Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 98：Siege

Paris, France!

The President of the World Mathematical Organization, Austin, reported the situation to his government. They had become very intrigued by Jiang Fan, who had solved two of the most difficult mathematical problems in the world. Consequently, they agreed to Austin's request to detain him on the grounds of investigation, with plans for further action thereafter.

The French government swiftly locked down the streets, deploying the full force of the city's police to capture Jiang Fan. To be cautious, they also requested two military helicopters.

After meeting with the embassy's security detail, Mr. Wu and Jiang Fan's group headed straight for the airport. However, as they approached a major bridge, they were intercepted. All unrelated vehicles were cleared from the bridge, leaving only Jiang Fan's group with four cars, positioned in the middle of the bridge.

Upon realizing they were surrounded, Lei Kun stepped forward to make a quick arrangement. He positioned the four cars on either side as barricades, using them as cover. They were fortunate that the nine members of the embassy's security team were armed with AK47s and 200 rounds of ammunition each. As a seasoned veteran who had seen the horrors of war, Lei Kun knew that with weapons in hand, they held negotiation power. Without them, however, a few well-aimed tear gas grenades could easily neutralize them.

Seeing Lei Kun's command of the situation, the security team followed his orders without hesitation. They quickly took up strategic positions, ready to shoot at anyone who dared approach. The rest of the group stayed behind the cars, taking cover.

The French police, seeing they were armed, did not immediately charge but instead waited for orders from above. Moments later, an officer arrived on the scene. His subordinates reported the situation to him, and he raised a loudspeaker to address Jiang Fan's group.

"All citizens of Dragon Country, listen up! You are surrounded! Surrender your weapons immediately. We are only detaining Jiang Fan. The others are not involved!"

The group, hiding behind the cars, could scarcely believe that they, who had come for a World Mathematics Summit, were now trapped on a bridge, uncertain of their fate. Mr. Wu tried to comfort everyone.

"Do not worry. I've already reported to the embassy. Our country will certainly intervene, and soon we'll be on our way back."

At this moment, a representative from Ziguang Technology, trembling with fear, spoke to Mr. Wu.

"Professor Wu, do you think... we might die here?"

"You must trust in our country," Mr. Wu reassured him. "They will not abandon us."

But truth be told, Mr. Wu knew the situation wasn't optimistic. Although Dragon Country had grown considerably stronger in recent years, gaining significant international stature, there was still a vast gap compared to some Western nations. However, as the head of the summit delegation, it was his duty to offer hope.

"Professor Wu," the Ziguang Technology representative hesitated, "perhaps we should hand Jiang Fan over first, and after we return to our country, we can rescue him. After all, Jiang Fan hasn't committed any major crimes. He should be—"

Before he could finish, Mr. Wu fixed him with a piercing glare. Before Mr. Wu could speak, Lei Kun slapped the man across the face.

"If two countries were to go to war, do you know what your actions would be called?" Lei Kun's voice was cold and sharp. "A traitor."

The representative from Ziguang Technology recoiled in fear, unable to utter another word, knowing full well Lei Kun's capabilities.

After that, the representatives of the other companies fell silent. Lei Kun began to gather some items from the cars, focused on assembling something.

Jiang Fan furrowed his brow, feeling a bitter sense of unease. It wasn't fear of being trapped that troubled him; rather, he had only been working with the technology system for two months. To date, he had developed a lithium iron phosphate power battery, and most importantly, his research into controlled nuclear fusion was only 10% complete. If they were captured, he knew his fate would be sealed, and it would be nearly impossible for him to return to Dragon Country.

In his previous life, he had witnessed such a scenario unfold.

Noticing Jiang Fan's solemn expression, Mr. Wu tried to comfort him.

"Jiang Fan, don't worry. As long as I'm here, even if it means risking my life, I will protect you!"

"I'm just upset that one of my projects isn't finished," Jiang Fan replied helplessly.

The heads of the tech companies, hearing this, scoffed. At a time like this, Jiang Fan was still thinking about his research. It seemed the stereotype of researchers being madmen was, in fact, true.

At that moment, a voice suddenly echoed in Jiang Fan's mind—the system's voice.

【System】: "Congratulations, host, for successfully publishing seven major SCI papers! You have earned the blueprint for IERT magnetic material production!"

Jiang Fan's spirits lifted instantly. It seemed the math paper he had submitted had been approved! With the IERT magnetic material blueprint in hand, the path to controlled nuclear fusion would no longer be a major obstacle. If everything proceeded steadily, he was confident that within a year, controlled nuclear fusion could be realized.

However, as the reality of his current predicament set in, Jiang Fan's excitement quickly turned to helplessness.

Just then, his phone rang. It was Zhou Huaide calling. Jiang Fan quickly answered, and Zhou's anxious voice came through.

"Jiang Fan, where are you right now?"

Hearing that Jiang Fan was trapped in France, Zhou rushed to contact him.

"Uncle Zhou, don't ask. I have good news! I've figured out the IERT magnetic material, but I need some time to organize it. Wait for 20 minutes, and I'll send it to you!"

Without waiting for a response, Jiang Fan hung up the phone. He had to focus on sending the blueprint as quickly as possible. At the very least, if the worst came to pass, Dragon Country could independently develop the IERT material, and would no longer be at the mercy of the U.S.

"Mr. Wu, I need to prepare a file. Please block my line of sight to avoid being seen!"

"Understood!"

Mr. Wu immediately positioned himself to block one side from view.

"You all, come over and block the other side!" Mr. Wu instructed the tech company representatives.

Though the representative from Ziguang Technology was unwilling, one glance at Lei Kun, who was busy working on something, was enough to silence him. Reluctantly, he took his position.

Jiang Fan took a deep breath, sitting at his computer. He needed to get into the zone to enhance his efficiency.

Three minutes later, Jiang Fan was fully immersed. His fingers danced across the keyboard, leaving behind trails of afterimages. His speed was nothing short of astonishing.

Jiang Fan pushed himself to the limit, completing the IERT magnetic data in just ten minutes. Then, he immediately sent it to Zhou Huaide.

Just as the screen showed the successful transmission, a sudden "Bang!" echoed through the air. A bullet had pierced the screen of Jiang Fan's laptop, causing a puff of smoke to rise from the hole.

Everyone froze in shock.

Before they could react, the roar of helicopter blades filled the air. Two military helicopters slowly rose into the sky, hovering above them.