch lives a life of luxury every day, we who are under the sun and wind, even the few hours of rest we get he thinks are too much, what the hell is he?"

"What does this old expert want to do now? What’s wrong with this fair examination? What’s it to him?"

"Of course, it concerns him. If it’s truly fair, could these old guys still make it? You don’t think he actually has substance, do you?"

"How could that be? After all, he’s an academician, could he have gotten there without substance?"

"Heh, just watch."

The comment section was ablaze with controversy, and the interview section didn’t cool down either, as debates began.

"Why does Mister Kong say it’s unreasonable? This openly announced policy seems very fair..."

"It only seems fair to you..." Elder Kong and the others sneered: "The exam for candidates is only aimed at the general talents of society, assessing the basic knowledge, but for academicians and scientists?

Who is qualified to test them? Everyone is a standout in their own academic field already, and neither their thinking nor their expertise can be definitively judged by a single exam! "

"Moreover, their statuses are different. Top scientists are focused on their own academic fields, unlike many ordinary engineers who are preparing for exams for a certificate."

"Under such circumstances, one focused on cutting-edge fields and another on various test questions and papers, who do you think would win? And if an esteemed academician lost to a college student in this exam, would it be because the academician’s abilities are inferior to a college student?"

"Clearly not, right? How could this method possibly select the most outstanding research personnel?

Xu Min and his show of fairness, it looks impartial but in reality, it could bury the most top-notch talents, preventing them from proceeding to the best platforms to leverage their strengths, which would be a huge loss for the entire Central Federation and even all of humanity! "

"These people, merely for their own political ends, disregarding the public interest, are truly despicable."

"This..." Several journalists were at a loss for words, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

But when you think about it, it kind of makes sense.

All the grand academicians are top figures in their academic fields, how can they be negated by an exam?

"Then... Mister Xu Min, did he refuse your suggestion?"

"Mister Xu Min, as one of the leaders of this incident, has caused such great social turmoil. We hope he can consider the fundamental interests of the Federation instead of just focusing on his own political performance to deceive the public."

"Then may I ask, how will the academic community protest against this matter?"

"If they persist in their mistakes, the academic community will collectively withdraw from this New World construction, and no one will respond to his exam!"

"Wow!"

This declaration once again stirred up waves, setting the internet boiling. In this coup, even the great families hadn’t resisted to such an extent, and now these academicians had stepped forward!

How will the Rebel Army respond to the academicians’ declaration of war?

—————————————-

"How to respond?"

Gong Mingrui looked at Xu Min, who was asking questions in all seriousness, with an amused smile. "You don’t really think he can turn the entire academic community against us, do you?"

"But their prestige is very high, and their ability to call people to action is indeed strong."

Xu Min said somberly, "I remember several times when scholars put forward by the great families were flatly rejected by this group of people. Even the Hou Family couldn’t sway them at the time. Now, who knows..."

"You’re thinking too much..."

Gong Mingrui rolled his eyes. "The Hou Family compromised back then; one reason was that they were outsiders to the Academy.

The Scientific Research Institute monopolized a vast amount of research resources and talent.

The Institute has been around for so long, it has an almost absolute say in the academic community, forcing the younger generation of capable researchers to only follow their lead. "

"Is it different now?"

"Of course, it’s different!" Gong Mingrui laughed. "The cage has been opened. Do you think they are fools? Will they willingly be lapdogs?"

"Just watch, the exam will proceed as usual, and the facts will prove what kind of clowns they are."

—————————————

"They really won’t let us participate?"

In the research institute, many researchers were stunned upon hearing the news from above.

When the news of the open written examination came out, many people in the research institutes were quite excited. This major exam, said to have been set by the new army, was open to the entire Central Federation, selecting random questions from various academic fields for assessment.

In fact, most of them were not worried. To enter the research institute, one had to be the cream of the crop, hailing from the top academic institutions, the elite among students, battling it out through various academic challenges, capable not only of answering questions but also of conducting experiments, before finally being recommended by their mentors to work for the old scholars in the Research Institute.

To ensure the scholars’ scientific achievements, these junior researchers had almost all turned themselves into living encyclopedias; honestly, even though they spent a lot of time on experiments, when it came to exams, they could hold their own.

But being told not to participate made them feel a bit uneasy.

All the researchers looked at each other silently after hearing the announcement from above, creating an eerily quiet atmosphere.

The director who came to give the notification frowned and hastily said, "I’ll lay it out straight; at this time, we must be united and cannot compromise.

If anyone is found to have taken part in the exam privately, they will be expelled from the research institute permanently, and their names will be added to the national blacklist of research institutes, where no organization will take you in again! "

Under this threat, a sinking feeling came over everyone.

"Of course..." After giving a stern warning, the director softened his tone slightly.

"This is also to protect your interests.

You are all top talents selected nationwide, and your strength is beyond doubt.

Do you really need to compete with those lower-tier engineers in the same exam hall?

Rest assured, as long as we hold our ground, rest assured, the higher-ups will definitely fight for the positions you deserve. .."

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

Truth be told, they wanted to say it didn’t matter if they took the exam... they really weren’t afraid.

Of course, no one was foolish; they clearly understood whose interests this refusal to participate was protecting.

But the more they thought about it, the more discontent they felt, because if the situation remained stagnant, nobody could say for sure what decisions the Rebel Army might make. What if things escalated and there was no room for compromise?

What if the ordinary engineers all got the chance to laugh, while they, the former top students, lost this opportunity because of the selfishness of these old scholars?

Many of them had seen the materials from the new world and were extremely interested in the Sorcerer System. They had done their homework and were fully prepared to make a big splash, but then this happened...

This time, did they really have to stand with those old-timers?

Participating in the exam would mean being stripped of their researcher status; not participating... might mean losing the opportunity to be at the forefront of the new era.

What... should they do?