The control room at the Northern Base!
"Chief Engineer Jiang, repairs to the laser ignition button circuit are complete!"
Jiang Fan asked excitedly, "Are there any other problems with the laser ignition system?"
"All checks are normal. No problems. We can conduct the ignition test at any time!"
"Good!"
Jiang Fan let out a breath, then sat down at the main control console again.
"Report on the magnetic ring system!"
"The magnetic ring system has reached level-nine power. All readings are normal!"
"External power supply status?"
"All readings are normal!"
"..."
"Commander Zhou, all readings are normal. We can ignite at any time!"
Zhou Huaide was so excited that his hands trembled. He immediately activated the remote communications system!
"Sir, the tokamak is back to normal. We can conduct the ignition test at any time!"
The chief was discussing the solar energy development project with Professor Li when he heard Zhou Huaide's remote report.
He lowered his eyes to check the time. Three minutes had already passed beyond the deadline he had given Zhou Huaide!
"Xiao Zhou, I'll give you one more chance at ignition. If you fail this time, the Northern Base will cease all research tomorrow! All research personnel will be transferred to other projects!"
"All right, I agree!" Zhou Huaide said firmly.
"Sir, if we maintain stable control of nuclear fusion for 100 seconds, you must transfer all our original researchers back and give us ten billion in funding!"
"Ten billion in funding?"
The reviewers beside the chief cried out in shock when they heard Zhou Huaide's words!
Last year, the country's total funding for basic scientific research projects had been thirty billion, yet Zhou Huaide had opened his lion's maw and demanded ten billion outright-33 percent of the total.
That meant other projects would have to cut their spending to scrape together the money for him.
Professor Li and his team beside them were even more astonished. Their entire project's total budget was only four billion.
Compared with Zhou Huaide's controlled nuclear fusion project, their funding really was a little sorcerer facing a great one!
The chief calmly nodded his agreement!
Because he believed Zhou Huaide's failure rate was 100 percent.
Seeing how calm the chief was, everyone immediately relaxed. Ten billion was no small sum, but the crucial thing was having the ability to claim it.
"Commander Zhou really has opened his lion's maw! Ha ha..."
"The prerequisite is maintaining stable control of nuclear fusion for 100 seconds! I don't believe he can develop it unless the sun rises in the west!"
"Ha ha... if he can manage 100 seconds, our solar energy project will voluntarily withdraw!"
Professor Li knew that their solar energy project was also intended to solve energy problems, but converting solar energy produced low-power energy! It would not be much help to future technology!
Controlled nuclear fusion was different. It could unleash tremendous energy, with pulsed fusion output exceeding sixteen megawatts. Power that immense could propel an aircraft carrier weighing hundreds of thousands of tons as easily as child's play!
If the research succeeded, it would absolutely mark a historic turning point, just as the discovery of oil, coal, and gas as energy sources had taken humanity straight from farming into modern industrial society.
It was no exaggeration to say that successfully developing controlled nuclear fusion would bring enormous changes to all of human society, taking it straight from modern society into the ultra-modern society of the future!
But all of that could only happen after controlled nuclear fusion research succeeded.
And Professor Li believed that successfully developing controlled nuclear fusion would take at least another eighty years, or even longer!
So they held out no hope whatsoever for Zhou Huaide's ignition test.
Everyone watched the screen, chatting and laughing, occasionally making a few jokes at Zhou Huaide's expense!
In the control room, Zhou Huaide drew another breath and exchanged a glance with Jiang Fan. Both their gazes were filled with unwavering conviction.
"Begin ignition!"
Receiving Zhou Huaide's command, Jiang Fan sat upright, solemnly watching the various readings on the main control console! After finding no problems, he called out again!
"Prepare for laser ignition!"
"3"
"2"
"1"
"Ignite!"
The researcher operating the laser ignition switch slammed his hand down!
Everyone held their breath, staring unblinkingly at the tokamak on the screen!
A sudden burst of white light erupted inside the tokamak, illuminating the entire research room!
The light rapidly intensified, soon becoming as dazzling as the sun!
Everyone in the control room clenched their fists, staring at the nuclear fusion reaction inside the tokamak.
One second passed, then two, then three.
Everyone's nervousness began turning into excitement. Some researchers grabbed the colleagues beside them and shook them excitedly, stammering!
"Three seconds, three seconds! It's been stable for three seconds! Wonderful! The nuclear fusion we've developed actually stayed stable for three seconds! Ha ha..."
"We've never reached this duration before! Fantastic! We can finally control nuclear fusion! Ha ha..."
"Commander Zhou, look, look! It's stable! It's stable!"
"..."
Everyone waved their arms and stamped their feet in excitement. In ten years, this was the first time they had controlled nuclear fusion. Although it had lasted only a few seconds, to them, it was already a historic technological breakthrough!
They all understood that as long as they could maintain stable control over nuclear fusion, even for just a few seconds, it was the same as having a direction pointed out to them. As long as they kept working hard on research in that direction, they would definitely be on the right path.
Moreover, by obtaining stable data, they could later use the successful readings to correct the errors behind subsequent failures!
They believed that one day, they would develop controlled nuclear fusion!
And today marked a historic turning point for their base!
Sitting at the main control console, Jiang Fan did not cheer or leap for joy. What he wanted was 100 seconds of stable controlled nuclear fusion. It had only been a few seconds so far.
Because he knew that nuclear fusion was relatively easy to keep stable and controlled in its early stages. The further it progressed, the more the temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees would test every material in the tokamak.
Zhou Huaide stood beside Jiang Fan, forcibly suppressing the excitement and exhilaration in his heart.
"Xiao Fan, are there any problems with the readings?"
Jiang Fan's expression remained serious as he said calmly, "No problems for now!"
The conference room at the National Science and Technology Administration!
Everyone was discussing the solar energy project when someone suddenly shouted!
"The nuclear fusion has stabilized!"
The entire conference room instantly fell silent, and everyone looked up at the screen.
On the screen, a blazing red sphere of light sat inside the tokamak! It continuously emitted dazzling light.
"An artificial sun!"
"It really is an artificial sun!"
"How... how is this possible!"
"The nuclear fusion really has stabilized!"
The chief stood up in shock, rubbed his eyes, and confirmed once again that it was an artificial sun-stable nuclear fusion!
He hurriedly shouted to the technician responsible for the remote video feed.
"The time?"
"The time?"
"How long has the nuclear fusion been stable?"