Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 104：None of Them Work

The establishment of the SCI journal Longkan by Longguo?

When Longguo made this announcement, it left many countries, who had been eagerly awaiting its downfall, utterly dumbfounded. Their first reaction was disbelief—how could Longguo, with its current academic standing, dare make such a bold statement? Was this not an invitation to mockery?

After confirming through multiple channels, they erupted into laughter.

Country L: "This is the funniest joke I've heard all year! Longguo launching an SCI journal? Ha ha..."

Country F: "Is Longguo sending a clown to entertain us? They should take a good look at themselves first!"

Country D: "Longguo is tough, refusing to bow its head. Very interesting. I'm waiting for the spectacle!"

Sakura Country: "Ha ha... they really dare to dream. They must be crazy. I bet no scholar from any other country will ever submit to their journal."

Kimchi Country: "I give it two issues before their journal folds. Then, they'll be begging the international community for forgiveness."

Country R: "With their current academic level, they haven't even figured things out themselves, and now they're trying to start a journal. What a farce."

Beautiful Country: "They plagiarized Professor Holt's work and still haven't apologized, yet now they want to start an SCI journal. I'm really curious to see how this Longkan turns out."

Country K: "Do you think they'll publish some elementary school problems in Longkan? Ha ha..."

Sakura Country: "With their academic standards, who knows? I'm really looking forward to seeing what Longkan publishes in its first issue."

...

In the face of ridicule from all corners of the world, Longguo made no response. They were already busy preparing for the next steps of Longkan.

First, a publishing house had to be chosen. Once the news broke, many patriotic publishing houses eagerly competed for the privilege of publishing Longkan. After much deliberation, the national authorities selected Kyoto Publishing House.

Next, the role of chief editor had to be decided. Long Lao and the others unanimously nominated Jiang Fan, whose talent in mathematics was unparalleled within Longguo.

Jiang Fan was determined to make the first issue of Longkan special, and he took up the responsibility without hesitation. However, he made an agreement with the officials: he would serve as the editor-in-chief for only the first three issues. Once the journal was established, he would step down to focus on his research.

With the editor-in-chief chosen, the next task was to appoint editors from various fields. As this was the first issue, the nation placed great importance on it. If the issue did not meet expectations, not only would Longkan fail, but Longguo itself would be ridiculed by other nations. Therefore, top experts from all fields were brought in to temporarily serve as editors and reviewers.

Although Longguo had announced the journal's submission email globally, no foreign scholars submitted any papers. However, domestically, the announcement caused quite a stir. Experts and professors from various fields, thrilled that Longguo had finally launched its own SCI journal, eagerly submitted their years of research to Longkan.

In less than a day, the submissions inbox had already received over 1,000 papers.

"At critical moments, it's still our own people who come through!" Elder Qiao of Hua Qing University remarked as he looked at the submissions.

"Exactly! How else could Longguo be called the most united nation on Blue Star?" Long Lao chimed in, then, shifting the subject, he continued. "Elder Qiao, we haven't seen each other for two months, have we? I thought after Jiang Fan became my student, you'd stop talking to this old man of yours!"

"Am I that petty? Seeing Jiang Fan's achievements makes me happy, not the other way around!" Elder Qiao laughed.

"Did you gossip behind my back when you heard Jiang Fan was my student?" Long Lao teased.

"Me? A man of high moral character? What do you take me for?" Elder Qiao replied with a laugh. "But, Long Lao, I'm curious—how did you manage to get Jiang Fan to be your student?"

"Tell me first, what methods did you use?" Long Lao countered with a grin.

"Then I'll tell you, but you have to be honest with me!" Elder Qiao insisted.

"Alright, you go first!" Long Lao agreed.

...

Long Lao laughed uncontrollably upon hearing that Elder Qiao had used his niece's beauty to compete for Jiang Fan. "I can't believe you'd stoop so low for Jiang Fan!"

Elder Qiao's face flushed with embarrassment. "Enough nonsense, it's your turn to talk!"

Long Lao glanced at the time and turned to Elder Qiao. "Now, let's focus on reviewing the submissions."

Despite their playful banter, both elders quickly returned to the task of reviewing the papers.

As for Jiang Fan, the chief editor, he was not involved in reviewing the submissions. Instead, he was fully immersed in solving the millennium mathematical problems.

Two days later, Jiang Fan completed both a mathematics and a physics SCI paper. He arrived at the temporary Longkan review room at Longke University, where more than ten experts from various fields, including Long Lao and Elder Qiao, were present.

When Long Lao saw Jiang Fan enter, he immediately asked, "Jiang Fan, how's the SCI paper coming along?"

"Teacher, it's finished!" Jiang Fan replied confidently.

Upon hearing this, Long Lao was immediately relieved. Elder Qiao, noticing Jiang Fan, stood up and joked, "Ah, our chief editor has arrived! Ha ha..."

Jiang Fan felt a bit embarrassed by Elder Qiao's teasing. "Uncle Qiao, please don't make fun of me."

Elder Qiao laughed a little more before updating Jiang Fan on the progress of the review. "We've been working hard the last two days. We've selected 18 good-quality SCI papers. These are enough to fill the first issue!"

"Really? How many people submitted papers?" Jiang Fan asked, surprised. He hadn't expected so many submissions.

"We've received over 3,000 submissions. Since this is the first issue, we're being very strict with our reviews. The acceptance rate is only 1.8%, which is quite low internationally, but the quality should be solid."

"Uncle Qiao, may I take a look at the accepted papers?" Jiang Fan asked.

"Of course! As the editor-in-chief, you have the final say on the drafts!" Elder Qiao replied.

Jiang Fan found a nearby computer, and Elder Qiao sent him the 18 accepted papers. As Jiang Fan read through them, he quickly entered a state of deep focus. His reading speed was incredibly fast, as he rapidly scrolled through the pages without pausing.

After about an hour, Jiang Fan finished reviewing all the papers.

Elder Qiao eagerly asked, "So, Jiang Fan, how are they? Is the quality acceptable?"

Jiang Fan's expression grew serious as he responded, "None of them are acceptable."