78: Chapter 78: Everyone was stunned.

"Because it's not necessary," Jiang Jing explained. "The reaction process is completely controllable, and it won't generate any pressure buildup."

"Absurd!" Professor Li waved his arms excitedly. "Any energy conversion will generate residual pressure; that's basic physics common sense!"

Wang Ye had snuck over to the control computer at some point, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. "Let me take a look at your control program… Huh?" He suddenly stopped. "Why can't I get in…"

Jiang Jing smiled without saying a word.

With his god-level hacking skills, as long as Jiang Jing wanted, no one could see anything they weren't supposed to.

Wang Ye's fighting spirit was ignited. His fingers flew across the keyboard, and lines of complex code appeared on the computer screen, determined to break into this unknown control system.

Seeing this, the group frowned; Wang Ye's actions at this moment were very impolite.

Some wanted to stop him, but seeing this, Jiang Jing waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind at all.

They had no choice but to let it go; after all, the owner himself didn't mind, so why should they bother?

"Mr. Jiang," Lawyer Zhang San pushed up his glasses seriously. "I must say, so far, what I see is just a crudely assembled mechanical device, and there is no evidence to suggest it can achieve the functions you claim."

"Then I'll test it for everyone to see." Jiang Jing walked toward the console. "Who is willing to be a witness?"

The group exchanged glances again. Finally, Zhang Mingyuan, Chen Wei, and Engineer Wu stepped forward.

"What do we need to prepare?" Chen Wei asked. Her voice already carried a hint of impatience, as if she had already concluded this was a scam.

"Only need…" Jiang Jing picked up an ordinary bottle of mineral water. "500 milliliters of purified water."

When he poured the water into the device's intake, Zhang Mingyuan couldn't help but shake his head. "Young man, do you know what you are doing? If this could really trigger energy fusion, with so little protection, we would all be blown to the sky!"

"Dr. Zhang," Jiang Jing calmly set the control parameters. "Do you think I am a madman or a fool?"

"I think you are a dangerous fantasist," Zhang Mingyuan said coldly.

Jiang Jing didn't mind and continued operating the control panel. The others had subconsciously stepped back a few paces, and Zhao Tiejun even instinctively adopted a defensive posture.

"One last confirmation." Jiang Jing's finger hovered above the start button. "Experts, are you ready to witness an energy revolution?"

The workshop was silent; everyone stared intently at the seemingly unremarkable device, their faces filled with doubt, worry, and a hint of… undisguisable curiosity.

Jiang Jing took a deep breath and pressed the start button.

The moment Jiang Jing's finger pressed the start button, the workshop fell into a deathly silence. Everyone's eyes were locked on that "ordinary" device, and the air seemed to have frozen.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

"Heh." Engineer Wu was the first to break the silence, his mouth curling into a mocking arc. "I knew it, this kind of—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a strange humming sound suddenly emitted from inside the device, like the vibration of some precision instrument starting up, but it carried an indescribably unfamiliar frequency.

Zhang Mingyuan's eyes widened sharply. This usually steady scientist almost lunged at the monitoring screen: "This… this is impossible!"

On the monitoring screen, a series of data was jumping wildly. Water temperature, pressure, energy output… every single number was challenging the cognitive boundaries of traditional physics.

"Output power has reached 200 kilowatts…" Zhang Mingyuan's voice trembled so much it was almost inaudible. "And the input is just… just 500 milliliters of water?"

The lipstick in Chen Wei's hand dropped to the floor with a "clatter." This knowledgeable business elite was now like a child seeing magic for the first time, her red lips slightly parted, but unable to make a sound.

Inside the transparent observation window in the center of the device, the originally calm water surface suddenly glowed with a strange blue light, and countless tiny points of light danced within the liquid.

The light grew brighter and brighter, but strangely, it wasn't blinding; instead, it gave people a warm feeling.

"My God…" The usually non-religious Professor Li clasped his hands together in front of his chest, his eyes behind his reading glasses wide open. "This… this is…"

Wang Ye's fingers froze above the keyboard. This usually cynical hacker was now pale. "Why can't I get in? I've exhausted all my methods; could it be that I can't even break into a small control system?!"

His voice cut off abruptly because the device suddenly emitted a pleasant hum, and the connected power test machine began to run, the tachometer needle soaring like a wild horse breaking free from its reins.

"5000 RPM… 8000 RPM… 12000 RPM!" Engineer Wu's voice went out of tune. This mechanical engineer gripped the edge of the workbench tightly, his knuckles turning white. "This has already exceeded the limits of any internal combustion engine! And there's no vibration! No noise!"

Zhao Tiejun subconsciously reached for his waist—this retired special forces soldier habitually wanted to draw his gun, but realized he hadn't brought it today. His worldview was collapsing. "If this were weaponized…"

The fountain pen in Lawyer Zhang San's hand had snapped at some point, and ink stained the cuffs of his custom suit. This legal elite, who usually paid great attention to his appearance, was completely oblivious. "If this hits the market, all energy patents… all related laws… will all need to be rewritten…"

The most shocked was none other than Zhang Mingyuan. This arrogant scientist knelt in front of the monitoring equipment, his glasses hanging crookedly on the bridge of his nose, his whole body trembling as if struck by lightning.

"Energy conversion efficiency 8%…" His voice sounded like it was coming from very far away. "This violates the second law of thermodynamics… violates all known science…"

A tear slid from the corner of his eye. This scholar who had spent his life studying energy science was witnessing the most impossible miracle in his own field of expertise.

Jiang Jing stood to the side, quietly observing everyone's reaction. From extreme skepticism to stunned speechlessness, this transformation was more intense than he had anticipated.

Seeing them turn from their previous disdain and even annoyance to this state, Jiang Jing felt as if he had eaten a popsicle on the hottest summer day—completely refreshed!

"Temperature maintained at 25 degrees Celsius…" Zhang Mingyuan muttered to himself, his fingers trembling as he touched the device's outer shell. "No heat loss… where did the energy go? This… this…"

He suddenly turned to Jiang Jing, his eyes a mixture of awe and fear. "You… how did you do it? This is already beyond the cognitive scope of modern physics!"

Jiang Jing just smiled slightly. "Science is always progressing, Dr. Zhang."

This sentence hit everyone present like a heavy hammer. Just ten minutes ago, they had still regarded Jiang Jing as an ignorant and arrogant swindler, but now they had to face a subversive reality—this young man held the power to change the world.

Jiang Yan stood in the corner, the clipboard in her hand having fallen at some point. This well-trained housekeeper had completely forgotten her professional demeanor, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with an unprecedented brilliance.

[Jiang Yan favorability +20] (Currently 39)

A system prompt rang in Jiang Jing's mind. He turned to look at Jiang Yan and discovered that she was watching him with a brand-new gaze—her eyes a mixture of admiration, curiosity, and an indescribable flutter of the heart.