Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 127：Turning Point

Upon seeing the call from Director Zhang of the Third Research Institute, a sudden, inexplicable tremor gripped One's heart, as though he had glimpsed a glimmer of light in the darkness.

He turned to Foster and said, "Mr. Foster, please hold on. I have an urgent matter to attend to."

Without waiting for Foster's reply, he stepped out of the conversation room.

Foster, his patience wearing thin, responded irritably, "Lord One, is there anything more pressing than our conversation?"

After a brief moment of silence, when Foster heard no further response, he realized that One had hung up and left the room. This ignited a sudden fury within him.

"Such a disrespectful Dragon Kingdom fool! How dare he treat me with such contempt! Hmph, he will regret this reckless behavior," Foster muttered, seething with rage.

Meanwhile, outside the room, One had already answered the call from Director Zhang.

"Hello! Director Zhang, what's the matter?" One asked, his voice a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

"Leader, I have fantastic news! Enormous, groundbreaking news!" Director Zhang's voice crackled with excitement.

One's heart raced at the words, his breath quickening. Could this be the breakthrough he had been hoping for? "Tell me quickly—has there been a major breakthrough in chip technology?"

Director Zhang hesitated, taken aback by One's unusually anxious tone. Normally, One exuded an air of unshakable composure, as if nothing in the world could unsettle him. It was the first time Zhang had ever heard him so urgent.

"Director Zhang, speak!" One urged.

Director Zhang snapped back to reality, then hastily responded, "Yes, Leader, you were right. We've had a major breakthrough in chip technology. Our chief engineer, Old Qiao, brought in Jiang Fan. That kid is truly extraordinary—within a single day, he managed to design the blueprint for a 7-nanometer lithography machine!"

"Jiang Fan?" One asked, his confusion evident. "Wasn't he overseeing the Dragon Journal SCI publications? What is he doing working on chip research?"

Before One could fully grasp the situation, his attention was immediately drawn to the key detail in Zhang's words.

A 7-nanometer lithography machine?

The news struck One like a bolt of lightning. His breath caught in his throat. "Did Jiang Fan really design the blueprint for a 7-nanometer lithography machine?"

"Yes, Leader," Zhang affirmed. "He's leading a team of over seventy researchers in a closed development project. He says they'll have it ready in a month."

One stood motionless, his mind racing. A 7-nanometer lithography machine? That was almost beyond belief. The Dragon Kingdom's best lithography technology had barely reached 21 nanometers. A jump from 21 nanometers to 7 nanometers represented a leap of entire technological tiers. This would put them on par with the most advanced technologies in the world.

But as One thought about Jiang Fan's past achievements—the controlled nuclear fusion, lithium iron phosphate batteries, ITER supermagnetic materials, and the founding of Dragon Journal—he could not help but believe it. Jiang Fan's accomplishments had always been ahead of his time, far beyond what others could achieve in a lifetime.

Having such a talent was truly a stroke of luck for the Dragon Kingdom.

"Director Zhang, I am giving you the highest directive: Whatever Jiang Fan needs, you must meet his demands without question. Spare no effort in helping him develop our own chips," One commanded solemnly.

"Understood, Leader. I will ensure the task is completed!" Zhang replied, his voice resolute.

After hanging up the phone, One's expression softened with relief. With Jiang Fan involved, he was certain that the chip research would succeed. Zhang had just said that Jiang Fan could develop the 7-nanometer lithography machine in a month. At this rate, in two months at most, the Dragon Kingdom would have its own chips—chips that could free them from the stranglehold of the United States' chip sanctions.

The thought made One's heart surge with excitement, and he clenched his fists in the air, almost unable to contain his joy.

But then, remembering that he was still in the middle of a call with Foster, he composed himself and calmly walked back to the communication device.

"Mr. Foster, I apologize for making you wait," One said coolly.

Foster, who had been waiting for a total of 8 minutes and 21 seconds, shot a glare at his watch. As a high-ranking official of the United States, he was accustomed to everyone waiting on him, not the other way around. His voice was laced with irritation.

"Lord One, for your disrespect toward the United States, I've decided not to offer you any chip technology."

"I regret to inform you, Mr. Foster, that our agreement is hereby canceled. The Dragon Kingdom will no longer provide you with the ITER magnetic material technology," One replied, and immediately hung up.

Foster stood dumbfounded, staring at the now-dead communication line. It was utterly unexpected. Given the current economic plight of the Dragon Kingdom, he never imagined they would speak to him in such a manner.

Could it be that his words had gone too far? Had his arrogance driven them to sever the agreement?

Confused, Foster paced. Originally, he had hoped that the Dragon Kingdom would beg for mercy, allowing them to continue supplying 11-nanometer chip technology. After all, even with that technology, the Dragon Kingdom would still need a long time to make it work.

But now, One had reacted with surprising toughness, immediately cutting off all negotiations.

Foster knew that the United States desperately needed the ITER magnetic materials to fuel its own high-tech projects, so he decided to call again, determined to secure the materials before anything else.

Just as One was about to leave the room, the communication device rang again.

Glancing at the screen, he saw that it was Foster once more.

"Lord One, I deeply apologize for my earlier outburst," Foster said, his voice laced with contrition. "We are willing to provide you with the 11-nanometer chip technology."

"I've already told you, Mr. Foster," One replied coldly, "We will not provide you with the ITER magnetic material technology. I have other matters to attend to. Goodbye."

"Lord One, please, just hear me out..." Foster pleaded, but before he could finish, One cut the call again.

With a decisive motion, One turned off the device and shut it down entirely.

Foster, left alone with his anger, slammed the communication device onto the table, cursing under his breath.

"Those arrogant Dragon Kingdom fools... they'll pay for this!"