Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 128：By Chance

At the No. 3 Institute in Kyoto, it was already 12:10 PM, and the once bustling dining hall now hosted no more than twenty people.

"What's going on? It's already the tenth day, and the photolithography research department is still conducting closed-off experiments."

"Yes! Before, at mealtimes, there were over 100 people, lively as ever. Now, it's so desolate!"

"Do you think the photolithography research department has made a significant breakthrough? Perhaps that's why they're in a closed environment?"

"It's quite possible. Otherwise, how could they have stayed in the lab for ten consecutive days, eating and sleeping there, not allowing anyone to enter or leave?"

"Brothers, this won't do! Our silicon wafer research department can't let them outdo us!"

At that moment, Master Liu, who had just delivered food to the photolithography department, pushed his cart back.

A curious researcher approached him and asked, "Master Liu, what's going on with the photolithography department? Have they made any breakthroughs?"

Master Liu shook his head, signaling that he didn't know anything.

"We're insiders; this doesn't violate confidentiality regulations!" the researcher persisted.

But Master Liu only shook his head again, signaling ignorance.

When he had first joined the institute with his father as a chef, his father had given him one important piece of advice: never disclose any information about the institute.

Master Liu had always taken this advice to heart. He focused only on preparing meals and steered clear of anything unrelated. He had no interest in engaging in discussions, fearing he might lose this hard-won job.

Seeing that Master Liu refused to speak, the researcher returned to his seat. One of his colleagues remarked, "Old Gao, asking Master Liu is a waste of time!"

Old Gao, a researcher, turned to the side, where another colleague, Qiao Yifei, seemed lost in thought.

"Hey, Junior Qiao!"

"Ah?"

Qiao Yifei's face flushed red as she was suddenly called out, as if her private thoughts had been exposed.

"What... what's up, Senior Gao?" she stammered.

"Did your uncle give you any hints about the photolithography research department's progress?"

Everyone in the room knew that Qiao Yifei was the niece of Director Qiao.

Everyone immediately leaned in, eager to hear her response.

But Qiao Yifei shook her head. "My uncle's been in the photolithography department for ten days and hasn't come out. I have no idea what's going on."

Disappointment spread across the group, and they resumed eating their meals in silence.

But then Qiao Yifei spoke again, "However, knowing my uncle's character, he must have made a major breakthrough to work himself to the bone like that!"

Old Gao, deep in thought, muttered, "If that's the case, it's possible they've developed the 17-nanometer photolithography machine!"

At this, everyone paused mid-bite, their meals suddenly losing their appeal.

The silicon wafer research department had always been faster than the photolithography department in their progress. If the photolithography department had really developed a 17-nanometer machine, they would have made a tremendous leap ahead of them.

It was hard not to feel disheartened, especially considering how they had previously joked about the photolithography department's progress. Now, it seemed their joking had backfired.

None of them spoke; they simply hurried to finish their meals, hoping to get back to the lab and perhaps make a breakthrough of their own.

Sensing the tension in the air, Old Gao spoke up, "We shouldn't be so down. If the photolithography department has made a breakthrough, we should be happy for them!"

A researcher chimed in, "Old Gao, we are happy for them, but right now, our silicon wafer technology is lagging behind, and it's actually holding them back!"

Those words echoed the feelings of everyone in the room.

At that moment, Old Gao mysteriously leaned in and whispered, "Come here, everyone!"

A dozen researchers immediately gathered around, eager to hear what he had to say.

"I've got some good news," Old Gao said, his voice low and serious. "I've extracted silicon wafers with 99.09% purity."

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"Really?"

"Of course. Originally, I planned to report this tomorrow after verifying the data," Old Gao continued, smiling proudly.

"Old Gao, you're amazing!"

"Let's go, let's go! Show us!"

"I haven't finished my meal yet!" one researcher protested.

"Forget the food!" Old Gao exclaimed, already leading the way.

The group quickly followed him to his lab.

Six months ago, the silicon wafer department had made a breakthrough, reaching 89.99% purity. But since then, progress had stalled.

Just yesterday, Old Gao had made an accidental adjustment to the equipment, and by mistake, he had extracted silicon wafers with 99.09% purity.

He was initially ecstatic, but quickly regained his composure. He wasn't sure if it was a fluke.

He repeated the experiment several times, and the purity fluctuated between 99.01% and 99.09%.

But on the fourth attempt, the purity dropped to 79%. He was baffled and thought it was a mistake, so he tried again. But the purity remained at 79%.

The materials hadn't changed, and the equipment data was consistent. Why had the purity suddenly dropped so much?

He ruled out various factors—humidity, temperature, noise—yet the purity remained stubbornly low.

He continued experimenting for several more hours, skipping lunch in the process.

Finally, after a failed experiment, he decided to take a break and returned in the evening, only to achieve 90.06% purity once again.

Excited, he continued experimenting. However, after the fourth trial, the purity dropped to 79% again.

By the twentieth trial, the result was still 79%. Old Gao was now utterly perplexed. Could the extraction process only produce high purity three times a day?

He stared at the experiment logs, suddenly noticing the times:

Yesterday, the successful extractions had occurred at 09:03, 09:09, and 09:16.

Today, they were at 09:00, 09:07, and 09:15.

He quickly examined the other failed experiments. The times were all outside the 9:00 to 9:16 window.

He began to focus on the factors that differed between those hours and the rest of the day.

It was then that he noticed a faint beam of light coming through a small hole in the curtains.

Sunlight!

He was instantly filled with excitement. The lab conditions were stringent, and the curtains were always drawn.

Through that small hole, he reasoned, sunlight was hitting the single-crystal furnace between 9:00 and 9:16.

He immediately realized that light and temperature were key factors.