746: Chapter 741 The Fire Stealer

Alva's voice was no longer filled with the previous wariness and suspicion; instead, it held a hint of a scholar's characteristic inquiry and longing for the unknown.

"The 'chain resonance' of the helheim stone requires a specific gamma-ray environment to be activated."

"In nature, those rays only exist deep within the Earth's core."

"How are we supposed to replicate that in a laboratory setting?"

This question was the core and most difficult step of the entire technical route.

She didn't believe the man in front of her knew even this.

In the darkness, the corners of Shen Yan's mouth curled up slightly.

He certainly knew.

Because the information provided to him by the system was far more complete than Alva's own research.

"neutron traction, harmonic amplification."

He spoke only those eight characters before pulling open the door to the archives and walking out.

Leaving Alva Jensen alone, repeatedly mulling over those eight characters.

neutron traction...

harmonic amplification...

A bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the final chaos in her mind!

That's it!

Of course!

Use a high-energy neutron beam to bombard the lattice, inducing an initial resonance, and then use ultra-high frequency electromagnetic harmonics to amplify that resonance signal!

This line of thinking was simply...

It was a stroke of genius!

It perfectly bypassed the fundamentally impossible task of 'replicating the Earth's core environment'!

At this moment, the last trace of doubt in Alva Jensen's heart vanished completely.

In its place was a near-pilgrimage-like fervor.

She finally understood.

This person hadn't come to seek cooperation.

He had come to deliver an oracle.

And she, Alva Jensen, was the tiny agent chosen by God.

She rushed out of the archives, the cold wind outside making her shiver.

Under the night sky, the black Volvo had already started and was preparing to leave.

Alva ran over desperately, tapping on the rear window.

The window rolled down slowly, revealing Shen Yan's face, which looked somewhat blurred in the moonlight.

"Mr. Shen!"

Alva Jensen took a deep breath and said solemnly, with all her strength.

"I don't need to wait until tomorrow."

"I can give you my answer right now."

"I'm in."

There was no surprise on Shen Yan's face.

It was as if the words 'I'm in' weren't a decision by a world-class scientist betting the rest of her life, but merely a confirmation of an established fact.

He just nodded slightly and said to Alva Jensen outside the window.

"Get in, Doctor."

"We still have a lot of work to do."

Alva paused for a moment, then pulled open the car door and sat inside without hesitation.

The warm air inside the car stood in stark contrast to the biting wind of the fjord outside, just like her heart, which was currently a mix of ice and fire.

The Volvo drove smoothly away from the ruins.

Through the rearview mirror, Alva watched the archives—which had held her dreams and despair for decades—grow smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared into the night.

She felt no lingering attachment.

A new world was unfolding before her eyes.

"First, we need a name," Shen Yan's voice rang out in the cabin, breaking the silence.

"What name?" Alva asked subconsciously.

"A name for the laboratory, and for the entire project."

Shen Yan looked at the desolate snowy landscape passing by outside and said slowly.

"Let's call it the 'prometheus forge'."

prometheus.

The Fire Thief.

Alva Jensen repeated the name silently in her heart, a shiver running up her spine.

Yes, what they were doing was stealing the eternal flame for humanity from deep within the Earth's core.

This name couldn't be more fitting.

"I like that name," she said sincerely.

"Very well," Shen Yan's voice was devoid of emotion. "At dawn tomorrow, advance teams from 'Hector Project' and 'Quantum Dynamics' will arrive here. You will be responsible for coordinating with them and telling them all your requirements for the 'prometheus forge'."

"Everything?"

"Everything," Shen Yan repeated. "Any design, any equipment, any material. You can delete the word 'budget' from your dictionary."

Alva felt her breathing quicken.

This 'regardless of cost' promise was the Eden that every scientist dreamed of.

And now, she was standing at the gates of that Eden.

"My team..."

"A list of the world's top physicists, material scientists, and Engineers will be sent to your inbox tomorrow. Whoever you choose, my headhunting team will bring them to you."

"As for you, Doctor."

Shen Yan turned his head, his gaze falling on her.

"From now on, you only need to do one thing."

"Think."

"Turn your theories into reality."

The next day, when the first light of dawn pierced the mist of Freya Fjord, a massive roar tore through the silence.

Three heavy transport helicopters bearing the 'Hector Project' logo, like steel behemoths descending from the sky, hovered over the abandoned exploration base.

Following closely behind were the smaller but highly futuristic VTOL aircraft of 'Quantum Dynamics'.

Alva Jensen stood in the distance, watching engineering personnel in exoskeleton armor descend from the sky, completing a 3D mapping of the entire area within minutes.

Bulldozers and heavy engineering machinery were being transported via sea, forming a long steel dragon on the horizon.

What had been a deathly silent ruin yesterday had, in less than twelve hours, turned into a bustling super-construction site.

A German man in a sharp suit and gold-rimmed glasses, holding a tablet, walked quickly up to Alva.

"Dr. Jensen, I am Klaus Schmidt, Project Director for 'Hector Project'." He extended his hand, his attitude respectful yet rigorous. "Mr. Shen has given you full authorization. Now, please tell me, what does your dream laboratory look like?"

Alva looked at this figure who was renowned in the global engineering community, then at the sci-fi-movie-like construction site around her, finally realizing that everything that had happened in that car was not a dream.

Her era had truly begun.

Three months later.

Freya Fjord had completely changed.

A complex of silver-white buildings with a futuristic style had risen. Part of it was embedded in the mountain, while another part extended into the deep waters of the fjord, using the deep-sea water for cooling.

This was the 'prometheus forge' Experimental Base No. 1.

At the core of the base was a giant spherical space as tall as twenty stories.

In the center of the space floated a complex device made of countless precision components. Its core was that very piece of helheim stone, which had been cut and polished.