The Northern Controlled Nuclear Fusion Base!
The usually bustling laboratory was completely deserted.
At the center of the laboratory stood an oval sphere three meters tall and five meters wide. Its exterior was silvery white, with a circular base underneath. Overall, it looked somewhat like a lotus bud about to bloom.
Through an observation port on one side, a maze of intricate wiring and components could be seen inside.
Beyond those wires were concentric rings of yellow metal, the core material at the center of this tokamak device. Its main purpose was to generate immense magnetic force to confine the nuclear fusion at the center.
Farther inside was a circular space. It was small, measuring one meter by one meter across.
At the center of that circular space was a transparent sphere that emitted irregular electrical currents from time to time. Yet they seemed confined by an invisible space, floating firmly at the center!
This mysterious oval sphere was none other than the tokamak device Jiang Fan had modified!
In the control room, Jiang Fan sat at the main console, with six researchers beside him at subsidiary consoles. Zhou Huaide and the other researchers stared fixedly at the screen!
Everyone wore a tense, solemn expression. They all knew that the success or failure of this attempt would determine the Northern Base's fate!
If ignition failed, the controlled nuclear fusion project they had spent ten years researching would be suspended, and all the researchers would be reassigned to other research projects!
Just then, Jiang Fan's firm voice rang out in the control room, where even a falling pin could have been heard.
"Switch on power to the external apparatus!"
"Power to the external apparatus is on!"
A researcher spoke in an equally firm tone.
A ring of light lit up on the tokamak device shown on the monitor, accompanied by a humming sound!
Jiang Fan then issued his second command!
"Activate the first-stage magnetic ring confinement apparatus!"
"Understood!"
"First-stage magnetic ring confinement apparatus activated!"
Rays of golden light shone inside the tokamak device.
"Report the readings!"
"1,500 revolutions! Power stable!"
"Activate second-stage magnetic ring confinement!"
"Understood. Second-stage magnetic ring confinement apparatus activated!"
"Report the readings!"
"3,000 revolutions. Power stable!"
"..."
As Jiang Fan issued one command after another, the yellow glow of the tokamak device grew increasingly intense, bathing the entire laboratory in golden light!
All the footage from the Northern Base was transmitted by remote video to the conference room of the General Bureau of Scientific Research in the Capital!
At that moment, the chief and the others were chatting and laughing about something!
"Chief, the Northern Base is about to begin ignition!" a staff member reminded him.
"Mm, understood! Switch to the multiscreen view!"
"Understood!"
The staff member then turned off all the lights in the conference room and switched the projection screen to a multiscreen view!
This allowed them to observe the tokamak device from several angles!
By then, the tokamak device on the screen had already been activated and was ready for ignition.
Over the past ten years, the chief had watched this scene on video more times than he could count, but every attempt had ended in failure.
The nuclear fusion had never remained stable for more than one second. Seeing this scene, he instinctively pictured this attempt failing as well!
Quite a few people in the conference room were seeing the tokamak device for the first time. Its overall appearance struck them as rather high-tech!
"So this is the tokamak device for controlled nuclear fusion. The exterior design is pretty good!"
"What good is a nice exterior? Unfortunately, it's a strong shell with nothing inside, without much practical use!"
"The country has poured over thirty billion into this thing! If that funding had gone into developing solar equipment, absolutely-Dragon Country would definitely be leading the world in solar research and development!"
After Professor Li finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement!
"It'll only take five minutes anyway. Let's just consider it a little change of pace! Heh..."
"Haha..."
Then everyone laughed!
One of the split-screen views on the projection screen showed the Northern Base's control room!
Jiang Fan and the others were all visible on it!
Zhou Huaide addressed the chief through the communications equipment!
"Reporting to the chief: preparations for the Northern Base's controlled nuclear fusion ignition experiment are complete. Awaiting your instructions!"
Hearing the report from Commander-in-Chief Zhou Huaide, the chief spoke casually into the microphone!
"Begin ignition!"
"Understood!"
After receiving the chief's order, Zhou Huaide nodded to Jiang Fan!
Everyone in the control room watched Jiang Fan nervously.
"Prepare for laser ignition!"
"Laser ignition preparations complete. Ready to ignite at any time!"
Jiang Fan drew a deep breath. Fine beads of sweat had seeped into his palms, and he clenched his fists!
He called out in a low voice!
"Ignition countdown..."
"3."
"2."
"1."
"Ignition!"
The instant Jiang Fan gave the ignition command, everyone's hearts clenched.
Click!
As the sound of a button being pressed rang out, everyone's breathing quickened slightly. In their hearts, they all chanted silently!
Let it succeed!
Let it succeed!
It has to succeed!
They stared fixedly at the image of the tokamak device, waiting for the nuclear fusion inside to change!
Yet as the seconds ticked past, there was no change whatsoever in the tokamak device!
When ten seconds had passed, Jiang Fan's heart lurched, and an ominous thought surfaced in his mind.
Was there a problem with the tokamak device?
But before ignition, he had checked it over and over, more than a dozen times. Only after confirming there were no errors had he asked Zhou Huaide to call the chief.
Yet something unforeseen had still happened!
Zhou Huaide immediately panicked as well, and even his voice trembled!
"Chief Engineer Jiang, wh-what's gone wrong?"
All the researchers present turned their panicked gazes toward Jiang Fan!
Jiang Fan was panicking inside too. He had built it strictly according to the system's formulas and blueprints. In theory, there should have been no possibility of a problem...
The conference room of the National General Bureau of Scientific Research!
Everyone in the conference room looked somewhat bewildered by the video. Hadn't they said they were going to ignite it?
Why was there no response at all?
Even if it failed, the nuclear fusion inside the tokamak device should at least have reacted!
"Chief, what's going on?"
"What else could it be? It failed!"
"The country invested over thirty billion, with more than a hundred researchers, and this is the result of ten years of research?"
The chief's expression immediately soured as well. Although previous ignition experiments had failed, at least nuclear fusion had produced a reaction, and the highest temperature had reached one hundred million degrees Celsius.
Yet today's ignition had produced not the slightest response!
Wasn't this a slap in his face in front of so many people?
The chief then berated Zhou Huaide through the microphone!
"Zhou Huaide, this is the result of your research over the past month? You boasted to me about finding an expert in controlled nuclear fusion, and even said he could develop controlled nuclear fusion within a year. I think he's nothing but a fraud..."