158: Chapter 157 A Shocking Change in the Gobi Desert! Iron-willed Perseverance Breaks the Crisis, Unwavering Commitment Stabilizes the Fate (1)

In late autumn in Longyuan Province, the cold wind on the Gobi Desert was like a knife, whipping up fine yellow sand that howled past and stung the face upon impact. Mu Li stood on a high platform at the site of the nuclear fusion power station project, his dark gray windbreaker flapping loudly in the wind. He squinted slightly, watching the busy construction team before him—large excavators waving their iron arms, transport trucks shuttling incessantly, and workers wrapped in thick cold-weather gear working methodically amidst the sand-filled sky, with resilience and persistence etched on every face. Mu Li, his eyes filled with determination, unconsciously rubbed the medicine bottle in his pocket. After intense and meticulous preparations, the projects in Longyuan Province and Yundian Province had finally officially commenced on the same day. This was not only a critical step for the large-scale promotion of Nuclear Fusion Power Station technology, but also an important milestone in the advancement of his dream of an energy empire.

"Engineer Mu, this is today's construction progress report; please take a look." Zhao Yu wrapped his windbreaker tighter around himself, rubbed his hands which were red from the cold, and walked quickly to Mu Li's side. He carefully handed over a plastic-sealed document, fearing that the sand and wind might blur the writing on the paper. "The foundation excavation work is already 30% complete. At this rate, we will be able to successfully complete the foundation pouring by the end of the month. However, the weather in the Gobi Desert is truly too harsh. Last night, there was another strong sandstorm that lasted all night, with wind speeds reaching over level ten. Several pieces of construction equipment were half-buried by the yellow sand, but fortunately, we had evacuated the personnel in advance, so there were no casualties."

Mu Li took the report, his fingertips touching the cold plastic-sealed paper. He quickly scanned through it, his brows slightly furrowed, and his tone carried an unquestionable rigor: "Have the construction team send more manpower to speed up the equipment cleaning process. It is imperative that all buried equipment be cleared and construction resumed by noon today. At the same time, contact the logistics team immediately to set up double-layered windbreak nets around the perimeter of the construction area. Also, provide all construction personnel with thickened cold-weather gear, protective masks, and windproof goggles. Safety is always the top priority; there cannot be the slightest carelessness."

"Understood! Engineer Mu, I will go make the arrangements right away; I will definitely not delay the schedule." Zhao Yu nodded firmly, turned, and walked quickly down the high platform. As he walked, he took out his walkie-talkie and methodically deployed the various tasks, his figure quickly blending into the busy construction team.

Mu Li remained on the high platform, gazing at the distant, rolling sand dunes. The yellow sand glinted with a blinding white light under the sun, yet he felt a faint sense of unease in his heart. He clearly remembered that behind the coal enterprise chairman who was investigated last time, there were also forces from overseas energy companies involved. Although no abnormalities had been discovered during this period, he knew deeply that those people would never give up their attempts to hinder the promotion of the Nuclear Fusion Power Station technology. To ensure the safety of the project, he had not only specially arranged a professional security team for 24-hour uninterrupted patrols but also hired several key personnel from retired special forces to be responsible for security alerts at the construction site. Yet, this sense of unease, like the sand and wind on the Gobi Desert, lingered in his heart and would not dissipate.

Just then, the phone in his pocket suddenly rang urgently. The harsh ringtone was exceptionally abrupt amidst the howling cold wind, and the name "Yundian Project Site - Li Lei" flashed on the screen. Mu Li's heart sank, and a bad premonition instantly flooded his mind. He immediately pressed the answer key, held the phone tightly against his ear, and spoke in an urgent tone: "Li Lei, what happened? What went wrong over in Yundian?"

On the other end of the line came Li Lei's anxious and slightly flustered voice, with the background filled with noisy commotion and the sound of objects colliding: "Engineer Mu, it's bad! Something major has happened! While our construction team was excavating the foundation, we were suddenly blocked by local villagers. There are about dozens of them, holding clubs and shovels. They are extremely agitated and have even smashed two excavators. The glass is all shattered, and the machine bodies are damaged to varying degrees. Now, both sides are at a stalemate; we dare not act rashly for fear of causing a conflict!"

"What?" Mu Li's expression sank instantly, the air pressure around him dropped suddenly, and the cold wind seemed to become even more biting. The project site in Yundian Province was in a remote mountainous area. In the early stages, he had personally led the team to communicate repeatedly with the local management office, the village committee, and village representatives. He had explained in detail the safety of the Nuclear Fusion Power Station and its role in driving the local economy. Not only had they signed a reasonable land acquisition compensation agreement, but he had also promised to build roads and improve infrastructure for the area. How could a situation where villagers were blocking the site suddenly arise? "I understand, Li Lei. Listen to me: stabilize the situation first. You must patiently pacify the villagers' emotions. Absolutely do not get into a conflict with the villagers. Even if you have to wait a while longer, do not escalate the conflict. I am heading over there immediately; I will arrive in at most a dozen hours."

Hanging up the phone, Mu Li immediately took out his phone and dialed the driver's number, his tone firm: "Prepare the car immediately and head to the Yundian Province project site at full speed. The situation is urgent; we cannot afford any delays." After hanging up, he turned to leave. Just as he took a step, a sudden, violent, twisting pain shot through his chest, as if an invisible hand had ruthlessly gripped his heart, or as if countless red-hot steel needles had densely pierced into his myocardium, leaving him instantly unable to breathe. A taste of blood welled up in his throat, his face turned paper-white instantly, devoid of any color, and beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and soaking his collar. His body swayed violently against his will, and his legs went weak, as if all his strength had been drained away. He hurriedly grabbed onto the railing of the high platform beside him, his knuckles turning pale from the force, his fingertips almost embedding themselves into the gaps of the cold railing to barely keep himself from collapsing. A suppressed, painful groan escaped his throat, and even his breathing became intermittent. Every inhalation felt like it was tugging at his damaged heart, causing him to tremble all over from the pain.

"Engineer Mu! What's wrong? Are you alright?" Zhao Yu, who had just returned from arranging the work, saw Mu Li's state, his face turning pale with fright. He rushed over, carefully supporting Mu Li's arm, his face full of worry, his tone even trembling. "Is your old ailment acting up again? Please rest for a moment; don't force yourself!"

"It's nothing… just my old ailment… it doesn't matter." Mu Li waved his hand with difficulty, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible, and it carried a tremor he couldn't hide. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips trembling violently from the pain and weakness. Several times he failed to accurately grasp the medicine bottle in his pocket, and it took a monumental effort to finally pull that brown medicine bottle out of his pocket. His fingers were stiff; it took several attempts to unscrew the cap. A white pill slid out from the bottle neck and fell into his palm. Trembling, he raised his hand and put the pill into his mouth, then tremblingly took the warm water Zhao Yu handed him and swallowed it with difficulty. The moment the pill slid down his throat, the twisting pain in his chest intensified a bit more, making him unable to hold back a groan. His brows were tightly knitted together, his face was terrifyingly pale, and his lips had lost their color, becoming chapped and purplish. He leaned against the railing, closed his eyes, and gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently. Cold sweat continued to pour out, soaking his windbreaker, the fabric of his back sticking tightly to his body. He looked so weak that he seemed ready to collapse at any moment. Every breath was accompanied by piercing pain, as if his heart would stop beating in the next second—this was the root cause of the illness he had contracted when conducting nuclear energy exploration in the Gobi Desert in his youth. At that time, in order to meet the construction schedule, he had worked outdoors for half a month straight in sub-zero temperatures, with irregular meals, eventually leading to severe coronary heart disease. Over the years, he had relied on medication to maintain his condition. Once he became overly exhausted or emotionally agitated, it would trigger an acute attack, and this time, the severity of the attack was worse than any previous one.

"Engineer Mu, since you're like this, why are you still forcing yourself?" Zhao Yu said with heartache, his eyes slightly red. "Just leave the matter in Yundian Province to me to handle. I will certainly resolve it properly and won't delay the project schedule. You should rest well here, take your medicine on time; recuperating your health is the most important thing."

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

"No!" Mu Li snapped his eyes open, his gaze firm and brook no argument. He slowly stood up straight; though his face remained pale and the sharp pain in his chest hadn't fully subsided, his tone carried the weight of iron-blooded responsibility. "The situation in Yundian Province is unique. The villagers' sudden obstruction is definitely no accident. Someone must be manipulating things from the shadows—most likely those uninvestigated traditional energy companies stirring up trouble to hinder construction. I must go there personally to see for myself before I can rest easy and resolve this completely. I wouldn't trust anyone else to handle it."

Zhao Yu wanted to continue his persuasion, but seeing Mu Li's stern and resolute eyes, he swallowed the words back down. He knew Mu Li's temperament; once he made up his mind, he would never change it easily. Helpless, Zhao Yu could only nod and speak solemnly, "Alright, Engineer Mu, I'll follow your lead. I'll arrange the vehicle immediately and prepare spare medicine and warm water for you. You must rest well on the way; if you feel any discomfort, tell me at once."

The vehicle was ready soon after. Mu Li leaned against the seat and closed his eyes. The dull ache in his chest persisted; every breath felt like fine needles pricking his heart. He knew his body was issuing a serious warning, but he couldn't stop—the promotion of Nuclear Fusion Power Station technology was vital to the overall situation of the country's energy transition, the vital interests of hundreds of millions of people, and the dream of an energy empire he had held for many years. No matter the cost, he had to persevere and not let all his hard work go to waste.

The car drove away from the Longyuan Province project site and sped toward Yundian Province. The highway through the Gobi Desert was winding and tortuous, flanked by continuous sand dunes. Wind and sand constantly slapped against the car windows with a 'da-da' sound. Mu Li leaned against the seat, sometimes closing his eyes to rest, and sometimes taking out his phone to check the real-time situation at the Yundian Province project site. His fingertips trembled slightly due to the pain, yet he never set aside his work.

After more than ten hours of long-distance travel, the car finally arrived at the Yundian Province project site. From a distance, Mu Li saw that the construction site was swarming with people. Dozens of villagers, holding clubs and shovels, surrounded the entrance to the construction area, shouting emotional slogans and confronting construction workers in uniforms. Two excavators sat idle nearby, their glass smashed to pieces and their bodies covered in scratches. The scene was chaotic, and the air was thick with tension.

Mu Li pushed open the car door and, ignoring the dull pain in his chest, walked over quickly. His posture was upright and his gaze steady; though his face was still pale, he carried a powerful aura. "Everyone, calm down! Please be quiet!" His voice was loud and forceful, cutting through the noise and instantly drawing everyone's attention. The villagers' shouts gradually faded as all eyes focused on him.

Seeing Mu Li, the villagers swarmed around him, shouting all at once: "Are you the person in charge of this project? Stop the project immediately! Building a power station here has ruined our Feng Shui; it will bring disaster to our entire village!" "That's right! We don't want your compensation, and we don't care about any infrastructure. We just want you to leave now and stop working here!" "Stop work immediately, or we'll keep smashing things so you can't build at all!"

Mu Li waited patiently for the villagers to finish, showing no sign of impatience, his tone gentle yet firm: "Fellow villagers, please calm down and listen to me. Our nuclear fusion power station project is a key clean energy project supported by the state. It is completely different from the traditional nuclear power stations you might be thinking of; it doesn't produce radioactive waste, it won't pollute the environment, and it certainly won't ruin so-called Feng Shui. On the contrary, once completed, it will not only provide a stable and clean power supply to make your lives more convenient, but it will also drive local economic development, building roads, schools, and health clinics to give everyone a more hopeful future. We previously signed a land acquisition compensation agreement with the village committee and obtained approval from the local Management Administration. Every step of the process is legal and compliant. I hope everyone can understand and support our work."

"Don't listen to his nonsense!" Just then, a tall middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd. He wore a black jacket and his hair was meticulously combed, looking completely out of place among the simply dressed local villagers. He stood with hands on his hips and shouted with obvious incitement, "My cousin is in engineering, and he told me specifically that these kinds of nuclear power stations have radiation. Living nearby long-term will make us sick and affect the health of future generations! Don't be fooled by him; they're just in it for the money and don't care about the lives of us common people! We absolutely cannot let them build a power station here!"

Mu Li saw through the middle-aged man at a glance; he was deliberately inciting the villagers' emotions. His eyes were shifting and his expression nervous, clearly indicating he had come prepared and was not a local villager at all. Mu Li took a step forward, staring sharply at the man with a calm but oppressive tone: "What kind of engineering does your cousin do? What is his name? Where does he work? Since you say he understands the situation, why not have him come out so we can communicate face-to-face? We can clear things up and put everyone's mind at ease."

The middle-aged man felt extremely uncomfortable under Mu Li's sharp gaze. His eyes flickered with panic, and he stammered, "My... my cousin is just an ordinary engineer working out of town. Don't worry about all that, just stop the work! Everything I said is true. If you don't stop, you'll regret it sooner or later!"

"I don't think you're a villager from here at all, are you?" Mu Li's voice rose sharply, a trace of coldness in his tone. "Who instructed you to incite the villagers to riot? Was it those traditional energy companies? They aren't willing to be phased out by our clean energy technology, so they hired you to drive a wedge and hinder construction. Am I right?"

The middle-aged man's face changed; Mu Li had hit the mark. He suddenly turned angry from shame and shouted harshly, "You're talking nonsense! I am a villager here! Everyone, don't listen to him, he's just trying to trick us! Drive them out and smash their equipment!" As he spoke, he raised the club in his hand and moved to strike Mu Li, his eyes full of ferocity.

"Stop!" At this critical moment, several uniformed law enforcement officers rushed over. One grabbed the middle-aged man's wrist and forced him to the ground with swift, decisive movements. It turned out that on the way there, Mu Li had anticipated potential conflict and contacted local law enforcement in advance to assist in maintaining order. He hadn't expected to arrive just in time for this scene.

Seeing the law enforcement officers, the villagers fell silent instantly, looks of panic appearing on their faces as they dropped their clubs and shovels. The middle-aged man struggled and shouted, "Officers, they are bullying the common people! They are forcing this power station on us and destroying our Home! Arrest them quickly!"

"Whether they are bullying the people is something we will investigate thoroughly. We won't wrong an innocent person, nor will we let a bad one go."