Deep Space Wandering Fleet-Chapter 59 - Clarification Statement

Chapter 59: Chapter 59 Clarification Statement

Xisha University, Mechanical Engineering College, meeting room, an emergency meeting was called with even the principal, Guo Pansen, in attendance.

Professor Wang Zhong, known for his explosive temper, was nearly fuming. The language of the two papers differed, yet their core ideas were nearly identical.

Thus, it was highly likely that one paper plagiarized the other. It wasn’t possible that two people came up with the same idea simultaneously, right?

Thinking back, Zhang Yuan had once submitted his manuscript to “Modern Science” only to have it rejected, and the answer seemed ready to emerge.

During the meeting, Principal Guo sipped some water and said, “Professor Wang, we still haven’t determined who is in the right and who is in the wrong. Shouldn’t we first figure out…”

“Principal Guo!” Wang Zhong raised his voice.

...

If he couldn’t even protect his own student, he would have no face to continue in this circle.

“…Does Zhang Yuan even know Mo Jianhua? Not at all! One is in Xisha, and the other in the imperial capital, thousands of miles apart! Tell me, what magical means could Zhang Yuan have used to plagiarize someone else?”

“Hacking? Stealing papers? Ask yourself if you believe that!”

Principal Guo frowned, slightly embarrassed, “But there’s no solid evidence… Will they admit defeat? They won’t!”

Many professors were holding back their anger. Even if there were records of Zhang Yuan’s emails, it was still hardly conclusive evidence.

As long as one was shameless enough, they could forcefully claim that they had already come up with the idea before you sent it. What could anyone else do about that?

“They really have no shame, living like dogs despite their age!” Wang Zhong swore loudly.

One of the professors mentioned, “Actually, I’ve also heard that at M University, the exploitation of students by professors is severe, with doctoral extensions and suicides all coming from there.”

“There have also been accusations of plagiarizing papers, but such voices are weak and hardly anyone pays attention…”

“Having them investigate their own people isn’t going to uncover anything.”

“Actually, these professors have long lost their edge; they only have big names and high positions, so no one can really do anything…”

Some universities had already entered the so-called “Academic Gatekeeper era.”

Where there are people, there are social circles, and where there are social circles, there are factions. Some maladapted individuals in academic and research work form “Academic Gatekeepers,” creating barriers between research funds and academic resources, becoming the exploitative class of the academic community.

“…So it is. These academic cancers, mediocrities… They only want to make money!” A few more professors chimed in.

However, as much as they cursed, the issue was indeed difficult to handle.

Academic Gatekeepers, similar to warlords, protected each other, and uprooting them would involve too many interests.

Professor Lu from the Mechanical Engineering College pondered for a moment, cleared his throat, and said, “At any rate, no matter what, we must support Zhang Yuan. What’s true can’t be faked, and what’s fake can’t become true…”

“Otherwise, letting their M University papers become the pioneers would make our subsequent work mere followers. Such a significant project, are we just supposed to give up?”

“Yes, that’s right!” Everyone spoke up.

Principal Guo’s expression was not very good. He remained silent for half a minute before speaking, “In any case, we need to clarify to all sectors of society that Zhang Yuan completed his paper here at our university. It has been reviewed by many professors and there is no suspicion of plagiarism!”

“Let’s contact ‘Scientific Pioneer’ again. Retracting the paper is absolutely out of the question!”

“Right, we also need to contact Zhang Yuan’s alma mater, Z University. We must prove he is a good student both in morals and academics…”

Principal Guo was very troubled, wondering if such clarifications would even be useful.

He could almost predict what would come next: the other party definitely wouldn’t admit their mistake, which would be a direct blow to their reputation. Of course, his side couldn’t admit any wrongdoing either.

Next would be mutual accusations, followed by online trolls attacking each other. The situation would escalate further and further.

It’s really difficult to completely overthrow the other side, as they are a group, and to overthrow them means taking down a big swath, not just an individual.

But the fight must go on; it’s clear that we have the moral high ground, and if we concede now, the entire team’s morale will shatter.

If all the professors jump ship, then my position as the principal will be doomed too.

Xisha University quickly issued a clarification statement, starting to strongly support Zhang Yuan, stating that the article was completed under the “witness” of many professors.

There was a bit of exaggeration though. This “witness” was merely a witness to the final results, but at least it was a form of public support.

Various overwhelming comments soon followed, with many people who didn’t understand the paper starting to voice their opinions and critiques.

“Can a bachelor’s student really write such an article? Are you kidding me? Why can I understand each word but not a single sentence?”

“LOL, you’re saying it’s a lie just because you don’t understand? I guess all the high-tech products in the world must be invented by ghosts.”

“Let me just say that Xisha University’s ranking isn’t as good as M University…”

“Isn’t this the Zhang Yuan who donated all his money? Academic God is amazing; he regards money as dirt! (dog emoji) (dog emoji)”

“I’m on the moon, just got off the spaceship, making over a billion a month, well-connected in the industry, I’m out. But let me add, the last name Mo surely isn’t anything good… seems like he kicked the iron plate with a big backing this time! Hahaha!”

“Mo old dog￥@…%&p;#!”

After browsing various online information, Zhang Yuan felt his head was about to explode.

However, in this round of public squabble, he was the underdog and won the natural sympathy of the masses.

Sympathy for the underdog is human nature; what the truth really is seems not so important.

Anyway, as long as the powerful are thwarted, the public enjoys it.

Moreover, it seems Mo Jianhua has some dark history, with a few “natural trolls” making a big fuss; all sorts of messy things got dug up.

“(Real name report) Give me back my youth, postgraduate complaining about Professor Mo’s malpractices, delaying graduation for three years!”

“The northern schools exploiting students has become an unspoken rule, average doctoral delays are two years!”

Things like delayed graduation, unpaid labor, the more exceptional and honest you are, the longer the delays, etc…

“So, this guy has all these awful sides!”

He was pleased internally.

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But in one second, Zhang Yuan was engrossed; the next second, he refreshed the page, and the post was deleted.

The next second, even the trending topics were removed.

It turned out that M University had issued a “clarification statement.”

There weren’t many words above, but a statement was released stating that the paper was “independently written” by Professor Mo. There were even a few professors who acted as witnesses, saying they had discussed the related ideas with Professor Mo, ruling out the possibility of idea theft.

Following that, there’s a list of achievements obtained by Mo Jianhua, including a plethora of papers, but the most important point: “Academician Candidate of the Academy!”

Academician!

…Although only a candidate.