Chapter Summaries

Professor Collins promised President Albert that America could build its own controlled fusion reactor within five years. In Xia Country, Senator Li met Lü Yongchang, thanked him for his fusion work, and decided to groom him as a leader of the next generation.

• Professor Collins first proposed a ten-year timeline for an American fusion reactor, then agreed to a five-year target after President Albert objected.
• Senator Li praised Hong Qiming for his handling of Lü Yongchang and said he intended to groom Lü Yongchang as a leading figure of the next generation.
• Hong Qiming told Lü Yongchang that Senator Li wanted to meet him, and Lü Yongchang eagerly agreed to go the next day.
• Hong Qiming brought Lü Yongchang to Senator Li's office, where Senator Li thanked him on behalf of Xia Country and bowed to him.
• Lü Yongchang called his work what a researcher should do, impressing Senator Li and earning his further praise.

Lü Yongchang urged Senator Li to prioritize controlled nuclear fusion and look beyond Earth, while keeping his knowledge of the Sun's future hidden. After Lü left, Senator Li reviewed security and psychological findings that suggested Lü was sincere but concealing something, then decided to keep him as chief engineer and start a second fusion experiment.

• Senator Li asked Lü Yongchang about Xia Country's technological future, and Lü argued that the country should rapidly develop controlled nuclear fusion and pursue exploration beyond Earth.
• Hong Qiming tried to stop Lü from speaking too boldly, but Senator Li let him finish and said fusion would be a national priority.
• After Lü left the office, Senator Li gave Hong Qiming an investigation report and said Lü's past record had not shown exceptional ability.
• A psychological assessment suggested Lü had no ill intentions but was concealing something, and Senator Li decided not to remove him from his post.
• Senator Li ordered the second experiment to begin as soon as possible and hoped fusion would spread across Xia Country within a year.

After Xia Country announced its experimental controlled nuclear fusion reactor program, an online article attacked stellarators and Sandao Kou University. Lü Yongchang dismissed the criticism and focused on the next experiment, while Jiang Yongxing reported the slander to Minister Hong Qiming, who promised an investigation.

• Xia Country announced the launch of its experimental controlled nuclear fusion reactor program, and news of the project spread online.
• An article claiming stellarators could never achieve controlled nuclear fusion rose to the top of Weibo's trending list.
• Fang Xu showed the article to Lü Yongchang, who recognized its attacks on the Stellarator project and Sandao Kou University's Nuclear Physics Laboratory.
• Lü Yongchang told Fang Xu that their work mattered more than online insults and returned to studying data for the next experiment.
• Jiang Yongxing reported the article's accusations to Hong Qiming, who said he would investigate.

Deng Haochu’s article attacking Sandao Kou University was removed, and the university went into lockdown for its second controlled nuclear fusion experiment. Lü Yongchang’s team sustained fusion for thirty-five minutes before shutting down the Stellarator.

• Deng Haochu discovered his article had been taken down and his earnings had been reduced to zero, and he vowed to retaliate against Sandao Kou University.
• A week later, Sandao Kou University restricted students to their dorms ahead of the second controlled nuclear fusion experiment.
• Chen Yun found Su Yutong alone in the library and took her back toward the dorms, explaining why the university was under lockdown.
• Lü Yongchang ordered Fang Xu and the researchers to start the experiment and sustain the fusion reaction by monitoring and replenishing its fuel.
• The Stellarator’s fusion reaction passed ITER’s twenty-six-minute record and the thirty-minute mark before Lü Yongchang ordered a shutdown at thirty-five minutes.

Deng Haochu used a live television appearance to attack Sandao Kou University’s fusion project and accuse it of misusing research funds. As he continued ranting, a staff member gave Yiyi startling news, and she looked at Deng Haochu with new resolve.

• Deng Haochu appeared on Yiyi’s small live show to discuss Xia Country’s withdrawal from the ITER Project.
• Deng Haochu dismissed Sandao Kou University’s successful fusion ignition, mocking its two-minute duration and claiming ITER had achieved twenty-six minutes.
• Deng Haochu predicted the university’s next experiment would expose flaws in its stellarator and accused it of using the device to grab a billion in research funding.
• Deng Haochu ignored Yiyi’s warning and began publicly exposing what he called Sandao Kou University’s dirty secrets.
• A staff member whispered unexpected news to Yiyi, who reacted in shock and glanced at Deng Haochu with resolve.

Sandao Kou University’s second controlled nuclear fusion experiment broke ITER’s record, and the news revealed that Lü Yongchang led the project as its chief engineer. His parents watched the broadcast in shock, then spoke with him by phone and urged him to take care of himself.

• Host Yiyi announced Deng Haochu’s fusion-record claim was disproved, and police officers arrived to take him away.
• Xia Country News reported that Sandao Kou University sustained controlled nuclear fusion for thirty-five minutes, surpassing ITER’s twenty-six-minute record.
• Lü Guoqing and Zhou Qingru saw their son Lü Yongchang introduced on the news as the project’s chief engineer.
• Lü Guoqing tried to call Lü Yongchang but Zhou Qingru stopped him from risking a discussion of classified information.
• Lü Yongchang called his parents, confirmed his role in the fusion project, and heard Zhou Qingru tell him to take care of himself.

After the controlled nuclear fusion experiment succeeded, Lü Yongchang faced questions about graduating from university and began considering how a future demonstration reactor could generate electricity. The chapter left him thinking about using a magnetohydrodynamic generator instead of boiling water.

• Lü Yongchang considered visiting his parents but decided he could not stop working while humanity remained threatened.
• Fang Xu told Lü Yongchang that Dean Jiang wanted to know when he planned to graduate, reminding him he was still a sophomore with no graduation thesis.
• Fang Xu proposed using a Science paper based on laboratory data as Lü Yongchang’s graduation thesis and offered to have a PhD student prepare it.
• Fang Xu said Minister Hong might take Lü Yongchang to meet Senator Li Chief to discuss preparations for a demonstration reactor.
• Lü Yongchang raised the problem of generating electricity and considered trying a magnetohydrodynamic generator.

Lü Yongchang proposed using a magnetohydrodynamic generator to convert energy from controlled nuclear fusion into electricity. After realizing fusion provided both helium working gas and the heat needed for the generator, Fang Xu agreed to find experts and build a prototype, with a demonstration reactor targeted within six months.

• Lü Yongchang drew a magnetohydrodynamic generator plan and told Fang Xu he considered it the best power-generation method for controlled nuclear fusion.
• Fang Xu warned that the technology relied on scarce inert gases and high operating temperatures.
• Lü Yongchang pointed Fang Xu to the deuterium-tritium fusion equation, and Fang Xu realized fusion produced helium gas as a byproduct.
• Fang Xu recognized that the fusion reaction's extreme heat could meet the generator's temperature needs, while the new stellarator material could withstand the operating conditions.
• Lü Yongchang asked Fang Xu to find Sandao Kou University experts and build a prototype, and Fang Xu promised to deliver one in under two months.

Lü Yongchang persuaded Senator Li to approve a fusion demonstration reactor by arguing that controlled nuclear fusion could propel Xia Country into the interstellar age and help it surpass the United States. Senator Li approved the project and its fifty-billion budget, while Lü Yongchang promised a breakthrough in compact fusion within six months.

• Lü Yongchang met Senator Li and recommended launching a controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor project immediately.
• Lü Yongchang argued that fusion could power Xia Country’s expansion into space and revealed that he had made progress on miniaturizing fusion reactors.
• Lü Yongchang promised a ninety-percent chance of a compact reactor breakthrough within six months, persuading Senator Li to back the project.
• Lü Yongchang handed Senator Li the laboratory’s budget proposal, and Senator Li approved the fifty-billion project.

Science editor Adam discovered that a paper reporting a thirty-five-minute controlled fusion experiment at Sandao Kou University was actually an undergraduate thesis. The next day, Stanford Professor Collins read the paper and was shaken by its results, which contradicted his decision to abandon stellarators.

• Adam and Michelle joked about a new submission until Adam saw that it concerned controlled nuclear fusion and named Lv Yongchang as its first author.
• Adam and Michelle read the paper's experimental results, including thirty-five minutes of sustained fusion, and realized its format revealed it was an undergraduate thesis.
• At Stanford, Eden urgently brought Professor Collins the paper, warning that Xia Country might be close to mastering controlled nuclear fusion.
• Collins read the detailed data and struggled to accept that a stellarator could sustain fusion for thirty-five minutes, contradicting his recommendation to abandon stellarators.

After Xia Country’s breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion sparked international attention, Albert and Professor Collins announced a U.S. push to catch up. Xia Country approved a demonstration reactor project, turning the rivalry into a public “Technology Race.”

• Albert demanded an explanation from Anthony and Professor Collins for Xia Country’s rapid progress in controlled nuclear fusion.
• Collins accepted Congress’s funding for a U.S. experimental facility, despite its condition that it be completed within three years.
• Albert posted a video congratulating Xia Country and announcing that ITER experiments would resume and the United States would build a fusion facility within three years.
• Xia Country News announced approval of Xia Country’s controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor project.
• Xia Country News reminded readers of the humiliation Xia Country’s researchers suffered during the ITER Project and declared that Xia Country would not give away its fusion technology.

Lü Yongchang chose Canghai Bay as the site for Xia Country’s controlled nuclear fusion demonstration reactor, and the construction plan promised completion in three months. When skeptics questioned the schedule, officials opened a livestream of the site, where construction began under public scrutiny.

• Lü Yongchang selected Canghai Bay for the demonstration reactor because it had water, flat terrain, and stable geology, while fusion posed fewer risks than fission.
• Xia Country released a plan to complete the reactor in three months, and the schedule became a major topic on Weibo and Twitter.
• Xia Country News announced that it would livestream construction so netizens could monitor the project.
• Netizens watched the first livestream as a presenter described the three crews that would work around the clock for three months.
• A dynamic compaction machine delivered its first blow at the Canghai Bay construction site.

Lü Yongchang began recruiting researchers for the Canghai Bay Fusion Demonstration Reactor, which still needed staff to solve engineering and operational problems. Lu Hezheng accepted a position and arrived in Vast Sea City, where he learned that the reactor site was under heavy security.

• Lü Yongchang recognized that his small laboratory needed many more researchers to develop the Fusion Demonstration Reactor for commercial use.
• After his Tokamak research project was cut, Lu Hezheng received a call from Lü Yongchang offering him a researcher position at the Canghai Bay project.
• Lü Yongchang arranged Lu Hezheng's train ticket to Vast Sea City and directed him to report to the temporary research institute.
• Du Zhen met Lu Hezheng at the railway station and escorted him through three checkpoints toward the institute.
• Du Zhen told Lu Hezheng that Canghai Bay was under lockdown, with a brigade of troops stationed there and an aircraft carrier fleet reportedly nearby.

Lu Hezheng joined Lü Yongchang’s team to work on temperature control for the Fusion Demonstration Reactor under strict secrecy. Three months later, the reactor was completed, and Xia Country’s naming contest drew a flood of suggestions, including many absurd ones.

• Lu Hezheng arrived at the temporary research institute and met Lü Yongchang, who recruited him to lead temperature-control research.
• Lü Yongchang required Lu Hezheng to cut off all outside communication until the Demonstration Reactor was complete, and Lu agreed.
• Ninety days later, Xia Country News announced that the Canghai Bay Fusion Demonstration Reactor project had been completed.
• Viewers returned to the livestream to see four enormous silver-white reactor buildings and called for a naming contest.
• Xia Country News launched an online naming contest, and suggestions such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star became popular.

Lü Yongchang named the fusion demonstration reactor Pangu One, but its operation remained stalled because the main control software was unfinished. Yuan Hongwei and Su Cheng explained that controlling plasma turbulence and solving the Navier-Stokes equations posed a major obstacle, and Lü offered to help.

• Lü Yongchang rejected the public campaign’s proposed name, Patrick Star, and chose Pangu One for the fusion reactor.
• The completed Pangu One facility had four reactors and a rated output of 400,000 megawatts, but it could not begin reactions without its main control software.
• Yuan Hongwei and Su Cheng struggled to develop the software, with Su Cheng saying they could not yet control plasma turbulence.
• Lü Yongchang visited the control room and asked what difficulties the software team faced.
• Su Cheng explained that controlling the plasma required mastering the Navier-Stokes equations, and Lü offered to help solve the problem.

Lü Yongchang proved that the solutions to the NS equations exist and are smooth, giving Yuan Hongwei the theoretical support needed to finish the controlled fusion reactor’s main control program. In the United States, President Albert reacted to Xia Country’s completed Fusion Demonstration Reactor by ordering an American demonstration reactor built immediately.

• Lü Yongchang asked for A4 paper and began writing a proof of the NS equations while Yuan Hongwei and Su Cheng watched.
• After two hours, Lü Yongchang handed Yuan Hongwei his proof and said that the solutions existed and were smooth.
• Yuan Hongwei promised to finish the fusion control program within two weeks.
• CIA Director William Blair showed President Albert authenticated footage of Xia Country building a Fusion Demonstration Reactor in three months.
• Albert learned from Professor Collins that construction of the American fusion reactor had not started and ordered him to build a Demonstration Reactor instead.

The Pangu One Fusion Demonstration Reactor began its first ignition test, but Lu Hezheng spotted a brief abnormal temperature fluctuation and calculated that the reactor could face a serious problem. Lü Yongchang shut down the reaction and ordered a full fault inspection.

• Lü Yongchang ordered the Pangu One team to check all equipment and begin supplying power for the first ignition.
• The team activated the heating equipment and injected fuel, successfully initiating the fusion reaction.
• Lu Hezheng noticed a sudden temperature spike, examined the readings, and calculated that temperatures could rise dangerously within ten minutes.
• Lu Hezheng shouted for the reaction to be stopped, and Lü Yongchang pressed the emergency shutdown button.
• Lü Yongchang reviewed Lu Hezheng's calculations, showed them to Fang Xu, and ordered everyone to prepare for a full fault inspection.

Lü Yongchang and the researchers investigated an abnormal temperature spike and unexpectedly steady power output from Pangu One's Magnetohydrodynamic Generator, but could not find a physical fault. Senator Li urged Lü Yongchang to prioritize everyone's safety as the investigation continued.

• Lu Hezheng spotted an abnormal temperature curve, and Lü Yongchang confirmed that the Magnetohydrodynamic Generator's temperature had surged dangerously.
• Fang Xu showed Lü Yongchang the generator's power graph, and Lü Yongchang explained that its output had stayed at 10% despite calculations predicting 15%.
• Lü Yongchang thanked Lu Hezheng for identifying the danger early and helping prevent a potential disaster.
• After several days of troubleshooting, Lü Yongchang and the researchers found no physical faults in the Magnetohydrodynamic Generator assembly.
• Senator Li called Lü Yongchang, urged him not to rush the investigation, and told him to protect himself and the researchers.
• Lü Yongchang promised Senator Li that he would evacuate everyone if danger arose and prevent accidents with Pangu One.

After Pangu One’s inspections found no problems with the fusion reactor, Lü Yongchang and Fang Xu suspected the main control program. Elder Yuan found a minor bug in Su Cheng’s code that caused the generator’s low efficiency and overheating, and promised to fix it within two days.

• Senator Li Chief reassured the researchers, and Lü Yongchang rallied them to search for the cause of Pangu One’s malfunction.
• Fang Xu suggested that the main control system might be faulty, prompting Lü Yongchang to seek out Elder Yuan.
• Lü Yongchang carefully raised the possibility of a control-program error, and Elder Yuan eagerly began checking the source code.
• Elder Yuan found a minor flaw in Su Cheng’s code that reduced generator efficiency and caused heat to build up in its pipes.
• Elder Yuan said he could fix the problem within two days and get the Magnetohydrodynamic Generator running properly.

After Pangu One passed its ignition tests, Lü Yongchang requested permission to activate it and connect it to the grid. Senator Li arrived at the reactor as Xia Country prepared to watch its historic first commercial fusion reactor startup, and Lü Yongchang assured him the team was ready.

• Lü Yongchang confirmed Pangu One had passed its tests and asked Senator Li for permission to activate the reactor and connect it to the grid at noon the next day.
• Hong Qiming told Senator Li that the reactor was ready and delivered Lü Yongchang’s request; Senator Li agreed to witness the startup.
• Xia Country News announced that Pangu One would begin operations the next day and broadcast the startup live, prompting widespread excitement.
• Senator Li and Hong Qiming arrived at the Pangu One demonstration reactor and entered its busy central control room.
• Lü Yongchang reported that the preparations were underway, and he assured Senator Li that the reactor team could be trusted.