Witnessing History

Elder Yuan really was reliable.

When he said the modifications would take two days, he would never let them drag into a third!

By the evening of the second day, Lü Yongchang had received word that the main control program had been fully modified.

Over the next few days, Pangu One underwent several more ignition tests. Once he was certain there would be no surprises, Lü Yongchang submitted a request to the Head Councillor far away in Capital City!

Capital City, inside Senator Li's office.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the office door.

Senator Li was reviewing documents on his desk with his head lowered. Without looking up, he said, "Come in!"

"Creak..."

The office door opened.

Hearing the door open, Senator Li instinctively glanced up.

A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes when he saw his visitor.

"Minister Hong? What brings you here?"

Hong Qiming chuckled and said respectfully, "Head Councillor, I've brought you some good news!"

Senator Li raised an eyebrow, hastily set down his fountain pen, and looked at Hong Qiming with keen interest.

"Oh? Then I'd certainly like to hear what this good news is!"

"Could it be... that the problem with the Pangu One fusion reactor has been resolved?"

Hong Qiming paused, then burst out laughing.

"As expected of you, Head Councillor. Nothing like this gets past you!"

The corners of Senator Li's mouth lifted into a faint smile. Still somewhat surprised, he asked, "Is that really the case?"

Hong Qiming nodded emphatically. "Not only that, I've also brought a request from that young fellow Lü Yongchang."

"Hmm? A request?"

Senator Li frowned slightly and instinctively repeated the word.

Smiling, Hong Qiming took a letter out of his pocket and placed it on the Head Councillor's desk.

"Lü Yongchang reminded me over and over that I had to deliver this letter to you personally!"

Seeing how serious Hong Qiming was, Senator Li's eyes filled with interest.

"That young fellow..."

Senator Li chuckled and slowly shook his head, then reached out to pick up the envelope.

The envelope had been carefully sealed.

Senator Li opened it and took out a sheet of stationery.

As he read the few lines written in fountain pen, the surprise in Senator Li's eyes grew.

"...After several tests, we can confirm that the Pangu One reactor has met all the conditions required for ignition."

"Senator Li, I request permission to officially activate the Pangu One fusion reactor at noon tomorrow and connect it to the grid!"

Senator Li Chief's face flushed slightly.

Excitement flashed in his eyes, and the next instant, he brought his right hand down hard on the desk before him!

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

"Lü Yongchang truly is the hope of Xia Country's younger generation!"

"Qiming, come with me to the Pangu One fusion reactor tomorrow. Let us witness history with our own eyes!"

At seven o'clock that evening.

A presenter on the Xia Country News channel solemnly announced a news item.

"This just in."

"Xia Country's first commercial controlled nuclear fusion reactor, Pangu One, will officially begin operations at noon tomorrow!"

"Xia Country News will broadcast the entire startup process live!"

"..."

Within mere dozens of minutes after the report, Xia Country's internet was completely overwhelmed!

Weibo, normally filled with celebrity gossip, was instantly flooded with this news!

"Pangu One completed!"

"Pangu One fusion reactor to begin operations at noon tomorrow!"

"The first commercial controlled nuclear fusion reactor in human history!"

Countless users poured out their excitement in the comments beneath these news stories!

"Xia Country is fucking awesome!!!"

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! It's already finished?!"

"If I remember right, the United States and ITER haven't even started their second ignition tests yet, have they?"

"Hahaha! Forget a second ignition-the United States' fusion reactor is still on the drawing board!"

"Fuck! Don't announce something like this a day in advance! How am I supposed to sleep tonight?!"

"Hahaha, why not just stay up all night and watch the livestream tomorrow morning?"

"Help... I'm going to drop dead!"

That night, the number of sleepless people in Xia Country suddenly multiplied several times over!

And so, amid everyone's anticipation, time slowly ticked toward ten o'clock the next morning.

Escorted by a convoy of military vehicles, a Hongqi sedan with the license plate 00001 slowly drove into Canghai Bay.

The Hongqi sedan eased to a stop in front of the Pangu One demonstration reactor.

Looking at the four entirely silver-white hemispherical buildings before him, the Head Councillor's eyes filled with wonder.

"Qiming, I never imagined that controlled nuclear fusion would appear on Xia Country's soil in just a few short months!"

Hong Qiming smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yes, neither did I."

"Honestly, when I first saw that news from ITER, my heart sank. I was truly afraid Xia Country would fall behind the Western nations again!"

The Head Councillor's eyes were full of amusement. "Yes..."

"Now, I imagine the people at ITER must be regretting it bitterly!"

"Absolutely! If they hadn't kicked us out, we would have had to share this technology with them free of charge under the agreement!" Hong Qiming laughed heartily. "I reckon that in a few more hours, some people will be kicking themselves!"

Hearing Hong Qiming's words, the Head Councillor burst out laughing too. "Hahaha! Satisfying! Truly satisfying!"

"Come on! Let's hurry inside and see how that young fellow Lü Yongchang's preparations are coming along!"

With that, Senator Li strode ahead, leading the way into Pangu One!

The moment Senator Li and Hong Qiming entered the Pangu One demonstration reactor's central control room, they were greeted by a scene of bustling activity.

"Fang Xu, has the reactor been checked?"

Standing on the command platform, Lü Yongchang called loudly to Fang Xu beside him.

Fang Xu nodded firmly and promptly replied, "Everything in the reactor is operating normally!"

"What about the superconducting coils?"

"And the Xia Country Power Grid? Are they ready?"

"..."

Senator Li stood smiling at the entrance to the central control room, quietly watching the scene.

Absorbed in his work, Lü Yongchang had not noticed Hong Qiming and the Head Councillor at the door.

Fang Xu, however, spotted them first.

"Senator Li Chief?! What brings you here?!"

Fang Xu cried out in surprise.

His voice drew the attention of every researcher.

Upon seeing Senator Li in person, every researcher immediately set aside their work and nodded to him in greeting.

Lü Yongchang, meanwhile, hurried down from the command platform and walked briskly over to the Head Councillor.

"What? Am I not allowed to come?" Senator Li asked softly, smiling at Fang Xu and Lü Yongchang.

The corners of Fang Xu's mouth twitched. "Of course you are! Of course!"

"It's just... this is nuclear fusion, after all. If anything dangerous happens..."

"I trust you!" Senator Li said firmly, without the slightest hesitation. "Yongchang, tell me, can I trust you?"

Faced with that question, Lü Yongchang answered loudly without a moment's hesitation, "Rest assured, Head Councillor!"