RebirthⅠ: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 23：Energy

In the conference hall of the prestigious First Research Institute in Kyoto, a group of distinguished scientists, most of them over forty, sat in anticipation. All of them had been invited here for their unparalleled achievements in their respective fields. Only a few were privy to the purpose of this urgent meeting, but due to the confidentiality agreements they had signed, they dared not speak of it, simply waiting for the instructions from the higher-ups.

Two full hours had passed, and still, no one had appeared to lead the meeting. The scientists began to fidget restlessly.

"This is too much! Two hours have gone by, and they treat our time as if it means nothing!" one of them muttered in frustration.

"Indeed! I had a critical project on my hands, and they called me here at the last minute," another scientist grumbled.

"Calm down, Old Li. Given the caliber of experts gathered here, I'm sure this must be something significant," an older colleague reassured him.

"Something more urgent than the new energy fuel I'm working on?" Old Li replied confidently. "This is a matter of great importance! The world is desperate for a new source of energy. Coal, natural gas, and oil are finite. After decades of exploitation, the remaining reserves could only last for another 80 years at most. Every nation is racing to develop new forms of energy to replace these exhausted resources."

"If we fail to develop a new energy source in the next 80 years, human progress could come to a standstill. We might even regress to a pre-industrial societal structure," he continued, his voice tinged with urgency.

"Old Li, how's your research into solar energy coming along?" someone asked.

"Haha... That's still under wraps for now," Li replied, with a playful tone.

"What's there to hide? Our aircraft carrier project urgently requires a potent energy source to power its engines. The strongest energy source, in my opinion, is nuclear energy!"

"You're right. Look at the destructive power of a nuclear explosion, and it's clear that nuclear energy is incredibly potent. But the real challenge lies in control. The ideal energy source for humanity would be controlled nuclear fusion, but the difficulty in achieving it is immense."

"This is a century-long project. Without at least a hundred years, it's unlikely we'll see any breakthroughs," another professor interjected.

The group of scientists continued discussing the future of energy. Just then, the door opened, and Dean Li entered the conference hall and took his place at the podium. The moment he entered, everyone fell silent. Finally, it seemed they were about to learn the purpose of the meeting.

"Apologies for the delay, everyone," Dean Li began. "I know you've all been pulled away from your research, but let's not waste any more time. Please sign the confidentiality agreement, and we'll get to the matter at hand."

At the mention of the confidentiality agreement, the scientists were immediately intrigued. They knew that signing such an agreement meant the matter at hand was far from ordinary. Perhaps someone had made a breakthrough in a new scientific field!

As the agreements were distributed and swiftly signed, the scientists waited eagerly for Dean Li to reveal the news. But instead of speaking, he handed each of them a set of documents.

"You have one hour to review the materials," Dean Li instructed.

The scientists, puzzled, adjusted their glasses and began perusing the documents. As they read, their eyes widened in shock. The title on the first page read "Controlled Nuclear Fusion," and a sense of astonishment rippled through the room. Everyone knew that controlled nuclear fusion had been a national priority project for years, but it had made little progress. In fact, the government had recently shifted its focus to solar, wind, and hydro energy due to the overwhelming costs involved with fusion research.

But now, suddenly, they were all summoned here and bound by confidentiality agreements. Could it be that there had been a significant breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion?

The room was filled with the sound of flipping pages as the scientists eagerly examined the documents. The first section yielded nothing extraordinary, but as they moved to the second part, which contained formulas and data related to controlled nuclear fusion, their excitement grew. Their faces registered pure shock.

The room fell into a profound silence, broken only by the sound of pages turning. One hour later, Dean Li softly asked, "Has everyone finished reviewing the material?"

The scientists slowly raised their heads, their faces still frozen in disbelief. No one spoke, as they were still processing the overwhelming implications of the documents.

After a few moments, one of the senior professors finally asked in a voice filled with astonishment, "Could this data be accurate?"

The room fell into an eerie quiet as everyone turned their gaze to Dean Li, eagerly awaiting his response.

"We've verified the results using the supercomputer at Huqing University, and the data is indeed correct," Dean Li replied.

The words hit like a thunderclap. The scientists were struck dumb with astonishment, their mouths hanging open. If what Dean Li said was true, this meant that controlled nuclear fusion had made a monumental breakthrough. With the formulas and data presented, they speculated that within 50 years, their nation could achieve controlled nuclear fusion.

Such a breakthrough would bring about an unprecedented transformation in technology. With this new energy source, humanity could reach new heights, for nuclear fusion could provide the immense power needed for space exploration, something current fuel sources simply cannot support.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan, accompanied by Minister Zhou Huaide, arrived in Kyoto. It was already 9 PM, and instead of taking Jiang Fan to dinner, Zhou Huaide drove straight to the First Research Institute.

"Jiang Fan, take a moment to rest. In five minutes, I'll take you to the conference hall where you'll present the formulas and future plans for implementation," Zhou Huaide instructed.

"Understood," Jiang Fan nodded.

"Don't worry, there's nothing to be nervous about," Zhou Huaide reassured him before stepping outside.

At the door, an assistant approached and handed Zhou Huaide a set of documents, one of which contained a photo of Chu Ruoxi. After briefly reviewing the materials, Zhou Huaide smiled and handed them back to the assistant.

"Destroy all of this," he ordered.

"Understood, Minister Zhou," the assistant replied. The documents were quickly shredded.

Five minutes later, Zhou Huaide returned to Jiang Fan's room and knocked before opening the door. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," Jiang Fan responded, rising to follow Zhou Huaide toward the conference hall.