27: Chapter 27 The dust has settled! The perpetrators have been apprehended, and a new domestic energy landscape is dawning (1)

The atmosphere on the top floor of the abandoned office building was stiflingly heavy.

Thomas held his gun with trembling hands, aiming it squarely at Mu Li, yet he dared not pull the trigger.

Mu Li's gaze was too sharp, like a blade drawn from its scabbard, striking fear into the depths of his soul.

"Mu Li, don't push me!" Thomas roared, trying to mask his panic with volume. "I am the former Minister of Energy for the Star Alliance Nation! If you dare to lay a hand on me, the Star Alliance Nation Administration will never let you go!"

"Let me go?" Mu Li scoffed, his pace unhurried as he slowly closed the distance. "You conspired with terrorist organizations to attack our core energy projects and attempted to sabotage our energy industry development. We haven't even settled that debt with you yet, and you dare to threaten me?"

"I did not! You are slandering me!" Thomas shouted, his bravado failing as his finger tightened on the trigger.

At this critical moment, the piercing sound of sirens echoed from outside the office building, growing louder by the second.

Thomas's expression shifted violently; he knew the law enforcement and the Garrison Force had surrounded the place, and there was no escape.

"Want to run?" Mu Li saw through his intentions, suddenly accelerating and pouncing forward like a cheetah.

Panic-stricken, Thomas hastily pulled the trigger. However, Mu Li's speed far exceeded his expectations, and he easily dodged the bullet with a side-step. The bullet struck the wall, sending debris flying.

Before Thomas could fire again, Mu Li reached him, kicking his wrist with a sharp crack. Thomas's wrist bone fractured, and the pistol clattered to the ground. Mu Li immediately followed up with a backhand maneuver, twisting Thomas's arm behind his back and pinning him against the wall.

"Ahhh—" Thomas let out a painful wail, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

Just then, the office door was pushed open, and several members of the Garrison Force rushed in, swiftly subduing Thomas.

"Engineer Mu, are you alright?" the captain of the Garrison Force asked respectfully.

"I am fine." Mu Li released his grip and brushed the dust off his clothes. "Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly. You must dig out all the core members and conspiracies of the Western Technical Blockade Alliance."

"Yes!" The captain of the Garrison Force nodded and signaled his men to take Thomas away. As Thomas was being dragged out, he glared viciously at Mu Li: "Mu Li, you just wait! The Western Alliance will not let you off!"

Mu Li smiled disdainfully and ignored him. With Thomas's capture, the joint attack orchestrated by the Western Alliance was declared a total failure.

Meanwhile, on the battlefields of the other five core pilot projects, thunderous counterattacks were unfolding, and reports of victory were pouring in like snowflakes.

At the Mobei solar energy pilot base, sandstorms raged. The Remnants of the Black Scorpion's assault team, taking advantage of the night, drove modified off-road vehicles through the outer perimeter, attempting to blow up the solar energy conversion core tower. But as soon as they reached the base of the tower, several infrared warning lines snapped, and sentries hidden in sand dunes opened fire instantly. The base security team, wearing sand-proof combat gear, utilized the tower's fortifications to create a crossfire network, leaving the terrorists with nowhere to hide on the open sand. In less than ten minutes, this well-equipped assault team was completely wiped out. The leader even tried to detonate the explosives on his body to go down with them, but he was disarmed on the spot by the security captain with a precise grappling lock.

At the East Sea tidal energy project, waves surged. The Arctic Wolf organization's frogmen attempted to infiltrate the generator cabin from the seabed. Little did they know, Mu Li had anticipated this, having pre-installed sonar sensor grids and high-voltage current barriers on the seabed. As soon as the frogmen approached, the sonar alarm blared through the command room. Underwater robots were immediately deployed, precisely cutting off the demolition devices carried by the frogmen, and then surrounding the intruders. Under the overwhelming technological suppression, the frogmen could only surrender, unable to plant a single bomb on the generator unit.

At the Southwest geothermal pilot station, surrounded by mountains, a group of terrorists disguised as a geological survey team attempted to infiltrate the geothermal well area with earth-penetrating bombs. But as soon as they presented their forged documents, they were spotted by sharp-eyed security personnel—the anti-counterfeiting marks on the documents were exactly the same as the forged samples in the identification manual Mu Li had issued in advance. Before they could react, the ambushing Garrison Force members descended from above, shields in the lead and batons breaking defenses, subduing the entire group in a flash. Twenty kilograms of high-grade explosives were seized from their exploration equipment.

At the Huazhong biomass energy industrial park, factories stood in rows. Several terrorists mixed into a transport fleet, attempting to commit arson in the raw material warehouse. But the intelligent smoke sensors and facial recognition systems throughout the park had long since locked onto their movements. The moment they pulled out their lighters, the warehouse doors automatically locked, the fire sprinkler system fully activated, and security personnel surrounded them from all sides, catching the arsonists red-handed before they could even strike a match.

At the Northwest wind energy hub center, wind turbines stood tall. Mercenaries hired by the Western Alliance attempted to attack the wind turbine cluster with shoulder-fired missiles. But the moment they set up the missile launchers, they were locked on by radar from afar. The base's air defense system instantly activated, and interceptor flares rose into the sky, rendering the missiles completely useless. Immediately after, armed helicopters roared in, and under absolute firepower suppression, the mercenaries threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender, lacking even the courage to resist.

With the three-layered integrated security network deployed by Mu Li in advance and intelligence support precise to the individual, the attacks by terrorist organizations like the Remnants of the Black Scorpion and the Arctic Wolf all ended in miserable failure. All participating terrorists were either captured on the spot or killed while resisting, with not a single one escaping the net.

"Engineer Mu, good news! The attacks on all pilot projects were successfully stopped! There were no casualties or property losses!" Zhang Hongyuan's excited voice came through the quantum encrypted communicator, his tone filled with undisguised excitement.

"Very good." Mu Li's tone finally relaxed, and his tight jawline softened slightly. "Tell the project managers in each location to resume construction as soon as possible, provided that security measures are strengthened. Additionally, notify the R&D team to send technicians to each pilot project to conduct comprehensive inspections and maintenance of core equipment, ensuring the projects can proceed smoothly."

"Received! I have already arranged it!"

After hanging up the communicator, Mu Li walked out of the abandoned office building. By now, the sky was beginning to brighten; the east was tinged with a pearly white, and the golden morning light pierced through the clouds, spilling over the devastated city ruins, yet revealing a sense of new vitality. At the Guangdong Province pilot project site, Zhao Gang was leading security and construction personnel in clearing the sporadic traces of battle, preparing to resume construction. Seeing Mu Li walk over, Zhao Gang immediately greeted him respectfully: "Engineer Mu, all the infiltrating terrorists have been captured, and the project site is safe! We can resume construction at any time!"

Mu Li nodded and walked toward the project site, the gravel crunching under his feet: "Thank you all for your hard work. Everyone has been on edge lately. Once the project resumes normal progress, give everyone a few days off to rest properly."

"Thank you, Engineer Mu!" The surrounding construction and security personnel cheered excitedly, their tired faces blooming with excited smiles. They had only heard of Mu Li's legendary deeds before, but now, seeing him personally delve into the front lines and single-handedly capture the mastermind to resolve this earth-shattering crisis, they were filled with admiration.

Mu Li carefully inspected every area of the project site, his fingertips brushing against the cold equipment casings. After confirming there were no security risks, he said to Zhao Gang: "Construction can resume. Remember, security measures cannot be relaxed. There must be 24-hour uninterrupted patrols to ensure the project is foolproof."

"Rest assured, Engineer Mu! We have already developed a detailed security plan; there will absolutely not be any more problems!" Zhao Gang said firmly, his eyes full of confidence.

With Mu Li's order, the sound of machinery roared once again at the Guangdong Province pilot project site. Huge crane arms slowly turned, and construction vehicles shuttled back and forth. The construction site, which had been silent for days, returned to its former bustling scene. This scene was being replicated at more than twenty other pilot projects across the country, the roaring sounds merging into a passionate battle song belonging to the rise of energy.

That morning, Mu Li returned to the capital. Just as he arrived at the Universal Energy headquarters, he received a call from the China Energy Administration, inviting him to attend the "National New Energy Industry Development Symposium" held that afternoon.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Mu Li arrived at the China Energy Administration conference room on time. The conference room was already filled with top experts in the domestic energy field, corporate leaders, and relevant officials from various local administrations. Seeing Mu Li walk in, everyone stood up one after another to greet him warmly.

"Engineer Mu, we really owe it to you this time! If it weren't for you, our pilot projects would have suffered major losses!" Director Wang, Wang Jianguo, of the China Energy Administration, gripped Mu Li's hand tightly, his tone filled with gratitude.

"Director Wang, you are too kind; this is what I should do." Mu Li said with a smile, "Protecting the safety of domestic energy projects and promoting the development of the new energy industry is the responsibility of every energy professional."

After the symposium officially began, Wang Jianguo spoke first, summarizing the incident where the Western Alliance united with terrorist organizations to attack the pilot projects, and highly affirmed the outstanding contributions of Mu Li and Universal Energy in this crisis. Subsequently, relevant officials from local administrations and corporate leaders took turns speaking, reporting on the progress and problems encountered in the pilot projects in their respective regions.

"Engineer Mu, the Wireless Power Transmission Technology towers for our Shanghai pilot project are 30% complete. However, we have found that some surrounding residents have concerns about the safety of Wireless Power Transmission Technology, worrying that it will affect their physical health. Some residents have even started to resist the construction," said the person in charge of the Shanghai Energy Bureau.

"This problem has also been encountered in other pilot projects," added the representative from Sichuan Province. "Although we have already released technical safety inspection reports, many residents still do not believe it."

Mu Li listened carefully to everyone's speeches. After everyone had finished speaking, he stood up and said: "Everyone, it is very normal for residents to have concerns about the safety of the technology. What we need to do is not to force construction, but to use facts to dispel their concerns."

"I suggest setting up 'New Energy Technology Experience Centers' around each pilot project, inviting residents to personally experience the convenience brought by Wireless Power Transmission Technology, while arranging professional technicians to explain the technical principles and safety knowledge to them. In addition, we can cooperate with local administrations to launch 'New Energy Benefit Activities,' providing free installation and usage services of wireless power transmission equipment for residents around the pilot projects, allowing them to personally feel the benefits of New Energy Technology."

Mu Li's suggestion was unanimously approved by everyone. Wang Jianguo nodded and said: "Engineer Mu's suggestion is very good! The China Energy Administration will take the lead in coordinating local administrations and enterprises to implement the construction of 'New Energy Technology Experience Centers' and the launch of 'New Energy Benefit Activities' as soon as possible."

The symposium lasted for more than three hours and finally determined the three core tasks for the future development of the domestic new energy industry: First, accelerate the construction of national pilot projects to ensure that all pilot projects can be completed and put into operation within one year; Second, strengthen the popularization and publicity of New Energy Technology to eliminate residents' concerns and create a good industrial development environment; Third, promote the improvement of the new energy industrial chain, support the development of relevant domestic enterprises, and achieve comprehensive autonomy in New Energy Technology and equipment.

After the symposium ended, Mu Li was kept behind by Wang Jianguo. "Engineer Mu, I have good news to tell you," Wang Jianguo said with a smile. "With the approval of the State Council, the country will establish the 'National New Energy Technology Innovation Alliance,' with you as the chairman, to coordinate the research and development and promotion of New Energy Technology nationwide. In addition, the country will also invest 100 billion yuan to set up a new energy industry development fund to support the technology R&D and project construction of enterprises like Universal Energy."

"Thank you for the country's trust and support!" Mu Li was overjoyed; this was undoubtedly a huge boost to his plan to promote the global energy revolution.

"This is what you deserve," Wang Jianguo said. "Your technology has not only changed our country's energy landscape but also given our country a voice in the global energy field. Next, I hope you can lead the alliance to accelerate technology R&D, promote the rapid development of the new energy industry, and let our country achieve energy self-sufficiency as soon as possible, getting rid of the dependence on traditional energy."

"Please rest assured, Director Wang, I will definitely not let down the country's trust!" Mu Li said firmly.

After leaving the China Energy Administration, Mu Li returned to the Universal Energy headquarters and immediately held a core team meeting to convey the spirit of the symposium and the relevant arrangements of the country.

"Everyone, the country has high expectations for us, and the responsibility on our shoulders is heavy," Mu Li looked at the team members and said firmly. "Next, the R&D team must accelerate the research and development of Controllable Nuclear Fusion commercial application technology and high-energy laser defense weapon technology; the market team must cooperate with local administrations to carry out popularization and publicity of New Energy Technology and benefit activities; the project team must strengthen communication with the persons in charge of pilot projects in various places to ensure the project can proceed smoothly."

"Understood!" The team members responded in unison, their eyes filled with fighting spirit.