Rebirth: Controlled Nuclear Fusion

Part 137：The Voice Sounds Familiar

Foster was momentarily startled by the sound of a door opening on the phone, followed by a voice shouting excitedly:
"We did it! We've succeeded!"
Then came the hurried footsteps.
Just as Foster, confused and unsure about the situation in the call room, wondered what was happening, the phone call was abruptly ended!
This reminded him of a previous negotiation with the Number One, where everything seemed set to succeed, only for an unexpected turn of events to spoil it.
Could it be that another unexpected complication had arisen?
Moreover, the voice that shouted sounded familiar.
Yes! It was Number One's voice!
He had said, "We did it!" But what did that mean?
Could they have developed the chip?
That seemed impossible! The technology gap between Dragon Nation and the West was still vast.
Moreover, when the U.S. sold them a 21-nanometer photolithography machine, it was clearly intended to lead them astray, to misguide their research.
But then, Foster's mind returned to the ITER magnetic material developed by Dragon Nation.
A sense of unease crept in. If they had been able to develop that, it meant they must have a team of exceptional scientists.
If that was the case, it was entirely possible that Dragon Nation had indeed made a breakthrough in chip development—an unsettling thought.
Foster, wanting to confirm, immediately called back, but the line remained unreachable.
...
Meanwhile, in Dragon Nation's voice communication room, Minister Zhang stared in shock as Number One abruptly powered down and cut off the call.
"Number One, do you even know what you're doing?"
Zhang demanded angrily.
He was moments away from finalizing a deal with the U.S., wherein Dragon Nation would secure an end to its economic crisis by surrendering the ITER magnetic material technology.
But to his surprise, Number One had shut down the communication to stop him!
"Did the ITER magnetic material technology get sent?" Number One asked urgently.
Zhang, still fuming, didn't answer immediately but continued his reprimand.
"Your actions could plunge Dragon Nation into an economic crisis."
From Zhang's words, Number One realized that the ITER magnetic material technology had not been handed over.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang's outburst soon attracted the attention of several high-ranking officials.
They stared at Number One, bewildered, wondering what he was doing there.
Zhang explained the situation, and the faces of the others immediately darkened.
They turned to Number One.
"Number One, you are one of Dragon Nation's leaders. This kind of behavior is childish! Zhang is negotiating with the U.S. right now, and if you anger them, the consequences will be on your head!"
Before Number One could explain, another senior leader continued,
"We know you don't want to surrender the ITER magnetic material technology, and neither do we, but you also know the country's current situation. We hope you'll think about the greater good..."
"This decision was made through a vote. You can't let personal desires overrule the survival of the nation."
"..."
Number One stood silent as he was scolded, trying to speak but being given no chance.
It wasn't until the others fell silent in frustration that Number One finally smiled and asked,
"Are you done? Can I speak now?"
"Go ahead," one of them sneered, "Let's hear what excuse you have."
"An excuse? How about the fact that we've developed a 7-nanometer chip?" Number One said casually.
A senior official scoffed,
"A 7-nanometer chip? Do you really expect us to believe Dragon Nation has developed a 7-nanometer chip?"
"Number One, even if you disagree with our plan, there's no need to feed us such absurd excuses! If you said you'd developed a 17-nanometer chip, we might still believe you!"
"Yeah! A 7-nanometer chip? Only the U.S. has that technology!"
"..."
Seeing the disbelief in their eyes, Number One replied,
"Then follow me."
"Follow you where?"
The others were puzzled.
"To the National Research Institute No. 3. You'll see the 7-nanometer chip for yourselves!"
They exchanged doubtful glances, unsure of what to think.
"Institute No. 3 really developed a 7-nanometer chip?"
"We'll find out when we get there."
Without waiting for their reply, Number One led the way out of the communication room.
Skeptical, the others followed behind.
...
At the Research Institute No. 3 laboratory,
"Wow!"
"Whoa!"
A young man was tossed high into the air by his colleagues, their faces alight with excitement.
Nearby, a curvaceous young woman smiled with joy as she watched the young man being thrown up and down.
In her heart, a feeling of indescribable happiness bloomed.
At this moment, she finally understood why she had been so attracted to him.
It was the aura of someone who could turn the tide of destiny.
While others thought a breakthrough was impossible, he had accomplished the unthinkable in less than a month!
That kind of charm was irresistible—not just to her, but to any woman.
If her uncle hadn't warned her to stay away from him, she would have rushed over to confess her feelings.
As the girl daydreamed, another woman, excited, ran over and slapped her on the shoulder,
"Yi Fei, what are you thinking? Smiling like that, so wickedly!"
Qiao Yifei, startled, swatted back at her playfully,
"Hey! You big pervert!"
Xia Xiaoyu bounced away, frowning at Qiao Yifei.
Qiao Yifei licked her lips provocatively and grinned,
"Heh... I'm the big pervert!"
She then spread her arms and lunged playfully at Xia Xiaoyu, causing the latter to quickly flee.
Once the playful chaos died down, Professor Qiao addressed the crowd,
"Everyone, please settle down. The successful development of the 7-nanometer chip here at our institute is thanks to Jiang Fan. Let's give him another round of applause!"
Over a hundred researchers erupted into thunderous applause. They were in awe of Jiang Fan.
A man in his twenties had led them to develop a 7-nanometer chip in less than a month!
Before, they wouldn't have even dared to dream of such an achievement.
Especially the researchers from the silicon wafer department, whose hands were sore from clapping.
When Jiang Fan had said they would develop 99.9999% pure silicon wafers in five days, they had thought he was exaggerating, bragging.
But Jiang Fan had delivered—just four days later, they had created the purest silicon wafers, surpassing even U.S. technology!
Before they could even celebrate that achievement, Jiang Fan had led them to develop the 7-nanometer chip in just three days!
Looking back, it all felt like a dream.