Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 39：Bad Luck

The voice of the leader, transmitted through remote communication devices, reached the control room of the northern base.
Everyone in the room, including Jiang Fan, could hear it clearly.
Jiang Fan's expertise in controlled nuclear fusion was well-known among the scientific personnel at the base, but the leader was unaware of this.
Zhou Huaide, observing Jiang Fan as he checked the data on the main control console, turned to the leader and spoke:
"Leader, we've encountered a minor issue, but please trust me—we'll resolve it shortly."
The leader responded firmly, "Zhou, I've given you five minutes; you now have only two remaining."
After speaking, the leader ended the call.
Zhou Huaide turned to Jiang Fan.
"Xiao Fan, have you found the issue?"
Jiang Fan, equally perplexed, stared at the console. All the data from the Tokamak device appeared to be correct, so why hadn't ignition been successful?
"The Tokamak data shows no issues," Jiang Fan replied.
"So where could the problem lie?" Zhou Huaide muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
The research personnel scrambled to check the control systems.
After a moment, one of the scientists called out to Jiang Fan, "Chief Engineer Jiang, we've found the problem!"
Jiang Fan quickly pushed his way through the crowd and hurried over.
"Look here!"
The scientist pointed to the testing equipment, and Jiang Fan noticed that it showed a malfunction in the laser ignition control switch.
Zhou Huaide was furious, "Who was responsible for the laser ignition system?"
A tense silence fell over the room. At last, Zhang Wen Shan turned to Zhou Huaide and said,
"Commander Zhou, it was Researcher Wang Bo in charge before, but he was reassigned a month ago."
"Didn't anyone check the ignition device before attempting ignition?"
Everyone lowered their heads. They understood Zhou Huaide's anger—he had founded the northern base, it was like his own child. Now, at such a critical moment, a fault in the ignition system had emerged.
"Is there anyone familiar with the ignition system's wiring?" Zhou Huaide demanded.
No one spoke. The research team had been focused on the Tokamak device, and the laser ignition system had been handled by two people—both of whom had been reassigned to the fighter jet project.
Though the laser ignition system wasn't overly complex, it still had numerous wires, and someone unfamiliar with it would take quite a long time to inspect.
"I've studied the system with them for two days," one scientist said hesitantly, "but I'm not sure I can fix it."
With no other options, Zhou Huaide nodded and instructed, "Fine, follow the schematic and make the repairs."
"Zhang Wen Shan, contact Wang Bo immediately and find out where the issue is!"
Zhang Wen Shan quickly dialed Wang Bo's number, but the call went unanswered.
He frowned. As a scientist, Wang Bo wasn't allowed to carry a phone during work hours. It would be difficult to reach him now.
Seeing the time slipping away, Zhou Huaide picked up the satellite phone in the control room and immediately dialed the fighter jet research base.
The call was quickly answered.
"This is Zhou Huaide from the Northern Base. Put me through to your chief engineer, now!"
The other side, recognizing the satellite phone, didn't question Zhou Huaide's identity and connected him to the fighter jet chief engineer's office.
"Hello, who is this?"
"This is Zhou Huaide from the Northern Base."
"Ah, Commander Zhou, I'm Zhang Honglei from the Dragon National Defense Military Academy, and I'm also your junior..."
"Chief Engineer Zhang, please immediately find Wang Bo and have him take this call."
"What's the matter?" Zhang Honglei asked.
"This is urgent. I'll explain later," Zhou Huaide said quickly.
Zhang Honglei, seeing how urgent Zhou Huaide was, realized that something serious was happening. Wang Bo had previously been reassigned from the Northern Base by Zhou Huaide. He likely needed to handle an important issue.
Zhang Honglei immediately called the number for the fighter jet research warehouse, and soon Wang Bo arrived, jogging.
"Wang Bo, Commander Zhou from the Northern Base needs to speak with you!" Zhang Honglei said.
Wang Bo was puzzled. The Northern Base project had been suspended. Why would Commander Zhou be calling him now? He took the phone, curious.
"Commander Zhou, this is Wang Bo."
As soon as Zhou Huaide heard Wang Bo's voice, he asked, "Where is the fault in the laser ignition system?"
Wang Bo immediately understood. He had been responsible for the laser ignition system at the Northern Base. Before leaving, the system had developed a wiring issue due to the long period of inactivity. He had planned to fix it, but was reassigned before he could do so.
When the assignment came through, he thought the controlled fusion project would be halted anyway, so he didn't bother to complete the repair.
Now, Zhou Huaide knew about the issue—did this mean the project hadn't been canceled after all?
Before Wang Bo could speak further, Zhou Huaide's anxious voice came through the phone.
"Wang Bo, hurry up and tell me!"
"It should be the wiring underneath the control button that has come loose," Wang Bo said.
Zhou Huaide immediately turned to the scientist who was inspecting the wiring and ordered, "Check under the control button!"
They quickly found that a wire beneath the laser ignition button had indeed come loose.
Zhou Huaide ended the call and instructed them to reconnect the wire.
With the problem identified, the next steps would be easier.
Wang Bo, hearing the commotion in the background, felt even more curious. Was the Northern Base really still operational?
Before he could voice his thoughts, the phone line went dead, and he stared in confusion as he hung up the receiver.
"Wang Bo, did Commander Zhou need something?" Zhang Honglei asked.
"He just wanted to check on the laser ignition system."
The laser ignition system? Was Commander Zhou still working on controlled nuclear fusion research? Hadn't all the research personnel been reassigned?
However, Zhang Honglei respected Zhou Huaide. Zhou had been a star at the Dragon National Defense Military Academy, taking charge of fighter jet development right after graduation. He had also helped create the J-10 fighter jet, which was ranked among the world's top five during international military competitions. It had been a major achievement for Dragon Country.
Sadly, during a world military competition, one of Zhou Huaide's colleagues had piloted a J-10 fighter jet and was tragically shot down by participants led by the Beautiful Country, resulting in his death.
This loss led Zhou Huaide to take on the role of commander for the controlled nuclear fusion project, with the hope of bridging the technological gap between Dragon Country and the Beautiful Country.
Ten years had passed, and there had been no major breakthroughs in fusion technology. Had Zhou Huaide continued his work on fighter jets, his achievements would likely have been far greater than his current role.
Zhang Honglei sighed, muttering to himself, "Alas, fate is unkind."

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