Recaps

Jiang Yan Hai relied on the subprogram’s secure systems as his team changed vehicles and moved to a National Security safe house. After arriving, he learned that Silver Fox and He Lu had only suffered minor injuries and could continue the mission.

• Jiang Yan Hai’s team avoided checking the surveillance feeds because Black Hawk and the others controlled the secure systems and could detect intrusions.
• Jiang Yan Hai ordered Ye Cunxin to keep his Huawei itinerary unchanged while someone else investigated the company.
• Ye Cunxin drove Jiang Yan Hai and the others to a National Security safe house after they switched to an ordinary SUV.
• Jiang Yan Hai’s team checked the safe house and found it equipped with hidden weapons and other security supplies.
• Qu Bi'a Zhuo reported that He Lu and Silver Fox had received treatment and could return to the mission.

Jiang Yan Hai questioned the unexplained attacks against him while using the Illusion Simulation Program to raise the fusion device’s average Q value to around 3.5. He then went to Huawei with He Lu and the others to review its preliminary 3-nanometer chip designs.

• Jiang Yan Hai concluded that the attacks were unlikely to have been leaked by Huawei and wondered whether someone was trying to intimidate him.
• Jiang Yan Hai spent the night simulating one million fusion reactor units and increased the device’s average Q value to around 3.5.
• Er Dan stored Jiang Yan Hai’s simulation data, and he headed to Huawei with He Lu and the returning security team.
• President Ren apologized for the danger Jiang Yan Hai had faced, but Jiang Yan Hai said the attackers would have followed him anywhere.
• President Ren led Jiang Yan Hai into Huawei’s Chip Laboratory to examine its preliminary 3-nanometer chip designs and discuss compensation.

Jiang Yan Hai examined Huawei’s nearly complete 3-nanometer Kirin chip designs and gave its engineers improvements to test. Domestic 3-nanometer lithography machines were being sold abroad at low prices, though new legislation prohibited exporting them.

• Jiang Yan Hai explained that scientific research still required substantial funding, even when his methods made it more efficient.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked Huawei’s researchers for the next-generation Kirin chip blueprints and reviewed their 3-nanometer design.
• Jiang Yan Hai suggested improvements to the Kirin architecture, and Huawei’s engineers began verifying them through simulations and later chip tests.
• Domestic 3-nanometer lithography machines entered production, and foreign foundries sought to buy them at prices far below those of ASML machines.
• The Ministry of Commerce next door repealed its chip and lithography machine embargo rules, while domestic legislation prohibited exporting 3-nanometer lithography machines even as sales were allowed.

Jiang Yan Hai optimized Huawei’s latest chip design, and Huawei prepared to tape it out and test its performance. President Ren offered him 200 million yuan for his work.

• Jiang Yan Hai completed Huawei’s chip design in one day, correcting twenty-two flaws and optimizing seventeen areas to raise performance by about 13.8%.
• Huawei’s engineers saw that the optimized chip still lagged Li Ruo Bai’s institute by about 8% in overall performance, despite having more transistors.
• Jiang Yan Hai told President Ren and Director Yu to proceed with the tape-out and said he would stay to test the results the next day.
• Director Yu asked Jiang Yan Hai and his team not to challenge Huawei’s plan to promote the chip through transistor-count and computing-speed figures, and Jiang Yan Hai agreed to keep silent.
• President Ren offered Jiang Yan Hai 200 million yuan in compensation, twice what CEO Lei had offered.

Jiang Yan Hai returned to a secure residence after the attack and planned to travel to Institute 508 to continue developing a material for Controlled Nuclear Fusion. The chapter ended with the team preparing for his next steps as the potential energy breakthrough’s importance was explained.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Silver Fox to contact the higher-ups and arrange his trip to Institute 508, where he had a lead on a new material for Controlled Nuclear Fusion.
• Jiang Yan Hai and Qu Bi'a Zhuo returned to a different safe house, and Silver Fox promised to coordinate the trip after they arrived.
• He Lu reported that the attack appeared to have been carried out by a lone assailant, and Jiang Yan Hai left the investigation to her and the others.
• The chapter explained how solving Controlled Nuclear Fusion’s material and magnetic-field problems could give China abundant energy and a major advantage over other countries.

Jiang Yan Hai's revised chip design passed testing at Huawei, earning the engineers' respect, and he established the Jiang Ling Foundation to support disadvantaged students with scientific potential. The foundation would use Er Dan to identify recipients and provide aid directly without investing its funds for profit.

• Silver Fox contacted the higher-ups, and Ye Cunxin and the others received orders to protect Jiang Yan Hai at all costs.
• Jiang Yan Hai's revised chip design passed tape-out testing, and Huawei tested it alongside its original design over the next two days.
• Huawei's engineers applauded Jiang Yan Hai after the revised chips showed far better performance and stability.
• Jiang Yan Hai left Huawei, and President Ren thanked him and arranged his compensation.
• Jiang Yan Hai established the Jiang Ling Foundation, which would use Er Dan to find students from difficult circumstances with the potential to become scientists and provide them direct assistance.

Jiang Yan Hai and his escorts began a carefully planned trip to Yangcheng, but Silver Fox betrayed them during a vehicle switch on Riverside Expressway. Silver Fox abducted Jiang Yan Hai and Qu Bi'a Zhuo, and Jiang Yan Hai realized the earlier plane attack had been staged to make him trust Silver Fox.

• Silver Fox explained the convoy’s security plan, including switching vehicles on Riverside Expressway, and the group set out for Yangcheng Military Airport.
• At the designated midpoint, Jiang Yan Hai and Qu Bi'a Zhuo waited with Silver Fox while Ye Cunxin and the others drove on.
• Silver Fox injected Qu Bi'a Zhuo with a drug, then threatened Jiang Yan Hai at gunpoint and forced him into the front passenger seat.
• Silver Fox told Jiang Yan Hai that he was assigned to take him out of China and warned him to cooperate.
• Jiang Yan Hai deduced that the earlier attack on the flight to Pengcheng had been staged to injure Silver Fox and win his trust.

Jiang Yan Hai forced Silver Fox to release Qu Bi'a Zhuo in exchange for cooperating, then deduced Silver Fox’s plan to escape by driving into the river. Silver Fox rammed through the Riverside Expressway barriers and plunged the car into the river with Jiang Yan Hai and Jiang Ling inside.

• Jiang Yan Hai refused to cooperate unless Silver Fox let Qu Bi'a Zhuo go, and threatened to make them die together if Silver Fox refused.
• Silver Fox agreed, stopped on the expressway, left Qu Bi'a Zhuo beside the guardrail, and drove off with Jiang Yan Hai and Jiang Ling.
• Jiang Yan Hai deduced that Silver Fox planned to escape through the river and explained how he had figured it out.
• Silver Fox drove through the central guardrail and the opposite barrier, sending the car plunging into the river below.

Jiang Yan Hai and Silver Fox survived a staged car crash and were taken underwater by a well-prepared group using a hidden escape route upstream through the Pearl River. After crossing Yangcheng and coming ashore at night, Jiang Yan Hai remained in their custody while the crash triggered alarm outside.

• Silver Fox pulled Jiang Yan Hai from their sinking armored car, and a group of divers gave them equipment and tied Jiang Yan Hai to one of their members.
• Jiang Yan Hai used Er Dan’s scans to learn that the group was traveling upstream rather than escaping toward the open sea.
• The group changed submersibles and oxygen tanks at prepared underwater relay stations as they traveled past islands and waterways across Yangcheng.
• The group reached an uninhabited shore after dark, where a car was waiting to take them away.
• People who witnessed the roadside incident called the police, and Ye Cunxin and the others soon learned that something had happened.

Jiang Yan Hai escaped to shore as authorities mobilized to capture Qu Bi'a Zhuo and the other fugitives. With Dark Blade taking over the operation, Jiang Yan Hai used Er Dan to track the people supporting Silver Fox while preparing to uncover the full network.

• Ye Cunxin and her companions drove back along the highway after discovering Qu Bi'a Zhuo's identity, prompting a large-scale mobilization across the Southern Military Region.
• Jiang Yan Hai sent a message through Er Dan to the Old Commander, who learned that Jiang Yan Hai was safe and assigned Dark Blade to handle the follow-up operation.
• Jiang Yan Hai reached shore, changed into ordinary clothes, and used a disguise to avoid drawing attention.
• Er Dan tracked the locations of the people Jiang Yan Hai had encountered, while Jiang Yan Hai waited to learn whether Silver Fox's remaining personnel and border support had arrived.
• Jiang Yan Hai planned to deal with Silver Fox's network, confident that Black Star's influence across Southeast Asia could help him control the fugitives even after they left the country.

Jiang Yan Hai cooperated with Silver Fox’s group as they transported her toward Beihai, while Er Dan monitored their communications and movements. Their escape ran into a traffic-police inspection near the Guangdong-Guangxi border, where Silver Fox warned her not to interfere.

• Silver Fox told Jiang Yan Hai that cooperating would help get her safely out of the country, and she acknowledged that she could cause trouble if she chose.
• The group set out for Beihai by national and provincial highways to avoid the more extensive surveillance on expressways, while Er Dan monitored their communications.
• Near the Guangdong-Guangxi border, the group encountered a traffic-police inspection and worried that Jiang Yan Hai might call for help.
• Silver Fox drew his pistol and demanded Jiang Yan Hai cooperate; she said she would not endanger innocent people, and the group prepared for the inspection.

Silver Fox’s group transported Jiang Yan Hai toward the coast while Dark Blade tracked them and Fire Phoenix reviewed the failed interception. Ye Cunxin realized that Jiang Yan Hai had warned the team, though she had not yet explained how.

• Silver Fox’s group passed through a checkpoint and continued through Gui Province toward their planned escape route near Beihai.
• A Dark Blade special operations team moved in on the two accomplices, while a stealth reconnaissance drone followed Silver Fox’s vehicles.
• Aboard a military aircraft, Tan Xiao Lin reassured Fire Phoenix that Silver Fox’s ambush had not been their fault.
• The team discussed how unlikely it would have been to rescue Jiang Ling if she had been an ordinary scientist.
• Ye Cunxin suddenly said that Jiang Yan Hai had warned them, leaving the others asking when.

Ye Cunxin explained that Jiang Yan Hai had deliberately revealed the Controlled Nuclear Fusion materials to test Silver Fox, and Fire Phoenix realized their instructor had suspected him much earlier. As they arrived near Beihai, Silver Fox warned Jiang Ling against calling for help, and Jiang Yan Hai said he wanted to see Silver Fox get caught.

• Ye Cunxin reminded the team that Jiang Yan Hai had mentioned resolving the Controlled Nuclear Fusion materials while they left Huawei Laboratory.
• Ye Cunxin reasoned that Jiang Yan Hai had used the information to test Silver Fox and force the suspected traitor to act.
• Fire Phoenix concluded that Jiang Yan Hai had deliberately exposed the information, and the team joked that they should simply follow his orders.
• Fire Phoenix landed at Beihai Airport and boarded vehicles waiting near the hangars.
• Silver Fox warned Jiang Ling to maintain their friendly appearance after leaving the car, and Jiang Yan Hai said he wanted to watch Silver Fox get caught.

Silver Fox led Jiang Yan Hai and four men to a fishing boat in Beihai after checking that no provinces had been locked down and confirming their escape route. They boarded with the help of Da Hong, who agreed to take them out toward international waters, while Jiang Yan Hai remained silent.

• Silver Fox checked the news and their travel plans, then concluded that the military exercises were a pretext to search for them.
• Silver Fox and Jiang Yan Hai reached Da Hong's home near Beihai and learned that a boat was ready to leave within an hour.
• Silver Fox persuaded Da Hong to take the group out, warning that his fishing boat's disappearance would draw suspicion.
• Da Hong said goodbye to his wife and told local fishermen he was taking tourists out for a trip.
• Silver Fox, Jiang Yan Hai, and the four men boarded Da Hong's fishing boat, and two of the men fell asleep in the cabin.

Jiang Yan Hai questioned the middle-aged spy steering the boat about his past, his beliefs, and why he had never turned himself in. The boat continued toward its destination as the group waited to leave international waters.

• The fishing boat left the dock, and Silver Fox and the others relaxed as it headed out to sea.
• Jiang Yan Hai asked the middle-aged man why he had become a spy, and the man described his long, ordinary life as an agent alongside his wife.
• The middle-aged man said he and his wife had considered turning themselves in, but their child, fear of prison, and the danger of being eliminated held them back.
• The middle-aged man told Jiang Yan Hai that he now believed in socialism, and Jiang Yan Hai said he understood how people could become trapped by their past choices.
• The middle-aged man admitted he had considered turning himself in while bringing Jiang Yan Hai to the boat, but cowardice and his growing concerns stopped him.
• The boat continued across the sea while Silver Fox and the others waited for the critical moment of leaving international waters.

As the boat reached international waters, Jiang Yan Hai attacked Silver Fox’s group and revealed his combat skills while posing as Jiang Ling. Fire Phoenix secured the cabin, leaving Silver Fox bewildered by the scientist’s claim that he had also received military training.

• Jiang Yan Hai noticed that Silver Fox and the other men had pistols ready as the boat neared international waters.
• Jiang Yan Hai knocked out one man, killed another, shot two attackers in the wrists, and held Silver Fox at gunpoint.
• The middle-aged man at the helm shut off the engine and surrendered without resisting.
• Ou Yang Qian and Ye Cunxin led Fire Phoenix into the cabin and secured the men.
• Jiang Yan Hai told Silver Fox that he was Jiang Ling, a civilian researcher who had also received military training.

Jiang Yan Hai captured Silver Fox’s team and assured the middle-aged man that his children would not be punished for his crimes. As the team was taken away, a Type 051 destroyer arrived, remaining in service as a witness to the Republic’s naval history despite its impending retirement from combat.

• The middle-aged man admitted he had trusted Jiang Yan Hai’s confidence and asked the government to protect his children from trouble and hostile intelligence agencies.
• Jiang Yan Hai said the children would be investigated but would not be implicated in their father’s crimes, then ordered the captives taken away.
• Silver Fox realized the operation had been monitored from the start and that the spies who had helped the team were likely being arrested as well.
• A Type 095 Attack Nuclear Submarine surfaced, sent over twelve team members, and dived away as a warship approached.
• Jiang Yan Hai and the others saw that the approaching ship was the navy’s last active Type 051 destroyer, which would leave combat service after the year and become a maritime museum in Haizhu City.

Jiang Yan Hai and the others returned safely after their mission, while the old warship began its final journey toward becoming a maritime museum. At the Dark Blade Unit base, Black Hawk reported that nineteen suspects had been arrested and that the highest-ranking spy identified so far had been captured, though others might remain hidden.

• Jiang Yan Hai and the others boarded the old warship, which returned to port under the protection of submarines and destroyers.
• Jiang Yan Hai, Fire Phoenix, and the others flew back to the Dark Blade Unit base, where Jiang Yan Hai removed his disguise and changed into uniform.
• Jiang Yan Hai went to the information command center and asked Black Hawk for an update on the investigation.
• Black Hawk reported that nineteen individuals had been arrested and their networks were being screened.
• Black Hawk identified the person responsible for Silver Fox’s transfer and several leaks as the highest-ranking spy captured so far, but could not confirm whether other spies remained.

Jiang Yan Hai ordered the operation against the captured network to continue while protecting the arrested couple’s uninvolved children. Meanwhile, China and Russia advanced their investments in Africa, and preparations began to reveal the Star Gates to Russia and friendly countries as the strategic game entered its second stage.

• Jiang Yan Hai told Black Hawk to monitor the captured network closely and protect the arrested couple’s children if they were confirmed uninvolved.
• Jiang Yan Hai left the interrogation and sentencing of the captured people to the relevant specialists and state authorities.
• China prepared to reveal the Star Gates of Great Qin and the Song Dynasty to Russia and friendly countries such as Mabu Country.
• China and Russia expanded their investments in Mabu Country, while China rapidly built ports, bases, railways, and other infrastructure.
• Chinese-backed investment and security support helped stabilize the Republic of Evia, eliminate Rebel Army forces and terrorists, and restore infrastructure and industry.

The Republic of Evia and other war-torn countries recognized that they needed a powerful partner and embraced China’s investment and guidance. Evia’s recovery continued through close cooperation, with both sides accepting favorable terms and building mutual trust.

• Evia and other countries concluded that weaker nations had to align themselves with stronger powers to survive.
• Evia’s leaders credited Chinese investment with rebuilding cities, creating jobs, and restoring safety after the civil war.
• Chinese experts and businesses helped Evia develop infrastructure and advised its government on finance, healthcare, education, law, and other fields.
• Evia’s people increasingly used renminbi because Chinese residents and businesses dominated trade and the currency seemed more reliable than their own.
• Chinese companies bought Evian resources at market prices, and Evia and Goa voluntarily lowered prices for Chinese merchants, strengthening cooperation.

China revealed its secret cooperation with Africa to Russia as Jiang Yan Hai returned to research and fighter design. More than eight months after the Jiang Ling incident, Jiang Ling announced that her team had completed and tested a Controlled Nuclear Fusion reactor, leaving China poised to build a commercial power station.

• China shared its activities in Africa with Russia to strengthen their relationship and divert attention from developments at home.
• Jiang Yan Hai returned to ordinary life with Li Ruo Bai while working on Controlled Nuclear Fusion materials and designing a next-generation Phantom fighter jet.
• More than eight months after the Jiang Ling incident, Jiang Ling appeared in a special news report with her research team.
• Jiang Ling announced that the reactor had run for two months with an average Q value of around 4.5 and that a larger power station design could reach a Q value of around 6.
• Jiang Ling said the planned fusion power station would generate approximately 60 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

Jiang Ling’s interview announced the enormous promise of China’s Controlled Nuclear Fusion program, prompting widespread admiration at home and an uproar abroad. The chapter left China prepared to invite foreign scientists to observe some technologies while keeping the reactor’s crucial materials and data beyond their reach.

• Jiang Ling said that fusion power could sharply reduce electricity prices and eventually supply energy to space stations and lunar bases.
• Insiders questioned whether Jiang Ling had ever been a separate scientist from Jiang Yan Hai, but Jiang Yan Hai refused to clarify and maintained the mystery.
• Online commenters praised Jiang Ling and speculated that she might soon receive another major science award.
• News of Controlled Nuclear Fusion stunned the international public and academic community, while China planned to restrict exports and protect the reactor’s core technologies.

After international scientists confirmed China’s controlled nuclear fusion breakthrough, energy markets reacted sharply, while doubts about Jiang Ling’s newly discovered elements fueled an online smear campaign against Jiang Yan Hai and his colleagues. Jiang Yan Hai dismissed the attacks and watched for the people directing them.

• International scientists confirmed that China had achieved controlled nuclear fusion with a Q value of 6, prompting celebration and a plunge in energy prices.
• A paper described Jiang Ling’s discovery of two new elements, but foreign chemists failed to extract them and questioned whether she had concealed steps or fabricated the discovery.
• Foreign and domestic media spread criticism of Jiang Ling, while Weibo users argued over the accusations and most supported Jiang Yan Hai.
• Li Ruo Bai asked Jiang Yan Hai whether the hostile comments had upset him, and he said he was watching to see when the people behind them would reveal themselves.

Jiang Yan Hai responded to the controversy over Jiang Ling’s research by using an official Weibo account to announce that she would retract her papers and had no time to prove her claims. The posts stunned scientists and supporters, while trolls celebrated and officials offered no further comment.

• Li Ruo Bai suggested buying Weibo to stop paid trolls, but Jiang Yan Hai told her to wait because the harassment would soon end.
• A week after Jiang Yan Hai published his paper, Science announced it would retract Jiang Ling’s paper on the new element unless she could prove the element existed.
• Jiang Yan Hai borrowed an official Weibo account and posted that he was Jiang Ling, then thanked Science and Nature while announcing requests to retract his papers.
• The posts quickly became trending topics and baffled scientists and supporters who had expected Jiang Ling to defend her work.
• Trolls flooded the comments with insults, while official accounts only stated that Jiang Ling had retracted her papers and Jiang Yan Hai made no further response.

Foreign scientists and media tried to pressure Jiang Ling into revealing how she discovered a new element, but she ignored them. After the Nobel Prize Committee announced that she might win both the Physics and Chemistry prizes, Jiang Ling rejected the invitation, saying she was too busy and uninterested in awards.

• Foreign scientists and journals issued both accusations and polite requests for Jiang Ling to explain her research, while Chinese officials reposted their statements.
• Chinese netizens realized that the foreign academics were eager to learn from Jiang Ling, but she continued to ignore the controversy.
• The Nobel Prize Committee announced that it had invited Jiang Ling to be nominated and said she might win the Physics and Chemistry prizes in the same year.
• About thirty-six hours later, Jiang Ling posted that she was too busy and uninterested in the Nobel Prize, and told the committee to give it to someone else.