Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 114：Apology

The Beautiful Country convened an urgent meeting.
The establishment of Dragon Journal was not of much concern to the Beautiful Country, but the announcement by the Dragon Kingdom that it had developed the IERT magnetic material was a different matter entirely. This breakthrough shattered their technological monopoly and was of critical importance to them.

After a phone call with the Dragon Kingdom's leadership, Foster Colin, a senior official from the Beautiful Country, urgently gathered a meeting. In the conference room sat ten people, among them an elderly man, his hair graying, and in his seventies—Bernie Jones, a retired diplomat who had served as the U.S. ambassador to the Dragon Kingdom for ten years. He was exceptionally well-versed in the intricacies of the Dragon Kingdom and its people. Bernie remained silent as the others spoke, merely listening intently.

Foster Colin began, "I have already been in contact with the leadership of the Dragon Kingdom. They did not agree to provide us with the research papers on the IERT magnetic material, but they also did not refuse outright."

One of the attendees inquired, "What does the Dragon Kingdom mean by this?"

Foster continued, "The Dragon Kingdom keeps emphasizing the issue of Professor Holt stealing their SCI papers, which has severely tarnished their reputation internationally. If this matter isn't handled properly, there will be no further discussions."

"Those crafty people of the Dragon Kingdom! They want us to hand over Professor Holt and admit that the Beautiful Country stole their academic papers!"

Foster replied, "Carl, please be cautious with your words. Professor Holt's actions were his own and do not represent the Beautiful Country."

The others in the room could clearly sense Foster's underlying intent: he was preparing to hand over Professor Holt. Carl, too, had been involved in this academic theft, having hired hackers to erase the email data of Jiang Fan. Now, with the evidence revealed online by the Dragon Kingdom, Professor Holt had already contacted him. Carl was desperate to avoid Holt being prosecuted by the United Nations, knowing that if the truth came out, he too could face repercussions.

Carl protested, "Foster, when the Dragon Kingdom came to us to buy the IERT magnetic material, we deceived them. They will never give us the research papers on this material."

Foster countered, "Carl, you must understand what the IERT magnetic material means to us. It's a technology we've monopolized, and now the Dragon Kingdom has developed a version with five times the performance of ours..."

The room fell into a serious silence as everyone listened attentively. Indeed, the IERT magnetic material had extensive applications in maglev trains, anti-gravity research, and controlled nuclear fusion, among others. Now that the Dragon Kingdom had made this breakthrough, far surpassing their own capabilities, the Beautiful Country had to secure the latest technology or risk losing its position in the race for high-tech projects.

Although these high-tech projects involved numerous challenges, the IERT material was a fundamental component. Once this base material was secured, advancing the other technologies would be only a matter of time.

"I suggest we hand over Professor Holt to gain the Dragon Kingdom's goodwill and resolve our previous disputes with them," proposed a middle-aged man in a suit.

"Yes, I agree," another voice chimed in.

Seeing the consensus among the others, Carl grew anxious. "Our conflict with the Dragon Kingdom cannot be easily resolved. Even if we hand over Professor Holt, they will never give us the IERT material research papers."

"Moreover, Professor Holt is a senior professor in the Beautiful Country. He has contributed significantly to our country's mathematics field. We can't afford to disappoint our scholars!"

Foster replied, "Carl, Holt's contributions to mathematics are minor compared to the significance of the IERT magnetic material technology."

The debate continued for nearly two hours, with growing divisions among the participants. Eventually, Foster recognized that further discussion would be futile. He turned to the elderly Bernie Jones, who had remained silent throughout.

"Bernie, you've spent ten years in the Dragon Kingdom. You understand their people better than anyone. What is your advice?"

Bernie Jones spoke slowly, "The Dragon Kingdom is like a dormant beast. Do not provoke it lightly."

Everyone was taken aback. They hadn't expected such a response. Was this not a non-answer? Yet, they paid little heed, dismissing it as the rambling of an elderly man.

Foster clarified, "So, Bernie's suggestion is that we align ourselves with the Dragon Kingdom and avoid confrontation. In that case, we will hand over Professor Holt and resolve our differences with them."

Carl replied, "I think we should put it to a vote."

Foster, having no objections, agreed. "All in favor of handing over Professor Holt, please raise your hands."

Six hands went up. Foster smiled and said, "Well, since the majority has agreed, the matter is settled."

At that moment, one of the individuals who had raised their hand spoke up. "Foster, as Carl mentioned earlier, our conflicts with the Dragon Kingdom are deeply entrenched. Even if we hand over Professor Holt, it won't resolve the underlying issues. I suggest we also return the $10 billion we deceived them out of."

Carl exploded in fury. "Impossible! That $10 billion was invested in IERT material research. If anything, it may help us develop even better technology!"

Foster replied, "Carl, if the IERT material were so easy to develop, our own technology wouldn't have stagnated for over twenty years. Returning the $10 billion to the Dragon Kingdom is worthwhile as long as we acquire the IERT technology. Even if we have to spend $20 billion, it's worth it. Besides, that money wasn't even ours to begin with."

The room erupted into another debate over whether to return the $10 billion. After further discussion, they reached a conclusion: the money could be returned, but it would not come from the national coffers.

The Beautiful Country contacted the company that had sold the fake magnetic material to the Dragon Kingdom, using a flimsy excuse to fine them $8 billion. The company, which had been complicit in the deception, ended up with a mere $1.5 billion after the government took the rest. This arrangement was seen as mutually beneficial, allowing the company to profit while maintaining good relations with the government.

However, the company was stunned when, half a month later, the government demanded another $8 billion, leaving them thoroughly disgruntled.

After receiving the $8 billion, the Beautiful Country still had a $2 billion shortfall. To make up the difference, they fined the journal SIAM Rev, where Professor Holt had published his work, for $2 billion.

Finally, the Beautiful Country issued an official statement:
"Professor Holt's theft of Dragon Kingdom's SCI papers was his personal action. He has been handed over to the United Nations' judicial department. We offer our sincere apologies to the Dragon Kingdom for the damage caused to their reputation."