The conference hall of the Capital First-Level Research Institute!
Dozens of scientific experts sat there. Most were over forty, and everyone invited had achieved something outstanding in a particular field!
Only a handful of them knew what this emergency meeting was about, but because they had signed confidentiality agreements, they dared not casually tell the others. They could only wait for arrangements from the higher-ups!
A full two hours passed, yet no one came out to preside over the meeting. Some of the scientific experts began to grow restless!
"This is outrageous! It's been two hours. Do they really think our time counts for nothing just because we're old?"
"Exactly. A research project I'm working on has reached a critical stage, but then I got an emergency notice to come here."
"Old Li, be patient. With so many of the country's top researchers gathered here, I suspect something major must have happened!"
"What I'm researching is a new type of energy fuel. What could be more pressing than new energy?"
Old Li spoke with full conviction.
Society urgently needed a new form of energy to emerge. Traditional energy sources such as coal, natural gas, and oil were all nonrenewable.
After years of frenzied extraction, the remaining energy reserves could sustain human use for another eighty years at most.
That was why countries were now pouring resources into developing new energy sources, hoping to replace traditional ones!
If humanity failed to develop new energy sources within eighty years, human development would grind to a halt. There was a very strong possibility that society would regress directly to a pre-Industrial Revolution system!
"Old Li, how far has your solar energy research gotten?"
"Heh... that's confidential for now!"
"What's there to keep confidential? Our aircraft carrier engine project currently needs a powerful energy source to connect to the engine..."
"When it comes to energy, I believe nuclear energy offers the greatest output!"
"You're right. Just look at the power of a nuclear weapon's explosion. But that's an uncontrollable energy source.
Ultimately, humanity's ideal energy source is controlled nuclear fusion, but it's simply too difficult to achieve.
"That's a project of the century. It would be hard to develop without a hundred years!"
"..."
Several research professors began discussing the future direction of energy development.
Just then, Dean Li opened the door and walked up to the podium in the conference hall!
Seeing someone enter, everyone quieted down. At last, they would learn the purpose of this emergency meeting!
"Everyone, I'm sorry for summoning you away from your research projects at such short notice. I'll spare you the unnecessary talk. First, please sign the confidentiality agreements! Then we'll get to today's main topic!"
At the mention of confidentiality agreements, the scientific experts immediately grew excited.
They understood that signing a confidentiality agreement meant this was no ordinary matter. Perhaps someone had developed some new technology!
Once the confidentiality agreements were distributed, everyone quickly signed their names and waited for Dean Li to announce the news!
But Dean Li said nothing. Instead, he handed everyone a set of documents!
"I'll give you an hour. Read through the documents first!"
Everyone looked puzzled. Several elderly professors took glasses from their pockets and put them on. They wanted to see just what important documents required them to sign confidentiality agreements before they could read them!
When they saw the heading "Controlled Nuclear Fusion" on the documents, they were all startled.
They all knew something about controlled nuclear fusion. In previous years, it had been a national priority project of the century, but the project had never achieved any major breakthroughs!
So the country had shifted the focus of new energy research toward solar power, wind power, hydropower, and similar fields.
Because controlled nuclear fusion required such enormous funding, they had heard that the country was even preparing to suspend the project for a while!
Yet now they had suddenly been summoned here for an emergency meeting and made to sign confidentiality agreements. Could there have been a major breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion?
Everyone studied the documents in their hands with curiosity, hoping to find the answers they wanted!
After reading through the first section, they found nothing particularly unusual.
They began reading the second section, which covered the formulas, principles, and data for controlled nuclear fusion.
The more they read, the more excited they became. Shock filled every face.
The room was utterly quiet, with only the sound of pages turning!
An hour later, Dean Li spoke softly!
"Has everyone finished reading?"
Everyone raised their heads and looked at Dean Li. Not a single person spoke. They were still immersed in their shock over the documents!
Roughly two more minutes passed before an elderly professor asked Dean Li in disbelief!
"Could... could the information in these documents be correct?"
With the elderly professor's question, the room fell into an eerie silence once again. Everyone stared at Dean Li, awaiting his answer!
"We ran the calculations through Huaqing's supercomputer, and the results were correct!"
At Dean Li's brief statement, everyone's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
Suddenly, the documents in their hands felt as though they weighed a thousand pounds.
If, as Dean Li said, the information in these documents was entirely correct, didn't that mean Dragon Country had already achieved a major breakthrough in controlled nuclear fusion?
Based on the formulas, principles, and data in the documents, they estimated that Dragon Country should be able to develop controlled nuclear fusion in less than fifty years!
If so, Dragon Country's science and technology would undergo earth-shaking changes!
They all knew that a revolution in energy would be accompanied by the emergence of new technologies!
Why, for instance, were people still unable to develop spaceships? The reason was simple: current fuels could not meet the requirements for spaceship travel!
But things would be different if controlled nuclear fusion were developed. A tiny controlled nuclear fusion energy device could release tremendous energy.
Meanwhile, Jiang Fan arrived in the Capital with Minister Zhou Huaide.
It was already nine that evening. Rather than taking Jiang Fan to eat, Zhou Huaide drove straight to the First-Level Research Institute!
"Jiang Fan, rest for a bit. In five minutes, I'll take you to the conference hall to explain the formulas and principles to everyone, along with the future implementation plan!"
"Okay!" Jiang Fan nodded!
"It's fine. Don't be nervous!"
After saying that, Zhou Huaide went out.
The assistant waiting at the door spoke to him.
"Minister Zhou, here's the information you asked us to investigate!"
Zhou Huaide took the documents and began reading them. Among them was a photograph of none other than Chu Ruoxi!
Five minutes later, Zhou Huaide smiled and handed the documents back to the assistant!
"Destroy all of these documents!"
"Yes, Minister Zhou!"
The assistant walked over to a shredder and fed the documents into it!
Zhou Huaide came to Jiang Fan's lounge, knocked twice, then opened the door.
"Jiang Fan, are you ready?"
"I'm ready!"
Jiang Fan stood up and followed Zhou Huaide toward the conference hall!