Summary: Chapter "Half-Meter-Long Wire"

Key Plot Points

• Lu Zhou completes his research on a superconducting wire material shortly before the Chinese New Year, planning to use it as a bargaining chip for his upcoming trip to Germany (to negotiate use of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator).
• He visits the construction site of the STAR Stellarator Research Institute and discusses the future impact of controlled nuclear fusion with Commander Dai.
• Lu Zhou sends an email to Professor Kleiber in Greifswald, Germany, describing his breakthrough: using graphene-based (SG-1) superconducting material to solve the thermal conductivity problem that plagued cuprate conductors in high-field magnets.
• The key innovation: instead of raising the superconducting transition temperature, Lu Zhou's team used graphene's extremely high thermal conductivity (theoretically 5300 W/m vs. copper's 401 W/m) to dramatically reduce the engineering difficulty of cooling the superconducting coil.
• At the end of the email, Lu Zhou reveals they have successfully produced a half-meter-long wire made from the SG-1 material—a seemingly impossible engineering feat.
• Professor Kleiber, initially skeptical, is so shocked by this news that he nearly falls out of his chair and immediately asks his assistant to book a flight to Jinling.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Shows strategic thinking by timing his research completion to strengthen his negotiation position in Germany. He remains humble and slightly humorous despite his world-class achievements.
• Commander Dai: Displays patriotic optimism about nuclear fusion's potential for China, complementing Lu Zhou's more measured academic perspective.
• Professor Kleiber: Portrayed as a serious engineer who is initially skeptical but becomes intensely interested when presented with concrete evidence—his reaction (nearly falling from his chair, insisting on immediate travel) demonstrates Lu Zhou's reputation and the significance of the breakthrough.

Significant Themes

• Scientific breakthroughs as negotiation leverage: Research is explicitly framed as strategic capital for international scientific collaboration.
• Engineering vs. theoretical physics: The chapter emphasizes that Lu Zhou's key insight was solving a materials-engineering problem (thermal conductivity) rather than pursuing the more obvious path of raising transition temperatures.
• The gap between laboratory science and practical application: Producing a half-meter wire from a 2D-material-based superconductor is presented as a crucial step toward real-world fusion reactor engineering.
• China's scientific ambitions: The construction site conversation links the research to national development and the possibility of an "industrial revolution."

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and Commander Dai: An informal, collegial conversation at the construction site. Lu Zhou makes a self-deprecating joke about not being able to calculate fusion's economic impact despite winning a Nobel in Economics. Dai expresses patriotic enthusiasm; Lu Zhou tempers it with measured optimism about an "industrial revolution."
• Lu Zhou and Kleiber (indirect, via email): A professional exchange where Lu Zhou deliberately builds suspense in his email, first discussing the conventional problem, then the failed approach, and finally the successful solution before revealing the wire itself. Kleiber's reaction (immediate travel plans) shows the email's rhetorical effectiveness and the magnitude of the achievement.

Here is a concise summary of the chapter “Xiao Ai's New Home”:

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The Move: Lu Zhou moves his servers, cameras, and alarm systems (all connected to Xiao Ai) from his rented apartment to his new villa at Zhongshan International, officially making it Xiao Ai’s new home (much to Xiao Ai’s dismay).
• Dinner Preparation: Lu Zhou buys ingredients for dinner, expecting his sister Xiao Tong to help him tidy the house.
• Unexpected Guest: Xiao Tong brings her friend Han Mengqi along to help, catching Lu Zhou by surprise. They clean and set up the guest room.
• Xiao Tong’s Plans: During lunch, Xiao Tong reveals she plans to study at the University of Oxford and asks Lu Zhou for a recommendation letter, which he agrees to write.
• International Call: Lu Zhou receives a call from Professor Kleiber, who is stranded in Dubai due to flight delays and fully booked flights. Kleiber needs help getting from Shangjing to Jinling, and Lu Zhou promises a phone number that will solve his travel problem.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Shows responsibility as a homeowner and caretaker. He is helpful and resourceful, instantly offering a solution to Kleiber’s travel crisis. He also shows a paternal/sibling side by managing Xiao Tong and humoring Xiao Ai.
• Han Mengqi: Reflects on how far Lu Zhou has come in five years (from her tutor to a renowned figure). She feels a mix of pride and discouragement at the widening gap between them. Still, she insists on helping with chores, showing her maturity and desire to be included.
• Xiao Tong: Displays decisiveness about her future and a close, playful relationship with her brother—bringing Han Mengqi without warning and casually asking for a recommendation letter.
• Xiao Ai: Continues to exhibit a personality—expressing disappointment (“This isn't the new home I wanted”) and being jokingly dismissed by Lu Zhou as an “artificial idiot” in his thoughts.

3. Significant Themes

• Technology and Everyday Life: Xiao Ai and the surveillance system are deeply integrated into Lu Zhou’s home and routine, showing how his AI has become part of his life.
• Time, Growth, and Distance: Han Mengqi’s nostalgia and feelings of inadequacy highlight how time has changed their relationship and social status.
• Community and Mutual Help: Xiao Tong helps her brother, Han Mengqi comes to assist, and Lu Zhou offers practical help to Kleiber—emphasizing reliance on personal networks.
• Preparing for the Future: Xiao Tong’s study-abroad ambitions and Lu Zhou’s increasing stability (new home, career) point toward forward-looking life decisions.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & Xiao Ai: Playful but controlling—Lu Zhou asserts authority, while Xiao Ai protests and pouts.
• Lu Zhou & Han Mengqi: Friendly and polite, though Lu Zhou senses her unease and tries to make her comfortable. Han Mengqi behaves respectfully and insistently helpful.
• Xiao Tong & Lu Zhou: Warm, casual sibling dynamic—she treats his home as her own and makes requests without hesitation.
• Lu Zhou & Kleiber: Pragmatic and solution-oriented over the phone, with Lu Zhou known as a reliable fixer.

Chapter Summary: "A New Year"

Key Plot Points & Events

• Lu Zhou spends a full day cleaning his new villa with Xiao Tong and Han Mengqi, finding the physical labor mentally refreshing after days of intensive research
• Lu Zhou's parents arrive from Jiangling to spend the New Year at his villa; his father approves of the house purchase
• Lu Zhou receives a work call and departs for the research institute, telling his father to prepare an extra pair of chopsticks for dinner
• Professor Kleiber arrives in Jinling after three days of travel, summoned by Lu Zhou's email about SG-1 material
• The chapter ends with Lu Zhou showing Kleiber a wire made from SG-1 material inside a vacuum-equipped experimental apparatus

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Shows care for family and friends (arranging Han Mengqi's ride home, cooking dinners, inviting parents to live with him). He demonstrates a pragmatic philosophy about wielding power—acknowledging its dangers but valuing it for solving non-research problems. He's also playful with his sister.
• Xiao Tong: Playfully meddles in Lu Zhou's personal life, pushing him to persuade Han Mengqi to stay the night, and eager to be praised in her recommendation letter
• Lu Bangguo (father): Approving but traditional; presses Lu Zhou about marriage and children, hinting he'll move in once there are grandchildren
• Professor Kleiber: Exhausted by travel but deeply intrigued; questions Lu Zhou about the ethics of seeking power

Significant Themes

• Power and self-control: Lu Zhou argues power isn't inherently corrupting—it depends on one's self-discipline; he uses it to eliminate research obstacles
• Family vs. ambition: Lu Zhou balances his demanding work life with family obligations during the New Year
• National loyalty and institutional support: Kleiber implies Lu Zhou returned to China because of the backing "power" provides; Lu Zhou cites freedom from funding crises and environmental protests
• Scientific promise: The SG-1 wire demonstration represents a potential breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion

Character Interactions

• Xiao Tong & Lu Zhou: Sibling banter; she teases him about not inviting Han Mengqi to stay, and he affectionately flicks her forehead before mentioning her recommendation letter
• Lu Bangguo & Lu Zhou: Playful yet pointed exchange about marriage; the father ends the argument by asking about dinner plans
• Lu Zhou & Kleiber: Intellectual exchange about research, power, and choice of country; Lu Zhou leads him directly to the experimental demonstration, ending on a note of anticipation

Chapter Summary: “Make a Deal”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou demonstrates the experimental SG-1 superconducting wire to Professor Kleiber in person, explaining that its remarkable properties are difficult to convey through email.
• With Qian Zhongming operating the equipment, liquid helium rapidly cools the wire below its superconducting transition temperature, causing its electrical resistance to drop to zero.
• Lu Zhou then increases the voltage to test SG-1’s critical current performance. The material proves highly capable across all three major superconducting parameters: transition temperature, critical magnetic field, and critical current density.
• SG-1 significantly outperforms conventional copper-oxide superconductors, especially in the relative ease of maintaining its superconducting state.
• Lu Zhou shows Kleiber a simulated atomic structure of the material. The carbon atoms form tightly packed hexagonal graphene nanoribbon layers, stacked at controlled angles into a wire-like structure.
• Although Kleiber asks how SG-1 was created, Lu Zhou only reveals that the method was inspired by chemical vapor deposition, withholding the precise process.
• Lu Zhou explains that the material’s main expense lies in producing its specialized substrate. While small-scale production is costly, he believes mass production will eventually reduce the price.
• Kleiber worries that industry may not adopt SG-1 quickly because companies will need clear profits before changing production lines. Lu Zhou counters that strategic or government-driven priorities—not only market demand—can stimulate industrial development.
• Lu Zhou reveals that relevant companies have already been contacted and that production-line designs are nearly complete. SG-1 could enter production within a year.
• The chapter ends with Lu Zhou proposing that he and Kleiber “make a deal,” leaving the terms unresolved.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou appears confident, secretive, and strategically minded. He carefully controls the information he shares while demonstrating SG-1’s superiority and showing that commercialization is already being planned.
• Qian Zhongming functions as a competent experimental assistant, efficiently carrying out Lu Zhou’s instructions during the demonstration.
• Professor Kleiber changes from cautious curiosity to genuine shock and admiration as he witnesses SG-1’s performance and atomic structure. Despite recognizing its enormous potential, he remains pragmatic about cost, industrial adoption, and commercial incentives.

Significant Themes

• Scientific innovation and technological achievement: SG-1 represents a major advance in superconducting materials, combining exceptional performance with a potentially practical structure.
• Secrecy and control of knowledge: Lu Zhou protects the synthesis method, emphasizing that groundbreaking technology can be as valuable as the scientific discovery itself.
• Science versus commercialization: The chapter explores the difficulty of moving from laboratory success to industrial production, particularly when costs and profits are uncertain.
• Strategic influence beyond the market: Lu Zhou suggests that government priorities, international projects, and national interests can drive technological adoption even when immediate profits are lacking.
• Power and negotiation: By revealing that production is already underway, Lu Zhou places himself in a strong position before proposing a deal with Kleiber.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou directs Qian Zhongming throughout the experiment, demonstrating his leadership and technical authority.
• Lu Zhou and Kleiber engage in a careful exchange: Kleiber asks probing questions about the material’s structure, manufacturing process, and cost, while Lu Zhou provides enough information to impress him without surrendering proprietary secrets.
• Their interaction gradually shifts from a scientific demonstration to a business and strategic negotiation, culminating in Lu Zhou’s invitation to make a deal.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou proposes buying the WEGA device (a decommissioned fusion experiment prototype) from Professor Kleiber for 500 million euros.
• Kleiber initially refuses, noting the device cost 800 million euros to complete and involves deeply held European technology.
• Lu Zhou sweetens the deal: if they transfer WEGA, he will share the conductor technology for the SG-1 carbon-based superconducting material (the wire they were examining at the conference). He makes clear this is not an ITER outsourced project—it's his own research, and he's under no obligation to share it.
• Kleiber is visibly torn between the outdated WEGA prototype and the potentially game-changing superconducting material. After about five minutes of silence, he says he needs to think about it. Lu Zhou agrees.
• The scene shifts to Lu Zhou's family home at Zhongshan International, where they're preparing New Year's Eve dinner. Kleiber unexpectedly shows up as a dinner guest.
• Lu Bangguo (Lu Zhou's father) excitedly rushes to the door expecting a daughter-in-law, only to find a foreign professor. Xiao Tong teases her brother about bringing home a man instead of a woman.
• Kleiber charms the family during dinner, eating dumplings, praising the food, and giving a thumbs-up. Fang Mei (his mother) is delighted by the compliment from an international guest.
• After dinner, Kleiber says he can't give an immediate answer about WEGA, as it's not solely the Max Planck Society's property, but promises to fight for the deal. Lu Zhou says he'll be counting on him.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates strategic business thinking—using technology exchange (SG-1 conductor tech) as leverage to acquire WEGA. On the personal side, he invites his business associate to his family's New Year's Eve dinner, showing he values personal relationships, though his family still wishes he'd bring home a romantic partner.
• Professor Kleiber: Torn between preserving European technological advantages and the opportunity to gain access to the SG-1 superconducting material. His visit to Lu Zhou's home shows he's willing to engage personally, not just professionally. He shows integrity in admitting WEGA is not his alone to sell.
• Lu Bangguo (father): His excitement over the potential of meeting a daughter-in-law highlights the family pressure on Lu Zhou to marry.
• Xiao Tong (sister): Playfully teases Lu Zhou about his failure to bring home a romantic interest, maintaining her role as the observant, witty sibling.

Significant Themes

• Technology as leverage: The chapter explores how technological knowledge is a strategic asset, not just a scientific pursuit. Money alone isn't enough—technology-for-technology exchanges are where the real value lies.
• Ownership of research: Lu Zhou emphasizes that his SG-1 work is his own, not ITER outsourced research, giving him full rights to negotiate.
• The tension between scientific openness and commercial secrecy: Public papers versus proprietary manufacturing processes (compared to lithography machines—principles are public, details are secrets).
• Family expectation vs. Lu Zhou's priorities: His family hopes for marriage; he brings home business partners instead.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & Kleiber: Formal negotiation evolves into a more personal friendship, shown by the dinner invitation. Their dialogue moves from stiff bargaining to mutual respect and trust.
• Kleiber & Lu Zhou's family: A warm cross-cultural moment—language barriers are overcome by hospitality, food, and goodwill. Kleiber's praise of the dumplings is a standout humanizing moment.
• Xiao Tong & Lu Zhou: Sibling banter that reveals the family's long-standing hopes for Lu Zhou's personal life.
• Lu Bangguo & Kleiber: Awkward but warm—the father echoes "Nee hao" back, embodying Chinese hospitality despite the obvious surprise at the guest's identity.

Chapter Summary: “Will You Come?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On New Year’s Eve, Lu Zhou sends greetings to his contacts. His younger sister, Xiao Tong, teases him about calling Chen Yushan, whom he still refers to as “Senior Sister.”
• Lu Zhou calls Chen Yushan rather than sending a text. They exchange New Year’s wishes and discuss their current situations:
  • Lu Zhou plans to base his work in Jinling, though he may briefly return to Princeton.
  • Chen Yushan is about to graduate from business school and is considering employment instead of pursuing a doctorate.
• Lu Zhou invites Chen Yushan to join his patent-management company, Starry Sky Technology. She initially treats the offer casually, but upon learning that Lu Zhou founded the company, she realizes it is the organization she once worked intensely to help develop.
• Despite her painful memories of being overworked on the company’s organizational plans, Chen Yushan immediately accepts the position.
• During the Lunar New Year, Lu Zhou receives greetings from international colleagues and mentors, including Professor Herrero from MIT.
• Herrero’s message contains an advanced research problem involving superconductivity in SG-1 materials. Existing BCS theory appears unable to explain the observed behavior, and solving the relevant many-body electron-phonon wave function could clarify the mechanism behind high-temperature superconductivity.
• Intrigued, Lu Zhou agrees to seriously consider the problem.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou is shown balancing personal relationships with his expanding scientific and business responsibilities. He is considerate toward Chen Yushan and recognizes her abilities enough to recruit her to his company.
• Chen Yushan is nearing graduation and preparing to enter the workforce. Her immediate acceptance of Lu Zhou’s offer reveals both her trust in him and her willingness to reconnect with a company tied to difficult past experiences.
• Xiao Tong continues to act as a playful, teasing younger sister, particularly regarding Lu Zhou’s relationship with Chen Yushan.
• Professor Herrero demonstrates respect for Lu Zhou’s mathematical and scientific abilities by sending him a difficult unresolved physics problem.
• Lu Zhou’s international academic relationships remain strong, as shown by greetings from Fefferman, Deligne, Vera, and other colleagues.

Significant Themes

• Personal and professional relationships: Lu Zhou’s invitation to Chen Yushan shows how friendship and professional collaboration intersect.
• New beginnings: The New Year marks new stages for both characters—Lu Zhou’s return to Jinling and Chen Yushan’s graduation and career transition.
• Ambition and intellectual challenge: The superconductivity problem introduces another major scientific challenge and highlights Lu Zhou’s continuing pursuit of difficult, interdisciplinary problems.
• Past hardship and future opportunity: Chen Yushan’s unpleasant experience working for Starry Sky Technology is transformed into an opportunity to join the company under better circumstances.
• Humor and familial intimacy: Xiao Tong’s teasing provides a lighthearted contrast to the more serious academic and business developments.

Character Interactions

• Xiao Tong playfully questions Lu Zhou about Chen Yushan and jokes about his romantic preferences.
• Lu Zhou and Chen Yushan share a warm New Year’s phone call, discussing family, graduation, career plans, and Lu Zhou’s company.
• Lu Zhou offers Chen Yushan a job, and she accepts immediately after discovering that Starry Sky Technology belongs to him.
• Professor Herrero communicates with Lu Zhou through a research-oriented New Year’s email, opening the possibility of Lu Zhou becoming involved in a major superconductivity problem.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points

• Lu Zhou, preoccupied with the Controlled Nuclear Fusion project, registers Professor Herrero’s SG-1 strongly correlated model as a future research project. He recognizes that solving it could reveal the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity and, in turn, greatly benefit fusion devices and colliders.
• Professor Kleiber leaves after a brief visit; shortly afterward, Academician Pan visits Lu Zhou in Jinling to discuss the German fusion collaboration.
• Lu Zhou reveals that he has already contacted the chief engineer of the Wendelstein 7-X laboratory, pitched the carbon-based superconducting magnet technology, and proposed a technology-for-technology exchange. The Germans are interested, though no final agreement has been reached.
• Pan approves of Lu Zhou’s handling and agrees to help organize a delegation of experts for the eventual dismantling and delivery of the German stellarator equipment.
• Pan confirms that the STAR Stellarator Research Institute will be ready for handover in May.
• Lu Zhou begins planning the Physics and Mathematics Research Institutes, but struggles to attract established theoretical researchers.
• He consults Principal Xu, who advises that top scholars are unlikely to move for salary alone; reputation and active recruitment matter more. Xu suggests that a personal invitation from a Nobel laureate like Lu Zhou could persuade high-level talent.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Shows growing administrative and diplomatic skill in international negotiations, while still balancing theoretical ambitions with practical fusion work. He also faces his first major management challenge in recruiting senior researchers.
• Academician Pan: Acts as a supportive senior ally, trusting Lu Zhou’s judgment and offering practical help with personnel and institutional coordination.
• Principal Xu: Serves as a mentor figure, providing pragmatic advice on academic administration and talent acquisition.

Significant Themes

• The tension between urgent applied research (fusion) and foundational theoretical problems (high-temperature superconductivity).
• International scientific collaboration and the strategic exchange of technology.
• The challenge of attracting and retaining elite researchers in an academic environment.
• The role of reputation and personal prestige in institutional building.

Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou and Academician Pan: Discuss the German fusion negotiations, the future stellarator acquisition, and the need for capable personnel. Pan leaves reassured and impressed by Lu Zhou’s maturity.
• Lu Zhou and Principal Xu: A mentor–mentee conversation about why theoretical institutes struggle to recruit top talent, with Xu recommending active, reputation-based recruitment strategies.

Chapter Summary: “Cooperation Reached”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning to Germany, Professor Kleiber reports to Professor Ganser Heisinger, director of the Institute for Plasma Physics, about the Computational Materials Research Institute’s SG-1 graphene superconductor.
• Heisinger initially dismisses the material because its 101K transition temperature is not especially impressive compared with existing superconductors. Kleiber explains that SG-1’s true advantage is its exceptional thermal conductivity.
• This changes Heisinger’s assessment. Since superconducting magnets are essential to magnetic-confinement nuclear fusion, SG-1 could help solve a major technical bottleneck in both Tokamak and Stellarator reactors.
• The German institute considers transferring the WEGA facility to the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study, but must first obtain approval from the Helmholtz Association. Heisinger organizes a meeting to discuss the potential cooperation.
• Meanwhile, Lu Zhou follows Principal Xu’s advice and begins selectively recruiting talented overseas Chinese scholars. He targets researchers interested in returning to China and uses Jinling’s talent policies, generous research conditions, and his own international reputation to attract them.
• Lu Zhou’s family visits him during the New Year. His father, Lu Bangguo, brings traditional breakfast and worries that Lu Zhou is overly absorbed in work and shows no interest in marriage.
• During breakfast, Lu Zhou receives an international call from Kleiber, who informs him that the German side has agreed that cooperation would be mutually beneficial.
• The chapter ends with Lu Zhou and Kleiber formally expressing their hope for a successful partnership.

Character Developments

• Professor Kleiber becomes an important advocate for SG-1. Having personally observed its properties, he confidently challenges the assumption that its transition temperature is its main selling point.
• Professor Ganser Heisinger shifts from skepticism to serious interest once he understands SG-1’s thermal-conductivity advantages and its possible impact on nuclear fusion.
• Lu Zhou demonstrates strategic leadership. Rather than recruiting broadly, he adopts a focused approach aimed at high-value scholars, especially overseas Chinese academics considering returning home.
• Lu Bangguo is shown as caring but increasingly concerned about his son’s personal life. He balances parental worry with respect for Lu Zhou’s demanding responsibilities.
• Xiao Tong remains playful and teasing, joking about household servants and her brother’s lack of romantic progress.
• Fang Mei expresses her willingness to move in and care for Lu Zhou, emphasizing the family’s support and concern for his well-being.

Significant Themes

• Scientific cooperation across national borders: The chapter presents collaboration as more productive than competition, particularly when groundbreaking technology can benefit both sides.
• The practical value of scientific breakthroughs: SG-1’s importance lies not merely in its headline transition temperature but in a less obvious property—thermal conductivity—that may enable real-world applications.
• The connection between materials science and energy technology: Advances in superconductors are portrayed as essential to overcoming the engineering challenges of controlled nuclear fusion.
• Talent recruitment and national development: Lu Zhou’s efforts reflect the importance of attracting skilled researchers and creating an environment where they can pursue science freely and effectively.
• Work versus family life: Lu Zhou’s professional responsibilities dominate his existence, while his family reminds him that health, companionship, and personal relationships also matter.

Character Interactions

• Kleiber and Heisinger’s discussion transforms the German institute’s view of SG-1 from indifference to serious consideration.
• Heisinger’s assistant reminds him that institutional and political approval are necessary before any facility transfer can occur.
• Lu Zhou’s interactions with his family provide a domestic contrast to his international scientific work: Xiao Tong teases him, his parents offer practical support, and his father gently criticizes his single-minded devotion to research.
• Lu Zhou and Kleiber’s final phone conversation confirms the chapter’s central development: Germany and the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study have agreed to cooperate.

Chapter Summary: "Who Dares Go?"

Key Plot Points

• Retired Academician Pan Changhong visits Academician Zhou Chengfu to announce a deal: Lu Zhou arranged to purchase the decommissioned WEGA device (predecessor of Wendelstein 7-X) from Germany's Max Planck Institute, giving Huaxia a chance to catch up in Stellarator research.
• Pan requests ~20 researchers from Zhou's Tokamak-focused institute for a delegation to Germany. Zhou flatly refuses, arguing that investing in Stellarators is unnecessary since Huaxia already leads in Tokamaks.
• Pan accuses Zhou of protecting his own authority rather than the nation's interests. Zhou retorts that Pan is indulging in "nonsense."
• Jia Liangcai (a subordinate) tries to mediate but indirectly shows Pan the door, suggesting he ask elsewhere.
• Pan leaves, vowing to appeal to Minister Wang in Shangjing. Zhou defiantly declares that without his approval, no one will dare to go.

Character Developments

• Pan Changhong: Principled and visionary; stands up to Zhou, prioritizing national scientific progress over personal loyalty. Shows anger but maintains composure.
• Zhou Chengfu: Revealed as entrenched and self-interested; guards the Tokamak route as his domain and views Lu Zhou as a threat. Blunt, dismissive, and politically calculating.
• Jia Liangcai: Sycophantic follower of Zhou; smooths over conflict while subtly enforcing Zhou's will, showing willingness to be complicit.

Significant Themes

• Technical route conflict: Tokamak vs. Stellarator research priorities.
• Institutional politics: Protection of authority, cliques, and gatekeeping in academia.
• Resource allocation: Whether to concentrate on one promising path or diversify to avoid falling behind.
• Generational/ideological clash: Old guard resistance to external ideas (Lu Zhou's role).

Character Interactions

• Pan vs. Zhou: A tense confrontation about the Stellarator agreement. Zhou refuses cooperation, Pan challenges his integrity, and they part with mutual hostility.
• Jia's mediation: Attempts to de-escalate but ultimately facilitates Zhou's position, demonstrating the power hierarchy in the institute.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Yuan Yuan discovers an exchange opportunity with the Max Planck Society’s Institute for Plasma Physics, organized through the STAR Stellarator Research Institute. The visit would provide rare access to advanced technologies such as the WEGA stellarator’s water-cooled divertor.
• Despite recognizing the opportunity’s enormous value, Yuan Yuan learns that the institute’s leadership has suppressed it because Dean Zhou Chengfu has a longstanding conflict with Professor Lu Zhou. Fearing damage to his career prospects, Yuan Yuan reluctantly decides not to apply.
• Academician Pan Changhong apologizes to Lu Zhou after failing to secure participation from the Southwestern Institute of Physics. Zhou Chengfu, who controls substantial funding, projects, and personnel within the national controlled-fusion program, has effectively blocked cooperation.
• Pan reflects on how the field has changed. Earlier generations of fusion researchers worked together out of necessity and helped the Hua Nation become an equal partner in the ITER project; now, institutional power and personal rivalries obstruct collaboration.
• Lu Zhou accepts that the Southwest cannot be relied upon and decides to proceed without forcing the issue. He suggests recruiting Professor Gong’s Stellarator team from Nanhua University instead.
• When Pan warns that the team’s funding also depends on Zhou Chengfu’s organization, Lu Zhou proposes inviting the entire team to join his project and personally covering their funding. He initially asks Pan to handle the matter, then decides to go himself.

Character developments

• Yuan Yuan is shown as technically ambitious but cautious. He understands the exchange’s importance yet lacks the confidence to challenge a powerful academic leader, revealing how institutional politics influence individual choices.
• Zhuang Qingwei acts pragmatically, advising Yuan Yuan to protect his career rather than pursue the opportunity.
• Academician Pan Changhong becomes more self-aware and humbled. He realizes that his old assumptions about cooperation and authority no longer fit the current academic environment, though he remains committed to advancing fusion research.
• Lu Zhou demonstrates patience, strategic thinking, and independence. Rather than waste time fighting Zhou Chengfu, he focuses on producing results and is willing to assume financial responsibility to secure capable researchers.
• Zhou Chengfu is established as a dominant and obstructive figure whose control over funding and projects allows personal hostility to influence national scientific work.

Significant themes

• Academic politics versus scientific progress: Personal rivalries and institutional power prevent researchers from accessing valuable international opportunities.
• Control of resources as power: Funding, positions, and project approval give Zhou Chengfu enormous influence over the field.
• Generational change: The older generation’s idealistic, collective spirit contrasts with the modern system’s bureaucracy, competition, and factionalism.
• Pragmatism and results: Lu Zhou believes successful research will ultimately be more persuasive than political confrontation.
• Commitment to national advancement: Despite internal conflict, the characters recognize that obstructing cooperation harms the broader future of the Hua Nation’s fusion program.

Character interactions

• Yuan Yuan and Zhuang Qingwei discuss the exchange and the danger of offending Zhou Chengfu, exposing the fear surrounding the academic hierarchy.
• Pan apologizes to Lu Zhou for failing to bring in the Southwestern team, while Lu reassures him and rejects an unnecessary confrontation.
• Lu and Pan discuss Professor Gong’s Nanhua team, with Lu decisively offering to fund and recruit them when Pan explains their vulnerability to Zhou Chengfu’s influence.
• The chapter ends with Lu Zhou taking personal responsibility for expanding his research team, signaling his determination to bypass entrenched opposition.

Summary: Chapter – "Visit to Nanhua University"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou visits Nanhua University in Hunan, a school with deep historical ties to China's nuclear industry (originally founded as a mining/metallurgy institute for the nuclear weapons program).
• The official purpose is an academic lecture, but Lu Zhou's real goal is recruiting talent for his new Controlled Nuclear Fusion research center in Jinling, which includes a stellarator project.
• Nanhua University prominently welcomes him with banners; the lecture hall is packed with students, professors, and Xiang Province TV reporters.
• Lu Zhou's lecture starts as accessible popular science ("why research nuclear power?") and then shifts into advanced technical content on high-temperature plasma turbulence and mathematical models—cutting-edge material that most graduate students cannot follow but that senior researchers clearly recognize as valuable.
• He concludes with an inspiring remark about the university's role in the future of China's nuclear engineering.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates his dual role as a brilliant theorist and a pragmatic institution-builder—using an academic visit as a cover for talent recruitment. Shows teaching ability, bridging broad motivation with hardcore equations.
• Wang Xuehai (grad student): Confused by the advanced portion of the lecture; represents the average capable student out of his depth.
• Fang Jie (grad student, nuclear physics): Identifies the topic as "Mathematical Models of Plasma Turbulence" from papers; more aware of the lecture's true importance.
• Unnamed students: One is aware of Lu Zhou's Jinling fusion center; another is indifferent ("It has nothing to do with us").

3. Significant Themes

• Long-term vision in science: Research should not chase short-term gains; nuclear energy is humanity's ultimate energy source.
• Spin-off value of big science: Major projects yield byproducts as valuable as the primary goal (analogy: L-Manifolds discovered while solving Navier–Stokes).
• Institutional legacy: The university's history is tied to the Republic's nuclear program—a patriotic undertone about serving national strategic needs.
• Hierarchy of knowledge: A visible gap between what students can understand and what leading researchers can extract from the same lecture.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou ↔ Audience: Professional but warm; he nods to staff to start, delivers the lecture, and closes with encouragement.
• Wang Xuehai ↔ Fang Jie: Brief conversation about the lecture's difficulty; Fang explains that the old professors' expressions matter more than their own comprehension.
• Students ↔ Each Other: Casual speculation about why Lu Zhou came; one correctly guesses the stellarator connection.
• Author's note (meta): Thanks reader "eva meteor" for another Alliance Leader reward—standard web novel chapter footnote, outside the story.

Summary of "Interested in Coming Over?"

1. Key Plot Points

• Lu Zhou delivers a lecture at Nanhua University; afterward, he speaks with President Wu and is introduced to Professor Li Changxia, head of the university's Nuclear Physics Research Institute.
• Lu Zhou learns that the former institute head, Professor Gong, left academia to become deputy mayor of Hengzhou and chairman of the municipal Jiusan Society committee.
• Li Changxia gives Lu Zhou a tour of the institute; they discuss controlled nuclear fusion research, including ITER and China’s planned 2025 demonstration reactor.
• Li asks Lu Zhou for advice on plasma physics problems, especially the poor coupling between ion cyclotron waves and plasma. Lu Zhou suggests relevant literature and a numerical simulation approach.
• Lu Zhou notices the H1 Stellarator project is severely delayed due to funding and leadership changes; Li explains the bidding process only finished recently.
• Lu Zhou reveals that the STAR Stellarator Research Institute in Jinling will soon be completed and directly invites Li Changxia to join him there.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Appears generous with his knowledge, approachable, and strategically minded—he uses the conversation to assess Li Changxia's expertise and ultimately recruit him.
• Li Changxia: Shown as capable yet modest, burdened by institutional limitations, eager to learn from Lu Zhou, and somewhat frustrated with the slow progress of his project.

3. Key Themes

• Talent recruitment and academic competition: Lu Zhou leverages his reputation and resources to poach promising researchers.
• Research funding and bureaucratic delays: The H1 Stellarator project’s stagnation highlights how administrative and political changes hinder scientific progress.
• Knowledge-sharing and mentorship: Lu Zhou freely provides technical solutions, positioning himself as both a collaborator and a more experienced authority.
• Career divergence in academia: Professor Gong’s shift to politics contrasts with Lu Zhou and Li’s continued scientific focus.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & President Wu: Polite, formal exchange; Wu praises Lu Zhou and vouches for Li’s competence.
• Lu Zhou & Li Changxia: Professional and increasingly substantive; Li asks multiple technical questions, Lu Zhou answers and guides him, and the conversation culminates in Lu Zhou’s recruitment offer.
• Li Changxia’s demeanor: Respectful, appreciative, and slightly embarrassed about the institute’s limitations, but clearly motivated by the possibility of better opportunities.

Chapter Summary: “Fully Equipped and Ready to Go”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Sheng Xianfu resigns from the Hua Academy of Sciences Institute of Materials Research after deciding to join Lu Zhou’s STAR Stellarator Project. He understands that supporting Lu Zhou’s approach could place his institute in a difficult position, so he chooses to leave rather than force them to take sides.
• His former superior tries to persuade him to reconsider, but Sheng remains determined. The resignation is formally approved.
• Lu Zhou successfully recruits Professor Li Changxia and several researchers from Nanhua University. They agree to join the STAR Project while retaining their positions at Nanhua.
• To secure this arrangement, Lu Zhou promises Nanhua University status as a cooperative institution in the STAR Stellarator Project. President Wu readily accepts, especially given the project’s substantial funding and potential prestige.
• The exchange delegation to the Max Planck Society in Germany is assembled, including five senior researchers, more than ten associate researchers, and several experts recommended by Academician Pan.
• Unexpectedly, Sheng Xianfu joins the delegation after resigning from both his research institute and teaching position.
• Lu Zhou offers Sheng a researcher position at the Jinling Institute for Advanced Study and appoints him leader of the delegation because of his Stellarator expertise and prior experience with the Max Planck Society and international fusion collaborations.
• The delegation is scheduled to leave at the end of February, giving Sheng only three days to prepare.

Character Developments

• Sheng Xianfu demonstrates strong resolve and personal sacrifice. He gives up secure positions to pursue what he believes is a rare and meaningful opportunity in Stellarator research.
• His decision also reveals his willingness to support Lu Zhou’s vision despite institutional and political pressure.
• Sheng initially feels unprepared to lead the delegation, but he accepts the responsibility after Lu Zhou expresses confidence in him. His anxiety is balanced by excitement and hope for the future of controlled nuclear fusion.
• Lu Zhou shows effective leadership and strategic thinking. He expands the STAR Project by negotiating institutional cooperation, recruiting talented researchers, and assigning responsibilities according to individual expertise.
• Lu Zhou also demonstrates trust in Sheng by immediately offering him a position and placing him in charge of the German exchange delegation.

Significant Themes

• Commitment to scientific progress: Sheng’s resignation emphasizes the sacrifices researchers may make to pursue important scientific breakthroughs.
• Institutional cooperation: Lu Zhou’s agreement with Nanhua University shows how major projects depend on partnerships between universities and research institutes.
• Leadership and trust: Lu Zhou’s decision to appoint Sheng reflects his ability to recognize talent and delegate authority.
• Risk and opportunity: Both Sheng and the Nanhua researchers accept uncertainty in exchange for the chance to contribute to a well-funded, potentially revolutionary project.
• Hope for controlled nuclear fusion: The chapter ends with renewed optimism that Lu Zhou’s STAR Project may bring significant progress to fusion research.

Character Interactions

• Sheng and his former superior have a respectful but tense farewell, with the superior concerned about Sheng abandoning his established career.
• Lu Zhou negotiates with President Wu to preserve the Nanhua researchers’ institutional ties while bringing them into the STAR Project.
• Lu Zhou and Sheng meet formally but quickly establish mutual respect. Lu Zhou encourages Sheng, offers him a position, and entrusts him with leadership of the delegation.
• Sheng’s acceptance of Lu Zhou’s offer marks the beginning of their professional partnership.

Summary: Arrival of the Delegation

Key Plot Points

• A ~30-person Chinese delegation departs for the Max Planck Society to train and prepare for taking over the Wega Stellarator (controlled nuclear fusion project).
• Lu Zhou remains behind, planning to leave three days later.
• On the same day, a six-person German delegation from the Helmholtz Berlin Center for Materials and Energy arrives in Jinling to inspect the Baosheng Group’s graphene nanoribbon production.
• The German experts are skeptical about how China managed to industrialize a technology that had stayed confined to labs; their official purpose is to verify the achievement and learn the method.
• Ulrich immediately asks to visit the factory before checking into the hotel. Sun Chengwu agrees after Lu Zhou nods.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Confident and strategic; he understands the Germans’ suspicion and gives Sun Chengwu a simple analogy to explain their urgency.
• Ulrich (elderly German engineer): Experienced, observant, and familiar with China—he speaks Chinese and previously worked in Jinling. Stern but personable.
• Simson Eugen (younger German engineer): Skeptical and sarcastic, especially about European politics and China’s ability to pull off the feat.
• Sun Chengwu (Baosheng Group manager): Pragmatic and welcoming, but reliant on Lu Zhou’s judgment in front of foreign experts.
• Yang Xu: Supportive of Lu Zhou, humorously notes Lu Zhou’s versatility in mathematics and materials science.

Significant Themes

• International scientific cooperation and rivalry: Cooperation exists alongside suspicion; verification is a core part of the relationship.
• Laboratory vs. industry: The Germans highlight the difficulty of moving breakthroughs from academia into real production, and marvel that China succeeded.
• China’s technological rise: The chapter contrasts China’s rapid, visible changes with a stagnant Europe.
• Cultural and political undercurrents: Eugen’s remark about refugees and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung injects political tension into the scientific exchange.

Character Interactions

• The Chinese and German groups meet at the airport; introductions are made, with Ulrich speaking Chinese and surprising Lu Zhou.
• Sun Chengwu offers the Germans accommodation; Ulrich declines in favor of immediate factory inspection.
• In a private moment, Sun Chengwu asks why the Germans are in such a hurry; Lu Zhou compares it to a classmate suddenly scoring far above usual, implying the Germans suspect possible deception and feel compelled to check.

Here is a concise summary of the chapter:

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Factory Inspection: Lu Zhou visits Baosheng Group's factory in the Jinling high-tech industrial park, accompanied by German experts invited to audit the graphene wire production technology.
• Demonstration of Technology: The German experts, initially skeptical about the crude appearance of the equipment, are shown a sample of SG-1 graphene wire. Upon testing it with a scanning tunneling electron microscope and a superconducting property apparatus, they confirm it meets all claims.
• Technical Explanation: Lu Zhou explains the production process: using stacked single-atom-layer rhodium sheets as molds with chemical vapor deposition to grow graphene nanoribbons.
• Post-Visit Discussion: Lu Zhou and Yang Xu discuss German industrial strength and the significance of China's leading position in this emerging field.
• Phone Call: That evening, Lu Zhou calls Sheng Xianfu in Germany, who reports that training has begun at the Wendelstein 7-X laboratory in Greifswald.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates confidence, scientific authority, and strategic business acumen. He handles skeptical experts with calm professionalism, represents his work publicly, and still prioritizes his research network.
• Yang Xu: Shows pride and nationalistic enthusiasm about the technology demonstration ("conquering the Germans with technology").
• Simson Eugen & Ulrich: German experts who shift from arrogant skepticism to grudging respect and scientific curiosity after seeing hard evidence.

3. Significant Themes

• Scientific Superiority and National Pride: The chapter emphasizes China's competitive edge in an emerging technology field, framed as a victory over traditional industrial powerhouses.
• Skepticism vs. Proof: The idea that in science, evidence trumps appearances and prejudice.
• Commercialization of Science: The chapter highlights the translation of cutting-edge research (Lu Zhou's) into scalable industrial production (Baosheng Group).
• Acknowledgment of Gaps: Lu Zhou offers a balanced view, acknowledging Germany's strengths in precision manufacturing while dismissing the notion of German infallibility.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & German Experts: Professional tension runs high as the Germans initially doubt the machinery, but they eventually ask detailed technical questions, showing respect for Lu Zhou's explanations (though they defer to Engineer Cao for deeper technical details).
• Lu Zhou & Yang Xu: A casual conversation where Yang Xu expresses admiration for the national achievement, and Lu Zhou provides a pragmatic perspective.
• Lu Zhou & Sheng Xianfu: A brief, focused call confirming the commencement of the expensive training program in Germany.

Chapter Summary: “STAR Device!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• By April, the STAR Stellarator Research Institute is officially completed ahead of schedule after the Nuclear Industry Construction Group greatly increases its manpower.
• Commander Dai presents Lu Zhou with the ribbon-cutting scissors and salutes him, symbolizing the military and national expectations invested in the project.
• The disassembled WEGA Stellarator arrives from Germany at Haizhou Port. Purchased for €500 million—nearly four billion RMB—it is transported to Jinling and installed at the new institute.
• The machine is renamed the STAR Stellarator, marking the beginning of the next stage of China’s stellarator research program.
• Academician Pan expresses both excitement over the equipment and frustration that China did not build it independently. Lu Zhou reminds him that progress must be made step by step and that China should focus on becoming indispensable in critical areas.
• Sheng Xianfu, having trained in Germany, eagerly begins assembling the machine. Lu Zhou instructs the team not to install the original external-field coils because they will be replaced with improved ones.
• Lu Zhou identifies the STAR Stellarator as the “torso” of a future controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor. The helium-3 atomic probe is its “eyes,” while the third essential component—advanced superconducting magnets—will serve as its “legs.”
• The SG-1 carbon-based superconducting material proves highly effective because of its excellent thermal conductivity. Its use significantly reduces the size of the liquid-helium cooling system and could allow the STAR Stellarator to generate a magnetic field more than twice as strong as the original WEGA.
• Baosheng Group expands SG-1 production, supplying the research institute with massive superconducting conductor bundles. Engineers incorporate liquid-helium channels and rigid support frames to keep the coils stable and prevent dangerous positional shifts.
• After months of effort, the team completes the final coil assembly. Lu Zhou prepares to test whether his theoretical designs and improvements will work.
• The chapter ends with Lu Zhou ordering a full inspection of the machine before its first power-up.

Character Developments

• Lu Zhou takes on a stronger leadership role, personally supervising the project and coordinating scientific, industrial, and engineering efforts. Though aware of the immense cost and difficulty involved, he remains focused on incremental progress and practical priorities.
• Academician Pan is proud of the newly acquired technology but remains dissatisfied with China’s dependence on foreign equipment. His ambition reveals a deep desire for technological self-reliance.
• Sheng Xianfu displays confidence and enthusiasm. His training in Germany has prepared him to take responsibility for assembling and operating the STAR Stellarator.
• Commander Dai represents the institutional and national support behind Lu Zhou’s work, while his salute conveys the seriousness of the project’s expectations.

Significant Themes

• Technological self-reliance: The chapter contrasts purchasing advanced foreign equipment with the long-term goal of developing the ability to build it domestically.
• Incremental progress and specialization: Lu Zhou emphasizes that not every part of a project must be perfected at once; success can come from excelling in the crucial areas.
• Scientific ambition versus engineering difficulty: The stellarator represents an extremely complex technological challenge, reminding the characters that theoretical breakthroughs must still be realized through painstaking industrial work.
• National investment and responsibility: The enormous financial, governmental, and human resources devoted to the project show that fusion research is treated as a matter of national importance.
• From theory to experiment: With the machine assembled, the story shifts from design and preparation toward testing whether Lu Zhou’s scientific hypotheses can produce practical results.

Character Interactions

• Commander Dai’s formal salute to Lu Zhou establishes a relationship of respect and highlights the expectations placed on him.
• Academician Pan and Lu Zhou discuss China’s technological shortcomings. Pan wants complete independence, while Lu Zhou advocates a realistic, strategic approach.
• Lu Zhou encourages Sheng Xianfu to begin assembly and later relies on him to oversee the technical preparations for activation.
• Lu Zhou’s final instructions to Sheng Xianfu demonstrate their developing professional partnership as the project reaches its most critical stage.

Summary: "First Step Toward the Sun"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• After three days of comprehensive inspection, the STAR project (a stellarator fusion device) is ready for its first operational test.
• The experiment has two goals: (a) confirm the external coils can exceed the theoretical 50T magnetic field limit, and (b) reach a plasma temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius inside the chamber.
• The superconducting coils (using SG-1 conductors) achieve a peak magnetic field of 51.14T, exceeding the limit and fulfilling the first objective.
• The second stage begins: helium is injected, microwave heating is activated, and a pale blue plasma film forms within the magnetic confinement.
• The plasma exceeds 100 million degrees Celsius for one second, successfully meeting the second objective.
• After the experiment ends successfully, cheers fill the laboratory. Lu Zhou announces a celebration banquet at the Purple Mountain Grand Hotel, paid for personally.
• As Lu Zhou exits the facility into sunlight, a system notification appears, confirming two quests in the "Fusion Light" chain are completed: 50T Superconducting Magnet and First Ignition.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Feels deep emotion and satisfaction after half a year of waiting; shows leadership by announcing the celebration; already anticipates the next technical hurdles (first-wall materials, control systems) and plans to request more funding. His resolve and forward-thinking approach are reinforced.
• Sheng Xianfu: Demonstrates competence and loyalty as project deputy, reports progress, shares in the triumph, and is visibly moved (repeatedly muttering "We succeeded").
• Junior researchers: Their suggestion for a celebration is honored, showing the team's morale and Lu Zhou's responsiveness to his staff.

3. Significant Themes

• Perseverance and payoff: Long-term work culminates in a breakthrough.
• Scientific/engineering ambition: Pushing past theoretical limits (50T) and achieving extreme conditions (100M°C).
• Incremental progress: Every success creates new problems—next in line are material durability and control systems.
• Recognition of collective effort: Lu Zhou rewards the team, tying individual vision to shared success.
• System/quest mechanics: The AI-driven "black technology system" tracks milestones and formalizes progress in gamified form.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou ↔ Sheng Xianfu: A professional, respectful working relationship; Sheng reports findings, receives orders, and shows personal excitement which Lu Zhou mirrors.
• Lu Zhou ↔ Engineering team: He gives orders and commands during the experiment, then publicly announces the celebration to lift morale.
• Lu Zhou ↔ System: The silent interface re-emerges after a long absence, delivering the quest-completion notification as a detached, algorithmic acknowledgment of his work.

Summary: "Phase Results"

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• The STAR stellarator successfully completes its trial operation, with news published in Hua Nation Nuclear Industry News. It is the first stellarator to ignite on Shenzhou soil.
• Zhou Chengfu is displeased by the news and considers using the achievement as leverage to create trouble, despite privately dismissing it as inferior to the HL-2A.
• In the aftermath, media and municipal leaders take interest, but Lu Zhou delegates all social obligations to Academician Pan.
• Lu Zhou receives system rewards for completing two side missions: significant experience in Materials Science, Biochemistry, Physics, and Engineering, plus 1,000 points. His Materials Science reaches LV5 and Engineering rises to LV3.
• Lu Zhou reviews the STAR experimental data: confinement time 1.11 s, electron temperature ~110 million degrees, etc. He plans next steps: introducing hydrogen, improving the supercomputer/plasma control system, and redesigning the water-cooled divertor for >30-minute high-density confinement.
• The chapter ends with Sheng Xianfu storming into Lu Zhou’s office, furious about a newspaper headline — seemingly a provocation against Lu Zhou.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Calm, strategic, and focused on long-term goals. He prioritizes real results over publicity, delegates PR duties, and is already planning technical upgrades.
• Zhou Chengfu: Rivalrous and envious; unable to celebrate another team’s success. He hints at political scheming against the STAR project.
• Jia Liangcai: Opportunistic observer, echoing Zhou Chengfu’s bitterness about funding.
• Yang Xu: Practical and supportive; suggests hiring secretaries and organizing a sports meet to improve team cohesion.
• Sheng Xianfu: Hot-tempered and loyal; visibly protective of Lu Zhou when external attacks appear.

3. Significant Themes

• Competition and jealousy in scientific research.
• Academic politics and media perception.
• The gap between technical success and institutional recognition.
• Strategic planning for future breakthroughs.
• Team-building and institutional culture.

4. Character Interactions

• Zhou Chengfu and Jia Liangcai discuss the STAR success with resentment; Zhou decides to potentially exploit the news.
• Lu Zhou and Yang Xu have a casual lunch conversation about workload, recruitment, and organizing a sports meet — Lu Zhou agrees to fund prizes.
• Sheng Xianfu interrupts Lu Zhou’s work, angrily presenting a newspaper and prompting Lu Zhou to suspect an orchestrated provocation.

Here is a concise summary of the chapter:

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• An article by Academician Zhou Chengfu is published, criticizing Lu Zhou's STAR stellarator project. It accuses him of "seeking grand achievements," "wasting national resources," and "hindering" the nation's fusion development, questioning the value of the 4 billion RMB spent.
• Lu Zhou reads the article calmly and recognizes it as a deliberate political attack by Zhou Chengfu, who fears losing funding to Lu Zhou's project.
• Despite pressure from his team, Lu Zhou refuses to engage in a public rebuttal, stating that results will be the strongest response.
• He instructs Sheng Xianfu to focus on the upcoming August experiment, setting an ambitious goal of thirty minutes of plasma confinement time—a major challenge for the STAR device.
• Academician Pan and Principal Xu both contact or visit Lu Zhou, warning him not to act impulsively. Lu Zhou reassures them.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Demonstrates strategic calm and self-assurance. He understands the political nature of the attack and refuses to be provoked, placing his faith in empirical results rather than media battles.
• Sheng Xianfu: Initially angry and unsettled by the article, he regains his fighting spirit after Lu Zhou's confident challenge about the thirty-minute goal.
• Zhou Chengfu (off-page): Portrayed as a cunning academic rival who uses media and politics to attack Lu Zhou's project.

3. Significant Themes

• Academic politics and rivalry: The chapter explores how research funding and prestige lead to cliques, attacks, and media manipulation in academia.
• "Facts speak louder than words": Lu Zhou's central philosophy in response to criticism—achievements will ultimately prove the value of his work.
• Leadership under pressure: Lu Zhou models composure and focus for his team, redirecting energy toward actual research goals.

4. Character Interactions

• Lu Zhou & Sheng Xianfu: Lu Zhou challenges Sheng Xianfu to embrace the thirty-minute goal, shifting his mindset from indignation to determination.
• Lu Zhou & Academician Pan (implied via phone): Pan advises caution; Lu Zhou reassures him that he will not act rashly.
• Lu Zhou & Principal Xu (implied via visit): Xu, more confrontational, questions Zhou Chengfu's motives; Lu Zhou remains composed.

The chapter emphasizes Lu Zhou's strategic patience and his belief that scientific progress will ultimately silence critics.

Chapter Summary: Building a Supercomputer

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Lu Zhou dismisses Principal Xu's concerns about Professor Zhou Chengfu's public criticism, explaining that the attack is inevitable since Zhou views controlled nuclear fusion as his private domain and Lu Zhou's independent STAR Stellarator project threatens his authority.
• Lu Zhou reveals the real purpose of his visit: he needs help developing a control scheme for the Stellarator, including both software (the program to manage plasma turbulence and magnetic coils) and hardware (a supercomputer). He cites the Max Planck Society's success with Wendelstein 7-X, proving the Plasma Turbulence model works.
• Principal Xu agrees to assemble a working group from Jin University's Software Institute to handle the control scheme and supercomputer. Lu Zhou budgets 100 million yuan for the project, which astounds Xu.
• Lu Zhou also asks to borrow a venue for his institute's sports meet; Xu suggests co-hosting with Jin University's faculty sports meet. Lu Zhou agrees, and Xu quips that Jin University provides the venue while Lu Zhou provides the prizes.

2. Character Developments

• Lu Zhou: Shows calm confidence and political savvy, understanding Zhou Chengfu's attacks are about territory rather than science. He remains pragmatic, delegating technical work to experts while focusing on high-level strategy. His casual attitude toward massive funding reveals his ambition and the scale of his project.
• Principal Xu: Demonstrates staunch support for Lu Zhou, offering not just institutional backing but personal reassurance. He balances seriousness with humor, showing both administrative acumen and a paternal care for Lu Zhou's well-being.

3. Significant Themes

• Academic Politics and Rivalry: Zhou Chengfu's criticism symbolizes how personal ambition and protection of academic territory can overshadow scientific collaboration.
• Collaboration and Resource-Sharing: The exchange highlights the importance of inter-institutional cooperation—Jin University provides expertise and facilities to complement the Institute for Advanced Study's research.
• Scale and Complexity of Scientific Research: The need for a supercomputer and custom control software underscores how modern scientific projects require multidisciplinary teams and massive funding.
• Resilience in the Face of Criticism: Lu Zhou's indifference to media attacks shows a focus on long-term goals rather than short-term reputation battles.

4. Character Interactions

• The conversation is warm and mutually respectful. Principal Xu first offers emotional support and a promise of letters if Zhou Chengfu oversteps, then shifts to practical help when Lu Zhou presents his technical needs. Lu Zhou, in turn, engages with Xu's jests, maintaining an easy rapport. The exchange ends on a lighthearted note over sports meet arrangements, reinforcing their strong, cooperative relationship.