Chapter Summaries

Lü Yongchang ignited the Pangu One Demonstration Reactor, connected it to the Xia Country Power Grid, and brought it to full output. As the reactor’s success was announced on live television, Zhao Zijie and viewers across Xia Country celebrated the breakthrough.

• Zhao Zijie watched the live broadcast and spotted the Head Councillor in the Pangu One control room.
• Lü Yongchang pressed the ignition button, heating the deuterium-tritium plasma and starting the fusion reaction.
• Researchers reported that the reactor’s systems were operating normally and successfully connected its generator to the Xia Country Power Grid.
• Lü Yongchang ordered the team to add fuel until Pangu One reached full load and an output of four hundred thousand megawatts.
• Lü Yongchang declared the project a success, and Zhao Zijie and the Penguin Group celebrated the achievement.

As protests erupted in the United States over Xia Country’s exclusion from ITER, President Albert blamed Secretary of Defense Anthony and demanded that Professor Collins complete a demonstration reactor within a month, though construction had only reached the foundations. In Xia Country, Lü Yongchang recruited researchers for a fusion reactor miniaturization project, while a new paper about the Sun’s anomalous behavior drew the Hubble Space Telescope’s attention.

• Hundreds of thousands of Americans marched on the White House, demanding an explanation for Xia Country’s removal from the ITER Project and calling for nuclear fusion.
• President Albert rebuked Anthony for the fallout and learned from Professor Collins that construction of the American demonstration reactor had only reached its foundations, so he ordered it completed within a month.
• Lü Yongchang gathered the researchers at the Great Xia Bay Nuclear Physics Laboratory and proposed a fusion reactor miniaturization project, estimating its chances of success at eighty percent.
• Fang Xu and the other researchers agreed to join Lü Yongchang’s new project.
• A paper titled “On the Sun's Anomalous Behavior over the Past Month” appeared in Nature, and the Hubble Space Telescope turned to observe the sun.

After learning that the sun’s anomalous readings had appeared earlier than he remembered, Lü Yongchang rushed to the Xia Country Astronomical Observatory to investigate. He arrived to find its director dismissing the warning signs, just as people had in Lü Yongchang’s previous life.

• Fang Xu told Lü Yongchang that a paper in Nature reported unusual solar readings and concluded that the sun was entering old age.
• Lü Yongchang realized the changes had appeared two months earlier than in his previous life and asked Fang Xu to arrange access to a telescope and solar-data laboratory.
• After reviewing the paper, Lü Yongchang asked Fang Xu to contact Minister Hong, who arranged for the Xia Country Astronomical Observatory to help.
• Lü Yongchang traveled by helicopter to the observatory and met its director, Ye Nangeng.
• Ye Nangeng said the sun remained in middle age and dismissed the unusual readings, while Lü Yongchang recalled that similar disbelief had cost humanity two years in his previous life.

Lü Yongchang examined the solar observation data at the Xia Country Astronomical Observatory and found signs of increasing magnetic field strength and solar flare activity. After half an hour of calculations, he finished his analysis, leaving Ye Nangeng waiting anxiously for the results.

• Lü Yongchang told Ye Nangeng he feared for the sun’s future and wanted to consider how humanity could survive.
• Ye Nangeng took Lü Yongchang to the observatory, where researcher Wang enthusiastically asked him for an autograph before providing a month of solar records.
• Lü Yongchang identified stronger solar magnetic fields and signs of increased flare activity in the data.
• Ye Nangeng learned Lü Yongchang had not graduated from Sandao Kou University and watched, unable to follow, as he rapidly worked through advanced equations.
• Lü Yongchang completed his calculations, and Ye Nangeng asked whether he had obtained any results.

Lü Yongchang warned the Head Councillor that the Sun was rapidly aging and could destroy human civilization within fifteen years. The Head Councillor agreed to convene experts to verify the prediction, while Lü Yongchang said global auroras that night would mark the Sun’s transition into old age.

• Lü Yongchang told Ye Nangeng that the Sun was aging faster than expected and would unleash a helium flash in about fifteen years.
• Ye Nangeng found no flaws in Lü Yongchang’s calculations and urged him to seek the Head Councillor’s help.
• Lü Yongchang and Ye Nangeng told the Head Councillor that the Sun could enter its red giant phase within ten years and end human civilization.
• The Head Councillor agreed to convene a meeting to verify the prediction and consider a way out if it proved true.
• Lü Yongchang predicted intense auroras across the globe that night, and an emergency meeting of Xia Country’s astronomers and physicists began.

Senator Li convened Xia Country’s leading physicists and astronomers to investigate Lü Yongchang’s prediction that the sun was aging rapidly and would soon become a red giant. As the experts failed to find flaws in Lü’s model, the predicted global aurora appeared over Capital City, leaving its implications unresolved.

• Senator Li presented Lü Yongchang’s solar model and said its calculations predicted the sun would become a red giant within ten years and produce a helium flash within fifteen.
• Senator Li told the gathered experts that Lü’s model predicted intense auroras worldwide at about 22:50 that night.
• Yang Jianchuan found no flaws in Lü’s derivations and worried that established stellar models might be wrong.
• The assembled professors and academicians could neither identify errors in the model nor challenge its results.
• An aurora appeared over Capital City, spreading red light across the sky and turning the moon blood-red.

A powerful solar flare caused a red aurora, widespread blackouts, and major damage to communications and infrastructure worldwide. Senator Li considered how to protect Xia Country from the disasters Lü Yongchang had predicted, and Lü Yongchang arrived at his office.

• Senator Li saw the predicted red aurora and recalled Lü Yongchang’s warnings about future solar events.
• Zhao Zijie filmed a faintly red moon, then realized the sky over Magic City was glowing red as the aurora spread across the world.
• A powerful solar flare knocked out Magic City’s power and phone service, while the United States suffered extensive grid, aircraft, and satellite losses.
• Zhao Zijie learned the observatory attributed the auroras and blackouts to an extreme solar wind storm.
• Senator Li remembered that the professors had supported Lü Yongchang’s solar predictions and wondered how to keep Xia Country safe.
• Lü Yongchang entered Senator Li’s office.

Lü Yongchang persuaded the Head Councillor that Xia Country had to leave the Solar System, then became director of the newly established Space Administration. He unveiled ambitious lunar mining and space defense plans to Xia Country’s leading scientists, ending as he introduced the Heavenly Court Project.

• Lü Yongchang told the Head Councillor that Mars would not survive the Sun’s helium flash and that his plan could evacuate around one billion people from Xia Country.
• The Head Councillor agreed to trust Lü Yongchang, and Xia Country announced the creation of the Space Administration with Lü as its first director.
• Lü Yongchang presented the Moon Palace Project to mine lunar helium-3, ilmenite, and rare-earth ores.
• Lü Yongchang outlined the Southern Heavenly Gate Project, featuring aerospace fighters and carrier platforms to counter extraterrestrial and silicon-based threats.
• Yang Jianchuan calmed Elder Qiu by hinting that Xia Country had reached a dead end, while the scientists reacted skeptically to Lü’s plans.
• Lü Yongchang brought up a slide introducing the Heavenly Court Project.

Lü Yongchang introduced the Heavenly Court Plan, a human deep-space fleet expedition to Proxima Centauri, then revealed that the sun would destroy Earth within fifteen years. The chapter ended with the gathered scientists reeling at the prediction and its apparent violation of the law of conservation of energy.

• Lü Yongchang presented the Heavenly Court Plan and said its initial construction would be completed within fifteen years, with Proxima Centauri as its first target.
• Lü Yongchang dismissed the reporters, closed the Great Hall, and required the assembled academicians and professors to sign confidentiality agreements.
• Yang Jianchuan told Qiu Tianzhong that humanity had less than fifteen years left, before Lü Yongchang made the same warning to the entire gathering.
• Lü Yongchang explained that the sun was aging far faster than expected and would enter a helium flash within fifteen years, melting Earth.
• Qiu Tianzhong protested that the prediction violated the law of conservation of energy as the Great Hall fell silent.

After Xia Country’s leaders accepted that an unknown force might be affecting the sun, Lü Yongchang urged them to pursue the Moon Palace Project by advancing three key technologies. He then began testing whether sonoluminescence could lead to nuclear fusion, leaving himself to build a mathematical model while Fang Xu gathered more experimental data.

• Lü Yongchang told Qiu Tianzhong he did not know what was affecting the sun, then recommended the Moon Palace Project and advances in fusion reactor miniaturization, electric propulsion, and spaceplane technology.
• Lü Yongchang went to the Great Xia Bay Nuclear Physics Laboratory, which was being expanded into the Xia Country First Laboratory.
• Lü Yongchang and Fang Xu conducted a sonoluminescence experiment, and a collapsing bubble produced a faint glow as the equipment recorded the data.
• Lü Yongchang found that the bubble’s temperature had reached only about one hundred thousand degrees Celsius, far below the level required for nuclear fusion.
• Lü Yongchang told Fang Xu to test different solutions and ultrasonic frequencies, then shut himself in his office to develop a mathematical model from the data.

Xia Country’s media and online communities reacted to the Space Administration’s three ambitious space projects, while Zhao Zijie read their details with growing disbelief. He concluded they were likely Strategic Deception Bureau fabrications, though the recent auroras left him wondering if they were connected.

• Major news outlets published details of the Moon Palace, Southern Heavenly Gate, and Heavenly Court Projects, sending Xia Country’s social media and military forums into an uproar.
• Zhao Zijie read about the Moon Palace Project’s lunar mining plan and doubted it could begin production by the end of the year.
• Zhao Zijie learned that the Southern Heavenly Gate Project included aerospace fighters and carrier platforms intended to repel an alien invasion, with completion planned for the following year.
• Zhao Zijie read the Heavenly Court Project’s plan for a vast fleet carrying nearly one billion people to Proxima Centauri and was stunned by its scale.
• Members of Zhao Zijie’s Penguin Group suggested the projects were Strategic Deception Bureau lies, and a trending-list screenshot showed Professor Lü Yongchang had become its director.
• Zhao Zijie dismissed the speculation but wondered whether the projects might be connected to the auroras that had appeared days earlier.

After Xia Country announced its space projects, President Albert’s advisers urged the United States to answer with a crewed Mars mission. Albert announced the Pathfinder Program at an emergency press conference, and the news sparked headlines framing the move as a contest for space supremacy.

• Albert rebuked William Blair and Anthony over the United States’ lack of a space response, while they argued that Xia Country’s projects might be a bluff.
• Anthony urged Albert to launch a Mars landing program so the United States could secure supremacy in space.
• Albert announced the crewed Mars landing program, code-named Pathfinder, at an emergency press conference.
• Albert wished Xia Country success with its Moon Palace and Southern Heavenly Gate projects, then left without taking reporters’ questions.
• The Washington Post and other newspapers published sensational headlines about a space race between Xia Country and the United States.

Lü Yongchang completed a mathematical model of sonoluminescence and concluded that liquid lithium was needed as the reaction solution for small-scale controlled nuclear fusion. The chapter ended with Fang Xu alarmed by the dangers of using liquid lithium and Lü Yongchang insisting on ordering a specially made vessel.

• Senator Li Chief ordered He Zhiye to redirect Xia Country’s resources toward the Space Administration, restrict exports, and import steel and minerals.
• After three days of calculations, Lü Yongchang completed a mathematical model of sonoluminescence.
• Lü Yongchang’s calculations indicated that metallic lithium could serve as the reaction solution for small-scale controlled nuclear fusion.
• Lü Yongchang left his office and told Fang Xu that they needed to order a specially made reaction vessel.
• Lü Yongchang specified liquid lithium, and Fang Xu protested that it was too dangerous because it could catch fire and explode.

Lü Yongchang explained how liquid lithium-6 could enable a compact fusion reactor to replenish its own tritium, and Xia Country rapidly built a prototype. As Senator Li arrived to inspect it, Fang Xu estimated that it could produce around 1,000 megawatts.

• Lü Yongchang convinced Fang Xu and the other researchers that liquid lithium-6 was the best medium for a small fusion reactor because neutron bombardment would generate tritium.
• Fang Xu contacted a factory, and Xia Country built the reactor prototype and a temporary testing building within three days.
• Lü Yongchang told Fang Xu that they were waiting for someone, and Senator Li arrived at the testing site.
• Senator Li questioned whether the small prototype could perform controlled fusion and match Pangu One's output.
• Fang Xu estimated that the small fusion reactor could produce around 1,000 megawatts, surprising Senator Li.

Lü Yongchang successfully tested the miniature fusion reactor, gaining an initial grasp of the technology. He then asked the Head Councillor to assemble aerospace researchers and engineers for an aerospace plane project, and the Head Councillor suspended work on the J-30 and Long March 10 to provide them.

• The Head Councillor watched as Lü Yongchang and the researchers began heating the liquid lithium and preparing the reactor.
• Lü Yongchang ordered the ultrasonic generator activated and deuterium-tritium gas injected, igniting fusion and producing detectable neutrons.
• Lü Yongchang confirmed the experiment had succeeded, and the first test ran for about a minute before its energy dissipated through the cooling system.
• Lü Yongchang asked the Head Councillor to assemble Xia Country's aerospace researchers, including the teams building the J-30 and Long March 10, to develop an aerospace plane.
• Fang Xu objected that the engineers were vital national assets, but the Head Councillor agreed to assign them to Lü Yongchang and suspended the J-30 and Long March 10 projects by order.

Lü Yongchang began preparations for the aerospace plane project and left Fang Xu in charge of completing fusion reactor miniaturization. In Su Country, Emperor Jingpu decided to visit Xia Country, and Hong Qiming told Lü Yongchang that the visit was driven by interest in the Pangu Fusion Reactor.

• The Head Councillor arranged for Lü Yongchang to begin aerospace plane research at the Xia Country National Aerospace Research Institute, and Lü Yongchang assigned Fang Xu the unfinished fusion reactor miniaturization work.
• Emperor Jingpu considered how controlled nuclear fusion could benefit Su Country and ordered a visit to Xia Country.
• Hong Qiming visited Lü Yongchang at the First Laboratory and revealed that Emperor Jingpu would visit Xia Country in half a month.
• Lü Yongchang guessed that Emperor Jingpu wanted to discuss controlled nuclear fusion, and Hong Qiming confirmed that Xia Country Security Bureau Two had reported his interest in the Pangu Fusion Reactor.

Lü Yongchang argued that Xia Country should share controlled nuclear fusion technology with Su Country to gain a reliable ally before the sun’s abnormalities became widely known. The next day, he arrived at the National Aerospace Research Institute to lead its work on the Long March 10 Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicle.

• Hong Qiming asked Lü Yongchang how Xia Country should handle controlled nuclear fusion technology, and Lü said it should be shared with Su Country.
• Lü told Hong that Xia Country needed allies against the coming disaster and that there was not enough time to wait before sharing the technology.
• Hong outlined the Head Councillor’s resource restrictions, and Lü said he had an idea.
• Three military helicopters brought Lü to the National Aerospace Research Institute under heavy security.
• Lü met Academician Cao Liangcai and asked him to gather the researchers for a meeting to assign their upcoming tasks.

At the aerospace research institute, Lü Yongchang proposed replacing chemical rockets with Hall Thrusters powered by a miniaturized fusion reactor. He revealed the reactor’s capabilities and room-temperature superconducting technology, leaving Cao Liangcai stunned and interested in the plan.

• Lü Yongchang told the researchers that development of the Long March 10 had stopped and presented electric propulsion as Xia Country’s needed alternative.
• Cao Liangcai warned Lü Yongchang that the institute’s Hall Thruster research had achieved only about 200 millinewtons of thrust at 20 kilowatts.
• Lü Yongchang claimed he could raise the Hall Thruster’s power above 1,000 megawatts using a miniaturized fusion reactor.
• Lü Yongchang revealed that the reactor was two meters tall, one meter in diameter, and had passed its first ignition test the previous day.
• Cao Liangcai raised concerns about heat and power losses, and Lü Yongchang answered by revealing room-temperature superconducting coil technology.

Emperor Jingpu visited Xia Country to negotiate for its controlled nuclear fusion technology, and Senator Li Chief agreed to share it in exchange for vast mineral and rare-earth shipments. The deal sparked debate in Xia Country and abroad, while President Albert hinted that his country might also seek to buy the technology.

• Emperor Jingpu arrived in Capital City and met Senator Li Chief at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse to discuss a joint project.
• Emperor Jingpu offered to pay any price for Xia Country's controlled nuclear fusion technology, and Senator Li Chief agreed to share it in exchange for iron, copper, nickel, and rare-earth resources.
• Xia Country's news broadcast the agreement, prompting public debate over whether the country had given up its technological advantage for resources.
• People abroad discussed whether their countries could buy the technology, and President Albert liked a tweet urging him to try and replied that he was considering it.

After Xia Country announced a package sale of controlled nuclear fusion technology in exchange for mineral resources or advanced technologies, governments scrambled to respond. Zhao Zijie’s research suggested Xia Country’s mineral trade had shifted sharply, while the United States considered buying technology and Britain began assembling an offer.

• The Xia Kingdom Ministry of Science and Technology published a price list offering its complete controlled nuclear fusion technology package for US$28 billion in equivalent mineral resources, with other advanced technologies also accepted.
• Zhao Zijie shared the announcement with his group, then found that Xia Country’s mineral exports had fallen ninety percent year over year while imports had risen fifty percent over six months.
• At the White House, Professor Collins urged Albert to buy Xia Country’s technology, explaining that the United States had completed only a quarter of its fusion construction plan and used a different reactor configuration.
• Britain called Xia Country to request the complete technology package, but its prime minister hesitated at the price and was told that lithography machine technology or other advanced technologies could be offered instead.
• The Xia Country staff member warned Britain that Gaul had already made contact, and the British prime minister hung up to consider how to respond.